Mission 6b - Let's get ready to rumble!!!

Pretti says, “A little.” She is wearing her heart amulet in addition to the bikini top. Holding up the religious symbol, she says, “I meditate at the temple… well… sort of. I like to talk to the Miko, and I guess meditation’s supposed to… not have that.

“Talking,” she awkwardly clarifies.

Sun gets a little nervous. "There was meditation as part of our classes at the temple..."
It's clear from his pronunciation he's choosing his words carefully.

Pretti’s question: Why doesn’t the real sport use tennis balls instead of bullets?

Pretti’s response: “No questions, sensei!” There is apparent respect in her voice.*

*(I mean if she doesn’t get a mouthful of waterfall. Neither respect nor words are apparent if she says, “Blbblbblbblb—*ack~cough~gag*”

Sun just shakes his head, not understanding why he would have questions for something as straightforward as this.

Pretty confident about just a bit of water and a few tennis balls, Sun gets underneath the waterfall and sits down the way they did it at his temple.

Not having grown up in the typical dwarven environments, but in a temple with a focus on physical and spiritual well-being, Sun doesn't quite think alcohol is a good idea after rigorous physical activity. He gladly accepts the offer for tea, instead.

Pretti’s used to the bar scene, mostly from the Finish Line. “Thanks,” she says, accepting a beer (and silently committing to one, then following that with a tea.

“I can’t say I fully understand this sport, but I really enjoyed getting acquainted with the team. I’ll do my best out there tomorrow and hope it’s enough.” As much as she wants advice, she instead asks the men about themselves—

—how long they’ve played…

—what’s their position…

—and what do they like to do besides Urban Brawl?

Sun sips his tea. "Kyudo and martial arts, eh? I heard the new head of Urban Brawl, Keito Yamaguchi, is a big fan and practitioner of those as well. Did either of you ever come across him?"

Pretti jumps into the conversation, adding, “I took private lessons myself, from Takao Yuudai. I’m hoping to learn to wrestle, now that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting a lady wrestler!

“I definitely have more strength in my legs than in my arms, so I might as well put my cyber to use.”

As for the men checking with each other… Pretti wonders if they really don’t know about the new Urban Brawl boss.

[1] Judge Intentions
((I blame the beer.))

“Well, I was a dancer before the incident that left me metal from the waist down, so the kind of kicking was obviously different than kick-boxing. I may not be the best judge of speed and power, but Takao doesn’t rely on special effects. He says anything he can’t do should be done my another actor… though he likes the break-away walls.

“If you want, I recorded a sparring session.”

If the guys want to watch the Pretti’s-eye-view, they’ll see a lightning fast troll. He takes a few blows from Pretti. It’s apparent that this is a master giving his student openings, and only taking the hit if she’s fast enough to land the blow. She is… about 50% of the time.

The match ends with a lightning-fast sliding sidekick that stops less than an inch from Pretti’s cyber-eyes. In fact, Pretti’s dodge attempt was toward the kick, as if from ten feet away the master could anticipate how she would move if he made such a sudden advance. He also had the control to stop the kick.

“The guy’s control is amazing. In those movies where he sends guys flying, the secret is to steady the kick on impact, and the stuntman kinda dashes back. There are cushions off-camera, and the break-away walls actually make the landings much safer.”

All this time, Megumi has been in the backdrop: outside of training, she gears up for her shifts, practices at the shooting range, along with her dojo. While she doesn't say it out loud, her facial expressions and actions say it all, she is afraid of losing control of herself.

Pretti says, “Setsu’s a friend of a friend. When she showed me the video of Setsu losing her legs…”

Pretti knocks on her own metal legs.

“…I could relate. Danger isn’t exactly the point, but I traded the body of a dancer for a body that’s a weapon. I don’t know what life I can have that isn’t dangerous.” She sips her beer and grins. “Other than show biz.

“I wonder… after lessons with Takao Yuudai, being part of this year’s Urban Brawl champion team, and spending all of next month of training with female wrestlers… maybe I can land a big roll in a film about MMA roller derby.”

“I’ll remember you said that when I become an A-list B-movie extra.” Pretti sips her beer.

The tea Sun is drinking is of remarkable quality. Sun looks over at Hiroshi. "This tea is of remarkable quality! Way better than the stuff Karaoke and the other guy served the other day."

((Sun uses the proper names. I just forgot them OoC))