[ She's fast, just like he thought she'd be. If she'd run at him a few minutes ago, his reaction time would've been slower, but since she'd approached and touched him once already Joel's tense.
He lifts both arms, bracing his forearms by his head to block her kick without really attempting to do much to dodge it. He's only human, but he's pretty solid, and while her kick will knock him off balance at least his head will be safe.
His arms not so much. He'll probably get a nice bruise if she clocks him good. ]
[ That's a good move if this is no simulation. One can live and flee the scene with even a broken forearm but a concussion easily brings down a man. That's a lesson he's learned the hard way and not one she sees any need to repeat. It takes a split second for her to lower her kick to hit the middle of his arm, instead of the wrist closer to the top of his head, in case she actually hurts him.
Bruises are nothing.
She lands on both feet, quickly dropping her arms to her sides to drop her guard. ]
Try shoving me away this time or counter with another kick, a punch, or duck.
[ Joel shakes his arm once she hits the ground and he's regained his balance, grossing his opposite hand over to rub at the quickly bruising area. He still can't fucking fathom how anyone can jump that high, and he eyes her for a minute. His temper is short at the best of times, but with the recent loss, it's all but nonexistent.
He can't imagine what she wants to show him, and since he can't follow along with no layout of how this is gonna go, he growls: ]
[ Training is the answer. Preparation for when overusing her power results in her growing shorter and shorter. High jumps are useful. She crosses her arms in front of her and stands up straighter, like she's posturing. ]
[ The muscles in Joel's arms flex as his fingers curl into fists. He's already on edge, and her attitude is the kind that makes him aggressive. The kind of people in the QZ who thought they knew shit because they thought they knew the right people. His chin drops, which is as close as a come at me as he's going to give right now.
[ Does it count if she thinks she knows shit because she can always rewind time, undo her mistakes and do it again? She does has a certain way of pretending she has seen it all, been there, got the T-Shirt, even if her ability is severely limited here. Nobody needs to know that.
But she gives him little warning before rushing back in, similar to before, only this time she stops short of jumping to swing a left hook toward his head to be followed by a straight punch aimed at his face. If the hit connects, the force won't be enough to leave a black eye, but it may still cause a daze if only from her sheer speed. She's hoping he can dodge however. ]
[ He expects the jump, but when she doesn't, it's a lot closer to what he's used to. Bullets and melee swinging, people fighting for their lives with fist and pipe and whatever else they could get their hands on. Joel bobs, narrowly avoiding the left hook, but his hand snaps out to grab the punch coming for his face.
He's no ninja, but he still manages to close his fingers around her skinny forearm from the outside. Joel's grip on her is like iron, tight enough to bruise (because he kills with these hands without weapons) and he uses her momentum to try and trip her up, to throw her ruthlessly to the ground. The way he does it, it seems like he's done it before. To someone her size, and bigger.
It would work on a regular person, the kind of garbage he was accustomed to dealing with in his world, but with someone as nimble as Amber, who knew. ]
[ As fast and as combat-ready as she may be, Amber stands little chance against sheer might. Pound for pound, she can be a formidable opponent, but Joel is taller, stronger and not as inexperienced as she thought he was. The grip on her arm will bruise, not that she minds, though she uses the downward momentum to bring her knee up toward his torso in retaliation. Whether or not her hit connects depends entirely on the trajectory he uses to throw her to the ground.
But in case that doesn't succeed in making him let go, her free hand shoots out for his face, palm open and seeking to push his nose upwards.
Or maybe she's just looking for excuses to touch the sexy beard. ]
[ The angle of her body makes the jab of her knee ineffectual, but the twist when she jabs her hand up for his face hits home. Joel sees it coming, only because it's right in front of his face, and manages to turn his jaw just enough to save himself from the possible lethality of the strike.
It's unlikely she was going in for a kill, considering they're sparring, but even dicking around in the QZ meant you could really get hurt by some assholes. He doesn't know Amber. He just knows she can get a look on her face that makes him see red.
