[Fiction] Sparring [complete]

[Dan Hawkins]

Timeframe- last afternoon and night before Ghostbusting starts in earnest.

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With all the training and preparations for the formal Negotiations, Dan had little time for anything or anyone else and he had just finished the last of what he'd need to take part in the sanitizing of the moon. Aura would be leaving the next day, but before that Karren had booked time with him, obviously bored, and wanting a workout. To that end they agreed to meet in one of the shuttlebays for a friendly spar. He rose from behind his desk, and took up a wooden training sword. It was to be a friendly match after all. The sword was made to resemble a Reaper daiklaive, the same weapon Janos had forged for him. He wore no armor, and made his way down to the bay at the appointed time.

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"Bout time I got you away from that woman's quarters, sweetie. If I didn't know you were just sitting there holding hands, I might be worried what oyu were up to with her this past week," chuckled Karren wryly, cracking her neck as Dan entered the bay and unarmed as any lunar ever was, "So what's the safeword today?"

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"You pick, I did last time." His smile was a knowing one, he often needed it more than her, at least in close quarters. "She's about the only one who remembers the last age as I do, so yes I've been learning alot, as well as reminiscing." He paced off, roughly ten paces from her and centered himself as he took a starting stance she knew well, it was a deceptively simple looking guard, which he often used to turn aside her initial attacks.

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"Hmmm," mused the Lunar, expression lighting up as clothing vanished to be replaced with an armor of chitton, taking up a boxer's stance, "How about 'space shark'? And on the count one two.."

Dan nodded once, "Go." he moved laterally, circling to her left, his sword had yet to shift from it's initial position as he moved, but remained on guard against her own first attack.

In comes the Lunar, closing the gap and powering a left cross at his head with essence-boosted speed. Dan read her attack and just barely bat aside her fist before bringing the blade back around with a flare of essence, in a quick succession counterattacking and then using a draw cut.

"Almost, my love," taunted Karren with a lock of rogue hair in her face, avoiding both strikes before blurring into a right cross, broadcasting her entertainment with every muscle movement. For his part Dan repeated the previous movements, though from the opposite direction, each exchange beginning and ending in his stance, betraying little of what would happen until it did.

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Karren blurred away from the first strike but the other hit. Essence surges and chitton flows around the flat of the wooden daiklaive, trapping it in coral-like growth in a heartbeat. Karren's golden eyes sing victory even as she prepares a counter attack, silver moon starting glow on her brow.

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"Tag," breathed Karren into his face, checking her punch inches from hsi nose catching him unprepared and unarmed. Dan grunted, seeing the big fist stop just shy of his face, essence flowed from him, as he summoned the blade from it's trap.

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"Well. Plan B." Karren let th empty sheath of chitton crumble into essense and laughed, going for a grapple attempt. Her arms closed around empty air, but only barely as he hopped back, lashing out with the flat of the blade again, using more essence to speed his movements. The first hit broke her guard, setting up the second, as he closed in and brought the blade up in what would have been a decapitating strike in a real fight, the flat of the blade against her neck, the third hit of his against her to her one on him. "Match." He smiled at her, already half expecting what would likely happen next.

Ablaze with silver light, Karren relaxed her head against his blade "Yup. I almost never can beat you with a pigsticker in hand. Got it away from you once though." She chuckled, "Did you kill the security cameras in here?"

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"Nope, there's video of it. helps me see what I do wrong."he shrugged.

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"Pity. And here we are sweaty and excited." There was no mistaking her tone and very predatory grin.

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"Shower?" his tone suggested it would be far more than that, and the walk back to either of their quarters would only build the anticipation higher.

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"Absolutely," she teased, chiton armor flashing away to tempt in a eyeblink before clothing reappeared, "The planet's nice. There's a beach where I made a big impression day before last. We'll go there."

The two never made it beyond her room and shower, spending the rest of the evening together in a different but far more enjoyable form of sparring. At the end they lay in her bed, his arm around her, with her head on his chest. "Tomorrow we finish this, and do some Ghostbusting. We should probably get some rest." She almost purred and nipped his chest, telling him there'd likely be little sleep tonight.