Match of the Millennium

Description: With the prospect of a 'double-date' in the semifinals looming, Buck and Chevy decide to carve out some time for themselves atop the Andes.

[CHEVY]
As it turns out, pivoting from an island chock-full of deadly existential threats right into high-stakes battles against fierce rivals tends to induce a bit of whiplash -- not to mention, a bit of burnout! The best cure for that -- especially for the NFG's two most outdoorsy fighters -- is some time away from it all!

And where better to get away from it all than a trip up the side of the northern Andes mountain range? A path stretching from the peaceful village of of Barichara to the community of Guane provides unparalleled views of the nearby Suarez Canyon -- particularly early in the morning before the sun's able to turn up the heat overly much.

Chevy was, in all honesty, more than a little stressed out; her fight with Ayala ended up being much closer than she'd wanted it to be. And the thought of facing a highly-anticipated match against her deepest rival, Constance Coalbridge -- who seems to have only -tripled- down on her cobra motif since their last fight -- had filled her with dread. But, rather than pile more anxiety on top of Buck -- after his own close battle with Kenzo Kuroiwa -- she's been keeping many of her own concerns bottled up.

It's hard for Chevy to keep anything bottled up for long, though.

Especially after a species known as an ornate cat-eyed snake dropped from a tree, just near the Guane terminus of the hiking path, caused her to grip hold of Buck's left arm so tightly she'd practically left white handprints in his skin. Some things may change. But... can Chevy's fear of snakes?

"... It ain't whether it's venomous or not that bothers me!" she insists. Even after a few minutes of walking, she's still a bit shaken from the experience. "It's just, it like it popped up outta -nowhere-, you know?!"

Chevy pulls a water bottle from her backpack, taking a small swig of the lifegiving liquid. She's dressed lightly: a windbreaker, t-shirt, and cargo shorts are perfectly acceptable year-round in this part of Colombia. One thing she did -not- skimp on was hiking gear, as she's not only got a great pair of hiking boots, but also a large walking stick she'd picked up back in town.

"Auuuuuugh..." she moans, after another moment of stress. "... Now I done started thinkin' about Coco and all them snakey thoughts she jammed in my head in our last fight."

She tucks her water bottle back into its place on her backpack, rocking her shoulder affectionately against Buck. She looks apologetic -- albeit a little defensive, in a joking sense.

"I'd been good, though! I went all mornin' without talkin' about her... right?"

[BUCK]
Buck is enjoying himself. This is the first real hiking trip he's managed since his fateful one before season one. He was going to take one after the tournament, but then the call for season two went out. So a chance to hike the Andes? That was not something he was going to pass up. Some day he'd make the Himalayas.

He even had his old backpack with him, he uses it as luggage so it was on the ship, but now it's just packed for a hiking trip. Old, but lovingly kept in superlative condition, the pack rests on him almost like it's a part of him. He's shed his own light coat which is tied around his waist, leaving him in a t-shirt and shorts.

"They're thinking the same thing." Buck insists as he looks up into the canopy. "Imagine, you're just sleeping in your cozy little dirt hole, or up on your favorite branch, and this big loud ape several time your size comes stomping through. You're gonna get a little defensive." He pauses, then looks at Chevy. "Not that I'm calling you a big loud ape."

Distraction time, he pulls out a small tube of sunscreen from one of the strap pockets and takes a dollop to reapply to his face, handing it over to Chevy.

"I don't mind, I know we're both thinking about the upcoming double date." Which is how Buck has begun describing it.

[CHEVY]
Chevy smiles faintly, nodding along good-naturedly. She agrees with his framing, of course -- it's hard -not- to sympathize with the creature in such a hypothetical situation. She's so closely aligned with his thinking that she didn't even recognize that he'd likened her to an ape until a couple seconds after his apology for such.

And, much to her own dismay, that worked a snort-laugh out of her.
"Haha! Well, I'd hope not, gosh!"

The long mountain path gives plenty of time to air out anxieties. Like the big purple elephant that Buck has affectionately dubbed a 'double date'. He's described it as that before -- and it strikes her funny bone every time she hears it.

She reaches for the sunscreen, snickering lightly. "Thanks. And I mean, of course we are, right? Gosh. After the Rumble when Ichika came to stay with us, she had me promise -not- to talk about fightin'. It's so hard -not- to."

She pauses for a moment to focus on applying sunscreen -- but she doesn't stop -thinking- about the fights. "But dang. The first time we fought it weren't so bad. The last time... snakes were her whole -deal-. It was just a costume, so like... I worked through it, but..."

Life as a fair-skinned redhead has given Chevy plenty of experience in making sure sunscreen is evenly applied. When that's done, she hands the tube back to Buck with a grateful grin.

"At least we ain't in costume this time. That part like to drive me crazy."

She looks ahead to the trail with a smile. The mountain air helps to remind the perenially-anxious hayseed that it's... okay to space things out a bit, to let them breathe. It's a few moments before she settles down enough with her thoughts to let one creak out of the gates.

"You wanna talk about it now? I mean, we can talk shop if you're up for it."

She prods her walking stick at the path with a good-natured grin. It's a great day -- and with Buck at her side, she's determined to enjoy it no matter what.

[BUCK]
"Maybe you just need some exposure therapy. We'll find a small, cute one for you to be near. One of my old college friends is working at a zoo now. I'm sure he could find us some nicely behaved ones." Buck says, really sort of mumbling through ideas rather than making actual plans.

"Yeah, I don't envy you Coco. I fought her once and she did something.. I dunno. It woke up something connected to my abilities that I didn't like." Buck frowns, not an overly common occurance, but soon the landscape has him back to his usually chipper mood. The man can never stay down long.

He's digging in another pocket on the opposite shoulder strap and pulls out a granola bar, one of those crunchy two-pack ones. So of course once he pulls one free the other is offered over. He really does know where to pack everything for a hike so as to avoid too many stops.

"I've been trying not to think on it." He admits. "After my last showing against Hawksley.." He lets that thought wander off. "Hell, I didn't think I was going to get the best of Kenzo." And that was a close one that needed judges to call, despite the tech ninja literally being on the top of that fight until the last exchange.

He's happy to find another topic though if Chevy seems reticent to speak on the fights.

"We did Oklahoma Christmas last year, we doing North Carolina this year?" He asks, apropo of nothing.

[CHEVY]
Chevy gives a few moments of serious, introspective consideration to the idea of exposure therapy. It's particularly obvious when the hayseed gives a smile to the notion of a snake being 'small' and 'cute.'

"What, like a *baby?* Buck, I ain't gon' be scared of an anklebiter, or one with good manners." She pauses on that train of thought, eyebrows lowering for a moment. "Show me one that knows what side you put a salad fork on and I might be a bit skeered."

She does seem a bit... perplexed? Concerned? At the idea of Coco awakening something in her boyfriend. But when his expression darkens... she can tell it's something he might not want to talk about from his own perspective. So the hayseed quietly takes notes for later, opting to remain quiet for the moment.

Waiting is made easier by the telltale crinkle of a granola bar wrapper. Never one to turn down a snack, Chevy snickers and reaches out for the granola.

