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Post by Delilah A. Black on Mar 2, 2013 16:55:51 GMT -8
"Ah, yes, the 'point', I believe you hit me with those a few times," she grumbled, rotating her shoulder. "There is no point in me accepting handouts. A lesson is best learned when you deal with the full repercussions of said action."
She stood, still a bit shaky from the fight and the over use of her Qi, flexing her once completely destroyed hand with a relieved sigh. Oh, it would have suuuucked to lose that. "...And thank you."
Talon got to his feet, towering over them and folding his arms over his chest, blood streaming down his face and into his beard. "So, this guy kicks your ass to the point where you're near the brink of death, and you're not even gonna do anything about it?"
"Nope. I tagged him anyway," she gestured to the side of his face. That was a damn accomplishment in her books. "What's a friendly spar between friends anyway?" She shrugged, half smiling. A little fire still lit in those eyes.
"We should do that again some time."
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Post by Mathew Amtrum on Mar 2, 2013 22:58:18 GMT -8
"It wasn't a hand out."
He almost spat out. Way to make him feel like he wasted his time. There was a point to everything he did, or didn't do. He was very methodical in his actions, even when he was making them up on the fly he had to keep them open to tie in to everything else he was doing. Making sure everything flowed smoothly was very important to him. And he had decided that young Delilah Black would have a very important role to play for him in the future. And she would need to be ready.
He grunted at her thanks, his eyes shifting over to Talon as he spoke. A small quirk of his eyebrow and a twitch of the right corner of his lips almost inviting him to do something about it. Since he seemed to believe something should be done to Mathew.
"Yeah, she actually scratched me, better than last time."
He said with a shrug. Though her comment made him think about the scratches on his face again, and how the dried blood was itching. He would ignore it, just because he didn't want to mess with it around them. Images and all that.
"You want to do it again? With or without the kid gloves?" He asked with a tint of amusement to his voice.
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Post by Delilah A. Black on Mar 2, 2013 23:13:29 GMT -8
She forced an eyebrow not to arch. Had she touched a nerve? GOOD.
....But that was her pride speaking. She was feeling raw from being humbled so thoroughly. Not sure when she got that high horse, but it was time she was knocked down. It felt...good. A little jarring, but good. After a bit of introspection later, she would probably be able to appreciate it for what it really was; a lesson in strength, and a reminder that she needed to keep growing.
At his challenge, she smiled and laughed. "With. I know my limits.
"...One day, though. Without. Or maybe you'll be the one needing kid gloves."
A playful wink. No hard feelings. Maybe an apology.
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Post by Mathew Amtrum on Mar 2, 2013 23:18:14 GMT -8
"I'll give you a rematch on one condition."
He said shifting to face her fully, and giving her his full attention. His eyes fixated on hers like emerald fires, burning in intensity.
"I'm going to ask you a question. Just like I ask my apprentices. And your answer will determine everything."
He raised an eyebrow quickly, almost asking if she was ready to accept the challenge.
"What did you learn?"
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Post by Delilah A. Black on Mar 2, 2013 23:40:07 GMT -8
Sergei and Talon exchanged a glance at the question and returned their eyes back to the unfolding situation, more than curious.
Delilah would blink at Mathew as the sudden realization washed over her that HE HAD BEEN TEACHING HER AND SHE HAD JUST SPOKEN SO POORLY TO A SENSEI AND OH GOD THAT WAS BAD.
This would all pass over Delilah's face in the form of a slight eye twitch.
After a moment, she sighed and forced herself to relax. What had she learned?
She closed her eyes against his as she replayed the fight in her mind, before reopening them, looking into his with firm resolution.
"I react very poorly to insults, which is not only hypocritical of me but ill-advised. It made me lack judgement. If I am strong, I would be above such insults, especially when my opponent is much stronger than I am. I need to be aware of my limitations and I was reckless to say the least. It is not a fair representation of a leader or of what I want to embody from my training.
"...it also made me see that I have a long way to go. But this was progress. And I'm glad I was able to learn from you."
No shame in saying such things in front of the men she trained. They had to see that she wasn't infallible and not above making mistakes and admitting to them. The three of them would loook expectantly to Mathew, politely still.
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Post by Mathew Amtrum on Mar 3, 2013 0:06:08 GMT -8
"Passable. I will give you another lesson. First aid will be on you though this time. I wouldn't want you to feel like I was giving you charity."
He ran his right hand through his hair, being very self conscious about not touching the scratches. Which just made them itch more. Again.
"If you want my advice. You should be more like me. Just ask yourself. What would Mathew do."
He smirked.
"And I will let you figure out what I mean by that."
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Post by Delilah A. Black on Mar 3, 2013 0:20:29 GMT -8
"Good. Thank you," She was very proud of her wounds and where she earned them. They reminded her that she had lived through something awful and recovered from it. The scars on her arms were proof of this, as was the more recent one bisecting her torso.
As for thinking like him...she thought she already had an insight into that.
'Be the stone in the river, Delilah. Let it wash over you.'
She gave the Elder Dragon a slight bow and clapped her fist over her heart in salute. "Thank you for the honour."
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Post by Mathew Amtrum on Mar 3, 2013 0:23:14 GMT -8
"Yeah yeah."
He rolled his eyes, but smirked as he did so.
"Just don't die on me. I still have a use for you."
Flashing her a quick wink he turned and gave her men a quick head nod before sinking in to the ground. He would offer no explanations, they would find out what he meant when the time was right. And when it was to late to change anything. Until then he would wait, and play his role.
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Post by Delilah A. Black on Mar 3, 2013 21:45:53 GMT -8
Delilah, Talon and Sergei would watch Mathew sink into the ground, Delilah staring after him with her eyebrows drawn together. Eventually, the two turned to her, curious.
"What did he mean by that?"
"I have no idea..." she replied honestly. The raven haired woman turned her heel and strode away from the area, leaving the blood stained ground behind. "But it's either really good for me, or really bad. But it's happening. If I wanted to throw a wrench into his plans, I wouldn't even know where to start."
"If you did, vould you?"
Delilah shook her head. "Probably not. If I even managed to alter anything, he would simply adjust the plan to suit the situation. It's best to let it run it's course.
"...though, if I can find out anything about what he's planning..." she added with a hint of a smile. "That would make me vastly more prepared for the end result."
"How vill you do zat?"
"By fighting him, of course."
The three walked back to the 'Nest in silence, contemplating the enigma that was Mathew Amtrum and his plans.
((OOC: End thread))
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