How To Get Noticed. [Open]

[Aroon Kamsing]

Flicking down the half-eaten crust of a sandwich onto his tray, he balled up the cellophane wrapper it had come in and tossed it down as well, skimming his eyes around at the other patrons in the dining hall. It wasn't a wise idea for him to do such a thing, the mishmash of background noises were enough to grate his nerve as thin as he could stand considering his condition, but the redeeming benefit it gave was that, without any obvious display, he could pick up many different conversations and find, easier than asking around, the answers to the questions he still had. He remembered that even in passing remark to the boy he'd spoken to before, that the subject was a risky one to approach here. Additionally, with the way he'd seen some of his classmates acting, it was easy to realise that people here had a shorter fuse than the majority.

"...hear about Tai Yang the other day?..."

"...Lei Shen went nuts..."

"...that middle-eastern guy..."

"...nioku and that Hircine kid..."

Snippets he was able to pick out of the rabble around him. Not much to go on, but he'd caught two names that he'd keep note of. Tai Yang, whoever he was, had been mentioned once or twice before. Must be well known, he'd mused. Lei Shen, whoever that was, clearly had a name for himself too...

Rules for the Muay Thai tournaments stated that, if he was in a fight outside of school, he would forfeit his right to participate in a competition and risk expulsion from all further ones. However, he'd noted, an addendum put in after the reinstatement of the corporal punishment regime noted that only the aggressor of such a fight would be subject to this, and an individual who was defending himself would not be faced with the bannings so long as reasonable proof existed to that effect. It was a convenient rule for him, and with a shift up of his head he looked over to one side, where a particularly raucous table was getting louder. Taking note of them, he stood and picked his tray up, one eye on the table as he walked to the front of the dining hall. To do so, he had to pass their table. It was a hopeful effort, but going by the way they were acting the chance stood reasonably high one of them would say or do something. He had a 'gentle' look about him, he'd been told in the past, and that didn't always sit well with some folk.

Sure enough, as he walked past it he heard a voice call towards him. Well, he couldn't have been entirely sure, but it was fairly likely in any circumstance.

"Hey! Pretty boy! Catch!"

Turning to the sound enough to face the table, something wet splashed in his face and over his shirt, causing his eyes to instinctively close. Blinking it off, he glanced down and saw his outer shirt covered in juice of some sort. Orange, most likely, going by the colour of the stain and the taste on his lips...Without a word, he turned and continued walking back to the front of the hall to a few murmured remarks about the lack of reaction, plus a few louder laughs from the table as the boys remarked on it themselves. Setting down his tray after scraping off the few bits of rubbish on it, he unbuttoned the shirt and turned it inside-out, slinging it over his shoulder. His undershirt, thankfully, was still unmarked, he saw, and was pleased to see it. Turning back, he walked quietly towards the table where the small group quietened down at his approach.

"Hey, sorry about that...."

"..Yeah, it was an accident, right...?"

"Yeah, an accident. What can you do, huh?"

Nodding, he smiled politely at the three who'd spoken, all with their own smug little grins on their face, "That's true. Accidents can happen, so if you apologise, I'll be on my way."

The one who'd thrown the juice actually started to laugh, "You're kidding, right?"

"No, not at all. Like you said, it was an accident, so rather than ask you to pay for the dry-cleaning, if you apologise, I'll be happy to leave."

"...I think something's not right in your head, buddy. Fuck off, if you know what's good for you."

His eyes narrowed slightly at the comment, but the polite smile didn't shift an inch as he slung his hands into his pockets, shrugging his shoulders lightly, "I will, as soon as you say you're sorry."

By now, the juice-throwing boy had stood from the table and had taken a few steps round to stand in a clear line with Aroon, an eyebrow raised in an incredulous stare at the Thai.

'There we go. Play the game like I need you to...', he thought with an inward smile.

The other two with him had shifted in their seats, but hadn't moved as of yet. Aroon had positioned himself to keep all three of them within eyeshot, in any case.

"Seriously, you must have some kind of death wish or something...Take the hint, and fuck -off-!"

With the last expletive, he swung a punch at the slightly shorter Thai, but hit nothing but air. Aroon sidestepped the punch effortlessly, his hands still pocketed and the smile still on his lips. Another swing, and another miss, this time Aroon barely even needed to move, leaning back about four inches tops to let the fist sail in front of his face. The exchange carried on for another couple of swings before his 'attacker' almost yelled at him, frustrated and going red in the face.

"Stop dodging like a little pussy and fight back, damnit!"

At the instant it left the boys mouth, Aroons demeanour shifted. The smile dropped into a sudden scowl for a moment, his eyes narrowed almost to slits, and his hands came from the pockets. This time, when the boy swung, Aroon would once again dodge without even making an effort, but this time flew at him, whipping his left elbow across in a slashing strike to his attackers temple, pinwheeling on his heels to follow it up immediately after with a backwards-thrown right elbow to the side of his jaw. The second hit probably wasn't necessary, the first one had knocked him out cold, going by the strangled gasp of breath when it had landed that the Thai had picked up on, but it wasn't his fault that these petty folk weren't able to take a hit.

"Jesus, did you see that!?"

"He knocked him out in two hits, that's insane!"

"Naw, man, one hit! The first one put the dude out, I think!"

