She grits her teeth at the ferocity of their attacks, tiredness beginning to settle as a burning in her limbs, an ache in her mouth where she'd clenched her jaws just too tight. She feels his teeth scrape against the left side of her neck, unrelenting and unmovable any more, as she'd spent the rest of her strength trying to heave upward from her last attack. Instead, Ava could only do her best to finish off with the last of her endurance, tilting her chin upward while it was still by his chest in hopes to nip at his mane hairs, not necessarily to injure as much as it was to pull uncomfortably at the fur and encourage him to pull away.

But she could do little else. She was exhausted. Yet still, there was an exhilaration in her where once there'd been fear and hesitance. Now, she felt truly alive.

Avaneira vs Cupid
for spar
iii of iii

Hits:

Rolling 3d20: 3 + 14 + 7

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 10 + 8 + 16 + 6 + 4

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 5 + 15 + 2 + 19 + 4

@Cupid VS. @Avaneira FOR spar
— RESULTS —

Cupid Hits: 2+2+4=8
Cupid Dodges: 1+2+1=4

Avaneira Hits: 2+2+4=8
Avaneira Dodges: 3+2+1=6

Cupid Successful Hits: 2
Avaneira Successful Hits: -3

Cupid HAS WON THE SPAR!

Please allow the challengers to respond to the fight results first. As per the site rules, if 3 days go by without a post from the challenger(s), they can be skipped. Whichever comes first! Any posts made before this will be removed.

With a few of his chest hairs now gone, Cupid pulls away from the battle dance. His chest expands in exertion of the bout as he relinquishes any hold he may have had over the silver mist — all four limbs return safely grounded. A sweat worked up, and a few bruises now blossoming. Hesitant grin pulls on the spotted boy’s lips as he takes in his tired companion;
“Are you, uh, okay?” He asks nervously, though had tried his best to remain a decent sparring partner. It seems like the move she wished to practice had taken a toll on her, but now she knows what to expect, and Cupid can be happy about that.

table by sentinel / artist

Defeat was a bitter taste, and one Avaneira knew well. Her disappointment was evidenced in the way her shoulders trembled with each gentle sob, in the way her tears rolled down her cheeks despite her timid smile. Her move had indeed been good in theory but less effective in practice, and the thought of a once seemingly unique idea turning sour was bittersweet at best, and invalidating at worst. Are you, uh, okay? he asks, and Avaneira quickly swipes a paw across her cheek to wipe her tears away. “Yes,” she responds, but her answer was half-hearted at best. Avaneira wasn't mad at @Cupid, nor was she entirely depressed at the result of their match, but every defeat felt more like two steps back rather than a step forward.

Eventually, she sighs, and turns her head away from him. Her lips are pursed, cheek fur kinked and disheveled where they had just tussled, and posture otherwise slouched and exhausted. “I was really hoping it would work...” She needed something to counter the brute force of larger opponents. Skarde had only needed to topple her over once to defeat her, and how belittling it felt that day to be so trampled over by such an evil man. The thought of it sent shivers down her spine.

Despite his question, it's obvious in her trembles; in the tears that roll down silver cheeks. It breaks his heart to see someone try so hard only to find an idea come up, well, empty handed. Round features soften further, eyebrows tuck with concern as he hesitantly takes a step forward.
"It's... it's okay! I'm positive you'll find something that works," he tries to encourage, "sometimes it just takes trial and error. You're on the right path." After all, you can't become a master overnight. The spotted youth thinks back to his own errors he's made; he's learned a valuable lesson from their brief spar;
"And, uh! You even pointed out my weaknesses and what I need to work on. If this was a real fight, I could have lost my ear—" He flicks the dark appendage at its mention.

table by sentinel / artist

The dust settles. Her defeat wades away but its reminder still lasted like a lingering, bitter taste. @Cupid's gentle encouragement does little to reassure Ava but it does soften the blow, and she is able to relax, to nod at his words. She was certain no kings ever won their crowns without stumbling their first few steps, and even though that understanding did little to patch the acute wounds of her bittersweet defeat, it would help ease her troubling thoughts that night when she tried to go to sleep. “Thank you—hum?...” she paused, trying to recollect a name she'd not been told, realizing they'd thrown themselves into a spar too fast to properly introduce themselves.

“I'm Ava,” she breathed, her eyes fluttering as she peered into the brownish grey of his own, almost green in this pale light. She had long gathered he smelled of a pride, but which she did not know. She couldn't help the swell of disappointment. Only just now had she begun to emerge from her shell, and now more than ever she needed others. It grew much harder when the Amaryllisian prides were involved. Such was an ever-changing game of political turmoil that Ava feared could pit her against him someday. She dreaded to think of such a thing.

Relief flutters through the spotted paladin as it seems to have eased the raw nerves; mayhap not entirely, but least the silver bobtail no longer cried and that brings a small smile back to his lips. He tilts his head gently; wishing nothing more than to see her smile, or a glimmer of hope overtake the dark cloud that seems to be raining near constantly over her.
"You're welcome...! Oh, I... suppose we did not introduce ourselves," he pauses, giving a shy chuckle at the end of his words — if only he had hands and could place them behind his head. "I'm Cupid. Nice to meet you, Ava."
"Do you live far? Maybe I could escort you home, or, uhm, look for some plants to help any pain from our spar?" He offers, and realizes perhaps he is being a touch too forward... but it is the least he could do.

table by sentinel / artist

@Cupid. How cute, Ava thought, allowing a small smile to flit onto her lips. His offer to escort her and fetch some herbs alighted a strange warmth in her chest and her cheeks, and Ava was not sure what to make of it. So often had she come to the Pit to spar and left alone with bloodied fists and the weight of defeat. Perhaps it would feel far nicer to have a companion to travel back with her to the Hollows, especially if it meant some free herbs so she wouldn't have to keep stealing from the stores she'd already made a dent in. “I would love that, Cupid, thank you,” she responded, before ambling out of the Pit. There was a noticeable limp in her promenade, but it did not hinder her gait. She paused there, turning to face him so that he could catch up. She would need to lead the way to the Hollows if he had never been there before himself. “I don't live too far.”

exit Avaneira with Cupid

Small as it may be, her smile is what he’d been looking for; it is enough to bring Cupid’s mood up further in spirit. His own lips twitch into a toothy grin — too pleased and shy himself at the aspect of actually fulfilling his wish; he didn’t… expect it. A pleasant surprise in many ways. The silver mist takes up his proposal. Giddy. Heated.
“Of course,” he replies in glee, pausing only for a moment to inspect her limped gait before he follows at her pace. It should not be too difficult to find something to aid her on their journey, though the spotted youth did not think much ahead at the aspect of truly intruding on another pride’s boundaries — merely wishing to make sure Ava returned safe.

— EXIT WITH AVANEIRA —

table by sentinel / artist