922/Where did you learn to do that

Where did you learn to do that
Date of Scene:	01 April 2020
Location:	Central Business District
Synopsis:	Oliver and Vanessa get ambushed by Yu Phun's cronies. Turns out Vanessa knows her fightin'. Questions arise about how she was able to fight like that.
Cast of Characters:	Vanessa Carlysle, Oliver Queen

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Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
It wasn't even leaving the mansion's grounds, so one couldn't really look too hard on the lack of security being there. A hike across the Queen estate, through some of the sculpted trails through a woodsy area.

How the men knew they were where they were would be something that would keep up John Diggle for a night or two investigating. But there they were. As Oliver and Vanessa, clad in clothing for a hike on a nice April day, emerged from some trees along the edge of Oliver's family property, a group of men were waiting for them. Four spread out ahead of them, and another 4 moved in from behind, two on the trail and one on each side out of the trees to encircle them.

The little Asian man who has such a menacing look to him, and the much larger thuggish man with the broken nose were amongst them. The same two who had menaced Vanessa through her apartment door back in New York. A few of the men have weapons of various kinds. One has a staff, another has a num-chuk in hand. The Asian man has a butterfly knife which he is idling spinning about in his hand.

"So, we tried to have a nice chat but you wanted to run away," Broken-nose says as he walks forward, giving his palm a little tap with his fist. "So maybe we'll have a chat now, but not a nice one?"

Oliver Queen has posed:
A hike was just what they needed after such a long time stuffed at home. Not that Oliver complained too much about staying at home, and in truth after both his sister and mother accepted Vanessa so well it had been quite the enjoyable times. In more ways than he could had imagined.

Though in truth Oliver could sometimes be blamed for having too much hubris. Who would dare to come here to his estate and attack them? Turns out that Yu Phun was getting desperate enough, and this was a gamble he was willing to take. And so as the pair were having fun hiking, laughing while Oliver explained for how long a particular tree had been growing here on the side of the path it is just when the group decides to make their move.

Oliver was quick in counting heads. Eight. Could he take them? Most likely, but he also knew they wouldn't be coming for him. Their target would be Vanessa. And he hadn't brought any kind of weaponry with him.

So he'd have to quickly neutralize the one with the staff for a weapon. One of those he had the best skill in.. After the bow, of course.

He places one hand in front of Vanessa, protectively, firm. "Stay close to me." he says down to her, stern blue eyes meeting Vanessa's.

And then he turns his attention to Broken-nose. "I am the one you will be talking with. Get out of here and I will forget you came to my place." no, he wouldn't forget. He'd hunt them down after.

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
Vanessa's eyes are lit with worry as she sees the men closing in. Not looking like they are willing to talk this one out. She moves over closer to Oliver, practically up against his back, but watching the ones behind them.

Broken-nose walks up to Oliver with a sneer, while all the men keep closing in the circle, keeping the pair penned in. "Oh pretty boy, that's just what I want to hear," he says. He darts forward to throw a punch at Oliver, while the guy with the staff who is just to his side moves in. None of them seem to think Oliver is going to be much of a challenge for the pair. The rest hang back to watch, though the Asian looks impatient, his eyes on Vanessa like he's waiting to put that butterfly knife to use on her!

Oliver Queen has posed:
That was a mistake. Coming at him just a few. But could he blame them? He was simply Oliver Queen, the vapid playboy turned business man who was going to crumple down when he took the first punch. Maybe if he hadn't spent the time he did on that island he would, but turns out he isn't the type to back down. The punch doesn't connect, his body in motion as he steps forward, up close and personal with Broken-nose. His own hand comes up, yet instead of a fist it forms a palm, aiming to hit Broken-nose right in the middle of the face. Perhaps in an attempt to break that nose all over again. (Or right it, who knows!)

It will be mostly a distraction though, for his true objective is to reach the guy holding the staff, attempting to move past his guard, to surprise them before they can get a reaction out. But with a long reach weapon like this he could keep them away from both Vanessa and him.

