Post by Im Yong Soo~! on May 17, 2011 12:34:47 GMT -8
((Mexico))
Maria hummed as she stretched out her body, having finally found somewhere to workout on the new ship. She still couldn't get over the fact that they accepted her into the crew! Brimming with energy and happiness, the first day had been nothing but running around the ship and looking at everything she was allowed to see. Maria had barely slept the previous night, still buzzing with excitement and a little scared to wake up and find out it was all a dream. What sleep she did have was plagued with dreams she barely remembered when she woke up. The only thing she remembered from the dream was a cold smile, and a familiar voice said 'Take care of them, da?"
To tell the truth, she was a little freaked out she had a dream about the first mate her first night there. Maybe his personality had left an imprint. Maria shook her head and continued her stretches, knowing Ivan was a nice guy. No reason to doubt that. The dream was just part of her overactive imagination.
After she had taken a quick shower in the mini-bathroom she was provided with (that water was cold, like most of the ship! ) she had set out to find a way to burn off all this energy. Working out had seemed like a good option, and she searched for a while before find a nice little room in the very back of the ship. This looked good to her, and she promptly set down her towel on the floor to start warming up. Of course, the clothing she was wearing today was a bit different than the previous days outfit. The black stretch pants and matching sleeveless shirt looked faded, but they did their job nicely. She hadn't seen many people this morning and no one had told her she had to do anything right away, so she figured she might as well get in a workout before trying to find Ivan or Toris, to ask them what was needed of her.
((Lithuania))
Growing up in an inn, Toris was used to waking up with the sun. Mama Tomas always needed an extra hand in the kitchen, Tetis always needed a boy quick enough to head to market, and Feliks, well, Feliks just always seemed to need him.
Even on an airship thousands of miles away from any of them, Toris never lost the habit of waking up early in case someone needed him again. These days, though, the Lithuanian felt little else but gratitude for the habit, because, due to Ivan’s own mysterious morning rituals, it afforded him a rare thing aboard the Metall Podsolnuh—time to himself.
Toris slipped on a plain white shirt and a padded green vest, a bit lighter than the kind he usually wore, and a pair of worn gray pants that kept the Lithuanian’s legs warm in spite of the holes in their knees, partly thanks to the long red stockings and white shoes beneath. The brunet tied his hair up with a yellow band, tucking a silver canteen into his small tie-bag and swinging it over his shoulder, before finally making his way out into the lounge. As he passed Ivan’s room Toris took extra care that his steps were quiet, fearful of disturbing the Russian’s meditation, before stepping out onto the flight-deck, instantly greeted by a buffet of strong, crisp wind.
Shuddering lightly, Toris continued at a brisk pace across the walk, entering the main belly of the ship with a grateful sigh. After a minute or so of walking across long metal walkways, giving the occasional nod to the passing crew member either on their way to bed or to the morning shift, Toris made his way to the safe, secluded, tucked away space at the back of the ship.
Only to find it was occupied. Toris blinked, one hand resting on the door, as he tilted his head at his new cook, green eyes gently surprised to find her on a warming stretch. “Miss Maria?” he inquired, biting his cheek slightly at the possibility of having to find a new hidden place to work out.
She jumped at the voice, looking over her shoulder to see Toris. "Oh, hey Captain." Maria turned toward him and chuckled. "Sorry, um... is this place off-limits? I just needed a place to work out. Burn of some energy you know...." Her hands went behind her back, still unsure of how open she was allowed to be with a captain. She knew some were stricter than others, but Toris seemed to be really nice.
Maria looked at his clothing, noticing the change from yesterday's extravagance to an outfit that seemed to... fit him better, to say the least. He looked like a normal man, even if something seemed off. She figured it was his 'captains aura' and brushed it off. The small bag caught her eye and she raised an eyebrow. What was he going to do here? It was pretty early, and who knew what the Captain had planned. "I can go if you want..." She offered, a hand coming up to push a piece of hair out of her face.
Toris’ smile grew, realizing that he was kind of happy that the girl didn’t leave after all. “Ah, great.” He took a small breath, moving into a stretch in his own space of the room, only looking up again when she made her suggestion.
The Lithuanian blinked a bit, curious about what she meant—surely she didn’t want him to attack her?—but relaxed when she mentioned the word’s ‘spar’ and ‘one-on-one’. The brunet straightened up, rubbing the back of his neck, and smiled, “Ne, I don’t mind, though I have to warn you I’m a bit rusty.” He shifted to an easy stance, relaxing his hands, “And I don’t really have an orthodox style;” For all his modesty, the Lithuanian was wearing an excited grin, clearly eager for a friendly opponent.
Maria scoffed slightly. "Neither do I. It's just a combination of street fighting and wrestling moves." She said, grinning back at him. It looked as if he was a happy as she was for a spar. "But I think we can manage, no?" A small chuckle came from her and she brought up her fists in a generic protective stance, shifting her feet beneath her.
"Ready? Here I come." She warned, bouncing on the balls of her feet before going in for a strike. She sent a few easy punches his way, to gauge how good he was before she did anything that would get them hurt. If he was too good for her, it would be a game of keep-away and try-and-find-a-weak-point. If they were evenly matched, this would be interesting. Maria doubted he was weaker than her, after all, he was a Captain.
“Mixed martial arts for me,” the Lithuanian commented modestly. Smiling brightly, Toris nodded, flexing his fingers at his sides before bringing his arms up in a loose guard, shifting his feet into an easy stance. “Taip, I think we can.”
