The Radiant Spirit Rages On(Kenichi/Lethe)

With a graceful movement of her frame, Lethe disrupted the flow of Kenichi's palm strike aimed towards her chest, seamlessly transitioning into a counter technique by aiming her arm towards his face. The sheer flow of the technique left him dancing backward ever so slightly. The second plan would reap equal benefit as she launched her palm towards his sternum.

"Khh!?"

On paper, it hadn't felt like a particularly devastating blow, but Kenichi was no fool. He felt the internal impact as the palm landed against his chest. He was wholly aware of the precept that flow and impact were the true fruits behind one's techniques.

In that respect, Lethe was quite advanced. Wiping away the spittle at his mouth, a result of the successful palm strike, he breathed deeply to correct the irregular flow of his breathing.

She could exploit it if she so desired but Kenichi wouldn't waste the opportunity to compliment her on her technique, settling into a offensive, focusing his impassioned gaze towards her. He could get a little serious----lest he find himself felled before the battle could begin.

"Truly impressive flow and technique, Lethe. Executed within the space of a single second.. Those minute movements are definitely reminiscent of the woman who always made me feel as if I were little more than a neophyte in her presence. Heh, I'm feeling nostalgic!"

With a subtle movement of his own, Kenichi swiftly utilized his own flow of energy around his feet, using the ground as a stepping point to catapult his body forward. During his stride, he feinted a fist towards her shoulder before crouching down on his hands to launch a kick towards her stomach.

Similar to their first clash, this was executed with enough to force to send her backwards, lacking any impact that might damage her or leave her incapacitated. If the kick landed successfully---success meaning a backward stagger---Kenichi would keep on the offensive by subtly pushing himself off of the ground with his hands, soaring in for another kick towards her shoulder.

Excitement pulsed through his veins, eager to see how well she could maintain that flow, to impress him, to enliven his spirits. Nothing excited him more than a woman who was proficient in the art of combat. This was no different.

It was a spar, so she wasn't going to try and bludgeon him to death or something. So she stepped back and let him get his breath back, before shaking her head.

"You flatter me, Kenichi. It was a clumsily executed technique. It should have struck with the fingers tilted towards you, and then used the inertia to guide the palm into the sternum and create a reverberation effect that began asphyxiation. You should be seeing grey with such a direct hit, not fixing it with a single breath. My body can't keep up with what it wants to do"

Then they would begin again, which was nice. He was coming in for a punch, but the stance he had meant that there would be no force behind it, so she didn't bother with it, and focused on the stronger attack. Deceive The Savage Dog would get her clear, at which point she could use the spiralling momentum to execute a Jin Hwechook.

Only, Deceive The Savage Dog was an adavanced Qinggong technique that relied on muscle memory and technical skill, neither of which Lethe had. So in reality, she tied her feet up trying to execute it, ruined her stance, and got put firmly on her back by the blow. He had pulled it enough not to do any real damage, but she still thumped into the ground pretty hard from her unstable stance.

'Told ya' Ifrit commented.
"Note to self" Lethe wheezed. "Know your limits"

Kenichi had expected Lethe to evade his attack again, but he was met with watching her get tied up in the process of her own technique, allowing him to fly in with relative ease. His strike would land successfully, firmly putting her on her back. Kenichi landed on his feet, leaning forward to offer his hand as he grinned softly, pulling the woman from the ground. He hadn't expected Lethe to entirely grasp the total nature and ease of Ulv's techniques.

Hell, even he---a man who bore witness to many of those techniques and thus aimed to study each of them---had yet to truly understand how she executed them so flawlessly. Was it training? Was she merely born with it? Ah, even to the end, she was a true enigma. Kenichi softly pat her shoulders.

"Although I would love to test those limits you speak of, I am wholly aware you are not yet where you desire to be. Still, I see the potential. I fought her multiple times and even I struggle to comprehend how fluid she was with each technique," he remarked, chuckling as he extended his hand forward.

"Perhaps, I could be of assistance and help guide you to that precipice she once stood on. It'd be an honor to fight you, and even train with you. For now, how about we do an even split? I'll pay for your half and you pay for mine. Deal?"

Calypso would stand with Kenichi's help, and then look at her feet, slowly going through a complex set of motions with them and focusing a bit too hard on what she was doing right now. With the complexity on show here, it was no wonder she got her feet tangled up trying to do it at full speed. Finishing her short pantomime and looking up at Kenichi, she realized he had spoken, and blushed bright red.

'He wants to marry you' Ifrit put in, prompting Lethe's warm smile and a happy note.
"Of course! That sounds great" she exclaimed loudly, nodding with vigour.

"Good! Allow me to lead the way, then!"

A happy grin filled the rising dragon's expression as Lethe accepted the terms. Even in that light skirmish, he witnessed the potential of where she could transcend if given time and training. Selfish as it was a little, he wanted to be the first to see her reach it, the first to be defeated when the movements of her body could match the techniques she employed in battle.

Perhaps, it had become his odd habit to develop such an admiration for the women in his life who possessed potential - or even those who stood at the mountain already - but he was far from ashamed.

