A Taste for Schubert [Joint Training | R | Jak and Gail]

[Gail Belrose]

SPOILER: Click to show

{The melody Gail is humming as she comes wanders around, and enters the shop}

It was a good day. Gail was somehow, rather amazingly, not completely dead after meeting a sentient eagle woman, and she had decided to take a personal day and enjoy herself after such a bizarre experience. On that day, she didn’t even want to think, much less code a battle simulation. It would have done absolutely zero good to go into work. Her boss might be a bit mad that she had told him the debrief could wait until the day after, but she frankly didn’t care. She was still alive, and she was in no mood to even look at work.

Instead of going to her day job at Xcution, she wandered the streets of Karakura Town. Despite the fact that this was exactly what she had been doing when she met Nesr, she didn’t really have any other choice aside from this plan, or staying cooped up in her room. While it was debatable whether the outdoors were safe or not, her time at Polytechnique had taught her better than to just hide from the world in her room. That was what Freshman did during the week before finals. She was an adult now! That meant she needed to not do Freshman things… no matter how tempting they were.

With that much set in stone, she had finally taken some time to actually get to know this Town. She only lived a few blocks over from her office. Her average day was just a five minute walk from her apartment over to an office building, and then the walk back. Not exactly a great way to get to know an entire area, especially one this large. Sure, it was no Paris, but Karakura wasn’t a little hick town either. There was plenty to see, and plenty more to actually keep track of. Yeah, she did have a map on the phone in her pocket, but she wanted to get to know this place on her own.

Outside of work, and a few restaurants, the only place she really had memorized was her gym. It was only a block down from her apartment, and that had been her first stop of the day. As a result, she wasn’t really dressed to impress. Well, she might impressed a horny guy, but that’s about it. Her attire was naught but golden booty shorts, a black sports bra, and a grayish-brown hoody. Topped off with sneakers, it wasn’t exactly a classy outfit, but it wasn’t a bad look for someone like Gail either.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Outfit Reference}

She could only really pull it off because she was in ridiculously good shape. Especially post-run at the gym, every one of her muscles was proudly on display for the world to see. She may be a desk jockey at work, but she was definitely no slouch at the gym either. Gail could, quite literally, run laps around most of the meatheads that hit on her, and that was no fun. She wanted to be around people that could push her to become even better, especially after meeting Nesr.

Still, there wasn’t much that could be done about that right away. This was a day to clear her mind, not a day to focus on the important things in her life. Eventually her ambient wandering brought her into a little flower store in Karakura. As she entered, she merely took a look around in search of something to brighten up her office a bit. As she perused the storefront a hum rolled out from her. Schubert – Ave Maria. It was a well celebrated classical melody, but without the lyrics, it took an actual fan of classical music to pick it out right away. To her, it was just white noise. A mere replacement for the headphones she had forgotten at her apartment. Unless she was stopped, she simply continued to absentmindedly hum that melody as she admired the selection of this store.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats and Skills}

Stats Strength - [80(160)] Points Speed - [80(120)] Points Spiritual Pressure - [10(5)] Points Reiatsu Strength - [10(5)] Points Light Aura - [50] Points Dark Aura - [50] Points Instinct - [95] Points Senses - [75] Points Energy sensory - [0] Points Healing Expertise - [0] Points Total SP: [350] Points

Skills [Northern Shaolin Kung Fu] {1} [Stealth] {1} [Battle Analysis] {1} [Hacking] {1} [Charisma] {1} [Calm Mind] {1}

[Jak Halcom]

(Training for CTP)

Jak Halcom was out and about his mother's flower shop. Well to be blunt it was his now. He lost his mother when he was young. It was then bought by his old Sensei who pretty much raised him as his own son. Now he too was gone. It was not like him to just disappear. He left a note leaving the shop, and his own home to Jak. Jak had always worked the shop. He loved working it with him mom when she was still around, and even when his Sensei owned the shop. In fact he lived at the shop. His apartment was up above the shop, so he was always close no matter what was going on. It was the only home that he really had known.

Zegram held some shears in his left hand snipping at some roses that needed to be trimmed. It was a bit of a slow day today. Though even during the slowest times, he manages to make enough money to keep the shop going, and take care of himself. He enjoyed tending the flowers more than anything. If one were to look at him, no one would think he would be into such a thing. He was a muscular young man. Clearly he worked out and fought in his spare time. He wore just wore a black leather vest over his bear chest. He wore a pair of torn, dirty, blue jeans. Those were a combination of his work out, and work jeans so they see a lot of use. He also wears a pair of black and blue sandals. 

