Handyman

[Eli]

Eli stared out across the endless expanse of the wastelands, his eyes enveloping the entire surrounding as if he had some close affinity with the location. The dust was blowing high, a midday breeze was coming in hard from the east, which happened to be upwind from him, as it connected with his eyes he felt the heavy sting, but remained unblinking, like a statue he was lost in thought.

The sun was baring down upon him, though with the wind it was hardly what you could call a hot day, thin beads of sweat clung to his body and his face, though the perspiration was more from his workout than anything else. That morning he had ran five kilometers, then had a scuffle with one of his own gang before leaving the comforts of his kins territory for the wastelands comforting solitude. It was pretty much a normal day in the life of Eli.

He wandered around a little, letting his nose guide him to the carcass of a dead animal of some kind, seemingly it has ran out of energy and died from starvation, there was certainly nothing in that vast area that could hope to survive. He thought back to when he had attempted to bare the elements in that place, back then the corpse before him would have been three days supper, not that his situation now was much more preferable, he simply chose not to eat instead.

Slowly he slumped down against a large boulder, one knee bent and his hands nestled deep into his pants. If someone were to walk by they'd probably think him doing something inappropriate, though they'd be incapable of noticing his finger loosely wrapped around the trigger of the glock he had tucked away down there. Eli had already fought once today, but in neutral territory he knew he was just asking for trouble. He took a deep breath, the thick stench of decaying animals was heavy for one with heightened senses, more disturbing to him was the fact that he found the aroma somewhat calming.

[Onyx Featherstone]

It was horrible here, thats was Onyx's perception of the wastelands at least, they stretched on for what seemed like forever and the only thing that existed as any sign of life were lizards and bugs. She inhaled the scents around her and could only smell the cracked, warmed earth beneath her boots and the heat that permeated the air. How was it that something like a temperature could have a smell? Dressed in a black and green corset, with black bondage pants, and her black combat boots the amount of sun she attracted was beginning to wear on her.

Scuffing a toe in the dirt a sudden smell that absolutely revolted her, assaulted Onyx's nose. She wrinkled it in disgust and yet even though it was so overpowering she managed to sift out the base scent of someone else. She couldn't tell who they were, thanks to the smell of rotten flesh, but she started toward the direction anyway, she needed some company. Onyx was a social creature by nature and hated being estranged from her family. IT wore on her nerves and made her anxiety worse, so she took any opportunity she could to meet someone.

As she slowly strode over, he came into view. He was a large man, probably a good fighter too, he just came off as the type that could hold his own. Her eyes scanned him and her hands twitched nervously as they settled closer to her daggers. His hand was in his pants, she wondered why. Onyx knew nothing of sex and so would never figure he was doing something inappropriate. Sure she had admired boys for their looks and this man definitely was attractive but there was always a sense of danger about any man now a days. There was always the possibility they could attack her and there was no back up for her anymore.

She bit her lower lip and approached, he seemed to just be staring off into space. She watched him for a moment and then glanced at the decaying animal before she said something, "How, if I may ask, do you stand that smell?" A light smile danced with her mouth.

Words: 370
Muse: AWESOME
Song: N/A

[Eli]

From beneath the waistband of his pants Eli stroked his fingers along the length of the barrel of the gun, his thumb pressing against the back as the cold touch made the hairs on his forearm rise. He had been thinking back, thinking forward, he didn't really even understand what he was contemplating, somewhere between the be all and end all of his existence he had hoped to find some answers about everything. He had nothing in general to worry about, but as the tips of his fingers circled the muzzle of his pistol he felt soothed, the smell of a decaying body, the feeling from the tool of death he had clasped in his hand, it was all scarily erotic to him.

He glanced out from his daydream to notice a pretty little thing standing near him, dressed like she was looking for trouble, though what kind of trouble she wanted was up for debate inside Eli's warped mind. He analyzed her, paying little mind to how he would have looked to her, his own tatty jeans and beat up jacket compared to her apparel certainly didn't strike an impressive appearance. He watched her lips move first, allowing a grin to creep across his dried out mouth, something resembling that which you would see the villain in a horror movie make before stealing it's victim away to a dark corner. He lashed his tongue at the inside of his cheek before responding.

