Little Violence

[Slade Konrad]

Slade had been studying Demi from the moment he saw her shadow boxing. He wasn't a violent man, not at heart anymore, but some things never changed. He was constantly assessing threat levels, constantly on guard. Forever analyzing those around him. Old habits died hard. Demi was relatively inexperienced, her age alone prevented her from having logged as much time in any sort of fighting as the combat hardened veteran but she had one thing that would make her dangerous to anyone. Decisiveness. Often it was violence of action that could win a conflict before it even started. Her biggest downfall here, however, was that Slade was no nervous teenager.

The black, metallic substance seemed to seep out of his skin. It strengthened his muscles, steeled his bones, and hardened his flesh. Within seconds he stood before the small girl, an ebony, metallic monstrosity looking down to her. He was tempted to charge, to close the distance between them and engage immediately but part of him wanted to see what the girl could do. He was pretty confident if his form could handle a moderate caliber bullet at point blank to the skull and come out okay, he could handle a terrakinetic's best shot.

Slowly Slade stalked forward. He didn't take a fighting stance yet, although his nerves were on a hair trigger, just waiting to react to Demi's first move. He sensed patience wasn't one of the girl's strong suits and anticipated quick, decisive action at any given moment. He knew all too well how intimidating his imposing, 6'5" frame was when it was bound in flesh. Once his body became infused with a dull, black metallic substance he was certain he cut a more daunting figure than someone who jus grew spikes.

[Demi Smith]

Demi held her stance as she watched Slade change. Steel appeared all along him, and she could feel a shiver shaking her for a few moments there. How could she possibly go against something like that? No way would she win. Not if he had half the training that he seemed to act like. She watched him move, breathing deep, feeling her own dust and dirt swirl around. Maybe if she'd had better strength with her power, a little more experience...

Nah, she was gonna try anyway. Be fun to hammer at him and see if the steel could be chipped off. And if he kicked her butt, so what? she'd just get up and keep going.

"So you become a giant tin can, fun," she said, smirking. She darted to the side, jabbing out with her right fist. A shot of dust and air flew from her, splattering against him. Demi began shuffling her feet across the floor on purpose, kicking up dust, dirt, and other such debris. She'd need to gather a lot of it if she was going to manage anything here. Wait: he was big and steel... but did he still have to breathe?

Demi grinned as the thought came to her. Maybe she could make the big guy go down. What was it they said? The bigger they are, the harder they fall?

[Slade Konrad]

The hulking man rolled his broad shoulders as the metallic liquid solidified around him. Dull, crimson eyes focused upon Demi. The beast within him wanted to charge, wanted to take over. That the girl hadn't been as aggressive as he'd expected was met with wariness. Slade knew better than to underestimate any mutant. Size meant nothing in this arena when there were a dozen students, some smaller than Demi, who could set things on fire with just a glace. He did, however, sense she was preparing for a move. This wouldn't do. Only a fool sat back and allowed their opponent time to strike.

With Demi showing an already impressive control of the ground they stood upon, Slade did the only logical thing he could think of. He took to the air. Springing forward and ultra strong legs he went to close the distance between the two of them in one leap. He wasn't aiming for the girl as his weight alone would be more than enough to potentially cause serious damage. No, he was looking to land just in front of her. Kick up enough dust, cause enough of a ruckus to distract her perhaps. It wasn't an overly aggressive move as he was still feeling her out, seeing not just what she was capable of but also her tendencies. Something told the big man this wouldn't be the first time they'd make a trip out to the arena.

[Demi Smith]

Man, this was just so freaking awesome! The guy looked huge and imposing and all metallic and kind of scary and it just got Demi so excited that she practically started dancing. Finally she'd met one of the adults here who could actually use their powers to be awesome and didn't mind it. She totally saw a butt-kicking in her near future and the thought of finally finding someone strong enough to do it without cheating and stuff just made her want to do cartwheels.

He practically flew at her though, cutting off any thought of doing those acrobatics. Demi didn't hold still though, as doing so when someone that large went for you was just stupid. Instead she whirled about, moving in a fluid motion, giving in to her Flow. The girl's motions were smooth and fluid as she moved about, dodging the dust and debris for the most part, though a bit of it collided with Demi.

which suited her just fine, as she reached out and began snagging it, gathering about her as she moved. Demi dragged the kicked up dust and dirt, moving along with it, guiding it as if, well, directing a flow of it, letting it carry along behind her and whirl with her, testing the guy's range. Someone that big would hurt when he hit (and Demi was definitely thinking of it in terms of "when" instead of "if"). So Demi just had to hit him first, and hit him hard.

She just needed an opening...

[Slade Konrad]

Slade had already given this conflict far more than than he'd have liked. In his metallic form he was capable of lifting a truck with ease and could (and had) killed grown men with a single punch. Suffice to say, any striking would be kept on the shelf for this one. He didn't wish to harm Demi, but he knew this also happened to be the best way to see for himself how she reacted in such a situation and how adept she was with her power.

