[b]Yellow, From The Misty Reaches of the Recent Past![/b]

Cinders, it turns out, has very good combat instincts. Or actually, maybe it's better to say she's got a strong approach to the puzzle. That's a bit more how Euna would like to phrase it at least. The bombast of your first sword surprises her, and what had been a quick shuffle to set up a counterattack quickly turns into a full scramble just to avoid getting clipped by the follow through. 

She doesn't excel through her first round with Green so much as she survives it. She is completely on the defensive, sliding backwards away from giant kicks and sidestepping completely outside a cartwheel into jumping punch, or occasionally just crossing her arms up over her face and tanking a two-legged leaping kick with the parts of her that are metal instead of squishy flesh. It frustrates her, and that's plain to see. But everything is so fast and flashy, she can't tell if there's a followup or not. She doesn't know where the second blade comes in, and if she doesn't understand she can't commit.

But it changes as the fight moves on. Predictable, at first. She grows more confident that your two sword style doesn't allow for dual wielding and she starts predicting the shape of Green's attacks as a result. Rolls away become ducks under and then steps towards, and before she can go any farther than that she's fighting Pink instead. This is also easy to predict: now that the action is slower she throws flurries of quick jabs and a strong right hook that uses all the power of her planted foot to really knock the crap out of the air where Pink glided away. Her offense sputters against this all-defense style, and especially early on she winds up sacrificing power in her stance just to avoid getting tripped up in the tangle of footwork and ribbon.

But her punches start clipping closer, almost needing to be blocked instead of rolled through or slapped and gently redirected. And from then on the fight is never the same again. Green's return does not send her back to what she'd gotten good at - instead she meets that raw offense with pure aggression herself. No more dodge and counter routine is even attempted; now she's looking for the legendary Cross Counter, the blow that uses your opponent's momentum and simply beats their hit with a faster one on the inside of their line. Two fisted hammer blows spark in the air as they collide with flying side kicks. She leaps, grabs, throws from the ankle.

And lands with the Pink blade in her face again. Now, she doesn't attack at all: the fight becomes entirely about zone and a complicated, intricate dance of footsies. Steps back to imply a charge, steps forward to shrink the zone, moving to a vulnerable assumed blind spot and then trying to match the counter-pivot. At some point you both realize she's actually the faster one. Whether that's because she has more practice, faster legs, or just because all of her thoughts fit inside a single brain is a question for someone else to consider. Right now, the fight is the fight and all that matters is what is true.

Cinders is fully on top of this beautiful two sword style after just a few rotations, and even rapid change outs no longer fluster her. She slips between lunging, headlong rushing punches that make solid contact and dazzling footwork that tricks almost every eye in the room but one as to where her center of balance and target actually are. She finally goes from sweaty, full tryhard grim determination to an ecstatic grin when she realizes she's also got the transition game on lock. It makes her a lot prettier, like a magic trick somebody might pull with makeup and a compliment. 

That's how she finally gets her opening: by catching the Pink blade and elbowing her directly into the Green one. Her eyes flash when she sees the leashes go limp. Her form is perfect as she steps one two three four five into the charge that will finally let her fell this wondrous and wonderful foe. Victory, praise, and a match with her beloved mentor all claimed with a single fist. She's sure of it. She's so sure.

She doesn't see your Secret Sword coming. The third leash. The look on your face. Her foot slips, then her posture, and finally her composure. Cinders turns full (organic) body red and crashes to the ground in a pile of flustered verbal keysmashing. When she pushes herself back up, she's at your feet, and she's only managed to get onto her knees. She is [i]extremely[/i] aware of the implications of this position, and it's making her shake like a leaf in a... well, she has no idea what a hurricane is or was, but she's been inside one of those tubes where the wind blows money everywhere and you look like an idiot trying to catch it, so one of those she guesses.

Shitbiscuits. There's a line. That stupid movie has a line for this moment and she should be saying it right now. But she can't remember it! All that comes out is:

"A-a-a-a-a-a-are you s-s-s-sure? You, you, you mean it? I'd? I c-can??"

Cinders bows her head. She begs without words for the leash. To be made into one of your swords, if only for tonight. Even if you cut her down in playful rejection, she is going to walk away from this night with [i]months[/i] of material for 18+ shipfics. Her old screenname burns hot against her heart.

"Daebak!" Euna calls across the scene with a single dull clap. "That was beautiful! Good ingenuity, very resourceful. That approach to combat is..."

She stops herself with a frown. Her hand reaches far enough up her head to worry at the band keeping her hair tied back.

"Actually, I'm curious. I'd love to here how all of [i]you[/i] thought that match went. What went right? Or wrong? Like, not just for yourselves but your opponent too. Man. And you really haven't seen the movie? Because I've-- no, not tonight. That's not what you came for. Sorry. Sorry."