"It's life, or death, depending on how you look at it. Get used to that smell and you can handle anything." The words were unusually friendly to be coming from Eli's tainted lips, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve as though cleaning the dust from them, though in reality it was to give him something to bite quickly to remove the tension in his body. He silenced himself for a moment before continuing his evaluation of her. "But what is someone like you doing in a place like this?" He began to retract his hand from his pants, his fingers again sliding down the barrel of the gun. A clicking sound emerged from beneath the material, a sound that gave Eli awkward feelings, removing the safety. The he cocked it, noticing her hands placed against the blades she carried, it was a loud sound, one that is impossible to mistake for anything other than what it was. He pressed the gun against his pants, the shape of it becoming evident as he pointed it at her midriff from his seated position.

[Onyx Featherstone]

The comment he spoke made her raise her eyebrow. She could never get used to that smell, she was always led by her nose and effected by it quite greatly. The scent of blood drove her insane with hunger and the scent of decaying meat caused her stomach to roil threateningly. She shook her head and chuckled. The question came next and she frowned, what did he mean? Wasn't she allowed to be here? This was a neutral land and no one had claimed it so that meant she was safe. So why was he asking her why she was here?

"Someone like me? What exactly does that mean? I could ask the same thing about you," she said, turning the question around on him. "I mean the Wastelands aren't exactly the prettiest place around." The smirk that danced with her feature fell as she heard the gun cock, she stiffened and her eyes glittered with a moment of excitement. She glanced down at his pants, seeing the obvious outline of the gun pressed against the zipper of them. She tilted her head, hands falling to her hips she said, "Are you going to shoot me? I shiver with fear." Her voice was mocking.

She took a step forward, her grin confident. The sun caused the sweat on her skin to glow, her emerald eyes danced with a dare. She was dancing with a demon, she knew that and it was probably stupid to push her luck but she never considered herself to be the sharpest knife in the drawer when it came to a challenge.Another half-step closer, slowly she was closing the space between them and her stride was of someone who was just waiting for something bad to happen and welcoming it with open arms.

The wind blew her way and her nostrils flared, suddenly his scent hit her hard and she knew where he belonged, "Dragon." She hissed out the words, confused at what to do, he wasn't doing any harm and she no longer had any real ties to the Griffins. If he tried to shoot though, she would kill him without a second a thought.

Words: 365
Muse: Awesome
Song: ET- Katy Perry

[Eli]

Eli's head tilted slightly as she spoke, his facial expression contorting every now and then. Surely she noticed she stood out, like a pristine plastic figure on a shelf of broken china dolls. She looked petite, though to Eli most people didn't have an overwhelming appearance no matter how strong they may actually be, perhaps even fragile by his standards. He ran his tongue along his teeth, opening his mouth and pausing before tightening his lips again and resuming the motion, not really knowing when to butt in. She seemed to talk alot, something he found endearing at the best of times, never mind when he was preoccupied.

As she inched closer he contemplated how to act, clearly she noticed the gun cocking, she knew he had every intention of shooting at her if she annoyed him. It served to tantalize his desires, he measured the half-steps, every little movement, he wanted her close. He played over the possibilities in his mind, not paying heed to the clear scent of an enemy that she gave off. He wanted to pin her down and ram the barrel into her mouth, the thought of her teeth scratching against the hard metal was like a drug for Elijah. He wondered whether she'd cry, whether she'd attempt to scream, it was all so appealing as the cogs in his head turned over and over on the variables that could make this encounter so much fun.

What was he doing there? He wanted to escape. Why? Because he was bored of differentiating between friend and foe. He wanted the raw rage within him to come out, he wanted to make it all end, to bring about a close to that depressing chapter of his life. He stole a glance at her jawline, the sweat on her skin, he traced it up to her ears, then her cheeks, eventually staring at her lips once more. Though something was different.

