[BATTLE PRP] [1 VS 1] Uppin Them Skillz (Meixiang x Moira)

[Yayoi]

Meixiang felt most at home in the Gymnasium. Here she could be herself. Express how she was feeling through her agility practice. But lately she had begun to feel that her agility just wasn't enough.

Though she hated to think about it, she really needed to work being able to defend herself better. And perhaps being able to defend others as well. But that would maybe come later. She needed to focus more on herself before she could help others.

She didn't wear her normal leotard today. The small ghoul sported a short sleeved white shirt and dark purple shorts. Black gym shoes. Typical gym wear.

As she entered into the actual gym area itself, she passed the usual equipment that she would normally be balancing or swinging about on. Dark brown eyes were locked on the fighting ring as she puffed out her cheeks just slightly.

Stopping just on the outside of it, she looked about. There weren't that many other students around so she figured making a complete fool of herself wouldn't be too bad as long as no one was around to watch her. Mei set an unsure foot into the ring, eying the sparring dummies that lay not too far off to the side. Making her way over to them she picked out a particularly large one and after a bit of struggling finally managed to set it up.

Mother and father never really taught fighting. Nor did anyone else in the group of Jiang Shi she had lived with either. Mother and father preferred no fighting actually. Something about not breaking priceless items around the house. They taught tea service and dance, not punching and kicking.

So perhaps anyone who was watching would quirk an eyebrow to the awkward stance that the ghoul took as she faced the larger dummie. Sizing it up before she launched random punches and kicks at it. Mei had no serious strength behind her attacks so the fighting dummy barely budged an inch. Frustration overtook her and Mei swung the back of her hand at it hitting a very hard and mostly unpadded part.

Grasping her hand she scowled at the dummy.  

[Sosiqui]

There was someone else in the gymnasium as well, though she wasn't fighting. Not yet anyway. The school janitor, Moira, was directing one of her robotic minions in carrying a bin of stinky gym socks and towels out of one of the locker rooms. The closest path down to the maintenance areas was through the Gymnasium proper, so a faint beep... beep sounded as the 'bot quietly backed out through the locker room door. "Come on... okay... no, left!" The 'bot twitched and managed to clear the door.

"Great! Okay, take it down," the headcrab zombie ordered. The 'bot trundled towards the maintenance exit, shoved through the doors, and vanished...

... though Moira herself did not. Instead, she peered curiously at the students in the gym who were practicing, nodding and grinning at some and wincing at others. She looked at one ghoul with particular sympathy; when the ghoul stopped swinging, Moira quickly stepped up.

"Oh, spookie... it looks like you could use a little help," she said, kindly. "You have to put your weight behind the strikes, see?" The headcrab zombie looked spindly and brittle, but when she smashed a fist into the dummy's head, the thing rocked and nearly fell.

"Now you try?" she added, hopefully, steadying the dummy so that it was a still target again.  

[Yayoi]

The ghoul was slightly startled when Moira approached her. She hadn't noticed anyone had been watching her. Her face would have flushed from embarrassment if she could blush.

Poking her pointer fingers together, she gave the older Zombie a sheepish look. "I don't weigh much so I'm not sure putting my weight behind it would do anymore good than what I have been doing..." Mei bit her bottom lip for a second before releasing it. "But I will give it another try and see if I can get some more weight behind it."

Stepping back as Moira steadied the dummy, her eyebrows furrowed in determination. She had grown tired of being so weak but it just seemed like nothing she did ever resolved the issue. She wanted to be able to handle her own and help her friends if they needed her.

The ghoul crouched slightly before springing forward, her shoulder leading the way as she collided with the dummy once more. It jostled slightly, a small bit of pain rippled down her arm and she winced before stepping back. Brushing her arm across her forehead. "I've got agility but what's agility without a little bit of strength with it." Mei looked at her hands, clenching her fingers into a fist before opening them. "Some days I just wish I was big and strong like some of the other students. Or maybe even had weapon or something...."

She looked up at Moira. "I know even the most powerful creatures in Halloween town started off small. But it feels like it just takes forever to achieve any physical power. I want to be able to protect myself and my friends without getting beat up all the time. Is that asking too much?"

Sosiqui

 

[Sosiqui]

"Aw, spookie, you don't need a weapon," Moira said, patting the ghoul on one shoulder. "That's for Reapers n' things, not undead like you and me! We got better things to do..."

She gave Mei a calculating look again, then nodded firmly. "You don't have to hit 'em hard! Just hit 'em where they aren't expecting! Here... hmm. You gotta practice with something that can move, not this old thing." The zombie put one foot on the dummy and shoved it over, toppling it on its side. "I got it! Hang on a second..."

Moira shuffled over to the maintenance door and opened it, sticking her head through. A piercing whistle sounded, followed by several sets of small, light footsteps and then some scattered whispers... and, a moment later, five gnomes sulked out of the door, under Moira's watchful gaze.

"Okay! Suit up, boils," Moira ordered, beaming at Mei. "This is an old trick, but a good one..." The gnomes made their way over to another laundry hamper, pulling out a few bits of dirty clothing before coming up with a large, single-piece track suit. There was a brief flurry, and then what looked like a single large humanoid reared up from the laundry.

... It was actually the gnomes standing on top of each other, with the suit on over the top, but hey.

"There we go! Go ahead, take the first swipe, spookie! They hit back, though, so be careful!"

The gnome that had won the brief tussle to be the 'head' glared at Mei.

Yayoi

Just fight it as usual with normal dice rolls!

 

[Yayoi]

----

I'mma derp and messed up that roll.  

[Yayoi]

She felt a little better with Moira's reassurance. But still, that small bit of doubt lingered in the back of her mind. Weapons were for Reapers sure, but wouldn't it help the Undead if they had weapons too?

Mei persed her lips breifly before raising an eyebrow as Moira went to the door. And then came the gnomes, which caused her to raise both eyebrows. When they put on the track suit she had to stifle a giggle from how silly they looked.

Nodding at Moira, she readied herself. Pushing off with her back foot to lunge forward and take a swipe at the gnomes. But it seemed to fall a bit short this time as she stumbled past, slightly off balance.

HP: 30/30
DMG: 0

Sosiqui

 

[Sosiqui]

"Pshawhahahah! That was path- OW."

Moira had casually reached over and flicked one of the gnomes with one finger. Hard. "Pay them no mind, spookie, they're always sassy... or get mad, and use that to take them out! Don't hold back, they'll be fine~ Come on, make your move!" she added, prodding at the gnome-golem. Gnolem?

The gnolem (let's go with that) staggered forward, and one arm swung about to clock Mei on the side of the head. It was graceless, but effective. Sort of.

Gnolem HP: 30/30
Damage: 1

Yayoi

 

[Yayoi]

The smack to her head left the ghoul's teeth rattling. While not a serious attack it still hurt quite a bit. Rubbing at the side of her face, she furrowed her brows as a heavy frown came to her lips.

Mei felt a little better with Moira's encouragement, but even so her next attack didn't seem to have any effect. She lunged forward again, swinging a fist to smack at the Gnolem's head. To no avail she missed again. With a small grunt of exasperation she bounded backwards, away from the Gnolem once more.

"You can sass me all you want Gnome, I will land a hit sometime..."

HP: 29/30
DMG: 0

Sosiqui