Round One...

[meteor_heart]

Who: Tifa Lockheart and Reno And Cloud And maybe you! (Spectators and all)
When: Mid-afternoon, backdated to the date of Reno's arrival
Where: The Waterfront of Sector 4
Summary: Tifa and Reno had a major spat and now it is time to THROW DOWN!
Warnings: Violence and Language. Maybe spoilers for FF7. Reno.

Comments

[meteor_heart]

"Hnnnh." That was a pain she could have lived without experiencing every again. It was like icey cold wrapped in magma had seeped into her bones and then was forcibly pulled out through her skin. Tifa rocked on her heels at the assault and paled, coughing.

"I thought we were going to fight, but I guess some of us are to precious to throw a punch...let me remind you how it's done." Sand flew up from under her heel as she launched forward, barreling the distance between them to almost nothing in the blink of an eye. Her right fist arced out towards his smug, smiling face...but it was really a feint, to cover up the left-legged kicked that was aiming for his side.

After all, if she hit his face, she might break his glasses. And that's just rude.

[longlivethedon]

He was no stranger to Tifa's speed and strength, though he hadn't quite anticipated this level of dexterity. Alright, he'd admit it, she'd gotten better. He made to block the punch until he noticed something tiny...her eyes flickered to his side for a fraction of a second.

A feint.

There was no time to cast a spell or even get his EMR into his right hand for a better block, simlply a downward block with his right arm would have to do and, he had to admit, even that hurt and caused him to slide a fraction in the sand. But, from where his left hand had tried to block her feint he was able to release his rod and flick the electricity on to make a downward swing as he pushed her leg away. Even if she blocked the hit successfully she'd get shocked.

[meteor_heart]

Tifa couldn't even remember how many shock burns Reno had given her over the course of their battling, but the sound of his EMR humming to life was a sound she knew all too well. Blocking was futile, so it was all about distance.

Rather than resist the push on her leg she let it push her out of position, arcing her back into a hand-stand as the rod narrowly missed the small of her back. A lunge would solve that problem though, so she tucked her legs back down and rolled, coming to one knee a few feet away. "Still fighting with a battery powered sex-toy? Grow up"

[longlivethedon]

"...And people call me immature." he murmured to himself, casting a Haste spell on himself while rolling his eyes.

"Y'know, what you said earlier bout me not throwing a punch...I seem to recall that whenever we fought before the roles were reversed. Pot calling the kettle black, wouldn't you say? Figured I'd actually fight with all my power for once."

He dashed, making another sweeping arc with the EMR towards her. She wouldn't block, just like she'd done before. She'd jump, evade, try and avoid the shock of his rod, but that's exactly what he was expecting, because by avoiding one shock she'd be jumping into one much worse, a Bolt3 spell.

[meteor_heart]

Too fast. That kind of speed wasn't natural, and it made evading his attack nearly impossible. Attacking was her only defense here and she snapped a hard kick out on the other side of the arc of the attack, bracing for the sting of the EMR...that never came.

Cloud was there out of nowhere, steam rising from the blade of his sword and from his sizzled clothes.

"Cloud!" She moved to put both hands on his shoulders, concern for him erasing the anger of moments previous.

[longlivethedon]

...Unexpected turn of events, but hey, Cloud was just as good a substitute for the Lightning spell. Sure, he would rather have shown Tifa some of his affection but Cloud was on his hit list still as well, didn't matter time or place his mission was still to kill him. Hell, he could kill both targets in a flash right here, right now.

So then why hadn't he already?

Cloud was a necessary component for saving the planet, he knew that now, and he would be potentially necessary should the WEAPONS or another threat to humanity show up again in the future. Killing him was a bad move on everyone's part. And Tifa? Well, he was pretty sure if he shot her in the face his head would soon be leaving his body. It was in his best interests for now to defy orders.

He shut off the EMR and slid it back into it's holster before turning and leaving.

[meteor_heart]

"Cloud! Are you alright?" She was a little ticked, him jumping into the middle like that but...it was actually kind of nice to have him protecting her again. Like they'd promised. That Reno would actually have used a Thundaga...she hated being the only one here without her materia, it was a disadvantage that was becoming more pointed with each passing battle.

[meteor_heart]

"It's fine." She took her hands off his shoulders and stepped back, stung by the rebuke. "I'm a big girl, I can handle Reno."

[meteor_heart]

"I'll take a look to see if you've got burns when we get home." She added, falling into step and feeling a little bit like a scolded child. He'd started it; she thought petulantly.