Chris was not having a good day. Everything was going exactly the opposite of how he wanted it. At the beginning of the festival, he'd thought that like always, every day of it would be good, but this clockin' day, was provin' him wrong. Every clockin' minute today had been bad, ever since he'd spilt his yats on himself that mornin' to when he'd cut a pina chunk out of his finger while carving charms just an hour ago. And altogether, the day's events had pulled together to give Chris an intensely bad mood.

Chris clenched his fist in frustration, his thumb brushing against the new scar from his now healed finger. Grumblin,' he walked down a row of kint an' stands. The angry wick's surroundings were happy and filled with energy, but it did nothing to lighten his mood. He was, it seemed, that he was determined to remain unhappy.

Think, black brows pushed down o'er his eyes, the kov stared at the grass as he stomped past the stands. He just wanted to get the day over with, as soon as he could. But that couldn't happen, could it? Ne, instead he slammed into another body. Chris sucked in a deep breath with shock as his eyes widened to discs as he stared at the person he'd just run into. He swore angrily, mad to have another thing happen that day.

((bumpin' action! any players want into this? come on guys))

Shi was not having a good day either.

One could have said this was not breaking news. More like she was having a bad month. She had already been quite grumpy after Ti had slipped away, but all her life had gone awry since that seer they had visited after learning of the riot had told them Ti had gone away from this world. Of course, this was devastating news, but even the rest of her life had followed the trend.
Noli and her had been fighting nearly everytime they were alone together, instead of him supporting his wife.
They even had disagreed about the Fotamos ceremony. And when he went against her advice, he ended in the arms of that other chip, one that she thought was a reliable friend!
And he was keeping seeing her! They had fought about that again yesterday evening!

No, there was no reason this day would be different. Except that it was her clocking birthday! What kind of birthday was that? A day when you spend your time pretending you care about your patrons while you'd rather be alone, and look for any excuse to be away from your husband gaze? From the strange pained pity he looks at you with?

At least now she was away, carrying the keg Durg Auros had requested for tonight concert. The keg might be heavy, but some physical exhaustion away from the Laughing Sky was preferable to this month's everyday routine. Until something hidden by the keg on her shoulder bumped on it and thrust her towards the grass. Her hands left the keg before she could counter her reflexes, and she heard it crack against the ground as she fell.

Shi didn't even look at it as she rolled on the ground and ended in a crouch, staring at the kov she had bumped into. The laoso kov whose fault it was if the ale was now seeping away, if she now had to go back and explain Noli why she needed another of their precious kegs! And he was cursing, as if it was her own clocking fault!

She didn't offer any hand or kind word as she slowly rose, hatred in her gaze.

"Watch where yer clockin' goin'!" Chris spat at the chip he'd bumped into. A large keg lay on it's side a short distance away.

He wanted it to be her fault. So much that had happened that day had been his fault, and now, desperately he wanted the blame to go to someone else. Obviously, it had been his fault, as he hadn't been watching his steps, nor had he been the one carrying a large keg. But still, he refused to accept any of the blame now. He was done bein' the cause of all the things that had happened.

The angry wick's face twisted so that his features were distorted in his anger and his flesh became a bright red; blood burning just beneath his skin. His shoulders hunched in a defensive stance, as if he were about to get into a fight.

Around them, people were starting to stare, curiousity painting their features as they turned their heads to see what all the screaming was about.

For an impartial observer, it might not have been entirely Christoffe's fault. Shi was not exactly paying attention either, even if she had the excuse of the keg. In fact, she had no way of knowing that the man had been distracted. But in her current state of mind, there was no way she was going to own up on this. Especially in front of someone so rude!

"Watch where I'm going? You kov want me to watch out?" The brunette voice was quite soft. Just loud enough to get heard. But with a Hoxian, that was not necessarily a sign of appeasement.

