(no subject)

[sunbaked_baker]

Anyone out in the vicinity of the lake and forest may hear the sounds of a fight coming from a nearby clearing. Sunshine is out in the cleared circle where she tends to practice, dodging and blocking the concentrated attacks of two vaguely-humanoid figures constructed of mud and stone, animated by magic. Their size and construction belies their speed, for they are very fast, and Rae is grimed with dirt, her cut-short hair mussed and wet with sweat, breathing hard with the effort it takes to stay beyond their reach until she can strike.

Even though she usually prefers the warmth of summer, the lack of breeze in the forest is making the heat nearly intolerable. But she isn't letting herself stop for water until she takes them both down. The whole point was to make that difficult, after all. It doesn't do her any good to go easy on herself.

Comments

[herr_bookman]

Autor approaches from the lake, sweat beading on his temples and upper lip. He's wearing a black tanktop and shorts that cut off at the knee.

He'd offer her a wave, but he doesn't want to be more of a distraction than he already is.

[sunbaked_baker]

Autor is definitely noticed, and a faint smile curves Sunshine's mouth as she rolls out of the way of a ground-shaking blow from the nearer figure, quick to get her feet under her again.

"[Good]," she manages the brief German word in between panting breaths, blocking a strike from the other figure with a conjured shield before slipping out of reach again. "[Good afternoon, Autor]!"

But that's all she can manage at the moment, still focused on not getting hit.

[herr_bookman]

Autor's delighted by the German, and that shows up on his face in a brilliant smile. It's his Rae smile, the one reserved only for her. "[Good afternoon, Sunshine!]" he says, settling on the ground well out of the way of her combat practice. "Your acceent is great."

[sunbaked_baker]

"Woo!" she lets the pleased exclamation show her pride in the remark, as she is in direct danger of being pummeled by fists made of mud and stone at the moment. It is another few minutes of close combat before one of the animated figures over-extends its reach, letting Rae slip in under its extended arm to slam her hand - fingers extended but held flat and together - up into its chest. The figure crumbles into inanimate, muddy rocks, leaving only the other figure for Rae to contend with. She is definitely getting tired now, her short hair wet with sweat and sticking to her forehead and neck, but it is easier dodging just one enemy. Eventually she's able to catch it in her magic and draw it quickly to her, impaling its chest on her outstretched hand. The second figure crumbles into its disparate components, and Rae slumps to her knees on the ground, breathing hard.

"[I win]," she says, trying to think of the proper words while also trying to get her heartrate under control. "[And. I am finished.]"

[herr_bookman]

"[You certainly are,]" Autor says, whistling at her efficient work. "[Had I known I would catch you out here, I would have brought a towel and a water bottle. Want to head back to the bar, or do you need a cool down?]"

[sunbaked_baker]

She waves away the concern, smiling even as she pants to catch her breath. She isn't quite up to getting to her feet just yet. "[I catch. I caught... most of what you said. I have water and... cloths... here. I can't think of] towels. Hand-something. [They are beside one of the trees.]"

[herr_bookman]

"[Your German is better than my English,]" Autor says, good-naturedly. He turns away from Rae to search for her water bottle and towel, and returns to her once he finds them. Uncapping the bottle, he offers it to her. "[Here. You look like you need this.]"

[sunbaked_baker]

"[Flatterer, I don't believe you. But if so, then we should practice your English,]" she chuckles, expending the energy for the minor translation spell that makes the sentence sound much more natural than her more genuine but painstaking pronunciation. She hauls herself up onto her feet with a stiffness that suggests she is going to be sore tomorrow, and accepts the offered water bottle with a grateful word of thanks.

"I've been practicing a lot, lately. Just to, you know, get a handle on the language. I don't know if I'll ever reach beyond 'obvious beginner' level, but I can try."

[herr_bookman]

Autor blinks; that sentence sounds much smoother than her previous statements. He's unsure if she used magic or not, but he's surprised at how easily the words drop from her mouth. "You're doing very well," he says, holding out the towel for her. "Have you been conversing with Emcee?"

[runningred]

Jay, who looks like he's been through the wars, flops down on a stump nearby to watch. A bottle of water in hand.

[sunbaked_baker]

Her peripheral vision tells her someone has come to watch, but she is tired to the point where she knows she can't spare the attention to look who it is. If they know her, they'll understand. She may have gotten faster over the years, but she is not as fast as the sparring partners she has crafted. They are, by design, inhumanly fast. Human quickness would do no good in her practice.

So, as she has been doing for the past hour, Sunshine dodges and rolls, stays out of reach, blocks blows she can't dodge with an instantly-conjured shield of translucent golden light which winks in and out of existence with a thought. Sometimes her magic strikes at the ground beneath them, changing the cleared ground into a sinking mire where their rudimentary feet touch it. Other times, she calls up walls and spikes of solid rock from the ground to block her enemies' blows and give her some distance. She is always on the defensive, waiting for them to overreach so she can slip past their own defenses and strike.

The problem with making your practice enemies better is that it takes longer to take them down, and Sunshine is therefore filthy with sweat and dirt. Her cut-short hair is plastered to her with sweat and darkened by grime, thankfully wet enough that it no longer threatens to get in her eyes.

At last, the moment after a ground-shaking strike from one enemy glances off her shield and connects with the rock wall behind her, her hand flashes out - fingers extended but held close together, flat like a blade - and plunges into the figure's chest. The figure crumbles into a pile of muddy stones and sand - just another of three such piles scattered around the area - but Sunshine doesn't have a moment to collect her thoughts. The second opponent is already closing in again to continue the fight.

Thankfully, with only one opponent left to focus on, the fight is somewhat easier, and it soon crumbles around Sunshine's hand like its fellow, leaving her to flop onto her back and just breathe for a little while, panting hard while trying to get her heart rate under control.