Before he had seen someone frail, his first impression of everyone was that they were a meaningless existence, a waste of oxygen and nothing more than a creature put there to distract him. Why then did her expression seem so raw. He scanned over what she had said in his mind, struggling as he had spent more time eying her up than listening. Dragon? His creed, clan, gang, those fools who spent so much time concerning themselves with the war that their mottled sense of self greatness had given way to the ego in mortal form that now lead their group. What good would killing the rival group do? It would only be a matter of time before their rule was usurped, before the leader woke up with a dagger in his breast. Eli wasn't concerned with his allegiance, he never thought himself one of them either way.

A foul taste entered his thoughts, what side did she align with? If she were human then he could enjoy playing with her a while, though he had already discerned that she was a shape-shifter when he saw her look of excitement at his pistol aiming down on her. Was she a Griffin? An outcast?

He decided to answer her questions. "The reason I'm here? I was burying my last victim and decided to take a break." It was a lie. Or to be more accurate he wanted to see her reaction. If she seemed anxious then he knew he could probably take her down with little effort, on the contrary if she seemed more willing to enter a conflict than before then he would need to break her completely, something which requires more effort than he really wanted to exert. "The reason I think you don't belong here is," he paused again, smiling in his dogged fashion before pursing his lips in a kissing shape and winking at her. "It's because a pretty little thing like you might run into something scary. And in these parts no-one runs to help even if they hear you scream." He gripped his crotch with his other hand, the one that wasn't currently fondling the trigger of his gun. He wanted the thrill of a decent fight, if she couldn't give him that then he'd have to take his pleasure in other ways.

[Onyx Featherstone]

Her voice tilted in a laugh at what he said about burying a body, she doubted it and even if it was true she didn't fear him. She had seen enough bodies to be used to them, and had buried quite a few herself. Always, she had been respectful of the dead and buried them without hesitation. She wondered why this man was trying to be so dominant. He winked at her and sent her a kiss with his lips and she merely ignored it. Really, she had been flirted with before and she really wasn't sure why.

He'd called her pretty, was she? She didn't see herself that way. Instead she saw herself as a short annoyance. She was confident yes, but not in her looks, only in her fighting skills and presence. She cocked her head slightly and a smirk colored her lip as she said, "Oh and what's so scary out here? You?" Her scoff showed she doubted that. "I doubt that anyone would come to help me anyways, I am far from being welcome anywhere. But I don't really need help, I tend to handle things just fine." The cocky smirk was back.

She took another step forward, "So what's your name? Or are we going to have so much tension during this conversation that we will call each other Dragon and Outcast?" She was almost a foot away from him now, her eyes still daring him. Still waiting for him to do something that would cause her to have to draw her blades. Onyx's eyes dropped to his pants again for a moment and then flicked back up to stare at his gaze. His eyes were hard and dangerous, she knew that look. It was the look of a killer, someone who would murder others without a second thought.

Words: 312
Muse: Great
Song: Kick in the Teeth- Papa Roach

[Eli]

Eli chuckled in his immature, somewhat seedy fashion, again running his tongue across his lips, his teeth brimming from behind the pink tissue. She was amusing to say the least, though he couldn't help feeling that he'd like her to be a little more submissive to his bravado perhaps. None the less, he now knew which side of the fence she straddled at least. He arched his back, his shoulder blades being the first things to move, they popped backward against the stone that supported him and pushed his chest out as he began clamoring to his knees. He slowly started to remove his hands from his pistol, he was a quick draw anyway so it wasn't like he was worried about losing his head. He brushed a hand to the side of his head, placing the tip of his thumb against his mouth, like you would to lick your thumb before counting large amounts of notes or turning a page in a book.

