2021-09-25 Gia and Piper Spar
Gia and Piper Spar
Storyteller: Piper ran the combat
Location: The Training Area in the Bawn of the Sept of the Concrete Coyote
Date and Time: September 25th, 2021, around 8:30am
Summary: A random meet up in the training area leads to a brief sparring match between Gia and Piper.
September 25th, 2021 - Los Angeles
The camera focuses first on Downtown LA. The focus narrows to Skid Row as dawn starts to stretch its light into an alley.
Focus shifts to a spacious cavern, the natrual rock has been smoothed out somewhat without looking overly artificial. There are racks of practice weapons, white circles painted in places on the floor, which can be seen clearly from the two-tiered seating area composed of benches and boxes while, though the exit, a tunnel with railway rails can be seen.
In one of the circles, the green-haired metis known as Gia is practicing with a blade crafted from a railroad spike. She is barefooted and dressed in a gray sports bra and matching shorts, her vibrant green hair is pulled back by a white sweatband which is keeping her prespiration from flowing into her eyes as well as making it so that her stubby horns are clearly visible.
Stranger things have certainly appeared in the Training room than Green Haired Metis wielding railroad spike blades and yet... Piper keeps a rather cautious eye on the weapon as she enters, giving enough room even a sudden dodge probably wouldn't put her in harm's way, but definitely watching. Quietly though, for the moment.
Mid move Gia says, "Hiya, Piper," after the Galliard enters the training room. A couple of more lunge and slash moves seem to complete her routine and she turns to face the Glass Walker and asks, "Would you hand me my bag over there," indicating the bag she usually carries which is laying on one of the benches.
"Sure," It's not a big ask and so after a bit of glancing, Piper finds the pointed to bag and passes it on over. "Getting ready for whenever it ends up the whole sewer thing is gonna go down?" There's a tilts of her head towards the curious blade in the Gnawer's hand.
Gia nods as she slings her bag over her shoulder. "Yeah, just making sure I'm loose and ready when Niall calls for the run," she explains as she opens the bag to remove a sheath for the knife. After sheathing the blade she puts it into the bag and explains, "Its a fetish blade. Not a Klaive, its not silver of course, but it's got a viscious bit in addition to its other abilities."
After the briefest pause, Gia asks, "Were y'coming t' practice something yerself, Piper?"
"Not so much practice as more burn off some energy..." Piper admits with a shrug, though the explanation of the blade's true nature gets an approving nod. "Haven't really spent much time using blades myself, so picking one up in time for that seems a bit risky. My claws? Well... not the sharpest and a bit too tight down there for Crinos to make them sharper. Think I'll just be sticking to using tools and being ready in case any of the rest of you fall into one of the booby traps. Those things were rough and would be willing to bet the chain traps aren't the only sort they have down there."
"Yer goin' on th'run also then?" Gia asks. "Yeah, Ah'm hopin' that y'homids are gonna be working in Glabro form. It'll be important that we all can regenerate durin' this thing." She takes the bag back off her shoulder, apparenlty only having put it on to free up her hands in the first place. "Did y'want t'spar maybe?" she follows up with another question.
"I mean... unless Niall changes his mind for whatever reason! I'm the only one that's actually fought this thing before... seen it's traps. Knows which direction it was trying to lure us back towards the first time," Piper explains a bit, her fingers flexing a little at that memory. "And yeah... glabro fits fine in the tunnels. But Glabro claws didn't really make a dent in it when I hit. Crinos or Hispo would have a hard time fitting though, the way the tunnels curve up, you know?" She mimes a curve of the sewage system. as for sparring, she gives a nod. "I mean... it couldn't hurt to spar, right?"
"That's why Ah've been practicin' with mah Dagger o'Retribution. Its blade bites as painfully as mah claws... well, less muscle mass behind it but still. Ah was considerin' homid form since Ah regenerate in all mah forms," Gia explains as she sets her bag back down on one of the benches and turns back to look at Piper.
"Possibly if you stick in homid, they might try and focus on you first... thinking you're the 'weakest link'," Piper theorizes with a grin, giving a nod towards Gia and her dagger. "Not expecting that wicked bite. But for practice... perhaps just stick to one of the regular daggers?" There's plenty of practice pieces around, but Piper doesn't go for any of them. She just closes her eyes and thinks for a minute before shifting on up towards Glabro... but this time at least her clothes don't protest at the change. Somebody's been working on Dedication!
