Owner	Pose
Vanya	The birds are silent in a heavily-wooded section of New York's parks, scared away by a commotion that sounds like a drunken group of lumberjacks. Off on her own in the warm spring day, a red-legged blur is working off what might have been a little too much drinking the night before. Stomping and sliding across the grass in short, sharp, martial movements, the area around her already bears the scars of her training and the woman herself has soaked through her tanktop with sweat. Her pants, already cut to pieces down their lengths, hang limp and sticky to her thighs where they've found places to cling - until a swinging heel or a sharp front kick knocks them loose. It's hard to pin the woman's style to anything classical or even call what she's doing a form, but the continuous stream of movements are smooth and well-honed - as well as highly acrobatic. Slashing and clawing through the air, Vanya lands in a crouch and backfists a nearby maple tree before spinning back around to strike it with her heel. Small bits of bark have already been knocked off the mighty tree on both sides and the source of the noise is now readily apparent.
Zhao Lin	It might not be immediately that Vanya notices Zhao Lin in the midsts of her training, but he has certainly noticed her. He had been sleeping not too far away, having climbed up a tree and taken shelter in its branches. Now, he stumbles into the vicinity of Vanya's noise, gourd canteen in hand. He takes a drink from it as he meanders closer, his steps unsteady, before pausing beside the oak she had been abusing. He furrows his brow as he looks at the damaged tree, before leaning in, swaying a little as he inspects where the bark is missing. He plucks a piece of bark from it, staring really close at it, before simply dropping it to the ground. His gaze then turns to Vanya, about the same time as he slumps against the tree in a half-relaxed pose. He upturns the canteen again, pouring another mouthful of his drink while he stares at her sidelong. Once he swallows and wipes his muzzle with his sleeve, he speaks, his accent heavily Chinese. "I thought I would find some quiet in the park," he muses, "It is louder here than downtown here." There's a bit of laughter before he takes another swig from the canteen, and allows a moment to look over Vanya from head to toe, taking in her sweat-soaked form. "I do not wish to be rude, but you are doing that move all wrong," he continues, waving a hand as if trying to point at her, or her feet, "You should pivot on the ball of your foot, not the heel. That way you will maintain greater balance."
Vanya	Vanya pauses in her training as the wereleopard wanders up beside her unofficial training post. She cocks a brow and looks him over in turn, from white fuzzy ears to clawed toes. "Uh-huh..." she murmurs skeptically before whipping around and slamming her foot back into the tree - toe-pivot. Then she draws her leg most of the way back and resets it lightly behind her as muscles from her waist down contort comfortably to balance her on one leg. Another kick lashes out with more force and more commitment, and a louder crack - heel-pivot.
Zhao Lin	Zhao Lin doesn't move from the tree when she kicks it, even the second time when she strikes it with more force, resulting in that loud crack. He does make a face though, and a hand lifts to rub a finger inside the ear that's nearer the trunk of the tree. Slowly, he pushes himself upright again, and stumbles a few steps closer to her. "There is no denying, there is strength in your form," he says, "But strength is not everything. Speed and accuracy are just as important." He stands there a moment, offering her a wide smile. "I am Zhao Lin," he offers, performing an unstable, drunken bow, fist holding the canteen pressed to the palm of his other hand. "Your gongfu is very good. I have never wanted to not be a tree more than when I saw that one." There's a little bit of laughter from the snow leopard, before he takes another drink from his canteen.
Vanya	That one gets a laugh out of the woman fighter and she nods her head back in greeting with an amused smile. "Vanya," she intones smoothly before putting a finger to Zhao's forehead and giving it a little push to check the drunk's balance. "You drink that stuff like it's what made you a cat. I bet that's not water," she notes with a mild Russian accent bleeding through her speech. Vanya wrinkles her nose but otherwise doesn't comment. She doesn't exactly smell like roses herself - more like beef and wet leather... with a hint of tiger that would be lost to human senses.
