8981/My dojo, my rules

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My dojo, my rules
Date of Scene: 07 December 2021
Location: Thea's Apartment, New York
Synopsis: Alexander gets invited to Thea's place where they battle it out with swords.
Cast of Characters: Alexander Aaron, Thea Queen




Alexander Aaron has posed:
    There was a warmth to Alexander's smile. A bounce to his step after he left the Themysciran embassy. It was so nice to catch up with Diana again, to meet another member of the family who for now at least seemed to not be very jerky at all. All in all it had been a good past few days, even though obligations at times preyed upon his time. But now, in the brisk chill of the Winter, young Phobos finally... for the first time in a while, felt freedom.
    It was while he was walking that he felt the buzz of the cell in his jacket pocket. It only took him a moment to pull the phone free and to swipe it to life with the brush of a thumb, leaving him to stand there on the street corner as a few wisps of snowflakes fell around him.
    The message was simple and to the point, but it was the author of it that made him smile, his pale hazel eyes focusing on the display as he lightly tapped out a response that he'd be there in half an hour.
    After that the phone went back into his pea coat and off he went. It would take a bit to get there, but it would be nice to see her again.

Thea Queen has posed:
Winter was upon New York. Snow falling on the outside, freezing temperatures. A touch different from Starling, but she enjoyed it. There's always a special something to Christmas time that she quite couldn't place it. Maybe it's her memories from when she was a kid. And she still had her whole family. Because now? Here she was living on an apartment given by none other than her real father. Malcolm Merlyn. A luxurious thing for certain, ample rooms, lush. The best for her daughter it seems...

Thea did make some remodelling though and that large living room has been turned more into a training place than a posh thing even if there's a curious mix between the two. Large, wall-long windows that give a view of the streets outside, a vase here and there. A pair of columns that run through near the center of the place and even paintings. And then there are the weights, the cabinet with the various swords, bows and other such instruments. A veritable house dojo.

It is to that reality that Alexander is taken into when the door opens to receive him. The message early had been sent with a:

> Are you bored? Bet I could get your heart racing. Come over.

A bit of a cheeky message, but that's Thea. As for the woman herself, she's dressed in a traditional keikogi, black and white, she gesturing for the man to come in. "There you are. Come in."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    When the door opened it revealed him to her, standing in the hallway with that long pea coat on. No wait... this is a different one, it fits him better. Along his broad shoulders and matches the length of his arms, a nice fit all told. But when she opens the door his smile might draw attention away from that Winter ensemble, though there are still some pieces of snow melting upon his shoulders and in that platinum blond hair of his.
    "Hey," He offers in way of greeting, moving in after her as she steps back. Those pale eyes drift over his surroundings, gaze lighting upon those vases, the columns, then those wonderful and wide windows. "This is... quite a place."
    His smile brightens as he turns his head and it's only then that he sees what she's wearing, which... is not something he'd ever have imagine the traumatized young woman he first met would wear.
    His gaze drops low, noting the bare feet, that long skirt, the firm jacket, and how well it fits to the frame of the young vigilante. "Wow you umm," For a moment he closes his mouth, swallows, eyebrows rising. "You look really good."

Thea Queen has posed:
"It's a place, I suppose." A brief moment in which Thea's expression looks guarded, closing the door behind her and making her way back in. The first thing she points to though?

The shoes.

"Those have to come off. No shoes around here." she explains. Already with the rules! She steps onto the living room, "I did a lot of renovations here." she then continues, "I suppose I have been on a roll, what with the whole Club too." a smirk. "Even if it seems I am taking forever with it. But sometimes that's how things go."

The compliment in the end has her arch a brow and then laugh, "Is that so? We will see if you still think that after we go through a few training rounds." guess that's what she meant with getting Alexander's heart racing! "Come on." she beckoning with her hand for the man to follow her.

