[ti]private[/ti]First Training Session

It's the training session, as promised.

The only noise that bounces off the echoing walls is Verai’s voice. There are no footsteps, and even the sound of breathing is being held back.

Kazuki tilts his head. His tongue is pinched between his teeth, killing whatever quip he had in store. The edge of his mouth hitched up in amusement as Verai prepares himself, the sound of a sword clinking into position, of feet planting themselves squarely, making tiny splashes in the water all around.

It’s very clear why Verai chose this arena, but it’s still too bad. The underwater cave is a deep, glittering aquamarine, its colors bouncing off amber stone. They dye Verai’s armor fetchingly, painting its silver plating and swirling engravings with ripples of cyan and orange, and only Kazuki can appreciate it.

Kazuki reaches forwards. He hasn’t moved from where he spawned, hasn’t given a sign of being anything but part of his environment. Being quite tall, he has no trouble reaching over Verai’s head, and without warning, yanks one of the man’s cat ears.

He’s delighted to realize it is soft.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Prompts}
KAZUKI (BLACK BELT) - SNEAKY/CAREFUL
- use a teammate to cover your attack
- attempt to conceal yourself
- engage in distracting banter
- attack from behind your opponent
- try to blind your opponent
- fake an injury
- lay a trap
- create a distraction
- observe your environment carefully
- bide your time
- wait until you're in position
- carefully line up a precision shot
- anticipate a move before it hits
- take a hit on a non-essential part of your body
- find cover

An airy chuckle sounds as Verai retaliates, the sound of haphazard splashing as Kazuki moves to dodge, a slight resistance at the end of Verai's blade as it grazes flesh—but their clash ends, and the water settles. Silence fills the cave once more.

Miraculously, there is no laughter as Verai curses him, though it’s no doubt a herculean effort. Watchful eyes observe Verai and his twitching ears, finding this to be a lot closer to a game of Red Light, Green Light than a battle.

A few heartbeats pass, and there comes a large splash on Verai’s left.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Prompts}
KAZUKI (BLACK BELT) - SNEAKY/CAREFUL
- use a teammate to cover your attack
- attempt to conceal yourself
- engage in distracting banter
- attack from behind your opponent
- try to blind your opponent
- fake an injury
- lay a trap
- create a distraction
- observe your environment carefully
- bide your time
- wait until you're in position
- carefully line up a precision shot
- anticipate a move before it hits
- take a hit on a non-essential part of your body
- find cover

The sword hits solid. The blade trembles mid-air, lodged against the target.

An aborted sound is pushed through grit teeth. Kazuki’s mouth stretches into a grin, eyes shining where they meet Verai’s blank ones, which shine even brighter.

“Damn, how'd you even guess? Nothing gets past you, huh?” He chuckles, his arms shaking where they block the sword from meeting his face. Its teeth sinks into his forearm, blood tracing his sweeping tattoos and dripping into the water below. “Well, almost.”

He suddenly ducks, dropping both arms and drawing back, preparing to slug him with an ICE PUNCH.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Prompts}
KAZUKI (BLACK BELT) - SNEAKY/CAREFUL
- use a teammate to cover your attack
- attempt to conceal yourself
- engage in distracting banter
- attack from behind your opponent
- try to blind your opponent
- fake an injury
- lay a trap
- create a distraction
- observe your environment carefully
- bide your time
- wait until you're in position
- carefully line up a precision shot
- anticipate a move before it hits
- take a hit on a non-essential part of your body
- find cover

Kazuki’s punch lands, shattering on the sword. His hands are spared of further cuts, but his arms continue to radiate pain, now bleeding. He’s given little reprieve before Verai launches the next attack. For a man in armor, the bastard could move.

Unable to block, Kazuki is forced to retreat. It’s not the best move; the sword offers Verai a long range, and it lands a slice on his exposed side. He’s starting to collect tiger stripes.

“You really do love slicing me up, don’t you?” Kazuki snorts, wading further back. The water is a detriment, but between the two of them, he’s got more movement. He continues moving until he finds the right spot.

The smell of blood taints the air.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Prompts}
KAZUKI (BLACK BELT) - SNEAKY/CAREFUL
- use a teammate to cover your attack
- attempt to conceal yourself
- engage in distracting banter
- attack from behind your opponent
- try to blind your opponent
- fake an injury
- lay a trap
- create a distraction
- observe your environment carefully
- bide your time
- wait until you're in position
- carefully line up a precision shot
- anticipate a move before it hits
- take a hit on a non-essential part of your body
- find cover

“Are you saying you don’t like the view?” Kazuki snickers. “Oh, wait. I guess not.”

