Mai-dee vs. Rayne

[\Mai-Dee/ *Erity* ~Kenzi~]

There wasn't a good deal happening at the Bulwark at the moment; she'd arrived a couple days early for the intended battle to gain her bearings and for the most part it had worked. There were only a couple other Kyoshi Warriors present and ready to fight. As she'd expected most were willing to stay home and guard against possible attacks that may come to the Island- but being here on the front was important as well. Someone from their people needed to be able to understand what these things were, then they'd be able to explain it to the others. And then there was the fact of honor, and that their namesake wouldn't have wanted them to stand at the back while bad things happened to the world.

There were different practice sparring sessions that took place along the banks of a nearby river- all of the elements would have something to use, and should the flames from the Firebenders go too far out of control the water was nearby to stop them before serious damage was done. With nothing better to do than simply wait and not wanting her skills to rust she'd gone down to the ring. Her fans were at her side and her katana across her back as usual- and she was also dressed in the usual Kyoshi Warrior uniform of green with her headband and makeup in place.

It seemed to be working as well. There was a match going on between what seemed to be a Fire Nation warrior with a Kusari-gama and an Earthbender in process, so she stood patiently and waited for them to finish while watching. To the surprise of many- but not so much herself- the Fire Nation man won and the ring was vacated; the winner was patted on the back by his compatriots, while the loser moved to the side to speak with an older woman who must have been her mentor.

Without hesitation Mai stepped into the ring and looked around, waiting for someone to take her challenge. Most of the people seemed intent on instead glancing away or speaking with their friends. There was a moment of irritation- yes, she was meant to look intimidating, but did none of these people have spines? Looking around calmly she continued to wait for another moment and hoped that she wasn't already going to be snubbed- or underestimated.

[~Aiden~]

Shortly after standing next a monstrous Earthbender, Rayne had gotten bored so he decided to walk around the camp. Slowly making his way to toward a small stream that he had noticed on the way in through the gates leading to the docks, he was going to practice what little waterbending he had been taught by master Qui. First he stopped by the small tent that had been assigned to him he stepped inside and placed his chain softly on the small bed in the far back corner. Rayne stood there for a moment as he wonder whether or not he should bring his weapons with him and thought that it would be wise if he did “you never know what you’ll run into out here” he said to himself as he threw back the cloth door at and stepped out into the dull cloudy morning.

Slowly walking between the different merchant tents that were selling their goods and wares to the soldiers that were gathered here, he continued his way to the stream just hoping for some excitement to be thrown his way. How he already missed the action of battle was beyond him, he had been with the blockade for nearly a year now and thought he had grown tired of the constant fear of being attack. But the truth is…he never really feared death nor did he fear a lot of things, his greatest fear was to leave his beloved sister to face this world alone and that he just wouldn’t allow to happen. Long ago Rayne had vowed to always protect her from anything that would ever be thrown her way.

Someone running into him knocked him from his thoughts of home, he looked back as he heard the man mutter “Asshole, watch where your walking” as he scowled him as he continued to walk away. Stopping Rayne watched as the man walked away then laughed quietly while thinking “If only this were a different situation…then I would teach him whom to smart mouth…and when to keep that mouth of his shut”[/i] as he slowly turned back hoping to find that he had finally reached his destination, but much to his dismay only a crowd of men stood before him. Curious as to what they were looking at, Rayne silently made his way forward slipping through the crowd of men only to spot a single figure standing alone in one of the training rings. Looking closer he noticed that the figure in the arena was a young woman, not only that, she was a Kyoshi warrior. Rayne had only heard stories of their courage and prowess in battle but never thought to actually encounter one.

By her appearance he guessed that she was around the age of twenty maybe younger, but it seemed as if no one was willing to challenge her. But it was difficult to judge her age due to the mask of make-up she wore, but the features of her face seems smooth and flawless. Before he could control his thoughts his eyes trailed from her eyes which he couldn’t tell the color from the distance at which he was slowly over her face and then to her lips. “She appears to be quite beautiful…”[/i] he thought as he once again looked at all of the men surrounding her. Then his gaze went back to the lone woman, she stood as if she wanted to spar but no man or woman would step fourth. Frowning slightly he worked his way to front of the crowd and stepped towards the ring. “I wonder why these soldiers do not wish to spar with her…”[/i] he whispered to himself as he stepped inside the arena.