"I will even give you the choice of weapons." so generous.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    The way he looks at her, it is perhaps no surprise when it takes a second for it to get through to him as he replies simply with a, "Hm?"
    But then he laughs a little, smile growing and actually a touch of color shading his features as he shakes his head. Already he's slipping out of that coat, taking it off a sleeve at a time and then hooking it on the nearby rack. Only /then/ does he start on the shoes, leaning back against the wall and unlacing those heavy black boots he's been wearing since Winter started.
    "So bossy," Is his first comment, but still smiling as he undoes the first shoe and sets it down, then the other is pulled off easily enough. He leaves them there and tucks the socks in into those boots as well, leaving him bare foot now.
    Following after he walks out with her, wearing those ubiquitous and somewhat loose blue jeans, but also a black t-shirt that shows a graphic of a snake and the words, 'COBRA KAI!' underneath. As well as a byline that says, 'There is no mercy in this dojo!'
    Despite the bluster of his clothes, however, he seems in a good place as he follows. "Oh my choice of weapons?"
    Quiet footsteps carry him toward one of the display cases. A fingertip glides along the curve of one blade, then his eyes caress another, biting his lower lip until he settles on a straight sword of Chinese origin and hefts it with a casual flourish. "These are very nice."

Thea Queen has posed:
The distracted look is enough for her to fold her arms and tap her foot. "Eyes up here, wise guy." she admonishes him in a playful manner then shaking her head a bit to herself. "Though it's on me, I should had told you to actually bring a training outfit." a pause when she spots the t-shirt. "Instead of -that-.."

"Team Miyagi all the way." Yes, she knows her old movies, then pacing along with Alexander while he is looking over at the weapons, hands resting casually behind her. At the choice she nods her approval, "They are." she reaches to take one for herself, "I have been collecting a few." she tells him, "I have used these on a mission already." she slices twice through the air in a sharp motion before starting to walk to the other side of the room.

"Shall we see how good you are with one?" she challenges, turning to look at Alexander, eyes narrowing just so in preparation.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    The long silvered blade rises up in his hand, held loose for the moment as he considers the subtle lines of the forgework it took to craft such a blade. If his gaze had lingered on her, well now... the weapon seems to have his attention. His bare hand comes up to rest along the edge of the blade, a faint tap causes the sword to quaver ever so subtly.
    Then his eyes return to her, his lip twists. "Sure sure, next time I need my car cleaned I'll call you. Miyagi. Pfft." Though as he says that he grins. But as he does that he draws his breath in, holding it in the depths of his lungs, then exhales slowly.
    Abruptly he turns and the sword slices through the air in a perfect level plane, his body twisting through the smooth gyre of motion to slip to the side, one leg extending so gracefully, bare foot sliding across the floor as he drops to a so low stance, the sword held above his head, his open hand thrust forward with two fingers pointing upwards. The t-shirt rides up a little as he holds his frame tight, powerfully taut, the supple lines of his muscular back held ready as he controls that stance...
    Then in a blur of motion he twists through a wild gyre, spinning as he leaps partially into the air, legs wind-milling as he leaves the ground, then they complete the rotation and his bare feet thap softly on the floor. His fist slaps into his leg to give a short /snap/ of sound to signal the movement's completion, then his hand comes back up as he retakes that stance.
    So quick, executed so smoothly, and then he rises to turn to look at her, "Yes." He finally says to her question "Let's."

Thea Queen has posed:
A laugh comes out Thea's lips as Alexander calls her out on her Miyagi preferences, "Fine, you got me." she replies, brushing some of her shortish hair out of her face while she turns the other way, getting into a fighting posture, "Considering who I have trained with I am Cobra Kai all the way." has she told Alexander who she has trained with? Most likely not. And it doesn't seem she is about to now either.

The posture is an aggressive one though, leg sliding forward and she exhaling slowly, blade held horizontally and to a side. "Show off." she then tells Alexander after his spin. Yet she can also notice the perfect execution of it. It clearly seems this man is no novice where it comes to swordwork.

She doesn't wait for further signal and when that 'Let's' echoes in the room is when she slides in, her back foot pulling forward and then extending in a swift motion for her to gain distance faster, quick as a serpent, tip pointed at Alexander's chest.

