Training Areas -- Spec Ops HQ (open)

[Val - Warning:Contains Sarcasm]

Her arms were getting tired, and it was at times like these that Danee found she respected the fortitude and strength of the other members of the Mandalorian culture for not having the Force to fall back on to guide her movements, strengthen her hits and invigorate her blows. In fact the only reason she was probably able to survive in their culture was probably because of the Force and how it assisted her in survival. Now was not the time for her to be going through her mental ramblings about how her body was weak but because of the Force it was strong, though. Now she should be focusing on breaking through the human's tough defence to actually hit her, and it was becoming more and more difficult to through a following punch with each deflection or block she experienced. In fact, it was becoming almost brutal on her arms to even continue, and just when she thought she could do no more punches she hit the human.

Her eyes had deceived her. The human had dropped, and Danee immediately knew that she was being taken easy on by the Mandalorian. Being pitied, and she hated it, though she couldn't voice her concerns though, despite wanting her arm to pull back to assist her she was already in the air before she could get it in a suitable position, lifted and held off the ground by the strong human. Danee was surprised by this move, and strangely almost enjoyed being held this tightly, but the feeling was soon lost as she forced herself back into the fight just in time to feel herself being slammed down into the mats on the ground with a thud. Her back arched immediately after hitting the ground, and was then pressed in the opposite direction again as Arcane pressed down on her in the prone position, and for the first time in this fight Danee felt she was in the vulnerable defensive position, on the ground and in the weaker position of the two. It made her wonder how she'd even became Captain, and she wondered if her opponent wondered a similar thing.

The ebbs of the Force drew at her, wanting to be used and wanting to be exerted in this fight. The Force wanted her to use it, or she wanted to use it, she couldn't tell. It was like wanting to sneeze but keeping it away, with it threatening to break through whether by itself or some strange subconscious desire. No, though, that couldn't be it. Her resolve was strong and she didn't want to use the Force in this fight. She'd win of her own accord or she would lose and she could find that she wasn't as capable as another opponent without the Force to aid her. An unfortunate and unhappy truth perhaps, but a real one if that were the case. Her leg still stung, her arms still ached, and she could barely move her arms in such a way that would allow her to get to her opponent just yet. At the moment though she was not hurt, just tired and achey and a little sore, and she could manage herself until the human decided how she was going to continue with her advantage. Danee cringed though, expecting something harsh as she brought her arms up defensively and weakly.

[Mara]

They landed with a thud, Ambria briefly happy that they were not fighting in their beskar'gam, though, the landing still wasn't very soft. She had quickly moved her hands out of the way so that they wouldn't be caught under her opponent's back, and she pressed them against the mat, hoping to absorb some of the impact. But all it seemed to do was cause a stinging sensation to move up her arms from her wrists; she had landed harder than expected. Plus, she hadn't caught herself in time, her chest connecting with Xoxin's stomach. Another brief pain.

Quickly, she gathered herself to survey the rest of her surroundings. She was leaning over the other woman, supported by her arms against the mat, her head inches from the other's chest. If this hadn't been a spar between soldiers, and she wasn't Mandalorian, the scene could have been seen as awkward. But for Ambria, it wasn't. It's not as if she hadn't ever been in the position before.

As for opponent, she seemed to be just laying there, her fists up, almost near Ambria's head. But she wasn't attacking, not yet. The Togruta seemed content to just lay there in wait. Ambria didn't know if she was waiting to strike or waiting to defend against one of her attacks. By the look in her eyes, though, the dark-skinned human didn't think she was planning on attacking. There was a look in them... something familiar. It was almost as if... No, she couldn't be scared. She was a Mandalorian, like Ambria herself.

Thinking it could be a trap and not able to do anything more from her current position, Ambria continued with her original thought when she had first grabbed the other woman and brought them to the floor of the mat. She rolled to her side, letting go of the mat with one hand and using that free hand to wrap around her opponent's neck in a headlock. Moving her legs, she knelt on them for better leverage, her other arm also going around the Togruta's neck to complete the move.

[Val - Warning:Contains Sarcasm]

The very brief moment after hitting the mat, after her back had smacked into the hard, barely flexible flooring, she had been aware of Arcane's head position. It was so tempting to have her chest rise a little. To arch her back and breathe in deeply. Maybe to moan a little and not have it all come from the burning sensation down her back. Her sparring partner was gone though, disappearing to her side and bringing her arm around her neck. The fists Danee had been holden faltered for a second and then grabbed around the arm as she was placed into a headlock, feeling the pinch as her neck was squeezed between the human's arms. Squirming as she felt one of her head tails caught between her and the woman, she tried harder to pull away the tight grip, kicking with her legs to try and push herself out from the lock. Clearly the woman didn't know about the sensitive areas, and the Togruta's whining accompanied with "Off... off..." in silent breaths was hardly working.