"Yeah. My fight with Ayala was a -lot- closer. We even done knocked each other out for a sec. Like... she wouldn't give me a chance to let the waters build up, she was always stickin', like *right* in my face, always attackin'." She laughs, softly, then takes a bite of her granola bar.

"... Mm, that's a good idea, yeah! I know Momma missed me for Christmas..." She muses quietly, adding after a moment. "But I can probably twist her arm a bit if we wanted to catch a sleigh ride back to Tulsa for the New Year. She's usually asleep long afore the Metro City ball drops."

She closes her eyes for a moment, remembering the good times back in Oklahoma. "It's so adorable, watchin' you with your folks. It's like how our church service on Christmas Eve goes... but like, the whole time, like, nonstop!"

She pauses to reflect -- which makes an ideal time for nibbling off another chunk of granola. She's said it often -- she prefers to live in the moment. But anyone who knows her would be able to tell that she's... thinking.

"It's gonna be hard to top last Christmas though. ... Is it alright if I say somethin' mushy?"

She grins, looking down at the path for a moment as her cheeks darken.

"My favorite present was you. So's long as I get that again this year I'll be set."

[BUCK]
"Yeah, I watched that one. Ayala.." Buck goes quiet, there's definitely some similarity in her fighting style and his, a constant pressure both put on so he can definitely see it.

"You know if we both win.."

Once more he lets the thought linger in the air for a minute. "You and I have never actually fought in the NFG, barring the rumble, and we teamed up more than fought in there." He crunches into the granola bar. "Only that time we sparred in Sunshine." And that was a long time ago as the NFG reckons things.

"And how can I root for you to win? I'll be torn." He adds that with a laugh.

"It's a good year for it." Buck says, drifting back to the Christmas conversation. "Bear is going with the baby to his in-laws, Ma and Pa don't want to miss Christmas with the baby so they're going to. Beau's going skiing with some of his rodeo pals. And honestly, I can't think of a better present for Boone than havin' the farm all to himself for a while." He chuckles at the thought of that. "Or we can always sneak off somewhere else for New Year's, just us? Or drop in on some of our friends?" He offers, as much as he loves his family, there'll be plenty of time to see them later.

He doesn't verbally reply to Chevy's present comment, instead just reaching out to take her hand in his and give it a light squeeze.

[CHEVY]
The mention of the Rumble definitely brings about an uptick in smile wattage. "Yeah, even back then it was foolish for anyone to get in the way of Team Thunder!" Those -were- the days, weren't they?

"... Ah, well, it was kinda the same way when I was up against Ichika, y'know? We each poured our whole heart into it an' gave the audience a great show. So I can safely say, if we both end up in the finals -- not just the *semifinals* -- then we *both* win so far as I'm concerned!"

There's so much she -could- blurt out about each member of the Finley family, but she's content to let the twinkling of her eyes do the speaking for her. Mostly. "Good ol' Boone, yeah..." The thought of such a -large- property being the purview of just one amuses her.

"We could, yeah! I'm sure we can stir up some kinda trouble." She squeezes back on Buck's hand, swinging her arms with giddy glee. "It's nice to be with family an' all. But a little time for us could be good too. I'm sure we'll be needin' it."

But, on that note... it's clear she's not able to keep -all- the things she's thinking about neatly corralled into place.

"Though yeah... now that you bring it up, we -ain't- fought at all, naw. Not since that one spar, yeah..." She snickers, at a thought. "We watch one another fight, sure, but it ain't the same. I hope it ain't 'cause you're afraid of me!" She follows -that- one up with another playful squeeze to the hand. A grin -- knowing there's probably -lots- of good reasons.

"You reckon it's about time for another sparrin' match? We still got us a long stretch of level ground before the next hill climb..."

[BUCK]
"Yeah, I like to see family, but spendin' some time with our friends outside of NFG craziness sounds like a good time to me, if they ain't sick of me yet."

"You kiddin'? 'Course I am." Buck replies in regards to whether he's afriad of her or not. "I'm just lucky I can breathe underwater if need be." He points out with a shake of his head, but he bears a smile nonetheless.

Buck looks up at the sky and then to the trail ahead, rubbing at a chin that might need a bit of a shave. Hiking and being out in the wilderness makes him a touch lazy in certain matters. It was lucky that Zack Island didn't result in an actual beard.

"If you want, I also get wanting to not think about fightin' for a bit. You know me, I'm always up for a scrap, and with a good mountain top view."

There's a brief pause before adding. "Unless its a ninja throwing me in a frozen lake."

[CHEVY]
Sick.. Of Buck? Chevy scoffs at that! "I cain't see why anyone'd be so foolish, you're the catch of a lifetime! But you can always count on me to be 'round, just the same." She flashes a quick wink in Buck's direction.

Her eyes widen in surprise as Buck admits being afraid -- though, once he clarifies, she dips her chin. "Well, I guess you do got a point there," she concedes with a smile.

"... Eh. Well, I mean... it's on both our minds, ain't it? I figure, yeah! We might as well work it out of our systems." She pauses for a moment. "No lakes up this way, but I cain't say for sure there ain't ninjas around. Besides... I'm gonna need some o' that 'exposure therapy' if I'm gonna be fightin' Coco again."

She lets go of Buck's hand -- albeit a bit reluctantly -- and jogs a few paces to the side.

"So I don't want'cha holdin' back on the snake heads and hydras, y'hear?"

She unslings the backpack from her shoulder, removing the bottle of water from it in the process. She lets the bag slip to the ground before taking another few steps to clear distance.

"Somethin' I done noticed about Hawksley is... he near 'bout always starts his matches the same. But like... would you say he does the whole -fight- similar?"

There's a twinkle in her eye as she starts to work the cap of her water bottle loose -- clearly preparing to take a swig. "Maybe I'm readin' too much into it, though..." she starts, with a coquettish wriggle of her nose.

COMBATSYS: Chevy has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Chevy            0/-------/-------|

[BUCK]
"Alright, then, let's finish up the season with a little preview of the finals." He says with an easy grin. Once they reach the clearing he slings off his backpack and sets it up against the tree, his shirt coming off next, as he doesn't want to ruin it with his shapeshifting.

He takes a moment to dig out the sunscreen and apply it to his now exposed shoulders, but one has to wonder if with the way his body just seems to fix itself if he even needs it. Even on Zack Island he didn't show a hint of sunburn. It might almost be infuriating for some.

"Same way?" Buck thinks. "I suppose he does. He's definitely got his style." He pulls out his cellphone and sets it up on top of his backpack, getting it in to record mode. Sure, it's sparring, but its also practice, and you gotta have the playback to learn from.

Finally, off come the boots. "I might have to test out some ideas I've been working on." He mentions as he straightens up and moves away from his backpack, barefoot and not minding the rocks underfoot.

COMBATSYS: Buck has joined the fight here.

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Chevy            0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0             Buck

[CHEVY]
"Gotta love a guy with confidence!" chirps Chevy with enthusiasm. It's easy to fall prey to the doom-and-gloom -- especially considering her and Buck's track records against their next tournament matchups. But there's definitely something to be said for keeping an optimistic outlook -- and Chevy is definitely here for it.

