7242/A Spar of Action

A Spar of Action
Date of Scene:	15 April 2019
Location:	New York City
Synopsis:	Diana spars with a Drunken Master of Martial Arts
Cast of Characters:	Wonder Woman, Zhao Lin

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Wonder Woman has posed:
There is a sense of peace looming over the general city of Manhattan tonight as well as the outer lying locations around it. But thats not to say that crime still isn't a near constant threat. The regularly 'every day' kind of crimes have started to rise again in fact, because it was generally safe to be outside as of tonight.

Tonight, Diana is patrolling over the city and making her way back toward the Embassy since it is growing later in the hour. Now that its August its getting late into summer as well, the nights are still hot though so she's in her armor but not cloak tonight. Diana is just flying, enjoying the feel of the wind rushing over her... flight power being one that had taken some time to fully understand. She hadn't grasped or mastered it for many years after leaving Themyscira and hadn't even realized it was something she COULD do.

The Amazonian princess sweeps low in the sky and dips down toward a warehouse district where gunfire was recently heard, but all seems calm as of now.

Zhao Lin has posed:
    If anything, she would find a familiar figure seated on the edge of a building, quite like the first time she'd encountered him. Zhao Lin is sitting on the roof of one of the warehouses, feet dangling off the edge of the building, with his canteen in hand. His ear twitches as he hears -something-, and he looks up curiously, in her direction. The feline man seems to recognize her as she flies lower, and he lifts a hand in a wave before turning his attention back down to the street below. He's watching another warehouse, it would seem, but as there's men there, and they're unloading crates from a truck and he has not yet intervened, it likely isn't anything that's important to him. He takes a drink from his canteen, and starts singing something in Chinese, a little off-key. He doesn't seem concerned about stealth, at least not anymore, since the people below don't seem to care about him sitting up on the roof of the building above them.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana does spot the leopard mutant atop the building as thats the sort've thing she's looking for, irregularities in the environment. So with a long curving arch that brings her around in the sky and back toward where he is seated, she lands on the rooftop behind him with a gentle touch of her boots upon the surface of the roof. He'll likely feel a breeze rush over him, one that carries her scent of fresh flowers.

"And here he is again." Diana says in her smokey voice, calm and laced with a bit of amusement as she steps toward him, then stops and puts her hands on her hips. "Decidedly less suspicious in his behavior this time, at the very least." She notes, her eyes glancing to his canteen and then back to the anthro-leopard in front of her. "Checking for more slave traders?" Diana asks him then.

Zhao Lin has posed:
    Zhao Lin turns about when Diana comes around to land behind him. He certainly gets that scent of fresh flowers, and he rumbles low in his throat with a lopsided grin on his muzzle. "Suspicious?" he muses, "A strange Chinese man drinking wine on a rooftop is not suspicious." His tail gives a small twitch, and Lin easily rises to his feet, at the same time taking another drink from his canteen. "No, not slave traders," he says, looking over his shoulder at the men down below. "I think they are smugglers, but they are not smuggling what I am after." He gives a shrug of his shoulders, and takes a few staggering steps nearer Diana, before stopping to take another swig from his gourd. "And what brings the great Diana Prince out this way at this hour?" he asks, flashing her a grin.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana isn't close enough to the ledge to look over at the men down at the warehouse, but unless she hears something more obviously illegal she probably won't interrupt what they're doing because there's a fine line between a super hero who's a benefit to the citizens of the region they defend and to one who is little more than a pestering snoop... and she responded here to check on reports of gunfire. "I see." Diana says then as he stands up and walks a bit nearer to her.

"And I have a high tolerance for the disturbing." She starts to explain, showing a little smirk.. "People on rooftops in the dark, alone, in this city? It is quite suspicious, but you will have to take my word on that." She says with a slight grin. "But, at least after our last encounter I know that you are not a sneak thief, or what have you, so at least I know. Others? Well... who knos what they would think." She shows him a smirk then. "I am glad you haven't gotten yourself into trouble, that I have heard of at the least."

Zhao Lin has posed:
    Zhao Lin chuckles again, still grinning at Diana. "That you've heard of," he repeats to her, "I've been trying to keep off the radar. Things aren't exactly safe for people who look decidedly non-human. It's better if I keep out of the public eyes." The leopardine man takes another drink, and exhales a sigh afterwards. He pauses a moment, and offers the canteen to Diana while he wipes his mouth on the sleeve of his other arm. "I am more than just a wandering drunk, though. I am also a master of zui quan, drunken boxing. I did not get an opportunity to show off my style last time we met," he tells her, "You seemed to have things fairly under control once we went into the building."

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana softly shakes her head side to side when he offers her that canteen to drink from. "I cannot get drunk." She says softly before adding. "I am physically incapable of it. My body processes the alcohol quicker than it can be absorbed into my system." A small breath is taken then by the Princess and she nods her head once to him. "You are a capable fighter, this much I am certain of... even if you do it in a way that I do not necessarily agree with, but it is the way of your people and so be it. But... you are a long way from your people and your ways? They are foreign here-" She glances to her right toward the city skyline. "To these people."