Zhao Lin	Zhao Lin stumbles backwards a few paces, as though that push were enough to almost send him bowling over backwards. He ends up tilting back on one foot, the other extended to keep him balanced. At the same time, he tilts the canteen back to pour some more the the yellow-clear liquid into his mouth. After a drink, he straightens up again, swaying as he steps forward a few paces again. "Wine," he answers, holding the canteen out to her, "Would you care for some? It is rude not to share with new friends." He offers another wide grin, his tail lashing about behind him. The vagabond smells like he's been at the bottle for quite a while now, days if not weeks. What's in the canteen is rice wine, a little stronger than you would find on the shelf at the liquor store. It's sweet, though, with a hint of sour apple to it.
Vanya	"I'll try some, yes," Vanya agrees easily as she takes the offered canteen and pours a taste above her mouth - lips off the bottle. She swallows smoothly and smacks her lips before handing the gourd back. "Weird wine - I kind of like that." Reaching her arms towards the sky, the feral brawler takes in a deep breath as she stretches. Vanya grunts mutedly as the muscles down her torso tighten the relax and her posture straightens itself out. "Ahh... did you come to watch me train or something?" she offers. "I'm not done."
Zhao Lin	Zhao Lin twists slightly to look behind him at the tree, then back to Vanya. "Is that what you were doing?" he asks with a smile, "I thought you were hired to remove trees, and broke your axe. Besides..." He takes another swig from the canteen, before putting a cap on it and hooking it back onto his belt. "It is tradition, when meeting a fellow martial artist, to challenge them." There's a brief flurry of movement from his arms, and Zhao Lin lurches into a fighting stance, legs half-crossed, hands curled inward at the wrist, as though holding a pair of cups. "Do you accept?" he asks, while swaying unsteadily on his feet.
Vanya	Vanya stops and stares at the tipsy leopard with a mix of disbelief and pity. "I wish more martial artists thought like that," she grins, showing a canine that's just a little too pointed to be normal. "But you look like that gourd's already done more damage to you than I could." The thought only seems to bother her for a moment or two as the brown-haired woman takes a couple steps back and sinks into a sideways stance with a low guard. "Sure - just try not to lose your liquor."
Zhao Lin	"I always seem to find more!" he exclaims, before suddenly lurching forward at speed. Though his stance is high when he comes at her, his attacks come in low, his body suddenly twisting until he strikes out upside down with his fists, leaning backwards to attack her. It's followed by another flexible twist of his feline body, Lin pivoting on one foot to sweep out with the other leg. Whether the sweep impacts or not is irrelevant. The spin continues as he rises up to stand again, stumbling backwards and then to the side as though dizzy.
Vanya	Vanya's long stance shifts towards her toes as Zhao Lin approaches and she shifts back just out of reach of his opening blow. His knuckles brush the feral woman's stomach before she can hop back and a warning jab towards his face helps keep him clear. She only bounds away for a moment though, as Vanya's feet crush into the ground to spring her forward again with a front kick, then a rising chain of roundhouses. For the most part keeping her distance, she's trying to get a feel for Zhao Lin's style before closing in - or she might just prefer a kicking style. The surprising weight packed behind her legs make it hard to tell which.
Zhao Lin	Lin is just as fast on the defense as he is on attack, and truthfully he's all over the place when it comes to either. He weaves and sways, lurching about to avoid the powerful kicks, until a higher one allows him to duck under it and drive in, forcing her leg up on his shoulder. They're about the same height, and she seems the flexible sort so it probably isn't too much of an inconveniece for her. It allows Zhao Lin to deliver a few short, strong jabs towards her midsection before shoving backwards, falling away into a backward summersault that ends with the snow leopard balanced on one foot, arms outspread like an eagle's wings.
Vanya	The awkward pose makes it hard to tense up but striking Vanya's waist still feels a little like hitting a brick. "Oof!" she grunts before she's freed from the quick grab and tumbles in a half-controlled way onto the ground. She comes back up in a low crouch on all fours and flips her hair behind her head so she can look up at the feline with a panting smile that's tinged by the start of some adrenaline. Then she rushes in, leaping off the ground like a pouncing cat with all limbs splayed to try and corral Zhao Lin and force a grapple.
