Ring of Fire (Safiya vs Lewis)

At this point, Safiya needed a vacation. And she probably wasn't going to get one anytime soon.

Before the cult, she was feared, spoken of in hushed whispers. A red streak in the night that robbed your valuables and left you as an unwitting pawn for her next. It was the good life...until she got caught. By the covenant, no less! She'd given it her all, but that woman, with that massive sword...she was too much for her. It was a choice between being put to the guillotine, or taking the offer to join them instead, as punishment. She preferred living, at the very least, so what was a life of servitude to a higher power if it meant she didn't have it end right away?

She didn't expect to be so limited, though. Every action she made reflected onto the covenant, and although she wasn't a massive fan of the goddess, she tolerated it and did what she was told. She couldn't just add more pets like she used to, and she had to be more...reserved. She hated it, but she was alive. And right now she was under the care of Ava. Yet again. The two were paired together often, at this point. The little brat affected people, and knew the right things to say. She could swear she was at least 80 from the way she acted, but nope, not even 20.

"So what are we even doing today, Ava...?" She didn't have a lot of enthusiasm in her voice.

"Nothing you'll likely enjoy, I assure you." Safiya let out a groan, which cause a little smile on Ava's face. "Merely checking on a few projects that some of the lessers are getting into. At best, you'll maybe be able to put someone under if they misbehave. Maybe." She chuckled like an old lady as she said it. The pair turned heads as they went about their business. The features were distinctive, and anyone that was nearby knew who they were based on those features alone. Was it strength that made people wary? Midara tricks? Or just fear of the unknown? In reality, it was something of a mix of all three.

"Hrmm..."

A young man stood in the middle of the path, looking around. His features were obscured by a white hood, aside from a few strands of black hair. His hands looked to be heavily wrapped.

He had been training, for quite a bit of time. His supplies were starting to dwindle slightly, and that just wouldn't do...Though he had to admit, it was getting rather frustrating. The path to improving one's self was...quite expensive, it felt like.

As he looked about, his gaze locked upon the new women walking around...Maybe they could help? He was unsure, but he found himself watching them walk...before trying to turn his head away.

It was normal for them to get stares, as they went about mundane things. Ava was used to it, the lesser folk needed something to do. But Safiya was not quite there yet. She was a midara at heart, normally she would be used to it! But her previous experience made her rusty.

"What in the world is your problem Safiya? Stop fidgeting so much!" She reached up and slapped her hands, stopping the action.

"I can't help it! Everyone's giving me weird looks..."

"And they will continue to do so. The sooner you get used to people looking at you with a mixture of awe, fear and curiosity, the more content in your form you will be." With that, she turned back around, her tail swishing behind her as she walked. Truly there was an air of unflinching confidence in the girl, her own gaze looking upon those around her with disdain and a sneer. However, that wasn't nearly enough for Safiya.

All at once, her body erupted in flames from both of her hands, as her wings unfolded in an intimidating form. "Does anyone have anything they want to say?!?" The crowd cleared out rather quickly from that. It was a show of force, and the humans and midara around them that were staring rapidly cleared out after seeing it. The Grimleal were figures to be respected, if only for their power. Ava only shook her head at the display, though. The girl had a long way to go.

"......" Lewis didn't say anything, though his eyes widened slightly. A sense of power seemed to emanate from them, and where some would run, the fighter felt his blood pump, his pulse rising. He didn't know what they had been talking about, but he could feel that itch. The sight of a powerful opponent.

Slowly, he began to walk through the running crowd, shifting his body ever so slightly as folks ran away. His body shifting slightly, attempting to dodge those running. Right now, he had only one goal in mind...

A new challenger...was approaching.

As the crowd started to disperse in a light panic, Safiya's form slouched back down a bit, her wings folding back behind her back and the flames in her hands putting themselves out. Her bluff had worked in her favor, at least. Finally, she had some moments to relax.

"Are you done rampaging about like a child?" There was a touch of venom in her voice as she spoke to her, even if she had a small smirk on her face.

"I just needed them to give me a break! I can't help it if they're afraid of me...isn't that what you told me?" She met Ava's gaze back with just as much oomph in her voice, the two locking gaze despite the size difference. "Besides, it's only natural. They should know that we're better..." As Safiya was swelling with her own self-pride, the figure weaving through the crowds didn't escape Ava's notice, a smell different from the fear that came from the rest. She backed up a step, wanting to see where this went.