The three nearest tables, one directly to his left, and the ones on either side of it, almost immediately shifted away at the sight. Aroon, without any provocation, turned to the other two who'd stood up from the table. He wasn't entirely sure if they were coming at him, odds were they were going to tend to their fallen friend, but the details were moot. Another elbow caught the closest one solidly in the mouth, and going by the blood that trickled, he'd almost definitely broken a few teeth. It was, after all, a reason that the competitors in the tournaments wore mouth-guards regardless of how good they were. One wayward elbow was all it took to change your dental layout. The third, turning out of reflex at the sound beside him, was grabbed around the neck and wrenched down, his vision obscured for only a moment as the Thai shot up a first knee into his face, drawing his head into it and pacing slightly, dragging him over towards one of the vacated tables. Slamming what would be considered an 'illegal' elbow blow in a tournament, using the point of the bone instead of the flat either side of the joint, into the crook of the boys shoulder-blade, he braced his left foot against the edge of the seat before using it as a leverage point, thrusting himself up with even more speed than he would normally be capable of, and slammed his knee into the boys chin. It took him clean off his feet, his head flailing back as his eyes rolled back in their sockets, before landing on the flat of his back, out cold and stained with blood across his face.

"A shame that couldn't have been avoided."

Wiping a small smear off his elbow from where he'd smashed it into the second boys mouth, he didn't notice the flecks that clung to his cheek, backspray that he'd miss until later most likely. A light smirk crept onto his face as he turned and began to walk back out of the hall again, murmuring to himself quietly.

"Well, that should bring some attention..."

Indeed, whilst the three boys were not likely much more than low-class fighters in their own right, the display would hopefully catch the eye of at least one or two of the more able individuals here. Whether any were in the cafeteria was one thing, but secretly he hoped there was. He'd got himself all worked up, after all. Most of all, he was hoping that one of the really high rank students would catch wind of it, but one step at a time...

[Tai Yang]

Emerging from the first floor bathrooms Tai Yang was cleaning his sunglasses, removing red specks from the tinted lenses. Paper towel was horrid for removing blood from glass, but with a bit of water and the use of his shirts edge he was able to successfully get out the smears and stains. Though, after all these years of fighting he was use to these sort of things happening, and had become quite adept at cleaning his glasses, cloths, and boots from blood. Usually he had a specific piece of cloth that he used to clean the lenses, but hard forgotten it in his other pants.

Slipping the sunglasses back over his eyes he shaded them from the light that so casually pierced through the plains of glass. It was an unusually sunny day, and Tai Yang had to admit that this type of weather really fired him up. After all, today before lunch he had decided to dislocate the arm of a senior, over stretch the outer muscle of the knee on a small pack of students walking down the hall, and for the ku-de-gra he tripped a fellow junior, mounted his chest and began to choke him while throwing straight rights into his face. He didn’t stop for a couple minutes, and so cuts were formed along with the swelling and bruises, and thus the splatter across his face, arm, and torso.

The only minor miscalculation about those meetings was that they weren’t so much as fights as they were public demonstrations of his viciousness and sadistic personality. He announced himself before attacking, as he always does, but they just didn’t put up any real resistance.

‘Tsk, and they call themselves bad. Pitiful.’

Angered about thinking over the pitiful excuses for fights – which were in fact complete slaughters – Tai Yang found himself ready for lunch. Sure, the period to eat had already begun, but he found himself busy during that time, and so he was late in receiving his free meal. Well, it was free for him after what he had done to Mr. Bryant the cafeteria staff seemed more afraid of him then the rest of the facility. They most likely weren’t delinquents by nature, or even do-gooders. Most of them seemed like the friendly type who never associated with fighting or those who fought, and as such they feared the rumours and what they didn’t know.

Walking past the line-up of students trying to get their food he headed straight down to the checkout and hopped over the counter. He was already smiling his crazed, sadistic smile as he turned and looked at Bernice.

“Hello dear, do you have my lunch ready?”

[Bernice:] “Y-y-ye-s-s Mr. Long, it’s under the counter.”

”Good girl.”

Turning away from her he kneeled down, grabbing a paper bag and pulling it up and placed it in the middle of the checkout.

”Aw, you gave me an apple, how sweet.”

His mocking tone showed happiness, obviously more then contempt with the food they had provided. Jumping back over the counter he started to walk toward his usual table, passing behind a fight that was ensuing between two men. One dropped quickly, and the winner advanced on the rising friends. As the first friend was struck Tai Yang received yet another splatter of blood across his face, and yet he remained undisturbed by this notion as he continued along his way to the table. Putting his food down he felt eyes watching him, probably surprised by his utterly calm demeanour. There had been a few gasps during that eventful elbow that caused blood to fly, some for the strike, and others for anyone around Tai Yang. Most likely they were keeping on eye on him to make sure they weren’t the latest reciprocate of one of his beatings.

Sitting down he opened the bag, took out a homemade sandwich with thick slices of roast beef between the whole wheat bread. Next, three juice boxes, one apple, one orange, and the last fruit punch. Finally he removed the Granny Smith and was about to eat when he removed his glasses. He put them on the table, lenses facing him, and then gasped in a completely over drawn dramatic fashion. Needless to say, he drew more attention.

”My word! There’s blood on my glasses, and to think I just cleaned them.” He stood, grabbing his shades and looking around with over emphasis, at first completely overlooking the actual culprits. Then, in yet another dramatic fashion, he laid his eyes on Aroon who was wiping the blood from his elbow. “YOU!” He shouted, acting as though he was surprised that this man, whom was just fighting, was the one who had gotten the blood on him. Pointing with an American trademark, the Hulk Hogan finger, Tai Yang clearly pointed out his intended target. Walking toward him with his shades in hand he looked solemn, yet excited.

