Faction And in This Corner....

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Today was the day.

Var-Sulis had agreed to a spar with Lori and she couldn't wait to see if she could kick his butt! The man was the King's bodyguard and she was quite certain that he was well trained in hand-to-hand combat. As was she. However there was always the chance that either one of them or both were entirely overconfident with themselves....

Waiting inside the training room, Lori drank some water while Arla stood beside her. Both were leaning against the far wall, looking more like friends hanging out for a chat. But really, Arla was just there to do her job.

 

[Var-Sulis]

Walking in casually I held my carry bag over my left shoulder. Surveying the area, I had a sense of confidence while staring at the other two that came into my view. This was going to be a fun time indeed. Sparring with the beautiful, yet strong Mandalorian. Who could ask for a better moment? My black skin-tight combat sparring uniform was all I needed to wear. No padding, no weapons..no gimmicks...Straight hand-to-hand prowess. "I gotta say...This won't be easy.." I smirked slightly as I slowly placed my bag down near a post in the room. I knew a few things about her, and possible triggers that could maybe cause her to lose focus..But I didn't want that. I want her best..So I hope she's ready. Hopping up and down and cracking my neck a few times followed by my knuckles, I glanced over and began walking slowly towards the center while nodding at Arla in a respectful manner.

Tag: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori smirked a little as Var-Sulis slowly put his bag down. It was almost as though he anticipated her getting the jump on him. But really, it wasn't as though he was one of the people that she'd pull pranks on. At least not yet...

And just like Var, Lori was wearing a similar outfit that seemed to be a sort of training uniform for Elysium soldiers.

She stepped forward from the wall and tossed her water bottle to Arla before moving to the center. "I don't expect it to be easy. But I do expect it to be fun."

Arla nodded in return to Var and then folded her arms across her chest. "I'll keep score. Begin when ready."

The last time that Lori sparred was during her camping trip with Rex Valhoun before their engagement. It ended up being a tie, however both had held back. She wondered if Var was going to do the same.

 

[Var-Sulis]

I nodded to Lori with a sly smile knowing that it was time to begin. Cracking my knuckles and posing in a silly old-fashioned Judo fighting style, I would beckon Loreena Arenais-Valhoun to step forward. With a sudden rush i dashed forward, but with a calmed heart rate, and enclosed fist, I swung towards her right with my left hand as a distraction and used my right hand to hopefully land a blow to her left shoulder.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori widened her stance and kept her knees bent, being sure to be nimble on her feet. Her fists were raised in case she needed to block. And when Var-Sulis beckoned her forward, she didn't budge, which turned out to be the correct move. For if she had, she wouldn't of been able to react in time to dodge both of his fists.

Var was taller and stronger than she was, so she had to use speed to her advantage. She wasn't going to draw on the Force like most Force Users would. Why rely heavily on something that won't always be there for you?

Lori stepped back and to the left to avoid Var's fists and then dropped down, attempting to sweep him with her right leg.

 

[Var-Sulis]

(((She dodged my incoming attack. I knew it was probable. This is the feeling out stage, but with the intention of using the quickness and mental alacrity of a real battle. Now then...Oh whats this? A sweep with the leg..DODGE....Lift left foot quick...let her pass...and KNEE STRIKE TO THE FACE! (But with not alot of force...Not that she couldn't handle herself..I respected her..And technically..She was my Queen...LET"S DANCE!!)))

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Var-Sulis lifted his leg in the nick of time, causeing her sweep to look like nothing more than some funky dance move. But then came his knee towards her face. Lori's reaction was to turn her head, which thankfully spared her nose as Var's knee struck her cheek. "Ooof!" She grabbed hold of his leg with her left hand as she stood upright, hoping to cause him to rely on her for balance. And then she moved to punch him in his gut with her right fist.

