One Small Step for Xia...[Jack Quest - Finished]

[danishweasel]

The King's words clawed at Ataxia's conscience, leaving it in bloody shreds. So this was the way of the Courts...it was worse than she had ever thought possible, the infection, the corruption. Now, in a game of chicken, Ataxia had to prove that she would be a worthy drone to these upper-crust. And they would use Ronnie as a bargaining chip in their little gamble.

There was no use denying the fact. In order to get to where she needed to be, there would need to be casualties. Whatever reasons she might give, it would be her fault. Even if she pointed a paw in the King's direction, the blood would still be on hers. She could not abandon her cause, not now...It would be the first scar of many, she knew, and it was the type that would never fully stop bleeding. But if she could do anything about it, she would push it back, delay it any way she could.

"Don't think I'm down and out yet! I said I was here to be a Jack and join the Courts and that's what I'm going to do."

She snorted and stood across from Ronnie, taking a more offensive stance. There had to be a way to help Ronnie get out of this mess and get her Jackhood. So much for a physical challenge. This was just about as mental as anything she'd ever seen, let alone been a part of.

He was ready and so was she. Not waiting for any other signals, she bolted towards her opponent, zig-zagging left and right before pouncing at him from the side. If she could manage it, she'd attempt a pin. No reason to bear teeth.

[The Jenn]

Anoushka laughed, pleased. "Oh, very good! I had hoped that you vould not back avay from this challenge."

Watching her make her decision, Ronnie's hackles rose and he lowered his head, ready and waiting. He was a soldier to the Court and he knew what to do. He catalogued her movements, body twitching as she darted left but throwing itself as she darted right, into her rather than away. He struck her bodily with whatever blow he was able, either hitting or glancing off of her depending on her reflexes, and had to catch his balance on the rebound.

If she'd been a common combatant, she would recognize that there was something 'off' about his movements, something slightly slow about what should be quick moves. As she wasn't, it probably wouldn't be all that noticeable. She may just assume it was things worrying at his mind, or the gravity of the fight, or anything at all. Regardless, he was a hair too slow on his recovery from the slam.

[danishweasel]

The slam proved effective. Her attack was repelled, pushing her back a few feet, and it took her a moment to regain her focus. He sure wasn't in the Court as a soldier for nothing, though she thought as a soldier he might have been more quick on his feet. She was surprised that he didn't follow through with a larger counterattack. Probably a lot going on in his mind, just like hers.

In any case, a different approach was needed. She ran towards her opponent again, more or less straight-on this time. However, instead of trying to pounce on top of him, she attempted to leap over him and strike him with a head butt to the other side. Seeing as Ronnie was a soldier, she had to make sure her moves were unpredictable as possible...but who knew how long he had been a soldier here. Maybe nothing she did would be unpredictable at all. All she knew was that she had to keep moving, had to keep fighting. Maybe an idea would come to her that could save the both of them.

[The Jenn]

A counterattack hadn't come, giving Xia the time for another offensive. Her darting movements, feints and false starts, were watched with a critical eye. It was the sort of watching that might predict a move before it was made, and yet he didn't seem to predict her leap and it was executed flawlessly. He looked up and watched half-way through the leap, body moving forward in an attempt to dodge the perceived attack, which gave her headbutt a clear shot at his hip.

He yelped, one leg going out from under him and the other pushing off to accommodate for it as it stabilized. At the same time, he ran-jumped forward to get out of her range of attack, trying to get in a kick as he went. His movement left his side vulnerable for a clear period of time, however, and it presented the perfect opportunity for any opponent to strike.

Anoushka watched all of this with an utterly amused expression.

[danishweasel]

A successful strike! It almost surprised Ataxia as her head struck against Ronnie's hip. She had half-expected him to stop her before she could pounce or to turn in time to knock her off her feet as she landed. Obviously, not the case. She thanked the adrenaline rush to keep her focus in the fight; Ronnie's yelp nearly broke her concentration. She had to remember what she was fighting for. Not for some corrupt King and Court. For a far greater cause that this piranha tank would never understand.

He was stumbling, completely losing his stance. Now was the time. She leaped up to tackle, connecting instead with Ronnie's leg as he struggled to move out of range. She slid back, her claws digging into the ground. A brief shake of her head and she was on the offensive once more. Charging ahead, she pounced again once more to attempt a pin, hoping to strike before he recovered.