"So you're not scared of me then?" He had a devilish tone to his voice, a knowing demeanor that would made the toughest nut crack and wonder what he was planning. The truth of it though was that he was perplexed by this girl. She didn't react to him calling her pretty, she didn't get scared by him flaunting a gun at her, she didn't show any signs of being any fun at all. Though if that was the case then why the hell was she there? Why didn't she just move on? He jumped to conclusions, as though he was really qualified to judge anyone else's decisions. She was afraid that he'd put a bullet in her back as she walked away? She was running from someone and really was hoping to win over the tough brute as a bodyguard of some sort? Only a moment ago he was disgusted at being counted among the group of egocentric shape-shifters he belonged to and yet here he was assuming himself to be the answer to every problem this girl could have.

"I'm Eli." He placed a hand on his knee, moving down until he had one leg bent and the other down on the ground. From this proposal like stance he lifted the hand from his face and stretched it outward to her. "And 'fair' maiden," He annunciated the words in a very sarcastic manner. "What may yours be?" Again he put extra emphasis on the words that he could make more rude. His own introduction was lacking but until he knew what she wanted he wasn't going to let her gain too much information about him. Eli had little trust for women, they knew how to bend a man to their whims. If anything he was worried that he could very easily be enticed into obeying her if given the right motivation.

[Onyx Featherstone]

Onyx didn't move as he stood, didn't step back or show fear, even though she still felt that wariness. She crossed her arms and quirked a brow as he introduced himself. Eli? She bristled at his sarcastic words and her anger grew evident on her face. Her eyes narrowed to mere slits of green and her lip curled into a snarl. He was walking on dangerous territory. Sure he might be the one with the gun, but she was just as dangerous, just as likely to kill. A growl rumbled out from her chest and her fist curled inward.

"My name is Onyx, Onyx Featherstone," she practically snarled. She usually didn't say her last name to people, as they tended to recognize her as her brother's sister. That's all she ever was, her brother's sister. She had no identity of her own, just some outcast. She wondered even if this Dragon would recognize it and if he did, would he know why she had been thrown from her home? For protecting one of his filthy kind. "And it's not nice,to be rude to a lady," her voice was annoyed though her words didn't sound like they should be.

She would kill him without a second thought, he was after all armed and ready, he had already pissed her off. Her hand itched for the familiar cool golden hilt to be placed in it. The hilt that belonged to her dagger, she could reach it so easily. But he would probably have the gun out and aimed on her before she was able to get close to him. "You must be bored, to have so much snark in you speech. Is that it? Am I boring you?" the question was just on the edge of an angry flirtatious comment.

Words:308
Muse:Great
Song: Wanted- Jessie James

[Eli]

Elijah wondered whether he had strayed a little too far, sure, he knew he was pushing buttons but he wanted to at least get a little fun out of their conversation before beating her down. He was picking a fight and going about it in a rather backhanded way by taunting her to make the first move. He rose up from his kneeling position, his left hand resting on his waistband, assuming a position in which he could probably draw the weapon at a reasonable speed if he had to. His right hand pulled down at his top, attempting to make himself look at least a little presentable, though he half heartedly knew it to be wasted on this woman.

Taking a look at her from this angle he realized a few misconceptions that he had from the lower position. Firstly he decided she wasn't picking a fight. It would have been much harder for her to take a fighting stance than for him from a standing position given the positioning of her arms. Also the distance favored Eli, even at a close range getting the killing blow with a dagger in her first strike would be unlikely, however if she stabbed him it would be impossible for his bullets to miss. He decided that he was relatively safe at least for now.

Another thing he noticed was that, even though he towered her when standing up, she didn't seem the type to become intimidated at all. It had already been made clear by her lack of fear that she was prideful. Eli closed his eyes briefly, for only a second or two he shut out what she looked like and tried to focus on other senses. He knew she was an outcast, from his memory she wasn't a member of the dragon gang. That meant Griffin.

Usually to a shape-shifter the name of the opposing faction should be burnt into their memory. However, once again proving his utter disdain for his own creed, choosing to ignore the important details in their 'politics' as you could call it, simply using it as a chance to test his skills.