As soon as she was in his area, Toris raised several blocks, playing defensive to get a read on her strength. She was good, that much he could tell—about even, the brunet figured. Smiling more once he was sure, he slid on his back foot, sweeping his arms out and in with one smooth motion, diverting her strike and landing a soft open-palm to the side of her arm. He grinned up towards her, laughing slightly, “Not bad, Miss Maria,” before he tried to lock his ankle behind her feet and sweep.
Martial arts? Well this would be interesting. The grin didn't fade as he blocked, in fact, it grew. Toris wasn't weak, that was for sure. Good movements and blocks showed he had quick reflexes. Not a bad partner at all. The soft strike to her arm caused her to quick an eyebrow at him, chuckling at his comment.
She quickly stopped laughing as she felt his foot at her ankle. Maria managed to lift her foot and step back, but it was sloppy. Swinging her arms, she finally caught her balance and grinned at him. "Playing dirty I see." She joked, facing her hand towards him with a 'come on' motion.
After his tactic failed, Toris got out of range, holding his arms up to block any following attacks. At her words, he shook his head, chuckling, “Ne, tactics. If I don’t keep you on your toes in session, how can I expect you to in battle?” The Lithuanian commented honestly, but he still grinned in partial apology, “That said, turn about is fair-play.”
At her gesture, the brunet rushed forwards again, dodging her first few retaliation strikes if they came from her fists by shifting to the side, trying to find an opening as she probably turned with him. Every time he is hit, the Lithuanian tenses his abdomen with an abruptly exhaled breath, reducing potential damage to his organs and denying the Mexican’s chance to rob him of air. He tries to lock one leg again and yank, not exactly to pull her down so much as shift her closer and off balance, aiming a series of three short strikes to her shoulder, side, and stomach.
Maria shook her hair out her face and prepared herself for his next attack. The grin was still there, but her eyes were narrowed with focus. As he rushed at her, she put up a defensive position, getting in a stance that would keep her steady. Maria kept up her blocks, grunting slightly each time she was hit and trying to keep him away from her core. 'This is great, I haven't fought anyone like this since my brother taught me self-defense.' She was proud of the fact she had kept herself on a regime, and hadn't let her body go soft over all this time.
She was caught off guard when she locked his leg behind hers again. Her first instinct was to block a blow, take the one to the side and try to block the one to her stomach. She could tell she was going to fall back, but instead of trying to upright herself, her hands shot out to grab his forearms and pull him back with her, using her bodyweight to bring them down and pushing her knees up into him to throw him back. Maria released his arms as momentum carried him and jumped back up, turning to face Toris again and prepare for whatever was coming next.
Toris smiled as he landed a few hits and managed to knock his opponent off-balance, but the smile was wiped clean off as Maria suddenly grabbed his arms and yanked him forward, causing the Lithuanian to fumble over her and before the brunet knew it, he was up and over and flat on his back, colliding with a jarring impact to the mat. “Oof!” After the world stopped spinning, Toris glanced up to see Maria was up and ready for more.
“And my point is proven,” he commented wryly. The Baltic grinned fiercely, laughing as a rush of adrenaline prompted him to brace his arms behind him and twist upright, his leg sweeping low and aiming a few well-placed kicks to the cook’s knees, before he bounced back up into a normal stance with a soft ‘hup!’ and guarded his core.
A few strands of hair fell loose against the side of Toris’ face, but the bright-eyed brunet was too pumped and primed to notice or care. It had been way, way, way too long since he had last fought someone like this, and the energy of friendly battle was powerfully nostalgic in all the right ways.
Which, was actually a bit strange, since he hadn’t sparred with people all that much in his childhood…;;
Maria stumbled back in an awkward fashion to avoid the kicks to her legs, regaining her balance and stance to see Toris up and ready for more. "You know, this is the perfect fight. Street fighting versus trained fighting. Someone should be recording." She joked, her eyes crinkling with withheld laughter. Maria decided to come at him this time, remembering her brother's words as if they were being replayed in her ear.
"Remember Maria, single leg takedown is easy. Just grab one leg and pull it up, then flip 'em, and sit." He had demonstrated using their younger brother, who complained until they gave him some sweet bread.
She smiled at the memory but kept in focus, throwing her left fist out for a fake-out punch to his right shoulder before her right hand scooped and grabbed his leg, right behind the knee. With a quick tug, she brought it up towards her chest and tried to flip it so he would land front-first on the ground. Maria hoped he didn't try to get out of it by kicking her in the face, because the last time that happened, her nose was never quite the same.
Toris chuckled in response to the Mexican cook’s joke, nodding. “Taip, that would be interesting, ne?” And then she charged, and the Lithuanian’s expression cleared, his stance solidifying. He shifted to dodge the apparent punch, ready to strike open palm on her chest, when she suddenly dove forward and grabbed his leg, lifting him off balance.
The surprised Baltic’s eyes widened, his arms windmill-ing as she twisted him, going dizzy and just barely managing to brace his palms on the mat. Reacting purely on whatever instinct wasn’t too busy going ‘sudassudasSUDAS’, Toris back-kicked his heel, landing it against the other’s sternum and hopefully loosening her grip, allowing him to fall to the floor.
He winced, bracing himself up again, and turned around swiftly both to keep his back from being vulnerable and to make sure Maria was okay, eyebrows drawn high. “M-Miss Maria?”
Damn, she had even thought about it, but still hadn't blocked it! She needed to learn how to protect better. As it was, she had let her Captain go and stumbled back, feeling the breath catch in her throat. God, Toris had a strong kick. She let out a soft cough, rubbing her chest where his heel had landed. She blinked and looked up, wondering when she had doubled over. Maria shook a hand at him, her other on her knee so she could steady herself.