 

[Var-Sulis]

Her right fist connected with my gut just as i thought i had an upper hand..or knee in this case...Man that actually hurt! Think quick, VAR.......As I would quickly take hold of her right arm and attempt a lariat toss over my right shoulder, attempting to put her on her back. Landing this would be great for an execution....or broken nose in my case.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Var-Sulis threw her over him with ease, given she was a lightweight. Lori gasped as her breath was knocked out of her upon landing. Well that was a shocker. No one had ever tossed her before.

Lori quickly got to her feet and turned to face him once more, with her hands up in a defensive stance. "Nice one..." Her instincts told her to try to tackle him, but she wasn't sure if she could get enough momentum going. So instead she attempted a kick to his right knee with her left foot. Whether she connected or not didn't fully matter. What mattered more for her was what his counter would be.

 

[Var-Sulis]

As she quickly stood to her feet It was becoming even clearer that this lady has quite the hidden fight in her. As well as she should consider where she was from. It was a fluent motion on her behalf as i saw her left foot rise quickly. ((She's going for the knee)) I told myself as I was slightly a half "step" ahead. Yeah..pun intended. In order to capitalize, I have to think quickly here. Evading her attempted strike by taking a step backward, I then went for a quick chop with my left hand to the back of her neck. If this connects correctly, the nerve im going for should cause her to fall to her knees and submit to defeat.

Tag: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Well that caught her by surprise. It wasn't so much of the fact that Var-Sulis stepped away from the kick, but moreso the fact that she was brought down to her knees in one hit.

Lori looked to Arla briefly whom didn't give her any change in her expression, to her opponent. "You're...gonna have to...teach me that...some day."

But she wasn't going to admit defeat. Even when she suffered broken bones and bruises in a tournament against a master Mandalorian warrior, she didn't give in. And so she slowly got to her feet, putting her hands up once more. She didn't have the energy to tackle him or anything of the sort. So instead she just waited and hoped to remain on her feet.

"What else you got?"

 

[Var-Sulis]

I smirked while catching my breath. I hoped i ddin't strike too hard. However...She was Mando bred..Pretty sure she handled more than that in her days. Glancing over her posture, I paused for a moment noticing where her hands were placed. I couldn't help but think of this as a somewhat teachable moment. As my nose twitched i thought of one thing. This training was awesome. And i'll never soon forget.

"Bend the knees slightly. Pivot your right ankle slightly outwards at 11 0'clock. Eyes always on me...or....." As i said that...I thought a left kick swiftly towards the thigh might soften her posture even more. Here we go!!

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori was doing her best not to keel over, fighting to maintain her focus while Var-Sulis was giving her instructions. Obviously he had a lot more experience than she did. Yet she didn't rule herself out just because of it.

With her eyes trained on him, she saw the weight shift from one leg to the other, allowing him to try to deliver a kick. But no, she grabbed hold of his ankle firmly and pulled to knock him off balance and onto his back. Then she straddled his torso, planted her knees on his arms and lay her left forearm into his neck, adding some pressure, but not enough to strangle him. "This would be a lot tougher if you had armour on."

 

[Var-Sulis]

"Careful my Queen...." I couldn't help but reply as my eyebrows arched up and down with haste. If she had any sense of humor..In which case I had already known she did under those hardened layers of emotional training, She knew what I was referring to. Way to lighten the mood, but on a serious note. She was quick and nimble for her size. A fighter to the end, that was certain.

"Armour? Well....My...watch the apple dear....(Cough)...You...You're quick...We learn a lot from each other...Let's take five shall we?" I asked as my glimmering smile escaped my awkward yet comfortable positioning. heheheh....You would think I was King...

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

A hint of a smile appeared as she continued her hold on Var-Sulis . She had beaten him in this round, although it had been very close to ending up the other way around. "You can just call me Lori. Everyone else does." Or rather mostly everyone did. Her royal title was better saved for political arenas.

It took a moment for her to realize what position she had on him as she sat back and removed her arm from his throat. It was enough for almost anyone to draw the wrong conclusions about what they were doing down on the floor. At least she had Arla as a witness.

Lori couldn't help but blush a little though as she got to her feet and held her hand out to help him up. "Sure. I could use some water. That move you did to get my legs to buckle....how did you do it?"