Zhao Lin	Zhao Lin knows better than to get into a grapple with a muscular, feral fighter! When she lunges at him like that, the drunken boxer throws himself backwards, switching feet and reaching his hands backwards to keep his shoulders from touching the ground. The foot he had been balanced on kicks out to meet her midsection, but considering how rock-hard it was when he punched it, he's likely not going to do much more than stop her mid-flight. He twists off to the side to avoid the follow-up blows, and swings another kick at the back of her knee! Of course, along with his attacks come the typical kung-fu shouts, every attack accompanied by "Hah! Yah!" and so on. His position currently has him balanced on one foot and one hand, a fairly precarious pose to be in.
Vanya	Vanya might be sturdy but every fighter's got a weakness. Whether she's something more than human or just a devoted practitioner, the dark-eyed woman has to grunt and drop from her stance as Zhao Lin's unpredictable moves continue to catch her off-guard. Swiping a hand too slowly at the retreating foot, she lunges and throws a string of quick strikes and attempted grabs, hoping to move their fight from long-range to close.
Zhao Lin	Zhao Lin lets out a yelp when she lunges at him that second time, his swing at her knee having missed entirely. He tries to roll away but one of her grabs catches his sleeve, and he uses the tension from her hold to haul himself back onto his feet - it looks almost like he's falling in reverse. His hand is still free though, and he twists his sleeve around her hand, grabbing her by the elbow. He actually spins -into- her, throwing his back against her, arching it to shove her backwards. He doesn't let go of her arm, though, following that maneuver by yanking her towards him again, pulling her off-balance so that he can get under her, a hand on her stomach, using both his strength and her momentum to lift her up over his head. Then, he lets her fall, rolling down his back until she hits the ground, however she manages to land.
Vanya	Vanya peppers a strike with her free arm to try and stun the leopard and gain control of their grapple - she's not afraid to use her elbow in tight quarters, but her blows and weight shifts are still going wide of the unorthodox and surprisingly slippery drunken boxer. The feral fighter's heels bite into the cool ground as she leans into the shove and her firm stance refuses to yield easily. It's strong, rooted... but still too stiff in Zhao Lin's grapple and the same lean that resisted his push finds her suddenly above his back with wide-eyed surprise. "D-ooh!" Vanya coughs as her body slams into the ground with a concerning thump. She's heavy - far too heavy for her size - but with that weight seems to come toughness and the dark-eyed fighter's chin and arms are tucked and splayed as they need to be to protect her from the impact. Dirt is supposed to be soft anyway. "Nice one. Do you mind if I take you more seriously?" She asks sportingly, her brown eyes alive and dancing as they stay locked on the drunken boxer - and begin to lighten a little around the pupils, edging towards a pale yellow. Bracing a hand against the dirt, she rolls to one side and lashes out her legs, windmilling them both in a break-dance spin within reach of Zhao to press the attack again.
Zhao Lin	Zhao Lin, while she's on the ground, twists around to face her, hands up in that original fighting form he had started off in. There's a few stumbling steps, and he's about to reply when she's suddenly rolling to swing her legs at him again. "Ahh!" he exclaims, bringing his feet together and swaying his hips in wide arcs to pull them just out of reach of the kicks. The last one he actually twists into, dropping down on one knee to catch her leg against his chest with both arms. It's a misjudged maneuver, though, because he hadn't been counting on her enhanced strength here. It hits him with a solid thud, sending Zhao Lin onto his back with a deep "oof" of breath escaping him. His legs swing up with the momentum, though, and a quick kip-up puts him back on his feet, though now with him on the defensive!
Vanya	Vanya smirks as she finally gets to feel what's under Zhiao's shirt and twists back onto her own feet, landing in a shortened but familiar stance. A string of sweat is flung high into the air by the acrobatics and more of it threatens to run from the woman's brow. She's having fun but not for free. "I thought the tree would have been a good warning," she teases, this time not pressing her advantage. "So is that a yes or a no?"
Zhao Lin	Zhao Lin actually pauses in his stumbling about, straighting up a little more soberly and letting his stance drop for a moment, rubbing at his chest where she had kicked him. He lifts a hand to gesture at her with two fingers. "You can take me as seriously as you like," he says, "Just be careful not to break my ribs, okay? -I- am not a tree." Then he jerks into that original fighting stance again, and rushes towards her! He takes a few mock swings at her with his hands, but the real attack comes when he uses his momentum to slide underneath her, between her legs, and throw a toe-kick at her back, square between her shoulder blades!
