Private Fighty Friends

The afternoon sun was perched high above the horizon, yet the warmth of its rays never seemed to reach the white-coated ground. It was winter after all, but like hell was Luna going to let the weather stop her from sparring with a peculiar man she'd met at the bookstore the previous day. Anticipation trickled from the cage of her chest to the edges of her fingers as she strapped her sword round the curve of her waist. Relaxing her shoulders to refine her posture ever so slightly, she glanced out the window toward the city before morphing into light.

Clinging onto threads of light, Luna weaved her way through the crowds and masses and materialized just before the gym. Scanning the area, she spotted a pinch of orange smothered in a large grey cloak. There's no mistaking it, that was Xenos alright. Breathing out a small puff of condensation, she kept her pace languid as she strolled over to her friend. She was a little shocked that he noticed her before she even acknowledged him but said her greetings nonetheless.

Let's get inside and out of this blasted cold

"Agreed." Pressing her palms against the glass door, she gave it a light shove as she stumbled inside, holding the door open for Xenos as well. Almost instantly, warmth cloaked her in it's sweet, sweet embrace. Taking in a slow, steady inhale, she revelled in the newfound heat for a short moment before turning her attention back to her friend.

"The sparring rooms are right this way." In a swift gesture, she pointed right down the corridor as she led the way. Eventually, she arrived in a plain room. Cream coloured walls encapsulated the vicinity, giving them just enough space for a friendly duel. "No need for restrictions." Closing the gap between the two, she leaned in, her lips curling into a teasing smirk as her voice came across as barely more than a whisper, she said: "I hope you're ready."

Stepping back to a comforable distance, she repeated: “A bet?” Pausing in a moment’s contemplation, she then tilted her head to the side ever so slightly as she, too, proceeded to tie her hair in a neat bun, leaving a few loose strands hanging to her shoulders. In a tone just a little too nonchalent for her words, she said: “well, I’ve always wagered my life but I think that would be a bit much in this context...”

The girl shrugged her shoulders as she slackened her posture. “How about we wager a bet? Ask anything of me and I will comply.” Lips curling into a mischievous smirk, she continued. “Of course, if I win then the opposite is true as well. You on?”

Stepping a few paces away, Luna then responded: "Oh darling..." Unsheathing her rapier, she gave it a few flicks and twirls as she cautiously adjusted her grip. "When it comes to fighting and wagers, my imagination knows no bounds." Steadying herself, she bent her knees as she placed her right foot in front of her left in a sturdy stance.

The girl silently observed as Xenos brandished his weapon, mentally taking note of how he could form swords with his body. Though she now knew he could make more weapons, it was still dangerous to get too close. Especially not before she fully accessed how well he wielded the katana.

With her voice tinted with a hint of amusement, she lowered her stance as she sounded out. "Ready whenever you are."

He was fast, almost unexpectedly so. Before she could react, she felt their blades make contact. Letting out a sharp exhale, she dodged the other's blow by barely an inch as she pushed off the ground and leaped back a few meters. Letting her lips curl into a competitive grin, she said: "You're fast, I give you that." Pivoting on her right foot, she adjusted her stance before launching herself forward, the tip of her blade aimed right at Xenos's torso.

However, that plunge was but a fake. Just before making contact, she would give her wrist a quick flick to bring her blade up right before his neck. Though she wouldn't follow through with the attack, the girl would lean in close in a teasing fashion. If he didn't dodge away, he'd hear her barely audible whisper:

"But are you fast enough to keep up with me."

In a swift motion, Luna brought her arm above her head as she parried his attack. However, the weight of it was more than she’d thought, causing her right knee to collapse inwards, almost hitting the ground. With a sharp exhale, she placed all her weight on her left foot as she pushed herself to a side, letting her blade gently guide Xenos’s to a side, should he let her. Without sparring a second to catch her breath, she twirled round to face him once again, conforming her body into a stable stance.

“For your sake, I hope those words are true.”

Giving him a mischievous wink, she launcher her next attack as she sprinted towards him. Feinting a vertical slash at down his middle, she dropped down low and went in for a sliding kick aimed at his heels to throw him off guard.