She tried kicking off the ground once more to no avail, let her hands slip from the arm after plenty of pulling failed to give her the leverage she needed, trying to push her head round to look and see where she could move. Her head refused to turn, and any efforts just brought her head tails around her tighter, and she allowed her hands to feel her way around her opponent. If this were any other time she might have savoured it, but considering the darkening of her eyes and struggling for breath - not even from the headlock itself, but from the grip on the head tails - she was more inclined to find her opponent's stomach. Working her way up from the hips to just above the ribs, then finding the curve of the bottom of the ribs before bringing her elbow back, clenching her eyes shut and forcing her arm towards the stomach of her opponent with all her might.

[Mara]

((Gah! Forgot about the montrals, my bad. Makes for good RP, though. ))


It was true that Ambria hadn't had much experience with other Togruta, though, she had served with various other species in the Mandalorian army. She moved her legs wider apart to keep her leverage on her squirming and kicking opponent, not knowing she was causing real pain to the other woman. Ambria just assumed it was some kind of tactic; cry out in pain so that she would let down her guard and be vulnerable to a strike. This wasn't her first spar, and she had been in plenty where her opponent had tried playing the sympathy card. Ambria was no longer gullible to that type of tactic.

For now Xoxin's kicking legs were staying out of connect with any part of Ambria's body. And the arms didn't seem to be strong enough or have the right angle to do any damage right now, as far as the dark-skinned human could tell. She only had the Togruta in a headlock; she didn't understand why it was so tough for her to get out of it. In previous fights where Ambria had tried the move, the other had been able to slip out of her arms almost immediately. She glanced down at her opponent's face. Was that real pain she saw in her eyes?

Ambria felt something on her legs then, realizing that her opponent was reaching behind her, looking for an in. With herself kneeling the way she was to keep herself anchored to the mat, the human had nowhere else to move. She just had to hope that from the backwards angle the Togruta wouldn't be able to get much power behind whatever move she would try.

However, Ambria had misjudged the position of the other woman and felt an elbow jabbing her right under her ribs into the soft abdomen. She gasped, her arms loosening their grip on her opponent's neck and head, falling backwards a little bit but keeping her balance on her knees.

[Val - Warning:Contains Sarcasm]

She felt the blessed relief of her neck and blood flow returning, bringing her arms shooting up to her head tails and stroking them soothingly, feeling the throbbing and stinging and aching of the several seconds of stranglehold. Her eyes glared painfully at the human, knowing this was a spar, and yet unsure as to how someone could be so openly cruel as to do that in such an artificial setting. She brushed the base of her palm against her cheek, removing any hint of what could have even dared to become a tear, moving to lean back and suddenly remembering the pain of her leg as she dropped backwards a little, her teeth embedding themselves in her lips and allowing her to stifle what would otherwise have been a rather audible sense of displeasure at the tingling sensation of her leg. She didn't know whether she hated the human at the moment or not, wanting to immediately separate the situation's emotions and her true feelings, knowing somewhere in the back of her mind that she respected the tactics but otherwise not feeling like she was being fought with fairly.

Her tongue flicked forwards a little, bringing her sharp teeth to her attention. Biting would certainly be a payback with interest, but she knew what the philosophy was about Togruta and their teeth, not wanting to breed animosity in the ranks between races. Ensuring her lips were pressed to cover the sharp canines, she dropped the idea and considered a new tactic that wouldn't involve teeth, legwork, the Force or risk her getting her head trapped in another excruciatingly painful headlock. She flexed her fingers, feeling the adrenaline surging through them still, but she was getting used to it after the prolonged fight and the energetic effects were beginning to wear off. She growled in discontent, pressing forward a little to make a grab for her opponents waist, wanting to bring her arms around the human and bring her onto her back. Danee wanted the high ground now. The upper hand. She wanted to look down on Arcane and have her feel the pain of a trapped lekku. She wanted to impose the physical pain onto the woman. She did but she didn't... but she did.

[Mara]

As her opponent sat there, obviously recovering, touching her montrals, Ambria took the opportunity to move a little farther from striking range, and to think of her next move, her breathing still a little labored from the jab to her stomach. Still on her knees, she shimmed back a few paces on the sparring mat, her eyes never leaving the Togruta's. She felt the glare aimed at her like it was a blaster bolt, but the human didn't let it bother her, keeping her face hard and neutral. It wouldn't do to lose control now.

Ambria held her arms out a few inches from her sides, partly for balance, partly for preparation for any attack from her opponent. Normally she wouldn't let an attack go without a counterattack of her own, but she had been feeling too winded to fight back right away. And now it was too late, with both of them sizing each other up, waiting to strike. Ambria felt she would have better luck responding and defending, than to just jump on her opponent again, now that she would be expecting a counter.

And came, it did. A move that Ambria wasn't entirely expecting. She was thinking that the Togruta would try a more violent move, and so she was thrown off balance a little when the other woman jumped and made a grab for her. Still kneeling, the whole movement was a bit awkward for the human as the Mandalorian captain simultaneously grabbed her around the waist--payback for doing the same to her earlier? she thought in the back of her head--and pushed her backwards onto the mat.

