[PRP - Duel] Did she have to?

[KasaiLoki]

Today was the day Memeha was truly dreading. It was the day she had to show her skill set in a duel. From here she would either stay unbranded, or she would join the true ranks of the Outlanders. A frown was evident on her maw. If she really wished to duel, she would have stayed and become a reaver in the Stormborn. The idea of fighting just was not intriguing to the pale female.

Memeha sighed. She stood, well rather sat, in the fields. Other skirmishes were going on around her. She eyes scanned the area. She didn't know who her dueling partner was, but she was sure they would be making themselves known shortly.

The one's gaze she did not see however was The Monarch's Claw. Another Claw was nearby, but not him. Good. Meme thought to herself, eyes once again flicking to and fro for her opponent.

Krysin

 

[Krysin]

Isigidi was the purest definition of a brat prince, though none would dare to actually call him that. Being the youngest brother meant that the rest of his siblings shouldered the responsibilities of their stations. Isigidi was free to focus on what would be his niche in life. After all, once Kethiwe ascended to the throne he would no longer be a prince. He needed to have a skill to fall back on, and if he was good at anything it was fighting.

He was a strong, proud warrior, and his time in the roguelands had served him well. Isigidi was a formidable opponent to any outsider - to someone within the pride, especially a certain pale female, he was more of an obstacle and a nuisance.

The red-toned lion had heard that Memeha was going to duel for her right to skip serving time as an Unbranded. It was fairly easy for him to convince her original opponent to switch places with him. After all, he was still a prince, and he could be afforded this luxury. The pale female was vexing, but that was enjoyable in a way. He liked the idea of tormenting her, defeating her so she'd be stuck to finish out her duration as an Unbranded. She definitely would need the training.

"Fancy meeting you here..."

What a coincidence.

KasaiLoki

 

[KasaiLoki]

Krysin

It wasn't hard for Memeha to spot the bratty prince from afar. Please keep walking. Please Keep walking. she chanted in her mind, until the male seemed to turn and head right in her direction.

damnit. she let out a frustrated sigh, just as the male stopped before her.

"Is it though?" She asked with a frown. Somehow, someway, this male had to have set this up. Here Meme was, pretty much an untrained Unbranded (very limited fighting skills from the Stormborn too) against the freaking prince of the pride.

"So. Can I just like...concede now to you? I don't wish to mark that precious pelt of yours, and then we can call it a day. You guy back to doing your thing, I go back to doing mine." Which was probably enjoying a nice nap in the heat of the day. "Right? Sounds like a plan. I think so." She nodded affirmatively. "Nice talk Prince. We should do it more often." Meme turned away from the male, hoping to stay out of the duel with her chatter.  

[Krysin]

Isigidi smiled, a mischievous look upon his face. If that wasn't her answer than she surely wouldn't get a better one. "What do you think?" he asked her with a warm chuckle. For some reason he kind of wanted her to know that he had rigged this so he could fight her, to let her know that she had gotten that much of his attention even if she loathed it. He did not think she would be impressed, but he wasn't sure he even cared if she would or would not.

He should have suspected that she'd try to find a sly way out of her duel, but that was not the way the Outlands worked. A duel had been decided upon to test her mettle, and he would not have her sneaking out of it. No matter how pretty her pale pelt was, it would never be pretty enough to convince Isigidi not to fight. "I'm not worried about my pelt, girl." Again, another scar upon his pelt would be an honor and a lesson. "Now, come on... don't be like that..."

Ugh, she was actually trying to run away from him!

Isigidi strode confidently forward, his steps large and brisk so that he could circle in front of Memeha and cut off her exit path. "I won't hurt you too bad - it's just a test to see how well you can handle yourself. Don't leave, I want to fight you!" That probably wasn't the right thing to say to convince her to stay.

KasaiLoki

 

[KasaiLoki]

Krysin

The question he asked said it all.

Damnit. "I'm just curious to know who you bribed? Using that bloodline of yours to get your way?" She sighed. She wasn't going to get out of this, was she? Especially now that the male had cut her off. She was thinking she should have stayed back in the Stormborn every day she put off this duel, and now even more so!

"Should I be honored that you will go easy on me?" She wasn't. Memeha would fight, she just disliked the idea of it.

"Well, bring it on then, little Prince." Maybe after this duel, she would actually ask what his name was again.

The lioness braced herself, letting the overconfident male make the first move. She didn't quite know how duels worked, so...this was a good first step?