“I think you should apologize for getting blood on my glasses.” He stood just a few feet from Aroon, well within either mans range as he spoke about his glasses, yet completely ignored the blood specks construed across his face.

[Aroon Kamsing]

At first it was a blink.

Then followed a short stifled snort of laughter.

And then, Aroon laughed without restraint, a wide grin held through his lips as he looked at the boy in front of him. His bravado made no diminishing measure despite picking up from the people around muttering almost one name in every snippet of conversation he isolated.

Tai Yang

The grin shifted down into a more reserved expression, fading just enough to acknowledge his own confidence without needing to maintain the theatricals of it all. Turning fully now, looking directly at the boy who for all intents was almost the exact same size as him, he gave a curt nod before deciding to speak.

"By my reckoning, he should be the one apologising to you. Had he done so before, this wouldn't have happened. You just got in the way."

The defiant act, as it would be viewed by most of the dining hall patrons, would cause another ripple of murmured remarks as those in the front row, so to speak, began to back away a little bit out of instinct. The odds stood that something would kick off here, if Tai Yangs reputation was anything to go by, and they knew it. It hung in the air like a visceral warning. Aroon, on the other hand, in the close-range position he shared with the mixed-race boy --a fact he was surprised at seeing, not expecting the appearance he saw in front of him-- , gave no measure to it. If he was swung for, so be it.

"So, Tai Yang, are you finished your little act, or do you have something else to say? Oh, and in case you didn't know...."

He smirked, his eyes shifting to the youths cheek.

"You've got blood on you...Might want to get that cleaned up."

There was a calm confidence from him. Arrogant, no. Not quite. Aroon was smart enough to avoid such things, but the entire time he'd stood in front of this well-known fighter, he'd been breaking him down piece by piece in his head.

'We're around the same height and build, he'll be a speed fighter like me. That ego of his probably doesn't just come from his attitude, and his reputation likely speaks for itself. He's seen me wipe out three people without breaking a sweat, but isn't showing anything by it. Any closer and he'd be standing nose to nose with me, so he's already trying to intimidate me. Now, there's a button or so pushed, lets see what happens.'

[Tai Yang]

“I believe you’re mistaken, the first one was at fault, the other two were just along for the ride. And since all three are now unconscious, it is in fact you who owes me an apology.”

Folding his shades up he turned away from the Junior and placed them gently on the table, his tone was blank when he had spoken, stating his words in a matter of fact setting, though monotone in volume. Giving a short sigh he shrugged his shoulders back, letting his leather jacket fall down the length of his arms until he caught and gripped the collar in one hand. Bringing it around he hung it on the back of a chair, patting the material covering the top of the metal backing. Another sigh then he turned back to his fellow student.

“To clarify, I had my path set out, and even deviated from it. You were in my way. But, no matter on that part, all I ask is for an apology.”

When Aroon continued with his words, trying to degrade and demoralize the young Chinese American all he could do was let out another sigh. This was becoming a daily thing, one push leads to another, one session of name-calling or verbal assault leads to his fist planted in someone else’s face. But, that didn’t mean he wasn’t enjoying himself as it happen, just that he was controlling his excitement.

“I know, I just don’t have a hanky…” He said, his tone changing from emotionless and factorial to more of a snarky sarcasm pitch. “Oh, and in case you didn’t know, you’ve got a bit of blood on you. I thought you should know, since you don’t seem to observant.”

Without much thought or reason afterward Tai Yang slipped his left foot forward roughly a foot before he repositioned his right by stepping back. He did advance slightly on his fellow Junior but it was a rather minor advance with the step back. His right boot was turned at a forty-five degree away from his opponent, raised up on the ball, while his left boot remained flat – toes pointed at the Thai. Raising his hands up he extended both hands so that they were in front, his right hand open and resting under his left elbow, the back of his hand against the jagged joint. His left was also forming a knife hand, though remained bent back so that it was just past half way to his opponent.

From this point on he didn’t perform any specific action, rather it was just a challenge to the ‘pretty boy’. He first wanted Aroon to take a stance, preferably similar to his like they do in the movies, and that’s where he’d show his considerably faster hand speed – the hero’s are always faster. He had no quarrels with attacking first, he just wanted his opponent in an actual stance this time before he splattered their blood across the polished floor tiles.

[Aroon Kamsing]

~Not quite as long as the others, but little is being said.

IC:
"How kind of you. I'll be sure to get rid of it later."

The words were evenly spoken, and almost immediately afterward, as Tai Yang shifted his body, the young Thai tilted his head momentarily in muted amusement. Dropping into stance was like gift-wrapping Aroon your opening movement, and his eyes skimmed over the form swiftly to take in the key factors.

'He's leading left, but his right is angled for solidarity and steadiness, open hands show potential for a grab. That right hand is being shielded, but probably theatrically so, odds are it's the stronger striker. Looks like Kung Fu, perhaps. Hm...I'll humour him...'

Shifting back a half step as his left leg shifted back, his hands rose to head height in what would be the 'familiar' stance for a Muay Thai fighter, with a slight angle to his body and his legs bent fractionally, there was a general looseness about his body. Mostly, the half-step back, unless Tai Yang shifted himself in response, would put another few inches between them again. Raising an eyebrow at the boy, he turned his raised hands slightly to make a 'come hither' gesture with his loosely balled palms, smirking.

"I'm getting a sense of dejá vu. Though, I'm sure you'll last longer than they did."