The Princess' blue eyes return to Zhao then and she tilts her head then curiously. "I was raised as a fighter, for almost a thousand years I trained with my sisters on Themyscira to be the greatest warrior the world has ever known... How many people practice..." She glances down, at his canteen. "Your style of fighting?"

Zhao Lin has posed:
    "Can't get drunk?" he muses, "That doesn't sound like a very fun way to live." He takes another swig, and then closes it and ties it back to his belt. He chuckles as she talks about 'his people', and he shakes his head. "China is in the heart, Diana," he tells her, "Where-ever I go, she's with me." He gives her a small wink and then rolls his shoulders in a shrug. "To my knowledge, I am the only one. Though, there -must- be others," he says, "As my Master taught me, surely his Master taught him, and I do not know if before my Master's time there were others who learned. It is a secret gong-fu, known only by a few and mastered by even fewer." He pauses a moment, ear twitching, and his head turns to look back towards the warehouse he had been watching. Whatever he overheard, though, doesn't seem to be important enough for him to step away, though, and he turns back to Diana. "Alcohol is what gives the style it's power," he says, "It makes the body more flexible, and able to withstand more punishment." There's another pause, the leopard-man eyeing Diana briefly. "I can show you, if you'd like. I do not think I have ever had the opportunity to spar a superhuman before, it would be... an interesting experience."

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana's hands leave her hips and lay gently against her sides while she listens closely to what the leopard fighter says to her about all of this. She nods her head gently once or twice and then a smile shows across her lips as she glances away again. "Show me?" She says, looking back to him. "I... am curious, yes. I will admit that." She then shakes her head side to side and seems to be entirely amused by this.

"I cannot imagine a martial art style that requires one to be intoxicated to 'master' is something very many people could -ever- hope to achieve. My people believe in health of body and mind to keep us as focused as possible, primed and ready for the action before us, so that we may respond to it without having to suffer dulled reflexes from... well... being drunk." She motions at him then lightly with a movement of her left hand, but it falls back to her side near to her armor's skirt.

Zhao Lin has posed:
    Zhao Lin gives a slow nod as he listens to her explanation as well, of what her people believe. He chuckles and there's another grin from the leopard. "It takes a delicate balance," he tells her, pausing to take another drink from his canteen. "There is an old saying: A boat can float in water, but it can sink in it, too. Drink too much, and you can't stand up to fight. Just the right amount, though..." He shrugs again, and then smiles to Diana. "Perhaps a spar, then?" he asks. He considers her for a moment. "Though maybe pull your punches. I don't need to break anything."

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana is still showing a subtle amount of amusement on her face as she reaches behind her to remove her weapons, a sword and shield that she takes over to a brick ledge and simply leans them there against it, apparently not intending to use them for this spar since that would defeat most of the purpose really to just see his style of fighting. "Fair enough." She tells him then. Its about 10pm so its not too late at night, and they are completely alone up here with no one even within visual range of them. Her heightened hearing had been focused on the 'smugglers' down below, but she'd sooned learned that all they were 'smuggling' were actually pet food and toys. Not exactly something she needs to rush into stopping.

The tall woman walks back toward him and she stands there before with his booted feet apart and her half-gloved hands at her sides. "Show me what you have got, Drunken Boxer." Diana says with a slight grin... she's seen a few martial arts movies in her days too as they were very popular several decades ago.

Zhao Lin has posed:
    Even superheroes need down time! A spar is a nice break from actual fighting, for those who still enjoy the skill behind the fight. Zhao Lin sweeps off his hat, tossing it to land by her sword and shield. He pops open his canteen again, taking another deep swig from it, before stuffing the cork into it and tossing that aside to land safely on his hat. A couple more swaying steps closer to the Themyscirian, before he sets himself into a fighting stance. "Alright then," he says, "I'm going to give you everything I've got!" He's quick when he lunges towards her, hands clenched in fists as he strikes out with a flurry of punches towards her torso! None of them are meant to get through, though, and only meant to distract her before he steps in closer to get his leg hooked around her's and try to pull her off-balance and shove her onto her back! Though, it's Diana, so that likely won't work all too well for the martial artist!

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana nods her head one large time at him as he goes to take another drink and she motions toward him. "Oh yes, fill up." She chides him some, then he is lunging and his punches are very fast, respectably fast in fact, but Diana's reflexes are almost unmatched in this world, let alone the rest of the universe. She can watch his attacks come as though they are in slow motion which allows her to move to intercept and deflect each one, her metal bracer covered forearms are even like hard weapons themselves potentially causing pain in his own arms as she swipes his punches away!

His fancy legwork is partially successful in that he manages to get the move off, but she's an unmovable force to be reckoned with and as he tries to whip her leg out from under her his own just slides off of hers and she flashes a grin at the Leopard-man before she reaches out to tag him on his shoulder and shove him away from her!