Ambria grimaced a bit as her lower legs were caught underneath the rest of her body, and she heard a popping sound. Thankfully, though, her arms were still free and she pressed them up against the other's shoulders, trying to push her off or at least jostle her enough that she could release her legs. Well, her right leg. The left didn't have any feeling in it any longer, not below the knee, and if the popping sound she had heard was what she thought it was, her prosthetic was no longer attached to her stub. For now it was still stuck in her snug leggings, and she cursed the fact of it. With the prosthetic sitting in her pantleg, a space of inches from her knee stump, continuing the fight would be more awkward than if it had completely fallen off. Still, she didn't allow any more discomfort to show in her face than what she was feeling from her pinned right leg.

[Val - Warning:Contains Sarcasm]

Danee hesitated, her intentions taking second string as a popping sound crossed into her ears. Her arms snatched around at the human's at the wrists, trying to keep the arms dropped down against her side. There wasn't a natural sound there. It sounded like she'd badly broken something, but the Togruta wasn't sure how to ask. If she had imagined the sound she would probably do the other Mandalorian a disservice by pausing their spar, and she was on the high ground which was an important position. The pause took too long, and Danee shuffled a little, as though preparing for another strike, but she really didn't know what to do at this point. It was a little awkward, if she was fighting properly she wouldn't have gotten into this position most of the time. Either she'd have shot her target or thrown them with the Force. She looked around for some inspiration rather than just punching the human in the face and dropped her gaze a little, moving quickly past the obvious sight-stopping point and glancing at her leg. It looked awkward... enough to warrant that expression on Arcane's face.

Leave it there. Actually, press down harder in it.
Don't be stupid, we show honour for our opponents.[/i]
Hardly believing she'd thought such a bad thought about how to treat her sparring partner, she pressed further against Arcane's left side, letting the right feel the release from her weight a little, turning her concerned gaze back to her face. She dropped the emotional visage to present the more stoic exterior and squarely gazed at her opponent in the eyes.
"Are you OK? I think I heard something break?" She spoke softly, but then there was no need for coarse words and harsh language. "And unless you can think of anything else we can do, I think this would be the point I grabbed my knife and cut your soft, tender neck." She blinked and grimaced a little at the adjectives passing across her thoughts.

[Mara]

Mandalorians never give up.

Ambria couldn't be sure where she had heard those words from the first time, but many of the people in her village back on Mandalore would repeat them: her father, her mother, her brothers, her friends. Despite the phrase being pounded into her whole essence, Ambria was grateful for the brief pause in their spar. Not only did it give her a few extra seconds to decide to respond, it gave her some time to try and get her leg free. It was feeling slightly numb, and although she knew in her heart it wasn't anything serious, the dark-skinned human was a little protective when it came to her limbs after already losing part of one.

Though her opponent had paused, Ambria didn't stop trying to get free, keeping her palms pressed upwards on the other's shoulders, just trying to move her a few centimeters so she could get her leg out of the way. But though she was hesitating, the Togruta wasn't giving even a millimeter of leeway. Ambria set her jaw; there wasn't much else she could do right now. She was pretty much defenseless at the moment, vulnerable to attack, especially to her upper body.

Surprise washed briefly over her face, showing in her emerald eyes, as she felt the pressure lighten by her legs. Not but of them, just the right. Quickly she hid the sudden emotion and replaced it, her face going blank again. Ambria didn't have time to think about why her opponent was exuding more pressure on the leg that had obviously popped--though not a real wound. She was just happy that she now had enough room to unbend the leg and stretch it out full-length. The left would have to remain trapped, which wasn't a bother to her. Yet.

She was shaking the feeling back into her freed right leg when she felt the Togruta's harsh glare. Her face was an arm's length away from her own, with her hands still placed on her shoulders. Ambria wasn't sure whether to answer her or not. It was still a fight, wasn't it? She nodded her head a few times, hoping that her opponent would take it to mean that she was okay. But to alleviate confusion, she added, speaking for the first time since their spar began, "I'm fine," no emotion in her voice. Ambria didn't bother responding to the other comment from her opponent, at least not with words.

With her leg free, she could think of plenty of things to do. She relaxed her arms a bit but still kept her hands pressed to the Togruta's shoulders. Even though one leg was still 'trapped,' she didn't have much strength there. And the strength she could use, would be used more for balance, not attack. And so Ambria swung her leg upwards, shifting her body with her gained mobility and aimed her knee for the left side of the woman crouching over her. Just a few second after the move, she removed her right arm, pulled it back and let it fly towards her opponent's jaw.

Mandalorians never give up.

[Val - Warning:Contains Sarcasm]

The second Arcane's leg was out, Danee dropped back onto an equal balance of both sides, bringing her focus back towards the other Mandalorian's face. The fact that there had been no scream or shout when she had rolled her body to the right concerned her somewhat. She was sure she had heard something weird happen down there, but Arcane was pretty unresponsive to the added pressure, which meant that either she could really control her emotions as far as pain was concerned, or there was something strange that she'd not considered? Maybe her nerves had been blown out or disengaged or something. The fact that her opponent had her arms pressed into her shoulders was a little restrictive of her, and prevented Danee from getting into a headlock to repay her opponent for the headlock from earlier. Her opponent had said she was fine, and that meant the fight would continue. With that in mind, Danee brought her fist up and prepared to offer the human a punch squarely in the face. No insulting a fellow soldier.