When her palm connects it cracks unpleasantly against his nose and Joel's eyes tear up immediately. He staggers back, and a swell of fresh violence roars up from the darkest pits of his stomach. The hollows places left by Sarah, and Tess, and Ellie. Some part of his brain shuts down, his blood roaring in his ears.
When Joel swings his fist is closed, it's fast and with an enormous amount of force. He's going for her face, and it's knocked larger guys on their ass. If he misses, he'll grab whatever part of her he can get to and go to hit her again. There's something desperate and vicious about it, and if she doesn't get away from him, or stop him, he'll keep at it until he's hit her hard enough to knock the breath out of her, or make her dizzy, and throw her on the ground. ]
[ Spend a little time in a warzone and that look becomes familiar. Blood-starved and endlessly furious. It's like there's a switch in the human mind that when turned off throws all ideas of morality and civility out the window to leave only an animalistic rage. A certain rage fueled by a will to live.
Contractors, for all the talk of their one priority being survival, don't have that switch. Every moment is a fight to live another day. Fury has nothing to do with it.
So Amber's mind is cool, expression placid as she barely dodges his first swing, ending up with another firm grip on her arm when she attempts to sidestep him. She realizes quickly that getting caught is A Very Bad Idea when he's out for blood. If she wants to get out of this without a battered face, she needs to pull all the stops. First she swings her arms around, hoping the movement would translate to a twist in his wrist that would be enough to make him let go. But just in case, she follows that with a firm kick to the torso to hopefully create some distance between them. ]
Don't make me kick your balls.
[ Despite her words, however, there isn't an ounce of anger in her voice. ]
[ The twist doesn't work, but when she kicks him in the stomach, his breath explodes out of him and it works enough to jar Joel back into the present. He lets go of her wrist like he's been burned and staggers back two steps, regaining his bearings and straightening up with a bit of a sway.
His chin lifts, looking down at her, and while she's perfectly calm, Joel can feel his heart jackhammering against his throat and it makes his fingers tingle. He curls them into tight fists, but doesn't say anything, breathing hard with the anger he's just barely managed to leash. ]
[ Fights do that. Intense physical activity. Adrenaline is necessary for heightened senses, faster reflexes. Her heart may be beating just as fast, breath quickening from the recent exertion, but none of it seems to connect with her on a more emotional level. No fear. No anger. This is why Contractors make such good mercenaries.
She massages her arm, frowning a little when she feels the bruise developing there. But she knows she brought that on herself. ]
Do you always get like that?
[ Her tone is curious, instead of accusing. This isn't rhetorical. ]
[ It comes out like a snarl, and whether he means it or not doesn't matter. It's been more than a bad day. Losing Ellie...
He takes a step away from her, unclenching his fist to rub down his face, over his beard. Then scrubs both hands up through his hair. He doesn't know if she's doing this on purpose, doesn't know what word has traveled to who, but he can't bring himself to give a shit.
Joel faces her again, and looks... well, not better, but a little less like he's going to try and rip her head off. ]
[ Amber flexes her arms, one by one, then her legs, like some robot checking all her parts are in functional condition. Her arm still throbs and her heart's still pounding against her chest but she's otherwise fine. ]
[ Joel exhales. No, it doesn't fucking help. The adrenalin gets a hold of him and he does shit, shit that he's good at but probably shouldn't be. But he isn't going to have this conversation with her. Short tempered, he snaps: ]
A way to fight better. I was. [ Amber cants her head to one side, considering. ] You get emotional and that makes you strong, but sloppy. I can't help you with your emotions.
[ If that flat affect on her face tells him anything. She understands what it means to want to be stronger for the sake of someone else if only because she has met others like him, but now she doesn't know what she can even do for him. ]
But when someone goes for the back of your head, a swipe kick works better, especially against bigger opponents like the Neraki. Or an elbow to the face, but that only works for the little ones. If not, a kick to the back of their knees. Does that make sense?
