Mi Hermana y Yo

Suzy's biggest problem was her tendency to fall into a rhythm. Not that that was always the worst thing. It helped her stay on point during the long fights, made it easier for her to weave in and out of the danger zone and peck away at her opponents. 'Guerrilla tactics', she liked to call it.

It did get her into trouble with situations like this, where she was beating Nathan around with impunity. She could get so focused on the rhythm that she'd forget that her opponent could actually hit her back. So when Nathan lashed and out drilled her right in to the face, she was completely taken off guard. The blow rocked her skull and sent her staggering back, way back, all the way to the ropes, and left her leaning against them to keep from falling down.

"Where the fuck did that come from?" She ran her hand along her mouth, revealing the rising curve of her lips. "You got anymore?"

Nathan had immediately recoiled after the contact, shocked at his own voice and actions. But little Suzy had kept her feet- her position, no, but she was still upright- and, moreover, she was smiling. She was none the worse for wear; hell, she wanted more.

And while it was hard to admit, that punch felt good.

Nathan glanced briefly at Carmen before facing Suzy again, a small smile on his lips. His arms came up again.

“Yeah, I’ve got plenty.”

Carmen gave Nathan a curt nod and fought back her urge to give applause. They'd both earned a little acclaim - him, for being able to get past his hangups enough to deliver a punch like that, and Suzy, for being able to take it and keep coming.

She was still ready to stop it if things got too extreme, since she had no doubt that Nathan was the more experienced boxer between the two of them and he'd win a real match. But, for now, everything was kosher.

"Good." Suzy banged her gloves together and started bouncing. "'Cause I want it all."

She dashed back towards him and juked to the side right before she came into his range, trying to skirt around his vision and step in with a couple of quick jabs to the ribs.

Nathan bounced too. He was starting to embrace the idea of throwing punches. Maybe not against all girls; that remained to be seen. But this girl, well, she was asking for it. Literally.

Nathan watched as Suzy rushed in, and he extended a fist for her to run headlong into. But by the time his fist got there, she had already swept into his left and scored another two hits to his midsection. He withdrew his arm and fired it again, this time to where her head was now, fully expecting her to have disappeared before he could get her. No matter. She was moving a lot. If he kept his head, he'd wear her down, and he'd be able to take her apart standing.

Though she didn't show any signs of slowing down yet. On the other hand, his ribs were beginning to ache. It was a familiar ache. Breathing felt good through this sort of soreness. Made him feel at home.

Suzy was hardly a boxing savante, but despite popular opinion, she wasn't a brain dead punching machine. Nathan was awake now. The look in his eyes was different. His movements were more vibrant. This was turning into an actual sparring match, now, and she was up against a target that was willing to hit back. That would require a change in attitude. An adjustment of strategy.

She managed to avoid his punch, but it was a lot closer than she would have liked, so near she could feel the wind whiff against her hair. He was mean on the outside, but no slouch on the inside, either, which meant Suzy would have to keep her eyes peeled and stayed fluid. The bombs could drop at any given second.

She threw out a hard hook, targeting those ribs once again, before she slid back in the hopes of getting out of range before he could pay her back.

Nathan allowed a grunt as she drilled him and danced away yet again, and wondered if that was the sort of white boy noise she was chasing. But Nathan was satisfied. She was really favoring his midsection. Made sense; reaching up for his face would require reaching out for it and opening her body up to a whole length of uppercut targets. Nathan chided himself for not realizing sooner, but at least now there was a pattern he could bank on. It might turn on him if she decided to switch up her attack, but it was better to take risks like these while he had gear on.

Nathan decided to go on the offensive. He started to close in, pushing her toward a corner, guard high and shooting jabs to keep her frosty. His body was wide open for the taking, but his eyes were sharp.

Though Nathan was the focus of this session, Carmen wanted Suzy to get something out of it, too, and she hoped her tiny student was paying attention as her opponent advanced. She probably thought her speed would be the end all in the match, but Nathan was wisely closing in and limiting her options. He was a smart sort of boxer, thinking well on the fly, a talent that she'd yet to pick up. Dancing around was getting harder and harder, and the grimace on Suzy's face showed that she realized it. Too late.

She blocked a couple of Nathan's and let him push her towards the corner just a little more, before she decided to make a break for it by throw a fake right cross towards his face, trying to make him back off just enough for her to slide around and escape the corner.

Nathan's arms reacted to her feint, but they didn't have far to go, coming up just inches to cover his head and face. Once he saw her escaping, he seized his chance. He sidestepped along with her, keeping her between him and the ropes, and chased her with a jab and a hook at her face to keep her on her heels. With luck, she'd turtle up, and he'd start pounding away. It wasn't his usual style, but she did ask him for all of it, and he had years' worth of backed up punches to unload.

Nathan had the look of a man who knew what he was doing, who knew exactly where to place the punches and how to win the fight. This wasn't the same weak-kneed, reluctant fighter that Amy described - no, this was a guy who could win fights. Who could go places. As he moved around the ring, Carmen almost wished she hadn't heeded his advice and taken him on herself. She was curious to see just how well her own skills matched up.

But they were both wrestlers in Tension, and the management had a tendency to pit people with similar backgrounds against each other. It was only a matter of time before they had a real opportunity. For now, though, she was ready to slow things down a bit. "Time!"

Suzy took the jab in her face and managed to squeek under the hook, cocking her fist back and preparing something for a counterattack, but she slammed on the brake before she could give it a try. "Aw, what? It was getting fun!"

Nathan kept his arms up for a second, tempted to ask Carmen for a minute more. He was right there with Suzy; it was getting fun, and now that he was into it, he wanted to keep going. He’d missed this.

But Nathan relaxed his shoulders and brought his arms down in the next, albeit reluctantly. He gave Suzy a friendly nod and tap on the shoulder. “Thanks for the spar.” Then he turned around and unstrapped his headgear. He wanted a towel, and he wanted water. But first, he spoke to Carmen; even Nathan liked a little praise every now and again. "So. Any notes?"