thecapitol | Choose your own Azuladventure

"The difference being you have yet to prove yourself better then me, where I have already beaten you." Azula reminded her "You just refuse to acknowledge it because you were caught off guard."

Rolling her eyes as if Mindy was asking the stupidest questions Azula answered with exasperation "He became a mentor on luck when many much more worthy victors fell. And as a mentor he refuses to do anything to help our tributes. He is a burden and a threat to everyone I am responsible for. Imagine trying to take care of your tributes and every person you speak to for donations brings up that he actively stands against everything the Capitol believes in. Imagine trying to build up confidence in people to make them believe your district has the best chances to win with someone like him ranting almost non-stop about how wrong the games are."

"He lacks...subtlety among other things."

"Oh please!" Mindy laughed. "Better than me? For all that bullshit you tout about being refined and in control and how I'm a savage, you attacked Guy unprovoked. Yeah, I saw the scars. Even I haven't lost control like that, and that's saying something. Why don't you do yourself a favor and actually admit underneath that you're just as much an animal as me, you just hide it under this persona of thinking you're better than anyone. It's pathetic."

She smiled. "Knowing you actually care about your tributes is shocking. Granted, anyone talking that bluntly about the games and not helping his tributes is just asking for trouble. No wonder they put him back."

If Azula seemed bothered by Mindy pointing out her weaknesses she didn't show it. Instead she simply kept her peaceful smile and adjusted her stance, still wide open and without defense.

"We are all animals child. But just as in the wild some predators are simply better then others." And clearly she was the better of the two of them. Wasn't it obvious to everyone?

"I do my job and I do it to the letter. She continued "I am a mentor and I take that duty seriously. Their lives are in my hands and his pride and ambition would see them all die just to serve his cause."

"Yeah, you have a point, teenager." And Mindy was just about to show Azula who was better. Clearly she struck a nerve, no matter what face Azula was giving. When Mindy got into stance though, it was clear she had not been lax in Panem: her stance was tight, and she looked fearless and composed.

"Glad to see you and I agree on something. Maybe the one thing we do."

Mindy advanced, fists up, and feinted before going for a solar plexus hit.

With lightning speed Azula stepped out of the way and brought her arm up to block any further strikes.

"Do I really look that young? You're so kind. I do take good care of myself." She chuckled condescendingly.

"Oh, I wasn't just talking about your age. I was taking about how you think too."

With just as quick speed Mindy switched tactics and rained blows on her lower body, finishing with a trip to the girl's feet. Did Azula really think she'd start off showing her how fast she truly was?

Azula endured the strikes only to find her opening and land a solid strike to Mindy's throat. The trip caught her and sent her tumbling back where instinct took over and she flipped backwards and onto her feet.

Her stomach ached, but it was worth it.

"How cute." Her smile was unshaken. "Did that make you feel better? Have you proven yourself yet? Is this for me? Yourself? Guy?"

Their eyes met "Or maybe your father?"

"Oh Azula," Mindy said with feigned sweetness, "daddy had me beating the shit out of people like you when I was five. Don't try using mental blocks with me. You're just on that level, k?"

The strike to the throat gave her a momentary stumble, of which Mindy's response was to close off any more distance between them. It was like sparring with Sonja all over again, only without the weapons. She was fast too: the strikes to Azula's lower body were little more than burs, yet she still wasn't yielding Azula sloppy footwork. Maximus had helped with that.

The space it had taken for Mindy to catch up was enough for Azula to go on the defensive once more, catching or deflecting her strikes. Her hands sang with the impact that made her bones tremble. Mindy was strong for her size, but it was mostly in speed.

"Oh Mindy, there's no one you've ever met like me. Don't be so crude, it's unbecoming."

If Mindy had known that many people like Azula, the dark haired girl was convinced Mindy would be dead by now.

"But I am serious. If this is actually helping you I hope you appreciate that I'm humoring you."

"You're right. I don't even know criminals that full of themselves. THEY at least know when to dial it back."

That humoring comment, however, was pushing it far, way too far. Mindy broke from her low attacks with a hard, sailing punch to the jaw followed by a close handed strike right above her chest plate. If Azula was going to continue mocking her, she was at least going to show why people didn't start fights with someone who's abilities they'd never seen yet.