[ Joel shakes out his hands and lets them rest purposefully at his sides, instead of in tight fists. ]
I ain't got that kind of training.
[ Getting himself down low enough to fight like that and then back up again— Joel isn't fast. He's a hard hitter, but he's not that quick. Amber could take him out easily with her speed alone.
But he looks away from her and takes a deep breath. Exhales it slow. With the fury ebbing, the sorrow wells up thick once more. ]
[ Amber crosses her arms in front of her, regarding him quietly. Her usual mask is a smile, placid and serene, but this time she only seems cold. Maybe for once she isn't lying, but who's to say when it comes to her? ]
When I was sad, someone took me for a run until I couldn't run anymore. And then I slept. When I woke up, I ran again. Until I couldn't.
[ And again and again until the ache in her chest came more rarely and the rest of the world returned to focus bit by bit. ]
He doesn't want to run. He doesn't want to see anyone, or do anything. The pain runs deep, an overflowing wound that he knows ain't going to heal right. It hadn't when he lost Sarah, and it won't now he lost Ellie. Especially now that he lost Ellie. Not for the first time in his life, he's wondering just how much a man can take.
When his gaze moves it's to land on his revolver. He steps back over to pick it up,check the safety's on, before stowing it away. Joel faces her again, and it isn't resolution in his face. It's something closer to giving up. He's doing it because his body needs something to do, not because he's driven, or seeking release. That's over for him. ]
[ Amber moves to recollect her weapons only after he's gone to do so. She checks the safety instinctively and stows everything away slowly but precisely. Then she stretches both her arms into the air while casting her eyes to the distance forest, then turning over her shoulder toward the campsite and the lowlands stretching beyond it. ]
[ Joel looks at the woods, considering, and then reckons he's not all that interested in tripping over himself. He nods toward the flatlands without saying a word.
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no subject
He lifts both arms, bracing his forearms by his head to block her kick without really attempting to do much to dodge it. He's only human, but he's pretty solid, and while her kick will knock him off balance at least his head will be safe.
His arms not so much. He'll probably get a nice bruise if she clocks him good. ]
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Bruises are nothing.
She lands on both feet, quickly dropping her arms to her sides to drop her guard. ]
Try shoving me away this time or counter with another kick, a punch, or duck.
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He can't imagine what she wants to show him, and since he can't follow along with no layout of how this is gonna go, he growls: ]
Look, I know how to fight.
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Not well enough if you were kidnapped.
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He doesn't really want to hurt her.
He thinks. ]
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But she gives him little warning before rushing back in, similar to before, only this time she stops short of jumping to swing a left hook toward his head to be followed by a straight punch aimed at his face. If the hit connects, the force won't be enough to leave a black eye, but it may still cause a daze if only from her sheer speed. She's hoping he can dodge however. ]
no subject
He's no ninja, but he still manages to close his fingers around her skinny forearm from the outside. Joel's grip on her is like iron, tight enough to bruise (because he kills with these hands without weapons) and he uses her momentum to try and trip her up, to throw her ruthlessly to the ground. The way he does it, it seems like he's done it before. To someone her size, and bigger.
It would work on a regular person, the kind of garbage he was accustomed to dealing with in his world, but with someone as nimble as Amber, who knew. ]
no subject
But in case that doesn't succeed in making him let go, her free hand shoots out for his face, palm open and seeking to push his nose upwards.
Or maybe she's just looking for excuses to touch the sexy beard. ]
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It's unlikely she was going in for a kill, considering they're sparring, but even dicking around in the QZ meant you could really get hurt by some assholes. He doesn't know Amber. He just knows she can get a look on her face that makes him see red.
When her palm connects it cracks unpleasantly against his nose and Joel's eyes tear up immediately. He staggers back, and a swell of fresh violence roars up from the darkest pits of his stomach. The hollows places left by Sarah, and Tess, and Ellie. Some part of his brain shuts down, his blood roaring in his ears.
