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Post by Angel ♥ on Jul 2, 2009 20:27:08 GMT -5
Both Pari and her father looked surprised as he said that he had been fighting for fifty years, though her father hid it bettern that Pari. Pari had looked at Kai with an expression of wide eyed surprise. He must be over twice her age if he had been fighting for that long, but he didn't look too much older than she did. He was older than her father! Her father, however, didn't make too much of a comment on that though; fifty years was obviously enough experience. Most people came here with maybe a year of experience, or a couple of lessons from elder brothers and fathers. At a guess he would already place Kai amongst the top students in the school, he would bet that he just needed to be refined a little, though getting him out of bad habits would be hard.
He nodded as Kai spoke, as though to make it clear that he was listening to him, a glimmer of interest in his eyes. "Speed. Yes, from what I have already seen I would say that was your main strength." He agreed with him. "Along with your ability to adapt. Some people are stuck in one style, and their biggest challenge is to move away from that." He nodded before glancing to the teacher, nodding to him, as though to tell him to give them the staffs. "How about sparing with Pari a little while we wait for Dariyush? She may be clumsy, but I think that she may surprise you." He nodded, Pari looking a little confused as she was handed the staff, shrugging a little and nodding.
She swept her hair back and clipped it up properly again, taking the staff and wandering a little way from Kai, moving them away from the pond, just incase. "As for rules, you aren't to actually hit one another if it can be helped. I just want to see what you can do." Her father reassured Kai, glancing to Pari as she took her stance, holding her staff defencively. "Ready?" He asked them, waiting for them both to nod before smiling, "Begin."
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Jul 3, 2009 4:39:15 GMT -5
He actually looked rather confused at the surprise on Pari's face, tilting his head at her and smiling faintly. He thought she'd known how long he'd been at the arena; he was certainly older than her father, but in the terms of a demon - well, half-demon, he was still practically a child. "I'm sixty-four, didn't I tell you?" he rubbed at the back of his head, before his gaze quickly snapped back to Pedar Kashani, seeming a little taken aback at the idea that the noble actually wouldn't mind seeing him fight his daughter. The surprise was evident on his face even as he accepted the wooden staff, the teacher moving back to stand beside Pari's father to watch, a safe distance away of course.
It wasn't that he didn't think Pari wasn't capable of fighting; he'd seen himself that she had talent even if she didn't think that she was that good, but it felt wrong to fight someone who had freed him, even if they weren't actually going to be striking one another. He shook it off, however, testing the staff in his hands as if to see how sturdy it was while Pari took her defensive stance, setting himself a few feet across from her. It was a good thing they'd moved away from the pond, after what had happened just a few moments before. He didn't think it would end well if they both fell in the water, after all. He even managed a light smile at her as he nodded to Pedar Kashani when he told them to begin. He just had to pretend that this was another game. A play-fight, really. Play and fight didn't gel together at all for Kai, but he supposed he could overlook it this once.
His stance was far from defensive as they were told to begin, the half-demon holding the staff to make it clear that he was on the offense, although he circled around her with surprising caution, watching for even the slightest movement. Once he seemed to have seen enough he suddenly sprang up from the tall grasses, flitting towards her and turning the staff in a graceful, wide arch to aim at a strike to what would probably be her collarbone, although he had no intention of actually landing the blow. He fully expected the staff to be parried and knocked away; in fact, he counted on it.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Jul 3, 2009 8:51:38 GMT -5
"Sixty-four?" She repeated after him, looking as though she hardly believed him. "But...that means that you should be an old man!" She exclaimed and chuckled, shaking her head. He was more than double her age, and older than her father...he was more the age of her grandfather! Oh, she felt so young now. He didn't act old though, from the way he acted she would have thought that he was her age. She came to the conclusion that demons, or half demons, must age differently to people, though the idea that he would still be young when she was an old woman popped into her head; that was a rather disturbing thought. That was a long way away though, maybe by then he would have left the academy, anything could happen.