Assuming the opposing boy hadn't already made a swing for him as he'd spoken, to which end Aroon would not be hard pressed to react or really be caught off guard, he would then drop the smirk, his eyes narrowing slowly as he sunk into 'tunnel vision', his eyes and ears focused entirely on the boy in front of him, skimming over him to watch for whatever movements would follow. Yang had made the opening gesture for this, and Aroon had already beckoned him on.

'Let's find out how fast you are first, Mr. Tai Yang.'

[Tai Yang]

[I’m assuming that by ‘familiar’ you mean his hands are in the classic boxings ‘bully’ stance, or basically an open body guard.]

Tai Yang would let him finish speaking; wanting this fight to be as good as either fighter potential seemed to be. He didn’t know who this guy was, but the way he held himself against such a reputable student, let alone fighter, made Tai Yang’s blood boil with excitement. He watched his opponent’s expression firmly, waiting for any sense that he was ready to begin. Some fighters get that cocky grin, like him, while others get more solemn and serious. His opponent’s expression was of the latter, the narrowing of his eyes the most distinguishing features to give him away.

As though he was preparing to attack he inhaled, yet it was in this instant that he sprang into action. He pushed off with his right foot, raising his left boot just a few centimetres off the ground in order to properly move forward. As he advanced he snapped his left arm out from the elbow to give a chop to the inside of his opponent’s right arm – genuinely this was one of his more practiced moves in which he broke his opponent’s guard and then attacked the head. However, in this confrontation it was nothing more then a feint to his real attack.

As his right leg stopped after its advance his left continued. The ball of his boot touched the ground for less then an instant before he raised his knee no more then needed, and with a snap that was just as similar and fast as his chop he kicked out at the inside of his opponent’s front shin with the side of his boot. He was aiming for the calf, idealistically for the tender area just underneath the bulk of the muscle – he was assuming this fighter had well toned calves if he was as agile as he first appeared – but his eyes never left his opponent’s face, giving no hints as to where his intended target would be. His style was all about speed and invisible strikes, and though he hadn’t mastered it yet he was excelling quite a bit in both categories.

[Aroon Kamsing]

~By 'familiar', I mean his arms are raised, with what would be the palms facing outward, his elbows just below shoulder height and a little less than shoulder -width- apart.~

IC:
Without removing his eyes from Yang, Aroon held his form without change as he watched, his sight poring over every movement the other boy would make. Most particularly, the young Thai watched his opponents feet. The short distance they had between then, that Aroon added to in taking his form, had served to put them just outwith arms reach for one another. As such, when Yang went to make his move, he would -have- to begin moving from the legs first.

To no surprise, that was exactly the case as he shifted his feet, skimming himself forward without actually taking a stride, and Aroon immediately moved in kind, hopping a half-step back before, incidentally, switching his feet over and transferring his right foot back. This would undo the 'mirror image' that their footwork had before. The left arm that flicked out as a result, with the change in range it would need to cover would at best clip Aroons right elbow, the change in his footwork reversing his entire positioning as he altered his form. Aroon had barely registered it, his eyes still flashing over Yangs positioning with subtle movements.

The kick that followed, (assuming that the alteration would simply adjust its target to the outside of his front leg), would be returned with a snap of Aroons leg against it. Whipping his left leg against the foot would do little in terms of retaliation or counter-attacking, but it would mean that the muscles in his leg would be in a more comfortable state to take the impact. He couldn't blame Yang for not knowing how tough his legs would be, after all it wasn't as if he'd broadcasted the fact, but immediately on the connection, Aroon swept his foot out to push the other boys leg away and off-balance, set his own to the ground and stepped through, whipping his right leg round with a mid-side kick to his foes right thigh, just above the knee. Doing so would bring him much closer to Yang, but he didn't concern himself with that too much at the moment. His hands were free, if brought in a little closer considering the proximity shared with the other boy, his opponent would not likely be able to set his balance in time to dodge the kick, and if it were to land, ideally it would send a deadening cramp through the boys quadriceps, most specifically the outer muscle, the vastus lateralis.

Under normal circumstance, against a clearly inferior fighter Aroon would immediately strike from here, lashing out a jab to the face or an elbow depending on how close he was, but for now he was intent on sizing up just what Yang would do. The tentative approach might forfeit possible successful attacks, but it would add to the information the Thai was quickly gathering up on his enemy here, and make it easier to deal with him the longer the fight went on.

[Tai Yang]

[Yep, that’s the basic bully stance in classic boxing.]

‘Pansy.’

Tai Yang was all for evasive movements, should they need to be used, but his were more direct, and rarely did he back pedal – especially at the beginning of a fight. His fingertips did graze his opponent’s right elbow, which would do nothing but perhaps push the arm to the side by a millimetre or two, if that. However his main attack was evaded before he even knew it, but he still kicked out to the same area, not wasting the motion with backwards thoughts he turned the attack into a step. His leg stretched out farther then he had originally planned, his weight shifting forward and allowing him to push off his back leg while putting his left boot back on the tile.

As he pushed himself forward, well covering the distance his opponent created, he dipped his body forward while raising his right elbow out from his shoulder to above his head. While his elbow was raised his hand remained in the same vicinity in front of his body, turning the straightened arm into a point. Throwing his weight into his elbow strike he directed it across his opponent’s torso so that the density of his joint would crack down on his opponent’s collarbone. His posture wasn’t to technical, what with his right leg raised off the ground from the push – done so to increase his speed and momentum – but it was a technically sound move. His position was off to his opponent’s side, allowing him to strike from an angle. He was catching his opponent while moving back, possibly on one leg – if he was still going to kick – or, unbeknownst to Tai Yang, in the middle of a thought, which is what no fighter needs when being attacked.

