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TLV: IC Inbox

You've reached Timothy Stoker, leave a message at the tone and I'll get back to you.

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Well, he'll just go and get it then.

He finds the smallest one he can, but that's still got more weight to it than he's expecting. It's not a problem, he's just gonna feel the burn sooner rather than later, and he brings it back to Kiryu so he can settle into his fighter's stance with the pole in both hands.

...and then immediately widens his stance a bit more because he can feel himself off-balance already.

That is the most encouraging thing he's seen so far.

"Good. Pay attention to what you're feeling most of all."

He backs up a few steps.

"I'm going to run at you. Take me down."

He backs up a few more before nodding at Tim. And then he's letting out a roar and charging towards Tim.

Holy shit--

The roar is a lot and Tim breaks stance to stumble back a step in shock, but corrects quickly to try and swing--

--where? His immediate instinct is to clock Kiryu in the face again but they were just talking about legs--

His panicked compromise is thrusting it out with both hands in a poor, hasty block.

Kiryu makes a decision; Tim's taken enough blows in the last few days. The point is to teach, not beat.

Which is why one hand reaches out to hold the pole in place while the other ends up with the knuckles about a centimeter above his stomach. And Kiryu, cool as ice, smooth as silk, looks up at Tim.

"The most important thing you can do in a fight is make your decisions quickly and decisively. You don't have time for a second guess. If you want to do something else, do it after your first move."

He draws back and lets go, then mimes what he read from Tim's body.

"Clock me in the face, and then, if that doesn't work, go for my legs. In a different fight, your impulses might be different. Follow them, then adjust. As you practice and learn and gain experience, your instincts will get better."

Tim's gut sucks in automatically at the very sudden presence in front of it, but there's no small amount of relief that Kiryu doesn't actually make contact; the degree to which his shoulders slump in relief when the older man pulls back is distinct.

But he mirrors Kiryu mimicking him as the man talks, making gentle ghost strikes at where Kiryu's head and legs had been, and gives a firm nod as he settles himself back into his stance.

Kiryu watches, and nods approvingly.

"Try it again?"

He's stepping back and away as he asks.

"Yeah. Think I might have it." Knowing Kiryu is absurdly powerful makes it easier to sort of lean into not caring whether he makes contact. "Try it again."

Kiryu nods... then he's charging forward again with another snarling roar.

The roar's less startling, though no less threatening, and this time Tim manages to stay focused - he lets out a fierce grunt of his own as he swings his makeshift staff.

The movies don't really mention how much of a punching motion it really is not, and Tim's first strike at Kiryu's head is a bit sloppy, but he's played around with brooms and rakes trying to copy the movies that he can pick it up on the second strike, and stumbles slightly as he takes a step sideways to swing with more power at Kiryu's legs, aiming for his knee.

Kiryu blocks the first move with his arms crossed in front of him and lifts his leg to take the second in the meat of his calf instead of the knee. The blows don't seem to have done damage, but they've definitely stopped him in place and even pushed him back a little.

He'll roll back after that and offer a firm nod of appreciation for the effort.

Tim steps back as well, but there's a bit of a delighted look on his face from the approval.

(God he's going to feel the burn from this later.)

He settles back into his stance, ready again.

Kiryu looks pleased as well.

There's a moment where he reloads, and then he's going to charge again, this time low and silent and intent.

He's a bit more ready this time, even if Kiryu changes up how he charges. He's getting a little more confident.

He darts sideways as Kiryu gets close, aiming for the back of his head as he charges, before he sweeps the 'staff' around in an arc to try and hook underneath the front of his leg to destabilise him.

There's a flicker where Kiryu dodges to one side but the hook catches his leg and knocks him off balance. He goes flat and lands with a grunt.

He catches himself after tripping Kiryu, and can't resist resting the tip of the pole lightly between his shoulder blades.

"Like that, then."

But he only holds it there for a second, before he offers a hand to help Kiryu back up. Not that he needs it, but the gesture's important.

Tim can't see it, but Kiryu rolls his eyes.

But when he turns and Tim offers a hand, he'll take it and use it to help himself stand. Then he dusts himself off, because even if it's t-shirt and shorts, he likes to be presentable.

"Don't poke them in real life."

"I'll try to restrain my goading for beforehand, then." Or if he's about to die and doesn't need to care what goading will achieve.

Still, he's happy to do this for as long as Kiryu's willing to entertain him. The staff is, to his mild surprise, really fun.

He glances over at Tim.

“Do you want a real challenge now?”

He wasn’t about to spring that kind of thing on the man, after all.

There might be a moment of concern in his eyes.

"I'm gonna end up on the floor if I say yes, aren't I?"

But his tone certainly doesn't suggest a hard no; it's very much wary curiosity.

A raised eyebrow and a tilt of his head.

“You could. But the choice is yours.”

Never let it be said that Timothy Stoker makes good decisions as to his own wellbeing.

But he does prepare himself first, settling into his stance again and holding the bar at the ready. "Alright then. Let's see it."

Kiryu nods and then he’s shifting his shoulders and cracking his neck either way. Finally, he looks at Tim… and comes charging at him with a swing this time.

~~That's hot.~~

Tim's eyes narrow as he tries to focus, and makes the attempt to swing his pole up and into Kiryu's arm to throw that swing off, and twists the far end to slam around into the side of Kiryu's ribs.

The moment before the pole would hit, red spectral flame springs up, covering his body and the pole? Bounces off. It’ll bounce off his ribs too and those knuckles will stop a centimeter from Tim’s face as the flames disappear again.

Kiryu smiles at Tim, just a bit shitty.

“See? Upright.”

Tim barely has time to get the pole under control between ricocheting off the man suddenly being on fire, and he freezes rather sharply when there's a flaming fucking fist less than an inch from his eyes.

He doesn't blink, though his eyes flick between the fist and Kiryu's gently smug expression: he just swallows, quite audibly.

"Not much of a challenge, there," he says, a bit breathless. "More of a curbstomp."

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