As walked he loosened his joints and muscles to get ready for this session, now at a shorter distant Rayne could see that her eyes were a soft brown color. He bowed his head slightly speaking in a smooth voice “Hello there Miss. My name is Rayne Kaoru and I will gladly spar with you being as you seem ready to do so, but no one seems willing to oblige you . So I thought I would. And besides…I believe everyone here could use the practice”as he spoke he slowly looked around the masses of people around the arena and silently scoffed every single person present, continuing “…but before we begin may I ask your name? I really like to know those that of whom I train with if you don’t mind” as his words rang into silence he once again slightly bowed his head but never taking his eyes from her.

[\Mai-Dee/ *Erity* ~Kenzi~]

There was quite a pause and some muttering as she looked over the ground around the ring and forced herself to remain calm rather than snapping at those nearby for their cowardice. Gods, I hope I wasn't sent here to find nothing but cowards, Mai thought with a sense of hidden relief. How could they possibly win this war against their shadowy, ethereal enemy if a simple girl from Kyoshi was the only one in this group with some balls? Her brown eyes snapped and smoldered a bit but she stood her ground, meeting the eyes of the most powerful men and women standing around the ring- and a couple seemed almost ready to step forward.

After a moment she looked to the other side of the space and saw a man enter, then make his way toward the ring after much less time watching her than everyone else. Maybe this wasn't going to be completely futile after all. The people parted before him as he stepped into the ring and she scanned over the Water Triber. Taller than her and broadly shouldered, though not so much so that she could count on him being clumsy or slow- and not so slender she could count on his weakness. A balanced opponent is always the most dangerous and devious, she remembered her mentor among the Kyoshi Warriors telling her in a dry tone and she'd seen the wisdom in it. She'd have to see his moves to know what to do about them. His clothing was sensible and f course he was handsome as well, with dark hair, blue eyes and olive skin- but Mai wasn't stupid enough to get distracted before a sparring match. Her sister warriors would never let her hear the end of it.

His voice was courteous and she listened to them respectful as he spoke, her hands relaxed by her side and ignoring the voices of those who stood watching. Evidently the odds were nearly even on both sides- and then there were those who, though too cowardly to fight for themselves, insisted on shouting advice to one or both of them. It was far too loud for her, and the disrespect was unthinkable and brought her temper back up a bit. "I don't need your help, and I don't think Rayne does either. Shut up or leave," she told the crowd in a firm, loud tone. There was a moment of silent, then mutters, and the betting turned against her sharpy. Too bad for them.

Turning back to the man who'd taken her challenge she gave him a respectful bow, but far from scraping the ground or completely abasing herself; so far they seemed to be equals and putting herself subordinate to him would be stupid indeed. "I had heard that the people of the Water Tribe were honorable and brave; it's good that someone has finally met my expectations," she said with a crooked smile as she rose. "I am Mai-Dee Shiori of the Warriors of Kyoshi, and I would be most glad to spar with a worthy opponent."

With little preamble she pulled the thin-bladed metal fans from her belt and slipped the strap of them around her wrists, then took them in her hands and opened it. Taking a ready stance, her smile was replaced with a look of determination. There was no such thing as a tie in a fight, not really- unless the opponents managed to kill or knock out each other at exactly the same time. Somehow that seemed unlikely in this case. "Whenever you're ready."

[~Aiden~]

As Rayne entered the arena he could knew that she had seen him, and could feel her gaze upon him as he spoke. Ignoring the mutterings of the people among the crown the surrounded the ring, he slowly unbutton his silky tunic and let it slide off his shoulders catching it with his left hand, then folding it and handing it to one of the soldiers who stood in the front row. As his back was turned the sound of her voice rang above the rest of the crowd that was shouting words of advice to the both of them, hearing the words of which she spoke Rayne couldn’t help but smile and laugh slightly amused and surprised that throngs of soldiers listened to what she had said. But the silence was short-lived as he heard whispers between a few of the men placing bets on who would win.

