14512/Know Your Allies By Sparring With Them

Know Your Allies By Sparring With Them
Date of Scene:	17 August 2022
Location:	Themysciran Embassy - Manhattan
Synopsis:	Sarah and Diana have a friendly sparing session.
Cast of Characters:	Wonder Woman, Sarah Connor

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Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana Prince had been contacted by her staff and informed that Sarah had come by looking to talk and spar. But probably mostly spar.

Clearing her schedule to make good on that offer Diana met Sarah in the embassy ballroom converted to a gym. It would normally be an unusual conversion for an embassy but given it is for the Amazons, makes perfect sense. The number of Amazons that are working at the Embassy might vary but the means to train and keep their edge never changes. Even for Diana.

Dressed in loose flowing cotton pants and a red sport top, Diana pads barefoot int the gym area. "Hello Sarah. How are you today?"

Sarah Connor has posed:
As always, Sarah was dressed in clothes that were deceptively easy to work out in. The tank top was close to her body, yet had plenty of room. Same with her pants, and shoes. The only thing that might be a problem was her jacket - though she intended to take that off for sparring.

At least she was hoping to get a round in. It was a risk, but the chance to see how Wonder Woman fought against a real live human was worth it.

Sarah smiles slightly, as she was brought into the gym, as Diana followed. "There has been no reason to let down my guard today. But then again there has been no reason to fight either."

Which in Sarah speak means today has been a good day.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana Prince smiles. "I am pleased to hear it. Did you care to spar directly with me? Or did you want to train along side? Which would you prefer, Sarah?" She looks to the other woman as she reaches up to gather all of her dark hair, pulling it into a high pony tail.

Walking over near one of the training matts, she looks back to the other woman to hear what sort of training she was in the mood for today. "And you will not want to let your guard down, here.." she offers playfully.

Sarah Connor has posed:
"That's what I was hoping you would say!" Sarah flashed a quick grin - so fast was it gone it could have been an illusion. "If you don't mind, I was hoping to spar."

Let's face it, Sarah knows that there were other people with powers, and because of that, they were more powerful than she was. But when it comes down to terminators she was the number one person to beat them - hands down.

What Sarah wanted to know was how to fight a little more like Diana did, to boost up her attack power.

She took off her jean jacket and put it on the bench nearby. "Anything you need me to know?"

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana Prince smiles. "Then sparring it is." She watches. "Only that we are practicing. I am not going to go any harder at you than you come at me. I will not use any of my powers, only my martial training as an Amazon Warrior and Champion." She smiles. "This is not a time to get so careless aa to incur injury. It is for learning. There is no winning or losing." She steps over and offers her hand. "We will spar with honor. No underhanded or blind siding moves. This time." A glint in her eyes hints that perhaps in the future she might be willing to spar with fewer or no holds barred.

Sarah Connor has posed:
This time.

Ah, did Diana know Sarah.

Mind you, in Sarah world the teminators didn't fight fair. Not at all. They usually stormed through people between where they were, to where they wanted to be, to hell with the people that were in the middle.

She shook Diana's hand. "This time all is above board. Agreed." And with that she walked to her 'corner' and waited for the sparring to begin.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana Prince does not know Sarah well, yet. But she recognizes the type based on known behavior so far. If it was not specifically mentioned as being disallowed, it would be allowed by ommission. She works with UN Officials nearly every day. This was not so different.

She smiles to Sarah and steps back to prepare. "When you're ready."

Her hands rise up to about shoulder level, fingers curled but not into full fists. Those friendly blue eyes take on a more focused, determined look. She shows compassion and understanding. But she is a warrior at heart. It is what she was born to become - the Amazon Champion.

Sarah Connor has posed:
Sarah doesn't have the looks that Diana does. Quite the opposite. If anything she looks calculating - like a chess champion, out for the next battle.

Her hands were brought up. Where Diana held her hands loose, Sarah held them slightly more tense. And she made herself look smaller as she situates herself leaving the smallest portion of her body open.