He dodges a first attack. Sloppy, at least for his standards then attempts a knee to the man's stomach. He moves fast, perhaps faster than what the normal Oliver Queen should be able to. Yet he also doesn't want Vanessa to be in danger.

The others are still in place but seem ready to move at a moment's notice, some brief surprise at the sudden attack.

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
Broken-nose staggers back a step from the palm-strike that surprises him after his own punch was easily evaded. The man with the staff also wasn't expecting Oliver to go on the attack, adjusting too late and letting Oliver inside of his reach. He doesn't seem to be particularly skilled with the staff, probably just grabbed it up to have something to use.

The knee lands on the staff-wielder's midsection, doubling him over and loosening his grip on the weapon. Vanessa looks over her shoulder as she hears the exclamation of pain from Broken-nose, half-expecting to see Oliver as the one doubled-over, but instead he's already gotten the upper hand on two of the men.

Vanessa looks back. The man with the num-chucks starts swinging it about himself, showing he knows how to use the thing. All of the men start to close in now.

Oliver Queen has posed:
Oliver yanks the staff out of the man's hand once he has fallen. A quick blow to the head to make sure this one is out cold and then he holds the staff high, moving closer to Vanessa. A frown there on his expression. "Stay close to me." he whispers to Vanessa, back to back now. "I will attempt to find an opening for you to run past. Run when I tell you to." he says, no hint of fear in his voice, again that firmness. In truth there is fear in him now, for Vanessa. These men are trained, and after this first moment where he surprised them it will be more even. But now he is armed.

He swings the staff about, clearly some training there. Not exactly the same weight and size of his bow when he turned it into a staff, but it would do.

The small asian man is approaching more slowly, studying both Oliver and Vanessa, having stopped playing with the butterfly knife and now looking a lot more intent, deadly. Menacing.

The man with the num-chucks starts moving closer along with a few others. He swings the staff to keep them at bay yet he is waiting for the attacks, knowing he can't leave Vanessa's side.

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
The men draw closer and then back away as Oliver's attention is drawn to their side of the circle. But that only means the ones on the other side are drawing nearer until he can divert his attention back to them. Vanessa moves with Oliver, circling to stay right behind his back. She's surprisingly good at it, not getting in his way at all. Diggle couldn't do any better at being at his back.

Though those nearest to Vanessa are clearly looking for an opportunity to grab her. One darts forward while Oliver is facing the other way, causing Vanessa to call out and warn him. At the same time, the num-chuck wielder on the other side moves in, reading to hit Oliver should he divert his attention back to stop Vanessa from being grabbed!

Oliver Queen has posed:
There is no choice in this situation. Oliver won't allow Vanessa to be grabbed even if he is put in danger. Which means he is open to the num-chucks attack just as he spins and hits the attacker's chest in a frontal strike, followed by a swipe on the legs which makes the man fall down on the ground with a pained grunt.

Yet then there is lancing pain coursing through his arm when he is hit by the spinning num-chuks. Enough to make him lose the grip on the staff. It clatters to the ground, making him grit his teeth. Indeed this one was good, the man jumps back and away right after that strike, not wanting to be in reach of those powerful arms. He saw what he did to Broken-nose.

Yet this also means the staff is up for grabs, already a couple of the men that were approaching lunging for it. They want to teach this rich boy a lesson! And nothing like hitting them with a stick.

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
The little Asian with the knife steps forward, menacing Oliver with it to keep him from getting back after the staff again. And Broken-nose is finally recovered from the disorienting hit to his face, though nose is already read and swelling. Whether it will heal straighter or more crooked will depend on how it is treated.

Behind Oliver, Vanessa gets a toe under the staff and flips it up into the air into her hand. Moments later there is a sound of a thwack, and a man crying out in pain as Vanessa raps a man in the temple with the staff. She spins the staff in one hand then holds it in a ready position, her footwork and balance looking perfect.

The man with the butterfly knife frowns and he looks over at Broken-nose, who looks surprised as well. He shrugs and says, "Everyone, rush them!"