At least, that was until she could feel the rush of air moving across next to her, indicating the leg that she had just been kind enough to free was coming towards her again. Her arm would not have time to block or grab, and her entire side tightened quickly all the way along. She suddenly, in that instant, realised that was wrong, and forcibly relaxed again with a deep breath which caught in her throat as the leg contacted with her side viciously. She winced, almost not seeing the retracting of the arm before the fist barreled towards her, her own hands grasping it and forcibly slowing it down. Her eyes refocused onto the fist which was very close to her face by now, her hands gripping a lot tighter than she had imagined herself grabbing the arm. Danee didn't even think in that second that she came close to losing her nose's natural shape. Gasping a little as the rest of the air escaped her lungs and brushed across the human's skin, the Togruta knew just what she was doing next.

She wanted to bring this to an end. If this had been an actual fight she would have won long ago, but as it stood there was simply an endless frustration for her bordering on her knowing she should have finished this long ago, with her also knowing she was likely to lose at this rate because the human was too good at the hand to hand combat. If she could stop Arcane moving then she'd be happy. Her chest tried to press down against the human, with only one arm remaining to fight against it. Danee wanted her legs around the human's legs to stop them kicking against her, and she wanted her arms around the human's back to pin her down onto the floor and stop her moving hers at all. And that is what she tried to do with her arms as quickly as possible around the sides of the sparring partner, not wanting to let on to what she was going to do. She was going to stop Arcane from moving and render her immobile, and hopefully end this duel before they were both too exhausted to fight effectively on Shogun.

[Mara]

She had realized that simply jabbing her opponent with her knee into her side wouldn't be enough and had decided on an uppercut to her jaw as a second attack. Despite the Togruta's gasp when her knee connected with her, Ambria knew that this spar would be far from over. After everything that had already transpired, she felt she had a fair mental opinion of the way the captain fought. She had expected a retaliation, definitely something before her fist could connect with her face.

And there had been a retaliation. With Ambria holding up her up above her with just one hand on a shoulder, her opponent had been free to use both hands to grab her first, stopping it in its tracks. The dark-skinned human felt sure that she wouldn't hold onto her fist for long. Nor did she think she could suspend the Togruta's body above herself with just one arm for much longer. She wrestled with her, trying to separate her hand but to no avail. Ambria readied her right leg again for an attack; it was her only option at the moment, while Xoxin still had more to work with.

Ambria's arm shook a little as the Togruta exerted more pressure on it, trying to lean down further. She tried to hold her ground, knowing that if she lost her grip on the shoulder, her arm would most likely be trapped between the two bodies at an awkward angle. And, unlike last time she had appendages pinned, both of her arms were 100% organic.

She tried to use her other hand to her advantage, trying to push it upwards as well against the two hands closed over it. But there wasn't much she could do. The three conjoined fists were almost resting against her stomach, her other arm bending even further with the increased pressing of the Togruta's weight.

It was because she was focusing on this so much, that she almost didn't react right away when her fist was suddenly let free. So surprised that she lost her grip with her other arm. Immediately her opponent was on top of her, her legs twisted around hers, her arms going to her side, trying to get under her back. Ambria found herself quite trapped; her legs rendered immobile, her arms trapped by her opponent's arms.

Her breath started coming more rapidly. Ambria frantically racked her brain for an attack. She had a vague feeling that she had been in this position before during a spar but couldn't think of how she had gotten out of it. Right now, in her ind, her only remaining tool was her head, and she didn't think she had enough leverage or room to headbutt the Togruta from her current position. Perhaps if she had still had both legs functioning, she might have been able to get a grip and flip the two of them over, gaining the high ground, but with her prosthetic left leg rendered useless, she couldn't. Ambria tried moving her arms but couldn't. She couldn't do anything but stare into her opponent's eyes.

Those brown eyes were--no, blue. The eyes were blue. Blue eyes set in a round face with a mop of dirty blonde hair. Ambria's emerald-green eyes widened, and her breath caught in her throat. It couldn't be! It was impossible that she was fighting him. Impossible... She choked out a sharp cry and squeezed her eyes tight against the visage in front of her, a couple tears making their way past her eyelids. Perhaps he would disappear in a few moments, if only she looked away.

But, no, he was still there, looking down at her when she peeked up above her again. All thoughts of the spar with her compatriot were gone, all memory of the spar. All Ambria could see now was a vision of her dead husband staring down at her, a look on his face that she couldn't quite distinguish, a meshing of love and... pity? She closed her eyes again, but this time his face still assaulted her. More tears streamed down her cheeks, everything in the present time forgotten as she was lost again in her past.

