Once again Orion found himself in a similar position to last time with Vi. Despite still having many small cuts and bruises, he had healed the major lacerations. His condition, however, after the initial excitement left, drew a tilted, concerned look from Caitlyn.
"What happened to you?" Caitlyn asked, her eyes flickering to all the little cuts and bruises. She already had on her 4 oz. fingered sparring gloves, waiting patiently as Orion finished getting ready.
The servants instructed him to wash up before slipping into his training outfit, similar to Caitlyn's outfit; a mixture of canvas and leather. The training room he was guided to afterward was an open room with flexible boards beneath to absorb impacts.
He shrugged, tightening up his gloves and testing the surprising mobility of the outfit with a few light stretches and knee bends. "Normal Undercity life," Orion replied nonchalantly.
"Does it scare you?" Orion teased, peeking over at her with a playful grin.
She frowned and replied with a determined look. "No, a few cuts wouldn't put me off!"
"And I hope that remains true, Miss Kiramman." Sheriff Greyson's voice echoed from the side of the room next to Jayce. "It would be a disappointment if it did. Are you two ready?" She asked at the end.
Caitlyn looked over to her, nodding with resolution. "Yes." She then raised and clenched her fists tightly- too tightly. Orion's gaze flickered to her upper body, noting how tensed up she was, while her footing appeared narrow.
Orion remained silent for a moment, studying her. Her eyes betrayed a mix of excitement and nervousness- two emotions competing for dominance and revealing her naivety. "She's nothing like Vi," he noted, softening up mentally.
"Yes," he finally replied before taking his stance and raising his gloves.
Greyson was silent with her sharp and discerning gaze on Orion before loudly declaring, "Begin."
Breathing out sharply, Orion closed the gap similar to Vi but conscious of strikes. His vision was focused on Caitlyn's chest, relying on his peripherals to catch any signs of telegraphing.
She backed up, and she backed up again, with no lateral movements until he was in close. Orion frowned, turning his body for a hook, but instead delivering a straight jab with his elbow stuck out.
Caitlyn had backed up repeatedly, shocked by his aggression. She felt her footwork faltering, her plan to throw a kick as an opener was gone. Her training taught her well enough to wait as Orion curled, catching the feint as it turned into a straight jab.
Except, it wasn't quite straight. Caitlyn reacted correctly, she moved her head and stepped out to change her stance and regain her footing. Despite having her guard up, however, his elbow broke through and caught her cheek. Pain, something she rarely felt, caused her to wince and stumble with sparks of white in her vision.
Orion winced as he felt his elbow catch her face, watching with a twinge of guilt as she flinched and hunched up defensively into a sideways stumble.
This moment of hesitation gave Caitlyn a chance to send a straight kick back toward his stomach as he turned, wanting to push him back more to create distance. Unfortunately, her response and kick were too slow, as he twisted his body and caught her leg.
Her eyes went wide as she realized her error, finding herself staring at the ceiling stunned a second later as Orion dumped her on her back.
"You fight dirty," Jayce called out from the sidelines. Orion ignored him, extending a helping hand to Caitlyn who took it while still in a daze.
Caitlyn's face was a mix of confusion and frustration as she held her off hand to her cheek, a bruise already starting to swelter. Her voice brimmed with frustration, "He's right, that wasn't fair!"
"Welcome to fighting." Orion shrugged dismissively. "Do you think it would be fair if I fought Jayce?"
Caitlyn glanced briefly toward Jayce, observing his older, more developed, and larger physique before shaking her head. Greyson still didn't speak, her expression impossible to read as Orion taunted Caitlyn, "Scared?"
"No!" Caitlyn growled, gritting her teeth as she put her hands back up. A fierce fire burned in her eyes, and her fighting spirit reignited. "Again!"