Turning his full attention back to the woman in the middle of the ring Rayne spoke lightly “Well, it seems that all of these soldier’s gathered here are not wise enough to listen when they should” after he finished his statement he stood silent and waited for what would happen next. As he waited she spoke once more of his people being honorable and brave and allowed a small smile play across his lips as she continued by introducing herself Mai-Dee was her name. After she had spoken her name Mai pulled two weapons from her belt, unable to recognize what they were Rayne was surprised when she flicked her wrists to see dual fans grasped in her hands.

With every second the crowd seemed to double in both size and the amount of annoying shouts to the both of them to begin, and it was seriously beginning to try his patience. He almost considered sided with the young woman before and challenging the whole lot of these so called ‘men’ he was sure that the two of them could best almost all of who was present. As the clamor began to rise to almost and unbearable decibel Rayne looked to the crowd “Will you please shut the hell up! We will begin whenever we damned well please. If you are so eager to see a fight then you should have been a man, grew a pair and stepped forward to take her challenge…” he stopped to gather himself then continued in the same biting tone “Seeing as none of you had, I accepted now shut the fuck up or the only fight you will see is me and those of which keep can’t keep quiet. And I’m sure that this young woman before me thinks the same considering she just told you all to shut the hell up.”

After regaining his calm demeanor, Rayne took a step backwards with his left foot and as he did so he spoke up “It’s very nice to meet you Mai-Dee, and this the first time I have been able to witness a warrior from Kyoshi.” Pausing to take a breath continued “ I am honored to have met you, and I assure you that our bout will be honest, I am sure that we wouldn’t want to injure ourselves and risk putting this mission at stake.” After he spoke he noticed that she was already in her ready stance and was prepared whenever he was.

Rayne reached over his right shoulder blade with his left hand and for his left hip with his right drawing his dual Kamas and smiling at the familiar weight in his hands. Taking his ready stance he raised both weapons holding his left arm out in of him at a slight angle to defend any attack that might come his way, and his right arm bent to a ninety degree angle with his Kama held slightly forward. With a small smirk he looked straight to his opponent he spoke so she could hear him “I’m ready. After you..” he suggested.

[\Mai-Dee/ *Erity* ~Kenzi~]

There was still an atmosphere of some great gladiator battle in the air- but at least her opponent agreed with her and followed her chastizement of the surrounding masses with his own ultimatum. Mai couldn't blame him- and if it came to it and needed to be followed through she had no problem with earning her own respect and breaking a few skulls. Lightly of course, because these silly men and women were supposed to be her allies, but she wasn't willing to let herself be at the bottom of the pecking order either.

Luckily for all concerned the quiet became deeper and without the undercurrent of any speech; there was only the sound of the breeze and people's restless shifting and pushing to get a better view. During the peace the Kyoshi girl listened patiently to her opponents words and watched as he drew his weapons. Though no one on her island had used them in any sort of specialized way other than farming the books had shown examples of such weapons. Hand-scythes they were called, but these had rings, as though they were supposed to be joined somehow. That wasn't a concern at this point though- so they'd be much like other dual weapons. Those blades looked wickedly sharp though and she made up her mind to avoid them as much as possible.

He promised an honest fight, and she agreed to his terms- which were very much her own- with a simple nod and smirk of her own as she watched his stance for a moment. He indicated that she should go first, and she stepped sideways with grace and care, sure to keep her stance even and steady against the ground while tilting her fans back and forth slightly to catch the light. A person who didn't know where the first blow would come from would have a hard time guarding against it.

As she moved in closer to him she examined the small ways he moved to judge his center of balance; the fighting style she very much oriented in using an opponent's strength and momentum against them. She quickly closed in the last few steps, fans out and toward her sides, then swung a blow with her fan in her left hand once she was on his left-hand side, mostly intended as a distraction. If his eyes were there, her next move would come as a surprise; she dropped and swung her leg out behind his own to sweep his feet out from under him, or at least set him off-balance in the direction she wanted. At the very least it should get him moving.