Jak's hair is black and usually in a spiked mess. Those are not the strangest things about the young man however. His eyes are blood red, and seem to burn with a fire from hell itself, and his right arm. His right arm was slightly bigger and muscular than his left arm. Not only that, but it was also a deep, angry, red color. It looked like it was severely burned, and it can be either warm to the touch, or very hot when he is upset. His arm also has a long heavy chain snaking up it from the wrist all the way to the shoulder. This chain he uses to fight alone with a hidden sword he keeps on his other arm. The chain is also hot being in constant contact with his arm.

He straighten up feeling and hearing his back pop. He groaned a little glad that slight pain in his back was now gone. He figured that he needed to check the front of the shop for any customers. He wiped the sweat off his brow and headed to the front where he heard someone humming. Though it was hard to pick up at first, he could tell what the woman was humming. Ave Maria, his mother's favorite song. He heard his mother sing it all the time when he was young. He listened for a little second to see where she was in the song. He went back to work at the front waiting for whoever it was to pick what they wanted and ready to pay.

As he arranged a bouquet of flowers he started singing to the humming. At first it was very low, so really it was only he could hear it, but he was starting to really get into it. His voice was starting to get louder. Jak was no opera singer, or any real trained singer by any stretch of the imagination. He just sang because he wanted to even if he was off key. But despite all that, he was a decent singer, he had a pretty good voice. He moved a vase of flowers out of the way, and saw the woman humming the song, and no doubt looking right at him. He blushed embarrassed and rubbing the back of his neck looking away, as he cheeks started to match the color of some roses. "Hey sorry, I couldn't help but notice the song your were humming. Ave Maria, It was my mother's favorite."

[Gail Belrose]

Alright, first things first, let’s be clear about a few things. Gail comes from money. Big money. She definitely wasn’t dressed like it, but she never needed to work a day in her life if she didn’t want to. Well, aside from the whole childhood help she had done for the business, but that’s another story for another time. Point was, she was the one percent. Classical music ran in her blood, and she’d heard Ave Maria enough times to know exactly what it was supposed to sound like. Whatever was coming out of the man singing was not what she was used to hearing back in Paris… or even close.

That’s not to say it was bad though. It was a different style. Performances at the Opera National de Paris were professional works of art, and as such they often lacked a “soul.” This singer was the exact opposite. He missed a few notes here and there, but even a half-dead puppy could feel the emotion in his voice. It may not have been the voice that Gail normally heard in head when she thought of that song, but nonetheless she enjoyed it quite a bit.

”There’s never a need to apologize for singing.” It was only as she replied to him that she actually got a good look at the man. He was… definitely something else. In more ways than one. He was… well damn, there’s really no other way to say it. He was friggin ripped. His clothing did pretty much nothing to hide his upper body, and Gail wasn’t complaining about that. The man was blushing badly. Maybe it was from getting caught singing, or maybe it was from the fact that Gail had licked her lips when she got a look at him.

Either way, he was definitely a good candidate for… nope. Just like that, the thought she was having left her mind when she saw his arm. It didn’t take her long to know what she was dealing with. It was pretty obvious, to her at least, that it wasn’t a simple burn on his arm. If that was the case, his arm wouldn’t have been so puffed up. Besides, if he had a burn that bad, he’d be in the hospital. That arm quite simply wasn’t human, which made this man a Nakabakki.

"All sorts of surprises lately. Yesterday I get attacked by a monstrous eagle woman, and today I meet a half-demon that runs a flower store, has good taste in music, and is way better looking than anyone told me a half-demon could be."  At that point in time, Gail, to use the appropriate white girl term, just couldn’t even. She had already done the “okay, spiritual beings are real I guess” thing yesterday. There wasn’t anything left in that tank, so she just accepted the fact that she was talking to a Nakabakki without a second thought.

Instead, she offered her right hand out for a shake. It was definitely more of a western thing, but bowing to a half-demon felt like it risked being taken as mockery. ”I’m Gail. Nice little shop ya got here… and nicer muscles.” Maybe somewhere deep down this was a defensive reaction, but consciously she was just hitting on him. Demon arm or not, Jak was ripped and an amusing singer. She’d hooked up with guys for only the former while in college, and she was still on the market. If her life was going to involve the spiritual world anyway, what harm was there in hitting on it?

