Nethali was first, if only because it let her dictate the holodeck settings of the arranged sparring match. It wasn't a particularly inspired choice: there was a central ring - a slightly raised circular platform of hard padding - in the center of an otherwise bland, but well lit, room. The focus was going to be the match itself, and nothing about the setting was going to detract from it.
She checked the time on the PADD she'd brought along. The Okinawa's first mate would arrive first, provided she was on time and Lir didn't arrive early. Untucking a rather dogeared and unlit cigarette from behind an ear, Nethali settled in at the center of the room and began to read while she waited.
The holodeck door slid open as the Okinawa's first officer walked in. She was young woman, roughly in her late twenties. Her human side is very clearly of Japanese descent. Her Romulan side was given away only by her pointy ears and her slanted eyebrows; an uninformed observer would almost definitely mistake her for Vulcan. She was dressed fairly simply, nothing elaborate. A tank top and her duty uniform pants, tucked into her boots. There was a tattoo of the insignia for the Romulan Republic on her collarbone.
She perked an eyebrow towards Nethali, folding her arms, looking the woman up and down. "Are you my date?"
She perked an eyebrow towards Nethali, folding her arms, looking the woman up and down. "Are you my date?"
Nethali hopped to her feet at the sound of the materializing arch, stuffing the PADD in her jeans' back pocket.
"Mebbe next time, doll~ I'm th' one coachin' yer date." She shoved the mouthed cigarette back behind an ear, "An' th' one who's gunna kick yer arse iffin y' go o'erboard." It wasn't particularly threatening, but the delivery wasn't jocular, either.
"Lir's still pretty damned fresh, right? So keep it t' bruisin', or I'mma step in. ..an' jess t' give y' a little bit o' perspective, I'm th' only full blooded 'uman on a ship fulla Rommies." The unspoken part of that being 'I call them Rommies and I'm still alive'.
All that said, she flashes the Federation officer a grin and offered a hand, "Nethali Aster, flight deck officer on th' D'Ishae."
"Mebbe next time, doll~ I'm th' one coachin' yer date." She shoved the mouthed cigarette back behind an ear, "An' th' one who's gunna kick yer arse iffin y' go o'erboard." It wasn't particularly threatening, but the delivery wasn't jocular, either.
"Lir's still pretty damned fresh, right? So keep it t' bruisin', or I'mma step in. ..an' jess t' give y' a little bit o' perspective, I'm th' only full blooded 'uman on a ship fulla Rommies." The unspoken part of that being 'I call them Rommies and I'm still alive'.
All that said, she flashes the Federation officer a grin and offered a hand, "Nethali Aster, flight deck officer on th' D'Ishae."
The woman shook Nethali's extended hand, grinning. Strong grip, that woman. "Commander Tessa Nakimura."
Commander Nakimura looked around, pressing her hands against her back, leaning back against them, creating a bit of a cracking sound. She twirled her wrists, creating a similar noise. Her gaze shifted back to Miss Aster. "So, if you're not my date, who is?"
Commander Nakimura looked around, pressing her hands against her back, leaning back against them, creating a bit of a cracking sound. She twirled her wrists, creating a similar noise. Her gaze shifted back to Miss Aster. "So, if you're not my date, who is?"
As it happened, Lir was just late enough to enter at that moment. She looked much like the Okinawas first officer, almost Vulcan, though her fiery red hair and faint freckles spoke of a human half that hailed from a different corner of Terra. From the look on her face she hadn't expected anyone but Nethali to be here yet. "Oh, uh, hi! Is this who I'm fighting?" She casts a nervous look to the other half Romulan. Then she smiles, though she doesn't seem very relieved. "Hi, Lir Callahan."
Tessa holds her hand out, shaking the woman's hand. As they touch, they merge into a single being, both fully romulan and fully human. A HumoRomulan! A Humulan! Wait, no, that's not what happens.
