Stupid Birds (Kyrie)

[David B.]

Sweat poured off him, running down his arm before sneaking down the tip of his index finger, which was planted firmly against the concrete. His body was in the air, balancing steadily. He had been doing this position for four hours, taking long slow breaths.

He bent his arm, and started doing one armed push ups. He was on the edge of a building that was broken in half, using the corner of one of the rubble walls for this particular time frame. He was also outside of Dragon territory for once, sticking tothe nuetral zone to avoid troops and posh and circumstance.

The watch on his other hand, which was held out to the side and holding a ten pound rock, ticked ever so slowly.

Good. The longer it took, the better.

[Kyrie Blaze]

A rapid, faint - yet still audible for Blaze - set of footsteps approached before they suddenly cut off.

Kiyr had seen something sticking straight up as she leaped, and landed, tucking into a roll to displace the force of her landing and some of the momentum before she popped back to her feet and slowed to a walk. Well. She couldn't have changed her trajectory mid-air, but, at least it wasn't someone hostile.

At least, she didn't think Blaze was, despite the display of power and temper in the air during the interview before she diffused the anger and broiling rage.

She didn't immediately speak, however, just stopped once she had ensured her muscles wouldn't seize up, watching quietly. Finally, after a few more moments, she stepped forwards, keeping a bit of distance so he wouldn't think she was going to DYNAMIC ENTRY him off the edge of the building.

Chances were more likely she'd be the one falling.

She sat on the edge of the building and let her feet dangle.

[David B.]

David didnt hear her foot steps, or even try to. Sound was not what he listened for. What he felt was her breathing. Her slow intake, no matter how minimal it was, make it easy for him to know that she was approaching. Of course, he didnt know it was HER, par say, but her patterns felt like a womans. Cautious, slow, thought out. He planted his hand in the edge and lowered his body slowly, crossing his legs as he set himself on the edge using the air to lower himself.

He stared, for a rather uncomfortable period of time.

Then he stared more.

[Kyrie Blaze]

Kyrie's attention remained slowly sweeping the area from her perch, pulling one leg up to her chest in a slow stretch to loosen the muscle.

As David stared more, however, the blonde's gaze slowly made its way back around to him.

"Sir." Came the soft intonation, coupled with a rather relaxed blink from eyes that still retained their bright spark of joy from her run. Her breathing remained steady, even, almost purposely slow as her heart rate came back down gradually.

Unless the Storm Dragon responded, her eyes would return to the view.

[David B.]

He sat a moment longer after she spoke.

Then he would ask a simple question.

"Tell me what you think of us three- and speak plainly. I want an honest answer."

[Kyrie Blaze]

The question was surprising. Kyrie rook a moment to reflect and gather her thoughts.

"As a collective whole? Interesting. A family, perhaps without wanting to admit it. In certain ways, you three remind me of my own family." Her voice sank lower as she spoke of family. She didn't include herself in that.

She couldn't. Not at this point.

So she was on the outside, looking in.

"As individuals, I am still forming my opinion. I can admire you each in different ways, for who you are and what I have seen you do, so far, but I remain wary. You asked for honesty, well, the only one thus far that has my complete loyalty and trust is Mathew." He could command her to do the same for David and Leon, if he wanted to. But that would be a breech in her eyes, though she would still be locked to her promise. She sighed softly. "I do not give such things lightly, so if you are at all affronted by not receiving the same, then I apologize... Yet, I am fairly certain I have not earned yours, Leon's, or even Mathew's."

Her head tipped towards him a little more, almost looking over her shoulder.

"My impressions of you are mixed, though overall, you are honourable and despite personal frustration and rage, you do not direct it where it is unwarranted. You have strong beliefs and solid grounding for them, and you can make the hard decisions that, if I were faced with right now, I do not know that I could make." She referenced the interview with that. It was a good point. Kyrie had lost her family once. She hadn't been able to grieve properly, and she couldn't - literally couldn't - face losing even one of them again, but nor could she throw away lives of friends, companions, allies, strength. "Mathew is solid strength in comparison to your cutting edge. Stubborn and immovable unless he moves, himself, like the earth itself. Harsh and blunt and even unforgiving, but dependable and consistent. Leon, like you, I have a bit more difficulty in describing. He could be more of a hybrid between you and Mathew, while remaining his own person. Powerful as each of you are, yet with a mind for when and how to use it as you do, where Mathew will shoulder his way through situations. There is a certain...randomness to him, a wild card hidden up a sleeve, if you will. Alike yet different to you and Mathew. A family in your own right."

With a slow, telling swallow, she turned her face away to stare at the horizon again.

He had asked, she responded with truth, revealing far more than she wanted to in the process. He had answered her questions in the interview, even when it seemed like he didn't want to.

So perhaps she did trust him, a little. He was proving himself worthy for the beginnings of it.

[David B.]