[Jak Halcom]

”There’s never a need to apologize for singing.” Jak looked up to meet her eyes with his own. He smiled as charming of a smile as he could manage. He looked over the woman's body quickly trying not to stare, but how could anyone not stare. She was very pretty beautiful even. She was very fit clearly able to take care of herself which is one of the things that he looks for if he is ever looking for a girl. Her shorts were very short revealing her nice, toned legs. He had to pretty much force his eyes back up to her face remind himself of his professionalism while he was working the store. He listened to her talk about a bird woman and now meeting a half demon. Well that was convenient that she already new what a Nakkibakki was. 

She offered him her right hand, which he would normally try to take with his left hand instead, but he was feeling confident that he was in control of his demon powers. He took her hand in his own firmly shaking it. His arm would feel warm to the touch much more so than a normal hand would, but not hot enough to feel uncomfortable. "So you encountered a bird woman? Not even I have run into anything like that, and I have been aware of the spiritual beings for most of my life. You already got one up on me and we just met." He said with a chuckle. "My name is Jak Halcom." He blushed still from the compliments that she was throwing his way. He felt like he should say something about her, but he was always clumsy when it came to girls.

"The shop was my mothers. She loved to plant all kinds of plants, and just appreciated life in general. I guess some of that just rubbed off on me." He was not sure what to say about his muscles. "Well thanks that does tend to happen when you fight as much as me. You seem to have a very fine set of muscles yourself." He let go of her hand and set down his things seeing that there was no one else in the store at the moment. "Is there anything that you are looking for? I bet I can make something that could match even you. Though I bet you do get that sort of stuff all the time." He was butchering it again, and he knew it. He had to get off the subject. 

[Gail Belrose]

Mmmm. She had a good feeling about this one, despite him being part demon. If he was a threat, then he wouldn’t have been caught blushing. Besides, he sung classical music and worked in a flower shop. For someone with a demonic limb, he just couldn’t be that bad. Honestly though, even if he was Lucifer himself, Gail wouldn’t have been much more cautious. At that point in time, she was really just looking to have some fun and keep her mind off things.

Amusingly enough, the half-demon extended his beefier arm and took her outstretched hand. While it wasn’t a test per say, that wasn’t far from what it was. She had been curious whether or not he’d follow human convention and go for the shake, despite the arm being so clearly non-human. Her curiosity had been even more intense when it came to what would happen if she touched that limb though. Based on what she had been taught during her training, that limb was a nexus for his demonic power. If he had so desired it, she probably could have burst into flame on contact.

Thankfully, that was not what had happened. Instead, there was just a warmth to his grip that was strangely… pleasant. Any attempt to play coy was destroyed as a hushed ”Mmmm” escaped her lips on contact with the unique heat of his grasp. He steered the conversation elsewhere with a mention of Nesr, though he didn’t know the Beast Clan member's name. However he did offer his own to keep the score even. She had no want for the conversation to travel back to the confusion of yesterday, and instead pulled it towards the present. ”Charmed.” That was a polite way of putting it, but she didn’t want to play too easy to get… despite the fact that she hadn’t let go of his hand yet.

”So, what’s the deal with the shop anyway?” It was an honest question, and his answer bought her time to get some composure back. If she was going to play at least vaguely hard to get, she needed to keep him talking a bit. Sadly, his explanation of the shop was brief, and she failed to get the respite she wanted. Within a moment, he was back on his body… and then her body… and then they both realized they were still holding hands. The instant after they both realized that, their hands parted. For a moment, as Gail struggled to clear the blush from her face, it seemed like he was going to shift the conversation to business, but no, it was just a cheesy pickup line.

She allowed herself a quick laugh. Not at the line, but at the good old “I bet you get this often” variant Jak had used. That was a line she heard more often than any given pickup line, and she knew exactly what it meant. He was nervous as hell. A muscle-bound half-demon was bordering on intimidated, just because she had hit on him. It was absolutely adorable. ”You know, I do get lines like that pretty often, but I also do need something for the office either way.”