When Kai moved into position her thoughts returned to the present. She wasn't sure what to expect from Kai, and to be honest it felt strange fighting with him, even though this wasn't a real fight. Her grip on the staff tightened a little, mind focusing. Kai would probably win this little sparing session. He was far faster than she was, to begin with, and it was likely that she would end up falling over her own feet. She would just need to try and concentrate, but she always got nervous when she was fighting in front of her father, she always felt as though she had something to prove and never quite managed to prove it. Oh, she hoped that Dariyush would hurry up.
Pari remained still as Kai circled around her, shifting her weight from one foot to another depending on where he was, keeping most of her weight on her back foot so that she could either move back to dodge or move forward to attack. She reacted quickly when he ran forward, timing her block perfectly. She twisted her staff to knock the blow aside, her staff clattering against his, Pari hoping to put Kai off balance, using the motion of her staff to make a sweep for his feet. She expected that he would be too quick for her to trip him up so easily, but it was worth a try.
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Jul 3, 2009 12:43:41 GMT -5
"Mmhm, I know." he smirked to her and nodded lightly. Demons aged a lot slower than humans did, and he guessed that he'd inherited this particular trait. He didn't know how long wolf demons lived for, but he had looked this age for... well... a very long time now. He wasn't going to question it obviously, this was one of the only things that was more of a blessing than a curse. "My Master was only a few years older than me, and he is an old man." he shrugged, smiling faintly to himself. That was another one of the reasons the man had hated him so much, he thought. He was still very much in his youth, while the old noble's life would soon undoubtedly be drawing to a close. Like Kai would ever act his age though.
He didn't smile as her staff clattered against his, eyes glittering as he let his grip on the weapon grow weak to let her overpower his staff completely, sending it practically standing upright in the earth with him holding on, almost looking like a walking stick. At the same time as she took a sweep at his feet he used the wooden pole as leverage to lift himself clean off the floor and aim a well placed kick at her, pausing just before he touched her before springing away again and landing a few feet away, his weapon back in the offensive stance. He hadn't expected her to take a sweep for his feet; she had good reflexes, he had to admit, and if he hadn't already planned what he was going to do she probably would have thrown him off balance.
As it was, they seemed to time it perfectly, making it look almost too easy. Kai decided that although he didn't particularly want to fight Pari, he would certainly enjoy it in the future if they reacted so in tune with one another. He only paused very briefly, and soon he flitted forward again, spinning the staff so that it was in his other hand and aiming for her arm.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Jul 4, 2009 16:09:24 GMT -5
Pari had dropped into a crouch as she swept her staff at his feet, moving just in time so that his kick would have soared over her head. She did see to have good instincts, her problem when she thought about things too much. When she was paying too much attention to everything she was more likely to make a mistake than when she let herself react without over analyising her movements. That probably came from all the years she spent spying on Dariyush's classees as a child, or watching her father fight. When you saw something over and over again your mind absorbed the knowledge without even knowing it, and this worked to her advantage. Her father actually smiled as he watched them. These two would be good friends, he could tell.
Pari straightened back up as he sprang away from her, twisting her staff back into position, actually smirking at Kai faintly. Back then, anyone would have thought that they had known exactly what the other would do. When they knew each other's abilities a little better they would make quite a team, wouldn't they. She stepped forward as he attacked again, twisting her body as she brought her staff down to knock his downwards, aiming to pin his staff to the ground while she brought the other end of her staff up and around to aim for his chin, ready to stop the attack if he didn't move out of the way.
Some time in this little fight Dariyush had appeared, standing with his arms folded over his chest next to his father, actually looking impressed, though it was hard to tell if he was impressed by Pari, Kai or the fight in general. Pari froze as her father clapped his hands together to end the fight, stopping her staff in it's motion and stepping back away from Kai, bringing her staff straight to her side before bowing her head to Kai, a formality that her father insisted on after every fight. "That was quite a show, from both of you. You make a good pair." Her father nodded to them, smiling encouragingly.
