As Swift As A Coursing River(Rio/Nanashi)

Eh? Clap her cheeks? For a moment, her stance faltered as those words reached her ears. That was an interesting way of phrasing you'd defeat someone or overcome them, she thought. Was it some sort of slang-like phrase she was unfamiliar with? Whatever it was, the shield of the Shihoin had no intent of letting it distract her from the spar. She'd just search it up later or inquire about it with one of her peers. The momentary falter in her stance allowed Nanashi to land a few strikes at different parts of the woman's body, just as she had instructed earlier.

It wasn't enough to take her down by any measure of the word but Rio marvelled at how grounded they felt, noting the increase of focus Nanashi was employing with each strike. There was a particular sense of pride burning within her at how well the pink-haired vizard was picking up on her teachings. The pride of a teacher? Definitely. Focusing on the woman with amber eyes burning with competitiveness, Rio would remain grounded as she followed her with a prideful gaze, curious to see what else she could employ.

The combination attacks were a magnificent approach. They hadn't taken her off of out of her element entirely but they could be an issue if she allowed her to keep piling it on. As such, rather than employ deflection, Rio would use her dexterity, trained to it's upper limit in the past, to shift from side to side and move in alternating patterns to confuse her, forcing Nanashi to pick her spots more diligently than at first.

Rio was quite impressed to see Nanashi finally push her into a defensive position. There was a degree of poise that was noticeably absent during their first clash, but it seemed as if the woman had picked up on the basics at least. To be honest, that is all the shihoin shield could ask for, given her lack of teacher experience. Of course, as Rio weaved from side to side, she began to see those strikes declining in quality, launched sloppily in hopes of landing a decisive blow. It wasn't entirely the most sound approach to winning any battle.

She was losing poise, and rather than allow her to keep that declining display up, Rio would swiftly reach an arm out to pull at Nanashi's arm. If her hand connected, she would step in with her leg, planting a firm shoulder strike against the woman's abdomen. It lacked any real striking power to take her down entirely, but it would take the air out of her a little - to prove a point. If it landed, Rio point something out.

"Impressive, Nanashi. You had me cornered but you got a little sloppy at the end. Battle basics 101, focus. Let us do that one more time..."

Rio opened her arms, positioning herself before Nanashi, seemingly giving off the illusion that she was opening herself up to a myriad of attacks. A test to see if Nanashi would listen. Her abdomen was especially wide open.

To say Rio expected Nanashi to tank her shoulder strike would have been a lie. The pink-haired Shinigami's arms wrapped around the shihoin, trapping her in place. Rio had quickly aimed to pull away, but Nanashi's strength suddenly skyrocketed, granting her the strength to successfully pull Rio off of her feet.

"Hn!?"

With a resounding throw, Nanashi had hoisted the woman off of the ground, performing a fierce suplex that created a crater in the dirt they both landed on. It hadn't been enough to finish Rio off, but it had certainly rattled her, catching her off-guard with such an immense expression of strength in one single burst. An impressive, albeit unorthodox, counter. Rio rose up, breathing deeply to regain her composure. She had definitely got a good one in, which meant she had passed the test.

"Owow... I didn't expect a counter like that at all. Very good, Nanashi. You pass." With a soft smile, Rio walked over to offer Nanashi a hand, patting her on the shoulder.

Heh. This pink-haired woman certainly impressed Rio. A moment ago, she had catapulted her off off the ground, creating a crater in the wake of her suplex, and now she was upright once more. Truly amusing. Another curious sight was the fact her hollow mask remained on rather than dispersing immediately after its use.

Had she been getting some extra training on the side? She wondered. Observing the woman as she celebrated, Rio tilted her head, a curious glint her eyes as the woman asked what she had won. Hm... is that how these things went? Whenever she passed a test, she usually got a compliment and a pat on the back.

Had times changed now? Did teachers gift better rewards for successful efforts? What would Nanashi find particularly rewarding after her successful body slam? She gave a light shrug as she gazed down at her, ruffling her hair.

"Well, obviously you win my praise and respect for strong-arming and throwing down the Shield of The Shihoin," she remarked with a hint of prideful humor in her tone, flexing her arm before Nanashi. She took pride in her skill and her durability, of course she'd praise someone who could land a good one in, through unorthodox means or otherwise.

"Outside of my praise, I don't really know what students view as fun rewards these days. Got anything in mind?"

The thump against her sternum had elicited a light chuckle as Nanashi expressed her opinion on this teacher-student dynamic that currently existed between them. There was no disagreement to be offered on her end. She wasn't certain if the spar had brought her further towards this conclusion, or if she had recognized this discomforting energy at some other point beforehand, but Rio was no teacher. She was clearly out of her element when it came to instruction, and trying to lecture a energetic woman who thrived on acting on the fly like Nanashi was nothing short of an exercise in futility.

Rio preferred herself as more of a friend who could offer advice, truth be told. It almost felt like a weight had been lifted off of the Shihoin woman. A friend who could offer opinions and hang out with her seemed far more fitting than this... stringent dynamic where neither of them felt they could be more carefree. Rio had to admit that, on some base level, she felt a tinge of excited competition when she was thrown to the ground, as though she desired to rise up and return the favor.

Extending her hand forward, Rio shook Nanashi's hands as bright smile lined her lips. She reached in with her other hand to nudge the woman's shoulder with her first, to truly drive home the agreement. No longer teacher and student, they could now view the other as a friend with whom to laugh and enjoy the other's company, spar like they did today, and have fun together.

"Heh, you know what? Friends it is. Besides, you can learn more in a spar than receiving instruction in most cases, anyway... Friendship also means..."

She'd reach in almost playfully, twisting the woman's arm as if she was about to return the favor and swing her forward in slam before pausing her movement.

"I can return the favor and hit you with a body slam of my own," she'd remark before letting go of her arm. Nanashi would quickly notice one thing about Rio outside of those stoic layers she tended to hide behind - confidence in her own skill and a strong sense of competition.