Gail paused for a moment, as if she had trailed off in thought. Of course she already knew what she wanted to say next, but she was here to have some fun after all. After a pause just long enough for Jak to think she might be done talking, she made him an offer. ”I’ll tell you what. You said you get into fights pretty often, and I could use a new sparring partner. My MMA gym is only a few blocks away, and you have no other customers. Let’s go a few rounds. You win, I buy the flowers. I win, you buy me dinner. Sound fair?”

[Jak Halcom]

Jak was a bit surprised about how she reacted to his failed attempt of a pick up line. She seemed more amused about it than put off.  ”You know, I do get lines like that pretty often, but I also do need something for the office either way.”
Jak smiled a little more confidently. If it was one thing that he knew of, it was flowers. She seemed like she had something else on her mind. Jak thought that it would be best to wait and let her finish her thought. He was wondering what she was going to say next. Was she thinking about what exactly she needed, or was something else trying to get out? Jak crossed his arms to get comfortable. He didn't mind waiting. 

”I’ll tell you what. You said you get into fights pretty often, and I could use a new sparring partner. My MMA gym is only a few blocks away, and you have no other customers. Let’s go a few rounds. You win, I buy the flowers. I win, you buy me dinner. Sound fair?” He cocked his head a little having to let the request process in his brain before being able to answer her. She wanted to fight him? And not only was business on the line, but also a date? Jak took a second to compose himself offering his right hand out. "Very well then. I don't mind stepping out for a little exercise." This one was defiantly new to him. This was the first time a girl wanted to fight him then have dinner. Well first time for everything. "Please lead on." He said offering her to lead the way to the gym.

[Gail Belrose]

Woohoo! He had agreed! It wasn’t that surprising, since she felt like she already had Jak wrapped around her finger a bit, but having someone say yes was always fun. ”Alright. Follow me then.” Without wasting any time, she spun on her heel and headed outside. She waited a moment to give Jak the proper time to lock up. Once he had that taken care of, she began the walk down towards the gym. If Jak paid close attention, or even just took a glance at her, he’d probably notice that she had an unusual amount of pep in her step, and her hips had a tantalizing extra bit of sway in them. It wasn’t enough to be scandalous or anything, but that sway in those booty shorts was definitely an eye catcher.

Gym Tour on Google Maps

Though Gail got to have some fun with the walk over there, it only lasted a few minutes before they reached her gym. This is the place. It ain’t pretty on the outside, but it’s a good space.” Though Gail said that, it wasn’t a run-down looking building or anything. The outside was a mix of whites and tans, all stone. It was only two stories, but it was both fairly wide and fairly deep. There was obviously plenty of space inside for them to have their own little corner. That, and the fact that it was midday meant most people were off at work.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Music in the Background at the Gym}

”Back again so soon?”

”You know I can’t stay away long baby.” She waved on the way in to the man working the front desk, and it was clear that the “baby” was a complete joke. ”Bringin a guest in to check the place out. Do me a solid and don’t tell Naoya I’m sparring with someone that doesn’t have their paperwork in ‘kay?” It was an easy request she made of him, but an important one nonetheless. Guests weren’t supposed to actually fight unless they had medical info on record in case of an emergency, but Gail got a bit of leniency given the fact that she made regular “donations” to Shaun’s college fund.

They made their way past the front desk unhindered, and Gail motioned Jak along. ”Let’s head all the way to the back.” Clearly, she didn’t want to be bothered. As soon as the pair hit the actual gym proper, she hung a left at the boxing ring and followed it with a quick right to head down the leftmost wall of the gym. It was only once they hit the end that they took another right. The route took them along the back wall, and brought them past the self-defense for seniors class. Once they made it into the back room, she couldn’t see another soul around. Perfect.

Without a second thought, Gail made her way up to the nearest Octagon. She practically ripped her hoodie and shoes off, with the former ending up hung from a wall of the octagon, and the latter near the steps inside. This place was a home away from home for her, and she felt incredibly comfortable given that she was only wearing a sports bra and some short shorts. Happily in her element, Gail bounced up and down a bit as she loosened up. ”Let’s just stick to points for today since you don’t have any gear here. Light contact, first to five work for you?” She offered a fist bump to Jak to see if he was ready. If he returned the fist bump, then Gail settled back into a fighting stance, and she was ready for him to make the opening move.

