Who: Riddick riddickr, Deirdre deirdreofamber, Natasha Romanoff russianspy What: Watching a girl fight. When: Saturday, May 16, evening Where: Loveless Park Rating: Audience Discretion is Advised Warnings: Crude language, Riddick, plenty of vulgarity, chicks being awesome, sparring, possibly some bloodshed, and oh yeah, some sexual innuendo. I ain't even gonna lie about that being in there. Status: Closed/Completed GDoc
~*~
Sparring wasn't something Riddick had ever really spent a lot of time doing. He got all the practice fighting he could handle from trying to stay alive. Fighting for his life was his way of life. Riddick didn't need to find a study buddy to keep himself in fighting shape. He had played around at fighting with the wild woman mostly as foreplay. The pair of them both enjoyed life a little rougher than most. They weren't the kind who could handle laying around useless for hours on end.
Life was meant to be lived, not endured.
Riddick felt a lot of people only endured their lives. They slept as much as they could so they wouldn't have to work for the sake of living. He had been forced to suppress the urge to murder people for their laziness before. Convicts usually didn't have a sense of malaise to them until they'd decided it was time to check-out of lock-up. Those were the ones who gave up. They decided it was too hard to keep fighting to live for the kind of life they'd get in a slam. Some of them checked out for good reason. Others? Riddick figured the 'Verse was better off without 'em anyway.
"Feel free to resort to naked combat if your clothes are too constrictive. I promise not to judge you for it."
He settled back against the giant tree which guarded the edge of their space. Riddick didn't mind sitting on the forest floor. It beat sand by a long way in his opinion. The light dampness which seemed to exist everywhere in Loveless Park was welcome to his thick skin. He found it comforting since it let him know he was finally in a world where everything around him was still alive and interested in staying that way instead of surrounded on all sides by the dust of the dead.
Deirdre was nearly radiant at the opportunity to work some of her issues out on someone else. She nearly glowed from what he decided was excitement though he wished it was arousal. They had company, Riddick reminded himself. He was teasing them which was unusual for him, but both the women in the clearing in front of him were worth his time. They weren't damsels in distress. They were warriors. His mongrel lay at his side with its head on his thigh while he petted its huge skull.
"You ladies want rules or am I only supposed to enjoy the view? I'm happy to intervene if you think you'll need a referee."
Neither of them was likely to pull their punches. Didn't mean Riddick had to worry about them killing each other. They weren't Necros. The pair of them were fighters, not mean-spirited killers. Death wasn't something they worshipped. He deliberately did not let himself think about how he could relate either of the women to the damp, fertile earth he appreciated so much in the park. He wasn't that much of a pig.
Usually.
~*~
Deirdre didn’t mind fighting with someone else. It was different than fighting with Riddick. And that was good in and of itself. But she truly savored her time with Riddick over any other sparring partner. Today, though, was about letting off a little steam and stacking her skills against someone else. It was all about fun. Deirdre was game for a little fun. She’d tied her long hair back into a neat braid, lacing it through with shots of silver thread holding it in place. A nod to something no one but her really understood.
This brought back memories of fighting with her siblings. It was a good set of memories.
She rolled her head to the side, stretching as she watched Riddick. “Mm I think we’ll be fine without a referee, I think you should just enjoy.” she gave him a look that practically promised more fun to be had later, no matter how tired she was from this. Deirdre was always up for a little more fun, after all. She looked back to Natasha waiting to see if she’d agree with her own statement. There was no need for rules here, right?
Deirdre knew her man well enough to read him and just smile oh so innocently. Who could argue when he was given the chance to watch two warrior women fight it out in front of him? And both happened to be hot - there was no reason to think his mind wouldn’t settle into the gutter and stay there. She didn’t seem to mind, either. If the slight upturn to the corner of her lips and that glint in her eye had anything to say about it.
She did give the woman a slight bow - it was only proper. She might not be fighting the same status of people she was used to back home but she had manners. Even if she only got a half bow instead of a full one. Riddick didn't get one, but he didn’t need one either. He got his thanks and respect in other fashions.
~*~
Natasha was glad for the chance to go toe to toe against Riddick's companion. From what he's told her, the woman was skilled in combat and light on her feet. She'd heard about how the pair of them had helped the vampire at the clinic, and the magic Deirdre had wielded. The world was changing and there were all kinds of people in Test City. Who knew what she'd end up facing at home? Taking the time to gain experience now fighting against someone who had different skills only made her sharper. Nat could only hope that it would carry over back home.
She'd dressed in black workout leggings, a blood red sports bra with a black tank over it, and her sneakers. Though she could fight barefoot, and often did spar barefoot with a select few, she felt it was a better choice to keep her shoes on. Her hair was pulled back into a tight dancer's bun, though a few strands still framed her face. Natasha had already stretched, so she just rolled her shoulders as she replied, "No ref needed, or rules. Anything goes in the real world, and that's how I prefer to approach my sparring." Unless she was teaching, but that wasn't necessary between her and Deirdre.
