Description: Tabitha didn't make it onto the full SNF card for Metro charity, but being a good Metro fighter, decided to take matters into her own hands to drum up more interest by holding an open challenge in the park. Tiffany provides an opportunity for MAD BOXING SKILLS to be shown on both sides. (note: may include more than boxing)
The Professional Fighting Worldwide Group has been co-hosting an initiative to gather donations for Metro City - to fund police, afterschool programs, and the ability of Haggar to punch Mad Gear gangers in the face. As a result, they set up a whole bunch of benefit fights around here.
There are also some they didn't set up. They might be getting more spectacle than donation, though.
One of those things is happening in the park. In one of the fields, someone has put down a bunch of mats in approximately the size of a boxing ring - and in fact there are even ropes, though they look kind of cheap, for the outdoor fighter on a budget. There is a blonde woman stretching her arms out in it currently - one arm cross-body, the other hooked around it, pulling it against her chest. She switches hands after a few moments.
There is /also/ a frankly huge blonde guy. He must be six and a half feet tall, and muscular, and he's also up on a box on top of that. "C'mon," he calls, "anyone want to take her on? Use any style you like, just stay in the ring - we got any street fighters around here? Come and show off against one of Metro City's street boxers! All proceeds from donations go straight on with the rest of 'em!"
Tiffany has already been part of the benefit through her fight with the former Emperor of Muay Thai, so at first, she'd just wanted to get away from Southtown for a little while and watch some fights. She's busy being sulky about cheerleading practice, as it has increasingly proven itself to be a casualty of the weirdness surrounding the schools; the young heiress wonders if she'll /ever/ get to do it again with a full squad. Or at all, really.
As a result, she's spent the day walking around Metro City, just taking it all in. And then, of course, she stumbles across the park... and in turn, across her fellow blonde boxer. Her eye is caught immediately; fighters often know their own, even if Tiff doesn't quite realize that that's what it is just yet. Her gaze sweeps up and down the blonde's body once, and before she even knows she intends to do it herself...
... Ms. Lords steps up, saying, "Boxing? That's not all I do, but..." Reaching into her purse, Tiffany withdraws a pair of cartoonishly large boxing gloves that probably shouldn't have fit in there, casually tugging them on. "I guess I could go a few rounds!"
The big guy grins.
"And we have a challenger!" he says, his voice pretty loud. "We like to do it simple here, so here are the rules: Fight until one of you is knocked out, or you give up. If you get thrown out of the ring and don't hop right back in, we count that as surrender."
More quietly: "What's your name? So I can announce it." The crowd seems interested in the possibility of an upcoming battle, too - people nearby start to head over to the ring to watch, because good street fighting is a curiosity, and this is Tabitha's own grounds - they know who she is, even if the Southtown kids don't.
Tabitha brightens up. She doesn't know who Tiffany is either, not by name, but she's pleased she got someone to actually challenge her - and another boxer! "Good on you. I do bare-handed boxing usually," she says, holding up her hands in the fingerless gloves. "I hope that's not a problem. We've got gloves if it is. And I'm Tabitha." No way to shake with Tiffany's gloves on, but Tabitha is grinning anyhow.
COMBATSYS: Tabitha has started a fight here on the right meter side.
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Tabitha
COMBATSYS: Tiffany has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Tiffany 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Tabitha
Striding up to the ring and getting in with a neat, energetic little hop of the ropes, Tiffany takes up a position in the corner opposite Tabitha. Leaning back against the ropes to continue her chat with the big guy, Tiffany says, "Tiffany Lords. You know, Lords International? That's my daddy." That name, at least, may ring a bell; they're /huge/, though they mostly avoid doing business in Metro at the moment on account of how Metro has an overt gang problem, rather than merely a covert one.
Springing back off of the ropes now that she's done leaning on them, she turns her gaze toward Tabitha, saying, "No problem! I like to keep the gloves on -- they're lucky." There's a beat, before she realizes what that might imply, and adds, "But -- they're not, like, plated or anything! That's /super rude/." She flares out her fingers inside the gloves for a moment before clenching her fists in earnest, getting ready for the battle.