[Jak Halcom]

Jak locked up the shop trying to pen the door to be sure that it was locked. He turned and smiled at Gail sort of exited. He pocketed his keys and fallowed her down the road. He was not really sure about taking their fight to a MMA gym. He enjoyed watching it, and was a fighter, but he spent more time street fighting than sports fighting. He was used to always being able to do anything he needed to in order to win. He was not an underhanded fighter, but he always liked to have the option rather than being restricted from doing what he may need to do. Plus it wasn't like he was going to participate in MMA fights. He was pretty different than most fighters. 

As they walked Jak did notice the extra pep in her step, and the sway of her hips. He smiled laughing inwardly thinking that she was either trying to distract him before the fight, or she was trying to get his attention in a different way. Well both it was working in both regards for the moment. He eyes would glance down every now and then despite his attempts not to. He didn't want to seem like a pervert or anything like that. He blushed slightly. It was a bit embarrassing how she was able to make him feel this way so easily. He has been around women before and attractive ones on top of that, but they still didn't cause this much a distraction. He smiled though. He would need to get to know her better first. 

They arrived at the gym while Jak was in thought. It was a pretty standard place. Jak had fought i worse places. This is the place. It ain’t pretty on the outside, but it’s a good space.” Jak shrugged moving a head of her a bit to open the door for her. "The building doesn't much matter. It is the action inside that I am looking forward to." He replied as she passed. He listened to the banter between Gail and the man at the front desk while taking in the interior of the gym. It may not seem like it, but this is really his first time in a gym. All of his training and fighting experience had been out there on the streets again anything from street thugs to hollows. 

”Let’s head all the way to the back.” Jak nodded again as he fallowed. He was sure that those few people in the gym at this time were staring at his arm. Jak didn't care about it that much anymore. He had grown up with people staring at him, and people's no so subtle reactions to his appearance. If anyone did say anything a quick glare would surly be more than enough to silence them again. They passed a few classes. Jak took a few glances in as he passed. They made it all the way to the back of the gym. It seemed that there was no one around. Jak felt a little more comfortable now though was not expecting the enthusiasm in which Gail took off her jacket and shoes. 

He chuckled and took off his vest setting it down on a chair with his sandals underneath it If she watched him, she would see a long scar going up his back. That scar was from a quincy attack from when he was younger. When he would turn around he would have another scar just above his heart. Again, this one was from a quincy, though he was far more sensitive about this one than the other one. He suspected the ones that attacked him when he was a teenager were Vendriech quincys. He didn't fight too many of them, but he knew that they were fanatical to their cause in killing anyone that was not a quincy. Which included the half demon. The scar on his chest however was from an old nemesis. One from an orginization, or something that wanted him to stop helping people from hollows. He tried to kill Jak when he was bound and helpless. Jak could never forgive him for that. 

Jak stepped into the octagon keeping his eyes trained on the girl. His eyes may see the attractive woman, but in his mind she was just as deadly as any hollow. He always kept that mentality even in friendly fights. He had fought with some fairly powerful beings.  ”Let’s just stick to points for today since you don’t have any gear here. Light contact, first to five work for you?” Jak cocked his head to the side slightly in confusion. "I am not really sure about points, but I can deal with it." This must have been what she had in mind clever girl. In contrast to her springy stance, Jak was a bit flatter keeping his hands up by his head. "Just don't be too rough with me." He said with a wink. 

From fighting in the street, the only thing he really focused on protecting was his head. His stance left quite a bit of his torso, and legs open, and it was obvious that he really not had much in they of formal martial arts training. Jak was a bit worried about his right arm though. The chains did not come off, unless he was unleashing his demon powers. On top of that, his arm tends to heat up when he is caught up in the fight, or when he is extremely angry. He would need to keep that arm in check this time. He did not want to hurt her. He balled his fists and bumped Gails moving back slightly. He might as well show her what he got. 

Jak darted forward drawing his left hand back as if to throw a left hook. He was hoping that her eyes would focus on his left hand so that she didn't his right hand coming. He started to through the left hook feint, and brought his right right fist down low to hit her in the gut with an under punch. With his hips loaded and a hard push with his right let, Jak would then fallow up with left knee aiming for either her body or her head depending on which one was closer. He held back considerably even more so than he probably should. He was trying to feel her out at first. See how she would react to him, and allow her to dictate exactly how hard they would be hitting. 