When Joel swings his fist is closed, it's fast and with an enormous amount of force. He's going for her face, and it's knocked larger guys on their ass. If he misses, he'll grab whatever part of her he can get to and go to hit her again. There's something desperate and vicious about it, and if she doesn't get away from him, or stop him, he'll keep at it until he's hit her hard enough to knock the breath out of her, or make her dizzy, and throw her on the ground. ]
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Contractors, for all the talk of their one priority being survival, don't have that switch. Every moment is a fight to live another day. Fury has nothing to do with it.
So Amber's mind is cool, expression placid as she barely dodges his first swing, ending up with another firm grip on her arm when she attempts to sidestep him. She realizes quickly that getting caught is A Very Bad Idea when he's out for blood. If she wants to get out of this without a battered face, she needs to pull all the stops. First she swings her arms around, hoping the movement would translate to a twist in his wrist that would be enough to make him let go. But just in case, she follows that with a firm kick to the torso to hopefully create some distance between them. ]
Don't make me kick your balls.
[ Despite her words, however, there isn't an ounce of anger in her voice. ]
no subject
His chin lifts, looking down at her, and while she's perfectly calm, Joel can feel his heart jackhammering against his throat and it makes his fingers tingle. He curls them into tight fists, but doesn't say anything, breathing hard with the anger he's just barely managed to leash. ]
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She massages her arm, frowning a little when she feels the bruise developing there. But she knows she brought that on herself. ]
Do you always get like that?
[ Her tone is curious, instead of accusing. This isn't rhetorical. ]
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[ It comes out like a snarl, and whether he means it or not doesn't matter. It's been more than a bad day. Losing Ellie...
He takes a step away from her, unclenching his fist to rub down his face, over his beard. Then scrubs both hands up through his hair. He doesn't know if she's doing this on purpose, doesn't know what word has traveled to who, but he can't bring himself to give a shit.
Joel faces her again, and looks... well, not better, but a little less like he's going to try and rip her head off. ]
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Does this help you?
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Weren't you tryin' to show me something?
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[ If that flat affect on her face tells him anything. She understands what it means to want to be stronger for the sake of someone else if only because she has met others like him, but now she doesn't know what she can even do for him. ]
But when someone goes for the back of your head, a swipe kick works better, especially against bigger opponents like the Neraki. Or an elbow to the face, but that only works for the little ones. If not, a kick to the back of their knees. Does that make sense?
no subject
I ain't got that kind of training.
[ Getting himself down low enough to fight like that and then back up again— Joel isn't fast. He's a hard hitter, but he's not that quick. Amber could take him out easily with her speed alone.
But he looks away from her and takes a deep breath. Exhales it slow. With the fury ebbing, the sorrow wells up thick once more. ]
Look, maybe we should reschedule.
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[ Amber crosses her arms in front of her, regarding him quietly. Her usual mask is a smile, placid and serene, but this time she only seems cold. Maybe for once she isn't lying, but who's to say when it comes to her? ]
When I was sad, someone took me for a run until I couldn't run anymore. And then I slept. When I woke up, I ran again. Until I couldn't.
[ And again and again until the ache in her chest came more rarely and the rest of the world returned to focus bit by bit. ]
Would you like to run, Joel?
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He doesn't want to run. He doesn't want to see anyone, or do anything. The pain runs deep, an overflowing wound that he knows ain't going to heal right. It hadn't when he lost Sarah, and it won't now he lost Ellie. Especially now that he lost Ellie. Not for the first time in his life, he's wondering just how much a man can take.
When his gaze moves it's to land on his revolver. He steps back over to pick it up,check the safety's on, before stowing it away. Joel faces her again, and it isn't resolution in his face. It's something closer to giving up. He's doing it because his body needs something to do, not because he's driven, or seeking release. That's over for him. ]
Okay.
no subject
Easy or hard mode?
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Once she takes off, he'll follow her lead. ]