Tiffany makes a note in her head about the failure to return to the ring; it sounds like they expect pretty immediate movement on that one. As such, she makes a mental note to keep her stance low; going flying really wouldn't be a good plan, if they'll count 'too crunched upon landing to kip back up' a a surrender.
Well.
Crap.
Tabitha does in fact know about Lords International. She looks a little startled. /She/ is fighting a /rich girl/? What is the world coming to? She hopes this means some of Tiffany's fans are heeled enough to donate - it might mean that she gets to actually give a reasonable amount to the charities instead of what she's made so far (not a lot).
The big announcer mostly gets it by Tabitha's expression. "Uh... right! Tiffany Lords it is. SO!" he says, turning to address the crowd. "Here it is, a match you've been waiting for! Metro's own Tabitha Coren, coming up from the streets, versus Tiffany Lords, our challenger! Let's show them what we've got, for Metro City!"
The crowd cheers. Tabitha gives Tiffany a little salute, brings up her fists, and waits for the bell. And it is, in fact, an actual bell. The announcer has to pull it out from a gym bag.
*DING*
Tabitha apparently trusts that Tiffany is good enough to be a challenge, because she's moving as soon as the bell is rung. She comes in fast, but carefully; she jabs once, then again with her left hand, while keeping her right up in a vertical block position. It's a testing blow, not a knockout strike - her read of Tiffany is that she's not one of the punks with no actual talent who normally fight in gangs, but who think they're better than they are in the ring.
No, this is an actual battle. Tabitha is just trying to figure out how much of a challenge it is... on both sides. There's always the chance Tiffany is much, much better than she is, too.
COMBATSYS: Tabitha successfully hits Tiffany with Guard Knuckle.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Tiffany 0/-------/-----<<|-------\-------\0 Tabitha
Though Tiffany manages to make a pretty credible bid at speed initially, Tabitha gets the drop on her with that solid series of jabs; her defense isn't stellar, and seems focused entirely on evasion for the moment. She takes a moment to weave back and forth even as she gets up; she hasn't /quite/ reached the stage of mastery where she doesn't broadcast her entire game plan immediately.
Considering her options carefully, Tiffany weighs the advantages of approaching the fight in the way it was meant to be approached as opposed to approaching the fight in the way that would probably be ideal. They did say any style was legal...
As a result, Tiffany takes to the skies in short order, her cheerleader's frame seeming to hitch in the air for a short moment. Her feet then spike downward, aimed squarely for Tabitha's stomach; it's risky, showy offense, but with a speed that Tabitha might not be expecting from a teenager.
COMBATSYS: Tiffany successfully hits Tabitha with Exciting Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Tiffany 0/-------/----<<<|===----\-------\0 Tabitha
Kicks? Totally legal! Just because Tabitha isn't using any...
Tabitha does expect speed out of teenagers. They're the ones /most/ likely to be fast, in her opinion, especially the ones that don't have their full growth on them yet (Tiffany doesn't fall into that category, she's not young enough, but the one time Tabitha fought a 15-year-old boy it definitely counted).
She still doesn't quite manage to weave enough to the side. She probably would have dodged a punch but the kick connects, causing Tabitha to back up a step and momentarily lose her high guard. It's enough for Tabitha to nod, slightly, in acceptance. And grin. She likes the contest.
"Looks like they're off to a decent start!" David Coren, the announcer, tries to keep spirits high. "Tabitha's gone for the testing jabs, and Tiffany's responded with an aerial kick - not illegal in here! Fortunately, it looks like Tabitha's still moving - "
And in fact Tabitha is. Tiffany has just sprung off her stomach, and Tabitha isn't really waiting for her to land; she comes in /hard/, using her right hand this time in an overhand punch with the power of a short hop behind it. More impressively is the sudden corona of rainbows around her fist, a ribbon of freezing-cold chi that explodes into a riot of colours as Tabitha sweeps her fist down. If she connects, it will probably hammer Tiffany straight down at the mat!