[Val - Warning:Contains Sarcasm]

All that time on Dxun, the time spent fighting against the other Mandalorians, the men and humans who were more muscular than she was, had truly paid off. Or at least it appeared to as she wrestled her opponent into the ground and succeeded in pressing her right leg around her opponent's left first. There was no attempt at fighting back, and the Togruta felt something strange there, though it was a nag at the back of her mind as she consciously struggled with the other leg, trying to force that one under the control of her left one. Finally that too succumbed, her arms now coming around and clasping together behind her opponent. The legs tensed and pressed down. She wanted this fight over, and she wanted Arcane to stop moving so they could evade the possibility of either of them needing a dose of bacta and a night in the medical wards. She drew strength from the air, breathing in and allowing the oxygen to enforce her muscles in their containment of her opponent.

The pin was complete, and her movements mimicked her opponents to the extent that she no longer offered leeway in the movements. A little shaking, but otherwise she tried to keep the human tightly constricted within her grasp. Not how she usually preferred things, but it was an ample strategy in this situation. Using the Force would have been too easy. Ripping out animal hearts required simple willpower. It would be no different if she needed to kill an opponent, and even if it were to be non-lethal she doubted the human would have any sort of counter to her if she were to just attack with the Force both physically and mentally. What can an unarmed woman do when held in mid air? Not a lot, Danee would wager, though she never truly experienced that situation herself and could only speculate the absolute helplessness and vulnerability of it. It sent a shiver down her spine, bringing her eyes back down to her opponent's green ones. They looked... almost pained.

They weren't even almost pained, they actually probably were. Constricted with fear, or hate, the salted tears of a human slipping down her face. Bitter, upset tears that she had tasted before, all humans tasting different but the same. Different from the happy ones, but only in some ways. These were not the happy ones. Although not good with people, Danee knew when someone was hurt or unhappy, and the face before her was a good example. The tears cascaded down the Mandalorian's cheeks, rolling off the side of the face and into the hair and ground. The marks left behind served only as an easier route of access for further torrents of despair and her opponent made no effort to hide it. The Force tugged at her almost painfully, wanting her to feel and fix, even if it was to a degree past her current skill. Even if she didn't want to use the Force at the moment. Moaning a little in discomfort at the situation of not knowing what to do, she tried to distract herself momentarily before that proved to make things worse.

The muscles in her body relaxed, no longer fully focused on pinning her opponent down onto the ground. Now they were just holding, protecting even. Crying was never something Danee was comfortable around, especially not for others, and it took her several seconds to decide just what to do. If she was still on Dxun she would have been more wary of men trying to manipulate, but she wasn't on Dxun at the moment. And Arcane wasn't a man, heck probably wasn't even close to interested. If she thought that was the case, then maybe she'd have been more cautious. At least, that's what she told herself. Told herself until she believed it. Told herself after being strung emotionally by all those others. It was what she was telling herself now, confirming it to herself as she struggled for the words needed to cure Arcane and rid her of her ailment, to soothe her and relax her mind and body. The words she could not find, and replaced by lowering her head slowly, relaxing her cheek against Arcane's and gently touching, feeling the moist skin from the river of tears. Inside, Danee felt like she should cry too.

[Mara]

Her body shuddered, the face in front of her melding into a memory instead. No longer just a face but an entire body clad in bronzed-colored armor. Nothing was concrete, her mind was assaulted with various memories of her time with her husband. With no rhyme or reason, she relived her time spent while he was courting her, the day they had first kissed, their wedding night, their wedding, when she had first played with him as a child. His death. That one memory was one that seemed to come again and again, her green eyes looking down at his lifeless blue ones.

The tears kept coming, and she let them, still lost in her memories, not knowing where her body was in the present. Ten years ago she had lost him and not one time had she allowed herself to mourn him. Ten years of grief came pouring from her soul.

Slowly, she started coming back into her body, gradually realizing where she was, whom she was with. Ambria was aware of something warm against her face, someone laying over top of her. The numbing weight came back to her, and she opened her eyes, seeing the Togruta woman embracing her. The spar--she had broken it. Ambria felt ashamed that she had let herself succumb to the painful memory at that moment, but she also felt briefly thankful that her opponent hadn't taken advantage of the moment to subdue her further.

With Xoxin's body relaxed, half on top of her, half not, Ambria carefully extracted herself from the jumble of limbs and rolled off to the side. Which was a bit awkward, since her prosthetic left leg was still unattached and floating in her leggings. Still laying on the sparring mat, she took a few deep breaths before sitting up. She couldn't look her opponent in the eyes, still feeling guilty for what had happened in the midst of their fight. "I'm... I'm sorry..." she whispered, her head looking down at her folded hands in her lap.