She stepped towards the hunched man, not at all embarrassed by their height difference, her angry green eyes boring in his.
"What about you mind your steps?"
Behind her, a small pool of ale was now expanding in the grass under the cracked keg.
"What about you pay some respects to the people who work on this island? Not everyone is young and free here."
Another step. She was now an arm length from the young wick, fists on her hips.
"Some have a fami to support. If you can get a glimpse of what it means."

A little voice in her head was telling her she hadn't that much fami anymore. Neti was gone, Noli fared very well alone, and truth to be told, Elder Hale was the only Laughing Sky with whom she still talked normally. But Shi didn't want to think about Ti's death. She shut if off, along the one who said that fighting would not solve anything, that she'd better try to mend that crack or save some of the ale.

Chris straighted up, bringing himself to his full height, as his anger spiked dramatically within his body. Didn't know what it was like to take care of fami?! So this chip knew him now, did she? Knew all about him?! Red splashed across his face, as his blood burned beneath his skin. At his sides, his fists itched to strike this clocking laoso chip.

"You don't know nothin'!" Chris shouted into her face.

She didn't know anything about him! He took care of his fami! He worked hard! He worked to fill the place his da had left after driftin'. He took care of his daoa, made sure she didn't have to do too much. And tried to pull his wait in his tribe too! Who was this witch to tell him he knew nothing of fami and work?!

"Young an' free?!" he continued on shouting. "Young an' free?! HA! I prolly work harder than you!" He was right in front of her now, itching to push, slap, something to pay back this mung chip. How dare she tell him that he didn't work? He helped his tribe, his daoa, and then himself! How dare she even say that wasn't working!

(Sorry it took so long. I was busy with birthdays and Mothersday. )

Shi blinked as the man shouted straight at her. He didn't need too. She was not deaf, and close-by. By adding shouting to the meaning of the words, he added rudeness to insult. Used to her small size, she had never been one to mind having to look up at someone. But she did mind the shouting.

I don't know nothing? I've wasted twenty years of my life trying to support a fami and I don't know nothing? "And what do you know? That I'm not deaf?" Her voice, although vibrant with anger, was now so low that her answer was lost in the voice of the young man, who continued shouting. Making both of them look bad for the onlookers.

The green-eyed witch was at loss of a solution to shut the kov up.
Until she slapped him in the face.

((If things get more physical, I shall propose a non-moderated fight))

Shi's hand connected with Chris' cheek with a loud smack. Eyes wide with surprise, the kov immediately stopped everything that he'd been doing. He stopped screaming, stopped freaking out, and just stood stock still. He blinked, mouth parted slightly in surprise. She'd actually slapped him. He hadn't expected her to slap him... Screamin' had been what he'd expected.. Not getting slapped...

But as the initial shock wore off, his expression twisted back into malicious anger. She'd slapped him! This laoso chip had slapped him! And after she'd started all this? An animalistic snarl curled around Chris' lips, and he all but actually growled at the chip. Chris' breathing grew more ragged as he grew more angry. And as anger built up in his body, his limbs became charged with more energy.

"Wicked, clockin' chip!" Chris shouted, his arms snapping back before shoving towards Shi in attempt to knock her to the ground.

((Yeah, that sounds good. ))

In other circumstances, the shove would have earned Chris a good fall, probably followed by a painful arm lock. After all, this was exactly the type of attack Shi had spent her youth practising the answer to. Exactly the kind of move where the opponent put himself out of balance and you just had to help him to the ground.

But if the witch had been her usual self, she wouldn't even have started the argument. As she was, she was completely surprised and fell on her back. Only then did old reflexes start working, as she rolled on her shoulder to end standing again, a few feet away.

This glimpse of her past control was not enough to bring her back to a better state of mind. Shi was even all the more angry. You clocking wanna fight? Got it! She lunged forward and charged the young man legs, with the intention of tackling him down. There was something that felt good on the bottom of that anger. Something that felt good about expressing it physically at last, instead of denying it.

