(Oh hi! Sorry for not responding, xmas season is a bit chaotic rn, as are my moods… I'll be honest, there's a good chance this thread is gonna die. I don't want it to, but I haven't had the energy to do much at all on NB lately other than stalk.
I may reply to this (probs after xmas) but at this point it's up in the air… XP
(It’s ok. Believe me, I understand how crazy this holiday season is. I hope this doesn't die… but I can wait till after Christmas for you to make your decision.)
(Yea… thanks for understanding! And on the offchance we can't revive this when I have the mental capacity again, maybe we can start another adventure instead?)
(Sure!)
Gwen kept her eyes on Sirius, circling slowly to keep the distance until one of them was ready.
Sirus was first to move next, rushing her and fienting to the side to try and draw her attention, attempting to force her off balance then get behind her to attack.
Gwen took a couple steps back and brought her hands up to block the attack. She preferred to keep her opponent in front of her in any form of combat… Which, honestly, made her particularly vulnerable to attacks from behind if someone was to sneak up on her.
Sirus smirked a bit, moving around her and pivoting on his right heel then moving to try and grab her around the neck and use his body weight to push her down and pin her to the ground.
Gwen grunted and turned quickly, still trying to keep them face to face but she still had to duck to avoid his grab. From her slightly crouched position; she launched herself at his stomach, hoping to knock him on his back.
Sirus just kept his momentum and lept over her, twisting so he flipped over and landed on his back before rolling and scrambling back to his feet.
Unfortunately, Gwen put too much into her jump and ended up on the ground but just managed to keep from faceplanting. She rolled onto her back and looked up at Sirius.
Sirus was watching her from a defensive stance, steely grey eyes watching her, "You're not half bad I'll give you that." he said softly. "But I'll also admit sparring in human form was never my strong point."
Gwen smiled a little at the unexpected compliment and gave a small nod, still keeping her eyes on him as she got back to her feet. ”Thanks. You're pretty good yourself.” she replied, speaking just as softly as he did.
"I would hope to be," he said, waiting for her move, "After all I am a bounty hunter and a lone half wolf…"
She nodded thoughtfully at that, wondering if that meant that he performed most of his career in his wolf form since he practically admitted that he preferred that shape. ”And apparently good enough to catch the king’s attention…” she added before quickly dropping down to kick his legs out from under him.
"More like the first convenient hire to bite on the upfront pay." he said, jumping to avoid her but his timing was off, and he ended up using the leftover force to awkwardly tackle her with his full weight, trying to push her down rather than regain his feet.
She let out a surprised yelp as she was uncomfortably pinned by his body. ”What exactly does that mean?” she asked, not understand the term he used as she started struggling to get free.
"Usually getting paid upfront means that the job is a suicide mission, or you're going to get ripped off and double crossed later on." said Sirus, effectively using his body weight to keep her down, "Also I think you should surrender now."
“You mean, you think my father isn’t excpecting you to come back? With or without me?” she asked, a little surprised by that possibility as she continued to struggle for a few more minutes. The thought that her father would be that… carelessly dismissive of someone. It didn't seem like him to her.
Sirus' face turned more serious, "No. He does expect me to come back with you." he said softly, gently putting more pressure on her shoulders to force her down till she stopped struggling. "More likely he was going to double cross me as soon as you were returned." he frowned a bit at the thought of the bounty on his own head.
Gwen lay still as he explained and gave a small nod, though she was frowning. That still didn't sound very much like her father… But then again, how much did she really know about the man in front of her? Before she left the castle, she’d heard of Bounty Hunters, in general, being compared to pirates, though in a slightly better light.
”Is that why you're taking your time in deciding whether or not to take me back?” she asked, matching his gaze.
"No." he said softly, then paused, "Well, maybe part of it if I'm honest." he shrugged, getting back to his feet and offering a hand to help her up. "Most of it's just a moral code though." he said, "There's a difference between pulling in a bounty for a murderer or an assassing, and dragging back a princess who's thriving with her former captors."
(I'm really glad my motivation came back to be honest, being able to torture Sirus later on is gonne be fun~)
Gwen laughed a little at the confession as she accepted his hand and stood up. ”Then, I’m thankful for that code of yours.” she smirked, almost teasingly even though she truly was grateful.
(I’m glad you did too. 😆 That's always the best part. 😏)
Sirus nodded, making sure she was balanced before backing off, giving her a silent nod in response.