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Jul 5, 2009 13:48:44 GMT -5
Kai actually smiled as she ducked away from his kick, not having expected her to have done that - it was true, her instincts were remarkable when she was acting out of her own accord. When you reacted like that, it was clear that it was a reflex action, albeit a very clever one. He seemed surprised as she knocked his staff to the ground again, only seeing the other end whirl up towards his face at the last second. He knew she would have stopped if he hadn't reacted, but his own reflexes dealt with it luckily and he ducked gracefully out of the way of the wooden pole, so that it would have neatly slid past his cheek in a way that would have made the whole thing seem staged. He had been about to whip his staff back up and loop it in an arc around hers in an attempt to disarm her when the sound of the clap brought him back to reality, his ears twitching towards the sound.
He stepped away at the same time as she did, his staff held at his side as he bowed his head to her in return, the faintest of smiles still on his face. Kai found the little act of formality quaintly amusing to him; it was actually quite nice, he thought, to have some degree of respect for your opponent, and pride in the fight. He glanced over at Pedar Kashani as he spoke, tactfully resisting the urge to look at the floor again and stare the noble in the face, nodding politely. His gaze soon moved to Dariyush, however, and then the expression on his face was unreadable. He didn't particularly like the noble, that was completely obvious from their previous behaviour in itself, but he found himself strangely wanting to fight him again, to see what other secrets and talents he had hidden away.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Jul 6, 2009 8:25:58 GMT -5
Dariyush returned Kai's gaze, smirking faintly. He would have to behave and fight fairly seeing as they were fighting infront of his father. They couldn't actually hit one another either, but he had to say that he was looking forward to the fight. He couldn't put into words how much he disliked the half demon, he needed to be taught a lesson. Non-one attacked him like Kai had done, and he also owed Kai some sort of injury in return for the bite on Pari's arm. He didn't care what the circumstances were, all that mattered was that he had hurt his little sister, and anyone who hurt his little sister had to pay.
Pedar Kashani seemed oblivious to the rivalry between Kai and Dariyush, the light, encouraging smile not having moved from his lips. "Now for your real test. Dariyush is one of the best fighters in the academy, the rules are still the same. After what I have already seen this should be very interesting. I think Dariyush may even have a challenge on his hands." He nodded, Dariyush moved over to take Pari's place, catching the staff easily as she threw it to him. Pari gave Kai a bright and encouraging smile as she moved to stand by her father, silently wishing Kai luck. Kai should have no problem being accepted into the academy, but one thing that she had learnt was that nothing was certain. In this fight, anything could happen.
Dariyush moved to stand opposite Kai, bowing his head to him briefly, in greeting, before taking his stance. It was similar to how Pari had started, weight on his back foot, though he held the staff in one hand, holding it half way down it's length, the staff helf across his body in a defensive position. Kai was being tested so he would allow Kai to attack first.
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Jul 6, 2009 17:31:42 GMT -5
Kai bowed his head in return to Dariyush, glancing across to Pari and smirking at her faintly as he tossed his staff from hand to hand, as if testing which one he felt most comfortable with this time. If this was his real test, then he'd better make sure that he showed them exactly what he was made of. The fight in the arena in Dibos had shown that he was fast, but it still didn't really do him justice. The giant had been too BIG to really use speed as an advantage without tiring himself out. And he'd enjoyed fighting Pari, not wanting to put himself at a needless advantage and TRY to beat her. Fighting Pari was like an enjoyable game to him, where they both managed to better themselves and learn a few things but neither was in it to win at all. With Dariyush, however, he had something to prove, and he was dying to prove it as soon as possible.
He was not just a slave, and he wasn't just a pale half-breed who happened to have practically grown up in the arena. He was a predator. Kai took no stance as Dariyush went on the defensive, staring straight at him for little more than a second, before suddenly just... flitting forwards with a movement too fast for the eye to catch; you could only track his progress by looking at the long blades of grass being disturbed as he passed by. In less than a second he had re-appeared again behind the noble, giving a rather playful smile as he touched Dariyush's shoulder with the staff as if to let him know that he was there, and had gotten him unguarded, before promptly shooting back to where he had been standing, and taking an offensive stance.
