Welcome to Gaia! ::

The first match was always the one on the plain arena, it seemed. Too bad she couldn’t have reproduced her first entrance, both for lack of appropriate surroundings and not wanting to be silly. Robyn had gotten up early that morning, doing a light workout to get herself warmed up and psych herself up a bit, then headed to the arena for her first fight. She’d surprised herself with just how psyched she was, actually relishing the challenge ahead.

So it was with a cheerful grin and confident walk that she entered the field, fingerless glove-covered hands raised in greeting to the cheering crowd. Her bushy red-furred tail was raised high as she listened to her name being screamed from the stands. She wasn’t in it for the glory, or the appreciation....but the fox girl had to admit, it was nice. She didn’t look much different from her previous appearance two years ago....in fact, it looked as if she hadn’t aged a day, seeming no more than 19 or so. Her light purple hair was done back in a braid, her ears peeking through the cowboy hat perched on her head. She still wore the same outfit: a short sleeved black shirt under a brown leather vest, plain cargo pants and black boots. All very ordinary looking.

What her opponent would likely be more interested in was the belt around her waist. On both sides of her hips were attached sheaths for a pair of daggers, one hilt wrapped in gold cloth, the other in dark green. As she turned in place, responding to the crowd (and attentively watching her surroundings for any surprises) one could also see the pouch hanging off of it, and the short bar of metal hooked in along the back of her waist, although what it was would be a surprise to anyone who hadn’t seen her fight before.

Robyn was content to pander to the crowd while she waited for her opponent to appear, a true smile on her face and a glint in her green eyes as the thought passed through her mind that yes, she was back, her ordeal hadn’t destroyed her, and she would push herself even harder than before. Look out, Gaian Tenkaichi Budoukai, this was her year, she would be champion.

More imposing? Definitely. Here was a guy who practically screamed “badass”, what with his all black outfit. And here was a girl who, aside from the odd colored hair and furry appendages, could be your typical girl next door just barely out of her teens, if that. Granted, her bare arms showed lean muscles, her stance showed confidence, and when Robyn turned to look at her opponent, there was a maturity in that gaze that belied that casual appearance. Her happy grin calmed into a simple smile as she spotted him, lowering her arms from her waving to the crowd.

She would have spoken, but he kept moving, to...take his glasses off? Her expression turned a bit confused, ears canting to the side before she mentally shrugged a shoulder. Perhaps not the smartest thing, leaving something breakable on the arena floor, but she’d try not to stomp them by accident while they were moving around later.

The fox girl’s eyes would light up when the man bowed, and she’d smoothly return the gesture. Previously unmentioned (at the author’s horrible negligence), there seemed to be a tattoo on her neck, a reddish-brown fox paw that covered her artery, the rest of the limb continuing down under the back of her shirt.

When she straightened, it was with a friendly smile that displayed her small fangs, and an easy stance. ”It’s an honor as well ta meet anyone who still shows a modicum of respec’ ta their opponent.” Her accent had unfortunately (to her) been refreshed during her stay at home the last couple months, a smooth southern drawl delivered in a rough alto. ”Name’s Robyn Isedan, an’ you?” He didn’t seem like the type of guy to pull off a sudden attack, but her hands were on her hips, ready to grab her daggers just in case. Now that they were actually at her sides, it would be more apparent that her arms were...longer than they should be, a good foot longer than what would be proportionally correct.

“Commander”, huh? That meant soldier/military type. Robyn didn’t think she’d ever actually fought a soldier. She was musing over that information when his expression changed, startling slightly at the fury on his face. Her look turned intense as well, sliding her left leg back into a forward stance as she reached behind her to swiftly unhook the metal bar on the back of her belt.

Bringing it in front of her, she slipped the small catch in the center, the foot long bar rapidly shooting out to a good 5 feet in length, and she settled it to match her stance with a practiced motion, gloved hands gripping the staff. The fox girl quickly slipped into her fighter mindset, ears perked, tail making minor balance adjustments constantly, and her eyes watching for the first sign of attack from her opponent. She focused her thoughts on her hands as she waited, calling the power she easily wielded.

If he didn’t immediately attack, she’d slowly close the distance between them, taking careful steps. Despite her intense, aware look, her mouth was quirked up in a sly grin, clearly enjoying herself already.

