Possessing a power tempered by grace, not the slightest change in momentum was felt as Luminia wrangled the young woman to a swift standstill. It came about so quickly Nairi was unsure if anything had happened at all. A wide and unblinking stare regarded the other side of the arena, her chest throbbing as the muscle within it fluttered in confusion. In stark contrast, the taller woman’s heart beat steadily against Nairi’s shoulder, and as her arms flinched with the intent to strike, she felt the solid bosom bounce with laughter. Humiliation burned away the shock that seized her steadied limbs, and the coolness of steel pressing against her tender neck became more obvious. Lingering in her peripheral were the many witnesses to her defeat, their judging and disapproving stares bearing down on her like a yoke on an unruly ox.
Between the two of them a very palpable energy fought for dominance as they remained locked together. It took a short but noticeable space of time for the slave’s to finally whittle down, but longer still for the white in her knuckles to fade. All the while, her eyes narrowed and quivered in outrage, the witless parting of her lips curled to reveal grinding teeth, and a low growl crept up from her churning gut. The Doctore’s parting message left a salty taste in her mouth that further agitated her wounded pride. For such blatant rebellion, the punishment was incredibly lax and Nairi could have counted herself lucky and walked away grateful to be in a better condition than her peers. However, those familiar with such foolhardy battlelust might also know the demand for victory, and how it plagues the mind with an unrelenting passion. Through such reckless eyes, resistance and death were one in the same. Luminia’s ungracious dismissal hurt the young slave more than any lash ever could, worsened by the knowledge of having so many pay witness to it. With a renewed purpose, Nairi made a wordless vow to repay the dishonour in kind.
To the abrasive rhetoric that practically begged her to oblige an outburst, Nairi responded much in the same way as anyone would when facing Canis. When the sorting was over, only then did she feel like her fiery and prideful self again, shown in the way she planted herself directly before Heimdal. Glaring up at him, at the other slaves, and anyone else who wasn’t his superior, she felt it necessary to make clear that what happened with Luminia shouldn’t be taken as a precursor of what she was capable of. Just the knowledge of being assigned to the physically superior Doctore appealed to her fledgling ego, but if she was to be true to herself, she knew that there was no way Canis could determine her skillset from that shamefully short match held previously. Curiosity beckoned her to consider what the smallest slave might learn from a giant.