She's also quite plainly here for the sight of her boyfriend peeling off his shirt - which seems like it necessitates a long draught from her water bottle. And she's not even shy about watching, either, waiting until he's done until she follows up on the hint to peel out of her antler-prone windbreaker as well.

"Oh, hit me up with some of that sunscreen too. I cain't believe I left mine in the hotel after toting it along all over that dang island..." She scoots close enough to share in the bounty, taking a moment to smear the coating on her bared forearms before retreating back to her own 'corner' and propping up her backpack and cellphone camera in similar measure.

"Yeah... it ain't gonna be -quite- the same without my buckets..." She gives her walking stick a quick twirl about its center, silently judging the weight and balance. "But this'll be a good time to try some new tricks out, irregardless!"

Grinning, she twists the walking stick to her left, holding out her right hand in a beckoning gesture.

"So c'mon then! Don't be shy, Mr Finley!"

COMBATSYS: Chevy lets the tide wash out.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Chevy            0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0             Buck

[BUCK]
Buck Finley on the other hand is a gentleman, and casually averts his gaze from Chevy as she takes off her jacket. Not that he hasn't seen her in a bikini on numerous occasions, but one just doesn't watch a woman get dressed or undressed. He was raised right. He just relinquishes the sunscreen with a.. is that a blush?

Nope, definitely just a little flushed thinking about the fight to come, yes, that's it.

"Well, maybe this'll lead to some new tricks, that keep me from getting hit by buckets." He adds with a good natured laugh.

He nods as she prompts him to make the first move. "Don't worry, we'll make sure you don't get sunburned.." HE says as he rushes in, then extends his hand as if to palmstrike. The hit never comes though.

Instead a torrent of black ink comes rushing out of a small opening in his palm, a simultaneous thrust of chi sending it puffing out in all directions and momentarily concealing him from view.

COMBATSYS: Chevy blocks Buck's Inkblot.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Chevy            0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0             Buck

[CHEVY]
Normally, Chevy -would- be the traditional sort and look away. And her temptation to stay true to her upbringing was strong. But, as of late, she has been notably trying to push back against his tendency to downplay his own significance -- to step out and swat down each 'if they ain't sick of me yet' he might think to toss out. And she's hoping that when such a move does come from a traditional-minded Beaumont, it carries a bit more meaning.

There's more to discuss, though, once the fight begins in earnest. She cracks a smile as Buck acknowledges her bucket techniques -- a comment that has her give her walking stick a quick spin. She's *thinking* about those buckets, and that's enough to fire up her muscle memory.

"Oh, really now?" she asks.

Similarly, seeing Buck charge in with an open palm has her hopping backwards a couple steps and raising that walking stick in defense. She squints her eyes when she notices his strike falling short. She squints even more once she sees the ink squirt out! Luckily, her eyes are -mostly- shut when the cloud of ink spills outward, washing over her with a wet splash. She can feel it coat her sunscreen-coated skin -- and right afterward, when she opens her eyes, the realization hits her.

"... Oh, -you!-" she chides, two blue eyes peeking out through an inky void that -- for the moment -- covers up most of her freckled face. "Well, now I got me some war paint. It's on now, Buck!"

The walking stick lashes through the air with a whoosh -- but it's a mere distraction, as Chevy steps forward to grab hold of Buck's extended arm with her free hand! If she manages to grab hold of him, she'd continue to advance, planting her back against his chest. It's not just a lover's embrace, though! She's hoping to use her shoulder a fulcrum upon which the hog wrestler would hope to judo-hurl him to the ground!

"Alley-ooop!"

COMBATSYS: Buck blocks Chevy's Quick Throw.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Chevy            0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0             Buck

[BUCK]
Buck is shameless when it comes to fighting though. He may have been raised to treat a lady like a lady, but that all goes to the wayside in the ring. No gentlemanly conduct here other than good sportsmanship.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll wash it off soon enough."

He squints as she grabs his arm, then spins into his chest, he even places a hand to her shoulder for a moment like they are dancing. "Well, can't say as I don't like this."

At least until he realizes her plan, and he does the best thing he can do, which is drop to one knee and make himself a floppy and inconvenient weight. Tossing a person usually requires them to try to keep themselves upright, not play angry toddler that doesn't want to leave the playground.

With a twist he manages to wrench his arm free, then he does a half-circle spin, sticking his leg out and trying to sweep Chevy's feet out from under her.

COMBATSYS: Chevy blocks Buck's Medium Kick.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Chevy            0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0             Buck

[CHEVY]
"Well, naturally!" responds the ink-spattered Chevy. There probably hasn't been a fight with Chevy yet, tournament bout, sparring match or otherwise, that didn't end without both fighters getting sopping wet. Why should this fight be any different?

Chevy mirthlessly barks out, "Ha, ha..." as she presses her back against Buck. She can tell -something's- awry when his center of gravity shifts lower, though, and it's at that point that she realizes the tables have turned! Pivoting free, she relinquishes the hold just in time to see a foot spinning towards her own! Luckily, her hiking boots keep her ankles safe -- particularly when she stands her ground, transferring her weight onto the leg absorbing the strike itself.

Even still -- the price of the exchange is a grimace and some bruising. "Nngh..." Drawing back, she flips the staff around behind her, drawing in her breath as she seeks to chill the air around her.

"Y'know, you don't have to try so hard to sweep me off my feet!"

When the staff stops spinning, there are two globes of water clinging to either end of it, drawn straight from the breezy mountain air. It doesn't stay motionless for long, though -- as Chevy suddenly lances the walking stick forward -- hoping to encapsulate one of Buck's arms in the chilled water!

"Though... maybe we should cool off while we're sparrin'!"

If she succeeds, she'd whip the globe hard to Buck's left -- popping it free from her walking stick in the process -- and then spinning him around in place 180 degrees so that his back faces -her-, this time! And then she'd leap forward while locking the crook of her elbow around his neck, and leverage her slingshot momentum to bulldog him face-first into the mountain path!

COMBATSYS: Chevy successfully hits Buck with Battleship Chains.

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Chevy            0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0             Buck

[BUCK]
Buck actually dances well, it makes up for his atrocious singing voice, this is not so much dancing as being spun about, but at least he's making it look good for the non-existent audience.

He sees the ground coming in but there's really not much he can do about it at this point, not once his hands are hogtied in water. He meets the ground with great aplomb, however, merely letting out a mild. "Ow.."

He manages to tear his arms apart from the water and plants his hands firmly on the ground, and then pulls his legs up and in before lashing out in a fierce double kick right towards Chevy's midsection.

At least it's feet this time and not hooves.

After the kick he plants his feet and pops back up, still ready to go. "Was never good at being grounded, you know."

COMBATSYS: Chevy fails to counter Strong Kick ES from Buck with Low Tide EX.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Chevy            1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1             Buck

[CHEVY]
With one of Buck's arms trapped in her water globe, and Buck himself slammed against the ground, Chevy knew she'd had a clear advantage for the moment. He may not have liked being grounded, but the position offered him the best option for recourse: a mule kick, minus the hooves.

The trouble was -- Buck's feet were also -really- close to being tangled up in her walking stick, just inches away. Chevy found herself trapped in a moment of indecision -- should she catch his legs with the staff and use them to sweep him right up off the ground? Or should she just slam the tip of the stick into the ground and let the irresistible force meet an immovable object?

