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Who: Sousei and Kratos aka the Deadpan Dad Duo and then Sousei and Souji aka Stop Making People Bleed On the Floor and a bonus Sousei and Tenka Make Bad Life Choices
When: IC: 1/13 | OOC: 6/1
Where: The Dojo
What: this is how bonding works
Rating/Warning: Just dummies being dumb here

kratos;

[Sousei spends the majority of his time at the dojo (even more so now that there's so much noise and activity in his apartment) so it's really no surprise that he's generally there when other people come in to check it out.

Case in point: Kratos.

Even wrapped up in his basic sword exercises, Sousei couldn't miss that red hair, and so when he finally finishes his repetitions, he lowers his sword and tilts his head towards the visitor. He's not even quite out of breath yet, but then--he practices a lot.]

... I don't believe we ever exchanged names, though the circumstances probably explain enough about that.

souji;

[On the other hand, someone Sousei is always down to spar with these days is Okita Souji. The Shinsengumi captains are all wickedly skilled, and he has to fight hard to hold his own--which means that by the time they're finished beating on each other with those wooden practice swords, the both of them are black and blue.

Good job, guys.

Either way, Sousei seems satisfied, even as he pauses and frowns at his bokutou--there's some blood on it, and so he reaches for a cloth to clean it. They may go a little harder than is intended when it comes to this sort of thing.

And, quite frank and deadpan--]

Did we get blood on the floor? [wow he has so much concern for Souji's well-being]

tenka;

[It's...admittedly been really nice to be able to spar with Tenka again. It's been a really long time, but even so, they fell right back into the pattern easily. So they've gotten back into the swing of sparring, and of pushing each other to be better and better and better and--

Well, maybe that's why their spars are getting more and more intense.

Sousei doesn't want to lose to Tenka, after all, and he knows Tenka is the same way; they've always been like that, even as children, and now it's even worse if anything.

So this spar in particular has been incredibly intense, and Sousei knows immediately when he's overstepped--he doesn't have the time to correct it, and he knows Tenka's going to score a hit no matter what he does.]

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[the offer pleasantly surprises kratos, not that it really shows. sparing with sousei? not half bad an idea. the man holds himself like a swordsman possessing admirable skill. no dummy can ever compare to a living opponent, especially a skilled one.]

Nor would I be opposed to taking you up on your offer.

[a pause comes from kratos’ end, as well. is there really a need to wait? refinement or spar: not a hard choice, especially when the former can be done any time while the latter happens far less frequently.]

Even right now, should you be willing.

[He's not surprised by that response. After all, that's why he'd offered. Yeah, he's totally interested in a spar with more competent people, and Kratos carries himself like someone who has been through a large number of real and true battles.

And Sousei is always looking for a challenge.]

I am willing. [Now, then. He moves towards the wooden practice swords, reaching for one for each of them.

And he offers one to Kratos, patient.]

[nothing more is said by kratos. he takes the wooden weapon, feeling it awkward to hold a fake weapon as opposed to a real one. when was the last time he'd fought someone with a wooden sword? ...long enough to lack recollection of it. long enough for him to be curious about how he'd fare wielding it. it shouldn't go TOO poorly. though not the same as a real one, a sword is still a sword, after all.

with weapon in hand, it's time to move to a more suitable part of the room. fortunately for them, no one else happens to be practicing so why not take center stage? kratos makes his way toward the middle of the room.]

[Center stage it is! This sort of atmosphere is familiar to Sousei anyway; he doesn't feel uncomfortable here in the least, even if it is a little more modern than he's used to.

And so Sousei follows suit, stopping a fair distance away from Kratos, sword lowered at his side.

He supposes in this case, he's the challenger, so in this case, he'll make the first move--which he does, stepping forward in two or three neat steps for a quick, simple overhand swing.

They can get into it as they go; for now, he'll see what Kratos is bringing to the table.]

[clean movements coupled with a clean strike. not too bad, if first impressions mean anything. it's only a starting move, which is why not much in the way of force or impressive skill appears to go into it.

neither is there much of either in kratos' response, being that of first blocking and then parrying it off to the side single-handedly. were this an actual fight, attempting to follow that up with elbowing or even kneeing would've been ideal, but since their fight is a practice one with swords and no mention of any other weapons (bodily ones included), those first two motions are all that happen. your move, challenger.]

