[Part of Raphael swells up a little at that -considerable talent, damn right he is- but then he realizes that he's STILL being talked down to, by a guy who thinks using a pair of sticks would even the fight, and then he gets all pissed off again.]
Oh, I got your budding talent right here! [And Raphael, predictably, charges him head-on as a hothead is wont to do.]
[ Wow are you just charging right at an elf, bro? He stands still and unconcerned until he gets within range of him. He gives a twist and small jump to twirl around to the right and behind him, sticks coming down in an arc to crack against his shell. ]
Wha- [It's dawning on Raphael now that this guy is actually all kinds of good, and that maybe if he wants to stand a fighting chance he should probably try to fight a little more seriously, rather than flail his arms about like a rampaging baboon.
...nope okay then still too mad for that.
Raphael stumbles when the guy thwacks his shell with the strike, snarls and turns his stumble into a twist as he lunges with his sai. Raphael. Be careful with those, you little lunatic, you are gonna put out someone's eye.]
[ Yeah, really, and Iorveth only has one eye left, dude.
The elf jerks back, narrowly avoiding the sharpened point of the sai, but just enough, and he follows the movement downward, ducking low and lashing out a leg in hopes of sweeping the turtle's feet out form under him. ]
[He most certainly succeeds; Raphael goes down, hits the ground with his shoulder and uses his shell to roll back onto his feet.
This guy...is fast.
That fall rattles Raphael's temper loose, and he crouches with his sai against his forearm defensively. He watches Iorveth with sharp eyes; he doesn't have nearly the experience the elf does, but he knows how to fight and how to learn in a fight. Once he calms down, that is.]
[ lol, raph you are precious. And yeeep, he sure is. Iorveth waits until he's close before ducking under his sai, and drops a stick in favor of grabbing a turtle ankle and yanking it up high enough to send Raphael tumbling.
And as he hits the ground Iorveth brings the end of the stick he still has to point at his throat and hover there. ]
And you've just died for it. When you have an agile opponent, rushing in is asking to be skewered. Powerful strikes take too long and are too obvious. Use the environment to your advantage, herd them towards a tight position.
There are trees, rocks, and bushes around. Even traps on the ground. My range is longer than yours, but you need to get close. Faint or cause a distraction - throw dirt in their eyes to blind for a moment, throw a sai. to distract.
[ And he moves off, picks up the dropped stick and makes space between them again. ]
[Raphael glares at the stick, but doesn't move. It's dojo etiquette, and while Raphael has never been one to observe the niceties, he's had some of the manners of sparring beaten into him. When you get knocked down and pinned, even without a lethal weapon ( any weapon is lethal in the hands of a master, splinter had told them, too many times to count ) then you stay down until your opponent backs off. Lashing out and fighting back is a sign of great disrespect to his skill.
This guy is skilled. Raphael's never seen a guy move as fluidly and aware of his surroundings as Iorveth, aside from Splinter. With that thought Raphael remembers hey, this joker isn't my sensei and immediately scowls, slapping the stick away and picking himself up. Who asked for his advice anyway? And it's not like he's never heard it before, Splinter tells him that all the time whenever he ends up sparring with Mike, for whatever reason.
...although that advice about using his environment is good. Splinter would occasionally take them through the sewers and teach them how to be aware that way, but ever since they'd been fighting as a team they've had to broaden their perceptions of their surroundings. More than that, Raph's never fought in a place like this before, with trees and nature and everything around him.
...Anyway, the point is that he's not this dickhole's student, so he doesn't have to listen to him! So ha!]
Hey, I hate to break it to you pal, but I've got a teacher already. So keep your genius observations to yourself!
Suit yourself. [ A shrug and Iorveth drops the sticks, picking up his actual swords. You're lucky he's not grabbing the bow, or you'd be a pincushion in seconds.
If Rapheal's so confident and headstrong, wishing to be taken seriously, then he will. He begins pacing, eyes sharp in the way he'd regard any other opponent - fierce and cold.
As are his words. ]
If you refuse to learn from your enemies, it's your ignorance that will kill you. Not them.
[Everything in Iorveth's stance changes; it's predatory, and Raphael feels a stab of adrenaline in response. It's definitely not fear. Raphael isn't scared of anything, ever, no matter what.
Instead Raphael switches to a more defensive stance. He can do this; the guy has swords, he has sais. He has a tactical advantage, to so speak. He just has to get in there and knock him down before he can build up steam.]
It's about time.