(Flame Claws: Pre-Post)

Robyn eyed her opponent warily as he took a step, her muscles tensing. Her tail lashed in anticipation, gaze narrowed and smile confident. She hoped he would underestimate her. It was more fun when they weren’t careful. When he lunged, she was a bit surprised, but only on the fact that that was the action he had taken. The move was too obvious to have been taken off guard by, the man’s arms reaching out for her...staff? His hands were open, reaching, rather than balled into fists, or straightened for palm strikes or knife hands.

Pure reaction, pure muscle memory, her right foot slid back, pulling the right side of her body with it. Her right hand raised and her left pushed forward, turning the staff completely vertical before twisting on a different axis, the weapon moving back to a horizontal position. However, there’d be something in the way of one end...the junction between Commander Hath’s legs.

Blocked or not, in the time it took her to maneuver the attack, her hands would suddenly burst into flame, a flickering coat of fire that would spread from the limbs and rush to cover the entirety of the staff in a crimson aura.

(Flame Claws: Active (Staff): 1 turn (20% energy))

“Dirty tricks” were a matter of perspective. Robyn wouldn’t kick someone who was down, but she would take advantage of every open shot she could in order to stop someone attacking her. Unlike him, apparently, the fox girl didn’t equate fighting tactics with personal feelings or attitude; she held no dislike for the man. His leg moved to catch the staff, causing the weapon to rebound with a painful “smack”. It wouldn’t have been pressed long enough against him to actually cause a burn from that, it would have been more like someone quickly slapping their hand against a heated sidewalk. However, her powers had grown the last couple of years, and while previously, that would have been the end of it, this time, the flames would stick to his pants, spreading as much as a normal small fire would. Easily put out with a couple of quick hits, if one were to take the time and attention to do so.

Robyn wouldn’t give him that time. The rebound of hitting his leg meant the staff didn’t go too deep into that horizontal angle, and she was able to quickly use that movement to swing the right side of the flaming weapon back up, the left crossing back over her forward left leg into her dead side. This brought the upper part back up at a slight diagonal, aiming to block his hammer strike at her head.

All through this, she had the fierce grin of competition on her face, her bared fangs and bright eyes practically screaming to anyone who thought to look: “Bring it ON!”

(Flame Claws: Active (Staff): 2 turns: Energy 40%))

Robyn grit her teeth as the smack of his arm on her staff caused it to reverberate in her hands, leather squeaking as it gripped the metal. Her eyes furrowed when the man actually “grabbed” the burning weapon, wondering if he was willing to deal with the pain, or had some resistance she didn’t know about. He didn’t seem to be reacting to it at all...

He tugged on the staff, forcing her right side to twist forward, and she used the momentum to bring her right leg off the ground in a swift knee thrust to his abdomen. Her left side twisted back in the same motion to compensate, lessening the impact his punch would have, although it sent her reeling all the same. She stumbled back, her tail probably the only thing that prevented her from falling over as the fox girl hopped on her left leg until her right was able to come back down from the strike.

The side of her face was throbbing, and she worked her jaw to loosen the muscle as she stared at him, shoving the pain to the back of her mind. Still in close proximity, he would likely see the light swirls of glowing red starting to drift through her irises; looking for all the world like a lava lamp.

With a nudge of her will, the flames flickered out across her staff and hands, remnant trails of smoke curling through the air. The guy wasn’t half bad at hand to hand, denying her her superior reach, so she’d have to keep on the defensive, waiting for opportune moments to strike.

Sadly, Robyn was not one for remaining still. Her biggest advantages, aside from maybe her reach, were her speed and acrobatic ability. She didn’t really “grapple” well, even if she did have more strength than your average human. So when Hath stepped forward, she tensed, crouching a couple inches into her stance, her hands flexing their grip on her staff. She would have clenched her teeth, but that caused a lance of pain to strike through her jaw, so she settled for a loose grin.

The fox girl saw her opponent tense to launch an attack, and her already prepared body sprung into action, pushing herself up and forward with a slight spin to her jump. Ears flat, tail waving, she would soar over Hath’s head, clearing him by a good two feet. Her spin had her nearly backward now to how she had taken off, facing her opponent’s back, and she pulled her left arm down, sweeping the lower part of the staff straight at the right side of the man’s neck.

If it hit, the movement would push her landing more to the side, the staff giving her leverage to maneuver in midair. Otherwise, her feet would hit the stone floor about 5 feet behind him, possibly more, depending on how far he’d gotten with his charge towards her.