Scene #7979: The Resort is Ready to Rumble

Owner	Pose
Kirishima	<X-Paladins-Chatter> [4] Kale Hearthward says, "They also said something about boats being 'a hole in the water you pour money into' but I should be fine because this isn't on water." Even if Kirishima knows she isn't strictly a battleship or even shaped like a boat anymore, something about that just rubbed her the wrong way. Could she have gotten a little less heated over it? Yes. Should she? Probably. Will she? No. It's been far too long since she's accomplished anything, so there's that lingering feeling of uselessness hitting her in the back of the head. After hearing so much about the goings on at Secundus, though, the idea of making her own mark there is too good to pass. Thus, she arrives at... A resort. One that's bordering a whole host of potential battlefields, though, so there might be something she can work with here. She just needs to start gathering the staff and making sure they're fighting fit should the worst come to pass! Then nobody can call this boat useless. It's a perfect plan.
Kale Hearthward	The staff are thin, kinda nerdy and geeky, and generally the sort that would fall into a nonexistent cult. Notably, there isn't a cult here, by the way. They've all got daggers (essential for resort tasks such as skewering olives for drinks) and know how to use them, but that's about it. To their credit, they're good at following orders - almost as if everyone who came to work here did so because some dark presence told them to in their dreams. Not that there is a dark presense, etc etc etc etc etc etc. About an hour into whatever training exercises Kirishima sets up, Kale appears, watching from a distance. "Hey Kirishima," he says, as if he hadn't just implied boats are useless. "What are you up to?"
Kirishima	"Not like that. Like this!" Kirishima is, if nothing else, a surprisingly patient instructor. She shows the local staff proper form in not only throwing punches, but maintaining a strong core to aid in keeping their footwork on point as well as showing them exercises to build up their physique. In another time... That's neither here nor there. She purses her lips slightly as she hears Kale approaching, turning to face him with a polite, if still somewhat irritated smile. "Ah, Lord Kale. It's good to meet you again. I've been spending some time preparing your staff for what could be an imminent attack on your territory." She still has the ninja-y headband and weird horns on the top of her head, but she's since traded out the ninja-costume for something more workout/gym-appropriate: A tank top and boxing shorts. She hasn't required that of the staff, but she's certainly encouraged it. "Care t o join us? You never know when you might not have room to fly and need to rely only on your feet."
Kale Hearthward	"Well I appreciate it, to be sure..." Kale's phone buzzes. He glances at it. "Well! It turns out the attack really is imminent. Staren decided to escalate." In response to Kale deciding to push further at her, and probably in self defense, but. "... And I shouldn't have to worry about never being able to fly, but some practice never hurt." He's entirely unaware of Kirishima's simmering anger. He doesn't have the mirror neurons for that. "Whatcha got?"
Kirishima	"I'm not surprised. You two sounds like you have a lot of words for each other." Kirishima replies as she picks up a spare set of boxing gear, squinting at Kale after a moment as she realizes some potential limitations there. "Do you have hollow bones, or...? Ah, use whatever you like." She offers him the gloves anyway just in case he wants to use them, then steps over to the other side of the impromptu boxing ring marked only by a couple of beach umbrellas. "I won't keep you here too long, if you need to prepare for all that. Let's say... Five rounds? To see if either of us can be overcome in that time." She suggests with just a hint of confident anticipation, glancing sideways briefly to make sure her glasses are safely away from the ring before settling into a defensive stance. "I've been meaning to have a match with you since I joined, anyway. See how I stack up against one of the four." She still hasn't forgotten about that, either.
Kale Hearthward	Kale gets a set of gloves fitted for himself. "I'm not made out of glass," he says as he gets laced up. "And - one of the four? I'm not sure I follow. The four winds? I didn't think anyone but me really cared all that much about that title."
Kirishima	"Oh, no, I don't expect you to be that fragile. But... I mean, you're a... Never mind." Shaking her head, Kirishima narrows her eyes slightly as Kale reveals that he might not actually remember that whole deal of being part of 'the four'. "Back when I joined. You were trying to prove yourself to Lilian, and..." This could be a good opportunity. If he doesn't remember it, that means the spot is open, right? "Ah, don't worry about it. Let's just focus on our match, shall we? Now, if you're ready..." She waits a few moments longer before lurching forwards, letting her weight carry her low to the ground before rushing at Kale with the speed a ninja would actually be known for. "Let's begin!" Kirishima kicks things off with a quick jab towards the gut followed be another aimed up towards his face. They're both light strikes, as if aimed at teasing out Kale's defenses.
Kale Hearthward	"Wait, one of Lilian's-" He brings his gloves up, not quite in time, and gets jabbed solidly in the gut. "Guh..." He shakes his head, and refocuses - both on the fight, and on Kirishima's words. "I - that can't be what you're refering to. Being one of Rook's 'four', that's - hardly something to aspire to!" He waits for Kirishima's next attack - and attempts to quickly fade back and deliver a ringing blow to her!