Seems like she has been training quite intensely since last time they saw one another.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    It's a surprise to him on one level, the transformation Thea has gone through. The woman she was and who she became. The person who perhaps viewed herself as such a victim, and now... an aggressive warrior. He had seen her confidence that night he had returned. Had seen her make that decision to take those few remaining steps between them. It made him realize how he had valued her friendship, and now seeing this look in her eyes when she focuses so fully on him...
    He can see her as a true peer.
    But that sword-stroke? That does not surprise him. She darts in and there's the ring of blade to blade, the steel carrying across the room as his smile broadens. A simple soft, 'tink-ting' that lingers in the quiet.
    Then he counters, his own step back then shifting forward again, lithe body extending as his thrust flits toward her shoulder. Only for her parry to be in perfect time and countered. Which creates the ringing sound of, 'tink-ting-ting'.
    An escalation of notes, a hint of rhythm, and then his smile brightens which is likely when they both begin their own little brand of music together. The blades flit and flicker, gliding and silvered, his ringing off her guard, and then hers pushed to the side with his flat. For a time it's all concentration, focus, back and forth. Purely the movement of the blades.
    Until with little warning he drops low, leg slicing an inch off the wooden floor as he tries to sweep her legs from under her, already rising up with blade at the ready.

Thea Queen has posed:
This is her dojo. Her turf. It's clear Thea has trained here intensely. By herself? Maybe part of it. Yet the way she dances shows a familiarity with both place and blade, counter and block in perfect unison as they turn and move about the room, eyes in perfect focus with the training at hand for these are no blunted blades, but sharp and very much with kill potential if one makes a mistake.

She did say she'd get Alexander's heart racing after all!

It's when that last strike comes that she being with the home advantage shows. As that leg comes for a sweep to her leg she jumps back and up. She had positioned herself right near one of those columns and now she is using it to jump off from to both evade the sweep and also launch her counterattack from above. Blade is held up above her head and she launches out a loud kiai, sword slicing down at the waiting blade of Alexander's.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    Even as the kiai echoes across the room, even as they both turn to face each other... The blades ring as they come together, his rising movement timed perfectly that she has her own sword slicing down toward his, and his coming up toward her, his balanced lower, hers higher. And for a time they strain against each other, slowly she can see the firm muscles in his arms clenching, the smooth ripple of strength as he locks with her, is able to rise back to his full height. But then he also sees the same definition in her form, the clear evidence of the training she's embarked on.
    Yet what causes his eyes to narrow, to hood, to seem to /smoulder/ with such intensity is the way she looks at him. Like a warrior unafraid of death, who has traveled far in the time since he had been gone.
    He moistens his lips in that bare moment shared, then murmurs quietly. "You are so hot." In a tone of voice that is half bedroom murmur, half warrior's challenge.
    Then he steps back, swords sliding across each other, disengaging. He shifts stance, his left hand extended toward her and empty, center of gravity low, the sword held over his head, one leg lifting to rest the ball of his foot upon that hard wooden floor.
    Those ethereally pale eyes hold hers, gauging, watching, looking at the lines of her body as she makes ready. Then there is the soft thump-thump-thump of his footsteps as he leaps, sword coming up and spinning as he lashes out her with a sharp, "SIEI!"

Thea Queen has posed:
As blades finally come to mesh together in a battle of strength Thea fully uses the advantageous position she has. High ground! At least momentarily. Yet her expression is fully committed to the training now, to the clash of wills as they test one another in a rather deadly dance. A misstep could mean serious injury after all. At least to her. Yet the familiarity in which she moves right now shows that most of her training must have been like that ... Which is telling on what kind of man may have been her tutor.

As Alexander speaks up Thea presses that advantage she has, going in for a couple more blows, perhaps to explore the distraction. All is fair! Blows that are deflected but then she notes the shift on Alexander. Then the spinning attack. It has her retreat back once again, all the way to that column. And then she rolls to the side to get out of the way..

Which means he may just hit the column with the blade if the trajectory isn't corrected!