COMBATSYS: Tiffany dodges Tabitha's Arctic Blow.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Tiffany 0/-------/----<<<|===----\-------\0 Tabitha
Even though it didn't work out at first, Tiffany sticks to her game plan to the best of her ability; it's important not to let your opponent dictate your tempo. Dance to the beat of your own drum; stick to your own groove. Clenching her fists, Tiffany turns her hop off of Tabitha's stomach into a flip, neatly evading the forceful blow. It's a rough dodge, and she still feels a little cold... but at least she's not frozen and grounded as she lands.
Tiffany doesn't have the time to consider her situation -- not /really/; she has to think on her feet here. Her eyes narrow slightly, and she murmurs, "Nice punch," before starting to pinwheel her right arm.
With each successive revolution, Tiffany's hand grows a little brighter, a little sparklier, and she says, quietly, "Guru, guru, guru..." in a pun that is there, primarily, to amuse her and her alone. Once she's satisfied with her windup -- which takes only a moment -- she swings her fist forward at full speed, sliding across the ring as if dragged along by her fist, rather than the other way around.
COMBATSYS: Tabitha just-defends Tiffany's Groovy Punch!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Tiffany 0/-------/---<<<<|===----\-------\0 Tabitha
"Oh! Looks like she's got a punch of her own! But what's this...?"
Tabitha sees Tiffany windmilling her arm - and, apparently, instinctively understands what is coming next. Perhaps it's because she winds up her own punches, if perhaps not quite as dramatically (hers doesn't have the chant, for one). Nor does she throw herself across the ring quite that way.
Tab's left hand is in the perfect position to catch Tiffany's incoming fist. She does; the impact is hard enough to spin Tabitha on the spot, but none of the force hit anything but her waiting palm directly. She drops her guard mere seconds later, using her free right hand to deliver a hooking punch directly at Tiffany's own stomach. As it turns out, Tabitha doesn't actually combo much; she has kind of a lead fist, and this one comes in fast and hard but without any follow-up punches.
Her follow-up is to push at the blocked hand after she's punched to make some room. This is bringing Tabitha dangerously close to the ropes. Maybe she doesn't mind fighting from them - she wouldn't be the first boxer to do so. Her grin is wider now. This is turning into a /good/ match.
COMBATSYS: Tabitha successfully hits Tiffany with Hook Punch.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Tiffany 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Tabitha
The forceful hook catches Tiffany totally off guard; she tries to duck it, thinking it's headed for her head, but in practice just mashes her neck into the punch instead of letting it catch her in the stomach. She winces visibly as she staggers back, clearly out of that groove she was in just moments ago; she gets the distinct sense that she's made a grievous tactical error that's going to last her much of the rest of the fight.
Taking a few steps back, Tiffany puts /herself/ on the ropes, only it's for support rather than as a tactical choice... though once her back is resting on them, she realizes she can /make/ it a tactical choice with a little effort.
Rocking back and forth along the ropes, the boxer seems to intend to bait Tabitha into coming for her, giving her a look that is either punch-drunk or 'crazy-like-a-fox' crazy. Inside her gloves, her fists clench tighter.
COMBATSYS: Tiffany focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Tiffany 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Tabitha
Tiffany can't hang out on the ropes, that's Tabitha's strategy!
The two of them stare at each other across the ring for a few moments, or at least Tabitha watches Tiffany. She's seen some boxers spring off the ropes, and while she wouldn't want to try that with these (given how cheap the setup is she might just knock the posts over) she doesn't know that Tiffany won't.
"Looks like we're at a bit of an impasse!" David says, heedless to the growing tension in the ring.
Tabitha, for her part, continues to move around. She ends up near one of the corners, more or less diagonally across from Tiffany - ropes to either side of her, at an angle. "I can wait a while," she says, rolling her neck.