And everyone does!

Oliver Queen has posed:
A twack? That makes Oliver tense, but he can't look back just yet, focused on the knife-wielding man that is keeping his attention on him. Yes, this was a skilled enemy. One that would give him some trouble. And then there were six more guys to handle, besides the one already knocked out.

He dares but a look over his shoulder, watching Vanessa in that poise, one very perculiar, one he knows -very- well as it's one he uses often. And he thought she didn't know how to use those weapons... Clearly something is amiss. As amiss as the strike that goes wide when he gets out of the way of that first punch. The face that was following that thrown punch is met by his elbow, making the man attempting the maneuver to flip and fall on the ground, senseless.

And then he decides that whatever is going on he will have to trust her, that she will be able to handle her own. He takes a step forward to the guy with the num-chucks, him being his next target.

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
Even as he steps forward, Oliver will hear that familiar sound of the wooden stave impacting a body, and the cry of pain that accompanies it. More, he can feel Vanessa moving with him, staying at his back like she were a shadow. The sound of the staff whirring in the air, constantly in motion accompanies him.

As the couple fight their attackers, it becomes a dance. One that it feels like they've danced before. Vanessa moves with Oliver, anticipating him, using the staff to defend his back. Choosing the right moments to go on the attack, and when to stay back and protect his flank.

Two more of the men are down, and it's making the little Asian mad. He heads for Vanessa while the num-chuks wielder moves in, swinging the hard wood weapon in a blur towards Oliver's head!

Oliver Queen has posed:
It feels as if he was fighting with another version of himself. As if Vanessa knew exactly what he'd do, how he would fight. It is an experience he cannot yet begin to even comprehend, for they have their foes to handle. Yet Oliver finds himself elated. The perfect dance companion.

They move in unison, protecting each other while the other attacks, moving as if they had done this for years now.

Oliver moves forward to the man with the num-chucks, his posture shifting to one of krav-maga. He finds it's the most effective against these types, a direct approach. So he meets the wooden weapon with the hard bone of his elbow. It hurts. Indeed it does, but doesn't disable him. It enables him instead to reach in, a twist on the wrist to have the man drop the weapon with a cry of pain, a headbutt that makes teeth crack and leave him dazzled and then a toss across to have him stumble past him. "Vanessa." he calls out as the man is stumbling towards her and her staff, ripe for the taking.

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
Vanessa had taken up the staff and moved without really thinking. Wielding it in the moment, driven by adrenaline and her fear. It wasn't until after the first blows she'd delivered with it that her own eyes widened in surprise. The weapon felt like she'd used it for years.

She had no more time to think as the battle wore on, moving with Oliver in unison, their bodies yin and yang, circling each other and making their attackers feel the error of their choices in having assaulted to them.

Vanessa's staff is already moving towards the man with the num-chuck, poking forward to ram into his gut and then circling to crack down on his head as he bends over. Vanessa follows through on the swing, the staff tip scooping under the dropped martial arts weapon and flipping the nunchuk up into the air to Oliver.

She turns to face off with Broken-nose, who snarls. "Bitch! You gonna pay for- OOF!" He takes a flurry of blows, Vanessa delivering a few more than are strictly necessary, leaving the Asian with the knife facing Oliver.

Oliver Queen has posed:
Oliver isn't even looking Vanessa's way when he catches that num-chuk, as if he was already expecting it. Not exactly his best weapon, but it will do in a pinch. Melee specialization was more Roy's field.

He dodges an haymaker out of one of the few remaining assailants, hitting him in the chest with both ends of the num-chuks held in one hand just before he uppercuts him to send him back to the ground. One less worry. But then he is face to face with the asian one. His eyes squint. Watching.

A test as one moves forward, then the other, a slice of the knife and the num-chuck flying. They both miss. But Oliver has his years of experience. He takes the chance to move in, a whip-like strike to the man's hand to make him drop his knife. The man still attempts a roundhouse kick, one that he blocks and then delivers a frontal, powerful kick. It sends him back against that particular tree Ollie had been talking about during their hike.

