Private Dancing the Razor’s Edge

[Braze]

TAGS: Lily Decoria

Braze shifted back after moving to Lilly's flank with three rapid successive crescent steps before falling into a back handspring. He landed in a crouching position and sprang forward with all the force he could muster, aiming to catch her just as she turned to face him. Moving into a roll seemingly aimed low between her legs, he attempted to take advantage of the few moments he was outside her line of sight to perform this unusual maneuver.

His forward momentum gave him enough air and speed to complete one full rotation as he curled into a ball mid-air. Emerging from the spin, it was clear he was attempting a flying scissor takedown combined with a cross-arm throat strike. His feet were aimed to connect with the tops of her thighs, applying a sudden and powerful amount of force to her hips, her center of balance pushing her back if sucessful. Simultaneously, he pushed forward with both hands clenched into fists and his arms crossed defensively in front, the crossing point aimed directly at her throat.

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Jedi Temple, Training Room
Attire: Jedi Outfit
Equipment: Cross guard Lightsaber, Hydrangea Moonblade (Concealed)
Tag: Braze

Lily watched as Braze demonstrated a more acrobatic approach to his fighting style. She was curious if he was more of a user for Ataru, a form designed around moving and being acrobatic while fighting. From this fight, it definitely seemed to be what suited him best. She knew her aunt was a user of that Form and it was something that mixed well with the Echani combat style. When it seemed like he was attempting to roll between her legs from his jump, she promptly adjusted and to predict a counter with a slice from her foot across to cut into him.

However, he had tricked her and was actually aiming for her hips. It wasn't until the last second that she could adjust to take the blow without falling backwards. Instead she was able to be only forced backwards a single step.

He was making bold moves and she had no intention of letting them work without punishment. She studied his movements and position, she saw that his strike was coming from two moves, one was a takedown in an attempt to pin her down. The other was a strike to her throat. She tilted her head and shoulders down, protecting the neck from the chop. Gripping the fabric of Braze's clothing at his ribs, she didn't fall backwards and instead pushed forward to force Braze to land hard onto the ground on his back instead.

Lily was using all her weight against Braze to push him to the ground. From there, she aimed to pin him down and force him to submit. When on the ground, wrestling, she had a weight advantage and she was going to use it.

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Lily Decoria

Braze's fingers dug into Lily's attire, securing a firm grip on either side of her top. As she pressed her weight down, he leaned back toward the ground, attempting to pull her forward with him. He adjusted his footing, trying to plant one of his feet against her stomach to use her momentum for a flip. His aim was to roll her over his body and send her to the ground. It would seem the agile little imp knew a thing or two about roughhousing with grapples.​

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Jedi Temple, Training Room
Attire: Jedi Outfit
Equipment: Cross guard Lightsaber, Hydrangea Moonblade (Concealed)
Tag: Braze

Since Lily's momentum was leaning forward for them both to be grappling, she didn't mind that Braze was trying to force her down with him. She felt confident with heading that direction since she was taller and larger in frame. The advantages were with her as long as she used her training. All she did was add more force behind Braze to make sure he hit the ground hard. Not hard enough to hurt but stun and possibly wind him a bit. That would give her the time to get him in a grapple and trap him.

When she felt the foot against her stomach, she grunted, he was trying to counter her momentum. Taking her right hand off him since he was light enough for her to hold him in one hand with ease. She clenched her fist and jutted her middle knuckle out, targeting a pressure point around his knee. She grind the knuckle joint into the pressure point to weaken his leg to prevent him from stopping her from dropping him onto the ground.

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Lily Decoria

A sharp, pained yelp escaped Braze as Lily's knuckle dug into the pressure point at his knee, the jolt of discomfort momentarily weakening his grip. But even as the pain shot through him, his instincts kicked in. With a sudden burst of energy, his other foot, previously braced against her, shot upward in a swift arc from her hip. His heel aimed directly at her chin, packed with enough force to try to knock her out and end the fight in one decisive strike.

Despite the pain, Braze's body moved fluidly, almost reflexively, as he tried to turn the tables.

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Jedi Temple, Training Room
Attire: Jedi Outfit
Equipment: Cross guard Lightsaber, Hydrangea Moonblade (Concealed)
Tag: Braze

Since Braze did not stop her momentum, she slammed him firmly into the ground. Lily felt the shifting of the smaller person, he was clearly attempting to pivot into an attack. It was clear that the hit against the ground wasn't going to stop him from trying to claw back control in this grapple between them. Lily was impressed with his determination, she took the challenge with the respect and enjoyment that it deserved. It had been a while since she fought someone in a friendly spar this dedicated to winning.

It had been as she was at that age and it was how she generally faced things now.

Before his kick could connect with her face, she shifted and was no longer directly on top of him. She was grabbing his arm and moving her body swiftly into a position to lock it between her legs. Trapping him in an arm lock and aiming to ensure this duel wished with her victory.

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Lily Decoria

Braze was no match for Lily's ogre-like strength. His hands, somehow pried free from their grip, left him helpless as she twisted him into an arm bar and pinned him down. With a squeak of pain, he tapped out frantically. "Okay, okay, I give up!" he yelped.​

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Jedi Temple, Training Room
Attire: Jedi Outfit
Equipment: Cross guard Lightsaber, Hydrangea Moonblade (Concealed)
Tag: Braze

As soon as Braze started tapping, Lily immediately released him and once she rose to her feet, offered him a hand to help up to his own feet. "I am sorry if I went to far and hurt you in any way." Lily mentioned quickly, fearing that she had gotten caught up in their sparring too much and went too far with her fighting. Perhaps she shouldn't have gone for an arm bar.