[His move indeed, and for now, he won't fight too dirty either (even if, despite all appearances to the contrary, he really can be a dirty little cheater). Instead, he cleanly moves with the momentum of the parried strike, using that to swing around and slash his weapon towards Kratos' back instead.

This is progress; they've only just gotten started, but he can already feel the enjoyment of a good sparring match starting to thrum through his veins.

Nothing like a challenge to get the blood pumping.]

[a good follow-up, one that kratos mirrors by twisting his own body around to meet the blade with his own. shortly after the solid block, he forces the opposing sword upwards and to the side before taking a quick, well aimed swipe at sousei's upper torso. it's less an attack and more a means to force distance between them.

the expression on kratos' face, if sousei catches it, has a small hint of a smirk to it signifying that the enjoyment is mutual. swordsmen are a dime a dozen; good swordsmen are far rarer and far more pleasant a spar. how long before being forced into using both hands? kratos can't help but be eager to find out.]

[Sousei can read that swipe, but reading it and reacting to it in such a way that Kratos doesn't get away with his intentions are two very separate things. Ultimately, he does have to avoid it, stepping back and allowing that space to grow between them.

But just because there has been distance forced between them doesn't mean that Sousei is willing to let that remain. Speed has always been his greatest weapon, and he makes use of it now, quickly stepping back in to crowd Kratos more, lashing out in a quick, precise movement towards Kratos' wrist.

Okay so maybe a little bit of dirty fighting. Just the slightest bit. It keeps things interesting, and it's obvious to him that they're both enjoying this spar, even if the both of them aren't particularly expressive.

So may as well keep on going.]

[fast but not fast enough. sousei's strike meets air, with that wrist having been pulled back. kratos anticipated that someone like sousei wouldn't fall for so obvious a move. factor in that his own speed is nothing to laugh at and it leads to being well prepared for the strike.

in addition to wrist pulling back, his whole body arches backward to add more momentum to the next move, namely a single-handed upward thrust aimed at sousei's throat. were it a lesser opponent, the attack would be aimed at a shoulder instead, but something of this nature ought to be well within the other man's capabilities.

and if not, well, healing artes are a thing.]

[As soon as Sousei's strike meets air, he's reacting; he knows that Kratos is skilled enough to capitalize, and so he immediately moves with the momentum of his missed strike. It allows him the time to dodge that blow, neatly ducking around it and Kratos.

Healing artes are a thing, but hopefully they won't have to use them (though they both are pretty dumb--).

Regardless, as soon as Sousei has avoided that blow, he turns, neatly sweeping his wooden sword out in a backhanded blow. It isn't particularly strong, no, not with how little time and momentum there is behind it, but he's looking more to land a strike than for it to be particularly devastating.]

[a fleeting look of approval flashes across kratos' face. not bad. better than expected, actually. though lacking in strength, possessing the skill to react so quickly and turn a disadvantage into something advantageous is nothing to laugh at. maybe it won't hurt to kick this up a notch.

no longer does his other hand remain idle, but quickly jumps to grab hold of the hilt. needless to say, kratos' next move uses significantly more force than the previous. he uses a sizable amount of momentum when moving in for a block. why? because merely blocking isn't the goal. the momentum coupled with the added strength of using two hands serves a single purpose: throw sousei off balance.]

[And off-balance he goes, despite his best efforts; Sousei is fast, and skilled, and precise, but he's not particularly strong in comparison to other fighters; he stumbles lightly with the blow, though he knows better than to allow Kratos to have the moment to capitalize.

So even as he's stumbling, Sousei half-turns, swinging his sword out neatly, and it's testament to his precision and skill that it isn't a wild strike, either. No, it's carefully aimed towards one of the pressure points in Kratos' arm, the one closest to him.

Sousei's fighting style has always been that, after all; finishing fights in the minimal number of blows, and using his speed to overpower stronger opponents.

Of course, Kratos is more skilled than the usual opponents Sousei faces, but that's what makes this so...well, enjoyable. There's no clear outcome, and Sousei wouldn't have it any other way.]

