12476/Widows Preparing to Bite

Widows Preparing to Bite
Date of Scene:	17 August 2022
Location:	Athletics: Triskelion
Synopsis:	Two Widows and a Spider Spar.
Cast of Characters:	Natasha Romanoff, Yelena Belova, Jessica Drew

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Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff is curretnly setup over in the athletics area, where one of the training mats has been setup. Natasha is going through some stretching, limbering up. She doesn't need to as much but ballet has conditioned her. Even with her enhanced abilities, it's something reinforced to never forget. So getting ready and going through her finishing motions, she awaits her sparring partner.

Yelena Belova has posed:
Sparring?

Yuck...

But it's a chance to throw down and actually not hold back, like Yelena has to do with others. A whispered, 'Do not hurt them, please' had been whispered in her ear early on, and as a result, it's not done her any good. In fact, she's avoided it very much like the plague. After all, who wants to give SHIELD, those little birdy-agents, experience in fighting a Widow?

Certainly not her. She //likes// having surprises.

Still, it is a white-suited up Yelena (minus her vest) that approaches the sparring area, blonde hair done up in a pony tail, complete with the wisps dangling in either side of her face. She cuts an athletic figure, all in all, and calls out, "Tell me you are not selling tickets to this show." She doesn't look like she's ready for sparring, but with the two of them, looks are always deceiving. "All windows are blacked out? I do not need peanut gallery to show up."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff would go over and smile, "Oh, anyone here I've just told that if they're in viewing range then it means they're fair game. So anyone who shows up makes themselves a target. And don't worry.. This is anything goes. All the equipment around here. . Fair game. The security monitors.. Fair game. Anything you have on you.. Fair game."
    In Natasha's era the Red Room taught girls to always keep the necessities on them by randomly drugging them and abandoning them in Siberia and expecting them to make it bcak, whether they were wearing just a nightie or full combat gear. The ones who survived learned the lesson.

Yelena Belova has posed:
Yelena not only survived but excelled, spurred on by not only the need for praise and acceptance, but also that touch of competition; the name of Natasha Romanoff was dangled so many times before her eyes like a red cape with a bull. It's built into her a definite streak of 'whatever gets the job done', and over the few scant years, she's adding that touch of quirky, snarky finesse to it.

A quick smile is returned, and Yelena rolls first one shoulder, then the other in her own rendition of 'warming up'. One doesn't always get that luxury in a fight, so..

"I will apologize in advance then. Security cameras will be casualty." She doesn't look too concerned, however. "Always first casualty."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff would smile over at Yelena, "Of course. You want hte ones on the left or shall I?" Natasha going to pull out a trio of small throwing knives from her hands over and going to quip over to Yelena, "Widow's choice." OF course, she didn't say whether she meant -her- left or -Yelena's- left after all. Why iron out all the details to that level?
    She would crouch over into a defensive stance, small blades at the ready and waiting for her sister to go in to try and gut her.

Yelena Belova has posed:
It's the little details, of course, and Yelena doesn't move for her knives; it's a gunslinger's affect, really. Pulling her blades at the very last moment, and instead of a response, the blonde offers up a nod as she steps forward towards Natasha before spinning around, and the knives are in the air, hurtling towards their targets, that is, the security cameras.

*crack*

*pop*

*zzzz*

That last one, she hit the wires that fed that particular small bank of cameras.

It only takes a heartbeat before once again, she spins around, a knife suddenly in hand, and her leg is coming up high for a strike to Natasha's throat.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Going to take a moment to let Yelena go to pop off the first round, Natasha is at it a moment later, going to fling her own blades through thea ir in arcs towards the nearest cameras. It's all just a game. And whomeer is on security detail is going to notice things dropping off. Then Natasha goes to brace as Yelena moves to slash at her!
    She leans backwards just enough to have the blade miss her by centimeters, going to try and smack her hand up and over towards the middle of Yelena's bcak as she would twist in passing! Her waiting for when Yelena had committed enough to the attack to be unable to maneuver htat much or correct her approach to try and hit her with an attempted kidney strike!

Jessica Drew has posed:
Rumors fly down the corridors of SHIELD. Certain agents from behind the Soviet bloc are going head to head. It's irresistible and if what the guys at the internal security station are saying likely not something that they want recorded.

So mums the word while the cats and the spider play.

Barefoot, barehanded, the dark haired spider mutant is in tactical issue black when she steps into the gym and closes the door behind her. She automatically confirms what security had told her. Observation windows are opaqued and cameras dangle from wires in the walls.

Wondering how long she will stand on the periphery before she is in the melee between the two deadly women, Jessica takes several deeply oxygenating breaths to ready herself.