So she thought. Instead, she watched him begin to move, deciding to go on the offensive as well. Her lack of training (and paying attention in the training fields) showed. She was not precise with her movements, and her swipes to the other were all over the place. She would be surprised if a claw managed to scrape the male's shoulder.  

[Krysin]

He knew she wasn't stupid, and as she flat out accused him of hustling the system a little he grinned a stupid sort of grin. Eh, he had no shame in it - he was a prince, he could do as he liked in these scenarios. It wasn't as if he was influencing the fate of the pride by pulling some strings to get his way. No harm, no foul! "Only the lion that was supposed to duel you," he purred.

She was definitely a spiteful lioness, but he liked her spark and her will to take him on... even if she only did because she realized she couldn't run away. "No, you should not be honored." He told her, his tone suddenly serious. It was not exactly honorable to have someone pity one enough to hold back their strikes. He supposed she would not care about honor, but he was making quite the sacrifice for her. It was a shame she did not understand it.

"Since you've asked so kindly..." Isigidi was used to making the first move. He was an offensive fighter, and tended to go all out in the first seconds of battle to ensure his victory. For her, however, as he struck at her his claws were sheathed. The only thing she would feel was the weight of his paws smacking into her. She managed to hit him a couple of times, but were in areas where it hardly made a dent into his own assault. He focused his attention towards her face and shoulders - in that there was little mercy.

KasaiLoki

 

[KasaiLoki]

Krysin

Memeha tried to avoid the swipes, especially those to her face. However, when his paws collided with her form, she found no sharpness behind them. What hits he did get on her, were not followed by marks. Either the male was all talk and no bite behind his skills, or, he was going easy on her.

Meme believed it the second of the two choices. She didn't know how she felt about that, but knew she was on a losing side of the battle. Even if she gave 150%, she would still find herself on the losing end.

Finally, she made one more attempt to swipe the male. Just as he did, her claws remained sheathed as she tried to basically sucker punch the little prince.

When she had no more to give, she lifted both her paws in the air. "Fine. Fine. You win. I will train better."  

[Krysin]

He was trying to be gentle with her. There was no point in maiming her in this duel when she was already so outmatched. Isigidi just wanted to make a point that she was woefully unprepared to defend herself if she were ever thrust into battle. She needed the training being an Unbranded provided. Even if she decided not to fall under the ranks of the Monarch's Claw, everything she learned would be of value.

Did he also like beating her up a little bit?

Yes.

The last cheeky punch she made actually landed, and instead of taking offense by it he couldn't help but chuckle under his breath. It was a nice warm up, to take her on, but it was clear that Isigidi was far more skilled and stronger than Memeha.

He smirked at her, exuding confidence. "I am glad you reached that conclusion. Perhaps during your service as an Unbranded I can train you a little." Oh by the Ancestors, Memeha was not going to be able to escape this one. Isigidi wouldn't let her.

KasaiLoki

 

[KasaiLoki]

"I could have told you that conclusion before we even started the duel." She said under her breath, refraining from giving the male an eye roll. She hoped there would be some kind of bruised that formed on the cocky lion’s face. It would generally please her to know even though she couldn’t manage a scar or scratch on the male, she had given him something. On the contrary, with her pale skin, she was sure she’d be seeing black and blue marks later in the day.

"Do what you must." She finally resided. Now that the Monarch’s Claw was back into full swing of things, she was sure she wouldn’t get away with lazing about anyways. Besides, even if she told Isigidi she’d prefer not to train with, he would find some way to weasel his way into her routine. Being who he was, she wouldn’t be able to get away from him.

"When do you want to meet me?" She’d rather know now, and not be surprised when the male just popped up for their ‘training.’  

[Krysin]

Isigidi was either wearing Memeha down, or she was finally coming around to actually liking him. Honestly, he would place his bets on the former being true rather than the latter, but he was always up for a pleasant surprise. The large male grinned, his cocky attitude shining through. His other siblings were far more refined - the perfect ideals of young princes and princesses. "Then I will," he told her. She had given him permission when he did not necessarily need it, so he considered that a victory.

Isigidi stepped up to her now, and really he could harass her all day but he did actually have things to do. It was best to schedule her training with him for a later date when he could actually plan around it. "I'll grab you tomorrow evening," he informed her. His choice of words were unintentionally ill-suited, but were at least an honest reputation of his cocky attitude.

"See you then." He walked passed her then, towards a group of other young males. The group walked off into the distance, leaving Memeha behind with only a little more than a day to prepare for Isigidi's torment.