In her deliberations, she forgets to account for just how -close- Buck is at the moment. Without time to commit to her plan of action, Buck's feet slam into her abdomen, jackknifing her backwards and sending her stumbling backwards. She drops to one knee, wheezing for breath while both hands cling to the nearly vertical walking stick for support.

Water splashes to the ground; the kick forced Chevy to drop the concentration necessary to keep the globes intact. And, despite feeling like that granola bar might be wanting to weigh in on the situation, the easygoing hayseed still finds the time to laugh about that.

"Ngh.... ahaha... I... I was -gonna- point out how risky that was...!"

Eyes wincing shut, she shifts her weight to the walking stick, and uses it to leverage herself back to her feet. She may not be done with the water yet, though -- for she begins to 'steer' the water puddles on the ground with the point of her staff, urging them into motion to Buck's right.

But it is -remarkably- simple for the easygoing hayseed to break into laughter at the situation, all the same. With one hand curled about her tender midsection, the other guiding her puddles about, she begins rocking from one side to another. A way to show she's still in fighting form!

"Threw me off, though. With the 'grounding' bit I thought for sure that was gonna be the electric eels..."

[BUCK]
"Can't be too predictable with the people that know my tricks." Buck says with a shrug and a grin. "'Sides, I'm gonna need to be risky to beat Hawks."

He seems to consider a moment, almost mimicking Chevy's sway as he shifts his weight between his feet. She did say not to hold back, and normally Buck wouldn't even dream of it, but he's also not used to fighting his girlfriend, which may actually cause some hesitation. Not that he thinks she can't take it, he just doesn't want to inflict fear.

Buck's control has gotten a lot finer over the two seasons, and while he used to be far more flashy in his moves, he's learned to conserve himself and limit his changes a little more to what's needed. So it might be hard to notice the pupils of his eyes going slitted as he continues to sway.

Then in a snap second his jaw seems to unhinge as it opens, long fangs snapping into place. With a short hiss, he fires a couple globs of toxin towards Chevy, planting his feet as he waits for a retaliation.

COMBATSYS: Buck successfully hits Chevy with Spit Take.

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Chevy            1/----===/=======|=======\-------\1             Buck

[CHEVY]
"Hm, yeah... I guess I can see that!" She grins, offering a bit of a shrug. It might look a *little* macabre with ink still painted across her features, but her motions still make her undeniably recognizable as that 'girl next door.'

"It might be different for me, water beats fire and all, right? But the times I've kept away from him, he usually runs in to close the distance. And then, *wham!*" To give proper emphasis to that last syllable, she hops back and abruptly flips the walking stick into a quick revolution!

It's that moment in which Buck's pupils change to mere slits. And Chevy's so focused on providing her advice that she didn't have her guard up for the 'exposure therapy' she'd asked for just moments ago. So there is an audible hitch in her breath as the blue-eyed Beaumont sees her boyfriend's jaw unhinge. Nothing she hasn't seen before, of course -- but she'd been expecting his scruffy jaw instead of that sport of body horror! Also, spinning stick stunt left her a little flat-footed than she'd prefer -- so her fearful leap backwards is a bit clumsy!

Globs of toxin slam into her jaw, her raised forearm, and the shoulder of her t-shirt. Her backpedaled steps are made a bit less certain from the buffeting blows. Her eyebrows lower in an agonized wince, as she feels the burning sensation of poison through her shirt and into her skin.

She may be a girlfriend. But she's also an internationally-recognized fighter now, thanks to the NFG's publicity. And she knows that most setbacks are just temporary! She clears out the cobwebs with a shake of her head, sweeping her staff in a wide arc to her left. "Just my boyfriend... just my boyfriend..." she whispers out as a mantra, with the barest hint of a smile.

And then the air grows cold and humid. There wasn't a cloud in the sky before -- but now, the soft pitter-patter of rainfall can be heard all around Buck. Raindrops begin to intensify -- as Chevy leaps forward at him, shoulder-first with her walking stick trailing behind.Raindrops slam into her ink- and toxin-covered face -- a rejuvenating shower that she hopes will keep her in the fight long enough to make her mark!

"Nothing creepy to see here, nope!"

But the real kicker of the attack will happen if she's able to lock her arms around Buck's abdomen! If this happens, she'll be able to harness the collected rainfall, urging it to form a geyser beneath the two that rockets upward into a dizzying spiral! Chevy will -- for more reason than one -- hold on tight -- and then invert Buck at the peak of their flight, so that she can kinda-sorta-Izuna-drop him into the ground!

COMBATSYS: Buck fails to interrupt Sound Side from Chevy with Wingman ES.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Chevy            0/-------/-----==|=======\=====--\1             Buck

[BUCK]
By the time the venom has made contact, Buck's face is back to normal, a blink of the eye, though for once his usual smile is missinng. No, he doesn't like poking at Chevy's fear, but he's not going to avoid it if she asks him not to. She's a fighter and he has to recognize that fact.

Rain. Buck loves rain. It's one thing Chevy would definitely know. When it starts raining his favorite place to be is at a window or on a covered porch just watching, and maybe drinking something.

This rain though, he shifts into a more defensive posture, having an idea of what's coming.

Chevy gets a hold of him and bring him up into the air, where he hopes to gain advantage by breaking his arms free and shifting them into wings, slowing their fall and giving him some time to deliver some solid kicks along the way.

He manages to get one feathery wing free, but the other remains clamped to his side.

In the end, all he manages to do is add some spin to the fall as he once more meets the ground face first.

"Oh, hello again." He murmurs to the now muddy soil.

[CHEVY]
As Buck hits the ground, the North Carolinian uses her walking stick as a fulcrum to pivot back to her feet. She's feeling a bit more energized from the thrum of rain around her, the vibrance of chi -- but the fact that Buck's smile didn't return with his natural facial features was not lost upon her.

"Keep the pressure up, Buck! This feels -great-, actually!" Even though the ink and toxins are starting to dribble off due to the rainfall, they've done their job in spiking the hayseed's adrenaline levels to spike.

She sweeps the fallen rain around into one big puddle, maneuvering it around with her walking stick as she starts to strafe a half-circle around Buck. She wants to keep the pressure on -- but she also wants to give him time to find his footing!

"I know Coco's not gonna go easy on me. So this is good practice!"

And... as the puddle grows in size, she spares one glance over. One more moment... and then she breaks into a quick run!

"So you got any more tricks for me?"

She's grinning ear-to-ear -- partly because she's got a trick of her own, in the form of the puddle racing alongside her. Her boots catch the wave, which speeds her further and faster. And as she reaches Buck, she aims to reach out both palms to his right shoulder, while the waves launch her feet forward,. The goal would be to press her rain-soaked body against his upper chest, while the momentum of her water-assisted launch sends her -- and Buck -- into a lateral spin! If it works the way she wants, there'd be a moment of liftoff for the two, before she's able to spin-toss him into a skid across the damp ground!