[Val - Warning:Contains Sarcasm]

She should probably not been getting any sort of satisfaction from what they were doing, but just laying wit the other woman there was really nice. It was soothing,m almost magical for her. If magic existed. Only the Force could do things like this, but it wasn't the Force that was making her feel this way. Not that she cared. Or, at least, not that she thought she cared, until Arcane struggled a little, forcing her way out from under the Togruta. It was unexpected to say the least, and just feeling her work her body away was enough for Danee to pull herself away and fall backwards a bit, drawing her legs up to her chest as she sat staring after the human. Was she really that unattractive? The fingers of her hands drew into her knees as she considered it. Could that be it? It shouldn't be should it? But it could be, and she didn't like the thought. They were just so close there. They'd been bonding, of sorts, trusting each other. How could you fight with someone you didn't trust?

"I'm sorry." The words came at her with shocking unexpectedness and Danee paused, caught between wanting to respond instinctively with "It's fine" and give in to her emotions by just ignoring her. What was she apoligising for? Was she saying sorry because she knew how upset Danee was? Was it that obvious? She squeezed her hand harder against her leg. She really wasn't pleased with herself right now. It could even be said that she hated herself for being like this. All messed up just because of one crying human. Not same race, not same rank, never met before today. She exhaled softly into her knees, fighting to find the right words.
"It's fine... really... it can't be helped. I..." She trailed off before she said something she'd end up regretting, or want to take back, and instead denied her the chance to say it, turning the conversation somewhere else. "Is your leg OK?"

She gestured towards the human's leg which was in a lax position as she had scrambled away. It had never actually been flexed and pulled back into its original position and something about it disturbed her. She guessed some sort of implant, but couldn't be sure, instead keeping quiet instead of making guesses about things. If it was broke she could probably heal it within an hour or so if she wanted to. That would require her touching the human again though, and she doubted she'd concentrate after what had just happened. She doubted even that the human would actually let her touch her again - she must have came across as some sort of freak. She bit her lip, working up the energy to stand and failing the first time, making herself rock slightly before attempting again and coming up to her feet, suddenly remembering she could use the Force freely once more to guide and assist her actions, and things became a lot easier for her as far as moving was concerned. She felt half as heavy again, as she walked slowly up to her fellow Mandalorian and offered out a hand to assist her to her feet.

[Mara]

Still looking down at her folded hands, Ambria could feel the silence filling the sparring room like a heavy weight. She still felt awful about what had happened. It hadn't been completely her fault--the vision had been partly involuntary--but still, she felt compelled to apologize for ruining their spar. If she hadn't left things so open ten years ago after his death, Ambria would have put Turin's memory behind her well long before coming to the Special Operations. But now... her superiors could label her as unstable.

Ambria was surprised to hear the Togruta ask her about her leg, enough so that she glanced at it, knowing she had meant the prosthetic one. The leg definitely looked a good six inches longer than her organic one; the other Mandalorian had reason to be worried. She tried to think of the best way to put her at ease.

She glanced over at the other woman a moment before turning back to her own self. Without a word, she reached over and started rolling her legging up on her left leg until her calf was exposed. Then she got a grip on her ankle and pulled, the prosthetic leg coming out of her clothing and hanging in her hand. "It's fine." Ambria shrugged awkwardly, not knowing what else to say.

Working on rolling her pantleg up the whole way so that she could reattach the leg, she didn't notice the Togruta's struggles to stand up on her feet. Nor her approach to stand next to her, until she saw a hand in her peripheral vision. Surprised, Ambria turned away from her leg in the midst of hooking it back on. Quickly, she snapped it on, leaving her one pantleg rolled up to above her knee, and grabbed her former opponent's hand. With a short jerk, she was back on her own two feet.



((Am looking for a code I thought was around, so I can split our spar from the HQ thread, to clean it up a bit...))

[Val - Warning:Contains Sarcasm]

With a hard yank, Danee pulled the human to her own... foot? Feet? Something like that, she wasn't sure. She was running on adrenaline at the moment, and the flooding of Force back into her was like an extra drug. Well, not like a drug, but it gave her relief. It made her feel strange. Not that she'd been cut off from the Force completely, as that was to say she could still feel it. Just feeling it and not using it, it was like engaging in a firefight using a small arms blaster, with your assault rifle attached quite capably on your back. Always there, nagging at you to use it. Your hands wanting to grab it and lay waste to your enemies. Mandalorians didn't need the Force to fight though. She could use it, yes. Could certainly utilise it for special missions and whatever was going to go on in 2 days' time, but Mandalorians fought based on their training and skills, things that the Jedi didn't use enough. Getting past obstacles and hindrances with a wave of their hand - that wasn't the way to victory. It was a lazy technique that allowed them to waste little energy.

She found herself ranting to herself as the thoughts flooded into her mind one after another, each feeding off her experience of the last. Snapping out of it she redirected herself back to Arcane, now wondering how to pose the question to her about the foot, or leg as it were. She wasn't unfamiliar with prosthetics and cybernetics, but it was still not something she exactly expected when it came around to meeting people, or even sparring with them. Especially when it came to sparring with someone and having them hold their own as well as she had. Danee was impressed, and whether that meant a lot or little, she didn't really care. Choosing not to voice her opinions right at this moment, however, she stole a quick glance in the direction of the woman followed by a small smile, and then a fuller one with better eye contact. She tried to moderate her gaze to be not too stalker-like, and not too relaxed. Relaxed was a bad thing, because she didn't want to slip into being tired just yet, and so motivated her face into appearing awake for a while.