"Nah nah... I'm fine." She assured him, taking a deep breath and straightening. "Nice kick you got there Boss." She said, giving him a grin. No doubt she'd have a bruise from that, but Maria didn't mind. This was exciting. She rolled her shoulders and gave a small chuckle. "Remind me not to try too many wrestling moves on you. I don't want to end up with a broken nose again."
'Maybe... just one more.' She thought, feeling her breathing return to normal. After all, there was no way she could mess up her surplex. She had perfected it until she could do it with little to no warning. And if she could catch him from behind... "Ready?" She asked Toris, waiting for him come at her this time.
Toris gave a sigh of quiet relief, thankful that he had not injured his new cook. He smiled up, chuckling lightly at her compliment, and nodded. “Aciu. You definitely caught me by surprise with that last one, though.” Coming to a stand, the Lithuanian shifts his feet, raising his arms with a grin. “Want to see if you can do it again?”
He charged forward, feinting a cross-strike and striking under with an open palm to the stomach, hitting a tad softer than usual in recognition of her bruised sternum. He follows up by raising his arm, landing a light back-hand tap on the flat of her jaw. The position leaves his body at a slight angle, and if the Mexican is swift enough, she’ll be able to follow the momentum of the strike and slip behind him.
If she doesn’t, Toris was ready to hook his ankle behind one of hers and knock the floor out from under her.
Inwardly, Maria cried 'NO' at his question, but grinned all the same. Suplex, suplex. It had been fun when she had first learned it and it was always a laugh when she managed to best her brothers with it. They claimed the only reason she did it so well was because girls were more flexible. The truth was, she practiced. She stepped back slightly at the open handed strike to her stomach, but still felt it. Not as much as she felt the hand to her face though.
But that was it! The opening she needed. She grinned and shifted her body to stand behind his and gripped tightly around his midsection, almost like she was hugging him.
When she looked back on it, maybe she heard the door open, and maybe she should have turned to look and see who was there. She would kick herself later for not realizing someone else was in the room until it was too late.
Maria pulled upward as she bent her body back, easily lifting Toris up and off the ground. She let gravity do the rest of the work but something, more precisely someone, stopped the move from finishing like it was supposed to.
((Russia))
Ivan had been searching for his errant first mate most of the morning, and all morning he had failed to produce results. After a stretch and a brief limbering workout in the coldest and most isolated part of the ship he could find he had set out to look for him. After several hours, FINALLY a member of the crew had spotted his stormy features and hesitantly offered a clue.
So here he was, in some out of the way corner nearer to the engines where it was far warmer. He had best not be napping! Ivan opened the door and stepped through, before jolting as the aforementioned Lithuanian was bodily slammed upside down into him. His arms immediately locked around Toris, flipping him over his shoulder while a foot lashed out, kicking Maria's shoulder without thinking.
Toris gasped quietly as the Mexican slipped behind him, raising his arms on instinct as she pulled back on his stomach. He barely had time to comprehend what was happening, let alone brace himself for it, when he suddenly found himself being lifted up and over with rather distressing ease. The Baltic’s eyes widened as he saw what was coming, and tried to cry out in warning a second too late as Maria slammed him against solid Russian.
Upon impact, Toris hissed in pain, water coming to his eyes. As he struggled to remember how to breathe, the winded Lithuanian was hoisted up, his stomach settling on an uncomfortable angle over Ivan’s shoulder and his limbs flopping uselessly to frame the blond’s body. While he saw the kick land on his cook’s shoulder, he did not quite understand the vision until he managed to hear the sounds of pain over his own gasps.
Shakily, he tried to prop himself up with one hand, looking at Maria in distress. “Ah-Are you al-” he coughed suddenly, wincing, before swallowing and trying again. “-alright…?”
He wheezed, swallowing again before glancing at Ivan also to rephrase the question. The look on the Russian’s face froze his blood, causing Toris to shiver and he found himself stammering to scramble up a good explanation. “Ah…I-Ivan, we were…I w-was just…”
Wasn’t he supposed to be on deck a few minutes ago? The Baltic winced again, obscuring his flushing face with his bangs. “Lost track of…t-time…”
Were those black spots supposed to be there?
When she first felt Toris' body weight leave her arms, Maria's first question was 'how the hell did he manage that?' She barely had time to see what was coming when a foot collided with her shoulder. Since she was bent over backward, and in the process of falling, this caused her to be pushed back and tumble awkwardly as she let out a yelp of pain. It really should have been more than a yelp, but Maria bit her lip, only letting it go when she finally came to a rest. Feeling dizzy and disoriented, she pulled herself up and let out a groan, on her hands and knees as she tried to steady herself. One hand came up to cradle her head, which she think she might have hit the floor, but still wasn't sure. Everything had happened so fast.
"¿Qué demonios fue eso?" She muttered, shaking her head to try and clear her vision, only making it worse. Maria looked up when she heard Toris ask breathlessly if she was okay, and blinked as Ivan appeared in her vision. What was the first mate doing here? As she listened to Toris try to explain something, she realized she must have kept him here longer than he had planned. Whoops. Well, judging from the way Ivan was holding Toris, he must have grabbed him and kicked her. Damn he had hard boots. She rubbed her shoulder and stood up shakily, wishing she had the wall for support.
Ivan blinked before he gently set Toris on his feet, striding to Maria to help balance her as he grinned repentantly," Ah...my ah...apologies...to both of you. I'm afraid I reacted instinctually. Bodies flying at me are generally bad things da?" He pressed a gentle hand to her collar bone," Anything broken? I caught you at bad angle, I'd hate for you to go without proper treatment."