"Commander Tessa Nakimura." She looks Lir up and down, smiling.
"Commander Tessa Nakimura." She looks Lir up and down, smiling.
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((Iiii just cracked up. Thanks Jack.))
"Roit, now that y've made pretty an' know jess 'nough t' almost feel bad 'bout wailin' on eachother, le'ss get this started. Lights!"
The center ring is soft-lit spotlighted, the outer carpet- where Nethali now prowls- dimming. "S'gunna be a point-base. Shout when y' think y' got a hit point on th' 'ead or chest. Sparrin' gear dispenser o'er there."
"Roit, now that y've made pretty an' know jess 'nough t' almost feel bad 'bout wailin' on eachother, le'ss get this started. Lights!"
The center ring is soft-lit spotlighted, the outer carpet- where Nethali now prowls- dimming. "S'gunna be a point-base. Shout when y' think y' got a hit point on th' 'ead or chest. Sparrin' gear dispenser o'er there."
(("Did anyone else feel it get really non-canon in here for a second?"))
In spite of Nethalis enthusiasm Lir doesn't yet move to the dispensers. "Is this really necessary though? I mean, I just met her, and now we're going to beat each other senseless? So far it's just been foam dummies and that one hologram you made that looked like Dawsons."
In spite of Nethalis enthusiasm Lir doesn't yet move to the dispensers. "Is this really necessary though? I mean, I just met her, and now we're going to beat each other senseless? So far it's just been foam dummies and that one hologram you made that looked like Dawsons."
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((Haha! Dawsons-look-alike holo. Oh man. ))
"Y'din't read that book, didja." She states it as idle observation on her way to the dispenser, now punching in some rough approximations of Lir's sizes. Very rough approximations.
"Fightin' foam an' holograms ain't anythin' like beatin' on somebody who's flinchin' an' feelin' an' likely t' bleed. Y'gotta get used t' th' idea that what yer doin' hurts, an' that it's what y' want."
"Y'din't read that book, didja." She states it as idle observation on her way to the dispenser, now punching in some rough approximations of Lir's sizes. Very rough approximations.
"Fightin' foam an' holograms ain't anythin' like beatin' on somebody who's flinchin' an' feelin' an' likely t' bleed. Y'gotta get used t' th' idea that what yer doin' hurts, an' that it's what y' want."
Tess shrugs, sauntering on over to the Sparring Gear Dispenser. She looks back to Lir, grinning. "Don't worry. I don't bite. Not in public, anyway."
She stands with her arms folded, waiting for Nethali to finish dispensing Lir's gear.
She stands with her arms folded, waiting for Nethali to finish dispensing Lir's gear.
Seeing no way out Lir acquiesced, taking the hastily replicated gear from Nethali and slipping it over her tank top and jeans fighting ensemble. "Fine. I guess I'll just fight a complete stranger in your creepy concrete torture dungeon! I swear, if I find out this is all some weird Nimbosian courtship ritual..." The thought ends there as the Centurion steps into the ring of light.
"Aw, honey," Nethali thumbed the unlit cig free of her ear and popped it to the corner of her mouth.
"Y'think Nimbus 'as courtship? -Yer left forearm ain't strapped in straight."
She plants herself in front of the ring, hands on her hips, "I tol' 'er t' go easy on yer since it's yer first, but you? I expect y' t' put yer bloody all int' it. If she can't block it, it's 'er own prollem." Statement of fact, rather than hostility. She evidently expected Tessa to be more than competent.
"Y'think Nimbus 'as courtship? -Yer left forearm ain't strapped in straight."
She plants herself in front of the ring, hands on her hips, "I tol' 'er t' go easy on yer since it's yer first, but you? I expect y' t' put yer bloody all int' it. If she can't block it, it's 'er own prollem." Statement of fact, rather than hostility. She evidently expected Tessa to be more than competent.