The asian man hits it with a 'oof' and then falls down on the ground, sprawled and knocked out.

The battlefield is left silent, only the sound of their breathing now, their opponents fully out. A stragger still trying to drag himself away, sloooowly.

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
Vanessa turns slowly, the staff in a ready-stance that Oliver himself might have used in the moment. Seeing everyone is down, she walks the step or two over to Oliver. Her eyes are a little bright and wide, with adrenaline and surprise.

"We... we did it?" she says, as much surprised question as statement. She grounds the staff on the ground, leaning on it slightly, and leans over to press a kiss to Oliver. The adrenaline and rush of the fight something she's not used to, and responding to from the looks of it.

When the kiss breaks, and it may take awhile if he doesn't pull back, she looks around. "Wow, I can't believe they tried this. I guess the trial being so close, they got desperate," she says. "Should we call the police to come get them?"

Oliver Queen has posed:
Oliver is breathing somewhat harder, even if not too much. A quick fight, not enough to exert him greatly. Yet the tension on his shoulders slowly leaves, having put Vanessa in danger... Again ... And he spots that familiar stance. Had she seen him training? It makes no sense to him. So he will go with what he can control and do now. And that is keeping her safe. "We did." he approaches Vanessa, wrapping one arm around her waist when she kisses him, feeling that same adrenaline, losing himself to the kiss, happy at finding her well and at how good she could fight too.

"Or should I say, you did it?" Yes, it is a long kiss, one where all the worries he had for her safety are dissipated.

He reaches down to his phone, dialing out. Some moments later. "John. Can you call the police to come to our estate. We found some intruders." a pause. "We are fine -" another, "No, we don't-" and then more firmly. "Just do what I said, please."

His blue gaze is then set on Vanessa. "How did you learn to fight like that?" he asks. And yes, he is keeping those num-chuks.

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
Vanessa's chest is rising and falling quickly, but it's more excited breathing than being winded at this point. "I don't really know. I've handled a staff... oh it couldn't be more than three or four times. I took some jujitsu awhile back. The instructor... ok, his inclusion in that stretch of my life, not one of the better times I've had. Anyway though, we didn't ever really do much with it, just a couple of lessons," she says.

Her eyes are bright and lively with the rush of it all. Not quite the cool and collected one might expect from someone that trained so hard as to have the skill she showed. Vanessa eyes the staff and then steps away from Oliver. She spins it about in her hands, then around herself and back again. It's a kata Oliver knows actually.

"Just sort of... feels right in my hands," she says. "Think the police will let me keep it? Or, probably evidence," she says in a disappointed tone.

Oliver Queen has posed:
Ollie wasn't too sure he wanted to listen to stories of her former jujitsu instructor! But damn if he wasn't curious about how she could fight like that. It also helped in taking the attention away from his own prowess though. At least his secret -might- be safe for a time longer. Yet, was that something he wanted to keep for much longer? If she stayed with him it would come out sooner or later.

He reaches up with one hand, resting it on Vanessa's cheek and letting out a sigh. "We should go in, take a shower and then talk."

Though when she steps back from him he watches the kata. "Do you know the name of that kata you just did?" he furrows his brows, considering various possibilities.

"I am sure we can find an alternative, Vanessa. In case they don't let you keep it." maybe one of the various staffs he kept down at the arrowcave.

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
Vanessa looks down at the staff and seems to be trying to think. "No, I don't think I do. We mostly worked on self-defense things. I don't think we did any weapon katas. Just he showed me a bit with the staff two or three times," she says, finally shaking her head.

She smiles over to Oliver. "I did good though, didn't I? And you! Oh my god Olliver, you were incredible," she says. Apparently she didn't miss how he dealt with Broken-nose, and the guy with the staff at the same time.

The security men come jogging down the trail, and Diggle, to take over the situation. Vanessa hands the staff over to John. She moves back over to Oliver, taking his hand. "That was just really something. I almost felt like we were dancing some dance we'd rehearsed," she tells him.

