MIDTOWN: Doug Ramsey & X-23 & Steve & Open
Well... that certainly could've gone a lot better. In her defense, Doug probably shouldn't have approached her like that without first announcing his presence. He honestly didn't mean to startle her or anything. Still, despite not having any ill-intent in his greeting nor wanting now to retaliate against the attack, his mind was already running ten miles a second, thinking about how to counter her attack and where to hit her to disarm those blades in her hand. (Or were they inside her hand? It was hard to see and tell. Anyhoo. Questions could wait. Must save own life first.)
He drew his knee up so he could kick her in the torso while his free arm went up to protect his face. Not that his arm did much good as the tips of the claws punctured through the clothes then his skin and finally into his flesh. The pain was phenomenal, as evident by the sharp cry that embarrassingly slipped out of him. That made him all the more very thankful for the surprise save.
He rolled along on the floor with the momentum of his savior but stood up as quickly as he was able. It was obvious she wasn't going to go down without a fight and a fight was the last thing he wanted to deal with at the moment.
"Wait!" He ran toward to the pair struggling on the ground. He needed to diffuse the situation before either of them were hurt. Hovering his hands up to signal that he was as harmless as they'd come, he pleaded with both of them. "It's all just a misunderstanding. Please, listen to me. Don't hurt her."