Ivan really didn't care too much, it was stupid if her to try that move in such a confined space, with metal floors no less! The Russian kept his caring facade up though, no need to scare her off yet; it was one mistake. TOris should have paid better attention to the time as it was.
Toris resisted the strong urge to wobble, holding one hand loosely over his stomach as he touched the frame of the door with the other. He swallowed, tense, but soon relaxed as he heard the Russian’s tone of voice. The Lithuanian was glad that, rather than lashing out at her, Ivan was taking care of Maria. It may have been an act (or not—it was always hard to tell with Ivan) but the concern was a good thing all the same.
“It’s alright, Ivan; generally speaking, it’s a good instinct to have.” he murmured lightly, slowly standing up straight and coming closer himself, wanting to confirm for himself that the Mexican cook turned sparring partner was alright. He stopped off to the Russian’s side, glancing at Maria’s shoulder. The Baltic winced at what bruising he could see beneath Ivan’s hand, nibbling his lip and shifting guiltily.
“Ta-” he paused, quickly recovering with a swallow. “Ah, y-yes, we probably should get that checked out…I’m sorry, Miss Maria;” The brunet rubbed the back of his head, feeling perhaps more responsibility than he should.
“...Are you going to need assistance in the kitchen for the next few days?” Toris asked, glancing up hopefully. The Lithuanian was more than happy to make up for the damage by taking on some of the work burden—besides that, he rather liked making food.
When Ivan’s gloved hand pressed gently against her shoulder, Maria found herself automatically shooing the hand away. She was used to rejecting her brother’s help when she was hurt or weak, never wanting to seem weak to her family or friends. Especially since she was a girl in the midst of guys. “Fine. I’m fine.” Maria assured them, blinking up at the huge Russian next to her. A sudden grin split her face and she let out a small laugh, pointing at him. “Seriously man, I’m jealous. Nice reflexes.” When they both commented on her shoulder, she looked down, a small look of surprise crossing her face.
“Maldita sea que va a durar un tiempo.” She muttered under her breath, reaching up at brushing her fingers over the darkened flesh. It didn’t seem like anything was broken. Hurt like a bitch, but that was probably just the bruising. Ice would do it worlds of good, and possibly keeping it away from any more flying fists or feet. Of course, with most of her outfits, this was going to be highly visible. Great, what was the rest of the crew going to think? They’d probably call her a klutz or something like that. Maria snapped out of her own thoughts to hear the questioning tone that Toris had directed at her. Shit, shit what did he say? “Uh….. Yeah, sure. Sounds good.” She answered, hoping that she didn’t sound like a totally space-case as she gave him a small smile. Though she had to wonder what that look in his eyes meant.
Ivan felt a fresh surge of ire, hand tightening on Toris shoulder,' Ah. But Keptin...." His accent thickened briefly before he shook it off and continued," Captain. You and I have duties da? We must go." He dipped a sketchy bow at Maria, eyes a touch frosted with ice, his smile wide," You should still get shoulder looked at. Just to be safe. I would hate to have something crop up we miss da?"
He nudged the Lithuanian gently, patting his lower back," Come Captain! I have been looking for you. Some men have been asking me about some of the ship policies and I wished to discuss some of their concerns with you da?"
Toris smiled at her acceptance, nodding, when Ivan suddenly tightened his grip. The Lithuanian hid a grimace, both at the pressure and the Russian’s slip of accent, and maintained a close hold on the trembling center of his being, where Ivan had him in constant dread and anxiety.
“I wasn’t going to the kitchens just now, Ivan,” he commented softly, before looking back up at Maria with a smile. “But I will come by to help later, alright? Just to check how your shoulder’s doing.”
It was a small defiance, and it would probably only make the Russian brisk with him once they were out of earshot, but Toris would take freedom when he could get it. Especially if Ivan insisted on corralling him like livestock.
Trying to ignore the instinctive tension the Baltic always experienced when his back was touched, Toris nodded along with Ivan, sensing that there was more that was not being said. Resisting another internal shudder at the thought of being alone with the Russian, the brunet glanced back one final time to his impromptu Mexican sparring partner.
“…Perhaps we should accompany Miss Maria to the infirmary first, Ivan,” he suggested, looking up at his first mate. He kept his face neutral, using a reasonable tone of voice. “Not that I wish to delay our discussion, but, I share a measure of responsibility for the injury, ne?”
To ensure that Maria wouldn’t deny the request, the Lithuanian placed a hand over his still tender stomach, adding, "Besides, it’s on our way, and it would probably best for me to be checked on as well. Even if it's only bruising."
Toris fought the feeling that he was digging himself a deeper hole.
"Yeah, get it checked... that's a good idea..." Maria said, a little spacey. Frankly, she just wanted to go lay down and press ice against it until it was so numb she couldn't feel anything. Wait, kitchens? What about the Kitchens? Oh, his question must have been about that, right. She'd ask him later possibly. Probably not. "Ah, that's fine, I'll be fine. Ice is all it needs." Maria smiled and shrugged her non-injured shoulder.
As they turned to leave, Maria gave the bruise an experimental poke, wincing at the feeling it brought. This was going to be a pain to work with. Pain killers, lots of them please. She blinked and looked up at Toris at his suggestion, opening her mouth to insist she was fine when he mentioned that he needed to go as well. "Right... um, that'd be nice, thanks. I'm sure you'll be fine boss." She offered another smile and joined them, glad that her head had decided to stop spinning for the moment.