COMBATSYS: Chevy successfully hits Buck with Mudskipper.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Chevy            0/-------/----===|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2             Buck

[BUCK]
"You know me Chevs, the more I'm behind the harder I fight." Buck says as he regains his feet, twisted wings reverting back into arms. He rolls his shoulders and cracks his neck as he turns to face her.

Buck does have a distinct knack for come from behind wins, one might almost wonder if he likes getting beaten up to start with. Or maybe he's just used to it being the third of four boys.

Though he's also just enjoying watching his girlfriend enjoying herself in the rain. His smile returns slightly, as she seems to be getting over her snakey issues, at least a little.

He tries to guard himself against Chevy's incoming attack, but its all for naught as he instead finds himself soaring across the battlefield with her.

He doesn't let that distract him, though, or the fact he's about to meet with his old buddy the ground again.

He goes into a roll as he hits the ground, unceremoniously thumping along. But he doesn't lay still at the end of the toss, instead he hops back to his feet and begins closing the distance.

There's one problem with water that didn't come up in their previous spar, as he hadn't conceptualized the move yet. But as he charges, sparks fly off his arms, lighting up the water droplets as the water seems to pull the electricity out of him.

And boy. Does water love electricity.

His arms flare to light as blue bolts fly off of them, zipping between the rain droplets in a chaotic haze, before he focuses his fists in Chevy's direction, lashing out with a one-two punch that cracks loudly with each swing, launching off poweful bolts of eel electricity as he does so.

COMBATSYS: Chevy fails to counter Shock & Awe ES from Buck with High Tide EX.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Chevy            1/-------/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>----\1             Buck

[CHEVY]
Whereas the winged Buck's reintroduction to the ground is abrupt and halting, Chevy's able to roll back to her feet with a bit more grace. Regaining her feet, she spins her walking stick in a half-turn for balance.

"Heh! Yeah, I -have- noticed that," she answers with a wink. "It's one of the things I like most about you!"

It isn't until after he begins to rise that she takes notice of the wings -- and her eyes widen at the potential implications if he'd been able to put them to use. "... Whoa, that was pretty quick thinkin' there, y'almost had me!"

There isn't a -whole- lot of time to continue the dialogue, though, as Buck is charging in to close the gap. Chevy raises her walking stick defensively -- and grits her teeth as she notices all the electrical charges sparking from her boyfriend. Not just because it looks cool -- but because she becomes acutely aware of the mild chill from having a sopping wet t-shirt plastered to her skin.

She takes a step backwards, whipping her walking stick around in rapid circles to stir up her water. She's dealt with electricity before -- by forming a conductive cyclone around her she's been able to redirect that painful electricity -around- her instead of -through- her.

The catch is, though, that Buck is punching -through- the waterbender's defensive cyclone -- closing the electrical circuit amidst redirected sprays of water!

Chevy rocks backwards as Buck's fist cracks into her jaw. She finds it hard to keep standing, though, when her back suddenly succumbs to convulsions from the shocks rippling throughout her nervous system. She's left off-balance and defenseless for the punch that follows, which slams right into her sternum and sends her tumbling backwards ass-over-teakettle for a few revolutions! The vortex itself loses all cohesion, with the churned-up water succumbing to the natural call of gravity, splashing down in a rough ring of puddles onto the ground.

Chevelle's roll ends with her crumpled into a pile a fair distance away -- dripping wet, and shuddering from aftershocks. She topples over onto her side. But, just when it looks like she might be unconscious, she reaches a hand out to catch herself.

"Hah! F-fair play..." stammers Chevy. Smeared with mud, ink, and toxin, she's grinning ear-to-ear as she pushes herself back to her feet -- and she's grinning ear-to-ear. Punch drunk? Maybe just a bit, as her ribcage sure is heaving a lot, in opposition to the bold fighting spirit she's putting on display.

"Well, I think you done caught up on that front!" A few sparks crackle at her fingertips as she curls them around her walking stick, holding it diagonally across herself. Her eyes light up with enthusiasm -- as the momentarily forgotten puddles strewn across the battlefield begins to tremble to life! "So now it's -my- turn to dig in my heels!"

[BUCK]
Buck keeps the concern from his face as he watches Chevy hit the ground, only smiling as she gets back up to her feet. It's hard to both want to win and to cheer for your opponent to win, but this is the type of fight he'd be happy to see the outcome of either way.

He grins wide, the tip of his tongue prodding at a canine that's a bit too long to be human as he regards the waterbender.

"Not if I can dry us out, first." He says, a few pops of static still rising from him aswater droplets hit his still slightly electrified skin. At least until patches of scales form here and there.

He drops to a three point, his mouth opening wide again as it stretches into a draconian muzzle. Chevy has had more experience with dragons lately, and well, there's only one reason Buck draws on them.

The air still crackles, but this time the noise coming from deep inside this throat, where a orange glow can be seen through his open mouth.

Then in a massive, FWOOSH, flames come roiling and rolling out of his maw, almost like a wave themselves as they rush along the battlefield, turning some small errant puddles to steam, droplets sizzling and puffing away as the fires roar past.

Obviously, he's trying to end it here and now.

COMBATSYS: Chevy parries Buck's Burn Out!!

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Chevy            1/---====/=======|-------\-------\0             Buck

[CHEVY]
Much like Buck, Chevy's not particularly concerned about whether she wins or loses this sparring match. She just wants to bring enough heat to make it feel like a real match!

... Because Buck sure as heck is planning to bring the heat to her! Once she sees the scales start to form on her boyfriend's skin, old memories flood back to her consciousness, bringing down a new cloud of anxiety upon her. And when his jaw hinges open, just like it had earlier, the earlier memory is triggered. Mr Finley may be a dragon and not a snake, but it's close enough to set off Chevy's alarms -- and cause her own jaw to tighten and lock into position!

Buck's mention of drying her out, though, is enough to remind her that she's dealing with a friendly rather than a foe. And she has a -pretty- good idea of the kind of threat that his chosen features portend. Her blue eyes lock onto the draconic, slitted eyes before her, steeled with determination. Yes, she affirms with a quick nod -- she can do this!

Taking a step back, she swings her walking stick in a quick turn. The drizzling raindrops cease, as the air before her begins to twist into a frosty vortex. Layer by layer, snowflakes swirl around a central core, rapidly increasing its mass...

Her forehead creases. It's taking everything she's got to keep this thing together. With two failures to reverse Buck's tide, and staring straight back at a dragon which -might- look like a snake to her, she's absolutely determined to make -this- one work!

"Aww! That's sweet! But... I ain't ready to towel off just yet!"

Dragonflame thunders out towards her! The world around her turns into a sea of superheated air. Puddles erupt into clouds of steam! The grass boundaries of the mountain path ignites into flame! And Chevy starts charging into the flame, with her hailstone core -- now the size of a bowling ball -- leading the way! A front of cold air serves as a snowplow through the walls of flame, churning up clouds of steam on either side of the hayseed as she runs right towards the source of the flames. It'd be certain doom if she -didn't- have something freezing leading her way. The further she pushes forward, the more of the frost orb is transformed from ice into water and the more layers of cold air are rippled away into heat waves. By the time Chevy makes it through the wall, her skin is starting to turn a cherry red not something that her earlier application of sunscreen could do much about...

"Why don't we try a dip in a hot spring?!"

