Practice Armor--Closed to Cassie Cage. Jelly 1--Evening

[light_of_willpower]

Who: light Trunks Brief and nutkrusher Cassandra Carlton Cage
Where: Training Gym, then Spa car.
When: Jelly 1, in the Evening
What: Cassie and Trunks spar, to test Cassie's new armor. Of course sparring also includes flirting, right?
Warnings: Shippy cute things, grappling & fighting.



Well, it had been an exciting platform day so far. Trunks honestly didn't know what the train would throw his way next. First an unknown and unexpected sister, and now his parents were here too. From further along in the timeline than he was--that was a new thing. He was honestly kind of unsure how to deal with it.

Fortunately he had an appointment--a date to get ready for. In something he wasn't at all unsure about, with someone he wasn't unsure about. He wanted to let Cassie get a chance to test her new armor in combat, and he had promised to wear his own too. So, armor retrieved from the locker room and off to the training gym once he was changed. He was looking forward to this spar, even more than their usual daily ones.

Comments

[nutkrusher]

Cassie's expression has settled into one that Trunks should be more than familiar with now. It's not quite a smirk, but it conveys swagger. Confidence. Excitement.

She rotates her shoulders and cracks her knuckles.

"I still can't get over how easy it is to move in this. I have got to take whatever the formula for this material is home with me."

[light_of_willpower]

Likewise, Trunks' expression should be familiar too. There is no blush, not even a hint; just a grin with a touch of smirk added to it. Confidence and excitement and enjoyment. Maybe a hint of anticipation, but that was because he was spending time with his girlfriend.

He watches as she moves a bit, and chuckles with her comment. Stretching out his own arms and shoulders, in preparation. "Well, if you haven't met her yet, I'm both pleased and sad to tell you, my mother is here." Pleased because he would always love seeing his mother--any version. Sad, because he hadn't wanted her kidnapped by a void-train.

[nutkrusher]

"I have," Cassie says. "She seems pretty cool. I'm glad I got to meet her, apart from the whole, y'know...circumstances thing."

She heads over to the spot where they usually start their spar.

"I think this is a good time for our Sprint Day this week."

[light_of_willpower]

"Your Sprint day, maybe." Trunks shot back gamely. "You still need to work up to being a good challenge for me to call it a sprint." A hint of smirk, a hint of tease. Confidence he rarely showed except when they sparred.

[nutkrusher]

Cassie's eyes are alight as she answers the challenge. If any observer somehow thought she didn't look ready to fight before, they definitely wouldn't think that now.

"Oh, you've stepped in it now, honey."

A streak of green light surges across the room, and she comes out with fists flying.

[light_of_willpower]

"Aww, did I hurt your feelings?" Trunks was a bit surprised she'd gone that fast to using her ki, but he's smirking back at her as he blocks her fists. She's definitely putting more power than usual on 'sprint-day' into things.

[nutkrusher]

"You're the one in a world of hurt now."

She knows she needs to get to pressing against her inner barrier as quickly as possible to make this anything like a fight. No point in wasting time.

She's making a rapid series of side kicks, mostly targeted at the legs for now, but punctuated by lengthy jabs. She's pouring shadow energy into every movement, banking on a response from Trunks.

[light_of_willpower]

She'd been getting better at holding shadow-energy for longer periods of time, and Trunks was still smirking. Blocking her kicks, or dodging around them. But she's leaving those jabs out just a little too long for his preference.

"You're open!" He warns, as she jabs again and he grabs her forearm. Pivoting, to get a leg behind her own and pulling her off-balance. He's controlling it, as usually he'd just send her flying across the gym. As it is, they're moving at faster speed and harder than usual; she heads for the ground and he's following with a fist ready to connect to her head.

[nutkrusher]

Cassie realizes it a fraction of a second before it happens. She'd fucked up. Which makes it time for a shift in approach.

She makes a conscious effort to extend the grip on her arm and fall harder, essentially propelling herself to fly "backwards." With luck, he'll be surprised by it and it'll send him just off-balance enough to keep his fist away from her head and allow her to escape. Maybe she'll even be able to grab hold of his leg first.

[light_of_willpower]

It surprised him, certainly; ground combat was not normally something he engaged in or was used to anymore. He'd learned to fly shortly after learning to fight after all. As it was, Trunks had enough control that he wouldn't really have punched Cassie in the face--he'd been aiming just to the side.

Of course, with her motion it's even more to the side, and there's an audible impact and hint of rumble to the ground. The only reason the floor isn't broken is because it's part of the train likely. But he is open, half-crouched as he is with one hand still holding her fore-arm.