"Well, Onyx," He didn't like her name. It was difficult for him to pronounce with his speech patterns, almost falling into a stammer on the ending syllables. "It's not that you bore me, but if you removed the stick from your ass this would probably be a lot more fun for me." He laughed his own comment off, realizing that she would probably fly off the handles if he kept up the insolence. "If you wanted to kill me you would have done it while you had the higher ground." To Eli this was something every person should have as second nature, to take the opportunities given to them to have the better chance of survival at all times. To him when he stood up she should have taken the chance to strafe apart from him, opening up his body to a flanking strike. "That makes me think you might be after something else, not that I would say no," he gave her a dirty glance over one more time, coyly biting his lip as some of the more depraved concepts started fluttering about the dusty box he called a brain. "Perhaps you want to explain why you're here once more, little birds rarely get to leave their cages unless the master has clipped their wings."

[Onyx Featherstone]

She growled, she didn't have a stick up her ass. Onyx just didn't feel like fighting at the moment. Was that so strange? Wasn't it normal to have a down day. Though the way this conversation was going she was going to end up beating the snot out of this Dragon. He was grating against her nerves. She really had no desire to throw a hissy fit though, it would show she had no control over her emotions and though that was true to an extent it wasn't something she liked to broadcast.

A tender frown pulled her brows together, what was he talking about? She had come here merely to talk, that was the something else, but what was with the strange look? She shrugged slightly,"I merely wished to talk with another shifter, I haven't talked to someone in so long that I can't remember what I last spoke about. It's hard not having others around when I ache for companionship. Don't you ever feel that way?" She shifted her weight uncomfortable abut talking so personally. She drifted off what she was speaking about and began another conversation.

"This bird is free, it has no master. So it does not have to worry about having a shortened flight span," she said back to him. "I am out here... because this is one place I know I am safe. I am still hunted from time to time. I thought I would just be shunned but sometimes I am caught wandering to close to my homelands and my brother sees fit to try to kill me." She shrugged it off as if it were nothing, but admitting it stung her heart and caused a lump to grow in her throat.

She swallowed the lump down, refusing to cry once again. She hated when she cried, weakness seemed to enter her body during that time and it angered her.

Words: 326
Muse: Ok
Songs: A Thousand Miles- Vanessa Carlton

[Eli]

He couldn't help but cock a brow as she went into the details. Had she cracked? Why was she saying this now? Yes, he wanted to know about her but he never truthfully expected her to tell him. He asked with every intention of having to force it out of her. As he listened to her struggle to bring out words that seemed painful to her he was hit with what he presumed to be guilt. Selfishly he hadn't really taken notice to the content of her words until then, more absorbed into how she said them or how she looked. What he now understand was that she was lonely, or to be more accurate he understood the concept of being lonely but was unable to feel such a thing himself after so long being unable to trust anyone. Hatred had been paved over with a new feeling akin to resolve not to bother. He moved closer to her, his hand removed from his waistband. He couldn't shoot her now she had opened up somewhat, if only she hadn't done that.

Eli was tricked by the feminine charm, he was unable to put a bullet into someone who perplexed him so much. He could empathize with not knowing where to go. He wasn't a Dragon at heart but he sure as hell wasn't a Griffin, he was human. He had human thoughts, human emotions, human desires. They were more or less the same irrelevant of race but Eli didn't know that. To him he was born into a body he could never accept. She seemed the same, her own brother trying to kill her, why? She wasn't harming anyone. The placid thoughts began to annoy Eli's subconscious aggression for the world. Where she scoured the neutral lands looking for someone to interact with and to avoid conflict he sought out only an end to it all, not for the good of all the people involved but so that he would never have to deal with another person again, it wasn't the best combination of ideals. He stole a look at her eyes, the emerald flare in them making him awkwardly ashamed to have seen this side to her.