Despite how confident Tai Yang was in his attack, and he was extremely confident both in it’s speed and power, he still put up a slight guard as a precaution. As he threw his weight forward he brought his left arm back, putting the knife-hand beside his right cheek so that as he looked at his opponent while attacking he’d be able to see and block most head shots that might occur. Perhaps he was being wary of his opponent’s probable skill, recognizing him as a suitable opponent – possible rival – either way his attack and defence was set, and during that millisecond of time he waited for the feel and sound of his elbow cracking against his opponent’s collar bone.

[Aroon Kamsing]

Yang, it seemed, was intent on closing the gap between them without much forethought. The change in distance, happening in the build-up to the kick, would prompt an immediate change in Aroons movements to come, and the Thai youth adjusted appropriately as a result. Top of the list was that wound up elbow Yang was setting up to throw --the backtrack of his arm before coming down was similar in execution to several Muay Thai strikes, though Aroon doubted heavily that the other boy had the same degree of conditioning in his joints for the attacks.

'If he's so keen to get up-close, then fine.'

His feet would ground without the kick being thrown immediately, considering the oncoming elbow he'd not be so brash to destabilise his balance from the off, and his left arm shot up to meet the elbow on its path towards him. Bending his arm so that the outside of his elbow joint would come under the flat of the attacking limb, the fist of the same arm would snap out like a piston, flicking out suddenly inside Yangs guard into his face, most likely his nose or eyes.

Again, not banking much on damage, the quickly implemented snap punch would serve mostly a distracting purpose, and Aroon would push away the arm against his left as he shot his right leg in, raising the foot slightly before sending the sole of his shoe down, heel first, onto Yangs left ankle. Between the close positioning they had at the moment, and bearing on the snap shot to the face, probabilities stood in Aroons favour that the other boy would not be able to react in time.

Were he able to land the sharp strike to the ankle, his heel would twist on it, adding more force on the joint and increasing the damage potential, and his arms once again, remain held ready to defend as they did so very well.

[Tai Yang]

This was the fight Tai Yang wanted, a fast paced battle where the first one to slow down or stop would lose the fight. Whether Aroon knew it or not, that’s exactly what was happening.

As the two elbows connected Tai Yang’s right boot landed on the ground, his knee bent as it landed within his shoulders parameters, and to a degree located between his opponent’s feet, though obviously not extended. Using the strike as a pivot point The Paragon Junior continued to push in on his opponent’s elbow while pivoting it over so that his right hand was now moving away from his body. This would incline his opponent’s fist to move off mark as he extended his own left from beside his face and attempted to coil his quick fingers around his opponent’s wrist. Yet this was just the best case scenario, as the most noticeable contact would be his palm pushing down against the back of the wrist in order to keep the punch extended for even a micro-second longer.

That’s all he’d need as his pivoting right arm would snap out from the elbow, moving underneath his opponent’s left arm in a clear, unblocked path upward into his neck. The strike was at a rather severe angle while striking within the guard, but his reach was long enough in this scenario to over look that detail and strike with strong influence using the blade of his hand. His target was straight up into the wind-pipe, and given his opponent’s movements he assumed it would hit without problem, then again he always assumed this and made precautions otherwise. Only the precaution in this move was just adding a follow through, something that came naturally which helped to insure that even if the Thai did lean back in his current stance that his neck would still be struck, though from the jugular and across – and still with the same degree of Tai Yang’s knife-hand.

Should Aroon continued with the kick he’d find it grazing Tai Yang’s boot upon final extension, as the Chinese-American was very adamant about following through. So much in fact that he pivoted over on both feet, twisting his left leg over and turning it into his back leg as he pushed up on his right. This extension of his right leg would provide him with more equal grounds in terms of height while also applying his weight and a new momentum to the strike. Should this blow land cleanly, on either area of the neck, it would nearly ensure a victory within the next couple of seconds, if not that very instant.

[Aroon Kamsing]

~I think you've misunderstood the principle of that snap punch. It's an immediate thing after the elbows collide, so anything like 'pushing back' or 'twisting your arm round' is going to be happening as this thing is thrown. There's no hesitant buildup, its a solid one-two from connection to snap. Still, it doesn't make any real effect on what I intend to do here, so consider it bypassed.~

IC:
As a fighter whose primary repetoire was focused on joint strikes with the elbows and knees, Yang was playing in Aroons backyard, so to speak. Unless the other boy had a catalogue of experience against the Thai, it was unlikely that Aroon was about to be bested in a 'duel' of elbows. Put two skilled Muay fighters this close to one another, and you stood a chance that an exchange like this would occur at some point or another. Aroon, as such, was able to manipulate the positioning of his arm to counteract Yangs somewhat, even if his snap punch was inhibited by the hand that came down to interfere. However, there was no merit to waste time in such a stand-off, and the Thai would shunt his left side sharply, causing his arm to jolt against Yangs and push him back sharply from their forearm-to-forearm position, at least from that side of his upper body. The strength wasn't in the arm, it was in the chest and the hip, and for someone who'd spent more than half his life practicing Muay Thai, Aroon had a pretty good measure of both as a result.

Boosting the other boy back, Aroon would swiftly re-raise his guard for the briefest of instants before shifting his right foot into the stomp, going for the vulnerable ankle. However, the positioning of Yangs leg forced him to turn his foot side-on, using the instep of his shoe to connect instead of the heel itself. It wouldn't make a huge difference in the grand scheme of things, and with the wider contact area, the chance of catching it would actually be slightly higher. As well, bearing in mind the positioning of the leg, to ensure his aim to hit, the foot would most likely strike the bottom of Yangs shin first, scraping down the skin quickly before crushing the joint.