Kirishima	"Why not? Don't tell me you've forgotten already." Kirishima sounds incredulous about that. She probably took it entirely seriously way back when. "It may not sound like much once you've reached that stage, but... Every journey begins with a single step, and I've dawdled long enough!" Kale takes a swing back at Kirishima, and her arm just manages to glance against it before he nails her dead on. She clearly seems ready to take these hits, though, as she sticks close to Kale to start peppering him with more jabs, even throwing a body-blow in to mix things up. "Besides... Would you be content with not being named one of the Four Somethings? That's every aspiring warrior's dream!"
Kale Hearthward	Kale fades back again - not fast enough. He gets winged, pun intended. "I- was part of the four somethings! I mean - the Gale Empire's Four Winds Regalia!" "Like - where do you think I get the whole East Wind thing from! I didn't just make it up!" He acts as if he's going to fade back - but pivots and surges forward instead, utilizing some tricky footwork. "EAST WIND SUCKERPUNCH!"
Kirishima	"That's exactly what I mean! You've already got two Four titles under your belt!" Kirishima snaps back as she sways back once to try and throw off Kale's aim as he too starts to move back. She's not expecting him to be that fast on his feet, though, and his suckerpunch nails her right in the face with enough force to send her skidding back across the ring! She hasn't gone past the posts/beach umbrellas, though, catching her foot on the ground in front of her to arrest her backwards movement with a fierce grunt. "That's more like it... That's what I was expecting from you!" Despite the bloody nose and visible unsteadiness, Kirishima still has it together enough to punch her gloves together and start approaching Kale again, albeit at a relatively leisurely pace for someone that's boxing. "I need to see... Just how well my techniques stack up to someone with two illustrious titles already!" Once again, Kirishima dashes in low and fast, throwing alternating hooks at Kale's kidneys (assuming they're in the same place as a human's) with each fist to try and force him to move before stepping in once more with a wider punch at his jaw. Beak? She's not an expert on bird anatomy.
Kale Hearthward	Beak is the right word. Kirishima has that spot on. "GHH!" Also spot on: her combo, taking him by surprise and making him stagger back with the last hit. He's briefly entirely on the defense, but it appears that he's recovering quickly. "... It's about to be three, if the expedition keeps going the way I want it to," he says, staying on the defense, and keeping some space between him and Kirishima for a moment. "Though - I still don't know how much stock you want to put in Rook's titles, but - you want to see how well someone who's earned them stacks up to you, huh..." He finds a rhythm. Step, step, step, step. Bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce. 4/4 time. Quick movements. Step -- step -- Step -- step. Step -- step -- Step -- step. And then after a few seconds of careful circling - all of a sudden, it changes - he rushes in, not moving at 4/4, but a lot faster, making quick sudden moves! StepstepStepstepStepstepStepstep StepstepStepstepStepstepStepPUNCH!
Kirishima	"It's not about the titles themselves. It's about... Earning them. About being worthy of a title in the first place." Kirishima explains, starting to juke and jive around to try and keep step with Kale. She doesn't have that same level of speed, so all she can really rely on is an unnaturally high level of boxing experience. Weirdly enough, though, music and rhythm are not things she's particularly good at. There's definitely a pattern she can see at first, but once Kale starts speeding up, it takes all of her effort just to try and block half of those shots. She takes one in the arm, and another finds her side. One deflected with her hand, and another comes right back into her face. "Hn... That's right. I need to know. If I can't catch up yet, I still need to make sure I can stay in the same ring long enough!" She can already tell that trying to outright beat Kale in a straight match isn't going to work at this level. Kirishima did mention five rounds, though, and that's exactly what she's aiming for. Instead of risking it all for another heavy combo at Kale's kidneys or beak, she starts going back to the jabs. She's snapping her hands out at whatever's exposed, trying to throw his balance off, to keep him moving without letting up for a chance to breathe. "But I'm surprised...! Have you ever done this before?"
Kale Hearthward	"- Earning them, got it," says Kale, who didn't so much earn his first title as he got set up for it. Best not to bring that up. He ducks, and dodges, and whether it's due to a mis-step on his part, or Kirishima seeing an opening, he ends up dodging right into the path of a punch- " " he says, or maybe doesn't say, as all the wind rushes out of his body at once and he staggers back again, breathing heavily. "... Never did boxing before," he says, as he manages to once again recover, and brings his gloves back up - staying back on the defensive again. "But - it's all the same, in the end, isn't it? Dodges, feints, trying to think one step ahead, and doing something-" He's backed up to the 'corner' of the ring now, and he breaks into motion - not at Kirishima, but past her, at an angle - at a curve, landing with his feet turned to the side- And attempting to drift on the sand, at least a little bit, using his high speed and low weight to come in at an unexpected angle and get under her guard for one good punch!