The first blow of a battle was either a test or an instant win- and considering how well-matched they were the latter wasn't very likely at all. Besides, this was an opportunity to learn, and if it came to it she did have a couple secret weapons up her sleeves- or rather, in her hands. No one here knew she was an Earthbender, so she could use that to her advantage. Then again, none of these people had probably seen a Kyoshi Warrior in a real fight either. They'd get their money's worth in this match.

[~Aiden~]

As the crowds fell silent Rayne couldn’t help but smile at his new accomplishments “that’s what I thought”] he muttered to himself as he let his gaze fall upon the Kyoshi Warrior who stood in before him. He glanced down at the weapons that she held, they were a set of fans which appeared to be made of a thin metal lapped over each other. Even though he hadn’t meant anyone that had ever used fans as a weapon, but from the way she held them he could tell that they were a deadly weapon.

Rayne found himself captivated as he followed her movements as she side-stepped, with a certain amount of grace fluidity. A small smile ran along his lips as his eyes followed her slow movement, and tilting her fans slightly to catch the light. Whether that was to distract him or he wasn’t sure. It would take a lot more than a reflection of light to catch him off guard.

Rayne had learned that his was best to fight with loosened muscles and joints as opposed to maintaining a stressed stance, as slowly closed the distance between them he relaxed just enough to be able to move fast and easy. Fixing his grip on his Kama’s he followed each of her movements closely as her pace began to increase and she quickly closed the remaining few steps and he slightly lifted his eyes in time to see the fan in her left hand coming toward him, thinking fast he lunged back turning his Kama’s just right in his hands, using his momentum he landed on his hands then pushing himself backward and flipping to his feet landing a few extra feet once again in a ready stance.

As stood he couldn’t help but feel impressed, it seemed that this woman from Kyoshi would in fact be a worthy opponent and someone that Rayne would want at his side during the heat of battle. Seeing that her hand was only a set up for a leg sweep, and then turning his weapons so that the blades were facing backwards, to avoid any fatal injury.

Rayne stood for a moment thinking that it would be best to test Mai’s martial skills, being as he was stronger by far in his martial fighting than he was in his bending skill. Though he could hold his own against a bender at his level, and knowing not whether his current adversary was a bender, He thought it best to only reveal his bending abilities when and if she did. Then without second though Rayne rushed forward plotting his attack in stride, as he closed the distance between them, he lunged forward pivoting his hips slightly to the left planting his right foot and thrusting his left leg forward to deliver a powerful kick aimed at her abdomen.

[\Mai-Dee/ *Erity* ~Kenzi~]

Once the match had truly begun the sound the crowd made was a bit of a moot point; everything but the opponent faded into a murmuring gray blur that just couldn't hold Mai's attention. Instead every one of her own actions, the placement of her feet, balance, the grip she had on her weapons; that became half of the world, the part she had control of at all times, beginning to end. Overall that was the most important thing to keep under her own control, without any unexpected variables. That was what kept the Earth portion of her fighting style grounded, rooted to their stance and calm. In most cases it worked.

The second half of the world within the fight was her opponent- the portion over which Mai had very little control to begin with, but that was the point. The more you could force the person you were fighting to make all of the moves, which would then be used against him, the more tired he would get. Using the enemy's own power and turning it into an advantage for their own benefit; the secret to the Kyoshi warrior's style of fighting. Legends say that Avatar Kyoshi had created it herself by teaching her hometown fighters some Water Tribe techniques. Whether that was the truth or not you only had to watch one of the Warriors to see the merit in their methods.

With eyes intent and flashing with excitement in their mahogany depths she watched how her blows were avoided and he turned his weapons in his hands to make them a bit less lethal. This sparring match was already a good deal of fun, why ruin it by someone dying? By Rayne's smirk it seemed he agreed with her and Mai considered herself luckily to have at least ended up with someone who wasn't going to take all of this too seriously. Men were usually so offended when they were beaten by anyone of the 'fairer sex', but hopefully this one would recover quickly enough that they could at least stay something of friends afterward.