Verai follows after him, still alert and on guard, but clearly more confident in his strides. It means the training is working. But Kazuki isn’t going to simply bare his neck and die.

After an amusing display of budding cockiness, Verai stills. Kazuki remains where he stands, grinning.

“Something wrong, Ver? You seem scared.”

The sound of the waterfall is louder here.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Prompts}
KAZUKI (BLACK BELT) - SNEAKY/CAREFUL
- use a teammate to cover your attack
- attempt to conceal yourself
- engage in distracting banter
- attack from behind your opponent
- try to blind your opponent
- fake an injury
- lay a trap
- create a distraction
- observe your environment carefully
- bide your time
- wait until you're in position
- carefully line up a precision shot
- anticipate a move before it hits
- take a hit on a non-essential part of your body
- find cover

Verai moves for the swing, the blade singing as it slices, but continues into a perfect arc. A massive splash sounds, melding with the crash of the falls, and then silence.

Verai had learned how to read his movements, how to listen for his patterns, and how to corner him. Without the option of either side, there is really only one direction Kazuki could go.

Two hands shoot out of the water, grabbing Verai’s ankles, and pulling. Near the waterfall is the largest and deepest divot in the cave, enough that even tall men such as them can’t immediately reach the floor.

Kazuki grins, green eyes open in the deep water. His blood continues to flow from his wounds, but he remains stalwart in his endeavor to drag Verai down with him, his hair flowing like tendrils all around the armorer as all senses except sight and touch are overwhelmed with cold water.

It turns out, you can still blind someone who can’t see.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Prompts}
KAZUKI (BLACK BELT) - SNEAKY/CAREFUL
- use a teammate to cover your attack
- attempt to conceal yourself
- engage in distracting banter
- attack from behind your opponent
- try to blind your opponent
- fake an injury
- lay a trap
- create a distraction
- observe your environment carefully
- bide your time
- wait until you're in position
- carefully line up a precision shot
- anticipate a move before it hits
- take a hit on a non-essential part of your body
- find cover

CW: Drowning

They both fall. His hands dig into metal, clawing into it to hold on as Verai struggles. The world is dark and silent here. His lungs burn, and his wounds sting something fierce, but it all blurs into the background as he concentrates on keeping his heart beating at a steady rate and fastens himself to Verai like an anchor.

He has died plenty of times by now — most often violently and quickly. To drown would be new.

Verai’s putting up an admirable fight, but he’s made his own coffin with that armor. Kazuki smiles at him, his visage lost in the dark water, but it’s easy to keep track of the armorer. The white of his hair is like a beacon. He moves his hands, tracing a path upward. He has nothing weighing him down. He could swim to the surface if he wanted.

His hands stop to tangle themselves in Verai’s hair. His movements stop. Bubbles are popping out of Verai, desperation written in his eyes, and he just can’t help but watch. His senses shut off then, a cold numbness taking over.

He doesn’t realize how long he’s remained static until Verai has managed to shed most of his armor. An arm grabs him, and when he blinks, they’ve breached the water’s surface.

He chokes. It’s as if the water in his lungs just manifested, sputtering out of his mouth while he tries heaving air into them.

His hands tremble as they dig into Verai’s shoulders, cold as ice. The whites of his eyes are bloodshot, and shuddering breaths are taken before he can speak. “Too good to drown me?” he says with a raspy chuckle. His hair clings to his face, the ends floating limply in the water around them. He looks and sounds like a waterlogged mutt.

He collapses against him, heavy as deadweight, and shudders. His bare skin is already cold from the water, but against Verai’s breastplate, it’s like pressing against a fucking igloo. His blood dyes the water around them an unsightly hue.

Kazuki closes his eyes and continues to breathe in steady little gasps. He doesn't move.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Prompts}
KAZUKI (BLACK BELT) - SNEAKY/CAREFUL
- use a teammate to cover your attack
- attempt to conceal yourself
- engage in distracting banter
- attack from behind your opponent
- try to blind your opponent
- fake an injury
- lay a trap
- create a distraction
- observe your environment carefully
- bide your time
- wait until you're in position
- carefully line up a precision shot
- anticipate a move before it hits
- take a hit on a non-essential part of your body
- find cover