Vanya	Vanya's hands go up to parry and once again, surprise trumps raw power or speed - Zhao Lin's piercing kick lands true. The brown-haired woman's arms swing back on a delayed reflex and she stumbles forward before getting her feet back under her and turning around. She's strong in back too, but there's still a spine there! When she does face Zhao Lin again her fingers are open rather than fisted and striped fur is climbing up towards her wrists. Sharp, fully formed tiger claws pop out from her fingertips and her face takes on the same black, tattoo-like stripes as her nostrils flare and scent the air with more-than-human acuity. The hint of yellow in her eyes has spread to consume them entirely, leaving Vanya's irises pale lemon rings surrounding intently constricted pupils. She spreads her lips to smile in a fanged, predatory way. "Perfect," she purrs, then rushes.
Zhao Lin	The transformation gives Zhao Lin pause, and he straightens up while it takes place. He watches, at the same time pulling out his canteen again to take a swig. It's put back in place just as she rushes him again, and the attacks that come with it are hurriedly ducked and weaved around. Whenever he sees an opportunity, Zhao Lin presses in close, his limbs wrapping about Vanya's in an effort to distract, disorient, and then strike her from unexpected angles. Most of them are easy to dodge, but Zhao Lin is still pretty fast, and fighting in close with the transformed tigress makes things dangerous. Not just for him, but for his clothes, since he only has the one outfit and her claws look pretty sharp!
Vanya	Vanya laughs headily as the fight moves close and personal, and becomes more vocal in her movements - grunting, growling, and shouting as manifestations of the spirit she's now investing. It's only a partial transformation, making a tiger-clawed hybrid in places where the bestial body trumps human nature, but the feral glee dancing in her eyes goes deeper than flesh and bone. It might have always been there, and lucky Zhao Lin has given her a chance to let it out. Perhaps as a common courtesy her claws aren't constant attendants, popping in and out to scare and distract with slashes at least a little more than they try to grip and bind the elusive leopard, and the feral brawler's core is as fleshy and human as ever beneath the strikes it receives. It might be a cold comfort as Vanya's mix of hands, elbows, and threatened grapples begin offering feints and false openings to lure Zhao Lin in for punishing retribution. She's willing to take a hit if she gets to give one back.
Zhao Lin	Luckily Zhao Lin is able to take a hit just as well as he can give them, particularly thanks to the regular intoxication he enjoys. He grunts whenever she lands a blow, but his body also twists, rolling with her strikes to make the impact less forceful. He twists about her, having his back to her frequently, but that doesn't stop him from lashing out at her, swinging both hands at once as though he were holding a flute in them. It's mixed in with a plethora of kicking attacks as well, in order to make her focus on where her feet are just as much as where his hands are. He strikes out with his elbows, shoulders, hips. Any part of him that he can swing at her, he uses to attack or block her blows - occasionally even throwing the top of his head against her fist, headbutting her hand to keep it from doing more direct damage to him!
Vanya	It's wild but effective, instinctive and just a little bit crazy, and it's just how Vanya's fighting back. The animal styles of Shaolin, grappling parries of chin-na and jujitsu acclaim, and punishing kicks and trips from legs that have grown a little thicker and striped in the many gaps down her red pants - Zhao Lin gets to contend with them all in glimpses through the hybridized, never-fully-finished martial style that Vanya's unleashing through her feral body. There's less subtle deflection, less refinement, less /defense/ in her moves but the bruises seems to suit the wild-eyed woman nicely. Even the tree enters the fight as she leaps and scampers up to evade a low sweep only to lunge back down off a low branch and reenter the fight. Panting heavily between strikes, there's no longer an effort to control her breathing as Vanya begins to fall back on wider, more space-clearing moves before suddenly taking a blow to the cheek, rolling with it, and throwing her body at Zhao's center of mass to take him to the ground.
Zhao Lin	Zhao Lin keeps moving whenever he can, leaping over her low attacks, ducking under her higher ones. He's very hard to hit, and even then it's difficult to hit him hard enough that it would hurt! He isn't expecting the sudden tackle, though, and while he tries to slip out of it, he's a little too slow, and Vanya sends him to the ground with a thud. Lin grunts and attempts to roll with it, tumbling with the half-tiger woman but ultimately ends up on his back with her straddling his stomach. "Nnh," he groans, and shakes his head, "I do not think that was gongfu." He tsks up at her, and grins broadly at her. "Very effective, though."
