Post by Bianca Sabbato on Nov 6, 2020 17:27:44 GMT -5
Finding a suitable arena for the bout had been as easy as walking out of my room and coming face to face with the wide, ample space the quad provided for us in each and every day of our stay in Haven.
So... acquiring a good place? Checked.
After asking for permission from the academy staff, I had taken to the work of removing all the wooden benches and basically anything that wasn’t nailed to the floor, leaving the place as empty as I could as a mean to get the biker girl more comfortable for our duel, fewer obstacles in the way and all of that.
After that deal was done, I gave a satisfied look towards the now considerably emptier quad. There still was the fountain in the middle and a couple lamp posts and bushes here and there. But unless she wanted to fight on a completely flat surface, this should be ideal.
Which I didn’t think to be the case, since I assumed her motorcycle must have at least some functions to allow it to work in uneven terrains, and maneuver through obstacles. The Grimm weren't going to get out of the way after all.
Now, onto how the fight itself would develop. I had the idea of fighting till one of our auras broke. But maybe she had something else in mind, like losing when you went into the reds or by surrendering, so I would talk things trough with Nova later.
Besides that, there weren’t a lot of ways for any of us to lose via ring out (as stupid as that impractical and unrealistic rule was) so it was going to be a fight till one of us fell down. For this reason, obviously, we had to have a teacher to act as a referee and to step in if any of us decided to take things too far.
The faculty had been paying attention to the chat room that day, so they had a teacher ready for us when I went to the headmaster‘s office to explain the situation. This was a combat school, after all, so they didn’t put any objections once they had the certainty that we were following the legal procedure.
So yeah, as long as everyone followed the rules, we should be fine as far as Haven cared for. I had a clean record and Nova came from a pretty strict academy, so the professor didn’t expect to be needed to intervene in this particular case. Although their presence was clearly both necessary and appreciated.
At least on my part, I wasn’t planning on making any rash moves. Whatever we ended up agreeing on. I would respect it, losing your head in battle is a good way to... well... Lose your head. Even more stupid would be to get all fired up for what it was basically a “friendly” spar.
Or as friendly as it could be. Considering it was pretty much an honor duel or something like that.
Rubbing my left shoulder, I cringed as I pushed my sleeve away to let the skin breathe a little, there laid an old scar from an equally old training would, one of many that lined the canvas of my body.
Yeah, training beyond aura break was no joke, the injury still stung a little on rainy days, and it wasn’t the only one... Maybe that was one of the reasons I had been so pissed of when this woman came here, saying I didn’t have any notable experience or training. Presuming I only entered Haven because of lowered standards and that I wouldn’t have been accepted into any other, non-fucked up academy...
Scowling lightly. I took out Nereida and checked for any last-minute arrangements or repairs that I may have to do, the spear seemed to be in good condition, so I sheathed it again as I walked to sit down by the fountain. Nova’s words still hung heavily on my mind.
I mean... Some of the Sanctum students couldn’t pass the entrance exam, some of them failed because of me, as much as it pained to admit it. But I stood on top because I wanted it more than all of those fuckers. So it was clear having that kind of official training wasn’t all that important... Right?
I wasn’t stupid enough to simply brush off all of Nova’s boasting as her being a bitch. I knew there was a fair chance she had more than enough skill to justify her words... After all, 12 years of training had to amount to something, and if she began training at 10, then it meant that she was 22 now. A fair bit older than me.
So yeah, I wouldn’t make the mistake of underestimating her. As proof of that, I had one brand new Astarte grenade hung loosely on the inside of my belt, hidden beneath a small layer of white cloth. While the other rested safely inside the mechanisms of Nereida, waiting patiently for the moment I could release their full potential.
I was actually a little excited about those, I wasn’t planning on using them from the beginning. But if she pushed me far enough to do it, it would be my first test against a live target, and one highly movable at that.
Similarly, it was probably for the better that I kept my semblance hidden until well into the fight. I wanted to see what kind of fighter was Nova, and if possible to measure myself against her in a contest of pure skill before having to resolve to underhanded tactics...
Although those may as well be my predilect way of fighting, all things considered.
As I was lost in my own musings. The low rumble of an engine caught my attention, and in the distance, I could see the Atlesian girl make her approach towards the fountain... And I have to say, she wasn’t easy to miss.
She had long, wavy hair. Which in and out of itself wasn’t all that noteworthy, but the thing that made her stand out above the rest was the blue and purple coloration of her locks. Hell, I was sure I could pick her apart in a crowd with ease because of it!
On the other hand, she seemed to be a little higher than me, and not so differently built, if maybe with a little more meat in her bones. She dressed pretty smart, nice, but no to the point it could get in the way of a fight.
Getting up to greet the woman, I waved in her direction as I slowly made my way towards her. My tail swishing lightly behind me like a pendulum. Nova herself looked like a human, but you could be wrong in assuming that, since a lot of faunus hide their animal traits or simply had them in naturally covered areas of their bodies... But still, with her coming from Atlas, I was interested in what would be her reaction to my tail if she turned out to be a human.
And I was, of course, eager to see how good this girl was. To put this “Atlas military training” to the test and see if it held up to what she had hyped it to be... And of course, to see if I was up to the challenge.
-Glad you could make it... I’m Bianca, although I guess you already figured that out- I called out, raising my hand to offer her a handshake, no need to be a bitch about this, after all. I was representing Haven, so I had to be on my best behavior... At least until the fight began.
-As you can see, I already brought in a staff member and prepared the fighting ground, hope you don't have any objections?- I asked with a little uncertainty in my voice. Hoping she was satisfied with this because if she wasn’t I had half a mind of just telling her to go fuck herself and forget about this issue.
If she couldn’t fight here, she couldn’t fight anywhere. So I patiently waited for her answer.
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