Bright red and dripping with a mix of sweat and melted frost, she plunges her watery orb down into the mountain path at Buck's feet -- where it suddenly erupts into a powerful geyser! The heated water might not be hot enough to scald -- but it would pack enough force to blast him upwards into the air should it hit! She may be scared of snakes -- but she's not afraid of an uphill battle!

COMBATSYS: Chevy successfully hits Buck with Nor'easter EX.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Chevy            1/-======/=======|====---\-------\0             Buck

[BUCK]
Buck would normally be happy to return banter, and share his suddenly quite inspired idea to hit up a hot spring for their New Year's plan. Sounds like a perfect way to ring it in. Except, his mouth is a little busy spouting a gout of flame for him to actually manage to talk at the moment.

As Chevy pushes through his flames with her miniature cold front Buck's face can occasionally be seen through the curtain of fire, firt confused, then a bit of consternation, then a look of pride.

The explosion of the sphere does indeed send him skyward, his attempt to throw up his arms to shield him less completely ineffectual. And so up he goes, still trailing a thin line of fire and smoke into the sky.

Too bad he didn't do wings when he went all draconic, but those are a lot of work and not really needed for what he's doing. But even so, looking up he seems to be managing to twist himself about in the air, a sort of gliding flap having formed between his arm and torso, like a flying squirrel. He really is surprisingly good at thinking on the fly. Pun intended.

He twists himself about so his head is pointed right at Chevy, horns having joined his visage as he grins at her.

Then folds his arms in and goes right in a head first dive bomb towards her and the ground.

He also might be a little bit crazy.

COMBATSYS: Chevy blocks Buck's Bullheaded.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Chevy            2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|===----\-------\0             Buck

[CHEVY]
One doesn't get far in the New Fighting Generation without being a little bit crazy, one way or the other.

Flames continue to blaze in a half-circle behind Chevy. It's a foregone conclusion that the two nature-lovers will take care of that before it becomes a big issue -- just, y'know, *later!* The Carolina girl's eyes are on Buck, but her focus for the moment is on lowering her body temperature. Her reddened skin is soon coated in a light dusting of snowflakes -- though many of the snowflakes go flying in the next moment as her boyfriend barrels towards her!!

"Hey!" she shouts in the midst of a backwards leap! She's not quick enough to do much beyond throwing her staff and her forearms into the path of the horned assault -- that creates a wider surface to absorb the shock, but it still means Buck's momentum is enough to catapult Chevy into a backwards tumble!

And this is where failing to put out campfires... well, burns her. As she is thrown backwards through the wall of fire, the tail of her t-shirt -- drier than the rest of her soaked self -- begins to catch flame. She doesn't seem to notice as she hits the ground in a tumble, whips around with the aid of her walking stick, and starts to rise to her feet.

Not only doesn't she notice -- she's practically all smiles. Craziness seems to be in the air, as Chevy sweeps her hand across some of the puddles that hadn't yet been turned to steam. The water dutifully leaps to her hands, forming large "mitts" around them.

"What kinda animal was that?" she asks with a grin. There's a number of guesses she could hazard. A buck, maybe! But it seems like the farm girl's more interested in a doe-si-doe of sorts -- the kind that has her water-gloved hands reaching out a shoulder and a hip, in an attempt to lift Buck off the ground with hydraulic strength -- and then, whipping him to the side, to then slam him down into the ground with a splash!

COMBATSYS: Chevy successfully hits Buck with Spout Toss.
- CRAZY Hit! -

[                        \\\\\\  < >  ///                           ]
Chevy            1/----<<</<<<<<<<|=======\-------\1             Buck

[BUCK]
Buck hits the staff and then the ground with a double thud, somehow not even seeming to injure himself in the insane maneuver. As Chevy goes tumbling, buck pulls himself back to his feet, dismissing the horns with a shake of his head.

"I can play mix and match, you know. Little squirrel, little bull, all nuts." He mutters, smacking the side of his head with the heel of his hand like he's trying to clear out cobwebs. "I think I got water in my ears." He mutters, grabbing one of his ears and wiggling it.

Maybe he's a little too distracted with his swimmer's ear, or maybe he doesn't expect the retaliation quite so soon. But his eyes go wide as Chevy comes in to grab him with those giant water hands. "Oh crap."

The actual near curse word coming out of Buck means he is indeed more than a touch surprised. The hands wrap around him and hoist him up into the air. He struggles against them, but to no avail.

And its back to meeting his old friend the ground.

The water mixes with the dirt and ash to make a nice muddy slurry that does nothing to break the slam. Instead he just sinks into the mud pool a bit, his eyes staring up at the sky.

Raising one hand, he waves it like I flag. "I surrender."

His arm falls back into the mud with a squelch as Buck just continues to lay there like a boar sunning himself.

"Gimme a few minutes to patch myself up. I think I broke something there. Tailbone, maybe." He doesn't sound pained though, instead he just sort of chuckles.

COMBATSYS: Buck takes no action.

[                        \\\\\\  <
Chevy            1/----<<</<<<<<<<|

COMBATSYS: Buck can no longer fight.

[                        \\\\\\  <
Chevy            1/----<<</<<<<<<<|

[CHEVY]
Fighters are a bit peculiar, at times. Compared to the thrill of the fight, everything else ranks a distant second. But the moment that someone taps out, folks like Chevy are quick to quell their fighting urges as easily as dousing a flame with a bucket of water.

Which is definitely a thing Chevy is going to get to, just after rushing to Buck's side. If she'd seen him jump to his feet, that'd be one thing. But seeing his arm fall limp like that, the Carolina girl is naturally a bit concerned -- to say nothing of the admission he'd just made.

"Aww shoot!" she exclaims, panic washing over her features. "What?! I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to overdo it, I just..." There's definitely a moment in which her mothering instincts take over, as she drops to her knees in the mud in an attempt to provide what aid she can...

Before she makes sense of what he'd said about patching himself up. "... It's..." She gulps a breath down. "You can heal... through that?" she asks with no shortage of concern.

It's in the midst of blinking back at Buck that she finally clears the proverbial tunnel, to see all the fires blazing around the two. Without a second thought, she sweeps her left palm upwards, and then sweeps it in a circle around her. The nearest puddle flops up, on command, and starts rolling around the area like a fire-extinguishing Roomba.

The waterbender turns her concerned face to Buck, even while absentmindedly guiding her extinguishing puddle around the area. "I... I mean, is it a -bone- break? That sounds like... real bad!"

COMBATSYS: Chevy lets the tide wash out.

[                        \\\\\\  <
Chevy            1/----===/=======|

COMBATSYS: Chevy has ended the fight here.


[BUCK]
Buck shifts his head enough to look at Chevy and smiles. "No worries. I patch up quicker when I'm not in a fight because I can focus on it." He murmurs. "You know instead of forcing my body into all sorts of weird things." He sighs. "I'm just making it turn back into... itself I guess. Like unflexing a muscle. It just.."

And on cue his stomach makes a whale call loud enough to echo in the clearing. "Makes me hungry." He adds with a laugh. "I'll be right as rain in a mo', but maybe we should have lunch."