Vanya	Vanya's claws dig into the dirt around Zhao Lin's arms as she uses sheer weight to pin him to the spot. Even her toes have sunken a short distance below the grass and bear the same tell-tale tiger fur. Looming over the leopard large, predatory, violent, and now victorious, the weretiger allows herself a few moments to fill her lungs, taking deep, heaving breaths that just serve to make her that much more primal. More than a little of her sweat has soaked its way into Zhao Lin's shirt by now, along with a few flecks of blood from blows that connected just right on his feral opponent. If she wasn't wet before, she sure is now. "I keep what is useful," she replies with tiger's fangs in her mouth. Vanya leans a little lower and her nostrils flare as she basks in the sensations of victory. "So do I win?"
Zhao Lin	Zhao Lin doesn't seem afraid, or even intimidated, as she leans down over him. "Sure, sure," he says, one hand patting her side. The other fishes for his canteen, and he pops it open. The snow leopard takes a swig, and then he offers it to Vanya. "Congratulations on your victory," he rumbles to her, "Though I think I could take you if I had more wine than this. It gives me strength, and I don't want to waste what little I have on a friendly spar." His tail flicks about, swishing across the grass between his outstretched legs. "It's bad enough I have to brew my own here," he muses, before taking another drink whether she has or not.
Vanya	Celebratory drinking? Yes please! Zhao Lin's gourd loses a little more than the taste she took earlier as Vanya swallows some liquid fire and sighs happily as it burns its way down. "I hope you have plenty more next time," she purrs in amusement, visibly gleeful in her own odd, animalistic way. Her ears stretch out and point in triangular tiger-eared ways as they belatedly fur over too and perk themselves straight up. "It's not hard to tell you were holding back, I want to see more..." Another tail brushes against Zhao Lin's as it whips itself too and fro. When did she grow *that*?
Zhao Lin	Zhao Lin chuckles, and then quirks a brow when he feels another tail. He pushes up on his hands a bit, leaning over to see whose it is. "Huh. That's some change you've got going," he muses, laying back down. He seems quite comfortable there on the grass, even with the weight of his sparring partner atop him still. He doesn't seem to mind sharing his wine, passing hte canteen back and forth with her. "You want to see more, I need more wine," he says, "It gives me power, makes me faster, stronger. Enough wine, I am invincible." He rumbles and grins broadly up at Vanya. "Enough wine and I can defeat any foe. I am certain you will see sometime."
Vanya	"That foe better be me at least once," Vanya shoots back gamely, slow to ease herself off the leopard she worked so hard to pin but eventually she gives Zhao Lin room to move. Her features begin to recede back towards human - still keeping the claws and fangs though. "I know more than a few tricks..."
Zhao Lin	Even with Vanya moving off of him, Zhao Lin is slow to stand. He stays laying there for a moment, taking his time with a languid stretch. "Mmn," he groans as he stretches, before sitting up. "I would not want to hurt you," he says, "If I have too much, I become invincible, but I can also lose control. I only allow myself to go that far when necessary." He takes up the canteen again, taking another drink as he leans back on one hand.
Vanya	Vanya crawls over beside the Chinese leopard with her tail curled high above her rear before she rolls over and sits beside him, falling almost immediately onto her own back and tucking her hands behind her head. Victory took more than a little breath out of her. "I'm a big girl, I can take a few hits," she laughs. "You already gave me more than a few."
Zhao Lin	"Yes, but I didn't break anything," he says, falling back to lay beside her. His hand lays on his chest, the other holding his canteen. He stares up at the sky through the trees, his tail swaying slowly. "Drunken boxing becomes dangerous at certain levels. I feel less pain, and cause more. You are a friend. I am saving the good stuff for Xiang." He pauses a moment, and then reaches into a pocket. He pulls out a tattered piece of paper, and holds it over to Vanya. "Speaking of, you don't recognize this symbol, do you?" He glances sidelong at her, waiting for her to take the piece of paper. On it is a sketch of a skull, surrounded by a single serpent.