With his hands free again, he was now set on making it clear that the boy opposing him was not in such a fight that his usual tricks of the trade would work. If he backed away, it gave a moment for Aroon to look at the situation. If he pressed on regardless, the Thai would respond to it in kind.

[Tai Yang]

Aroon’s shunting block didn’t affect Tai Yang’s plan in the least, just prevented him from completing it on time. In a way it was a good thing, it gave the rest of his body time to catch up and move with the arm, rather then after. But it also changed the angle of the strike, no longer was it coming straight up at the front of the throat, but now was aimed at the area between the windpipe and the jugular. In retrospect this had a better chance of success as it was targeting two vital areas at once, so if his opponent turned either way one of them would be caught.

Moving from underneath and striking up his body raised, just as previously planned, boosting off his right leg as he lunged in off his left. Shifting his shoulders and hips over he meant to completely follow through with the killer strike, as trying anything else at this point would lack the speed and precision that he had already gained. This might be the thought of a one-track-pony, but it was also the most effective method of success.

Still with complete faith in his attack Tai Yang didn’t bother to pay attention to his opponent’s right leg, though that was mostly due to the fact that he was already past it, no longer was it within his peripherals. All that he was focused on was his opponent’s throat, his arm was already past his opponent’s left arm, and inside the right arm, and as such he didn’t see a single obstacle between him and his target.

However, if a simultaneous exchange between the two were to occur, Tai Yang’s fashion would be the ultimate decider of the two. His stiff framed steel-toed boots and loose jeans would definitely slow down his opponents sneakers, especially at the edge of his boots. If the foot were to actually scrap down the side of his shin then it would never make it to the joint before being removed from Yang’s body. It just seemed like a law of physics, or something like that, two opposing forces going in separate directions, the first to strike seeming to be the winner, and though in Tai Yang’s case even if he struck second he’d still have a high chance of coming out the winner. After all, his opponent was on one leg, and by striking upwards and then to the side he’d definitely knock his opponent to a side.

[Aroon Kamsing]

~Thanks for the opening ~

IC:
Were he to make no movement in response to the lunge, Aroon would indeed be in trouble. The strike was a quick one (a point he noted with personal interest at the apparent quickness of his opponent, and would indeed make a point of testing in this fight), and if it were to catch him it would most likely do a serious piece of damage to him.

Of course, the emphasis circulated on the if.

In bolstering Yang back, Aroon did the same thing, using the transferrence of force from his shunt to backtrack slightly as his guard was raised again, and that extra margin of distance would pose the opportunity for the Thai. Indeed, it would give Yang the chance to put more power into his thrust, but in turn, Aroon would have a wider window of opportunity to react in. No less, with his other arm free, the potential for evasion began to be less of a problem.

It came through his arms, for want of a better explanation, between the two as it sought its target, but with the slight reach Yang would need now to connect to its target, lunging through, it would also have to make a forwards transition as well. Twisting his body sharply at the midsection, Aroon brought his left forearm against the oncoming target, be it the forearm that he struck or the wrist, depending on just how much additional movement the other boy would inevitably make in response, this in combination with his physical shift of his upper body and consequently, his head, would eliminate the intended target. No doubt, his foe was quick, but surely even he couldn't change targets halfway through a strike of that caliber.

The step in made it entirely pointless for him to bother even -trying- for any subsequent attacks, considering Yang would apparently have struck from the shunt immediately succeeding it. Instead, in motion with the upper body torque, his right leg would shift a quarter-turn with his body, turning to the right (in a clockwise motion, for example), putting him ideally at a right angle with the displaced Yang. His right elbow would whip across with another sudden spin of his upper body, aiming to smash the flat of the elbow into the right temple of his foes head. With Yangs striking arm having been deflected in towards his own center, Aroons target would almost certainly be unprotected and vulnerable to the viciously quick blow, with only his opposite arm to defend with any real chance of success, and that was likely a long shot on its own, considering he would have to reach across his own body in time to intercept the blow coming from a much shorter range. Of course, if the other boy had turned in either direction, this would change the target inadvertantly, and if he were lucky enough to weave his head away, the blow would almost certainly swing past to hit air, to which Aroon would follow the motion of the elbow and turn his body on his feet to face Yang again.

Most of all, it would almost certainly prove a conclusion to the first collision of the pair, though the subsequent outcome had yet to be decided. An inward respect had to be given, that was certain. Yang was definitely determined...

[Tai Yang]

His opponent had countered his finishing blow with two extremely fast and precise blocks, using the same arm to do both. This was both highly interesting and amusing to the Chinese-American as it showed the boys readiness to survive as well as fight. Though, in a few ways it also disappointed Yang, as it seemed that the boy was more into running away then actually fighting. He had even gone so far as to fight in the other boy’s comfort zone, and yet he still wanted to run. A shame, truly a shame.

As his right arm was blocked with a forearm to forearm contact he brought his arm back in, tightening the arm into a tight formation of muscle, pushing his elbow out and raising it above his opponent’s arm as he still continued to twist his hips and shoulders over. His body was still following the same momentum that the chop had created, and without wasting his speed he did in fact bring his left arm up. It was tucked in beside his body to begin with, and from him lunge he covered quite a distance in order to use his arm accordingly. Reaching out with it he snapped his arm out like a snake, though kept it out like a steel bar as he reached up past Aroon’s head and went to grab the back of it. This would in turn do two things; stop his opponent from running while also blocking his opponent’s strike with another forearm-to-forearm parry.