She is going to be so sore tomorrow, but - she tells herself - it will be better than being dead the day after.

[runningred]

Jay's happy to watch till she's finished. He's in no hurry for anything. He might even be dozing just a little. Maybe.

[sunbaked_baker]

Eventually, once her heart-rate has leveled off and her breathing is under control, she raises herself up on her elbows to look over at her audience. Jay looks rough, but seeing him still brings a smile to her face. Rae hauls herself up to her feet - gods, she is going to be sore tomorrow - and gingerly lurches over to fetch her stashed water bottle and towels before coming over to him.

"Hey you," she greets him with a fond smile, touched by mild concern. Jay looks even rougher close-up than he did at first glance, but the situation doesn't seem immediately dire, so she doesn't let her concern override how glad she is to see him. "If I ask what happened, d'you promise not to say I should see the other guy?"

[runningred]

He cracks an eye with a lazy smile. "Stealing all my best cliches." he stretches, cracking a kink out of his neck. "I finished what I was doing in Hong Kong."

[sunbaked_baker]

"You know me," she says, grinning wryly. "Here to ruin your day."

Rae never wants to see the other guy.

Sunshine steals a spot on the stump, dropping onto the makeshift seat with a tired sound, and wipes her hands free of most of the mud and grime on a hand-towel. She nods towards the butterfly closure at his temple. "Successfully, I hope."

[runningred]

"Definitive." Jay answers, sitting up bumping gently against her. "You look like you're gearing up for something?"

[sunbaked_baker]

"Not really. Not physically, at least. Trying to figure out a way through a problem that hasn't really... come to light yet, and training helps me get my thoughts in order," Sunshine returns the gentle bump, not knowing where else he might be injured. "I'm glad your business in Hong Kong was resolved satisfactorily. I had been worrying."

[galen_erso]

Galen Erso comes walking around the corner, carrying a basket of blueberries, and stops as he sees Rae fighting two non-humans.

Sparring with two non-humans, rather.

He stays to watch, quietly, as not to startle her.

[sunbaked_baker]

The two non-humans, figures of rock and mud, are faster than Sunshine. They give her no time for thought, just reaction and instinct. She may be dimly aware of being watched, but can't spare the time to look or the thought to wonder who it is, just yet. She dodges and rolls, stays out of reach, blocks blows she can't dodge with an instantly-conjured shield of translucent golden light which winks in and out of existence with a thought. Sometimes her magic strikes at the ground beneath them, changing the cleared ground into a sinking mire where their rudimentary feet touch it, slowing them down. Other times, she calls up walls and spikes of solid rock from the ground to block her enemies' blows and give her some distance for a moment. She is always on the defensive, waiting for them to overreach so she can slip past their own defenses and strike.

The problem with making your practice enemies faster and better is that it takes longer to take them down, and Sunshine is therefore filthy with sweat and dirt. Her cut-short hair is plastered to her with sweat and darkened by grime, thankfully wet enough that it no longer threatens to get in her eyes.

At last, the moment after a ground-shaking strike from one enemy glances off her shield and connects with the rock wall behind her, her hand flashes out - fingers extended but held close together, flat like a blade - and plunges into the figure's chest. The figure crumbles into a pile of muddy stones and sand - just another of three such piles scattered around the area - but Sunshine doesn't have a moment to collect her thoughts. The second opponent is already closing in again to continue the fight.

[galen_erso]

"Watch out!" Galen shouts, despite himself.

[sunbaked_baker]

Sunshine hears the warning and spares a thought for the person shouting - enough to wonder if there is an opponent she isn't aware of - and she barely manages to block the next strike into a glancing blow which grates hard against the side of her ribs. That is going to bruise something fierce. Her disentanglement is awkward as she tries to gain some distance so she might find her stride (and her breath) again. The fight against one opponent is less chaotic than the fight against two or more, but is still quite dangerous. She dodges as quickly as she can manage, and blocks what she can't dodge, always looking for a way in. The delicate web of light set into her skin glows faintly as her energy begins to flag.

Soon enough, she finds her moment, and closes swiftly with her opponent, ducking under its wild swing and plunging her flat hand up into the center of its mass. At the moment of impact, the light web flares upwards along the line of her arm, golden fire of the sun protruding through the back of the figure. It crumbles into muddy stones where it stands, leaving her arm still upraised and grimed with mud. She can feel her wild heart-beat in her clenched fingers, hearing it in her ears. Rae wavers slightly, tempted just to lie down where she stands while she catches her breath, but remains standing.

"Thanks," she manages eventually, a moment after a glance towards who spoke confirms who it is and who it isn't. "Thanks for the warning."

[galen_erso]

Indeed it isn't -- it's just Galen Erso, friendly and honest.

"I'm sorry," he says. "What were they? Do we need to call Security on whoever sent them?"

[sunbaked_baker]

"Don't worry about it," she waves away his apology with a mud-grimed hand. The man's intentions were good, in any case. Sunshine, hand held against her side to try and quell the lingering hurt - she'll grab some antiseptic from the infirmary on her way up to her room, as she'd been running low anyway - steps around the piles of stone to the tree where she'd stashed a large bottle of water and some towels.

"No, no need for security. They were just... rocks and earth I'd... brought up for sparring with," she says, wiping her hands on a towel before taking up the water bottle for a long drink.

[galen_erso]

"You made them?? By magic?"

Galen is baffled and impressed.

[sunbaked_baker]

Sunshine drinks thirstily, then pours some of the water on a towel so she might wipe off her face.

"Yeah," she says, once she is marginally less begrimed from her efforts. "It's just... safer, I guess."

She doesn't have to worry about hurting her sparring partners, and she can practice against partners significantly faster than her.