Yelena Belova has posed:
It's the leg swing that misses, moving through air as if the blonde Widow had planned it. It's the joy and glory of ballet; poor footing is almost never a danger. Still, the follow through gives Natasha that chance to hit her in the back, and she grunts in annoyance as she finishes the maneuver, only to spin completely around and move to block the kidney strike. She's light when she has to be, and Yelena is lightning quick, so short a time from the embrace of Mother Russia to now.

Jessica's appearance into the sparring area is given a glance of acknowledgement if not immediate recognition. In that second, in that heartbeat, a thousand things go on behind the seemingly unflappable expression. Threat assessment. Chances of Jessica Drew coming at her before Natasha? Better than even.. after all, they're teammates, and she's odd girl out.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Jessica's presence makes her by the rules a fair target. So there's a grin from Natasha even as she goes to greet her fellow agent with a flung knife. "Join in the fun?" Her arc is a litlte off if only as she has to quickly re-engage Yelena when the other girl goes to counterattack!
    Natasha brings her arms down to block any sort of attack that Yelena might bring over at her, going defensive as well as both Widows would react over to the arrival of Jessica in the room.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Jumping spiders have nothing on Jessica. She is uncannily fast and she uses it as a ploy to infuriate opponents, getting them off guard. She ducks the knife which clatters behind her and smiles to herself.

"I thought you'd never ask, dear Natasha," she purrs.

Jess takes two steps onto the mats and feints a strike at Yelena, then steps into Natasha, grasping her by the shoulder and sweeping a leg backward to take her down.

Yelena Belova has posed:
It's the block from the strike and her move through that has Yelena pausing for a couple of heartbeats. The sight of the knife throw gets a disapproving *tsk* from Yelena, complete with, "How does that say 'welcome'?" She shakes her head in snarky, mock disappointment, "It is so very sad."

It does bring Jessica into the fray, however, and Jess' blow is easily blocked and turned as it was only a feint. The attack on Natasha gains a complaint that rises from the blonde Russian, "Hey. You two. Break it up. You look like two lovers in bar." She even claps her hands as if to send the message home. "Hello!"

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff would go over to grin as Jessica would join them, "Good. We don't want to worry about you getting soft." She would affirm to the Radioactive Spider-Woman as she would try to brace for the leg sweep but be just a little slow, knocked off her feet. Going to instantly springboard back up to them and moving to charge over at Yelena while grinning.
    "Wlel, then it does appear dear sister.." She would go for a quick series of short, fast punches aimed at Yelena to try and put her on the defensive.
    "That we need a window to thrwo someone out of."

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Hel-loo to you, Yelena. Such a lovely welcome!" she singsongs, accentuating her Oxford accent. She steps back, unwilling for the moment to double-team Yelena. But, not out of the softness of her heart.

The series of punches thud hollowly in the empty gym they have to themselves. To all appearances, this is not a soft glove sparring match and the blows land solidly. Yelena's reputation for toughness has not been exaggerated.

And yet, she is not above double-teaming Natasha -certainly the benefit of having known the agent longer.

Jess grabs Natasha's other shoulder from behind, breaking into the rhythm of her punches and if she turns toward her, will receive a jab to the jaw.

Yelena Belova has posed:
"Soft... god, that accent. So posh," Yelena returns to Jess' greeting. Her own accent is decidedly Russian, soft around the edges, but still very 'Boris and Natasha'. She's a walking Russian stereotype! "Do all of you English go to same school? MI5 sounds very much like that," she scoffs.

All her talking doesn't mean that Yelena is unprepared for the attack from Natasha, and as the woman brings in the punches, the blonde is maneuvering for a sweeping arm block up, and a leg sweep that is looking to drop Natasha from behind. She's quick to move, and times it just as Jess is grabbing Natasha's shoulder for the inadvertant double-team of the OG Black Widow.

Yelena is tough, and she's built a little more solidly than Natasha; one definitely has more curves than the other, but it's fine! "What was that--

"Oh, sorry. That was double-teaming.." and Yelena moves out of the way, only to go after Jess.

She makes the attempt to maneuver around her even as the woman is following up her going after Natasha to arm grab Jess behind and to the side with an arm about her throat.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Of course Natasha is -probbly- the bigger danger of the two in a fight, so taking her out quickly means that Jessica can neutralize the other Widow at her own leisure. Natasha is not as fast or as strong as Jessica, evne with the gap in experience. So when Jessica goes up and over behind her when she's focused on Yelena, there's only so much she can do on both ends while she's trying to take out one opponent quickly to focus on the other.
    She's yanked hard on the shoulder, flung up over to the fist to the jaw and sent -flying- through the air! To land hard over on her feet and curling up her legs underneath her to roll along the ground to bleed off momentum, nimbly getting up to her feet!