Vanya	"Go ahead, break me. Bones heal," Vanya encourages comfortably. She takes the paper and turns it at arm's length as her pale yellow eyes focus in. 20/20 eyesight is for humans. "No, I've never seen it. Someone you want dead?" she guesses, drawing her knee up enough prop her other leg across it and wiggle her foot in a passing breeze. It's still human in shape but padded, clawed, and colored like one of Zhao Lin's cousins.
Zhao Lin	Zhao Lin rumbles low in his throat, a faint growl. He takes back the piece of paper, slipping it back into his pocket. "Someone who killed my Master," he says, "So... yes. Dead would be acceptable. I owe them that much at least." His tail gives a twitch, and he glances towards that raised foot. "Interesting. You are not limited to one form?" he asks, curious about her ability to change between human and feline. "I have... always been stuck with mine, for as long as I can remember. It has caused no end of trouble."
Vanya	"I used to be all human but I've learned to improve," Vanya explains as her foot returns to naked human skin - losing its claws last. She fans out her toes and rolls her ankle a little. Her sole is tough and calloused from use, but still human. Then gradually fur, pads, and sharp nails over take it again, leaving the feral woman plantigrade but aesthetically touched by the felid family. While Zhao Lin was watching, her face did some of the same - looking tattooed and subtly different in shape. "You could call me evolved - or just Feral. That stuck."
Zhao Lin	Zhao Lin chuckles. "I have been called many things," he says, "You grow accustomed to such things when you live in alleys and fight for your dinner." His stomach rumbles and he glances down at himself. "Hmn. Speaking of, that is something I should also be looking for. It is not good to drink on an empty stomach." Perhaps not dinner, but lunch seemed to be in order, at least for the Asian feline. His tail flicks again, and he pushes himself up to sit once again. He rummages in his pockets, pulling out a handful of foreign currency. He peers at it in his hand for a moment. "Hmn. I do not suppose people around here accept yuan?" He glances over his shoulder at Vanya, brow raised curiously.
Vanya	"I've never heard of that and no, here they like dollars and cents. You can exchange that for American money," Vanya answers, enjoying the grass a little too much to sit up as well. She's finally starting to dry off too. Her tail curls up then softly pats the ground before receding and her other features do the same - except a couple tiny aesthetic touches. Now that Zhao Lin has seen the more complete version they might be easier to spot, and there's no washing the tiger scent off her now short of a bath in the river... or the leopard scent. Taking hold of her propped leg, Vanya pulls her knee against her chest and slowly stretches her foot out above her head. A deep, low breath escapes from the pit of her core as the stretch does its work. "Let me cool down and stretch first - we can go together."
Zhao Lin	Zhao Lin certainly had a nose full of her scent by now, enough that he could probably find her anywhere in the city if he crossed paths with it. He rumbles and gives her a broad grin, before staggering to his feet and taking another swig of wine. "Another benefit to my style," he says, "Wine keeps me limber. No need to stretch." He pulls himself up into fighting form again, throwing a few kicks and punches, going through the routine of practice for that form briefly, before stopping to take another drink. "Or cool down. I am always ready for a fight!"
Vanya	Vanya chuckles as she watches drunken fist from a new angle while pulling her other leg up to match the first. "I like to think I'm flexible but even I'm not warm all the time. Maybe if I drank as much as you," she considers with an amused smirk. "Care to help me stretch?" She asks playfully, sitting up and spreading her legs apart before placing her arms between them.
Zhao Lin	"Hm?" Lin turns about to look at Vanya, watching for a moment as she adopts that new position. His tail gives a flick and he rumbles in his throat, walking back over to her. Though he still moves with a bit of a stumble, after fighting him it's clear to see the strength in his legs that keeps him balanced despite appearing off-balance. He may be a drunkard, but most of that is an act, a deception to throw off his opponents. There is far more power in the feline martial artist than one would assume at first glance. He drops down in front of her, sitting opposite her, his feet placed against her's. He has the padded feet all the time, unlike her. He grabs hold of her hands, gettinga good grip, before helping her get a good stretch! "I do not think anyone could drink as much as me," he muses, "At least, I have not met anyone yet who can."