[what quick reflexes and impressive accuracy. a lesser adversary would be taken off guard by movements that quick. scratch that, a lesser adversary would've lost by now. little doubt exists that sousei has felled many such opponents in the past.

good thing kratos doesn't count as a lesser adversary. his eyes follow those movements and he reacts accordingly, taking a backstep to avoid the well aimed attack while also pulling the sword backward as he does. his body crouches a teeny bit upon landing so to push himself forward and add even more force to the uppercut thrust now coming sousei's way.

with each attack, kratos adds a little more strength and a little more speed. he really wants to test the other man's abilities and see how well he keeps up. chances are going full out won't happen (it's something kratos won't allow for outside of actual battle and definitely not against what he assumes to be a human), but sousei's already pushing him further than most.]

[Alas, Sousei is only human, and Kratos very much isn't. So there's really only one way this match can go in the end, and Sousei's not oblivious--as Kratos adds more and more of his strength and speed to the match, Sousei's eyes narrow.

Well then.]

If you're holding back, don't bother. [It's said shortly, even as he avoids that uppercut quickly, moving through a mix of instinct and skill. He's spent his whole life training with the sword, but even so...

It's pretty obvious now that Kratos isn't giving it everything he has.

Even if he kicks Sousei's butt in a few moments after, Sousei would rather that than to be taken more lightly like this. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time since coming here that he's sparred with (and lost to, or barely kept up with) someone not quite human.]

[the eye narrowing doesn’t bother kratos in the least. it only furthers his positive opinion of sousei to be called out on that. he meets sousei’s gaze dead on while straightening.]

Land a strike on me and I’ll consider going full strength.

[an arrogant statement to make but not one made without reason. before going all out (as much as he’ll allow himself to), kratos wants to make sure it’ll end well. even with a wooden sword, death with a strong enough blow can happen.

rather than give sousei a chance to land said strike like he might’ve lloyd or a lesser opponent, kratos plans on making the guy work for it. it’d be an insult to do otherwise. jerkass he might be, but treating a decent warrior like child goes beyond even him. he rushes at the other man with a strong horizontal slash coming in from the left.]

[It's incredibly arrogant, and Sousei's incredibly irritated by it. But he's calm, cool and calculating, because this isn't the time to blow his top. In the midst of battle, getting distracted even for long enough to get angry is too much.

Instead, he huffs vaguely, only the slightest of irritated noises, and then he presses forward as well, into Kratos' rush. He hasn't been holding back, per se, but he's been more cautious, testing the waters; now, he goes forward, practice swords meeting with a harsh, loud noise.

He doesn't stop there, however, disengaging immediately to turn and swing his sword in a rapid slash from the other side. If this guy is going to be this arrogant about things, well...then Sousei will do his best to make him swallow that arrogance, if nothing else. He may only be human, but he has trained to take on the supernatural; that had always been the purpose of the Yamainu.

So even if he can't win, he'll try to make him eat those words (though he intends to win as well, thanks).]

[an applause worthy reaction to such arrogance. kratos commends him for only showing mind annoyance instead of shouting and probably blindly attempting a strike (he loves lloyd dearly, but some of their earlier spars were essentially... that). points for not trying to punch him for it, either, cause he really does deserve it.

both body and eyes follow the attack, one more difficult to deal with than the earlier ones. not bad, but still not enough for a hit. blocking and then parrying off to the side serve as the reaction of choice and would normally be it. since sousei so desires a serious fight, however, a little extra comes after the parrying. rather than leaving a purposeful opening, the hilt of the sword gets thrust straight at sousei's sternum.]

[Someday, he may well try to punch Kratos for it, but in the middle of a sword fight is not that time, even if just a practice fight.

But this is exactly what he desires, thanks for playing along, Kratos. Sousei moves with the parry (not entirely by choice; there's enough force behind it that he has to), and then he senses the thrust towards his sternum and immediately twists out of the way.

It's close, and the blow very nearly hits him regardless, but speed and precision have always been Sousei's weapons of choice, and they serve him well now. He catches his balance again neatly and doesn't bother to waste a breath; instead, he immediately turns, swinging out his practice sword in a neat sideways cut towards Kratos' side as he does so, making use of his sudden momentum.]

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