Then she takes a jab. Just a single jab, feeling Diana out.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana Prince watches Sarah's eyes. The eyes are the windows to the soul. They are also telegraph when an opponent is going to make a move. What the move is, may not be clear. But the way the lids open just a bit wider. The way the pupils dilate or contract. They are all signals that something is about to happen.

When Sarah makes her jab, Diana's hand turns, palming the jab to the side, deflecting the energy away from its intended direction.

She smiles now, as the sparring truly begins. She is enjoying herself.

A counter jab is sent toward Sarah's jaw. Even if it goes unblocked, at full extension the lightly formed fist will be more than an inch short of making contact. Diana isn't trying to beat the woman up after all.

Sarah Connor has posed:
If Diana can read her, so too can Sarah read Diana.

Very subtle signals. Which was to be expected with an Amazonian warrior. She didn't expect a full on spar quite yet. So too was Diana feeling her about. Quite normal.

Sarah grunted quietly as she moved her head *just so* to avoid the fist as she also brought her arm to make contact with Diana and thrust her away. Not gently, but firmly.

"Should we up the notch?"

Either way she had learned a few things. Diana looked like she was all smiles and enjoying herself, but Sarah was not taken in by her. The fraction of a inch her jab was gauged at showed immense control. And her smile was disarming to say the least.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana Prince did not stop smiling. She was raised to love battle. The joy of combat. There was no blood lust. No pleasure in killing. But the fight? The struggle? There was pleasure and satisfaction to be had.

A nod. "If you please. I am ready." She resets and slowly circles, eyes again intent on Sarah's.

Sarah Connor has posed:
Sarah didn't use her eyes to tell Diana where she would hit. She kept her eyes on Diana's the whole time. Doesn't mean that a warrior such as Diana wouldn't be able to tell from her body position ect. But she was, as Dlana said before, a warrior as well, and had long since grown out of the baby mistakes.

Where Diana was pleased and satisfied with battle, Sarah had no such love for fighting. It was a way of life for her, and she treated it like her job. A very serious job that she was good at.

With John turning 18 on his next birthday, and Sarah was doing this before he was born, she'd lived a whole half of her life as a warrior. And were she not good, she would have died before now.

She took a step forward and aimed at Diana's head, hoping that she would put her hands to stop her, while she did what she wanted to really do, which was, sweep Diana's legs out.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana Prince watched, the smile fading slowly to focus on the sparring. She circled and moved her arms in slow circles, keeping in constant motion.

When the strike toward her head is made, her hands drop. Instead of blocking, her head bobs out of the way. It places her weight on her right leg, perfectly set up for the leg sweep. It strikes true at her ankle and topples her.

On the way down, however, she is already using her motion to kick her legs over her head, hands pushing off the mat to spring upwards and onto her feet again, though in a low crouch.

"You have strong instincts.."

That grin is flashed and Diana uncoils, leaping at Sarah now, delivering a flurry of jabs and low kicks. They are kept within human-capable speed. She is true to her word. It's just that the human speed in question would be that of an Olympic caliber athelete. Fast and strong, yet with that same precise control to prevent any injury to Sarah.

Sarah Connor has posed:
At that, Sarah flashed one of her rare grins.

"I fIgured you would do that. Hopefully with surprise." She shrugs, and begins to pay attention where the blows appear to be vs where they actually go towards. She took a few kicks and blows, while still getting back at her. "I don't like to get in close with my enemies. But it's necessary sometimes. And occasionally, I have to protect myself from ordinary humans. So I keep up with my training."

Besides guns.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana Prince finally eases up and steps back. She smiles. "I had no preconceptions, Sarah. This was a chance to learn more about who you are. There is no right or wrong answer. When you spar with someone you learn far more about them than many times through conversation. It is harder to keep one's guard up when facing the risk of being hit." A warm laugh is offered.

"I think when we move to no holds barred sparring, it will be even more interesting."

Sarah Connor has posed:
"Oh?" Sarah continues to spar, only it's turning to be a little more heavy handed that just hitting with no force. Let's face it, to get a workout they would have to go up a notch or three. Nothing too hard, but most definitely harder than the original jabs.

"Well then, what do you want to know? Mind you I may not answer everything."

She never told the entire truth. Not for her safety, but because of other people's being in grave danger if she did.