Lily gave space for Braze and wiped the sweat from their fighting off her brow. "You fought well, you should be really impressed with how capable you are at your age." Lily decided to verbally state what she had been saying with her body as they fought, "I am sure when you are my age, you will be much better than I am currently. If you want, I would enjoy sparring again in the future. Keep pushing each other?" She knew that plenty of people enjoyed having regular sparring partners.

For her, it was more interesting to keep it varied so she could experience more but Braze was someone she could interact with different to other Jedi. It was a connection that helped with her homesickness.

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Lily Decoria

Braze accepted Lily's hand, letting her help him to his feet. "No need to apologize," he said with a grin, shaking out his arm. "Honestly, I should've expected nothing less from someone with such formidable prowess. I'm just glad I can walk away from this one."

Stretching his shoulders, he gave her an appreciative nod. "You're right, though—I'd love to spar again. Keep each other sharp, right? Besides, I need to figure out how to not get tossed around like a ragdoll next time." His tone was light. "But for now, I'll take the compliment and try to live up to it. Maybe when I'm your age, I'll be the one giving you a run for your credits."

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Jedi Temple, Training Room
Attire: Jedi Outfit
Equipment: Cross guard Lightsaber, Hydrangea Moonblade (Concealed)
Tag: Braze

She let out a relieved sigh and nodded her head, "I just don't want you thinking I aim to cause harm or fight too roughly." Giving a bow of respect to her opponent for how well he did in the combat. "I would never allow you to walk away from a friendly spar seriously harmed. Especially, sparring in a traditional Echani way. For me, I merely wish to learn more of you and understand you in a way that can only be communicated through sparring." She understood there were times where hard sparring and pushing each other to the limits was good and fun.

However, it wasn't how Echani sparred, not the way she believed her people sparred.

"If you wish, I can provide you the training regime I undergo. Building my strength and muscles allows me to avoid being thrown around or dominated by others." She worked on her body to be strong and to lift incredibly heavy weights without too much issue. "Also, you'll still grow as you age. So, don't feel like you have to rush."

She smirked and nodded her head, "I look forward to seeing that." Genuinely interested in seeing what Braze will become as a fighter as he gets older.

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Lily Decoria

Braze's frustration simmered beneath the surface, though he kept his expression neutral. The moment Lily mentioned her training regimen, his jade-green eyes narrowed slightly. Here we go again, he thought. Another person talking about building muscles as if that's the only way forward. He had heard it from others before—comments about strength and size that never sat well with him. Aris Noble , already taller and broader, had outpaced him in size. Braze was well aware of the awe, praise, and attention Aris gained from his new found height. He already understood the limitations of his more slender frame. He was now doing what he shouldn't agian. Compairing himself to others.

"Thanks for the offer, Lily, but I'm good for now," Braze said, keeping his tone even. He stretched his arm, still feeling the strain from their spar, but his mind was already focused elsewhere. There was more to power than raw strength. He'd continue proving that to everyone who expected him to follow a different path.

As Braze stretched his arm, a lingering thought crept into his mind, one that had been nagging him for some time. Is it a problem that I'm still this small? He knew he was lighter and more compact than most others his age, but was it something he could control, or was this just how he was built? The idea weighed on him, especially as others like Aris seemed to grow taller and stronger without effort. He wasn't sure if he was simply a late bloomer or if his build was just naturally lighter.

Does it even matter? He shook the thought off for now. There were other ways to prove his worth, and he knew that his size wasn't everything. But still, the doubt lingered in the back of his mind.

The more Braze thought about it, the more the insecurity gnawed at him. It wasn't that he was just smaller—it was how often people brought it up, like Lily had just now. Why does everyone think I need to bulk up? The constant comments, even when well-meaning, had started to wear him down. Each comment like that felt like a spotlight on something he couldn't control. He wondered if they all expected him to grow into some towering figure, and the pressure of those expectations made him question himself even more.

Shaking his head, Braze tried to push the feeling aside, but the insecurity lingered. Maybe it's not just in my head after all.

He wondered how Jasper Kai'el Loomi or even how Ko Vuto might view him thanks to his small stature. "I think I have some chores to do for my master today. I better get going thank you for the sparr Lily, it was nice meeting you. " Braze chirped and offered her a bow.

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Jedi Temple, Training Room
Attire: Jedi Outfit
Equipment: Cross guard Lightsaber, Hydrangea Moonblade (Concealed)
Tag: Braze

Lily couldn't help note the flick of frustration and annoyance at her comment caused in Braze's body as she spoke to him. When he declined her offer, she nodded her head, "I didn't mean to cause any offence. I just simply wanted to extend the offer to help that issue in the way I am approaching it." Lily was someone who studied a lot in fighting and while she went down one routine, she fully accepted that what she did was not the best or only approach for people who fought.

"Our traditional style is meant to be quite dancer like, might be leaning into that, keep agile and moving. Be squirmy and impossible to pin down." Lily mentioned, she didn't want to seem like she had an agenda. All she cared about when it came to fighting was that the person found out what made them the best they wanted to be. "I only mentioned you might get bigger because people tended to grow till 18 or even later, so what works now, might not in a year or two if you end up another foot taller. However, that might not happen so you can lean into a smaller stature to be harder to hit."

She tried to offer a reassuring smile that he was fine as he was, "I hope I didn't offend, my offer was merely an offer for what worked for me and I am always happy to share what I know and I do. You should do what is best for you and if you need help finding more information on that path, let me know. I love studying fighting styles so I have some personal resources I can share." Lily didn't stop Braze from leaving, "good luck with your chores and hope we can meet again."