Breaking Dawn (Chyril 27th, last burn of GT)

[Ly Gia Giang]

Every day before dawn broke, Ly Gia Giang stuck to this routine.
When the sky was iron grey - and only if it were iron, and she could pluck it from the clouds, how the Ly would prosper! - with the sun still sitting lazily below the horizon, and the world mirrored that onerous tone just enough for one to find their way along the streets, then Giang wound her way to the Sojen Dragon monastery. She'd had a quick wash, and afterwards would she bathe properly to work away the sweat. At least in the Floating City, there was an abundance of water. And so she came to the Monastery, where she would change into the much plainer, but much more practical clothes worn for practicing the martial arts.

In a small room, yet unused for the day, she would first stretch. She did this, frowning that since she had left her training under Khong Huu, she could barely now kick to her head height (which generally meant to everyone elses' chin). A memory flickered through her mind; a boy she had sparred once when she was fouteen. The kick shot up under his guard and hit his jaw - he'd bitten half an inch off the tip of his tongue, givering Giang a spattering of blood in the process. The memory didn't bring joy or guilt; it was simply a memory, and a useful one in case she ever had opportunity for such a strike in the future. Should she need to.

Then she warmed up with exercises; laps back and forth across the room, dropping to perform sit-ups or push-ups after every two, then jogging by bringing her knees up to waist height. Soon enough the morning chill was worked out despite her lightwieght martial garb. Another thing to frown about, since she could not keep up the same rigorous routine that she had performed back with Khong. Ah, but the cerebral challenges now outbalanced that.

Giang did all this while waiting for her daily sparring partner to arrive. They usually spent a mere half-mark sparring, and it had been but twenty burns since she began. So she performed her kata, pleased that she could at least retain her balance even with a back hook-kick, even if her skill was such that it would be useful only against a completely statioanry target.

Not once did she let her mind dwell on the coming day, allowing complete focus to settle on the simple patterns. This first hour, for all its' physically strenuous qualities, was the most relaxing for Ly Gia Giang. So she practiced the kata, awaiting her partner.

[Maeve]

At dawn there would be the ceremony of Greeting the Sun. Sojen or not, while making use of these facilities Giang was supposed to show up. It gave structure to the day. Yet there was time enough for her exercise.

"Saung Giang Em*," a soft but firm voice spoke in the silence. It was the Sojen she knew solely as Thrang, without a family name attached. She did not even know to which order he was attached. He simply disappeared after their meetings and none would know about him. He was sinewy, sporting several scars that showed he was no mere tutor. His body was like the Great Cat, supple, intuitive..he moved with anticipation to her every move as he bowed in greeting, waiting for her to open the sparring.

OOC:* = "Morningtide respected Giang"

[Ly Gia Giang]

"Suang Thrang Oang."

Ly Gia Giang liked Thrang. Well, that was a lie. She hardly knew the man, and would not trust him with so much as her sandal straps. She liked his presence, his practical appearance, and the pure mystery - who he was, almost a complete mystery, a dash of intrigue in a day otherwise filled with much more mundane tasks. And he seemed blissfully devoid of the overbearing pretension that certain Sojen carried about them like the clinging stench of passed wind. And, like her, he had no need of spoken words.
Giang stood to attention, then gave a bow synchronised with his. Yet her head was not entirely bent forward, her eyes straining up to stay aware of all his movements. And as they leant back up again she automatically adopted a ready stance, fists formed and guard up.

The slightest of smiles teased the edge of Giang's mouth. Of course, Thrang would wait for her to make the first offensive. She was a heavily defensive fighter - Thrang would have little trouble deflecting her attack and making an effective counter. A good tutor.

Giang went for a jumping snap kick. She took a step forward with her right leg and jumped up in the air. Her left knee shot up as she rose in the air before her right leg snapped forward with - what was supposed to be, anyway - a lightning forward kick aimed at Thrang's solar plexus. She'd then follow in close, trying to get under his guard, with a testing jab and then a more serious step-in elbow attack. And keep your guard up.

[Maeve]

Both of them had already done their warming up and stretching, so deceptively it looked as if they went from watchful rest into the fight in a flicker.

Without hesitation Thrang moved to the half moon stance as he came out of his bow, then as Giang jumped he grabbed her leg in mid air, jerking it. Giang lost her balance and Thrang permitted himself a light smile as her bum hit the mat hard. There were many ways to block a kick jump, but this one amused him. It looked like Giang had underestimated his catlike reflexes.

Repressing the urge to move into a counter attack Thrang instead stepped back into a forward stance, awaiting Giangs further actions.

[Ly Gia Giang]

Eyes wide, Giang hit the ground with a painful thump. She winced.
A man of decent skill could have easily blocked or diverted her kick, but to pull that off against a snap kick, even one of hers? Amazing! Oh, if only she could learn a tenth of what he could do, in a tenth of the time!
But instead she was on her painful backside on this mat...