Now he could really start the fight. His tactics had changed compared to when he had fought Pari, mostly because he had fought Dariyush before and he had some inkling of how he moved. So he dashed forward now with the intent of not getting around the defence of his staff, but rather ploughing straight through it. When he drew close he turned his staff so that the end was pointing much like a spear and slid it beneath the noble's staff and pushed hard, to try and ram the weapon out of the way and break his defences.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Jul 7, 2009 8:39:37 GMT -5
Dariyush barely had time to register that Kai had moved before the staff touched to his shoulder. One moment his opponent had been stood opposite him and the next he had just been gone. Poof. The next thing he knew Kai had managed to get behind him. Now that was impressive, even Dariyush could admit to that, though he was also annoyed that he hadn't seen the attack coming, whirling around to swing his staff at the space where Kai had been, but he had already flitted back to his original position, leaving Dariyush looking disgruntled. Pedar Kashani nodded to himself as he noted just how fast the half demon was, Pari having to surpress the sudden urge to applaud. If anything could seal his place in the academy, that would probably be it.
Dariyush didn't waste time in getting back into his stance, prepared when the half demon came running at him. As Kai altered his grip on his staff, Dariyush responded, holding the staff horizontally across his body, hands spaced equally apart to strengthen the weapon. Kai's attack was arrogant, and he was sure that he could use the momentum of the attack to his own advantage. As Kai thrust the staff forward Dariyush moved his staff to catch underneath it and flick it upwards at the same time as dodging to the side to avoid the staff. Hopefully the move should unbalance Kai, making it easier for Dariyush to attack. It seemed that this fight was going to be all about strength and speed.
Strangely, Dariyush was glad that this little fight wasn't going to be about badly thought out and poorly executed tactics. At the academy there was the trap of thinking too much about what you had been taught, some students ending up focusing so much on what they had been taught that they lost their natural fighting technique. It as a breath of fresh air to fight someone who had such a strong, natural ability. Kai would be accepted into the academy, he knew that already, and he would also bet that Kai would progress quickly. Well, he would as long as he kept sight of his natural abilities and used their teachings to tweak his style, not completly change it.
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Jul 7, 2009 13:47:45 GMT -5
Dariyush wouldn't be the only one disappointed if being at the academy managed to knock all of Kai's natural fighting style out of him, although the half-demon was pretty sure that it wouldn't happen. He had been fighting for too long, had settled into too many habits (both good and bad) for the place to manage to knock them all out of him. Dariyush was right, the academy would let him improve the skills he already had and tweak his abilities, refine them until they were as perfect as he could get them. He had half been expecting Dariyush's reaction; as reluctant as he was to admit it, Kai knew that the noble was at least as talented as he was, he'd not have fallen for a move like that. But it was worth a try. He let himself overbalance as his staff was pushed upwards, sending him backwards.
Using the rather slippery surface of the long grass and the earth to his advantage, Kai turned the fall backwards into an attack, landing on one hand and promptly turning to sweep his leg across the grass in an attempt to unbalance the noble, his staff safe in his other hand. He didn't expect that to work either; Dariyush would be too fast to be merely tripped up, but Kai was just hoping to cause a distraction. He was on his feet in seconds, his staff twirling for a moment like a baton before the half-breed lunged forwards suddenly with a string of powerful, unexpected strikes; he knew not to land any of them, but with the way they were facing each other Dariyush would undoubtedly be able to counter-act with his own staff. It would be interesting to find out whether he would or not, Kai had to admit.
The teacher who had provided them with the staffs was stood next to Pedar Kashani now, looking intently interested in the fight taking place, a light smirk on his face as he glanced at the noble. "Your son has improved again." he commented, shaking his head as though it was a bad thing, "Every time you go out, I swear he comes back with a new way to completely throw me off." he chuckled lightly as he watched. "As for his opponent, I think we can expect big things from him. The style is erratic; unusual. But I find myself thinking that this is a good thing. It's different." he nodded.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Jul 8, 2009 9:47:33 GMT -5
Kai was right, Dariyush's reactions were too quick for him to be tripped up, easily jumping over Kai's leg as it swept towards his feet. Trying to trip him up had always been Pari's trick when they were sparring, and it hardly worked when she tried so he would be damned if it would work when Kai tried. He had been planning to attack Kai when he regained his footing, but he attacked him too quickly, forcing Dariyush back onto the offensive. A small scowl of concentration worked its way over his features as he swiftly manouvered to block the flurry of attacks, sneaking in his own attacks whenever he spotted the rare opportunity. Kai attacked too quickly for Dariyush to make the switch to being the attacker rather than the defender; he had to admit, Kai was good.