Damn girl. David was trying really, REALLY hard not to like her, and she was making it difficult. It could be she was merely pulling the wool over his eyes, and though his suspicions would always be there, he had nothing else to go on besides her word. He stared off as she continued on about them, giving a generally accurate description of Amtrum, though Leons and Davids desciptions were more...light on info. Probably due to lack of it, or the face she has spent less time spent with them. Still, she had gleaned much from little, and he would be lying if he said he wasn't impressed. Yet again, the second time she had done so. No other Dragon candidate had been able to put his or her game face on in the right way, and it disgusted David. Not because he thought himself better than them, but because their reasons for wanting to be counted among them were reasons he couldn't relate to. Reasons none of the Dragons related to. All anyone ever thought of when they heard the word Dragon was "Strong, powerful, unbeatable."

But nobody ever thought about what made them who they were. How different each of their personalites were, yet how strong their bonds were together. If the war wasn't going on, they would probably all be in different places, possibly moving against each other at some point. The bond was convoluted, but it centered around the respect for who each of them were. David would turn and stare back at her, letting out a little breath similar to the one he gave at the interview. This stupid girl...

"I am not affronted. Unearned trust is not trust at all."

He stepped off the edge and into the building, dropping the large stone off to the side before turning and facing her without expression, though his voice and demeanor seemed soft. There was a point to it, though she wouldn't know it until he let her know.

"I want you to attack me, and not stop until you land a hit. I'll be asking you questions while you try, and I expect answers without you stopping."

He didn't take a stance, he just waited for her to assail him, eyes and body waiting. Once she led the charge, he would ask:

"Why do you fight?"

[Kyrie Blaze]

"...I am glad you understand."

She thought, anyway. It was always nice to be understood, and not something she had bothered to look for, in others, for...well, until she came back with Mathew. She blinked when sh became aware of the small sounds of shifting, and turned to watch as he stepped down. He seemed kind. Very kind. As much as she appreciated it, it made her wary.

He wanted her to attack him. Until she hit.

Training? Impromptu, perhaps, but an opportunity to grow, either way. And, whether he knew it or not, it would help her with Mathew, just in this case she wasn't trying to tap into her qi.

Despite her surprise, she stood up and gave a wordless nod, eyes bright. Curious and eager.

She wanted to learn from each of them - had to, yes, but wanted to, more - and she wasn't going to pass up this opportunity. She exhaled softly, never once doubting that she would be on the losing side of this, physically.

But she would 'win' and gain so much despite that.

She stayed away from the edge with her quick, initial sprint, pulling in a bolstering breath as the question came.

"I have fought to live," She continued with the barest of pauses, aiming a punch through her center line for his chest should she get in range. She didn't trust herself with a jump for now, knowing his qi. "Now I fight to grow."

But, to live, as well. Most times in a different way than the past few years. There would be other instances she would fight for her life, but this was growth.

[David B.]

David watched her movements, and would lazily raise a palm to catch her fist. He wasn't meaning to mock her, or try to accentuate how much stronger he was than her- his purpose was far more ambitious. Fighting, in the most peoples eyes, was a physical excersize in power over another. In proof of belief.

David disagreed with that mindset.

Battle was a direct result of conflicting belief, whether based on a particular situation, like noticing a man beating on a woman. Anger is a side effect, fighting the result. For most, anyway. In such aspects, David believed the true battleground to be inside your head. To be a part of you. Fighting, and thinking- doing both could get you killed. So, you had to rely on the insticts of both to run on their own, at the same time. Know yourself so well, you can think out an entire conversation, an entire memory, while your body continues with the movement.

It was a method he had employed against everyone he fought.

You think ten moves ahead, each move breaking off in ten possible directions, and your brain pushes the pattern to your body. He doubted her to pick up the purpose, but he wanted to see what she would be like, trying her best to notice patterns in his defense, to break through and strike. To prove... her belief. In herself, maybe. In the possibility of growth, most definitely.

"Grow for what?"

He would step back, should she strike, so her blow would fall into the air.

"To prove to the world you have power? To never feel weak, as you feel now?"

If she began to respond, he would suddenly change the subject, asking another question in it's place. If she stopped to think, and didn't continue the attack, he would throw an uppercut, aiming to take her off her feet.

"If you had to guess why I felt myself the strongest of the Dragons, what would your guess be?

He would never strike back, should she stay on the offensive continually. That was something she would learn soon.

[Kyrie Blaze]

Some part of Kiyr was aware of what David was trying to accomplish, but she didn't consciously recognize it for now. She wasn't getting angry, as she, thus far, had yet to throw herself into battle in such a state; and she knew that wasn't the point. When David caught her fist, instead of striking out with her free hand held up - relaxed but ready - as he may have thought, she compressed inwards, striking with her elbow as she collapsed the joint for his center line with force from her body alignment to his own.

He had evaded, of course, with his step back. She pursued, twisting her hand after a brief push forwards to free it, had he not already released her hand.

"Yes and n-no..." She faltered in a moment's hesitation at the rapid-fire question, her guard hand shifting to deflect the blow in an open palm strike as she pivoted her body, but between his strength and speed versus her own, he landed his blow. With a sound of pain as she was knocked away, Kyrie twisted her body to regain control and land, rolling back--precariously close to the edge, to divert the lingering force. She reached up, brushing the back of her hand against her jaw as she pushed to her feet.