Buck's healing has come a surprising distance since he first figured out the trick after the talk with one of their team mentors back in the very beginning on that beach. Where he could bounce back in a few hours, now it takes him a few minutes of quiet and relaxation to do the same.

"So, you gave me an idea." He says, still resting in his mud puddle. "I think we should find a hot spring and visit for New Years." He's touched by Chevy's concern for his well-being, but obviously isn't worried about it himself.

[CHEVY]
"... Well, haha... yeah!" Chevy laughs, rubbing at the back of her head. She knew he could heal, but she's still coping with the realization that, well... not just -everyone- can recover as quickly as Buck!

It takes a moment. But then, relieved, Chevy hops to her feet. "Well, yeah, I still got those sandwiches I packed, I'll get right on that!" With another few twists of her wrist, she steers the mobile puddle around to extinguish the last of the residual flames, and starts to retrieve her backpack.

"Oh! Yeah, a hot spring would be real nice! Plenty of time to just kick back and relax... They got some good ones up in the mountains I think!"

She sniffs lightly, nose wriggling. The fires are out. But there's still a small smoldering from the back of her shirt -- noticeable from the plume of smoke rising behind her head as she looks back with Buck, sandwiches in hand.

"Is somethin' still burnin'...?"

[BUCK]
"Your shirt is." Buck says surprisingly calmly from inside his mud puddle. Just expecting the hydromancer to douse herself in short order.

After a moment he picks himself up out of the mud, shaking himself a little like a dog to dislodge the worst of it. He's not fully patched up yet, but he's a good portion of the way there, stretching his arms over his head as he goes to fetch his phone of his pack. "Yeah, no hot springs in my neck of the woods, but if there's some near you."

He runs a thumb along his jaw. "Or we could catch a flight to Reykjavik, always wanted to go there." He blinks a few times, then winces at something on his phone screen, probably watching the replay of their fight.

[CHEVY]
"Wait, what?" asks Chevy, instinctually looking down. A moment later she catches sight of the errant flame and swats it out with her hands. She may have a way with water -- but she's been dealing with small-scale flames for much longer, it would seem!

"Oh whew, thanks!"

After turning her back to Buck and stretching her shirt out for confirmation that she got it all, she slings her backpack over one shoulder and jogs back over. Obviously, sitting down in the mud isn't too desirable, even if both of them are covered in muck of one kind or another. "Reykjavik?" she echoes. "What's a 'vick?'" she asks with a goofy grin. "Tell me about this place! I ain't ever heard of it."

Already her thumbs are playing across her own phone's display, but with Buck's consternation, she cranes her neck over to take a gander at his screen. This would necessitate bumping her grimy shoulder against his -- but this is not a bad thing, to her!

"What's up there?"

[BUCK]
The screen of course shows Buck in one of his times getting friendly with the ground. There were plenty of those so it's a good chance he was wincing at another of those. "I'm just glad to know you didn't leave me completely in the dust, Queen of the Island." He jokes lightly.

"Dunno what it translates too but it's Iceland, one of my hiking bucket list spots, not that I want to hike there in the winter." He adds with a small shudder. "But they have lots of hot springs and maybe if we're lucky we could see a real light show in the sky." He adds, sounding almost whistful about it.

"And hey, it's about 50/50 one of us takes the prize, right? Not like Coco needs it." He mutters a little sourly, though he's still grinning.

Buck and nature is always a combination that makes him happy. One day he'll get that cabin in the woods.

[CHEVY]
Chevy drapes her windbreaker over her shoulder. Now that she's not meddling with the local humidity, it won't be long before the fighters' clothes dry -- but she's still not ready to get mud all over the jacket.

"Huh, neat!" she answers, in response to an Iceland visit. "Oh, yeah, like with the auroras and stuff? I'm onboard with that!" After all this time in more temperate climes, Chevy seems oddly comfortable with the idea of going somewhere cold.

She ... does find herself shaking her head at Buck's assessment of the display. "Yeah, I'd give you that if it -was- one-sided, but it weren't!" Putting on a more skeptical look, she immediately starts scrubbing through her own video footage. Before long, she shows Buck a still frame of him landing both boots onto her abdomen. However, both the phone and her hands are shuddering -- from adrenaline and the aftereffects of an electric jolt. "I think it's fair to say we both gave as good as we got, y'know?"

The notation of "fifty-fifty odds" is accepted with a nod and a smile: "Ooh, yeah... Right!" A moment later, there's a look of hesitation -- but she decides to just trust Buck's math there as she blurts out the next thing that occurs to her: "Yeah, Coco's gonna be a tough match..." She clears her throat, scrubbing through to find another scene on her phone. "But, I think I'll do alright now, thanks to you. You both like to surprise me! I figure, if I can keep from gettin' distracted..."

She finds the spot in the video where Buck's breathing fire at her -- and zooms in on his face, turning back to Buck to examine his reaction.

"Now see, that look right there? It like to give me a heart attack. My first time seein' it from head-on, and dang if you didn't look just like a snake at first..."

She looks back and forth between the screen and Buck -- and, impulsively, reaches out to brush her thumb across his stubbled jawline. "I like your regular jawline better though."

Her cheeks darken just a smidge at her own unplanned gesture -- but she seems eager to gauge Buck's response all the same.

But even then... there's someone in the conversation who hadn't spoken up yet: her tummy. Which starts to rumble with a growl, right on cue.

A little embarrassed, Chevy stuffs her phone in her back pocket and looks a way down the path. "Ahaha... guess that means we oughta crack these sandwiches open." After a brief scan, she spots a small wooden bench. "... Over yonder's a good dry spot to sit on!"

Still a little fidgety from the fight, she starts to take a stride forward -- but catches herself in the process. She stops, and turns back -- and reaches for Buck's hand.

"Ain't no sense in rushin' things, though," she adds with a warm smile.

[BUCK]
"You'll do great against Coco." Buck doesn't say she'll win, he doesn't want to jinx it. But he does sound confident in her. "You're the Queen of the Island afterall." He adds with a small smile.

As she comes over with the phone he leans in to look at it. Oddly, he doesn't get to see his own transformations up close either except in replays. "Nah, missing the heat pits. Dead give away its not a snake." He says, reaching out with a finger to draw a line on the reptilian snout. "See, only two holes. Nostrils. Snakes got like.. eight." He smiles, relatively proud of himself. The big nature nerd.

He lets out a soft sigh. "You know, I should probably go back to school and finish that degree of mine. Fighting's great and all but.." He's quiet for a moment then shrugs. "I feel like there's a timer on it, then it'll be over and I'll need something else."

He follows to the dry spot Chevy indicates, his own stomach renewing its protest now that food is back on his mind. He takes the hand, and grins. "Yeah, not like I'm gonna keel over without a snack." He jokes back, but is happy to make the meal and stride to the picnic spot a more leisurely one.

[CHEVY]
When her zoom in of the dragon face shows only two nostrils, her eyes sliiiide over to look at Buck's. "... Wait, really? You mean to tell me I'm scared out my mind from somethin' with four noses?" She looks a -little- skeptical. But she also holds up her hand. "... On second thought, I don't wanna know!"

As Buck lets out a sigh, Chevy's eyebrows fold with concern. "Mmm..." she starts. Her lips press into a line, as she thinks a moment for a proper response.