"You should be careful, Safiya. You never know when someone will strike back..." The smile on her face went from playful to sinister, willing to just let this play out. Safiya completely missed it, too caught up on her own fumes to notice.

As the crowds thinned out, the figure stopped, staring intently at these two. His gaze flicked down to the smaller of the two, before returning to the taller one. With a grunt, the male removed his hood. Brown, short hair fell from it, brown eyes taking in the sights from beneath an unflinching expression.

"....You're causing a scene." Slowly, he turned his head around, taking in the retreating forms, before returning to the people of interest. By his side, his hands clenched and unclenched slightly.

The voice was enough to rip Safiya out of her momentary reverie. Someone hadn't fled, huh? Safiya stood about a head taller than him, but his gaze was sharp, and trained. While Safiya might not recognize it, Ava would: a trained look, toned figure, and the way he carried himself. A step above the rabble, at the very least. How much of a step up was out of her view, however.

Something like this wasn't enough to stuff her good mood, though, as she leaned forward to look the man in the eye. "And what are you gonna do about it, hmm~?" Now, Ava could jump in at this point to stop her from antagonizing someone that was clearly not backing down, but...the alternative was too funny to think about to think about stopping it. No, she was going to sit back and watch this play out...she'd get much more out of that, then playing some protective parent for a young pup like her.

A small smile tugged at the fighter's face, before he took a stance. Shifting his body to the side, his right foot pointing outward towards the new person. His left fist pulled closed to his body, his right fist pointing out towards her. Slowly, steadily, he began to bounce back and forth.

"Simple...If you're not going to stop, I'll make you stop. Kinda curious where this power of your came from..."

He certainly had some footwork, Safiya could observe that, as he moved back and forth in a strange motion. Looked downright alien to her, at least. She'd never seen someone move like that...well, intentionally at least. Still, it wasn't enough to dampen what she had going, as she let out a low chuckle. "Aww, that's adorable..." She covered the chuckle with the back of her mouth, showing a sign of indifference to it.

Ava continued to let things play out from the side, perfectly content to watch it break down. She hadn't seen anyone get hit in about a week. That's about long enough for her.

"So what is this...dance routine of yours? Are you trying to appease me to get me to stop? How cute..." She wasn't taking him seriously at all.

Hrmm...She wasn't taking him seriously. She seemed to find him more amusing than anything....

Strike 1.

With a grunt, he darted forward towards her, throwing a swift punch. Time to sus out what she was capable of. His right hand swung out, darting towards her midsection. There was no change in his expression, aside from a more focused look to his eyes.

(Jab.)

The speed he was moving was almost blinding, catching Safiya completely off guard. Before she had time to react, his fist collided with her abdomen, pushing her back a surprising distance, causing her entire body to topple over with a panicked shout.

Ava clapped and giggled like a child at the display. Finally, some excitement in the day to day work! "Hit her again!"

"Who's side are you on?!?" Safiya slowly pulled herself upwards, holding the side she was punched. It was a little sore still, but nothing she couldn't handle.

"The one that I get the most fun out of!" She turned her attention to the boy. "Hey, make sure to sock her good! She's earned it!"

Safiya only groaned as she shakily got to her feet, needing a moment to keep her balance after that. "Oh, I'm going to do so many things to you after that..."

(Jab: Auto)

Lewis: 30
Safiya: 28

"...Hmph."

Their words meant nothing to him. Right now, he was focused more on pressing the advantage. Right now, it seemed to be speed. If he could just press the advantage, this would be a lot easier. Get as big a gap between them as possible, in terms of stamina.

With that plan, he charged in once more, throwing a vicious punch. This time, with a bit more spin. Pressing the advantage was pivotal.

(Hook)

Safiya was still recovering from the last one as another fierce blow crashed into her side, sending her spiraling once again in the opposite direction, whizzing by Ava. The little girl found the display positively enjoyable to an incredible degree. Maybe this is what Safiya needed, just a little sense knocked into her. Her newfound powers didn't make her invulnerable, even if she wanted to see it that way.

As she pulled herself up once again, her fist slammed angerly into the ground as she did, showing she was getting more and more upset at him. This was different from quite a few that threw themselves at her. Deep down, they all wanted what she was offering, even if they didn't want to admit it at first. He didn't seem to have any of that, though...if anything, it reminded Safiya of her, and that sent a chill down her spine. That just meant she needed to give this more attention than she was. Her body had started to warm up after the first hit, and his fist was a little red after that second punch, her body having reacted to the first one enough for him to feel a slight pinprick on contact.