She'd still been close to the ground after her attempted sweep of his legs, which he'd avoided with a skillful backward flip- was there some reason he wanted to put more distance between them, an opening for something else. No guessing, girl! Finishing the movement of the sweep she used her own momentum to bring her back quickly into her stance. Now that she was beginning to get more comfortable with the pace of this battle she relaxed a bit more easily, though her feet were still well-planted and her balance was sure. At least she knew the basics well enough to do them instinctively- don't make yourself trip and be ready for anything.

She'd just gotten her feet placed when Rayne made a quick dash toward her, weapons in front and the expression in his eyes composed and thoughtful. With a careful half step backward she watched has his stance shifted just a bit, one leg locking into place- there! Sidestepping and twisting into a half-turn the Warrior of Kyoshi managed to avoid the kick by ducking around it, placing him just a bit in front of her and to one side. In essence she probably had a bare half-second of his back being exposed- and he was on one leg as well. It was too good a moment to miss. Flipping her fan closed in a well-practiced and familiar swing of her wrist she swung at his right shoulder with enough force to hopefully knock him off of his balance again. The close Her other hand was still in a defensive position and legs were tensed slightly, ready to move as she awaited his reaction. This was just starting to get good.

[~Aiden~]

[[OOC:: Sorry Curby this post is REALLY going to suck D: I dunno why but I haven¡¦t found the groove to post for awhile. I apologize for making you wait so long]]


The sounds of the crowd became nothing more than a faint dull murmur that was easily blocked out by the gusts of wind that blew past his ears as he moved. As Rayne lunged forward with his kick, he smiled slightly as Mai dodged his attack. Using the momentum that he had gathered from the dash he quickly brought his attacking leg down planting it firmly into the dirt, then sliding his right leg he quickly spun around and managed to catch her fan with the handle of his Kama. His knees bent slightly with his left foot behind him and a little further than shoulder width apart to ensure balance and stability, Rayne held his position with Mai¡¦s fan held against his kama. As they stood nearly face-to-face Rayne couldn¡¦t help but smile slightly. It was a first, and already he was impressed by the skills of the Kyoshi Warrior who stood before him. Yes this fight was going to be a promising fight indeed.

Flipping is kama around in his right hand as he reached with his left grabbing her by the wrist, Rayne caught the fan with the blade and gave a quick yank to fling it from her grip. To help dislodge the fan from the warrior from Kyoshi¡¦s grasp he pivoted slightly, placing his right between hers and using his hips as leverage he pulled down with his left arm, Rayne tucking his chin down to his chest in order to protect his neck in the chance that she would go for a choke, rolled with the motion meaning to take her to the ground. Granted this maneuver gave his opponent his back, but Rayne was confidant with his extensive military combative skill.

[\Mai-Dee/ *Erity* ~Kenzi~]

She'd known that he would be making his move soon- she just didn't expect it to be as fast as it was! The Water Tribes had this deceptive ability to mask a good deal of speed behind their flowing movements and you didn't realize exactly how quickly their blows were coming until it was there. Time to think fast, girlie. Luckily she'd been pretty dedicated to learning whatever the older Warriors could teach and trained enough that some things became instinct. The only thing she had to think about was what she wanted to do, and less on how to do it, since instinct and habit would take care of the rest. Unless she was embarrassingly stupid she could still hold her own through this, and now she knew better what to expect.

Sometimes sacrifices had to be made, and for the sake of balance and keeping in mind what she had planned in the future she let go of the fan that he was twisting with his kama and shifted her own weight to keep her balance as his hand clasped around her wrist, his leg moved to break her center of gravity and his weight began to shift backward. It was a good sequence of attacks, and there was no doubt he had a lot of training behind him, informing his judgement, and being of the Water Tribe there wasn't any doubt he had mastered the ability of using people's force against them. Push and pull, ebb and flow- that was what they taught. This was also what the Kyoshi Warriors had been taught, with the traditional Earth Kingdom love of grounding throwing in.