Maria hummed as she stretched out her body, having finally found somewhere to workout on the new ship. She still couldn't get over the fact that they accepted her into the crew! Brimming with energy and happiness, the first day had been nothing but running around the ship and looking at everything she was allowed to see. Maria had barely slept the previous night, still buzzing with excitement and a little scared to wake up and find out it was all a dream. What sleep she did have was plagued with dreams she barely remembered when she woke up. The only thing she remembered from the dream was a cold smile, and a familiar voice said 'Take care of them, da?"
To tell the truth, she was a little freaked out she had a dream about the first mate her first night there. Maybe his personality had left an imprint. Maria shook her head and continued her stretches, knowing Ivan was a nice guy. No reason to doubt that. The dream was just part of her overactive imagination.
After she had taken a quick shower in the mini-bathroom she was provided with (that water was cold, like most of the ship! ) she had set out to find a way to burn off all this energy. Working out had seemed like a good option, and she searched for a while before find a nice little room in the very back of the ship. This looked good to her, and she promptly set down her towel on the floor to start warming up. Of course, the clothing she was wearing today was a bit different than the previous days outfit. The black stretch pants and matching sleeveless shirt looked faded, but they did their job nicely. She hadn't seen many people this morning and no one had told her she had to do anything right away, so she figured she might as well get in a workout before trying to find Ivan or Toris, to ask them what was needed of her.
((Lithuania))
Growing up in an inn, Toris was used to waking up with the sun. Mama Tomas always needed an extra hand in the kitchen, Tetis always needed a boy quick enough to head to market, and Feliks, well, Feliks just always seemed to need him.
Even on an airship thousands of miles away from any of them, Toris never lost the habit of waking up early in case someone needed him again. These days, though, the Lithuanian felt little else but gratitude for the habit, because, due to Ivan’s own mysterious morning rituals, it afforded him a rare thing aboard the Metall Podsolnuh—time to himself.
Toris slipped on a plain white shirt and a padded green vest, a bit lighter than the kind he usually wore, and a pair of worn gray pants that kept the Lithuanian’s legs warm in spite of the holes in their knees, partly thanks to the long red stockings and white shoes beneath. The brunet tied his hair up with a yellow band, tucking a silver canteen into his small tie-bag and swinging it over his shoulder, before finally making his way out into the lounge. As he passed Ivan’s room Toris took extra care that his steps were quiet, fearful of disturbing the Russian’s meditation, before stepping out onto the flight-deck, instantly greeted by a buffet of strong, crisp wind.
Shuddering lightly, Toris continued at a brisk pace across the walk, entering the main belly of the ship with a grateful sigh. After a minute or so of walking across long metal walkways, giving the occasional nod to the passing crew member either on their way to bed or to the morning shift, Toris made his way to the safe, secluded, tucked away space at the back of the ship.
Only to find it was occupied. Toris blinked, one hand resting on the door, as he tilted his head at his new cook, green eyes gently surprised to find her on a warming stretch. “Miss Maria?” he inquired, biting his cheek slightly at the possibility of having to find a new hidden place to work out.
She jumped at the voice, looking over her shoulder to see Toris. "Oh, hey Captain." Maria turned toward him and chuckled. "Sorry, um... is this place off-limits? I just needed a place to work out. Burn of some energy you know...." Her hands went behind her back, still unsure of how open she was allowed to be with a captain. She knew some were stricter than others, but Toris seemed to be really nice.
Maria looked at his clothing, noticing the change from yesterday's extravagance to an outfit that seemed to... fit him better, to say the least. He looked like a normal man, even if something seemed off. She figured it was his 'captains aura' and brushed it off. The small bag caught her eye and she raised an eyebrow. What was he going to do here? It was pretty early, and who knew what the Captain had planned. "I can go if you want..." She offered, a hand coming up to push a piece of hair out of her face.
Toris’ smile grew, realizing that he was kind of happy that the girl didn’t leave after all. “Ah, great.” He took a small breath, moving into a stretch in his own space of the room, only looking up again when she made her suggestion.
The Lithuanian blinked a bit, curious about what she meant—surely she didn’t want him to attack her?—but relaxed when she mentioned the word’s ‘spar’ and ‘one-on-one’. The brunet straightened up, rubbing the back of his neck, and smiled, “Ne, I don’t mind, though I have to warn you I’m a bit rusty.” He shifted to an easy stance, relaxing his hands, “And I don’t really have an orthodox style;” For all his modesty, the Lithuanian was wearing an excited grin, clearly eager for a friendly opponent.
Maria scoffed slightly. "Neither do I. It's just a combination of street fighting and wrestling moves." She said, grinning back at him. It looked as if he was a happy as she was for a spar. "But I think we can manage, no?" A small chuckle came from her and she brought up her fists in a generic protective stance, shifting her feet beneath her.
"Ready? Here I come." She warned, bouncing on the balls of her feet before going in for a strike. She sent a few easy punches his way, to gauge how good he was before she did anything that would get them hurt. If he was too good for her, it would be a game of keep-away and try-and-find-a-weak-point. If they were evenly matched, this would be interesting. Maria doubted he was weaker than her, after all, he was a Captain.
“Mixed martial arts for me,” the Lithuanian commented modestly. Smiling brightly, Toris nodded, flexing his fingers at his sides before bringing his arms up in a loose guard, shifting his feet into an easy stance. “Taip, I think we can.”