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    She presses, and his blade snaps back, the side of it braced with his forearm to accept some of the impact when she punishes him for that distraction. Which, to be fair, is deserved. A swirling twist to the side brings their weapons into contact again, a quick viper-fast /clang/ of metal upon metal, the edges sliding along each weapon as they seek those weak-points, the imperfections in form that go on through such a duel.
    He lunges forward, the tip of the blade seeking that shoulder of her keikogi, knowing that fabric is all he threatens but perhaps seeking to shift her balance onto her back foot as he makes that turn the other way. His sword lashes up and around, his body language all but proclaiming the clear intent to just /slice/ through the column between them.
    Only for him to check the swing at the last moment, realizing that the blade in his hand isn't the usual blade in his hand. For it would be rude to break such a nice weapon that wasn't even his!
    Yet it buys her that moment to steal the initiative and press the attack as it's his turn to push off with one foot and step to the side, moving clear of that obstacle.

Thea Queen has posed:
"Let's try not to break up my place, shall we?" Thea comments, a faint smirk to her expression as she comes up from that roll, one knee on the ground and her blade to the side. She watches Alexander diverting away and stepping into that unstable posture that Thea is prime to take advantage of.

Because she does.

She moves fast. Like a snake, arm extending in a piercing attack to the man's chest, then into an exchange of blows as the intensity on her eyes grows, deadly-looking almost! She's certainly no innocent flower.

"You can yield anytime." She suggests between breaths, continuing her advance. But even with her relentless assault it's clear she is no master of the blade. She is fast and young but the technique isn't all there yet.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    Concentration is in those eyes of his now. Intense and focused as she presses him, each step back echoed with a clang or shing of blade upon blade. His own movements are clearly dictated by her own as he defends, but his reaction time! It is a staggering thing and on some level may be intensely frustrating for each time she strikes the defense is there, each time she extends he flows around it.
    She offers her suggestion, and she'll hear such cold control in his answer as he murmurs, "I am so pleased to have your permission."
    It's as she presses further, extending of herself, building on that need for offense, for results, for victory that may have been imparted in her by her instructor. Or it may simply be the nature of the beautiful woman before him. Whatever it is, it culminates in a single perfect moment.
    Their eyes meet.
    She uncoils like a whip's crack, filling the distance and the void in that opening as her blade rings against his. The swordspoint goes wide, hers just a touch behind it. In that moment she might feel such exultation in a victory hard won. That sword in his hand flying across the distance to embed hard into the wall.
    Only for him to turn, arm curling around her wrist as he traps and turns. It's a brush of nearness, a rush of movement. Strong enough to send her sword flying into the wall to impact right next to his.
    And in that same movement he draws her across his leg, attempting to thump her to the ground with his hands upon the collar of her keikogi. Half-kneeling as he smiles a little and murmurs. "Hey."
    Is his breathing hard? So rare she has ever seen him push himself. Those eyes hold hers, he smiles.
    And perhaps that is his second mistake, imagining the match is over.

Thea Queen has posed:
Thea would snort at that cold answer out of Alexander. But she is too busy with putting all she has learned to practice, making sure her concentration doesn't slip and she does a mistake. Blue eyes widen just so as Alexander's blade is thrown towards the wall and it perhaps gives her a false sense of security, having her move in for the 'kill'. Or in this case to put her blade to his neck. And right into Alexander's trap.

Her blade flies away and she gets thrown to ground. Teeth grit together at the impact. And being underneath? It means she is at a clear disadvantage against someone stronger. But then Alexander makes that pause. Approaches. Too much.

There. She finds the opening. She uses the hand that is holding her collar as a pivot point, spinning and bringing her legs up to both wrap alongside that arm and up to the man's head to get him onto a vise with her legs, down on the ground.