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler - Stats and Skills}
Strength - 300 + 25% = 375 Points

Speed - 200 Points

Spiritual Pressure - 225 - 25% = 169 Points

Reiatsu Strength - 200 + 25% = 250 Points

Light Aura - 50 Points

Dark Aura - 50 Points

Instinct - 140 - 25% = 105 Points

Senses - 85 Points

Energy sensory - 50 + 25% = 63 Points

Healing Expertise - 0 Points

Skills:

Street Fighting 2

Sword 1

Bleeding Resistance 2

Strength of Will 1

Pain Tolerance 2

Heat Resistance 1

Damage Recovery 1

Weapon Skill (Chain) 2

[Gail Belrose]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Next Track in the Gym, comes on right before the spar starts}

The time had come for their spar to start. Jak wasn’t too fond of points, but Gail wasn’t too fond of getting accidentally killed by a half-demon. She had no clue where his power level actually was, so it made no sense to challenge him to no holds barred combat. Light combat at going by points made it extremely difficult for her to end up dead at the conclusion of their sparring session. With a fist bump to symbolize fair play complete, she swept her left leg back in a fluid arc as she settled into her fighting stance.

It was obvious to anyone watching that there was a massive difference in style between the two fighters in that cage. Jak was, well, unrefined is a rather harsh judgment, but even a novice like Gail could see weaknesses in his guard. Maybe he was just overconfident? On the other side of the cage was Gail had taken a less firm stance where the Asian roots were clearly visible. Her hands weren’t clenched into fists, and her stance was both lower and wider than Jak’s. An expert could pinpoint it as Northern Shaolin Kung Fu, but the average passerby would be lucky to narrow it down much past probably “somewhere in China” from the stance alone.

With her front arm guarding her core, and her left hand guarding her head, she was ready for whatever Jak decided to throw at her. Regardless of what he opened with, she at least had ample time to react since there were a few steps between them. At the drop of a hat, Jak charged in, clearly telegraphing a left hook. The human hesitated for only a moment before she swept her right leg out in a wide arc to bring it behind her. That hesitation was not without purpose though, as it caused a simple slide backwards to take her a precious foot out of range of Jak’s fists after he had already committed to the attack.

Undeterred, the Nakabakki followed up with a knee strike forward after a very slight pause needed to return to neutral balance. Gail, on the other hand, needed no such pause. Jak’s attack had a feint from one direction and a second punch from the other side. By the nature of a decent punch, it forced all his weight forward, and he needed a slight rebalancing to properly throw a knee strike. Had it hit, it would have been a brutal combo, but the follow-up knee strike always gambled on the opponent staying in punching range.

Gail was simply not that close. Her right leg hadn’t stopped moving either, that was pretty important. She hadn’t simply stepped backwards, but rather done a full roundhouse kick. To maintain balance throughout the kick, her torso was pulled back so that she formed a nearly straight line from the left side of her ribs down to her foot. The end result was that her upper body was pretty much in the clear, but Jak had a choice about how he could follow up. Gail wasn’t holding back her speed at all, but the half-demon had enough of an advantage there that it didn’t matter much. No matter how thugnificent his style was, he had the raw power, speed, and awareness to back it up.

Choice one was the one that he’d probably take if his mind still thought it was a street fight. Take a kick to the face in order to keep going and drive his knee forward. If he chose that option, based on Gail’s current position, his knee strike would land right between her legs. Not as effective as it would be on a guy for sure, but it would still probably knock her flat on her ass. On the other hand, if he diverted his momentum and focus off his own attack, he could probably manage to shift fast enough to throw a black in the way.

Though their fighting styles were remarkably different, they both definitely had advantages. Gail had a more refined style thanks to her formal training in college, but that was about all she had going for her. Jak, despite holding back, which was totally the only reason Gail could even keep up, had power and speed in abundance by comparison. If he got more serious than he was, then the only hope that Gail had of getting dinner out of him was to rely on the merits of technique over brute force. However, if Jak stayed at his current strength and speed, that might actually be good enough.

((Because of the changes to Xcution Ranks, Gail has been demoted to a one. Please see the updated stats below.))