[Raphael decides to do his trademark idiot move that Splinter surely never taught him to do, because it's a bad move. He runs to the side, rebounds off a tree and dives toward Iorveth, sais pointed out to impale him. Easy to dodge, terrible strategy, but he's gonna prove that he's already learned everything he needs to know to win a fight.
[ Raphael, you never learn, do you? But Iorveth isn't so much as taking the moment to laugh. Incredibly easy to dodge for someone who'd fought so many idiot infantry soldiers who knew nothing about a real mastery of swordsmanship.
He gives the slightest duck to the side, only enough to avoid the sais but not create much more distance, and a sword follows the movement behind him, finely sharpened blade slicing across the back of Raph's right hand, only deep enough to really hurt like a bitch but not permanently damaging. The motion flows smoothly into a sharp turn and there's the sole of Iorveth's boot slamming into the back of Raphael's shell, shoving him forward to collide with the tree he'd just rebounded from, and as the elf moves back in to bring the blade to hover over the turtle's throat, it passes the left hand to drag a similar cut over it.
He speaks in a mild tone, cold and no longer amused. ]
Congratulations. Were I less merciful you would have lost your hands.
[ He shoves away, reattaching his swords to his hips and picks up his bow, grabbing at a low tree branch to begin pulling himself back up. ]
[There's a heavy THUCK above Iorveth's head; a sai wobbles, buried just enough in the wood for it to stay horizontal.]
I'm not done!
[But he is, Raphael's finished. He's breathing heavily and the cuts on his hands are soaking into the wrappings around his knuckles. He can't grip his other sai the way he wants to, his teeth are stained with a little bit of blood from where he'd bitten the inside of his mouth and dirt from all the falls he's taken. He's filthy and bruised and tired.
He still stands there, glaring at Iorveth. He's just a kid desperate to prove his worth, looking for respect in all the wrong places.]
[ There's just a tired sigh for the sai thudded into the tree branch. He finishes pulling himself the rest of the way up before squatting down on the low branch, staring down. ]
You are.
[ The sai is yanked out of the wood and Iorveth stands, holding it at one end as he surveys the forest beyond them. Takes aim aaaaand throws it. Somewhere a few trees away it'll be stuck in the bark slightly higher up than Raphael can reach without needing to jump. He glances back down to him with a gaze that is completely dismissing. ]
Return when you're ready to learn.
[ And the elf turns his back, pulling himself the rest of the way up into the denser branches of the tree. He'll be ignoring any other comments. ]
[Raph stands there, rants and raves. Screams up at the tree about how Iorveth thinks he's so much better, about how Raphael could have taken him, about how he'll show him something he doesn't know, etc.
But it's all just hot air and when he finally gives up he storms off, locates his sai and yanks it out of the tree before dropping to the ground, tired. He sits there and collects his thoughts. Thinks about what Splinter would have him do at a time like this, unwilling to admit to himself how badly he misses his father but unable to think of anything else right now.
He looks up. At the trees, the foliage around him. Looks back over in Iorveth's direction. Then he picks up his weapons and trudges back home to rest.]
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no subject
And he'll just be swinging the sticks around as if testing the handle of them, like you would a sword. Because he likes being a sarcastic prick. ]
killing you would be a sad loss of considerable, budding talent.
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Oh, I got your budding talent right here! [And Raphael, predictably, charges him head-on as a hothead is wont to do.]
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Does that usually work for you?
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Wha- [It's dawning on Raphael now that this guy is actually all kinds of good, and that maybe if he wants to stand a fighting chance he should probably try to fight a little more seriously, rather than flail his arms about like a rampaging baboon.
...nope okay then still too mad for that.
Raphael stumbles when the guy thwacks his shell with the strike, snarls and turns his stumble into a twist as he lunges with his sai. Raphael. Be careful with those, you little lunatic, you are gonna put out someone's eye.]
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The elf jerks back, narrowly avoiding the sharpened point of the sai, but just enough, and he follows the movement downward, ducking low and lashing out a leg in hopes of sweeping the turtle's feet out form under him. ]
no subject
This guy...is fast.
That fall rattles Raphael's temper loose, and he crouches with his sai against his forearm defensively. He watches Iorveth with sharp eyes; he doesn't have nearly the experience the elf does, but he knows how to fight and how to learn in a fight. Once he calms down, that is.]
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You should know, a clever fighter always takes the time to know their opponent before rushing in.
[ He's not going to be the one to strikes next, simply circles, to see if he can out wait the teenager's patience. ]
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Shut your freakin' mouth! I'm gonna pull your little Santa's helper ears off!