Despite that Tabitha is the first to strike - she balls a fist back up and thrusts it forward, a lazy-looking straight punch that can't possibly hit Tiffany from there. And in fact it's not supposed to - but the rainbow corona is back, and this time the aurora detaches, flying across the ring at Tiffany in a blobby egg-shaped mass of chi, trailing ribbons of brightly coloured energy!
COMBATSYS: Tiffany dodges Tabitha's Winter Bullet.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Tiffany 0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Tabitha
The blob of chi streaks for Tiffany, and she leans back against the ropes with great force; the turnbuckles creak, but it accomplishes exactly what she'd intended -- the shot flies over her, and off into nothingness, where it eventually dissipates. She breathes a sigh of relief, saying, "Wow! I wish I could pull that off..." She really does, too -- it'd be nice to be able to hang back and fight from the outside, sometimes...
... but then, would she have the same enthusiasm if she did? Would she be able to muster the same natural groove fighting from a distance?
She springs back off the ropes, using that momentum to propel herself forward, aiming for Tabitha's jaw. Finally, a chance for the sort of thing the crowd probably expects -- a big, stupid punch.
As she slides forward, she ducks low, augmenting her forward momentum with a series of high-speed spins on her heel; her style, it seems, focuses a lot on flash -- sometimes to the detriment of technique. When she comes up, it's with a near-perfect sphere of sparkles around her fist during her spinning back knuckle.
COMBATSYS: Tiffany successfully hits Tabitha with Very Groovy Knuckle.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Tiffany 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Tabitha
"Takes some practice," Tabitha says. This is an understatement. She still doesn't think it's very easy to do; it's clear that that took some effort out of her, which is why she probably didn't follow it up with a second.
Tabitha expected some kind of big crazy punch, and she got at least part of what she expected. The spin, though - the spin is new. Tabitha never goes all the way around when she puts her body into a blow like that, certainly not multiple times - and she doesn't generally make glitter either, though that's a little bit up in the air. Auroras are a little like glitter.
"Oh!" David is as surprised as anyone.
Tabitha manages to avoid taking the hit on the jaw, but only by bulling forward. She ends up taking it on the shoulder instead, and it's a hell of a blow; she really feels it. When she's blocking, or weaving, Tabitha is both quite hard to hit solidly and able to brace to take a blow; when she's just moving like this, she's not actually all that big by boxing standards and reacts appropriately.
Fortunately, Tabitha was still in the corner and can't be knocked back far; she manages to brace herself rather than going further back than she is. It's still a dazing blow, but not enough to put her out - instead it makes her work on automatic for a few seconds, which apparently means 'drive her forehead directly at Tiffany's' in a stunning blow right back!
COMBATSYS: Tiffany interrupts Headbutt from Tabitha with Beautiful Spin EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Tiffany 1/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Tabitha
All that ducking and weaving makes Tabitha a hard target for someone like Tiffany -- usually, she's content to let other people go about their game, just as she goes about hers. Tabitha, however, seems intent on making that a /really/ bad idea... so Tiffany has to change up her tactics.
Resolving to meet Tabitha's headbutt head-on, Tiffany continues to use the ropes; this time, though, it's by putting her hands on the /bottom/ rope and launching herself upward. Her feet meet that forehead dead-on, wreathed in sparkling chi -- more purple than the usual waves of conventional stars and sparkles that roll off of her strikes -- and she carries Tabitha up into the air with her.
Bringing her arms back into a defensive position before the pair land, she notes, "Didn't think you'd throw a headbutt -- I mean, anything goes here, but... kinda a surprise!" She didn't have Tabitha figured for a dirty boxer just looking at her.
Landing neatly on her feet, Tiffany rocks back, giving the crowd a quick glance and a big smile. She could get used to this -- at least, used to the 'crowds watching her go' part.
"That's a hell of a showing from our challenger! Can Tabitha recover?!" The crowd is cheering. Tiffany is getting what she wants. (So is Tabitha.)
And anyway, Tabitha isn't a dirty boxer.
