IC inbox; recolle

[okitactless]

Yasusada

I'd rather be doing kendo

VOICE | TEXT | VIDEO | ACTION

Comments

[crudest]

[Baren, meanwhile, is definitely in a stage of what the hell was that?! He doesn't remember his body being able to move like that - not with a sword in hand. He's athletic, sure, but most of his skills come in terms of dodging and running away. Retaliation is so very rarely a part of what he does. That's what he has friends with muscle for.

Hence why he's startled. Then Yamato is swinging back at him and he doesn't think.

He just. Doesn't think.

No, his body moves automatically as if it's used to this - used to dodging strikes and blows from swords in particular - and he jumps, landing with concerning precision on the tip of the sword to bring its weight down the ground even as his own hand swings, just to use the fake sword in his own hand to flick a cloud of dirt up from the ground and into Yamato's eyes.

Followed immediately by a sudden front flip right over Yamato's head to get away and behind him. The instinct is then to kick Yamato directly into the cloud of dirt—

He doesn't. He just looks shocked at himself.]

... the fuck?!

[okitactless]

[He should recognize the look on Baren's face. It's the exact same look he'd worn himself, that day in the dojo. He knows what it's like to have your body take over, in a way that's far beyond instinct or reflex. He should, but it's different when he isn't the one experiencing it, and, well...

Yamato's always been way too vicious in fights. In the dojo, on the street, for years he's been told that it's like he becomes an entirely different person. Baren's defying physics like this, with the way he's moving--it should absolutely be shocking him just as much as it's shocking Baren. And it will be, once he slows down to comprehend what he's seeing.

But he can't do that now, when his body is in full-on fight mode. His eyes don't burn quite as brightly when they're drained of color, but there's a fire in them anyway as he throws up a hand, shielding his face. It's pure luck that he'd been prepared for that--luck, and the fact that he'd intended to pull a very similar trick on someone else not so long ago. Still, he has few options if he wants to protect his eyes, so he takes the risk and shields his face, letting the sound of Baren's clothing guide him as he spins around.

Baren's got a wide opening, and he knows it. There are a thousand things he could choose to do while Yamato's got his eyes covered, or while he's taking the time to turn. A thousand things and Baren does none of them, but the one thing Yamato isn't expecting is inaction, and he's too fired up to slow down now.

Some part of him registers Baren's words, his expression. But it doesn't register fast enough to stop him from lunging forward, aiming three quick jabs at him--one for each shoulder, and then one right at the junction of his collarbones.

Yamato hasn't regained any superhuman athleticism from Retrospec, yet. He isn't impossibly fast or accurate--he's not even at the level that the (very much human) Okita Souji was. His aim is imperfect, but in this case, that's a good thing, because he isn't toning down the force he's using, like he should be. But this is his own body taking over, too, reacting to Baren's stunts just like it did back in the dojo.

If his strikes land, Baren will most definitely be sporting bruises in those spots, if he isn't knocked down entirely. But whether Baren takes the hits or smoothly evades him, the reality of what just happened finally catches up to him, and he stops unsteadily, blinking. He's still tense, like he's expecting Baren to yell "GOTCHA" and tackle him into the dirt, but there's obvious confusion on his face.]

Why'd you stop? [OF ALL THE QUESTIONS HE COULD'VE ASKED]