Dariyush wasn't quite sure when it happened, but he found himself enjoying the fight. He had expecting the fight to be tedious, for Kai to be a stumbling idiot when it came to a fair fight and using weapons, but he had been proven wrong. Kai was a good opponent, and he had to admit that he enjoyed the challenge. The half demon made him think about what he was doing, made him try harder and made him concentrate on the fight rather than playing around. He had to, grudingly, admit that Kai deserved his place in the academy. Bah, it would have been so much easier for him to dislike Kai than to reluctantly respect him.
Pedar Kashani never took his eyes off the fight, though he nodded in agreement with the teacher. "Yes, he surprises even me with how quickly he learns. He is focused, though lately I think that he has been a little distracted." He murmured, "As for his opponent, I agree, I think that we can expect greatness from him. His speed is his greatest asset, but he is a natural. I don't think that he will require much tuition at all." Pari pouted ever so slightly as she listened to this conversation, though she was careful not to let her father notice. Of course she was glad that Kai would be getting accepted into the academy, that was great news, but the fact that the teacher didn't even have a little compliment for her was rather annoyed. Selfish though it may be, she had no idea what she was supposed to do to prove that she was talented too.
Pedar Kashani allowed the fight to go on for a little longer before clapping his hands together, signalling for them to stop.
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Jul 8, 2009 16:06:32 GMT -5
Kai would be lying if he said he wasn't beginning to enjoy the fight as well; it was a rare opportunity that he got to fight for 'fun', or the closest thing to fun that fighting could be anyway. Dariyush was undoubtedly talented; the majority of the opponents at the arena would have been on their backs by now with Kai's foot rammed into their throat to choke them into submission, but Dariyush was surprisingly swift, and even if he rarely got a counter attack in he was quick to defend. Kai found himself actually challenging himself to try and break through the noble's barrier, a light smirk on his face as he suddenly leapt back again to give himself a breather, circling around like a predator before suddenly dashing off through the long grass, keeping low to the ground, the staff safe by his side.
When he got close to Dariyush he leapt into the air in a jump too high for any mortal to manage, at least a foot above his opponent's height. The staff was in front of him in seconds, acting like a spear and as he landed he touched the wooden pole to Dariyush's weapon instead of striking him as he normally would have done. The half demon twisted in the air as he landed, ending up in an elegant crouch just in front of the pond with its mini-waterfall, his staff held in front of him defensively. His ears twitched as he heard Pedar Kashani's swift clap to signal that the fight was over, but it just seemed to sail over his head. He remained crouched, a rather playful, if not challenging smile on his face as he looked over at Dariyush. He was on the defensive now, and he wasn't going to get up. Now he wanted to see what his opponent could do.
"A little distracted, you say?" the teacher nodded and frowned a little as if remembering, before nodding at the fight going on in front of them. "Well, he certainly seems focused now." he chuckled, watching them closely and tilting his head as the sound of the clap echoed around the garden. They should have gotten up and bowed to each other by now, but the half demon was still crouched in front of the pool of water, as if expecting something from his opponent.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Jul 8, 2009 17:10:05 GMT -5
Dariyush was surprised, to say the least, as Kai flitted away from him, confused by this change in tactics. Kai's style was too erratic for him to read, meaning that right now he had no idea what he was doing. He watched the half demon carefully as he moved through the long grass, tensed and ready to fend off an attack. He didn't quite know what to do as Kai jumped right over the top of him; now that was something that he had never seen before. All olf a sudden Dariyush didn't know how to attack. He knew what to do if an attacker was stood on higher ground than you, but areial attacks? He he no clue of how to counter those. He instinctivly rose his staff to protect himself, surprised when he didn't attack. Well, that was a relief, he didn't want his face all mashed up.