As soon as she was in his area, Toris raised several blocks, playing defensive to get a read on her strength. She was good, that much he could tell—about even, the brunet figured. Smiling more once he was sure, he slid on his back foot, sweeping his arms out and in with one smooth motion, diverting her strike and landing a soft open-palm to the side of her arm. He grinned up towards her, laughing slightly, “Not bad, Miss Maria,” before he tried to lock his ankle behind her feet and sweep.
Martial arts? Well this would be interesting. The grin didn't fade as he blocked, in fact, it grew. Toris wasn't weak, that was for sure. Good movements and blocks showed he had quick reflexes. Not a bad partner at all. The soft strike to her arm caused her to quick an eyebrow at him, chuckling at his comment.
She quickly stopped laughing as she felt his foot at her ankle. Maria managed to lift her foot and step back, but it was sloppy. Swinging her arms, she finally caught her balance and grinned at him. "Playing dirty I see." She joked, facing her hand towards him with a 'come on' motion.
After his tactic failed, Toris got out of range, holding his arms up to block any following attacks. At her words, he shook his head, chuckling, “Ne, tactics. If I don’t keep you on your toes in session, how can I expect you to in battle?” The Lithuanian commented honestly, but he still grinned in partial apology, “That said, turn about is fair-play.”
At her gesture, the brunet rushed forwards again, dodging her first few retaliation strikes if they came from her fists by shifting to the side, trying to find an opening as she probably turned with him. Every time he is hit, the Lithuanian tenses his abdomen with an abruptly exhaled breath, reducing potential damage to his organs and denying the Mexican’s chance to rob him of air. He tries to lock one leg again and yank, not exactly to pull her down so much as shift her closer and off balance, aiming a series of three short strikes to her shoulder, side, and stomach.
Maria shook her hair out her face and prepared herself for his next attack. The grin was still there, but her eyes were narrowed with focus. As he rushed at her, she put up a defensive position, getting in a stance that would keep her steady. Maria kept up her blocks, grunting slightly each time she was hit and trying to keep him away from her core. 'This is great, I haven't fought anyone like this since my brother taught me self-defense.' She was proud of the fact she had kept herself on a regime, and hadn't let her body go soft over all this time.
She was caught off guard when she locked his leg behind hers again. Her first instinct was to block a blow, take the one to the side and try to block the one to her stomach. She could tell she was going to fall back, but instead of trying to upright herself, her hands shot out to grab his forearms and pull him back with her, using her bodyweight to bring them down and pushing her knees up into him to throw him back. Maria released his arms as momentum carried him and jumped back up, turning to face Toris again and prepare for whatever was coming next.
Toris smiled as he landed a few hits and managed to knock his opponent off-balance, but the smile was wiped clean off as Maria suddenly grabbed his arms and yanked him forward, causing the Lithuanian to fumble over her and before the brunet knew it, he was up and over and flat on his back, colliding with a jarring impact to the mat. “Oof!” After the world stopped spinning, Toris glanced up to see Maria was up and ready for more.
“And my point is proven,” he commented wryly. The Baltic grinned fiercely, laughing as a rush of adrenaline prompted him to brace his arms behind him and twist upright, his leg sweeping low and aiming a few well-placed kicks to the cook’s knees, before he bounced back up into a normal stance with a soft ‘hup!’ and guarded his core.
A few strands of hair fell loose against the side of Toris’ face, but the bright-eyed brunet was too pumped and primed to notice or care. It had been way, way, way too long since he had last fought someone like this, and the energy of friendly battle was powerfully nostalgic in all the right ways.
Which, was actually a bit strange, since he hadn’t sparred with people all that much in his childhood…;;
Maria stumbled back in an awkward fashion to avoid the kicks to her legs, regaining her balance and stance to see Toris up and ready for more. "You know, this is the perfect fight. Street fighting versus trained fighting. Someone should be recording." She joked, her eyes crinkling with withheld laughter. Maria decided to come at him this time, remembering her brother's words as if they were being replayed in her ear.
"Remember Maria, single leg takedown is easy. Just grab one leg and pull it up, then flip 'em, and sit." He had demonstrated using their younger brother, who complained until they gave him some sweet bread.
She smiled at the memory but kept in focus, throwing her left fist out for a fake-out punch to his right shoulder before her right hand scooped and grabbed his leg, right behind the knee. With a quick tug, she brought it up towards her chest and tried to flip it so he would land front-first on the ground. Maria hoped he didn't try to get out of it by kicking her in the face, because the last time that happened, her nose was never quite the same.
Toris chuckled in response to the Mexican cook’s joke, nodding. “Taip, that would be interesting, ne?” And then she charged, and the Lithuanian’s expression cleared, his stance solidifying. He shifted to dodge the apparent punch, ready to strike open palm on her chest, when she suddenly dove forward and grabbed his leg, lifting him off balance.
The surprised Baltic’s eyes widened, his arms windmill-ing as she twisted him, going dizzy and just barely managing to brace his palms on the mat. Reacting purely on whatever instinct wasn’t too busy going ‘sudassudasSUDAS’, Toris back-kicked his heel, landing it against the other’s sternum and hopefully loosening her grip, allowing him to fall to the floor.
He winced, bracing himself up again, and turned around swiftly both to keep his back from being vulnerable and to make sure Maria was okay, eyebrows drawn high. “M-Miss Maria?”
Damn, she had even thought about it, but still hadn't blocked it! She needed to learn how to protect better. As it was, she had let her Captain go and stumbled back, feeling the breath catch in her throat. God, Toris had a strong kick. She let out a soft cough, rubbing her chest where his heel had landed. She blinked and looked up, wondering when she had doubled over. Maria shook a hand at him, her other on her knee so she could steady herself.
