Having been blocked, almost nipped, and spurned, HUNK bounced a few feet away, keeping his guard up. He didn't like having Nicholai on the defense; it felt like another power ploy rather than what this was supposed to be.
Which was sparring.
He could play Nicholai's games. He straightened slowly, dropping all defense and exposing his front. "And still I stand." It was spoken in a kind of caustic, sarcastic wonder, bitterness just lacing in the undertones.
Then, "Maybe you'll get the chance to ask him. Right now, we have work to do." It all depended on whether or not Ginovaef could catch him on one of his rare off moments.
Though Nicholai had an unnerving knack for doing just that. Their first conversation, with the Russian roaring drunk over the telephone, had him exposing parts of himself he hadn't meant to.
It was hard to deal with a unit member who wanted to simultaneously be your enemy.