((I'm so sorry I didn't post sooner! I've been so tied down with school and birthday/graduation parties. I should be able to post more now though. Sorry! ))

Chris smirked down at the fallen witch, his anger settling slightly. A satisfied sensation filled his core. It had felt so good, just to release some of that frustration. And though his breathing was still ragged from his anger, it slowed slightly with the release.

But then, pulling herself up, the witch launched herself at him. Wide-eyed, Chris jumped back, with the intention of sidestepping the chip. Too slow, she caught him by the legs with her charge. "GUH!" Chris grunted as the air left his lungs as his back made contact with the ground. His head fell back, hitting the dirt and grass with a hard thud, and a groan from his lips.

Face distorting, anger flared in the wick again. She wanted a fight did she? Well he would clockin' give her one! He could always use someone to let out his anger on. Mouth twisted in a snarl, his hands tightened into fists, getting ready to return Shi's attack. Swinging an elbow around, he aimed for her stomach. He held back slightly, not wanting to hurt her too badly, but still wanting to cause pain.

((I'm not sure I interpreted your description correctly. Ask me to edit if my post doesn't make sense))

Christoffe hit the ground with a satisfying thump. Shi hit the ground too. She hadn't tried to play it nice, but had thrown herself on the younger wick. Which probably explained her success, given the weight difference.

The witch hadn't planned anything, just acting on instinct, and she hesitated for a tick before following on the downed wick, intending to keep him down and punch him senseless. But instead, she put her plexus just on the path of her opponent elbow, and added her weight to his strength.

Shi's breath blocked while pain radiated throughout her body. She curled instinctively and rolled on her side, and somehow found the strength to roll again further away, hoping to be far enough from Christoffe so that she could breathe again and hop back on her feet before he followed with whatever painful hit he also had in store. She didn't even see him clearly for now, her vision blurred by the stars dancing in front of her eyes.

((Guys, I just wanted to check, is this a predetermined fight thread? If it's not, you should wait for a mod to determine the results of attempted fight moves.))

((Yes it is. Sorry, I forgot to add it in the title earlier. ))

With Shi's weight lifted from him, Chris regained his breath completely and rolled to crouch on his feet. His breathing was ragged from having the breath knocked from his chest, and the back of his head along with his back throbbed with the dull bite of injury. This chip was a good fighter, he could tell, and they hadn't even fought that long yet!

The young wick, stumbled towards Shi, his legs weak from being tackled, but a look of determination on his face.

With her there on the ground, it seemed only logical for him to fall on her and pin her to the ground. And that's exactly what Chris made to do. Again, he wasn't out to cause any great harm, just pain for that moment, and to win the fight. He wanted most to win there little fight, as it would give him some small sense of satisfaction.

Where Shi had been blinded by anger before, she was now effectively blinded by pain. But there was a real sense of danger in her mind now, as her breathing only restarted for the weight of the young wick to pin her down and make it difficult again.

Strangely, the adrenaline calmed the witch. Where anger had made her restless, the danger awakened her younger self. She forgot about her failure to protect her daughter, about her disintegrating marriage, about anything except the present situation.

As her mind cleared, she let all her senses help her blurred vision. She was now perfectly conscious of the weight of the youngster on her, of his strong hands searching to restrain hers, of the small crowd of onlookers, of the sipping keg at their feet. She felt her painful stomach, the sun on her neck, the wide cut in her lip, the blood in her mouth.

Yes, she had a split lip. Cris could see it, though he was sure he hadn't hit the witch face. She had probably contacted his knee when tackling him.

Shi didn't try to resist forcibly to Chris, or overturn him by sheer strength. But it didn't mean she was inactive. She only went with the flow, trying to use his moves to amplify them, so she could have him lose his balance. It she could free a hand enough to grab one of his wrists, she knew of a sensitive point on the inner side, that she could use to lead him in the position she wanted, lying and restrained by a painfully twisted arm. Not that this was going to be easy when starting down and overpowered, but Shi was not thinking or planning anymore. She was just in the present. Past and future weren't real.