But this isn't quite boxing, given Tiffany has kicked and Tabitha herself thrown a ball of chi. Of course, given how not-terribly-effective the headbutt is, she might have preferred not to. Tabitha goes up in the spin; she lands on her back several moments later, when Tiffany releases her, definitely more dazed than before.
Tabitha still struggles to her feet. It takes her a moment to rise, but rise she does, pushing herself up by stages. Once she's up she seems mostly functional again, sharply shaking her head left and right once to clear it before returning to a guard stance.
She doesn't hold it long. Tabitha darts in not directly toward Tiffany but toward her side; a couple jabbing punches as she continues to try to circle around the other boxer, never quite letting Tiffany focus on her straight-on. It's quite possibly the most annoying boxing trick ever, or at least that Tabitha has used so far. "Still up for more?" Tabitha asks, despite the fact that she is pretty clearly not the crowd's favourite to win at the moment.
COMBATSYS: Tiffany blocks Tabitha's Blindside Step.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Tiffany 1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1 Tabitha
Keeping her fists up and meeting Tabitha's sidestepping strikes with her arms, Tiffany keeps herself in a nice, solid defensive position -- a rarity for her, but one she uses to surprisingly solid effect. "Always," Tiffany shoots back at the /verbal/ jab -- or at least, what she perceives as one. She could do this all day, she thinks -- at least at this level of intensity. Maybe not if it was something like her recent Saturday Night Fight.
It's tempting to swing hard -- but more than that, she thinks she sees a gap in Tabitha's defenses, and looks to exploit it accordingly. She's got to arrest that sideways momentum /somehow/...
... so the next time she sees Tabitha start up her little sideways weave series, Tiffany sticks an arm right out into it. If she manages to snag Tabitha, she whirls her around and draws her in for a forceful suplex; it's not exactly her forte, as moves go, but it's the best chance she thinks she has at chilling out her fellow boxer's movement.
COMBATSYS: Tiffany successfully hits Tabitha with Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Tiffany 1/-----==/=======|=======\===----\1 Tabitha
Stopping the sideways slipping actually is effective. Tabitha almost never thinks about being grabbed in a match like this, and Tiffany laying hands on her - in boxing gloves, no less! - is a surprise. She goes around, over -
"It looks like our champion's taken a tumble!!"
Tabitha practically got thrown into the ropes. She manages to catch herself on them and avoid going over, but it was a near thing, and she's breathing harder now. Tiffany's a more challenging combatant than she actually had originally expected. But Tabitha's style is not to give up, and she doesn't give up now.
She holds herself defensively when she darts in again, letting out a breath of air as she strikes. Once again she's using one arm only to attack; the other remains up, guarding her upper body and face, a practiced maneuver. But this time the striking arm is her right, and her entire body stiffens an instant before she strikes, the impact of the blow magnified by Tabitha's sudden surge of strength and focused power!
COMBATSYS: Tiffany blocks Tabitha's Impact Guard.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Tiffany 1/---====/=======|===----\-------\0 Tabitha
Sticking to her defensive guns, Tiffany focuses her efforts almost entirely on defense. When Tabitha comes in with that forceful one-armed strike, Tiffany just keeps her arms up and her body guarded. She's rewarded for her unusually defensive posture; though her knees tremble and her body quakes from the force of the blow, she hangs in there, avoiding the worst of the damage from that vicious right.
"Oof... so that's your big trick, huh?" Tiffany asks, evidently dizzied even by /defending against/ that mighty blow. "Not bad..." It's enough to bring a smile to her face. In spite of how hard it makes it to really go all-out in a fight, Tiffany /loves/ being pressured a little.
She doesn't seem to quite be ready to bring her own big shots to bear, though; instead, she decides to test Tabitha's defenses against something a little... unorthodox. Reaching out for the other young lady, she pulls her in toward her chest, trying to press through her defenses. Assuming she snags her, she then thrusts her whole body up and forward, ideally propelling her up and away, giving her time to think about her next move.
COMBATSYS: Tiffany successfully hits Tabitha with Chest Thrusting EX.