Deciding now to lower her tone of voice into a more assertive, but still soft speech, she indicated back towards her armour, deciding to enjoy the art of getting redressed with a little bit of light conversation to see how they'd done. Walking slowly and achingly from the mat she bent stiffly to pick up a small towel to wipe her face. Not many topics of discussion came to mind at the moment, and even less of those were probably going to be appropriate for her to talk about at the moment.
"So how do you think the spar went?" It was a desperate question and obvious, if that needed to be even stated. She had a few other questions she could have offered, but at the moment they were probably a little too involved to just have asked straightforwardly as the start of a conversation right now. Besides, feedback from someone on a sparring practice was always a good thing, especially if the person could assess not only their opponent's style but also their own and pinpoint weaknesses for development. Yes, she truly did enjoy being offered the opportunity to improve herself. To be better.

[Mara]

(((Yeah, I don't think that code works in this situation, oh, well. )))



Back on solid ground, or the relatively solid ground of the sparring mat, Ambria took a moment to press down with her left leg to make sure it was fitting all right. Content that she was okay down there, she looked up at her opponent, Captain Xoxin. She was being silent, but whatever it was she was thinking of, Ambria was glad for the quiet. It gave her a chance to get lost in her own thoughts as well, wondering if it had been a bad idea to reveal her prosthetic leg to the other soldier. Perhaps the Togruta was trying to think of a way to ask her about it, and the dark-skinned human was dreading the thought being given voice.

Or maybe she was still thinking of the spar and the way how it had ended. Ambria didn't want to think about that, her falling apart in tears with her opponent on top of her. It was still embarrassing for her to remember that moment when suddenly she was no longer thinking about the fight but was dealing with a surge of grief and loss, grief and loss she had been hiding away for ten years. Her face set in determination then, vowing to herself to take some time in the next couple days before leaving for Shogun to finally deal with the death of her husband. If she was this raw now, during a friendly spar, it would be potentially fatal if she were to have an attack during the mission. Ambria had to stop running from her emotions.

It was then she noticed Xoxin looking at her--just then realizing she had never caught the Togruta's name--and smiling. A second later Ambria realized that she still must have that severe look on her face and she quickly turned it around into a matching smile, not knowing what to say. But she was glad, so far, that no question had come up about her leg. Usually she didn't mind talking about it, but right she didn't know if she had the energy.

Ambria followed her opponent off the mat to where she had stowed her armor. She hadn't had her armor there, so she merely just stood there while she toweled off, trying to relax and return to normal. So she was slightly startled when the other woman spoke up and not to ask about her leg but about the spar. Ambria turned to look at her, considering her answer, trying not to let the blood drain out of her face at the thought of how the spar ended.

She swallowed then and took a deep breath, thinking back to before her breakdown. They had both fought ably, she thought. The Togruta had some nice moves which she herself hadn't been able to fully counter. But instead of going on a tangent or saying a host of things about their spar, she decided to be simple. With a smile she focused her emerald eyes on Xoxin. "Very well." Until I sobbed like a baby...

[Val - Warning:Contains Sarcasm]

The tone of her voice was not congruent with her words. There was something more that the human wanted to say, or didn't want to, but she didn't want to push. Pushing led to shoving and it was only a matter of time before you pushed someone too far. Once someone was out of that comfort zone things were suddenly harder for them and without support it was like sending a child into the ocean. Drowning was only a matter of time against the endless tirade of battle tides and cold waters. Danee was not about to spend time pulling at something that was clearly not going to move by itself, and she really didn't need the fragmented version of what had happened. Arcane would tell her of her own free will or she'd keep it to herself. Danee knew her type and was aware that she was hardly a respected warrior among this caste. She'd been here a day and all she'd managed to do was attend a meeting and turn up for training. Shogun... that was certainly where they'd be expected to undergo the trial by fire, at least in her case. She assumed most of the other soldiers had been in the field before.

Fitting herself quickly into the armour she had crafted herself after painstaking hours spent alone, working metal and plasteel and fabrics together into hardened battle armour. She considered talking again, turning to glance at Ambria over her shoulder, before drawing the helmet up and over her head, the montrals slipping comfortably through the holes in the helmet that were uniquely designed. Inappropriate for any other humanoid really, due to the actual shape and lack of actual options for changing the helmet. That stuff was all augmented by the Force, of course. No need for electrical systems to apply covering to the exposed montrals, or lekku, so if anyone tried to use her helmet without her permission they'd find some definite holes when it came to requiring a sealed breathing environment.