The fist came up and Mindy would feel the air from Azula's nose as she leaned out of it's way. The breeze was impressive, but not to the point that Azula would slow down.

She could feel her confidence soaring today. She was glowing with pride from finding out about Enjolras finally receiving just punishment for his foolish actions.

And nothing made Azula more dangerous then confidence.

The next strike found it's mark and Azula knew there would be a bruise there, but that was a small matter. Mindy wanted a fight and Azula was happy to oblige in the most annoying way possible. More lightning fast strikes to her face, her arms and midsection. Azula was like no criminal in Mindy's world. Training with other warriors would save Mindy from complete humiliation.

But it would not save her from defeat, not on this day.

The smile remained beautifully painted on her smooth soft face as those blazing eyes sought out every opening no matter how small. She would never underestimate Mindy's skill again, not after their last fight. She would never give the girl anything but her absolute best.

How else would Mindy finally learn?

Azula could not destroy Mindy's emotionally, that would take too much time and effort. More then she was willing to sacrifice while she still had a job to do.

But physically she could make sure that Mindy understood for all her posturing and big talk Azula earned every bit of it.

And perhaps there was some still lingering frustrations about her day that Azula packed into her strikes...but what was most important to her was to savor every moment of this encounter.

For today, was Azula's day. Mindy's day had come and gone and perhaps another would come some day.

But it was not this day.

Missed the higher punch, and that figured. She was shit with those even as she was starting to get taller. The other hit made it, but Mindy took an array of Azula's punches too: the face, her arms and her midsections felt Azula's attacks. What Azula would find, of course, was that these hits were not as soft as she would like: Mindy, after all, had been training ever since she got here, and that resulted in some bruising on the girl's hands no doubt. As for Mindy, these hurt, but Azula would see something that might not have pleased her so much.

Mindy was smiling too.

Oh, she'd had a bad day. Her dad was gone, Guy was suffering, and this place had its noose around her neck, stifling her. The chance to actually channel that anger into giving pain, particularly in someone who found joy in her misery, gave her solace and tested her ability to think fast on her feet. This was her dirty secret about the Games: she liked its thrill, the way it pushed her adrenaline and her senses to the brink, and how, even as she knew it was awful, she found its method to make her alert and strong thrilling.

As for the hits, they were fine too: it gave Mindy just the advantage she needed, and she pushed through, entangling their legs. A moment of being off guard and that was all the young girl needed: her blows against the older girl were terrifying and sharp, all seeking edges of her face that would feel her impact.

Dirty perhaps, but it was no secret. Azula mused that even someone as foolish as their most simple tributes could tell that Mindy enjoyed combat.

So much like Azula.

The strikes were not as terrifying to Azula as they might be to others. She could not avoid them but she could minimize the damage by twisting her face to take each strike away from her eyes and nose.

The tangled legs would keep her from flipping away so it was time to abandon more controlled fighting. She pulled hard with her powerful legs to bring them together and tumble to the ground. The sudden shift in position would provide Azula with momentum to bring more power to her punches. Only three before they hit the ground.

But she made them count.

Once on the ground they were a tangle of limbs. Kicking, punching, but she did not scratch or bite.

It wasn't necessary.

The peacekeepers were inching closer, worried that this would be getting out of hand.

On top of Mindy, Azula would press her advantage as hard and fast as she could before Mindy had another chance to turn the tables.

It was long past time for Mindy to learn to respect her and everything she had accomplished. She'd worked too hard to be shown up by on such a glorious day.

Fuck you Peacekeepers. Mindy didn't want anyone interfering with their fight. She didn't even mind taking the three punches. They HURT, and certainly they took some out of her, but she was already planning what would happen next even as Azula's hits connected and she was on top of her. She might have thought she was not underestimating Mindy, but Mindy was about to show the woman there was more to her than just some rogue mentor too.

She's already readied her legs to rear up and that they did, allowing her a fierce leap from the ground and toward the girl's lower body. The momentum was enough to get her righted again, even as their kicks and punches on the ground glanced hard against their bodies.

It was a fight that Mindy intended to finish. She'd tired long ago of Azula's verbal abuse as well as being kept behind a cage of training going on only in the training room. She would, in both instances, show how seriously she should be taken.

Azula wasn't backing down either. Her face swelling, her mouth bleeding...yet still smiling.