Oliver Queen has posed:
At Diggle's approach Oliver grudgingly passes along the num-chuks too. "Give these to the police when they arrive." he isn't exactly mad, but he'd have words with Diggle later on, to figure out what happened. Right now he is worried in having Vanessa back to the estate. He doesn't give answers to her questions before they are on their way back, a couple of security guards a few steps behind them, giving enough privacy but still keeping them in their sights.

"The kata you made isn's a simple one, not one someone can simply do by chance." he explains, brows knit together in thought. "As for me, I have done some training." 'some training' "Including knowing that kata. Which is interesting enough." he considers briefly and then asks. "Did it come to you in the same way you knew what the Imari ware was?"

He squeezes her hand gently, keeping her close as they walk, smiling even as she says they were dancing. Yes, he enjoyed that a lot. They were fighting as one, fully understanding one another. In a way that he had accomplished with very few others in the past, if any.

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
Vanessa's expression looks perplexed when Oliver mentions the kata wasn't just something random she did. "Hrm. I guess maybe I could have forgotten him teaching it, but... really he was such an a-hole I don't think I have forgotten anything about that man," she says of her old teacher. "And I was never really that good, anyway, at the stuff he did teach."

Vanessa squeezes his hand back. The question about how she knew about his mother's ceramics evokes a thoughtful response. Vanessa's brow furrows in thought. "I suppose, kind of. Yes? I mean, I figured I just heard it somewhere. Jeopardy or something. Not that... I don't recall Alex Trebek every showing moves like that," she says with a soft laugh.

Vanessa's expression turns thoughtful. "I've noticed a few other little things. When I brought you that snack and I put the cinnamon on it the other day... I couldn't remember when you ever told me how much you liked it with cinnamon. But I kind of knew that you did. Figured maybe Thea mentioned it, but I can't think of when we ever talked about that. She has told me some great stories about you though," Vanessa says with a grin.

Oliver Queen has posed:
"You did it in a way that showed mastery with it. If it had only been that I could had said repressed memories, something inside you that triggered this knowledge." Yes, Oliver knew a few people in that condition. Repressed memories, that only came out in stressful situations. Certainly not unheard of. But ..."Yet this knowledge you appear to have, both of the ceramics and ..." a pause, "My taste in cinnamon." he actually thought that had been by chance, that she had simply thought it'd be a nice touch. Turns out there could be something more. "There is something here, just not exactly sure what it is ...., yet."

He was certain he would figure it out. Or rather, they would. Together. "We will figure this out, Vanessa."

They reach the estate, starting to walk inside. And now he had a decision to make. To bring her fully into his life or not.

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
Vanessa's expression suggests she's having a hard time believing the series of coincidences. Because they are starting to not seem like coincidences. "So you know the kata thing, I was doing?" Vanessa asks curiously. She walks along with him, a slightly puzzled look on her face as they reach the manor house.

"I'd like to say it's just because we're so meant for each other, but... that would kind of be glossing over wouldn't it?" she asks him. Vanessa looks over to Oliver and bites her lip. "I feel so close to you Oliver. Like I never have anyone before. I don't know if that's it somehow, but..." she trails off, not even sure what else she wants to say.

She just moves over against him once they are inside, resting her forehead against his. "I love you," she whispers to him softly.

Oliver Queen has posed:
"I do. I am not the type that spends all his time up at the office, you know?" A brief grin leaving Oliver's expression. But that makes him think, ponder..., the way she mentions being close to him like she never was with anyone in the past.. Could that be it? A power of some kind? How could they test this further ... With a bow, of course. Yes, that'd be the next step, and then they'd know.

Then a grin. "We are definitely meant for each other, Vanessa." he says, turning to face her now. Right now though, his adrenaline is still running high and when she approaches to rest foreheads together he wraps his arms about her form, keeping her close. "I love you too." a gentle squeeze, a protective one, keeping her to him, warm and close. They were safe now.

"Come, I have something to show you." perhaps it was finally time to be done with his secrets..