The leap had closed a great deal of distance between the big man and the girl, but Demi was still just out of Slade's reach. Under normal circumstances, Slade would've simply charged before she had a chance to draw up enough earth to cause him a problem, but he was reserved, definitely holding back. That wasn't to say he would take it totally easy on Demi. Slade had been a wrestler for as long as he could remember. He still used it as a base for his entire hand-to-hand combat style. He crouched low and lunged forward with alarming speed for such a hulking mass. He knew if he could push through the swirling dirt and just get a hand on one, or both, of Demi's legs he'd be able to take her down with painful ease.

[Demi Smith]

Oh boy, he'd started to go into an actual stance. Demi didn't quite recognize it as being Flow or anything, but there was something familiar about it, familiar and dangerous. Demi rolled a hand. She knew he was just waiting for a chance to grab her, and she wasn't sure if she could damage him.

So she'd have to find out first.

Demi rolled, literally, pushing herself with her mind and her flow. Her eye kept on Slade, even as his body spun. When she thought he'd turned on her, she stopped, using the momentum. she flung her hands out, thrusting with arms and pushing with her power. The dust and debris she'd been gathering, both before Slade had jumped, after, and during her roll, all shot out. She mostly focused it into a tight ball, wanting to see if she could even do damage with a direct shot.

She was so hoping so. Be awesome to score a hit on one of these badasses...

[Slade Konrad]

Demi was nimble, adept at moving fluidly around the battlespace. This was an asset when dealing with someone as large as Slade. Finding his takedown attempt yielding little more than grasping air, he shifted, still in his wrestling stance. There was still no intent on attacking Demi with his fists or feet. He was trying more to subdue, not put the girl in the hospital. The problem was finding a happy medium between not wanting to kill your opponent and leaving yourself open to being cracked with a flying dirt projectile. Slade, unfortunately, rarely was in an altercation with that in the back of his mind.

The dirt had been compacted before it was sent hurtling toward Slade. Dodging wasn't an option but he did manage to get his hands up to deflect at least some of the force of the blow. It still struck with an impressive and solid 'thunk' against his metallic skin. Dirt rarely held its own against metal, but it did hit hard and the debris flung into Slade's face as the ball exploded against his chest. He felt the tissue beneath the steely coating of his skin give way. When he shifted back, that was going to be a nice bruise.

Although he wasn't able to shrug off the attack like it was nothing, Slade didn't wait around to get nailed again. He shifted his weight, turning to follow Demi's movements. He lunged forward, needing to continually close the distance between himself and the girl. She had range, he didn't. His actions were more aggressive this time. More decisive. He exploded toward the girl with practiced grace, attempting again to fling her to the ground by getting his meaty hands around her.

[Demi Smith]

Moving did help Demi, a lot, and she knew it. You needed to keep moving when your opponent had size and strength on you. Plus, she was quickly figuring out that she had range and he didn't. Sucked that she couldn't really unload on him. That one blast meant that she'd need a little more time.

Worse, it meant that she'd lost a lot of the cover she'd managed to gather. Wasn't like Slade was going to hop around and kick more dirt and dust into the air or anything. No, that would be too easy. Instead, he lunged for her. Demi whirled, trying to move, but she felt his hand connecting with a leg.

Which meant that she had maybe a few seconds to twist away before he dealt some serious damage. Demi tried, contorting her body sharply and thrusting her arms down. Dirt and dust flew at Slade, but this was decidedly less aimed and compacted, more a desperate scattershot than a well thought out attacked. It sometimes worked though, and Demi was pretty well down to surprise as a last possible resort anyway.

[Slade Konrad]

The moment Slade felt his fingers wrap around Demi's leg the spray of dirt caught him flush in the face and head. He was thankful he didn't get the full brunt of the attack, as the thick metallic substance that coated his skin kept most of the debris from causing much damage or distraction. He felt it though, the blast would probably drop a normal human like some sort of strange, dirt fueled riot control device. It didn't matter, at least not at the moment.

Demi hadn't been able to get a full shot in, if she had it would've probably knocked the big man back a couple steps. While he wasn't able to fully shrug off the attack, there was still an opening Slade was determined to take advantage of. Demi was much shorter than he was, making it difficult for him to shoot in effectively. The added weight combined with the greatly enhanced strength of his metallic form made a full speed wrestling take down downright dangerous to anyone, let alone someone of Demi's size. Instead, he pulled upward, bringing Demi's leg along with the intent of simply flipping her off her feet. It was a simple, highly non-technical maneuver, but Slade wasn't trying to kill the girl.

[Demi Smith]

Yep, Demi was so done. She focused as best she could, taking breaths and loosening her body, ready for inevitable slams and the bruises that would come with it. The swirling dirt and dust moved to form something of a shell, adding further protection. Probably the first thing Demi had learned to do with her power was take a hit, after all. If you were as mouthy as she was, you had to learn to deal with stuff like that.

Demi felt blood rush to her head: another sensation she'd pretty well gotten used to at this point. She turned to look at Slade, wondering what exactly he had planned. She figured flinging, or maybe pinning; he looked perfectly capable of doing either. Or both. probably both.