~~ Alluring Hit! ~~
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Tiffany 1/--=====/=======|=======\-------\0 Tabitha
Tabitha has been known to lay down even stronger blows than that one. Just not without leaving herself open - and Tabitha isn't doing very well, so she's not willing to do that quite yet. Stick with simple and effective and protective.
"One of them," Tabitha says. "Honestly, you fight pretty well for a high schooler. You're, what, seventeen? At seventeen I wasn't even really boxing well yet." Mind you, she's only nineteen or maybe twenty at the outside, so the age difference is not that extreme.
Once again, Tabitha isn't entirely ready to react to having her guard arm pulled. Tiffany yanks Tabitha forward, and she staggers out of her stance, being thrown into Tiffany's chest in a maneuver that Tabitha very definitely has never seen before. Her eyes widen (she doesn't see much but a stripe of blue on the uniform, such as it is) before she's launched up, up, and away.
"..." David doesn't know how to commentate that.
Tabitha smacks down. Hard.
She actually manages to force herself to her feet, somehow, but it looks like a near thing; she sways when she rises. Her eyes are wide, her entire back is pretty much a solid bruise under her shirt. "What the hell are you doing?" she says, weaving on her feet. "Show some respect for yourself and for me! Don't treat it like a joke!"
Stiff or not, Tabitha manages to really move. Where before she tried to keep her arm up to guard, this time she doesn't; she holds one fist back, body tense, before throwing a single explosive punch straight forward. It doesn't literally explode, of course, but the force of impact is enough that a billow of air radiates from her fist and up her arm if she manages to connect, a charged blow that really echoes with all the force Tabitha can muster.
Of course, she's deploying it when she's about to collapse...
COMBATSYS: Tabitha has reached second wind!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Tiffany 1/--=====/=======|======-\-------\0 Tabitha
COMBATSYS: Tiffany fails to interrupt Impact Knuckle from Tabitha with Wonderful Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Tiffany 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Tabitha
"I'm not treating it like a joke!" Tiffany replies, looking at Tabitha carefully. She /thinks/ she sees weakness there -- the sort of weakness that one can capitalize on in spades, given the opportunity. Unfortunately for her, that opportunity doesn't quite come; she /thinks/ she sees it, and starts to draw her whole body up into a spin...
... and then, with great force, Tabitha plows clean through her entire maneuver, the air radiating around her as that impact catches Tiffany in the gut. She goes flying back toward the ropes, bouncing off of them once; she then lands, face-first, on the ground.
Wincing, she says, "... Owww..." quietly, rolling around a little. At least she starts to get back up to her feet, after a few moments -- she's not /down/, just dazed.
"Then what do you call it?!" Tabitha honestly seems ... annoyed by Tiffany treating herself or her body like that. It's not like the anger is keeping her up - that's mostly willpower - but it gives her something to focus on.
Focus is good. Focus stops her from passing out.
Tabitha lets Tiffany get up. It gives her a moment to catch her own breath - but as soon as Tiffany is up, Tabitha goes straight back on the offensive. She wasn't doing combos before, but this time she does - three punches, right left right. Tabitha has kind of a lead fist; none of the punches come out blindingly fast, but they do impact (if they impact) with surprising force for someone as nearly down and out as Tabitha must be.
"Looks like they're both catching a second wind but we're into the home stretch now!" David has recovered after a moment of sheer confusion and amusement. "It's a closer match than we could have hoped for!"
COMBATSYS: Tiffany dodges Tabitha's Rapid Combo.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Tiffany 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Tabitha
Now it's Tiffany's turn to start frantically sidestepping. Those heavy fists are strong, and she knows it after a pretty rough course of battle; she doesn't want any part of them at this point, so she sacrifices her immediate offensive position for sheer speed. Rocking back and forth on her legs once she comes to a complete stop, she takes a split-second to assess her options.
She's starting to get tired; it's hard to miss the heavy breathing and irregularities in her stance, even for someone who usually doesn't think that hard about such things, like herself. She pinches the bridge of her nose with a gloved hand for a second, trying to get steady.