"So when it matters, for the people that matter, I can make my choice and have the strength - not just physical - to ensure their s-safety-y." She advanced as she spoke, eyes flickering, not with anger, but searching despite the obvious sorrow, "So that I am not the only one that lives."

That answer had been hard. It broached too close - much too close - to what had happened. But David asked. As one of her Dragonkin, and one she was slowly but surely growing to respect, she could do no other than to answer honestly. Her own strength for them, as they were her strength in turn...

And yet, there was a hint to her tone that suggested she meant the people that mattered to her, yet she had purposefully left it as a generalization. People mattered.

She swept in, this time rolling to the inside of the roof, then springing and twisting on a diagonal to hopefully bring herself in slightly behind him. Kyrie crouched, planting her feet before she swept one out in an attempt to trip him.

"You are wary of overestimating yourself, or perhaps it has something to do with your lack of items, as both The Lightning and Earth Dragon stacked their percentages above your own. Natural strength."

[David B.]

David said nothing to her response to the first question- not right away. But as she was returning to her feet he would respond, just before she to off again.

"Then its about curing loneliness, in the present and in the future?"

As she darted off, he would turn with her, not moving as she shot her sweep out, taking him off his feet. He would not fall to the ground, however. Instead, he drifted onto his side, hanging there horizontally in the air, body in a position of one who might merely be lounging on a couch.

He laughed at her guess, not a mocking one, but one that said "You are very close."

"You are smart. While I pride myself on my natural strength, i don't think it has to do with why I feel I'm better. While Leon may not answer that question, or Matts response might be simply 'because I am', my response is more related to your statement of percentage."

He drifted backward, tilting himself back onto his feet.

"My percentage was lower. And i stand by it. The reason for my percentage and the reason i think I am the best are one in the same. Unlike Amtrum, and Sudeki, I underestimate no one. Not Barker, not Matt or Leon- not even you."

While it would have seemed he was doing just that, David had merely been testing her pattern of attack, and showing her something about herself. But he never once thought of it as a game. Or that he didn't need to try.

He would hold up a hand, this time telling her to pause.

"You respect Mathew, and Leon. That is good. Respecting strength and the person behind them is never wrong. But Both of them are stuck in the days of our prime- of the days when we ran things. They think they are the strongest fighters in the world. But not long ago, all three of us came from battles that nearly claimed our lives. They don't see that as a warning, like I do. The only thing they care about is that they lived. It proves their strength to themselves, reaffirms their belief in their own invincibility."

He gestured her forward, for her to continue.

"I am not so far gone that i think of myself as infallible. If you take anything away from me- its that. Don't let yourself become so blind with your own strength, you forget that there is always someone out there better. Stronger."

[Kyrie Blaze]

"I am surrounded by people, here." The blonde deflected. Even being with people, one could still feel lonely.

Kyrie twisted her body after she missed so she wound up on her back, hands pressing back against the roof over her shoulders as she tucked her body in and upwards. She unfurled with a snap, keeping her legs together, feet aiming for the floating David as she pushed up with her back and then her arms, twisting somewhat.

Hit or miss, she would wind up on her feet once again after a short roll.

She was about to come back in as he landed, pivoting on her feet to keep herself grounded, when David held his hand up. She paused, to hear him out, skidding softly and leaning her body backwards slightly before regaining a straight, ready posture.

"The fact so many underestimate me gives me another tool to overcome them..." She intoned softly. "Thank you for that much."

For not underestimating her.

She shifted slightly as he spoke, maintaining a relaxed posture so that when he gestured her on again, she sprang forwards to close in, looking to cut through his guard with a quick snap of her arm, fist looking to strike around his solar plexus, other hand ready so that should he deflect her hand, she could snap another rapid strike out while her first hand retracted at about the same speed.

"Of course."

[David B.]

David cocked his head to the left.

"So?"

And this was in response to her comment about being surrounded by people. Her kick would surpise him, but luckily his physical ability surpassed hers as much as it did. He brought a hand down and would block it as he floated away, giving his speech before she attacked again. As her punch came in, his hand, like iron, would catch her fist again, this time causing his feet to slide a little. He would lean in close, having not responded to her thanks.

"You say that now. It's easy to think you will be the same, until you feel true strength, and know it is yours."

[Kyrie Blaze]

"Years of necessary habit can not be overcome in one moment of acceptance."

She didn't attempt to pull her hand back from his grip but only pushed further ahead, perhaps hopefully getting him to focus on the pressure as he leaned in. Her free hand shot up, looking to quickly strike for his throat; her hand was open, palm up.

"I never said I would feel the same, you naturally assumed those were my thoughts on the matter. As I grow I will be continually tested in my beliefs; because I do not intend to close myself off to growth, even upon attaining strength similar to yours, I do not expect that the tests will ever fade. If I do not recognize them for what they are, if I do not heed them, then I would deserve to be beaten."

[David B.]

David brought up his other hand, and would catch her other fist, holding them both solidly for a moment as he stared at her.

And, possibly for the first time (at least to her), he smiled.

He let her go before standing stone still, waiting.