Mindy may be at her most serious despite being unarmed, but it was still only keeping up with Azula.

She wasn't overcoming.

For every strike she gave Azula gave back.

For every missed strike there was a dodge.

They had both devoted their lives to training, had shunned friendship and socializing. They had perfected their bodies to a physical peak.

They lived for the rush of blood in their veins and the hammering of their hearts in their chests.

Pain was an explosion of life, so each punishing blow was a reminder they were still alive.

Mindy's father had trained her to be a hero at any cost.

Azula's had trained her to win at any cost.

Azula's was a path of redemption and a fight for respect.

Mindy's was a journey of revenge and justice.

With her muscles burning and sweat making her body shine, Azula still moved like a force of nature. This was one of her advantages over Mindy, how few they may be.

A decade more worth of experience, and for that there was no substitute.

Surely by now she had to be frustrated that Azula wasn't all talk, even if she would find satisfaction in the challenge.

There was no part of Mindy that Azula hadn't hit by this point, and while Azula herself would need a visit to the infirmary and then the spa, she was determined to be the last woman standing.

Today was her day.

She would never have said it, it would never come out of her mouth....but Azula was amazing. finally backing all the bullshit she'd spouted, she could now see the expertise and training that had come from all that time cultivating herself. It annoyed her in the thick of this fight to see what was so plainly obvious now: they were, in fact, very similar. With all the repulsive, self serving garbage Azula said aside, she had continued her training, just as Mindy had. What was more, all that training had made it so she was still fit, physically and emotionally.

But she and Mindy shared one other trait too: stubbornness. For every hit Azula dished out, Mindy gave just as much back. This was a contest to push yourself, and Mindy had WANTED that, more than anything. What was more, they were both fast, so the hits that Azula was giving Mindy now found easier to dodge. She's learned much since her fight with D'Amico that day he was defeated: how to compensate for a hit, how to give back what was given and, most importantly, that you didn't stay down, you kept going.

Mindy pushed and strained, rebounded punches with kicks, avoided more blows and spat out blood happily. She wasn't even tired: not yet.

How long could this match reasonably go on?

How long would their bodies hold out?

A spin, Azula's long black hair slapping Mindy in the face, an unconventional blinding technique followed by a roundhouse kick to the face. Another rare, imprecise but powerful attack.

As well trained and healthy as they were, their muscles wouldn't be able to take much more punishment. Even in the arena fights were not this drawn out and brutal.

But it wasn't a matter of life and death. It was something so much more important to them in this moment. It was a matter of pride.

Azula had been conserving her leg power for dodging and dancing around strikes but now she was using them offensively. Her fists were meant for accuracy, her legs were meant for power and speed. Focusing on Mindy's chest she kicked again and again hard to the same place.

Waiting for that satisfaction, the sound of a cracked rib. Anything more would trigger the guards.

Anything less then a broken bone and Azula suspected Mindy wouldn't give up till they both passed out, and that would not be a satisfactory ending to this day.

Oh Azula. Do you really think Mindy would stop over a broken bone? She'd fought with broken bones. It slowed her down, but she could do it.

However, now was not the time to giving Azula more victories than she deserved. The kicks were only a matter of time, and in the back of her head Mindy knew it. She'd be concentrating on punches but the kicks were her most decisive feature, even Mindy understood that.

When the first kick came it got Mindy in the chest, but she wouldn't be there for another. In fact, when the follow up came, she grabbed the leg and turned it hard the opposite direction. It was quick, and Mindy was going to take advantage of the fact that Azula wouldn't have time to bring her leg back properly. She moved in and hit hard, arm connecting straight for the stomach, pulling her shoulder into the hit.

No of course she wouldn't quit willingly, but breaking bones in the training center was the limit for what the peacekeepers would tolerate. The battle would be decided for them.

Azula saw the twist coming as her leg was caught. Relaxing her leg she avoided serious injury, though she had to grit her teeth behind her smile to keep from making a sound.

Her leg fell and the hits came, full of power.

But where Mindy threw herself into the punch, Azula decided to take a page out of Shepard's book and threw herself right back slamming their skulls together. The sound of two bones connecting was loud and sharp in the training hall.