Stepping forward, Tiffany decides to try to close this out with some traditional boxing; she can tell that her earlier maneuver tripped something in Tabitha's head, and she feels a little guilty. She, too, goes for a boxer's combo, though hers isn't so aggressive as Tabitha's; two lefts and a right come in short order, along with a hurt-sounding, "Sorry..."
COMBATSYS: Tabitha blocks Tiffany's Medium Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Tiffany 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Tabitha
Tabitha is mostly calm, now. She has a laser-like focus instead - on the battle, on Tiffany. This is coming down to the wire - it really is too close to call and Tabitha wouldn't want to be the one guessing it.
Tiffany comes in with another punch. Orthodox, straightforward - what Tabitha deals with best. She deals with it now, absorbing the gloved impacts with her crossed arms, letting Tiffany wear herself out without doing much damage to Tabitha. She can feel her arms tingle from the impacts. Those are strong.
Tabitha suddenly breaks her guard when she feels a hesitation in Tiffany's flow. She surges into action - it's a technique Tiff has already seen, in fact, when she drops guard with one hand and immediately delivers a straight punch with the other. This time, though, she repeats it with the other hand afterwards, shaking her arm after each punch to try to relieve some of the soreness in her lower arms. "Still gonna fight?" she asks, grinning wide enough to show teeth. It's the thrill of the fight.
"Come on!" David roars. He may have forgotten he is commentating. The crowd roars, too, so it's still worth it.
COMBATSYS: Tiffany interrupts Impact Guard from Tabitha with Groovy Knuckle.
[ \\\\\\ < > ]
Tiffany 1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0 Tabitha
It's important to recognize an opponent's tactics -- Tiffany has correctly identified Tabitha as a defensive fighter, who tries to aggress even behind her defenses. It's a little tricky to find the openings for dealing with something like that -- but she knows them, now; she's going to stick a fist out, leaving that side unguarded.
Ducking low and then coming right back up, Tiffany sticks /her/ fist out in turn; she wasn't expecting the followup strike, though, meaning that rather than blithely punching through her opponent's guard without issue, she eats a shot right across the face for her trouble.
Staggering back, she says, dizzily, "You /know/ it!" with a grin on her face. This one is /definitely/ punch-drunk.
Tabitha is a hell of a defensive boxer for her overall skill and experience; Tiffany has gotten that right. Unfortunately she doesn't /have/ as much experience as she needs to really excel, and that shows; she's overextended a couple times in a way that someone with more practice might not have.
Like right now, in fact. She tried for a defensive assault but still left herself open in such a way that Tiffany managed a solid blow straight through it, by not giving Tabitha the time she still needs to protect herself properly.
The fist catches Tabitha in the side, and she wheezes, out of air. But she is still - somehow - moving, at least for a few moments. Her arm lashes back out so fast that it literally blurs, her glove leaving a streak in the air rather than resolving as a fist until she's actually landed the blow. As soon as she's struck, though, Tabitha goes down to her knee, and though she tries to rise, it's still a crapshoot whether she's going to be able to stand or simply fall on her face.
COMBATSYS: Tabitha has reached third wind!
[ \\\\\\ < > /// ]
Tiffany 1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0 Tabitha
COMBATSYS: Tiffany dodges Tabitha's Straight Punch.
[ \\\\\\ < > /// ]
Tiffany 1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0 Tabitha
Hanging back from Tabitha and on her last legs, Tiffany takes a few long, deep breaths, trying to catch herself. Rather than waste energy over-running from Tabitha's wild, weakening strike, Tiffany just casually sidesteps; sometimes, you have to trade 'totally safe forever' for 'any chance at all of landing a solid blow.'
At this point, the only thing that matters is tipping Tabitha over; Tiffany has clocked her relative weakness now, and as such, resolves to do as little to genuinely injure her as possible. Taking a quick forward step, the Lords heiress looks like she's going to come in for the same sort of quick punch that she put Tabitha down with before.