Jessica Drew has posed:
Natasha makes a graceful arc in the air and recovers with aplomb. An arm jerks her backward while she is focused on Natasha. It is a lovely move, meant to cut off her air supply. Jess admires Natasha's and Yelena's artistry and no matter her strength and physique does not make the fatal error of underestimating either of them. Red Room training is legend.

Like the two Russians, the schooling Jess was subjected to was meant to eliminate the weak. Jess stomps a foot into Yelena's instep,then elbows her in the solar plexus. Face rapidly reddening as her breathing is strangled, she reaches behind her with both hands to hook them behind Yelena's head, then ducks in an attempt to throw her over her head and flat onto her back.

Yelena Belova has posed:
The fighting styles between the two Widows are close but not exact. Different times, different methods, different experiences molded the two into two distinct individual killing machines. Yelena's approaches are far different than Natasha's, though ultimately they can achieve the same end. After all, the blonde had bested a few of Natasha's scores in training, so while she may not be over-all //better//, she's absolutely a force to be reckoned with.

The block, leg sweep, coupled with Jessica's powerful pull backwards has Natasha flying through the air, controlled.. and at the landing, Yelena barks out a 'Ha!' before she's turning her attention (mostly) fully upon Jess. The hold is out to the side, the air the spider breathing is meant to be a commodity, and under normal circumstances, there'd be no chance for a shot to the solar plexus. But there it is.. the stomp on her instep gives out a grunt, but it's the elbow, followed by the pull at her to go up and over.

Yelena does go up and over, but as she is flung, she grabs hold of Jess and is ready to give her the self-same ride.. up and over in the air, and even as she's landing, she's hoping to give the spider a little airtime as well, to land on the ground beside her.

Her own landing has her give out a *whoof* of air before she's rolling to the opposite side where she's hoping Jess will land, ready to gain her feet once more.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
As Jessica is going to take down Yelena, Natasha is going to just as rapidly get up and over to her feet. Yelena's seen what Jessica can do, and how strong she is. So now it's time to see how Yelena adapts. Natasha goes to charge over at Jessica even as Yelena is hitting the mat. She's going for a rapid series of strikes and attacks. Aware that Jessica is strong enough to take her best hits without too much of an issue, and fast enough to dodge them. That isn't the point.
    The point is to get Jessica focused on her strike, blocking and evading them or going in for a counterattack once the brunette has gotten a sense to the rhythm of her strikes..
    Then her hand would snap up and over to try and go for a nerve strike over along the side of Jessica's neck. A quick attempted jab while she would hopefully have Jessica too caught up in the built up rhythm and tempo to change quickly.

Jessica Drew has posed:
How do you lessen a blow? You move with it, or as in this case, roll with it. Perhaps, Yelena intends for Jess to land flat on her back and have the air knocked out of her. Tucking herself into a ball, lessens her surface area and makes for a faster flip. Like flipping off a balance beam, the spider-mutant lands on her feet and right into the brunt of Natasha's attack.

Natasha's first punch makes her back step and grimace, automatically raising both arms to block the blows. Ducking and weaving, she looks for an opening to strike Natasha in return. Both of the Russians are brilliant tactical fighters. Natasha slips a nerve pinch by Jess's defensive stance that numbs her from neck to wrist, making her drop her guard and open to another blow.

Yelena Belova has posed:
"Ooooh, very nice.." Yelena observes from her spot on the ground. She's rolling and gaining her feet, obviously having a little fun with it. None of them are pulling punches, which is the way the blonde Russian likes it.

Once on her feet, eyes of blue are looking between the two and chuffs a breath once the nerve pinch takes effect. She's not going to go for the sucker punch, and says as much. "That would not be fair. Too easy," rises as a complaint.

Actually, Yelena takes a step back and breathes a breath out. "How about a drink? All this.." and she waves a hand, "..makes me very thirsty."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
There's another qiuck couple of attempted light hits from Natasha, more for show over than anything else. Taking the fight seriously means that Jess venom blasts her across the room. "Good. You see how that worked there?" She would quip over to Jessica. "The maneuver and the attack. When we were fighting you let me set the rhythm on the defense and you went along with it. I was able to control the pace of how we were fighting. Never cede an advantage to an opponent if you can help it."

She would offer to Yelena over, "Very well, I suppose it's got to be five o'clock somewhere in the world. We willl, admittedly hve to travel a bit to find somewhere with something appropriate." It could tkae them a few hundred feet even to find somehwere with vodka!

Jessica Drew has posed:
Jess takes her deserved punches and the lesson served with them in good grace. Rolling her shoulder, she points at Natasha with the other hand, and smiles through the pain "Point taken."

Green eyes shift to Yelena, then back to Natasha, Jess's smile widening, "It is thirsty work and requires fixing. I am sure it is five o'clock...somewhere. Locker, ladies? And meet in the lobby?"