Even as her vision blurred from the impact and her temples throbbed she brought up her uninjured leg into Mindy's stomach in retaliation. Between being winded and stunned hopefully that would end it.

This round at least, because there was no doubt there would be more battles down the line, perhaps on days when Mindy was riding high and Azula was miserable.

Deflected. Deflected and goddamn her, she was still going, because she was Azula and she would spite Mindy because of course she needed to have her happy day. Enjor-whatever the fuck was back in the games, and she got to see Mindy miserable and low AND beat her to prove she was better. That was her hope, her desire.

And Mindy, even in a split second, had no wish to see that fulfilled. The head crash hurt, and her body sang with pain, but she knew, even now, that Azula was going to use her legs again. They were her most powerful asset. Mindy knew the knee was coming and did what she knew she could manage: she brought her fist down straight to the kneecap, blood pooling around her eyes.

A sharp sting, but nothing more. In the battle of knuckles vs. Knees the crack that echoed through the room was not from Azula's kneecap submitting to the force of Mindy's joined hands.

The fists came again, one, two, three, and four into Mindy's unguarded face. Each strike with the speed to guide Mindy's heady in the direction of the impact. So fast she risked whiplash.

FUCK! That was a mistake, leaving herself open like that! Now Mindy gave her a chance to capitalize on her punishment and that she did, delivering one painful punch after the other. Her head was a throbbing factory of hurt now, and she could feel the blood running down more than she wanted. Despite this, her mind thought fast, her head would still stay clear. If she had to suffer this, USE IT. So she leaned slightly into the hits, looking wobbly, unfocused, and then planted her leg against Azula's to knock her over.

When she wavered, Mindy found that burst of strength and came back swinging into the stomach again mercilessly.

Edited 2014-05-19 15:37 (UTC)

Azula felt the gradual change in pressure against her fists. Even now the girl was coming for her? Was it instinct or choice?

Her father had not appeared to be much from afar, but clearly there was more to him if he had created this creature.

Feeling the leg come to hers for a trip Azula planted her hands on Mindy's shoulders and pushed hard flipping over Mindy's head so the fist would find air instead of stomach.

The ground rushed up to find Azula's shoes and she used the precious seconds she would have before her opponent could turn around to kick backwards, leaning forward to add precision to the strike.

She could have, should have aimed for the small of Mindy's back, but that would risk paralysis and as much as Azula would enjoy sending the young mentor in for surgery, it would reflect poorly upon Azula among her superiors.

So just a foot higher and her strike would be thrust between Mindy's shoulder blades.

That was all her body was willing to let her have. As she soared through the air, the kick in the shoulder was a final blow that caused Mindy to hit the ground hard. She groaned, taking a moment to pick up herself, barely, on trembling knees.

This was a blow to her, compounded with what happened to Guy. She made Azula bleed and had damn well shown her what she could do, but in turn she'd seen exactly what Azula was capable of, and today that was enough to beat her. She spit some of the blood out her mouth, breathing hard. Her body was begging her to stop, and today, in her lowest moment, she'd at least give it that much dignity. No way would she be found unconscious like some piece of trash on the ground: she worked and pushed herself too hard for that.

"Fine," she said quietly, wiping her face. "Not gonna push it today. Good for you. Bask in your good mood or whatever."

"Oh don't stop for my sake." Azula smirked as she rose from her kicking stance and turned to face the fallen girl. "Were you really not pushing yourself? That would be impressive if that really wasn't you giving me your best. It would also be an insult." She added as her satisfaction at seeing Mindy struggling to accept the truth helped to sooth the stinging in her own muscles and joints. Her face was sore but nothing a trip to the spa couldn't cure. By the end of the day you'd never know Azula had been in a fight at all.

Now for the important part.

"I can see it in your eyes, you're still struggling to admit that I'm not simply an ego without the force to back it up. The determination and dedication to perfection that has brought you where you are is also what brought me here over you in this moment."

"I want you to admit it now, that in a fair fight with no tricks and no handicaps that you came at me honestly with all you had and lost."

At least the only audience they had right now were peacekeepers, some training room staff and whatever cameras were lurking about.

Choose your own Azuladventure

Re: Training Montage in the Training hall.

Re: Training Montage in the Training hall.

Re: Training Montage in the Training hall.

Re: Training Montage in the Training hall.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)