"It's nice to have a fallback plan, yeah. I mean, one good injury could take either of us out of the game for months, or years. Endorsements don't count for much if you cain't get up there and whale on people whenever folks ask ya to."

She laughs, at the notion that Buck might be in -critical- need of snackage. "Listen, you, I just don't wanna make a mess everywhere. Mud pies got old a long time ago!"

Once the picnic spot is reached, Chevy takes a seat, unslings her backpack and starts to unwrap sandwiches from their respective wrappers. The hoagie rolls are both packed to the brim with a mix of deli meats and veggies -- though, she has to take a peek inside one of the sandwiches to make sure Buck gets the one with extra meat.

"What, uh... which school is it you're goin' to, again?" She scratches her cheek, as starts to compress her sandwich to fit in her mouth. "I... was kinda thinkin' about maybe givin' college a shot..."

After taking a bite of her sandwich, she turns to Buck, with a tentative look on her face. "I mean, it don't hurt to have other options, right...?"

[BUCK]
"Yeah, the heat pits, it lets a snake sort of smell.. well.. heat.. here.." He starts to tap out on his phone until Chevy tells him she doesn't want to know. He looks a little disappointed he doesn't get to geek out, but he respects the instructions."

Upon reaching the picnic spot, while Chevy works on getting the food out, Buck fishes out some hiking towels which he dampens from one of the spare water bottles. HE cleans off the drying mud from himself, then wordlessly offers to do the same for Chevy, at least getting the wort bits off so they don' look like they had been rolling around in a mud wallow.

He accepts the sandwich with a grateful nod, whether he noticed the extra meat or not. "Denver." He says in reply. Of course its somewhere up in the mountains. It's like he has to rebel against growing up in the endless flatness of the plains. "No, it's a good idea, and a good use of prize money. Besides, I promised Ma if I did go to school I'd finish. She's been nice enough to let me have the break, but I ain't gonna break my promise."

[CHEVY]
Chevy laughs, dipping her gaze downward in an apology for denying the privilege of his nerd cred. "Thanks, Buck... I don't think my heart can take it right now! Though, you can show me later, I promise!"

A few moments later, Chevy looks up from her sandwiches to Buck. "Hm?" It only takes a moment to understand his wordless offer; she's quick to cover both the sandwiches (to keep the dried mud from splattering on them) and stand up for easier access. And, naturally, she'd be repaying the favor of helping Buck clear off the mud off his back that he'd have a harder time reaching. Teamwork makes the dream work!

"-Denver!-" she announces, nodding cheerily. "Yeah, that's off in Colorado! I..."

She seems a -bit- hesitant to complete her thought, which is good because it lets Buck finish his. And she nods, with that in mind. Mothers' wishes are important too.

"... My momma always -wanted- me to go to college. She weren't gonna tell me I -had- to. But... y'know, it's kind of something that's actually, like... *possible* now..."

She tilts her head to the side for a moment, upon noticing something -- and reaches out to brush a missed glob of mud off of Buck's temple with a grin. "Well, I'd have to check out if Denver was right for -me-. It'd be nice if I could just, like, go hang out with you in class or something." She grins -- perhaps a bit smugly. "I'd need to see if they're treatin' my boy right an' all that, of course.."

It wouldn't be hard for Buck to notice that the hayseed's gears are turning, somehow, as she takes another bite of her sandwich. She had made no secret of her -avoidance- of education in the past, particularly with regard to -higher- education. But, maybe she's starting to consider other options for the future.

[BUCK]
"Yer gettin' dragged to a zoo later and we're going in the reptile house." Buck says with a stern glance to Chevy that breaks into a grin after a moment. He's happy to do some tandem mud cleaning before they settle in to eat, even if his stomach is trying to summon whales from the Pacific. Afterall, they were both no doubt raised to have clean hands and faces at the dinner table, no matter what farm work they had been up to.

"You know, there's the gen ed stuff everyone has to take. So if you don't know what you wanna do, just take those and explore a little. If you find something that catches your fancy you go with it, otherwise those credits can just go in your extracurriculars." He points out, though he no doubt knew what he wanted. "Me, I gotta finish if I want to get into vet medicine."

He thinks for a minute. "Maybe sports medicine is up your alley. All about takin' care of athletes, and you no doubt got some experience from being patched up by the medics."

Buck looks up at the sky. "Besides, I'm two years behind all my friends now. I tried to keep up online but.." He shook his head. "It'd be nice to have a study budy."

[CHEVY]
Buck's stern look catches Chevy off-guard at first -- but she breaks into laughter once she sees him lighten up. "Haha. It's a date! As long as you're there with me, I know I'll be safe."

With both fighters extra hungry after their battle, cleanup is mercifully quick. And before long, it's a downright proper snacktime.

Chevy considers the suggestions Buck makes amidst bites of her sandwich. The thought of going into vet medicine -is- appealing to her: she seems especially enthusiastic when Buck mentions that. But his follow-up suggestion in sports medicine seems to be even more enticing.

"Well, yeah! That's... I hadn't even thought of that before, that's a great idea!"

As she looks up into the clouds beside Buck, she finds herself overcome by the warmth and comfort of the ridgeside picnic spot. It isn't long before her sunny smile begins to rival that of the celestial body up above.

"Well, I guess I can help. But I'mma warn you, studyin's never been one of my strong points." Chevy smiles up at the clouds, coquettishly -avoiding- Buck's gaze for the moment. "So, y'know, if you can tolerate a little distraction from time to time, I *guess* I'd be up for the challenge..."

She hides her ear-to-ear grin by taking another big bite of her sandwich.

[BUCK]
"It's not about having someone to help you learn it, not really. It's more.." Buck chews on a bite of sandwich as he considers. "It's more like just having someone suffering alongside you." He decides with a laugh that might take a little of the horror out of that statement.

He reclines against a tree and goes quiet for a bit as he focuses on his meal, letting his stomach recover from having to fuel his weirdness. "Might be weird going back though." He finally chimes up.

"We're.. known now." He says after a moment. "Gonna be hard to just blend in to the rest of the student body. I'm worried some of the gym bros might keep trying to pick fights with me."

He puffs his cheeks, then exhales. "Ah, nevermind. No sense borrowing trouble."

[CHEVY]
Chevy's still all aglow as Buck refines his request in a way which gives her more credit. It's appreciated! And she gives him a friendly laugh as she turns to face him once more. "Well, if I get stuck in a math class I can guarantee I'll be sufferin', right there with ya," she notes.

There's a good long moment where, instead of staring at the sky, she's smiling right back at Buck. Enjoying the tranquil moment, and the pleasant company.

"After that scrap we just had, Buck, I reckon not a one of 'em'll be able to lay so much as a scratch on you, so don't you worry none about that. And me..." She shrugs her shoulders. "Hope they're okay dealing with frostbite."

She gathers her sandwich up -- and scoots herself closer to Buck, finding some way to recline comfortably while still managing to brush up against him.

"Way I see it, the both of us together's just 'bout unbeatable. So long as there ain't no loose snakes about."

Log created on 02:02:04 12/28/2024 by Chevy, and last modified on 11:56:17 01/13/2025.