It was also more than a little obvious that fighting was foreplay for the couple, which didn’t bother Natasha in the slightest. “Just sit back and relax. I’ll get her warmed up for you.” She flashed Riddick a grin and tossed a wink Deirdre’s way. The bow was signal enough that she was ready to begin, so she mimicked the bow before sliding into her preferred fighting stance, light on her feet and constantly in motion. Stripped of her weapons, it would be entirely about her skill level and physical prowess against her opponent’s. She also liked to gauge her allies’ strengths and weaknesses, so that they could be used effectively in combat if necessary.
Letting the dance begin, Natasha chose a direct approach and simply threw a punch to see if and where it landed. She’d aimed for Deirdre’s cheek, and had only telegraphed just a touch, but she was counting on the other woman to be skilled.
~*~
Women fought as dirty or dirtier than men in slams. Riddick should know. He'd gotten his ass handed to him by more than one woman. It didn't surprise or shock him to see the redhead throw a solid punch at his wild woman. Deirdre would counter it or duck it or maybe even take it. She was unpredictable to him. Anything seemed to go where she was concerned. He would have been pleased with all the options or any one of them. It was a pleasure to be welcomed to enjoy her company as often as he liked.
"Good throw."
The mongrel made an annoyed sound at his shout. Riddick soothed it with strokes of his fingers between its sharp ears. He figured if they were comfortable letting him watch, he should be kind enough to offer up some encouragement. It was only fair he participate in some way. Either of them would be a prize fighter, but his money was on his wild woman. The redhead was too polished. She had the look of a professional. Emotions were handy in a brawl. They could be a handicap on a pro-job, but a throwdown?
A person had to feel it for a throwdown.
It was the only way to win.
"No hair-pulling or I'll say you're both a pair of pussies."
He grinned unrepentantly at the women while watching them square off. Blows were moving faster, more fluidly, with unmistakable power between the two of them. Neither was backing down. He didn't think they knew how to throw off on a fight. Deirdre would die before she dishonored herself; Natasha would fall on her own blade before she allowed someone to win as a courtesy. He couldn't see the redhead giving up a fight for courtesy at any rate. She had too much fire in her.
They both did. He wondered idly if they'd land on the ground, rolling around, choking, gripping, straddling each other as they fought for the upper hand. He had a feeling if it fell down to that level? It wouldn't be Deirdre getting warmed up for the fight's aftermath.
Lucky for Riddick he had no shy bones in his body. Literal or figurative ones.
~*~
Deirdre was no stranger to fighting dirty. She also fought like every battle was her last, although here she chose to hold some things in reserve. No need to tip all of her hand so quickly, she wanted to spar with Nat again, after all, and there was no fun in it if she’d revealed all her skills in the first match. Deirdre chose to take the first punch, get a feel for the woman’s strength, and return it with hers, no pulling of it either.
She was light on her feet, and faster than most humans - she’d learned her hand to hand from her brothers and they were all about being backstabbing sneaky fuckers. So Deirdre fought in the same fashion, and certainly not above using her magic to get around Natasha and find blind spots. She heard Riddick’s hair pulling comment and snorted in disdain as she rolled with another hit. The mere idea she’d deign to hair pulling made her ill almost. She might fight dirty, and sneakily, but she’d never fight like a girl. Hair pulling and slaps made for a boring fight.
Deirdre wouldn’t quit - even if Natasha could out fight her, she could outlast her. After all her brothers had fenced for 26 hours once, she could go for at least that long before she got tired, as long as she used her magic sparingly. She had no problem going easy on the magic, she hated using it anyways, so she’d rather rely on speed and strength and experience, than magic.
She didn’t feel bad in any sense hitting Nat with most of her strength, she figured if she had no idea what she’d gotten into it wasn’t Deirdre’s fault. The woman was an adult, if she couldn’t handle it, she wouldn’t be worth Deirdre’s time. But she didn’t think Natasha couldn’t handle it, she had a feeling at least in some areas they were evenly matched.
She also didn’t mind getting her hands dirty, nor did she mind taking Natasha to the dirt. Grappling was as much a lesson she’d learned as anything else, and it evened the playing field a little too - speed didn’t always help on the ground.
~*~
Natasha enjoyed sparring with Deirdre immensely. It was easy to see that the other woman was light on her feet and fast, which was further evidence that she was a skilled fighter. They were both feeling each other out, taking and throwing punches to see where any weaknesses might be. After the first few blows, Natasha started ducking and rolling out of the way, making good use of the wide expanse of grass they were sparring on.
“I’ll have you know hair pulling and biting are very effective in the right circumstances,” she called out to Riddick, grinning at Deirdre as she did so. There was no place in sparring for those kinds of moves, but she would hardly say they were bad moves to make. She and Clint had resorted to those very same tactics while he’d been under the influence of Loki’s scepter. They’d been trained to use every available advantage at their disposal, which meant she got her hair pulled quite a bit. Nat was mostly immune to it now, unless someone got a lucky tug. She also knew how to make it work for her.