With a slight smirk through the concentration that crossed her face- hey, no one said that you couldn't enjoy a good sparring match- Mai shifted her weight, not to pull back but instead to push her own weight toward Rayne and pressing in with her left shoulder even as she twisted her wrist in his grip to pull it back against her body. The added momentum sped up the fall and put her in a bit more control, hopefully knocking the wind out of him as she rolled to her feet behind him, facing where he was likely to stand again, her one fan still clasped in her hand and a quick motion opening the small, circular bracer-shield on her left wrist.

Taking the advantage of his back being toward her she quickly took two steps toward him, centering herself and finding her balance while waiting for him to turn back around. Even though it was probably a silly thought she didn't like the idea of attacking someone from behind in the first sparring bout. Of course in a real fight she wouldn't have that compunction- she was too pragmatic for it- but right now there was no reason to end things too quickly by scoring on his open back. That didn't mean she wanted to lose though, and she kept herself ready to sidestep his coming attacks as she watched him carefully. She just thought this was too much fun to have end so soon.

[~Aiden~]

As Rayne flipped over he hoped that this wouldn’t be the end of the fight, which he really doubted this Mai seemed as if she knew how handle most anything and that she could adjust her fighting technique to properly defend and attack any style she was against. He smiled as he felt her shoulder press against him, a very cleaver move he though as it added more momentum causing him to over rotate. It was always fun to practice with others who could think on their feet. He smirked as he let loose her wrist and tucked tighter into the somersault to allow him to roll quickly and recover for the next blow.

Rolling into a crouched position he spun around in time to take a step toward him and then pause. Remaining low he smiled slightly ‘Well she is an honorable fighter indeed’[/i] he thought to himself as he slowly rose to stand keeping his knees slightly bent. As he stood he slowly ran his eyes over Mai, and instead of the other fan that she once held, she now had a small bracer on her left wrist.

He slowly started circling his opponent twirling his dual Kama’s in his hands, keeping his eyes on her. With every step he inched closer toward her. Then making a quick feint step to the right he lunged forward covering the short distance between them in a few long strides, then as he got into range he swung his right arm low aimed at her stomach, turning his weapons blade toward him to insure no injury was caused. As his attack was in motion he fallowed the attack that if the blades were the correct way would rip out his victim’s stomach with a quick left leg sweep meaning to at least knock her off balance. This bou was becoming more interesting by the second.

[\Mai-Dee/ *Erity* ~Kenzi~]

There was something comfortingly simple about being in a good, clean fight; your body got to do a lot of the thinking and your mind was working on things that actually broke down and got worse if you tried to figure them out too much. The two systems led each other around in such a way that there was no space for contemplation- unless you were a Master, of course. Then it was probably all just as easy as breathing and you had brainpower left to even think about deeper strategies than 'don't get hit' and 'try to hit him'. Maybe one day she'd reach that point..

..But not if she didn't focus on what was happening right in front of her! Rayne had rolled up from her successful attempt to knock him down and was now ready and on his feet, moving toward her with his blades swinging. Mai's eyes followed his feint right, and she was only saved from his strike at her midsection by the sheer luck of having her shield already open and to her side. It wasn't the most graceful move, but a sideswipe of her arm knocked the blade aside without causing her any damage. Hey, if it works, it works. Don't question it.[/b]

Unfortunately this left her wide open for the kick, and only the fact that she was well-grounded kept her from falling all of the way to the floor. The Kyoshi Warrior was left stumbling from the side-step she did to avoid most of the force of the kick, and it took her a moment to recover. Fortunately she had a little of the Earthbender senses to help her find her feet again, and her free hand flicked the fan closed as she stepped toward his side and swung, intending to hit him with the flat of the fan or at least push him to dodge and set himself off-balance again. If nothing else he would have to step back or twist drastically to attempt to hit her again.

These were the kind of matches she lived for, and it made her glad she'd left Kyoshi that she had the chance to experience it.