“Oh, we will.” Stryker grinned. Theo collapsed onto his bed, covering his face with his arms.
“Ow!” He exclaimed when Stryker punched him in the stomach.
“Rise and shine.” Stryker snorted “up you get.”
“I hate you.” Theo repeated.
“I know.”
I chuckled and dodged out of the room.
Me and Jack found them again in the backyard where Theo was vigorously complaining to Stryker.
“You’ve got a knife!”?he was protesting.
“It’s a sword, and yeah. You think you won’t have your weapon knocked out of your hand at least once?”?
I watched Theo swallow hard.?
“Ready?”??
“Not-“ he cut himself off with a sharp yelp as Stryker made a jab at him, blade stopping inches away from his abdomen as hestumbled back, smacking Stryker’s elbow with his left palm to push the knife hand away.
“That won’t do you much good. Come on, Theo, alert, alert-“ the blade was slashing at his face. Theo?let out a grunt, bending away from it, but lost his balance and crashed to the floor. Before Stryker could come down on top of him he rolled, fast, and leapt back up.
Before he could even think, Stryker was there, he was on him, driving the knife toward his gut, the blade glinting in the light.
Theo only just managed to leap out of the way, to grab his wrist with his two hands.
But he couldn't hold him. Stryker yanked the knife back and I mused that if this had been real he would have just? slashed his fingers off.
Immediately, he came at him again, the blade weaving before him like the head of a cobra. He kept the point in Theo’s eyes so he couldn't see it clearly, couldn't gauge the distance.?
“Stop. Stop.” Theo stumbled back a few steps so his back was pressing up against the wall of the inn, keeping an arm out as if that’d stop Stryker if he decided to come at him again. Stryker lowered the sword, shaking his head “you’re not with it.”?
“I- I held you off” Theo protested weakly?
“Oh, yeah” Stryker chuckled. “Try holding me off when I’m not going easy on you.”?
“I have a hangover. And why don’t you try without a weapon.”?
“Easy. Here.” Stryker tossed the blade over, and Theo yelped and side stepped it. “You can’t throw an unsheathed sword!” He hissed. Stryker just chuckled again “my bad” he shrugged.
Theo was eyeing him nervously “I’m taking it you trained in martial arts too, huh?”?
“What do you think?”?
“I think I want another partner”?
“Tough. Alright, grumpy, have a go at me then.”?
“You’ll punch me into the next century even if I’m the one with the weapon.”?
“Correction. Icouldpunch you into the next century, but I won’t do it because we’re training.”?
“You suck, mate.” Jack barked out a laugh, announcing our presence .
“My head hurts.” Theo whined at us.