After the collision of their forearm’s Tai Yang’s body would push off his pivoting right leg, switching the direction of his body’s movement as he pulled in with his left arm. His right elbow was already raised, and by using the strength garnered in his hips and shoulders he’d do his own shunt, attacking to slam the majority of his elbow into his opponent’s face. His target wasn’t anything as deadly as the temple, but rather his opponents left cheek bone/eye socket. He wanted to create as much pain as possible, and while the temple and the jaw were most likely to knock his opponent out they weren’t as much fun in the long run.

Should his attack on the face be successful – even to the point of only stunning his opponent should he block it – then Tai Yang would follow up by thrusting his left knee up toward his opponent’s stomach while pulling his head forward. After that he’d shuffle back a few steps, breaking up the action while keeping his right side forward. The first rally would be over, giving each fighter time to think about their opponent’s movements and actions, which would make for a more exciting second rally.

[Aroon Kamsing]

~Apologies again. I've both worked out what your post entails and gotten myself some free time. Let's get back to this, shall we?~

IC:
Even with the parry to Yangs arm, it seemed his legs and lower body weren't quite out of the picture yet as he shifted in his position to follow Aroons movement. On top of that, his arm was counteracting to the deflection and still coming at him. However, the closer proximity would make any resulting movement much more contracted than before, and Aroon would have already begun to whip across his elbow strike as the left arm.

If, by some chance, Yang was able to reach over with his arm against the compact, lightning-fast strike, the best-case scenario would be his arm being knocked away and across, twisting it over towards his right with the force of the strike. Worst case, the solid bones of the elbow would smash into the oncoming hand of his opponents arm, potentially doing some serious damage to the joints and leaving it weakened, if not useless. Either circumstance was beneficial, if it occurred, as with Yangs arm tangled up between the pair, any actual strikes would be pointless. Without enough room for him, or indeed Aroon, to draw out a blow they would be stuck in a logical stalemate with their arms. Legs still had a factor in the equation, no doubt, but the Thai would have an inborn advantage in that particular playing field.

Of course, that would apply only if Yangs hand was fast enough to outpace the short-range elbow strike. Were that not the case, the upper arm of the returning right that Yang threw would glance off the right side of his jaw, the torque of the turn for Aroons elbow turning his upper body causing his head to turn somewhat. No less, the fact remained that even at close range, the young Thai was still absorbing every movement Yang made with a meticulous patience. Most likely, the reactionary retreat made would bring his upper body back a fraction and cause his own elbow to land with less contact than initially intended, though it would still come fast enough and hard enough that Yang would be caught out.

If they indeed ended up in the former situation, with their attacks stalemating, the skirmish would not yet end. Aroon would be forced to react against whatever Yang pulled out from up his sleeve this time. In the latter, well, it made sense that the pair would take a step back, both physically and metaphorically, to re-assess the situation.

[Tai Yang]

He had underestimated his opponent’s power, believing his own to be superior. He knew that when throwing elbows you needed strong hips and shoulders in order to properly torque your body and apply the proper amount of weight without ripping the muscles of your back. He knew this and didn’t think that his opponent specialized in it, despite the fact that he had the classic Maui Thai stance that you see in movies. Rather, it wasn’t that he underestimated his opponent’s power, just overestimated his own. His torso was the center of his power, his training provided him with extremely strong shoulders and hips, not to mention his chest and abdominal. He simply believed that his body was superior to his opponent’s, most likely because his style focused on attacking while his opponent’s appeared to be move about evasion.

‘Tsk.’

His arm was caught short, sending it across his body as his opponent predicted. Luckily his forearm was stiffened by the actions of his hand while reaching, thus creating a proper blocking muscle rather then a dead arm. His reach was indeed short, but he’d have to deal with it like it was. Bending his arm in at the elbow he proceeded to raise his guard out of instinct, drawing his left arm back up and keeping his forearm at a horizontal level. However, the closeness of the situation gave Tai Yang an idea. Surely close range was his opponent’s forte, but what if he made the area between them even shorter? Why, they’d be touching. Tai Yang had already planned to shuffle back after a successful attack, but why not make his opponent move instead? That seemed like a much better idea.

Rather then shunting his right shoulder forward to attack with his elbow he forced his arm downward at an odd diagonal in order to catch his opponent’s left arm and drag it down with him. He only needed it for a moment, if that, as he’d push off with his left foot and slide it forward between his opponent’s legs, past his body and forward. By this time he’d already be standing eye to eye with his opponent from his upward advance, now on equal footing. The torque of his right shoulder would shunt his left forward, and with his forearm already out at a horizontal level he’d push it up into his opponent’s throat.

This wasn’t a powerful attack, but one that held a good deal of weight and stability. He’d push his opponent back, or make him do a very severe limbo that wouldn’t be smart for anyone to perform. The distance wouldn’t be so far as to knock him into the forming crowd, but enough so that they’d have the break that Yang had wanted. His opponent would likely have a cough, but that wouldn’t stop either fighter from continuing.

[Aroon Kamsing]

With the resultant tangle that the pair ended up in, Aroon didn't have much he could do with his arms. No doubt, Yangs overbearing right arm had the downward force to his advantage, so when the other boy drove down his arm, Aroons would follow the motion without any real objection.

He had no need to use his arms at this precise moment, anyway.