Turning back to face Arcane with the visor clearly open and displaying her full face, she offered a smile and approached the woman who stood now with an aura of exhaustion about her. Mental, emotional, physical, whatever it was. Danee assumed physical, but that was partly because she herself was aware she didn't want to have to face the difficulties that came associated with the other two. Her posture became decidedly and forcibly relaxed as she scooted herself over next to the woman and decided to change the conversation entirely.
"Yeah well... that was a good fight... would you like to join me for a drink of some kind?" Her head inclined and she indicated loosely towards the door, wanting to head off and do something decidedly more sociable than fighting with one another to see who could twist their back that inch further.

[Mara]

Ambria took the time in the ensuing bit of silence as her former opponent though of a response to roll her pantleg back down, covering her left leg with her leggings. There was no sense in her leaving the sparring room looking like a mess. It wasn't like the woman was a huge stickler for appearances or was vain in anyway. No, she was a soldier, and long since decided that she had a certain standard to uphold. Even when not in her armor or dress uniform, she still held herself accountable.

Waiting as the other woman attired herself in her armor, Ambria had a moment to recall the fight again, and the way she had acted. She knew she would have to explain herself. Though it would be painful to tell someone else about her memories, she knew that in the long run, it would help her. Plus, she couldn't stand the Togruta thinking of all kinds of reasons for her breakdown during their spar. It would be best to clear the air of that, and her leg. Eventually.

She smiled again at the other Mandalorian's question, this time her smile a lot more brighter. A drink right now in the officer's club sounded really good to her, especially something a little bit... harder. Ambria wasn't a heavy drinker or anything--one couldn't make it far in the army, or get assigned to spec. ops. being an alcoholic--but she was known to imbibe a few times with her team members, especially in her earlier days in the brief reliefs during battles. "That sounds wonderful. Lead the way."


[to Drinking Off Duty...]


(((Well, I think we're done... go ahead and start a new thread, if you want. ))

[Hammy]

Focus.

The burn started in his abs. Rollick started suddenly as a bead of sweat dripped onto the floor under his nose. The sharp smell of other beings perspiring broke through his consciousness then, as did the clatter of weights and the sounds of busy, focused movement. He turned his head up to check the chrono on his wrist. Two minutes.

Releasing a breath, he broke his plank position and shifted into the front leaning rest. He switched arms, now tucking his upper arms behind his back as he started doing push-ups with the lower ones. Two more minutes of this and his chrono beeped, marking the end of the circuit. Rollick got to his feet, shaking himself not unlike a dog to loosen his muscles and shake the sweat from his brow.

He was glad to have come to the training center today. Hopping from place to place hadn’t given him much time to devote to physical upkeep. He ducked slightly to snag his canteen from its place at the edge of the mat but found it to be empty. Making a face, he searched out the nearest water fountain and made for it, clawed bare feet slapping lightly on the mat.

Out of his armor, Rollick looked the most alien. Clad in a sleeveless black shirt and loose black shorts, the short fur that started thin at his wrists and thickened as it went up his forearm hung somewhat damply from his elbows, dark brown in color. The tips of his pointed ears were still somewhat flushed from working out. Most Codru-Ji retained something of a “dog-face” after maturing; Rollick was no different.

Reaching the water fountain, he set his canteen up under the flow of water. Still feeling a little restless, he wondered what else he could get into. Maybe he’d head for the obstacle course next.

[Rabbit]

Sheresh simply couldn't help herself - she knew it was enormously unprofessional, but she couldn't help ogling from time to time. It seemed like the older she got, the more like her mother she became. The medic huffed to herself and rolled her eyes toward the ceiling as she finished her cool-down lap around the circumferance of the training area.

Mother...you and your genes are going to get me into trouble, one of these days! she thought.

Of course, her mother had absolutely nothing to do with Sheresh leaving her old life behind her and throwing her lot in with a culture that seemed to value buff, manly, males. Well...not her biological mother, at least. Sheresh had a sneaking suspicion that if her Hel'buir knew what went through her adopted daughter's mind half the time, she'd take her out to the nearest sparring arena and "knock some focus" into her.

Regardless of the muscles or the manliness, Sheresh couldn't help but have her interest caught by the soldier dripping all over the floor. She watched him finish a circuit of planks and push ups, and her eyes followed him as he shuffled over to the water fountain to refill his canteen.

His fur intrigued her and she tried to measure him up as she trotted up toward him. Luckily, the running circuit went past the water fountain, so she wouldn't have to awkwardly device some reason to talk to him.

"Shistivanen?" she hazard as she slowed down to a walk and tried to catch her breath.

He had a vaguely wolfish face, but the only "dog-like" breed she knew of, were the wolf-men, or the Shistavanen. By the looks of him, though, he had to have been only partially "wolf" - he didn't have the muzzle or the teeth of a true canine.

She leaned against the wall next to the water fountain and wiped her hand across her forehead. She offered the male a bright smile, to hopefully reassure her that she meant no harm by her question. She thought a minute, then shrugged - it never hurt to explain a little further.

"Medic," she jabbed her thumb toward her still-heaving chest and titled her head to the side with another grin. "Professional curiosity. Haven't seen you before. You new?"