"You gonna actually do anything? Or do I need to rough you up some more?" Demi asked, working her arms, pulling dirt and dust and getting ready for another blast. She'd so show this guy that she wasn't just a pushover, some weakling like the rest of this stupid school of stupid losers.

[Slade Konrad]

It wasn't as if Slade hadn't made preparations with the right members of administration before taking a student, especially one such as Demi, to the training field. Yes, the usual staff was on hand, not hovering over the exchange, but nearby in case of injury. While he was growing tired of the girl's arrogance, the big man was still nowhere near losing his temper. Once he got his hands on the girl he knew the fight could, essentially, be over. He'd killed full grown, well-trained men with his bare hands in his current state and Demi, while putting up a valiant effort, had little in the way of response to his physicality. Yes, Slade still refused to pour his full effort into this scuffle.

That didn't mean someone wasn't about to get hurt.

The hulking, metallic monstrosity didn't dare hurl the terrakinetic away, that would create distance, falling directly into the advantage of the girl. Instead, Slade extended the hand he was gripping Demi's leg with, shifted his weight, and swung the girl down into the ground. It wasn't a strike using all, or even most of his strength, he didn't want to kill her, after all, but he certainly wanted to shut her up.

[Demi Smith]

Oh, this was so gonna hurt. Like, a lot. Demi felt the movement as the guy thrust her down. She worked to hurriedly throw up defenses, but they proved pathetic. She'd been too busy mounting an attack to really get it. Best she could do was go limp, let her body naturally go along with it, even bounce a little. Air still washed out of her and she definitely knew she was going to end up bruised.

Though talking was definitely out of the question. For that matter, moving didn't seem like a brilliant idea, at least for the next few moments. Demi stared up, sucking in air and generally bracing herself. She'd been flat on her back before, and she'd totally been expecting it from the moment she'd seen the steel skin. That she saw stars now was really only what she'd seen coming. She swallowed again, moving to look up at him.

Then she grinned. This was something she could handle, something she liked. Plus, this meant that this guy actually knew what he was doing. Which was way better then most of the idiots here. Definitely put him far above the rest.

[Slade Konrad]

For just a moment Slade thought he'd done more damage than dazing and knocking the wind out of the girl. Sure, he'd held back during their brief exchange, knowing damn well how seriously hurt Demi could have gotten sparring with someone of his size. The teacher was, however, incredibly impressed but the will and fervor in which Demi had approached the scuffle. She didn't back down and showed a great deal of hear and resiliency. Hell, the match would probably have gone much longer had he not been practically impervious to the blasts of Earth Demi had at her disposal. Then the girl grinned up toward the sky and Slade knew everything was fine.

"You pack a helluva punch." The big man said honestly as he knelt beside the supine Demi. He couldn't help but crack a bit of a grin himself at her reaction. She'd just been smashed into the ground and she was... happy about it? He didn't shift back to his 'normal' state just yet, though, as he wasn't sure Demi wouldn't attempt to keep the fight going the moment she caught her breath. "You hurt?" He asked curiously, glancing over her form for any visible injuries.

[Demi Smith]

The stars continued to swim for a bit, and Demi was certain she was going to end up bruised. She was definitely glad that she had managed to gather up enough dirt and dust as she had. Each breath kind of hurt, though that didn't stop her from grinning and even laughing a little. So far, she'd beaten nearly everyone who'd engage in a fair fight with her. Felt good to be flattened, and she knew she could pick up on it.

But yes, yes she would most definitely attack if she got her breath back. "You're one to talk," Demi rasped back, her eyes shifting to look at him, another little chuckle leaving her. She braced herself, trying to pull dirt and dust about. Moving it with just her mind was just so much harder then doing anything, but definitely sneakier, and Demi definitely wanted to go sneaky.

"Pfft, from that?" she asked. Demi laughed again, which made her wince slightly. Still smiling, she pressed her hand to her side, all the while pulling more dirt and dust toward it, gathering up to see if she could manage it.

[Slade Konrad]

Slade couldn't help but smirk. He didn't agree with Demi's outlook on, really, anything they'd discussed but she earned his respect on the training field. She was a tough S.O.B. that was for sure and to say that about someone her size was impressive to say the least. If he couldn't reach her in a conventional way, maybe he could, at least, chip away at her stone exterior while keeping her destructive energy focused on less destructive actions. If this meant regular trips to the training field, then so be it.

With a chuckle Slade shook his head at the girl as she seemed to start regaining her senses. Hopefully this wasn't the last time they were able to square off. Actually seeing her smile was encouraging, even if the reasons for it were dubious at best. "I'm just doing my due diligence." He said, smirking down to Demi. "I don't throw students around often and that was quite a bump you took." Even though she insisted she was fine, Slade did discreetly glance over her to ensure he couldn't see anything obviously wrong or damaged. She held her side, that wasn't much of a sign since she seemed to be breathing normally. No, everything looked none the worse for wear. At least from what he could see beneath the dirt and grime. "Here." He said, extending a metallic hand in order to help Demi to her feet.