(Hook: 100)
(Superheated damage: 14)
(Superheated stacks: 7)

Lewis: 29
Safiya: 26 + Stunned

Raising his hand slightly, Lewis looked at it. It didn't hurt much..but there was a bit of heat to it. Clenching and unclenching a few times, he tried to shove it to the back of his mind. But he was making her upset....That was good. Anger meant one was prone to making mistakes. They were easier to read.

Strike 2....

Hopping a few times once more, the boxer took a small hop back, before charging forward. It was risky, but he needed to do some damage, and keep up the pace...!

(Gazelle Punch.)

As the man rushed forward with a strong blow, Safiya was deceptively more ready for this one as she once again pulled herself to her feet. He lunged forward, going for a strong blow to keep up his momentum...and in a single curving motion, her body circled out of the way, with his arm sliding against her side. Before he could pull his arm back, Safiya grabbed it with her left arm and pull him close to her, and into her body, where she trapped him into a tight kiss.

For a moment, she kept it going, slow and sensual, as an unusual heat went through him. She wanted him to savor it, before she broke it herself with a pop as it was her turn to flit back a little bit with each step, moving just as fast as he was effortlessly. She was warmed up now, and despite the disappointed "Aww..." coming from Ava on the back, she was ready to give him a real fight.

"Better than most, I'll give you that." The look on her face was downright smug, even after the first few go arounds. If anything, she hadn't lost her confidence.

(Gazelle Strike: 19)
(Flaming Kiss: 10)
(Heated Stacks: 2, 73)

Lewis: 28 (1st Heated)
Safiya: 26

The problem with this attack was momentum. The attack was powered primarily by transferring all of one's momentum and speed into a powerful strike. But it came at the cost of not really being able to slow down or stop. Which was why it being dodged was not surprising.

What was surprising was the counter-attack. Lewis was not expecting to be kissed, of all things.

"Mmph?!" It felt...nice at first. Warm. As if one was wrapped in a blanket by a fireplace...But eventually she pulled away, and at the popping sound, he recoiled as if struck, snapping out of his daze. "What in the....?"

At her words, he wiped his mouth, looking at her. "To give my all in a fight. To do any less would be an insult..." And with that, he charged once more, swinging his fist downwards towards the top of her head.

(Smash.)

That one little act was enough to show a few things to Safiya, who was making her way back from the backfoot now. Some people welcomed the feeling, but he felt like it was the first time he'd ever felt it before. A strange reaction, to be sure, but it gave her ammo.

"You act like you've never fought a Midara, before. That's adorable!" Her head leaned its way cleanly out of his dropped fist, gently grazed her hand down his arm. More of that warm sensation traveled down it into him, just from contact.

"Well, let me make this easy to understand then...we like to make people feel good~ This is how I fight, and it's making sure I respond to a good fight in response~" Ava let out a groan from the back. He was doing so well at first. Distinctly less hitting people than she wanted.

(Smash: 83)
(Heated Touch: 74)
(Charm Roll: 68)

Lewis: 26 (2nd Heated + Charmed)
Safiya: 26

A shudder ran through the fighter's body. Some might say it was due to being drawn in by her charms, and part of that might be true. But another one was....excitement? Concern?

He had never fought a Midara before. Most of his skills hadn't even really seen live combat practice aside from various punks. But it was a good thing she had said that....

"Well..you just made this slightly easier. Thank you."

Slamming his foot down, he swung his fist directly towards her chest. For a brief moment, one could see a soft purple glow form on his fist....

(Heartbreak Shot. Time to break this bad boy in!)

Safiya couldn't flit her way out of the attack this time, as she took the brunt of it just under her chest, pushing her back some. As it connected, it felt like something was left...inside of her? Like how she did to others, but in reverse? It was hard to put into words.

"What the hell...?" She was having trouble pulling herself back up after that, feeling...strange. That also caught Ava's attention, who went from boredom to curiosity fairly quickly. If he could do things like that, maybe he was a bit more than the bog standard human.

The act only made Safiya upset, though. "What the hell did you do?!?" Furious, she traced flames through the air as she grabbed hold of the end and cracked it like a whip in his direction, loud enough to make a sound and lightly grazing his skin, but the sensations that it caused, namely the streak of heat that went through him and the loud noise right in his ear, would affect him more than any pain. It felt unhindered by whatever he had done, at least, so it was a start.

(Heartbreak Shot: 62)
(Superheated Damage: 49)
(Whip Burn: 36)
(Heated Stack: 93)
(Stun: 4)
(Remove Charm: 61)

Lewis: 26 (2nd Heated + Charmed + Stunned)
Safiya: 23 (Heartbroken)

"Ghk....!"