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats and Skills}

Stats Strength - [80(120)] Points Speed - [80(100)] Points Spiritual Pressure - [10(5)] Points Reiatsu Strength - [10(5)] Points Light Aura - [50] Points Dark Aura - [50] Points Instinct - [95] Points Senses - [75] Points Energy sensory - [0] Points Healing Expertise - [0] Points Total SP: [350] Points

Skills [Northern Shaolin Kung Fu] {1} [Stealth] {1} [Battle Analysis] {1} [Hacking] {1} [Charisma] {1} [Calm Mind] {1}

[Jak Halcom]

Jak managed to pull his weight back just in time to block the round house kick with his forearm. The kick had a decent amount of impact to it, but it was nothing against what he was used to eating. The awkward maneuver to be able to block caused him to stumble back a few steps. Lucky for him she was just throwing the one attack. He would quickly regain his footing however and look at her with a smile on his face. He knew that he was at a disadvantage. She was able to go all out, even though it will not hurt him that much, but Jak was forced to hold back so that he didn't hurt her. Of course anyone holding back would not be able to fight at their best. 

Jak had to think of something else. He was always better at being in close and personal. He moved in quickly bringing up his speed to just above hers. Enough so that she was challenged, but not completely out classed by him. He went in trying to jam his left leg into her hip. Hopefully that would force her hips back, and have her off balance. At the very least, it will keep her from throwing another kick. If it landed, he would fallow up with a rush to get up as close as he could. Once there, he would throw a hard hook to her ribs. He wanted her to back up. He will keep throwing punches to push her back to the fence where she will have no where to go. Once there, He would attempt to grab her around the waist and take her to the ground. 

[Gail Belrose]

((Continue song from last post.))

Jak had played it safe. In Gail’s mind, that meant one of two possibilities. Less likely was that her rather simple defense had actually caught him off guard and he was worried. Given the expression on his face, it was more than obvious the he just wasn’t taking her seriously. He was a freakin half demon, so it made a good deal of sense that he didn’t need to go all out against a normal human. That was what he thought at least. Gail was all fired up, and she wasn’t going to be looked down on, especially not in her home gym.

She was going to make him regret taking her lightly.

Or not. His follow-up attack had increased in pace significantly. It was immediately clear that Gail simply could not move fast enough to keep up with him, which was something she had only encountered once before in her fight against Nesr. She could still follow his movements without issue, but she had to pick her responses carefully if she was going to avoid being overwhelmed by his raw speed. No matter the odds, she was ready and waiting for his incoming attack, which in this case happened to be a side kick aimed right at her hip.

In this case, she couldn’t simply pivot backwards, as that would end with her getting hit right in the center of her waist rather than the hip. Far less effective than just tanking it. If she tried to block it, it wouldn’t end well either, as blocking that low would throw her balance off. The only option she saw was to shuffle step backwards and out of range of the kick. It was a dodge by a narrow margin against the increased speed that Jak had used, but it got her just clear. She was far from in the clear overall though.

The half demon had followed up with a rush to close the distance. Before Gail could even manage another step backwards, he was already in punching range with a hook swinging right at Gail’s ribs. She blocked with her left arm, and she felt the sting of his blow. Even if Jak was holding back, his strength was impressive. He continued to throw blows, but Gail had a strong guard. She bobbed and weaved around some blows, but held her ground and blocked most. All she was doing was dodging with as little movement as possible as she laid in wait for an opening. There was one slip up in there, and one punch managed to graze her side. ”<<Zero to one>>”

Eventually she saw it. Jak went for another hook in his chain of punches, and it left just enough of an opening for her to take a step inside of his guard, which put her left leg in front. Her right arm came across her body to block the hook coming from her left, while her left fist fired off a quick jab onto Jak’s chest. After the exchange, she took a step back and circled around to the side so that she wasn’t so close to the edge of the cage. ”Guess that exchange puts us at one each then.”

[Jak Halcom]

Jak's hip check went as well as he predicted. She moved back to avoid it, but that was what he wanted. He pressured her with a barrage of punches which she blocked with surprising skill. Jak liked what he was seeing. A hook to the woman's ribs managed to hit home. Well that seemed to be one point for him. He smirked continuing his barrage. He was not about to make things any easier on her now that he was ahead in their little score fight. Though he was now starting to find a rhythm in fighting while holding back. It took a little bit, but he was able to find a way to move fairly freely, while keeping his power to a minimum for her sake. 

Gail suprised Jak when she managed to sneak in a hit of her own. It was just a slight jab to the chest, but it managed to slip in completely unopposed by his busy fists. He let her circle out from in front of him letting her circle away from the edge of the octagon. He kept his hands up keeping his distance this time. He had shown her how he would fight. Going on the offensive trying to overwhelm his opponent with his strength, well sort of. Jak didn't show her all his power of course. He was still enjoying himself. It seemed nice to just fight for the fun of fighting rather than constantly fighting to protect himself or others all the time. 