[The Jenn]

The man's attention seemed distracted, mostly on Xia and the fight but also glancing out to look at the King and his fellow - former? - soldiers. They were a very effective distraction, especially when he saw the toothy grin of Anoushka, golden teeth winking in the light of the day. So many distractions he allowed himself.

A second strike to his leg sent him off balance again, no doubt bruising the appendage. Really, he didn't seem to be fighting up to par with what might be assumed a soldier's competence. Nevertheless, he was fighting and mostly on the defensive. He moved, but seemed to misjudge the force of her pounce and his shoulder was caught by the weight of her body, sending him sprawling and then scrambling to his feet once again, teeth bared.

"If I told you I wasn't guilty, would that make a difference?" he asked low, voice a pant. The words weren't audible to their audience.

[danishweasel]

This guy needed to get his head in the fight. He kept looking at the King and the soldiers standing around them. Why was he looking out there? Obviously, they weren't going to be any help. King Anoushka had already expressed her views and if those puppets of the Court were loyal to their King, they weren't budging.

Another hit. Something wasn't right here. This guy was a soldier in the Court. Granted, she wasn't a slouch, but her only experience in fighting was play-sparring. She had never actually fought anyone like this before. And yet, she was on the offensive, and the soldier was fighting to get the advantage.

"What're you looking at them for? Fight me!"

She waited for him to get to his feet and watched him and only him. Forget the King and all those soldiers. They weren't important.

"If I told you I wasn't guilty, would that make a difference?"

There was no reaction on Ataxia's face. Really, she would have been more surprised if he would have admitted his guilt. Ronne didn't seem the type to do anything to warrant treason. He just got the short end of the stick in this case. She kept her words low as possible, speaking through her panting breath.

"Don't think it would make a difference either way, seeing that the King's got it in for you about this treason thing. But tell me, you're a canine like me. How good are you at digging?"

She flexed her legs in preparation to move, hoping to give Ronnie a hint to the choreography. She pounced again, going for the injured leg. Too much pause in the battle and the King might get suspicious.

[The Jenn]

Ronnie's legs stiffened and he grinned a little, running forward and tackling her mid-pounce, no longer distracted and with his teeth bared as his grin only widened. He used his weight, and hopefully the element of surprise, to force her to the ground. Then he let out a laugh and jumped away, tail wagging a mile a minute.

"She's a good one, Your Highness," he said, grin moderating itself to a less outwardly enthused expression. His stance had gone from defensive to relaxed in the space of a heartbeat and it was probably very confusing.

The King's face, on the other hand, only grew more expressive. She looked pleased. "Vonderful! You all approve of her, then?" she turned to look at the others in the circle, who nodded, many of their expression either a smile or a smirk or a smug grin. All of them looked amused. "I see, I see. Very vell, then, ve shall have ourselves a Jack in her. The 'orders' bit vill have to be vorked on, but that's of no consequence."

[danishweasel]

"She's a good one, Your Highness."

"...Very vell, then, ve shall have ourselves a Jack in her..."

Ataxia could have sworn that she was on her paws just a moment before. Now, she was on the ground, on her side, and very, very confused. At least the sky up there must have been happy. It was doing pretty spins up above her with the clouds.

She picked herself up steadily, shaking her head. After a few seconds, the world seemed to stop moving, but that didn't stop the feeling that, somewhere along the line, she had missed something very important. Though she was happy that Ronnie finally got into the fight there. As dizzy as it made her, that was fun.

"...I am?"

She looked around at the soldiers, then finally, the King herself. They all looked happy enough with her, though she wasn't sure why. Didn't she lose? She was happy that Ronnie didn't have to be punished for anything he didn't do, but...she was still getting her Jackdom?

[The Jenn]

"You are," Anoushka reassured her, stepping closer and kneeling down to place one hand across the marking on her chest. A warm, almost hot, very faintly burning expression danced across her skin for the briefest moment, dissipating when the woman moved her hand away. Where it had been, there was now a dark, prominent 'J' on Ataxia's chest. "A fresh Jack, and isn't that promising. Perhaps ve vill stick you to the military for a vhile, let you learn some of their discipline in dealing vith the general or something along those lines. I'm sure the boys von't mind helping you learn the palace."

Ronnie's tail didn't stop wagging and he grinned, seeming almost more amused than the rest of them. "That was flirting, in case you didn't know," he told the Corvie with a wink. "I'm not a traitor, and you're not a fighter, so there we go. If I was, she would have already strung me up by my hamstrings and left me for everybody else to pummel."

((Your girl's reaction and we can call this a day <3))