Then, instead, her leg comes out with a quick little tap, seeking to send Tabitha sprawling by knocking her footing out from under her.
COMBATSYS: Tabitha blocks Tiffany's Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > // ]
Tiffany 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Tabitha
Tipping Tabitha over seems to be harder to do than expected. She's /still/ up despite the battering she's taken; if she was pretty much anyone else, she would probably have passed out by now. Her head is swimming, her body is bruised and sore, her fists hurt.
But she refuses to give up.
"You can do it!" David yells, having definitely forgotten that he's commentating. The crowd seems to be split between the two; locals seem to be generally in favour of Tabitha, visitors to Metro for the events like Tiffany (though there's some overlap in both directions). They each have about half the crowd on their side, though.
Tabitha goes low. She blocks the kick, absorbing it with her hands while in a half-crouched stance. Almost immediately, she rises from the blow, throwing an uppercut at Tiffany that seems to have a good deal of her strength behind it.
It's a feint. She aborts it on her way up, keeping the arm in front of her body to block again instead, and lets out a faster, straighter punch with her other hand that doesn't have the upward momentum on its side - but is also much harder to see coming. "You've given me the best fight I've had here yet!"
COMBATSYS: Tiffany dodges Tabitha's Medium Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > / ]
Tiffany 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Tabitha
The fact that the crowd's split on the two of them doesn't matter to Tiffany; she's just pleased they're participating. Once again, her evasive maneuvers stay side-stepping, rather than dashing backward; she can see that Tabitha's starting to lose her footing, which means lateral motion is likely to keep her a little safer unless she starts suddenly throwing lariats.
Which, to be fair, she might; she's already gone for a headbutt.
"Wow -- thanks! Y'know, you're really tough!" comes Tiffany's surprised comment, paying a compliment for a compliment. "I think it's about time to close this out, though..." It's nothing personal; she just wants to make sure that her opponent is ready for what comes next.
Giving the crowd a big wink before she moves in, Tiffany snaps a single, forceful jab forward. There's no way she'll be able to pull this off if she commits to any bigger offense; Tabitha has made really going in much too risky. After all -- what if she gets back up /again/?
COMBATSYS: Tabitha fails to interrupt Quick Punch from Tiffany with Impact Knuckle.
~~ Alluring Hit! ~~
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Tiffany 1/----===/=======|
COMBATSYS: Tabitha can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Tiffany 1/----===/=======|
Tabitha is, as Tiffany has commented, really tough.
But all endurance has limits. Tiffany's just found Tab's.
Tabitha winds up for a blow when Tiffany comes in, because - as unsteady as she is - she can see exactly one chance to win and it's to take Tiffany out before she lands any more solid blows. But she doesn't manage it; Tiffany's glove hits before Tabitha's bare hand, and impacts solidly dead center on Tabitha's chest.
It's enough to break her out of her attack, drop her to one knee gasping for breath. Tabitha doesn't completely go unconcious, but she's sure not getting up again; she makes a short gesture with one hand behind her back. She kind of crabwalks backwards until she's in a corner, then collapses, because sitting is easier than standing.
"And we have a winner!" David booms, vaulting into the ring to raise Tiffany's hand up.
As the adrenaline of the fight sinks out of her, Tiffany finds herself downright /exhausted/. She needs her hand raised for her, because she sure as hell can't do it on her own; she slumps forward even with her hand raised, and says, "I... I think I did it," with a big, dizzy smile. She blinks a few times, glancing to either side; the crowd, at least, seems to be hot for it.
Once she's done having her hand ceremoniously raised, she rather /un/ceremoniously staggers back to her corner, taking a nice, long sitsy-sit in it. She doesn't move to socialize with Tabitha, or even really seem to intend to speak. Indeed, if she recovers before Tab does -- which she almost certainly will -- she offers the family a brief, dizzy "Thank you" before staggering off to get something to eat, because for some mysterious reason, she's /exceptionally/ hungry.
Log created on 20:13:28 11/12/2014 by Tabitha, and last modified on 21:30:19 11/13/2014.