Kirishima	"Never? Impressive... Just what I'd expect with someone in line for a third title!" Kirishima actually lets out an impressed noise at that, finally managing to ward off her earlier irritation towards Kale through a combination of adrenaline and the satisfaction of landing a couple of hits on him already. Not necessarily great hits, but hits nonetheless. "There's certainly similarities to it all... But it's just as much of a combat skill as it is a fitness regimen. I see too many people that neglect the basics in favor of fancy magic and expensive technology, and far too many tools left to..." This isn't the time and place for that. She takes a moment to clear her mind, then stances up again as Kale starts... Drifting? Kirishima has no idea what she's looking at. The best she can manage is to try and weave around his strikes, but the speed difference is still way too high for her to overcome through that alone. Once again, she digs in, clenching her body for the hit and bracing her arms against her sides in preparation for a quick shift from her kidneys to her face. And then he rams it into her gut instead. Kirishima makes an unpleasant horking noise, but thankfully without anything else coming out of her face at that. "Wuh... One more. One more!" Still keeping that goal in sight, Kirishima widens her stance as she keeps Kale in her sights while he's still in range. She feints towards his side with a quick snap of her arm before hopping forwards, then throws another snap jab at his face. She follows that up with a hook to the face, another jab to the face, switching things up with an uppercut to the face, and going on like that for what must be upwards of a dozen punches of varying angles aimed squarely at the face. Most boxers would never use such a predictable technique. Other boxers know that nobody would ever expect such an unpredictable technique!
Kale Hearthward	"One more!" calls Kale in response. "That's the goal here, right? Last to five rounds?" Kale goes for a followup - but Kirishima's on the offensive. He blocks, and dodges, and fades - and it's all he can do to keep it up. He can't find a space to counterattack without getting hit harder, and Kirishima's wearing him down a bit at a time with her assault. He's not a trained boxer - if there's some defense or counter to this sort of continuous assault he doesn't know it. "... Hff!" There's nothing for it. After the next punch comes in, he drops his guard, steels himself, and steps forward and swings, trying to deliver a wild haymaker straight for her gut - there's no time for fancy moves now, with the timer licking at his heels just as much as Kirishima is wearing him down from the head. "STAY STANDING!" he yells at her, with equal force to how hard he's trying to bring her down!
Kirishima	"That's right! Kirishima shouts back to Kale as she stumbles back slightly from that flurry of punches, trying to find her footing again in that sand while pulling everything together to prepare for everything Kale can throw at her. "I know my limitations.. I know I don't have the power to cast down our foes and smite evil in the name of justice like you, Dame Rook, Lord Ishirou, Lady Strawberry..." She thrusts her hand upwards towards the sky dramatically. "But! If I can't do that, then I will be the wall that protects you all! The bulwark that holds them at bay, so none shall pass as you fulfill your duties! I will follow in the footsteps of Grandmaster Fairfax, taking on all foes and stopping them in their tracks as only a true ninja would!" Kirishima stomps once, then holds her hands forward as Kale comes right for her. Instead of bringing her arms together to block it, she takes that blow directly in the gut, clenching both teeth and torso as hard as she can the entire time until the impact runs through her body and sends her sliding backwards again. Kirishima's still standing afterwards, and she doesn't move a several seconds while her face remains firm and incredibly uncomfortable looking. "W... Well done, Lord Kale. That...I can see why you're in line for a third title now. I-" She holds up a finger, then groans like an old woman might before finally dropping on her ass. Not on her back, at least, but she definitely needs to take a load off after all that. "Hhhh... O-okay. That last one... Hgh. I'm surprised your bones could handle all that."
Kale Hearthward	Kale stops. He breathes heavily. "I told you... not made out of glass. Whew..." He takes a second to gather himself, and then goes to reach down to her, extending a glove. "Most people I fight... go down a lot sooner than this, and you've stayed standing. That's - quite a bulwark."
Kirishima	"But you're..." Kirishima pauses for a moment, then stops herself from saying the potentially racist thing about bird people. "Okay." Taking Kale's assistance, Kirishima gets back up with only a moderate amount of lurching with her gut still feeling everything. She doesn't tip back over, at least! "I can imagine. Your skills definitely feel like their suited for unavoidable blitzes. I think we'd make a pretty good team, if you ever needed someone to draw attention and I needed someone to take the commander's head." She laughs, and then she winces. Laughter hurts, too.
Kale Hearthward	"Whoa - easy..." Kale helps her out of her gloves. "C'mon, there's a pretty good spa here. My treat. I think the staff here are pretty well inspired." "And we'll talk strategy - I definitely could use someone to draw attention, usually I'm the one doing it... And getting my tailfeathers handed to me as a result."