Focusing back on the fight at hand, it was clear that fighting Deirdre was a lot closer to sparring with Steve than with Clint or another SHIELD agent. She prefered sparring with people who had more skills than she did, since it gave her more experience against opponents similar to those she’d more than likely have to face in the future. Even if none of the skills carried over into her world, it was still worth it for whatever tests Test City threw at them.
Deirdre managed to get her onto the ground, but Natasha wormed free of her grip and rolled away before jumping back to her feet, giving the other woman a look that said she was impressed. Without glancing over at Riddick, she called, “Sorry. I’m not ready to pass her off to you, yet.” Her grin was a challenge to Deirdre, as she moved fluidly, feinting to the right, only to go left and circle around, moving to get the other woman into a choke hold.
~*~
Exhilarating.
Watching the women fight was enough to have his breath coming faster as if he were the one fighting. Riddick directed his attention from one combatant to the other as they worked on finding the best weaknesses to make their enemy into their victim. They were among the most beautiful predators he'd ever seen in motion. It was an honor to be present for their exercise. He had a feeling neither of them would be as kind to him in combat as they were to each other. He wouldn't blame them for it either.
He was the worst kind of animal: an apex predator.
"I trust you to do your people proud, wild woman. Figured you could use a reminder of what's on the line. That's all."
Honor was something Riddick had little of to his name. He knew it was a different story for Deirdre of Amber though since she came from royals. She had stated she'd no desire for the throne, but there was pride in her tone when she spoke of her place in life. It wasn't about being a part of a royal line for her. Deirdre didn't want to fight for the crown. She'd said as much to him on more than one occasion. He knew she wanted to be proud of where she came from, proud of her own inner nobility. Self-respect was the only kind worth having.
Deirdre had enough of it to make her a queen in Riddick's eyes.
The redhead fought as if she were used to scrapping, surveilling before attacking. He had no interest in some of the tactics he imagined she'd used in her past. Riddick was put in mind of the Necro females who fought dirty at all hours because theirs was a race which worshipped death first, pain second, and conquering last. Only the strongest survived in Necropolis. It was the kind of place where ruling wasn't about how heavy the crown was to wear but how long a person could keep their head once they started wearing it.
"As long as you give her back soon? I'm still good with you. She's currently only loaning herself to you. Me? I get to take her home when you're done."
He wasn't above putting himself up against her to prove the point either.
No one was taking down his wild woman unless it was her choice. Riddick would fight for her. Kill for her. Easy.
~*~
Deirdre kept her own honor and fought for her own honor, and never for her home’s honor. Amber was everything and nothing to her. Something that was hard to put into words. But it had honed her, and she longed for it as much as she longed to stay away from it. She knew it was the very reason she knew how to fight and how to win. How to be a sneaky bitch and how to be a honorable fighter. It had taught her many lessons.
Ones she applied here. She didn’t give it as much effort as if she was fighting Riddick, or her brothers, but it was more than she gave most people. It was an honor she gave a woman she found she liked fighting. She smiled a bit at Riddick’s words and then Natasha’s, they made her grin and it was a good feeling. Even if she was momentarily distracted and gave Nat the opening to get behind her.
Not that that lasted long. As the woman came in for the choke hold, Deirdre let it start to slide into place. Then a shower of sparks, stinging but no major harm, sparked under the woman’s arm. Her own hand coming up to wrap around the arm at her throat, fingers hot to the touch, using the unexpected heat to give her enough time to slip free of the hold.
Except she left her hand on Nat’s arm and stepped backwards into her, dropped her shoulder and used the momentum she’d made to throw the woman over her before letting go. Deirdre was grinning, though, she didn’t care so much how it ended that it was fun the whole time. She let the sparks and heat disappear, the effort exhausting, so that she could see what came next or if they’d call it a good end to a good fight.
~*~
Natasha very rarely let herself go well enough for her to have fun, and maybe she didn’t have fun the way that normal people did, but Riddick and Deirdre were good allies. Riddick radiated power and brute force, and Deirdre was extremely skilled as a fighter. Natasha could tell that the other woman was holding back somewhat, but she didn’t care too much seeing as how magic was in play. She respected the fact that she was likely getting more from Deirdre than others less trusted might. It spoke volumes, and Natasha didn’t even mind terribly when she found herself flat on her back, breathing heavily.
“Okay,” she huffed, laughing a bit as she got to her feet. “I think I’ve hit my limit. I’d love to work through those moves more slowly next time,” Natasha added. “If you wouldn’t mind sharing, that is?” That was directed to both of them, though she didn’t wait for a response. She could see how their little fighting show got Riddick more than ready to enjoy Deirdre, and Nat knew she wouldn’t mind a good fuck either.
She grabbed her things and gave them a wave. “Enjoy,” Nat encouraged, sly and teasing in a way she rarely was, and only with people she really trusted and enjoyed. “I’ll see you two later.” Mutt followed her, just to the edge of the park, and then she rubbed behind his ears before continuing back to the apartments while Mutt no doubt made his way back to the open clearing they’d been in, enjoying the peace while Riddick and Deirdre enjoyed some more pleasurable sparring.