"Hey." She says back at him, corner of her mouth twisted into a small smirk.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    She chose the right moment. Of course his training, his muscle memory, his rational mind tells him to focus. To let her tap, to see some hint of surrender in her eyes before he looks away. Before he lets himself think about her in any other way. But she sees it. Those pale eyes dropping down to look at her lips, the curve of her neck. His brow beetling slightly...
    And then she moves, grabbing his hand and holding it against her chest, bringing her legs up in a perfectly executed sankaku-jime as she locks it in and tightens, pulling him toward as well as tensing with that smirk.
    His lips parted as if to say something, to protest, only to feel her clenching and locking up which has his gaze returning to her eyes with a sternness, admonishment, and if he wasn't trying to hold onto his breath likely an accusation of cheating along with it.
    Though how she's cheating is hard to pin down. Clearly she is by... being Thea. There, that's all he needs.
    They hit the floor sideways with her maintaining hold and position, and he lifts his free hand to grab at the lower skirt of that keikogi, finding her leg. For a time it's a struggle for position, determination, to see who is going to be able to hold on longer and if he can break her grip.

Thea Queen has posed:
There. The lock is tight, slim legs keeping the arm and neck down and into a submission posture. How quick the tides turn! And Thea is relentless. It's also her home turf so losing here would be a wound in her pride. Yet she also knows Alexander is above her level, so she also knows he is letting her win somewhat. She hmphs a touch as her grip continues to tighten, the struggle met step by step.

"If you are just going to let me win I will never forgive you." She tells him through gritted teeth, through the effort her muscles are going through. No godling powers here! Just a girl with good genes and training.

Of course that even with those words having been tossed out it might be too late to fight back. She has turned and twisted to quite the advantageous position, using Alexander's arm as a 'lever' to keep him pinned to the ground.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    A grunt is heard as she'll feel his arm tense, tightening, there's that swell of muscle visible under his shirt as he grimaces and to be fair she's got the position, the angle as she flows from the attempted triangle choke into the arm bar which leaves her legs across his chest, the fabric from her keikogi tickling his nose as he grimaces. There's that warmth, the churning foundry of divine power giving more heat from his lithe body as he strains.
    When she presses down with her legs and lifts with her hips he winces and then abruptly she'll feel his hand tap sharply on the side of her thigh with his free hand, signaling an end to that fall.
    At first it might seem like she's not going to let him free, but the next he pulls his arm back and rises up onto his other arm, grimacing a little as he stretches the one she had twisted out and to the side a little. "If we were going full speed..." He tells her oh so eloquently, "You would've broken it when we hit the ground. So who is holding back on whom?"
    Then he reaches out with one bare foot and touches hers before looking back to those vibrant eyes of hers and he says, "To be fair, you could have done that too when you felt me resisting. Don't belittle your skills, Thea."
    A glance over toward the swords in the wall, then back to her. "Again?" He asks. Seemingly willing to go another round if she wishes.

Thea Queen has posed:
"Don't twist this around to be about me." Thea retorts with a small roll of her eyes, stepping over towards the blades once Alexander is back up on his feet. She picks them up and goes to place them on the rack where they were previously. "I know *who* you are after all." she sets the blades in place and finally turns back to the man, adjusting her keikogi. The suggestion that they go again has her laughing through her faster breathing. Alexander wasn't the only one getting exerted on that last bout!

"Again, you say?" A smirk coming to her lips and she casually making her way to the middle of the room again. "Wanting to lose again so soon? Fine, will it be my choice of weapons now?" she asks, a twinkle of mischief in her eye.

Hands run through her hair and she rolls her neck as if loosening some more of her muscles, waiting.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "Well sure," Alexander says as he /puuuushes/ himself to his feet with a grunt, seeming oh so sore though his body is already recovering rather well. Yet his smile is a wry crooked thing as he follows in her wake, bare feet soft in each step. "I suppose in every sparring match I have I should manifest and be all 'grrr I'm the God of Fear' since that's fair and would help us learn and improve our techniques. But at least I wouldn't be holding back."
    His tone is teasing, light, then he stops in front of her. He lifts the hem of that Cobra Kai t-shirt and uses it to wipe his brow before he stops beore her and smiles.
    She teases him about losing again and choice of weapon and he rests his hands on his hips, giving her a so stern glower, "Indeed, choose your weapon, Thea Queen. I will match you." But there is a warmth in his eyes, and clear affection.