"Nah nah... I'm fine." She assured him, taking a deep breath and straightening. "Nice kick you got there Boss." She said, giving him a grin. No doubt she'd have a bruise from that, but Maria didn't mind. This was exciting. She rolled her shoulders and gave a small chuckle. "Remind me not to try too many wrestling moves on you. I don't want to end up with a broken nose again."
'Maybe... just one more.' She thought, feeling her breathing return to normal. After all, there was no way she could mess up her surplex. She had perfected it until she could do it with little to no warning. And if she could catch him from behind... "Ready?" She asked Toris, waiting for him come at her this time.
Toris gave a sigh of quiet relief, thankful that he had not injured his new cook. He smiled up, chuckling lightly at her compliment, and nodded. “Aciu. You definitely caught me by surprise with that last one, though.” Coming to a stand, the Lithuanian shifts his feet, raising his arms with a grin. “Want to see if you can do it again?”
He charged forward, feinting a cross-strike and striking under with an open palm to the stomach, hitting a tad softer than usual in recognition of her bruised sternum. He follows up by raising his arm, landing a light back-hand tap on the flat of her jaw. The position leaves his body at a slight angle, and if the Mexican is swift enough, she’ll be able to follow the momentum of the strike and slip behind him.
If she doesn’t, Toris was ready to hook his ankle behind one of hers and knock the floor out from under her.
Inwardly, Maria cried 'NO' at his question, but grinned all the same. Suplex, suplex. It had been fun when she had first learned it and it was always a laugh when she managed to best her brothers with it. They claimed the only reason she did it so well was because girls were more flexible. The truth was, she practiced. She stepped back slightly at the open handed strike to her stomach, but still felt it. Not as much as she felt the hand to her face though.
But that was it! The opening she needed. She grinned and shifted her body to stand behind his and gripped tightly around his midsection, almost like she was hugging him.
When she looked back on it, maybe she heard the door open, and maybe she should have turned to look and see who was there. She would kick herself later for not realizing someone else was in the room until it was too late.
Maria pulled upward as she bent her body back, easily lifting Toris up and off the ground. She let gravity do the rest of the work but something, more precisely someone, stopped the move from finishing like it was supposed to.
((Russia))
Ivan had been searching for his errant first mate most of the morning, and all morning he had failed to produce results. After a stretch and a brief limbering workout in the coldest and most isolated part of the ship he could find he had set out to look for him. After several hours, FINALLY a member of the crew had spotted his stormy features and hesitantly offered a clue.
So here he was, in some out of the way corner nearer to the engines where it was far warmer. He had best not be napping! Ivan opened the door and stepped through, before jolting as the aforementioned Lithuanian was bodily slammed upside down into him. His arms immediately locked around Toris, flipping him over his shoulder while a foot lashed out, kicking Maria's shoulder without thinking.
Toris gasped quietly as the Mexican slipped behind him, raising his arms on instinct as she pulled back on his stomach. He barely had time to comprehend what was happening, let alone brace himself for it, when he suddenly found himself being lifted up and over with rather distressing ease. The Baltic’s eyes widened as he saw what was coming, and tried to cry out in warning a second too late as Maria slammed him against solid Russian.
Upon impact, Toris hissed in pain, water coming to his eyes. As he struggled to remember how to breathe, the winded Lithuanian was hoisted up, his stomach settling on an uncomfortable angle over Ivan’s shoulder and his limbs flopping uselessly to frame the blond’s body. While he saw the kick land on his cook’s shoulder, he did not quite understand the vision until he managed to hear the sounds of pain over his own gasps.
Shakily, he tried to prop himself up with one hand, looking at Maria in distress. “Ah-Are you al-” he coughed suddenly, wincing, before swallowing and trying again. “-alright…?”
He wheezed, swallowing again before glancing at Ivan also to rephrase the question. The look on the Russian’s face froze his blood, causing Toris to shiver and he found himself stammering to scramble up a good explanation. “Ah…I-Ivan, we were…I w-was just…”
Wasn’t he supposed to be on deck a few minutes ago? The Baltic winced again, obscuring his flushing face with his bangs. “Lost track of…t-time…”
Were those black spots supposed to be there?
When she first felt Toris' body weight leave her arms, Maria's first question was 'how the hell did he manage that?' She barely had time to see what was coming when a foot collided with her shoulder. Since she was bent over backward, and in the process of falling, this caused her to be pushed back and tumble awkwardly as she let out a yelp of pain. It really should have been more than a yelp, but Maria bit her lip, only letting it go when she finally came to a rest. Feeling dizzy and disoriented, she pulled herself up and let out a groan, on her hands and knees as she tried to steady herself. One hand came up to cradle her head, which she think she might have hit the floor, but still wasn't sure. Everything had happened so fast.
"¿Qué demonios fue eso?" She muttered, shaking her head to try and clear her vision, only making it worse. Maria looked up when she heard Toris ask breathlessly if she was okay, and blinked as Ivan appeared in her vision. What was the first mate doing here? As she listened to Toris try to explain something, she realized she must have kept him here longer than he had planned. Whoops. Well, judging from the way Ivan was holding Toris, he must have grabbed him and kicked her. Damn he had hard boots. She rubbed her shoulder and stood up shakily, wishing she had the wall for support.
Ivan blinked before he gently set Toris on his feet, striding to Maria to help balance her as he grinned repentantly," Ah...my ah...apologies...to both of you. I'm afraid I reacted instinctually. Bodies flying at me are generally bad things da?" He pressed a gentle hand to her collar bone," Anything broken? I caught you at bad angle, I'd hate for you to go without proper treatment."