Tessa laughs, entering her own measurements into the replicator. "If your problem is that I'm a complete stranger, I can help with that. My name is Tessa Nakimura. I'm a commander in Starfleet. I'm the first officer aboard the U.S.S. Okinawa under Captain Jack Buchanan. I like to hit things." Having retrieved her own sparring gear, she dons it, walking across the floor, situating herself across from Lir.
Fussing with her padding at least gave Lir something to do until the Starfleet girl mentioned her passion for inflicting injury. She stopped then, midway through strapping the arm padding on, and held that pose for a few seconds as if so deep in thought that the physical world ceased to register. When it became clear that willing herself out of existence wouldn't work though she huffed, pulled the strap tight, and stepped into the ring.
"I'm kidding. Mostly."
She drops into a combat stance, standing on the balls of her feet, arms up, bouncing a bit. She paused for a moment, then loosens up her posture. Her usual sparring partner was Captain Buchanan; sparring with him and sparring with Lir were two very, very different things. For one, he's a good deal taller than her, assuming Lir's of average height. "Don't worry. This is just a friendly sparring match. Nobody's going to get hurt. Not very badly, at least."
She drops into a combat stance, standing on the balls of her feet, arms up, bouncing a bit. She paused for a moment, then loosens up her posture. Her usual sparring partner was Captain Buchanan; sparring with him and sparring with Lir were two very, very different things. For one, he's a good deal taller than her, assuming Lir's of average height. "Don't worry. This is just a friendly sparring match. Nobody's going to get hurt. Not very badly, at least."
On the sidelines Nethali settles in for optimal spectatorship, weight shifting from foot to foot as her own nerves start buzzing from the pending match.
"Y'done chitchattin', magpie~? On my mark, then, yeah? Oi! Lir! Stop spacin', she ain't gunna wait fer you t' come t' 'er like th' 'olo. On m' mark...Sei! Kre! Hwi!"
"Y'done chitchattin', magpie~? On my mark, then, yeah? Oi! Lir! Stop spacin', she ain't gunna wait fer you t' come t' 'er like th' 'olo. On m' mark...Sei! Kre! Hwi!"
Under the stark white spotlight, facing down her first real opponent, Lir hastily drops into a combat stance of her own. She stays tight, arms up and close, a defensive stance at first, ready to intercept any incoming blows. Or so she hopes.
This is her first real fight with someone that can match her strength.
This is her first real fight with someone that can match her strength.
Tess moves in, her stance obviously more offensive. She's in more of a loose stance, bouncing around on the balls of her feet. She shifts towards Lir, throwing a series of weak, easily deflectable blows towards the woman's midsection, alternating arms with each punch.
Lir deflects perhaps too enthusiastically, her feet firmly anchored against blows that she honestly expected to be a lot harder. Following the right-left-right pattern of her strikes Lir waits for a left to counter, moving her left arm to intercept as her right aims over Tessa's blow toward her shoulder. The block is a bit awkward, to say the least, and though the padding takes the hit she does have to adjust her stance mid-swing, hardly an ideal situation.
((So dun wait for me in replying to posts. This is Lir and Tessa's show! Nethali's just here to make useless observation and snide commentary!))
"Whu'd I tell y' 'bout useless movements!"
The human's keen eyes were all but ignoring Tessa's movements in exchange for hypervigilance on the newbie. Probably for the better, as the woman proceeds to back seat brawl:
"Dun let those light jabs fool yah! She's testin' y' out an' gettin' a feel for 'ow y' play! Remember Marvis's thing: hide yer talons until y' strike!"
"Whu'd I tell y' 'bout useless movements!"
The human's keen eyes were all but ignoring Tessa's movements in exchange for hypervigilance on the newbie. Probably for the better, as the woman proceeds to back seat brawl:
"Dun let those light jabs fool yah! She's testin' y' out an' gettin' a feel for 'ow y' play! Remember Marvis's thing: hide yer talons until y' strike!"