As close as they were now, the fight was at a place where the quicker thinker would have the upper hand. Speed was relative when you had no room to implement it, reflexes were king in this domain. Something the Thai had in spades, indeed. The irony presented, however, was that his response to the smothering of his arms was so simple that any half-knowledgeable fighter would probably consider it in the circumstance. Of course, that in itself put the possibility of Yang considering its occurrence up a great deal higher, but with less than a foot between their heads from the initial tangle, even with attempting evasion, there was a close to zero chance of the other boy being able to prevent himself being caught here.

His arms pushed down would cause a slight twist to his body, not a huge one, but maybe half of a quarter turn, if even that. In doing so, his left foot slid back in the impression of stabilising himself, for the second or two that it would present that facade, as Yang took his forward move. In that very instant, perhaps around the same time as the other boys arm would fire up at his throat, Aroon would snap his head forward into his foes with a jolt like a spring uncoiling. Around nine, maybe ten inches of movement was all that was needed at this range, undoubtedly enough to put blocking out the picture and leave any dodging to be simple damage control. The odds stood in a comfortable favour that he would score a clean hit, and potentially stood a chance at breaking Yangs nose on top of it, if he landed flush.

The forearm, if the headbutt wasn't enough to stagger his opponent back from him somehow, would still find its target, but not as initially intended. With the forward movement and the tilt forward of the butt, it would instead slam into a crook of Aroons jaw and upper sternum, causing inevitable discomfort that wouldn't be avoided but, in the grand scheme of things, was certainly much more acceptable than being struck in the trachea.

[Tai Yang]

[This was uncomfortable to write, so I apologize for the shortness of the post, and the awkward sentences.]


The shift of his opponent’s head was all that was needed to distort the movement of Tai Yang’s attack. It wasn’t so much the fact of the counter that cased him to flinch, as he attacked head first without hesitation or worry. Rather, it was his opponent’s own motions that would defend his neck, though any form of a counter would be disregarded as a failure. Had his arm not been between them then the head butt would’ve been a prime choice for either mans assault, but the fact of the matter is his arm was there, and so all the head butt proved to do was simple physics of motion. Seeing as it was a true attack, and not a feint, then Aroon would’ve pushed off a bit from his feet, as most fighters do on instinct, and in such his body would raise up just enough so that when Tai’s forearm connected it wasn’t square in the throat, but at the base of the neck just a few centimetres above the collar bone.

Still striking upwards with his arm however Tai Yang would catch his opponent’s balance off guard, and so he’d push him back. While his opponent took a few steps the young Chinese-American would do the same, stepping back with quick, rapid movements until he was roughly eight feet from his opponent. He’d stop with his right side forward, both fists clenched as he sank down into a firm, steady stance. His left foot would be turned away from his opponent at a ninety-degree angle, while both fists would be positioned in front of his body, his left fist by his right shoulder as he turned his shoulders at a diagonal to his opponent.

“Well, that was amusing. But, can you attack or are you all hide and seek?”

[Aroon Kamsing]

Even here, with the final exertions possible in their skirmish, neither of the pair was able to made headway against the other. The last collision would be immediately followed by a drive away from one another, initiated by Yang but added in force by Aroon with a short, sudden sweep of his arm. At last parted again, the Thai kept his eyes on the other youth without speaking, one of his eyebrows twitching at the comment without any alteration in his facial expression.

Speaking was redundant. Instead, he slid forward with a push off his left leg, letting his right lead the initial shunt towards Yang. Around halfway through the movement, grounding his right foot, he drove against the concrete with it, causing both a pivot from his right foot in front to his left, and pushing his body in a sideways approach, going moreso against his opponents right-hand side. The change in momentum would (without interruption of course) put Aroon just to the right of the other boy. That alteration in destination would likely happen quickly enough to make it difficult for Yang to create any worthy retaliation with his left side, not without having to make a substancial change in his positioning very swiftly.

The smooth nature of the stride kept the flow in the Thais movements, and when he was within a striking range, his left foot grounded in as his body pivoted sharply and with a ferocious pace, the right leg rising to waist height in its travel. Aiming to slam the full force of the heavy kick into the other boys stomach and ribs, blocking would be a moot effort for the most part, the momentum of the kick would still be enough to at least knock back Yang with its force, even if the boy was able to raise a guard that wasn't pushed through.

Most of all, the choice was made for one reason. It kept his opponent at a distance initially, letting Aroon play the opening movements how he chose. His hands remained free if Yang opted to try and step in against him, and likely, that kick would keep the other boy occupied for the time being. It was no feathery shot, that much was certain.

[Tai Yang]

As his opponent came in Tai Yang kept his eyes on his opponent’s waist, like he usually does. The feet were more important then his hands at this particular momentum as they brought him into striking distance and would position him for an attack. It was by watching these movements that Yang was able to react in accordance to his opponent’s movements. He had seen, though not actually practiced against, opponents moving to one side. This happened all the times in movies, and so the young Chinese-American knew exactly what he’d do to counter it. While he could move back into his opponent’s comfort zone to minimize the damage he instead decided to stay within his own comfort zone, which at this time was range.

As Aroon was pushing off with his right leg Tai Yang was pivoting his own over and pushing off with it as well. As Aroon’s knee was being raised to waist height Yang’s hips were torquing themselves over with his right foot having pushed off the ground and made him momentarily airborne. His left foot was bending in low while being pushed back during the turn, and so in conjunction with his opponent roundhouse Yang was throwing a counter back-kick. In the Korean martial art of Taekwondo this is the most commonly used counter, and while he hadn’t ever practiced the way of the hand and foot he had watched plenty of videos on line of martial arts in general where this counter was used.