[nutkrusher]

Cassie has begun to come to a realization when it comes to directing her qi - she doesn't always need to use her legs to get up. As she pulls the hand that Trunks has around her wrist in closer to her chest, she pops her prone body up off the ground in a violent surge of glowing green wind emanating from her core.

The result, she hopes, will either force Trunks off her back or help set up a literal flying keylock. She'd take either one at this point.

[light_of_willpower]

The sudden surge of wind-energy draws a grunt from him in surprise. He still has her wrist and fore-arm, and she's now got a good grip on him too. Trunks let's his palm find the ground, and prepared to break the lock by force, and get up from his crouch.

He does not realize the danger he is in.

[nutkrusher]

Now that she's brought herself space to maneuver, Cassie can shift her weight properly while Trunks isn't expecting it. She's had to get faster training with Trunks. And that quickness on her feet is paying off now. Her legs wrap around his body as she turns with his wrist in her grasp. She's applying torque on his joint now.

A ki blast is the only real way to break this now. Cassie's expecting it. It'll be a good opportunity to test this armor.

[light_of_willpower]

He winces a bit at the hold, with the torque on his joint. It's distracting--and they're in the middle of combat--so her legs going around him don't draw the blush that would otherwise enflame his face.

Shit--how was he going to get out of this...

Scowling a bit, Trunks let ki form in his hand that she'd trapped. Powering the burst just enough to sting, if she weren't wearing armor. It should be more than enough to break the lock, to where he can roll or backflip away for more space.

[nutkrusher]

It's certainly enough. Cassie keeps her grip for as long as she can, even as she'd known what was coming. First, because she didn't want to give Trunks any chance to reverse the hold. Second, because she knew there was no real risk of hurting him. And third, because she really, honestly wanted to test what this armor could do.

The force from the blast wrenches her hand away and presses her back toward the floor. But she's already prepared herself, her legs coiled and ready to spring away.

[light_of_willpower]

'Second' wasn't actually true--she could hurt him; it just wasn't easy. Both were also controlling themselves too, because the point of a spar wasn't to hurt your opponent. Trunks was prepared, as soon as she let go. Up on his feet from the crouch, with a backflip added to put some more distance between them.

He's smirking though, blue-eyes alight with enjoyment and excitement, as he takes a guard-ready position.

[nutkrusher]

Cassie springs back into the air and to the other side of a car, with a sharp grin to match his.

"Okay. Time to really play ball."

With this, she looses a barrage of green fireballs, releasing them far faster than she ever has before. Just a month prior, it would have taken her minutes to throw this many.

Lucky for the other passengers nobody's in this car right now.

[light_of_willpower]

An eyebrow raises at the bad pun, Trunks raising his own hands up and glowing with ki. Aiming for every blast she's throwing at him to intercept it.

[nutkrusher]

A Cage isn't a Cage without dumb jokes. Or the desire to see every fight through.

Right now, though, she's enjoying the indoor fireworks show they're both making. She can keep this up for a while, and does. But eventually she may decide to get sneaky and try to charge through the fracas.

Not yet, though.

[light_of_willpower]

She might not have to wait, as honestly Trunks could keep this up for a while too. But honestly? He'd rather be engaging close up--both because he does like being close to her, but more importantly, because she knew moves and techniques he wasn't used to. Like the wrist and leg lock she'd done just before.

All this means is that Trunks brings his hands together, preparing a bigger burst of ki. Making it as much of light and showy as he can, rather than for it to actually sting. Forming the burst and letting it fly, and he's following in it's wake at greater speed than before towards Cassie.

Ready to come at her with a 2 punch 1 kick combo.

[nutkrusher]

Cassie gets the same idea at more or less the same time. The flash of green and blinding white light would surely be an impressive sight if anyone else were there to see it.

But Cassie's coming out to meet him feet first, glowing hot all the way. He'd best be prepared to block it before he starts.

[light_of_willpower]

Oh good, she's pushing herself--not that it wasn't what she usually did on 'Sprint' day. Trunks is very prepared, to dodge at least before striking out himself. No glow, but meeting her every strike and holding back just enough she has to rise to the challenge.

"Gotta do better than that, Cas."

[nutkrusher]

Cassie is adopting a stance of aggressive defense for now. She feels confident that her stamina has improved enough to give her a little time. Enough that she can afford not to get immediately baited.

Not that it isn't a workout and a half just to keep up. But she wants to make her strike on her terms.

She starts with a low-risk trick - a surprise flash of energy from her fingertips, looking to distract him while she goes low.

[light_of_willpower]

A cheap-trick, but it works enough to make Trunks flinch in reaction, distracting him for a second. She better make that second count.

[nutkrusher]

She turns her body astonishingly quickly - her maneuver of choice is a leg sweep into a judo toss.

Her ground game had helped her in the first round. Seems like a good idea to test it again.