He shot his glance for only a moment before turning his head away from her, hoping she didn't notice the brutes alteration in demeanor. Though, as often is the case when you are nervous, he had to steal a second look at her. He focused on her eyes, the bridge of her nose, flicking his focal point from one iris to the other. She wasn't just pretty anymore, the tender shape of her eyelashes, the glimmer of something hopeful yet most likely unattainable within her eyes, to Eli it was precious and couldn't be described by words like pretty once noticed.

Perhaps she wasn't so bad, but he sure as hell wasn't going to tell her that. He raised his hand and swung a wide blow, fast but not as hard as he could if he had real meaning behind it. He held back most of his power, not twisting his hips with the strike, not aiming for a specific spot, merely swatting at air. Surely if he did that she would have to stop talking and start taking action. He wanted to end this stupid conversation. Why the hell had he started this? He didn't want to feel anything, so why concern himself with another beings petty worries? It really ticked him off. Why did she have to be so damn similar to him, to the self used to be that worried about those kind of things?

[Onyx Featherstone]

She caught his gaze the second time he glanced at her. His cocky swagger seemed to be gone and he seemed to be looking at something that fascinated him. Onyx was confused, what the hell was he looking at that fascinated him so much. She was about to look behind her, but then his hand was coming toward her face. She dropped easily, the hit flying over her head. She kicked out her right leg, aiming to hit his ankle. She put just enough force behind the kick so she could knock him off his feet.

She didn't want to hurt him. Though she really had no idea why the heck he had attacked her. It must have made in his mind during the moment. Otherwise he wouldn't have done it right? Or perhaps she had just chosen to talk to some foaming at the mouth, crazy. The scent of dirt filled her nostrils as she crouched closer to the parched ground and she swore she could taste it in her mouth. As she slipped backward and away from him she turned her back on him waiting to hear the tell-tale thump that would tell her he had hit the ground.

Her voice grew angry and held a hint of that vicious attitude when she spoke, "So, can't handle a little conversation, huh? All you are is an actions man? Or is there another reason you tried to hit me?" She turned to glare at him, her emerald eyes flashing with a brilliant flame of fury. A cold fury that ate away at her, climbing higher and higher as it froze her insides. The fury was more at herself than at him, she hated herself for not being able to find a friend. For some reason she could not find someone to cling to and ride out the storm. That irked her.

Words: 316
Muse: Pretty Good
Song: N/A

[Eli]

Good, she dodged. Wait, what the hell was he happy about that for? The contradictions were really raging at full force, he felt like a jester playing out a comedy scene for some perverse kings enjoyment. To hell with it all, the thought that played in his mind was nothing other than a sheer despise for the circumstances and a desire to see it end entirely.

The shot to his ankle wasn't one that hurt, but certainly one that took away his footing. Stable ground was what met him, landing on his side with one knee perched beneath him in a rather uncomfortable position. A thud rang out in the near silence of the stirring winds, followed by another one. The sound of him punching the hard dirt beneath him. Usually he would have hit her, usually he would have shot her long before this had to happen.

He cursed a few times. Then with a heavy hand he drew his pistol, firing blindly into the expanse of the air around them. A single shot, one that was sent directly upwards, a bullet that permeated the tension in his body and cleared his mind. He'd started this so he was going to have to do something about it. He planned it out in an instant. He couldn't kill her, she was too much of a complexity for him to take things that far, and with the way she gracefully pulled off that kick it wouldn't be an easy feat anyway. Instead he decided to knock her unconscious, if he managed that then he could retreat to his own lands and never have to see this irritating woman again. He flipped the pistol round, as if to use it as a hammer, but then, using his index finger behind the trigger and his others gripping the sides rather than wrapping round the barrel, positioned it so that it could repel strikes and be used as if it were a knife rather than a bludgeoning weapon. It lacked the sharpness to cut of course, it wasn't a blade afterall, but a blow from it would leave a nasty bruise and do significant damage if hit in the right place. The only downside to this was that if took too much force with the weapon he would break his own hand, though at that moment it was a small price to pay.