He span around to face Kai as he landed, instantly recognising the defensive position. So it was his turn to attack was it? Dariyush didn't seem to have paid attention to his father's signal, holding his staff in two hands, like a sword, before rushing at Kai. Now, Dariyush was only human, and he wasn't as fast as Kai...nor had he taken the time to note that the pond was right behind the half breed. He was smirking to himself a little as he swung his staff towards Kai's left arm. It was a pretty reckless attack, but for Dariyush this was no longer a serious fight.
Pedar Kashani arched his eyebrow as they continued; well that wasn't like Dariyush. He usualy stuck to the rules, it wasn't like him to break them. He must have been so wrapped up in the fight that he hadn't heard him clap. Then again, he couldn't have been paying too much attention because the mistake that he had just made was glaringly obvious. Running at an opponent who had proven to be faster than you while they were stood in front of a pond, who couldn't see what was going to happen there? Pari was already hiding a laugh behind her hand. It was karma, she had already fallen in the pond, now it was someone else's turn.
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Jul 8, 2009 17:42:30 GMT -5
Not even Kai had expected such a reckless move from an opponent who had, before, been very strict and tight with his defences, careful not to let a single one of Kai's strikes go un-noticed. It was obvious that Dariyush wasn't really taking the fight seriously any more (either that or he must have hit his head or something to make such an obvious mistake) but Kai still wasn't going to let that one go easily. Besides, if he didn't dodge out of the way then undoubtedly the noble would plough into him and take them both wherever he planned on going, and whether Dariyush had noticed the pond behind them or not, the rushing of the water was all too real for the half-demon. He didn't really want to get wet, but this was too good an opportunity to pass up.
He even waited until the noble had gotten into a full run-up, drawing as close as humanly possible before he moved like lightning, almost seeming to disappear so that the strike to his arm would hit nothing but air. The grass around where he was standing was disturbed and he appeared a few feet away, right next to the pond to watch. He couldn't resist the amused smile on his face as he leant his staff against the sun-bleached rock and folded his arms to gaze calmly over at his opponent, knowing full well that Dariyush was going much too fast to be able to stop now. Oh, well. He'd just have to get wet, he guessed. Even the teacher was smirking as he realised what was undoubtedly going to happen, brushing his black hair from his face and shaking his head to Pedar Kashani.
"I take back about what I said about him being focused." he chuckled, "He's even more distracted than ever to make a mistake like that. Live and learn, eh?" he grinned.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Jul 9, 2009 7:12:59 GMT -5
By the time Dariyush realised what everyone else had it was too late, he wouldn't be able to stop himself. Not that he didn't try, but the long grass was quite slippery and Dariyush just ended up skidding into the pond. One minute he was skidding towards the pond, arms flailing, and the next there was a huge splash and Dariyush had disappeared into the pond. His staff floated to the surface before he did, bobbing up and down on the disturbed water. The Dariyush emerged, not looking too happy, his black hair plastered to the sides of his face. At least he had the good sense to hold his breath as he fell so he didn't get any nasty pond water in his mouth, but that wasn't really much of a comfort seeing as he was soaking wet.
Pedar Kashani seemed to be struggling not to laugh at his son, arching an eyebrow at him. "Well, Dariyush, it serves you right." He told him with mock seriousness as Dariyush glared at Pari, who was pretty much hiding behind her hands in fits of laughter. Well, at least she wasn't the only one in the family clumsy enough to fall into the pool. It must be genetic, but Dariyush just hid his clumsiness better than she did. "If you wanted to swim you could have waited for the fight to finish." His father added in an amused tone, making it clear that this situation had long passed the serious stage. Oh dear, what was he going to do with Dariyush? He might have to send that finace of his away for a while to make him concentrate a little more.
Dariyush just huffed at his father, scooping the staff out of the water and throwing it onto the grass before shooting a glare at Kai, suddenly smirking to himself as he stalked over towards the half demon, lingering by the edge of the water for a moment before swiftly reaching out to grab Kai's ankle and drag him into the pool, ducking back under the water so that the half demon didn't land on top of him. Ha! Revenge was sweet.
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