 

[Var-Sulis]

As I got off my back and would crack my neck slightly, i nodded with a slight bow in return to her name being addressed as Lori. After clearing my throat I figured it was time to explain my little maneuver.

"Some time ago..When I was on Coruscant.....The gangs of the inner city were running wild and rapid trying to take control of the underground market. Everyone wanted to be top dog. Me? I was still a merc for hire. Thing is...When you are outgunned..or outmanned, Your hands and feet are your best weapons. An old-timer...Barret Longsoth...trained me privately..as I was under his command and he saw a promising and rich future ahead of us. He had studied several combat techniques that even the Jedi were known to practice and use from time to time. Some of these techniques he passed on to me. I actually have a small tinder box full of notes and things I hold sacred from that man..He wasn't a good man..But he aspired to be..And I helped him somewhat before my final departure." I exhaled and went over to my bag grabbing a small canteen and wiping my brow..Showing Lori that I can obviously trust her with personal or past information I held close to my chest. What i didn't tell her as of yet...My cure...And how it helped my reflexes and general capabilities to make me what some would consider a super soldier

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori listened quietly as Var-Sulis allowed her a glimpse into his past. So a lot of his skills were attained through street-smarts. It was a vastly different upbringing than what she had. But she was born into privlege. And even during her roughest days, they were probably far more pampered than what his was.

She picked up her bottle of water and had a sip, rubbing the spot at her neck where Var had struck her to make her go down. "I have a little box of momentos that I keep with me too. It's mostly little rocks and pebbles of places that I've been. Kind of silly, but when you've travelled around a lot like I have, it makes me feel connected to those places somehow."

Lori took another sip of water. "So to make me drop down, can you hit anywhere on the back of the neck? Or is there a specific spot?"

 

[Var-Sulis]

I nodded in the affirmation that Lori understood what I was referring to. She was a collector...of sorts as well..Impressive...

"Well..." I said as I knew this would be a good show and-no-tell moment.

"My left hand..Straight..Knowing the force of pressure is coming from the palm near the wrist...here...Then..." As I approached her neck I slowly scaled my finger along the back of her neck to the middle of her neck spinal cord... "This disk..more or less...High-pressure point..Causes you to fall forward..With enough force..Your knees bend involuntarily to try to catch your fall..But this is a critical nerve ending that sends a shock wave through your system..It's like any other feeling..feeling of...Love...Hate..Joy...It puts alll your senses on alert to what is happening at the moment..." I explained as I looked into her eyes.

"Ahem...And there it is...With non-organic threats...Like droids..Most protocol and level one programmed combatant droids have a neuro-chip or mechanism that can cause them to malfunction if pulled out of the spinal area..Assuming it was built that way.."

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori soaked the information in like any good student would. She listened to every description. And when Var-Sulis touched the back of her neck, her eyes closed part way as she tried to imagine where the exact spot would be on someone. She didn't flinch at his touch either.

He seemed almost lost in his thoughts as he spoke, for his words slowed down. Lori looked up at him and caught him looking right into her eyes. Was there a twinkle in his? Or maybe she was just seeing something that wasn't there.

Var seemed to return his focus for he continued his instruction in regards to the lesson. To hear that some droids had the same weakness was good to know.

But she still needed to be sure that she was getting it right. So Lori reached over and started to move her fingers along the back of Var's neck along the spine, just as he did with hers, stopping at the point where she guessed he had done with her. "Here? Is this the spot?"

 

[Var-Sulis]

As her hand ran along my spine I glanced at her in her eyes. I usually have something to say, but this time was different. I let her make a subtle notion of contact..like two stars in the galaxy...joining as a brighter star..shining brilliantly. I nodded slightly as my heart began to pick up the pace. Times like this...Im glad i took the cure from Dr. Veinstein . ..No irregularities making me look like a fool. "Yeah...There...and pressure...The one thing we all live with..to right the wrongs in this universe..."