Giang composed herself, standing. She offered another little bow to Thrang and resumed her ready stance. She'd never really had a success against him in the few times that they had sparred. He was by far, too much her senior in this art. And that move he had done to her? She could not pull that off, not if she practiced for a naem!
What she could learn was the basics. Her ability was, in all honesty, minimal... which ruled out effective use of techniques such as the jumping kick. She was too short in any case to make great use of her legs (unless it was, perhaps, a surprise knee). So her best bet was to get in close enough and attack with her hands, basic punches and palmstrikes and, if the opportunity presented itself, then perhaps a kick or two for a more powerful attack.
Giang did not delude herself though. This plan wasn't going to result in a chance of success, merely offer the least overwhelming defeat.

Giang skipped forward - dancing on her toes for mobility and to allow her to follow a blow to minimise it - but paused slightly just outside Thrang's kicking range. He could easily keep her at bay with his snakish kicks, and her best bet was to try and get him to respond to her feint with a kick and use his temporary balance shift to then dart in close. Once more she kept her guard ready - one arm just above waist height and the other before her face, ready to jab or block.

[Maeve]

Thrang bowed again, his face impassive save for his twinkling eyes.

Onwards they went again. Now Giang was using her energy more wisely, tiptoeing nearer, staying just out of reach. He wearily watched her, expecting something at least, refusing to be trapped in circling each other. He kept his defensive stance. For a moment there was a stand off, each waiting for the other.

Then he moved. Already she was getting to know him, his leg sneaking out for an instep kick, which was to be followed with another. Giang would have only the briefest of flickers to react.

[Ly Gia Giang]

Giang darted in, her rear guard dropping slightly to block the instep with her forearm as she entered its' range, but she also skipped to the side so as to move with the blow.
If she got in range, her front arm would lead with a double-jab, head then chest, and then she'd follow up with an uppercut with her rear, and switch stance while doing so (turning the rear arm which made the uppercut into the leading arm), so she could bring the uppercut back as a backfist to Thrang's head.

[Maeve]

Giang's moves were largely successful, Thrangs head making a soft thudding sound. For a moment he stumbled before he reached out without second thought, kicking to the side, impacting on her legs to make her stumble and fall this time on her knees.

He stood there panting however and the moral victory was hers. He had been distracted and he was annoyed with himself, the lines on his face clear. "Giang, you are learning," he observed drily.

[Ly Gia Giang]

Giang's spirit thrilled even on her knees. Ah, yes! Yes yes yes! She savoured it for a flicker then quenched it. No distractions. She climbed back to her feet and bowed once more to Thrang.

"Then I am pleased to have an able teacher, oang aay Thrang."*

There, a fine phrase. Easily taken to be condescending, but she could just as easily profess it to be respectful praise. Hopefully Thrang would just be even more annoyed by it - which turned it into a gamble. If it worked would he slip up, or would he simply not hold back on his punches? If it worked.

Giang resumed her stance, ready to start skipping around when they commenced. Then, no, she thought. That was preferable for using kicks. Instead she decided to take up a more solid, grounded stance - lower and and with legs set further apart - in order to improve her arm strength and speed.
She'd wait for Thrang to lead this time.

[hr][/hr]
* form of address to older/higher status/respectable men.

[Maeve]

Now that annoyed Thrang even more, though he tried not to let it get to him. Old and respected indeed. In his late twenties Thrang did not yet have a grey hair on his body and prided himself on his youthful muscles, full with the fire the young possessed. As it often did between men and women, his ego surfaced and briefly flared, only visible in a darkening of his eyes.

His attack was quick, before she even got entirely up out of her bow, giving a quick jab to test her defence. Then he followed with a couple of punches, ending with a sidekick.

[Ly Gia Giang]

Thrang was much like Khong Huu then, that he should make such an unpolite attack. Yet thanks to Huu, she always prepared herself for it (especially in light of how she had taunted her current sparring partner).
Playing defensive she ducked to avoid the jab, and gave ground to get out of reach of the follow-up punches, which only gave Thrang room to get in a sidekick. Giang cursed inwardly at allowing him the opportunity - her own opening jeapordised - and tried to parry it off to the side while coming in with a leading snap kick. Her plan was (if she parried the kick successfully off to the side and moved in with the kick) to then cover enough space to get off a feigning jab to his head, while following up immediately with a forward punch straight to his solar plexus.

[Maeve]

It got intense. Very intense. Movement followed movement. Sweat pearls formed on both their faces.

Thrang got in his sidekick, but Giang parried it, the followed with with her snap kick followed by feigning a jab to his head and punching his solar plexus. He ooffed.. He touched the deck.

"Giang Em. Our training for today is over,'' he stated after he recovered his breath.

[Ly Gia Giang]

Giang skipped away, huffing and puffing and regarding Thrang over her raised guard. Nothing registered for the first few flickers, not his struggle for breath, not his gesture for desisting, nor his words. But slowly, her guard lowered, and she offered a jerking bow.

"Yes, Thrang Oang. C... Caum on*."

Surprisingly, she almost felt a touch of sympathy for the man. This was quickly shaken off; he had let himself rise to her taunt, and he had underestimated Giang. There was nobody to blame but himself. A warm sensation of satisfaction, no, victory grew in her chest, but asides from purging her own shock at the outcome, showed no visible signs.

[hr][/hr]
*Caum on: 'Thank you'.

[Ly Gia Giang]

OOC: Fin?

[Maeve]

Fin and skilled!