"Excellent dexterity." She tells him then with a sly grin. "Can you manage to stand up properly now though?" She steps to the left now, a wide perimeter on her opponent here as she eyes him, her hands remaining down at her sides.

Zhao Lin has posed:
    Despite his drunken nature, it takes only a quick kip-up to put Zhao Lin back on his feet! He chuckles and scratches his chin. "Should have thought that one through better," he muses, but then it's back to the fight! She's certainly fast, and it's unlikely he's going to manage to actually -hit- her, but Zhao Lin is determined, and he's fairly fast and strong in his own right! If anything is going to get through, it's that those attacks of his come from almost any direction - in one case, even from behind her, as he manages to dive right through her legs into a tumble, though he only rolls partway and, instead, stops to strike at her lower back! Whether he's making any progress towards beating her in a spar, well, that's negligible. He knows he's not going to win, he's mostly just showing off that, even stumbling drunk, he's still a better fighter than most non-superpowered people!

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana, for her part, isn't necessarily trying to win this fight either. This is more amusement to her than anything else. That being said, she is a Themysciran warrior though and she does take great pride in the training that was bestowed upon her, training she had to fight to even receive due to the wishes of a mother who was afraid to let her beloved daughter do anything that might put her at risk of being harmed. That, was a long time ago though, and the Diana of today? She is considered the greatest warrior of her people.

Her armored boots are in a wide stance when the Leopard man nimble dives beneath her and rolls under her tall body. She's in the process of spinning around when he does land a punch to the small of her back, it doesn't stagger her or harm her, but he does use his masterful speed and agility to land a blow on Wonder Woman!

Of course now she's spinning around in a deep and powerful leg sweep intended to drop the drunken boxer!

Zhao Lin has posed:
    Though Diana has the upper hand, certainly, he's also quite proud of his training, and the skill it took him to get where he is. He sees that sweep coming, and it takes quite a lot of effort to stop it. He braces one foot behind him, and leans all his weight into stomping down just in front of her ankle at the point of contact! Even then, he's still pushed back a little by her, but it gives him the opportunity to swing a kick for her face! She's crouched down low, after all, it's a short distance and he's a swift fighter. Even if hitting those bracers hurt(it -was- kind of like fighting a brick wall), Zhao Lin didn't even flinch when his knuckles would hit them. Likely because part of his training -was- fighting a brick wall. Suffice to say, Zhao Lin would tire long before she does, even for a man of his stamina! And though his breathing is getting a little more labored, the snow-leopard man isn't slowing, and his strikes are consistently strong and accurate - even if they're largely only hitting the bracers she wields. He probably should have had her remove those, too!

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana certainly doesn't wish to harm the man she's sparring with, but she'd expected him to bow out of the brawl if the bracers did end up causing too much damage upon blocking his attacks with them, which of course she continues to do as they continue to turn, stride and almost dance together to the motion of their fighting.

"Good." Diana says through the motions that they're taking. "I am impressed." She pauses after a blocked kick and she steps back then, even slightly smiling to the Leopard mutant China native. "This is not how I imagined it going, but then, I have always respected the surprising abilities of your homeland and its people within it."

As they continue her loose hair flies about her shoulders in the night time winds flowing over them, she twists and turns with him, blocking his attacks and then delivering a double fisted punching shove toward his chest!

Zhao Lin has posed:
    Zhao Lin's movements are surprisingly graceful and fast, even when he looks like he's about to go off balance and fall down on his own, he suddenly lashes out with an attack at an unexpected angle! He laughs and grins to her when she steps back. Then he winces and shakes his hand a bit, flexing his fingers a few time. "What are those bracers made from?" he asks, before the fight resumes and suddenly he's the one blocking her attacks! He's surprisingly difficult to hit, himself, but more because he ducks and weaves and dives out of the way of her strikes. Around the rooftop they move, trading blows with one another, until Diana twists about and delivers that double-fisted strike that sends him flying backwards! He hits the ground with a grunt and tumbles once before ending up on his back. He just lays there for a moment, sprawled out a little, chest rising and falling with softly panting breaths. His tail gives a small twitch around its tip, but he doesn't get back up just yet.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana's blue eyes glance down to the bracers for a moment as he questions their make and design material. "Themysciran steel." She says then with a slight smirk toward him. "I should have taken them off, I apologize." But then they are back to the friendly brawl and she moves about him up to the point where her thrusting punch sends him backward and sprawled out upon the ground. Her own dark eyebrows drop some at their inner points, her expression one of sympathy for the Leopard-man she'd just punched across the roof.

What he'll come to find next while he lays there is that she is now standing there beside and above him, her hands at her sides. "Are you all right?" She asks in her smokey voice as she then raises her right hand up, the leather wrapped around it encasing her palm and the back of her hand but her fingers still bare. "I am sorry." She says. "That was a little too hard."

She does at least offer to help him get back up though! "Perhaps that is enough for now." She then says.