”Guess that exchange puts us at one each then.” Jak chuckled relaxing a little bit. "It seems that it has for now." He got on the balls of his feet shifting from one foot to another. He motioned for her to come at him with his fingers. He wanted to see what she was capable of when on the offensive. The feeling of battle lust was starting to seep into his mind again. He knew that he would need to calm himself. He must not hurt her. He felt his arm growing hotter. His right arm started to glow a little brighter than usual. He brought his left hand to his upper arm as if he was wounded. He clutched his arm to his chest taking deep breaths muttering slightly to himself. "No...not this time. I will keep it together."

[Gail Belrose]

Fighting was all well and good, especially given that the two new sparring buddies had managed to go fairly neck and neck. Somehow, Gail had held her own alright for the first exchange of blows, but it was clear almost immediately that something was wrong with Jak. For all her early confidence, even the meager human had been able to see that there was a gap in power between them. Even more so, Jak was a freakin half demon. Based on the look on his face, and the words that Gail managed to catch, it seemed that the demon side of him had made life rough.

Clearly there was something more important than a sparring match at that moment. Gail took a few steps over towards Jak and dropped her guard. A hand went to the shoulder of his non-demonic arm and she asked him, ”Hey, are you doin' okay Jak? If you're about to Hulk out or something, we can call it a day.” Her voice was clearly full of concern for her latest sparring partner. Though she was sad at the prospect of ending such an exhilarating match so soon, safety was always the first priority. Fun was no excuse for getting hurt, especially not in a fight.

Either way, she had little to do but await Jak's response. If he said he was good, and it sounded sincere, then she would trust his judgment. That wasn't the outcome she expected though. She was ready to jump backwards in case of some kind of demonic outburst, but that wasn't really what she was expecting either. With any luck, he just needed a minute to get his shit together, and then they could get back to the spar. Though she hadn't known Jak for that long, she had a feeling he was neither the type to be beaten by his own urges, nor the type to just give up that easily.

[Jak Halcom]

Jak took several deep breathes as he tried to calm himself down. His arm started to slowly fade back to its "normal" shade of red. He clenched and un-clenched his fist. ”Hey, are you doin' okay Jak? If you're about to Hulk out or something, we can call it a day.” Jak shook his head laughing. "Don't worry, I won't be turning green and mean any time soon." He said jokingly. He got back into a fighting stance. "Don't worry I can still continue the fight." He waited for her to get ready for his next attack. He would throw a hard round house kick aimed at her ribs with his right foot. If she avoids it, he would use the momentum to close the gap and threw a spinning back fist as well. If she were to block it, he would force his foot down and come in with a driving punch to her chest instead. 

[Gail Belrose]

((Sorry for the slow reply. Long week at work last week.))

SPOILER: Click to show

{Next Song in the Gym}

Apparently Jak was alright, and despite the concern that had worried Gail, she wasn’t about to assume that she knew more about Jak than he did. I mean, maybe if she’d known him for years or something she could tell him he was being a stubborn idiot, but she’d only known him for an hour. That wasn’t exactly enough to go on. Either way, she readied up back into her stance and waited for the half demon to resume his attack. He closed the distance and launched into a spinning round kick, but as it always was, the initial attack closing the distance was relatively easy to read compared to later parts of a combo.

Gail took one step back, swinging her right leg around to the back in the same direction that the spinning kick flowed. Even though Jak was faster than she was, moving in the same direction made it a relatively simple feat to dodge his attack. She had seen attacks like this time and time again from sparring with Tae Kwon Do fighters at this very gym. Spin attacks led to more spin attacks. Attempting to stop your momentum led to a weak blow, but keeping it up just made a follow-up stronger. That was why she reversed her own momentum the second her right foot set down.

At the very instant it touched down, her right foot pushed her back off and forwards towards her opponent. As he spun around to deliver a backfist, she had closed to within inches of him, and her left knee was raised to go right above his hip. Once again, Jak was in a predicament where there was quite likely going to be an exchange of hits. He couldn’t easily stop his momentum on the spinning backfist, and he didn’t have an easy way to block a knee strike mid-spin. Chances were, both of them were going to hit each other, and neither of them was likely to enjoy it all that much.