The attack had been a success. But at a cost. She seemed a lot angrier, and now he could scarcely move. A voice, soft in his ears, was telling him that she just wanted to make him feel good. Why resist her...? He shook his head, clearing his mind. "I've heard of the Midara. Capable of making folks putty in their hands. So I did what any fighter would do against a difficult opponent. I adapted."

As she cracked her whip, and the heat coursed through him, he tried to get himself composed. He was doing alright...but he couldn't let his guard down.

(Turn pass due to Stun.)

The look on her face was one of anger, as she dissipated the flames in her hand. The whip crack had momentarily stunned him physically, and she needed to work out this sickly feeling in her. The furious look on her face was enough to cause a crying child, as she approached him and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at her.

"You developed something for an opponent you've never actually fought? That's so cute...but I've got something for that..." She leaned in to whisper into his ear. "I'm much more than any Midara, now."

(Burning Heart: 41)
(Charm Remove: 19)

Lewis: 26 (2nd Heated + Charmed)
Safiya: 23 (Heartbroken)

If she was expecting him to cower, to fall to his knees and beg for her forgiveness, she was sorely mistaken. Even now, she seemed to be underestimating him.

Strike Three....

"And if you think I'm some normal fighter....You havent seen anything yet. Shame I have to use this...but I'm going to play a little dirty now." With that, he began to press the attack. He'd apologize later... But for now, he had a foot to stomp on, some punches to deliver, and a headbutt.

She messed with the bulls? She'd get the Horns.

(Dirty Bull.)

The flurry of hits was enough to catch her off guard, first coming a strong stop to her foot, the second with the fists across the sides of her face, and the final being a strong headbutt, all in the span of a moment or two. Stronger than any human she'd ever gone up against, that was for sure. Although she didn't have much thoughts in her head to think that after the storm she'd just weathered.

The headbutt sent her staggering backwards, barely standing up. Lewis's forehead was still red from the impact, similar to how his hand had felt, but more intense. Like the contact had sent something through him that kept his insides warm.

Ava let out a wolf whistle at the display. "Not bad, human! Not bad at all! Keep it up, she's still standing!"

"SHUT...IT..." She could barely stand after that last blow, but she was conscious enough to try and silence her heckler. It only spurred her on though, sadly.

(Dirty Bull: 82, 62, 98)
(Floor chance: 82 - Miss)
(Disadvantage chance: 24 - Success)
(Charm Remove: 68)
(Superheated Damage: 88)
(Superheated Stacks: 2)

Lewis: 25 (2nd Heated)
Safiya: 20 (Heartbroken + Stunned + Next Attack at Disadvantage)

Lewis let out a grunt, shaking his head from the impact. "You know...It's funny. Everyone seems to underestimate me because I don't wield a sword, or an axe. Nobody will take someone seriously who just fights with their hands....But let me let you in on a secret..."

He began to advance, his expression shifting to minor annoyance slightly. "Swords break...Axes rust. Bowstrings break and guns jam. But a well honed body? Can be on par, or even exceed, any weapon. So with that in mind..Let me show you just how strong my training's made me, as this regular human takes you down."

With a grunt, he threw out a punch, trying to press his advantage. His hand twisting ever so slightly as he did.

(Corkscrew Blow.)

Safiya looked as though she was still recovering from that last blow, her head spinning a bit. He was a bit tougher than most of the others, that was for sure. More and more, she was getting flashbacks to that woman, even now. They both had that degree of determination to them. She had a resentment to that woman, and she was starting to get it for him, too...

The flash of anger she got from her was enough to bring her back to her senses, right before the blow, and curve her body around it, dragging her hand across his outstretched arm as it quickly snaked down his arm to grab his nether regions before he could even pull it back, her touch warm on contact. Her face had a mixture of excitement and anger painted on it, fully giving herself over to the fight.

"I don't look down on you because you don't have a weapon! I don't care about that! I give you crap because you're just human! And right now, I am so much more than even Midara!" There was at least some truth to that, fueled by her frustration and the slight headache his blows had left, as if felt like her own internal heat was burning off what he had caused her to feel earlier. At the very least, she was motivated right about now.

(Corkscrew Blow: 71)
(Heated Touch: 48 78)
(Heated Stack: 14)
(Charmed Roll: 50 64)

Lewis: 23 (3rd Heated + Charmed)
Safiya: 20