"Whatever, just shut up for gods sake." He was shouting, all manner of tact had been long forgotten now, he had neither the patience nor the mental commodity to hold in his uncomfortable feelings. "Just draw you blades and bring your best."

[Onyx Featherstone]

She glared at Eli as he fell to his knees. As he shot off a bullet Onyx flinched slightly, not because she feared the gun but because the sound was so loud. She didn't like guns, one of the reasons being the sound they made was just too damn loud. She tilted her head as he demanded a fight. A low and dark chuckle rolled out from her. Boys were stupid, they always needed something to do, they couldn't just talk. Her aura suddenly turn dangerous, vicious, and cold she stared at him and shook her head.

"No, I don't think I will," she smirked once again. "What will you do if I don't fight you? What if I just continue to talk?" Her right hand fell to just the outside of the hilt of her dagger. The gold glimmered beneath her fingers. Her anger was there, it was tangible and it was similar to that of her brothers. The danger she exuded was something that most would fear, but she wasn't talking to someone who seemed smart in the ways of war. He seemed like he would fight just about anything, just like she would, if she was in that mood.

A soft, daring smirk colored her lips. The kind that said she was unafraid of what he would do to her and she could do so much worse to him. She had closed herself off from him. No longer was she the sad girl she had been before, now she was a dangerous shape shifter, and no one wanted to be around an angry shifter. She killed without fear, though she often had guilt later on, she often felt bad that she had killed someone in the heat of the moment and hadn't thought it out. But she couldn't help it, it was who she was, right?

Words: 317
Muse: GREAT
Song: Misery- Maroon 5

[Eli]

Eli closed his eyes, inhaling hard so that a vibration in his chest cavity could be heard if you concentrated hard enough. Through his eyelids he pictured her, he confirmed his resolve to beat her unconscious. Gritting his teeth he pursed his lips, clenching his jaw as hard as he could whilst tightening his clasp on the make shift tonfa like weapon he now sported. Eli took another breath, this time exhaling through his nose, his nostrils flaring wildly as he tried to fill himself with adrenaline.

The pounding of his heart could be heard inside his head. it was methodical, entrancing. Then came the scent of his own sweat, his odor mixing with the decaying corpse that lay near them still. He lifted himself off the ground, a muay thai pose emerged as he gained his bearings. Flexed knees with his elbows tight to his body but raised slightly. The joints in his limbs, elbows and knees were a highly important part of his fighting style and he knew how to make use of their springy muscles, building up energy in them for a quick release in a tight angle. It was boxing 101 mixed with the special hand to hand combat that was drilled into him as a child.

"I'm not so nice that I wont hit a lady, her being unarmed doesn't matter much either." He spoke slowly, with a clear distinction between his previous, taunting tone. He was not happy to be taking the first real strike. He only hoped that she didn't think his previous movement all he had.

He contemplated where to aim. If he could make his first blow count then he wouldn't need to worry about either of them getting too badly hurt. He looked at her neck, thinking of an angle where he might knock her out, but for all his thoughts he couldn't maintain concentration. Eli was a fighter by nature, he didn't plan out his moves with the intent to cause the least amount of damage possible. Incapacitation was not one of his strengths. If he couldn't land the first blow then he wanted to at least be able to dodge her, with that in mind he began shifting his body weight from one foot to the other. He tightened his guard, left arm holding the pistol outward for his flurry to begin. Three steps, it was all he needed to decide the location of the first blow.

With that he exploded from his position, using the upward motion from his bouncing to add extra speed to the charge. With this motion he extended his left, armed, hand outward with a flicking style to end the jab. He still hadn't twisted his knees and hip, ridding a lot of power from the blow, though the intention was to feint with the strike and come back round with a hook to the body, if he put enough force into that and landed the punch he was sure he could end it there and then. It all depended on how she had interpreted that initial jab.

Eli knew this woman was somewhat smart, if a little oblivious to things most women her age should know of. Though he still found himself screaming inside his own mind for her to dodge that initial punch, he wanted to go home and start hating himself for forcing the conflict as soon as possible.