Ivan really didn't care too much, it was stupid if her to try that move in such a confined space, with metal floors no less! The Russian kept his caring facade up though, no need to scare her off yet; it was one mistake. TOris should have paid better attention to the time as it was.
Toris resisted the strong urge to wobble, holding one hand loosely over his stomach as he touched the frame of the door with the other. He swallowed, tense, but soon relaxed as he heard the Russian’s tone of voice. The Lithuanian was glad that, rather than lashing out at her, Ivan was taking care of Maria. It may have been an act (or not—it was always hard to tell with Ivan) but the concern was a good thing all the same.
“It’s alright, Ivan; generally speaking, it’s a good instinct to have.” he murmured lightly, slowly standing up straight and coming closer himself, wanting to confirm for himself that the Mexican cook turned sparring partner was alright. He stopped off to the Russian’s side, glancing at Maria’s shoulder. The Baltic winced at what bruising he could see beneath Ivan’s hand, nibbling his lip and shifting guiltily.
“Ta-” he paused, quickly recovering with a swallow. “Ah, y-yes, we probably should get that checked out…I’m sorry, Miss Maria;” The brunet rubbed the back of his head, feeling perhaps more responsibility than he should.
“...Are you going to need assistance in the kitchen for the next few days?” Toris asked, glancing up hopefully. The Lithuanian was more than happy to make up for the damage by taking on some of the work burden—besides that, he rather liked making food.
When Ivan’s gloved hand pressed gently against her shoulder, Maria found herself automatically shooing the hand away. She was used to rejecting her brother’s help when she was hurt or weak, never wanting to seem weak to her family or friends. Especially since she was a girl in the midst of guys. “Fine. I’m fine.” Maria assured them, blinking up at the huge Russian next to her. A sudden grin split her face and she let out a small laugh, pointing at him. “Seriously man, I’m jealous. Nice reflexes.” When they both commented on her shoulder, she looked down, a small look of surprise crossing her face.
“Maldita sea que va a durar un tiempo.” She muttered under her breath, reaching up at brushing her fingers over the darkened flesh. It didn’t seem like anything was broken. Hurt like a bitch, but that was probably just the bruising. Ice would do it worlds of good, and possibly keeping it away from any more flying fists or feet. Of course, with most of her outfits, this was going to be highly visible. Great, what was the rest of the crew going to think? They’d probably call her a klutz or something like that. Maria snapped out of her own thoughts to hear the questioning tone that Toris had directed at her. Shit, shit what did he say? “Uh….. Yeah, sure. Sounds good.” She answered, hoping that she didn’t sound like a totally space-case as she gave him a small smile. Though she had to wonder what that look in his eyes meant.
Ivan felt a fresh surge of ire, hand tightening on Toris shoulder,' Ah. But Keptin...." His accent thickened briefly before he shook it off and continued," Captain. You and I have duties da? We must go." He dipped a sketchy bow at Maria, eyes a touch frosted with ice, his smile wide," You should still get shoulder looked at. Just to be safe. I would hate to have something crop up we miss da?"
He nudged the Lithuanian gently, patting his lower back," Come Captain! I have been looking for you. Some men have been asking me about some of the ship policies and I wished to discuss some of their concerns with you da?"
Toris smiled at her acceptance, nodding, when Ivan suddenly tightened his grip. The Lithuanian hid a grimace, both at the pressure and the Russian’s slip of accent, and maintained a close hold on the trembling center of his being, where Ivan had him in constant dread and anxiety.
“I wasn’t going to the kitchens just now, Ivan,” he commented softly, before looking back up at Maria with a smile. “But I will come by to help later, alright? Just to check how your shoulder’s doing.”
It was a small defiance, and it would probably only make the Russian brisk with him once they were out of earshot, but Toris would take freedom when he could get it. Especially if Ivan insisted on corralling him like livestock.
Trying to ignore the instinctive tension the Baltic always experienced when his back was touched, Toris nodded along with Ivan, sensing that there was more that was not being said. Resisting another internal shudder at the thought of being alone with the Russian, the brunet glanced back one final time to his impromptu Mexican sparring partner.
“…Perhaps we should accompany Miss Maria to the infirmary first, Ivan,” he suggested, looking up at his first mate. He kept his face neutral, using a reasonable tone of voice. “Not that I wish to delay our discussion, but, I share a measure of responsibility for the injury, ne?”
To ensure that Maria wouldn’t deny the request, the Lithuanian placed a hand over his still tender stomach, adding, "Besides, it’s on our way, and it would probably best for me to be checked on as well. Even if it's only bruising."
Toris fought the feeling that he was digging himself a deeper hole.
"Yeah, get it checked... that's a good idea..." Maria said, a little spacey. Frankly, she just wanted to go lay down and press ice against it until it was so numb she couldn't feel anything. Wait, kitchens? What about the Kitchens? Oh, his question must have been about that, right. She'd ask him later possibly. Probably not. "Ah, that's fine, I'll be fine. Ice is all it needs." Maria smiled and shrugged her non-injured shoulder.
As they turned to leave, Maria gave the bruise an experimental poke, wincing at the feeling it brought. This was going to be a pain to work with. Pain killers, lots of them please. She blinked and looked up at Toris at his suggestion, opening her mouth to insist she was fine when he mentioned that he needed to go as well. "Right... um, that'd be nice, thanks. I'm sure you'll be fine boss." She offered another smile and joined them, glad that her head had decided to stop spinning for the moment.