Gia's dagger is put away of course, but looking over the practice weapons she finds one that satisfies her as far as its length and heft as a stand in. "Yeah, Ah'll try t'stick with homid but Ah want t'reserve the right t'shift t'near woman form during our sparing like y'did ifin that's okay?" Gia asks as she moves back into the circle she was practicing in earlier.
"Hey, as long as Crinos claws or Hispo fangs don't come out, think we're good," Piper grins even as she takes her own spot in the circle. She bounces on her feet, watching Gia. Watching and waiting. Apparently the Galliard doesn't seem inclined to move first.
"Naturally, that'd be dirty pool," Gia replies as Piper enters the circle. She's taken a loose fighting stance and seems to be starting the same watch and wait game before she lunges forward, slashing her wooden practice blade towards Piper in an attempt to draw the length of its dull blade across her torso, not quite a gut slash - something a little higher than that.
It was almost a good hit! The knife does at least make contact with Piper's upper arm but she pulls back just in time to prevent any 'real' damage from occuring. "I mean... neither of us is Ahrouns. Don't need to fight To The Pain. Or to the Intestines falling out."
And despite Piper saying that neither of are Ahrouns... she launches her own assault. She manages to give a pretty solid tag with her claws though the words about them not being very sharp may hold true... or maybe Gia's just that good at Dodging. But the Galliard at least thinks she's got a trick up her sleeve and after the one claw, she reaches out and goes to try and swipe Gia's leg and... totally misses. It's fine. She meant to do that.
"Hah!" Gia cries out as she twists her shoulders to turn should have been a solid hit into what amounts to a love tap - there's actual contact but no real impact occurs. Then Piper goes for the leg... and misses. In response, Gia snaps out a punch towards Piper's nose but instead she clips the Galliard's jaw in a contact that has as much impact as the one landed on herself.
Moments after the flurry of exchanges, Gia attenpts to press her percieved advantage and slashs her practice blade toward Piper. The breeze of the slash touches the other Garou at least... that's something right?
The metis lets a soft, frustrated growl up though her throat at this poor showing.
It is indeed something. And sensing a bit of growing frustration in her opponent, the Galliard decides to push her luck. Piper doesn't even say a word. A cock of the head, a smirk on the Glabro's face and then the hand gesture that's clear as day... That all you got?
The taunt may not have had its desired effect... or maybe it did. Gia's upper lip curls up exposing her teeth as the growl goes from barely voiced to actually voiced and she leaps at Piper with the intent to tackle the Glabro. The Philodox's form isn't bad, its just that the Glass Walker's reaction time is better... also, perhaps Gia telegraphed her intent a little too strongly. Whichever it was, Piper side steps Gia's attempt to ground her with seeming effortlessness.
However, once someone leaves the ground they're in the merciless grasp of physics and being a supernatural being only rarely gives one a pass on that. Gia isn't one of those who gets to ignore such rules of reality.
Her target no longer there, Gia passes Piper and seems to have attempted to tuck into a roll. Instead, she crashes into the ground with her knife-wielding arm beneath her and after hitting the ground she just lays there for a moment. A moment that, at first, might seem to stretch on forever.
Hard to say what exactly Piper's intent was with her taunt, but it seems to have pulled her opponent off balance enough for them to break out of their deadlocked tit-for-tat trading of light blows. As Gia goes sailing by and tries tumbling, Piper watches from where she side stepped away. And watches still as the Gnawer lays there. Eventually, she has to ask, "We good?"
Gia nods from where she lays on the ground. "Ah'm just winded," she says breathily before she starts to get up, pausing a moment on her hands and knees. "Ah shouldn't've let y'get t'me with that but... yeah, we're good," as she works to get up to her feet. "Good practice though," she adds though to show there's really no hard feelings.
As the fight's over, Piper quickly reverts back down to her breed form, a roll of the shoulders to ensure everything's still where it needs to be and then she offers a hand to Gia should she want some help to her feet. "Battle's not just physical. Gotta think on your feet too. You almost got me a few times. And I look forward to seeing what your dagger can do when you really mean it." The Talesinger grins and starts to make for the exit on that note.
Gia, grinning, goes to grab her bag and says, "Lookin' forward t'showin' y'also," she calls out to Piper as she starts pulling clothing out of the bag to change before departing herself.