[-because that happens. Oh boy. Now Raphael is just gonna charge right back in and, most likely, get dropped right back onto his ass again.]
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And as he hits the ground Iorveth brings the end of the stick he still has to point at his throat and hover there. ]
And you've just died for it. When you have an agile opponent, rushing in is asking to be skewered. Powerful strikes take too long and are too obvious. Use the environment to your advantage, herd them towards a tight position.
There are trees, rocks, and bushes around. Even traps on the ground. My range is longer than yours, but you need to get close. Faint or cause a distraction - throw dirt in their eyes to blind for a moment, throw a sai. to distract.
[ And he moves off, picks up the dropped stick and makes space between them again. ]
Try again.
no subject
This guy is skilled. Raphael's never seen a guy move as fluidly and aware of his surroundings as Iorveth, aside from Splinter. With that thought Raphael remembers hey, this joker isn't my sensei and immediately scowls, slapping the stick away and picking himself up. Who asked for his advice anyway? And it's not like he's never heard it before, Splinter tells him that all the time whenever he ends up sparring with Mike, for whatever reason.
...although that advice about using his environment is good. Splinter would occasionally take them through the sewers and teach them how to be aware that way, but ever since they'd been fighting as a team they've had to broaden their perceptions of their surroundings. More than that, Raph's never fought in a place like this before, with trees and nature and everything around him.
...Anyway, the point is that he's not this dickhole's student, so he doesn't have to listen to him! So ha!]
Hey, I hate to break it to you pal, but I've got a teacher already. So keep your genius observations to yourself!
no subject
If Rapheal's so confident and headstrong, wishing to be taken seriously, then he will. He begins pacing, eyes sharp in the way he'd regard any other opponent - fierce and cold.
As are his words. ]
If you refuse to learn from your enemies, it's your ignorance that will kill you. Not them.
no subject
Instead Raphael switches to a more defensive stance. He can do this; the guy has swords, he has sais. He has a tactical advantage, to so speak. He just has to get in there and knock him down before he can build up steam.]
It's about time.
[Raphael decides to do his trademark idiot move that Splinter surely never taught him to do, because it's a bad move. He runs to the side, rebounds off a tree and dives toward Iorveth, sais pointed out to impale him. Easy to dodge, terrible strategy, but he's gonna prove that he's already learned everything he needs to know to win a fight.
no subject
He gives the slightest duck to the side, only enough to avoid the sais but not create much more distance, and a sword follows the movement behind him, finely sharpened blade slicing across the back of Raph's right hand, only deep enough to really hurt like a bitch but not permanently damaging. The motion flows smoothly into a sharp turn and there's the sole of Iorveth's boot slamming into the back of Raphael's shell, shoving him forward to collide with the tree he'd just rebounded from, and as the elf moves back in to bring the blade to hover over the turtle's throat, it passes the left hand to drag a similar cut over it.
He speaks in a mild tone, cold and no longer amused. ]
Congratulations. Were I less merciful you would have lost your hands.
[ He shoves away, reattaching his swords to his hips and picks up his bow, grabbing at a low tree branch to begin pulling himself back up. ]
You've lost. Go home.
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I'm not done!
[But he is, Raphael's finished. He's breathing heavily and the cuts on his hands are soaking into the wrappings around his knuckles. He can't grip his other sai the way he wants to, his teeth are stained with a little bit of blood from where he'd bitten the inside of his mouth and dirt from all the falls he's taken. He's filthy and bruised and tired.
He still stands there, glaring at Iorveth. He's just a kid desperate to prove his worth, looking for respect in all the wrong places.]
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You are.
[ The sai is yanked out of the wood and Iorveth stands, holding it at one end as he surveys the forest beyond them. Takes aim aaaaand throws it. Somewhere a few trees away it'll be stuck in the bark slightly higher up than Raphael can reach without needing to jump. He glances back down to him with a gaze that is completely dismissing. ]
Return when you're ready to learn.
[ And the elf turns his back, pulling himself the rest of the way up into the denser branches of the tree. He'll be ignoring any other comments. ]
no subject
But it's all just hot air and when he finally gives up he storms off, locates his sai and yanks it out of the tree before dropping to the ground, tired. He sits there and collects his thoughts. Thinks about what Splinter would have him do at a time like this, unwilling to admit to himself how badly he misses his father but unable to think of anything else right now.
He looks up. At the trees, the foliage around him. Looks back over in Iorveth's direction. Then he picks up his weapons and trudges back home to rest.]