It was the Danava of Martial arts, after all. Why not push her towards the top when she was teeming with such potential? Still, she was her own individual. It would be more feasible to simply interact with her as a friend, and allow her to reach her own conclusion in life.

That was neither here nor there, though, and so he simply guided her along to their destination, holding the woman's hand.. Within a few minutes, they arrived at the restaurant. Guiding her in, Kenichi would offer his half of the money to the cashier, allowing Lethe to provide her part as she desired. Turning back towards her, Kenichi would wait for one of the waitresses to find them a seat.

"And just like that, here we are. This place is full of really good stuff. It also kind of doubles as a buffet, too. The people here are pretty generous with their food, especially if the customers like it. "

Well, it was only right for an engaged couple to hold hands as they walked down the street. She was flushing a soft red - mostly because of the lack of colour in her cheeks making everything soft - and gushing over the idea of marrying such a passionate and enthused man. At first she was thinking Ania, but she had been down that road, and Ania probably wasn't up for a re-run. Lethe was troubled with the idea that maybe he was marrying her because she was a fragment of Ulv, but she discarded that worry. It was fine for people to chase their idols, after all.

Entering, with a flutter of eyelashes to the waiter getting them a lovely couples booth, she would pay her half of the money and take a seat, wondering what to get. Ifrit would poof out - cluing in the confused Waiter who was wondering why she had paid for three people rather than two - and head off to mound her plate with good food.

"Ifrit is certainly going to see how generous" Lethe commented, watching the woman. And then back to Kenichi, with a dreamy stare and a content smile.

A hearty chuckle escaped Kenichi's lips as he saw Ifrit appear and make a direct line towards the buffet to test the validity of their generosity. "I don't doubt that for a minute. It's a good thing we added her to the tab, huh?" Kenichi threw out a little quip before focusing his attention towards Lethe. Her expression seemed to be incredibly pleasant as she gazed at him. Kenichi maintained a warm smile as he tilted his head, gazing at her with an equal amount of joy.

He wasn't a mind reader, could hardly tell what she was thinking. But if it was happy thoughts, then did it matter? Still, he grew all the more curious about it. When the drinks arrived at their table, Kenichi happily slid one over to Lethe before taking a generous sip or two of his own. He would've easily joined Ifrit in filling up her plate, but he was more interested in getting to know Lethe. He knew about the Ulv fragment but there was more to her than that, surely. His curiosity about that aspect was a true point of interest, of who Lethe was and what she desired out of this life.

"Someone looks quite happy so far. Were you hungry or are there other pleasant thoughts going on in your mind? Honestly, I know I mentioned feeling nostalgic about Ulv, but I'd like to get to know you more, too, Lethe. I'm not an expert on the myriad aspects of Danava, but I'm an eager learner all the same."

"It's nice being free, is all" Lethe would reply. Not really one courageous enough to outright state her thoughts right now, so she'd go on a little less of a pressing matter that was still true in it's own right.

"It's been a few months since I was born, and we didn't start well at all. We had friends who disappeared after their first or second meeting, promises of helping me to get to Algos on their lips. And I was scared of accepting my Origin, so I kept it at arms length, which caused a spiritual dissonance that robbed me of any kind of tactile feeling, while also implying I was in a lot of pain that nothing was helping.

And then Algos went and killed herself to be someone less troubled, totally in the face of me and my love I had once. But Ania is a nice person, and my Origin is part of me now so the pain is gone. AndI can finally start living here, because someone finally actually came through with getting me here. So it's nice, being free"

She'd then take a sip of her drink, and then some food from Ifrit's plate when she returned.

"Danava are born knowing about themselves, but simultaneously our entire life is designed to figure out more about who we are, what we can do, and the experiences we have in the world. So we are not an expert on Danava yet either"

Oh? That made sense. Freedom was something Kenichi valued greatly. There was a esoteric beauty in possessing the opportunity to make your own choice in life, to steer the wheel of your ship in whatever direction the heart desired. Freedom was truly a wonderful thing. His smile lessened ever so slightly at hearing what happened to her after her conception. There it was. That name again... Algos.

He had never crossed paths with the woman personally, but what knowledgeable human wouldn't know who she was in this realm? The Asthavon as a whole were those whose names would certainly live on in infamy. Name alone made them recognizable. Truly terrifying people, he supposed. Come to think of it, listening to her explanation on Danava, had he ever crossed paths with any until today? Maybe some of his friends are Danava. Huh...

He had never met anyone in person, and as such, there was no need to pass any judgment in his eyes until he met them himself. He couldn't follow the deeper context of what happened between her and Algos, and thus had no judgment to pass on the woman. If anything, he would simply make it his goal to guide her and be by her side whenever she called upon him.

He was precisely the man who believed he would always be the one who could fulfill a promise, even if Calypso tended to remind him not to cash checks his actions couldn't keep. In other words, presenting a promise he might fail to uphold.

"In other words, outside of representing a concept borne of Nidhana, they are much like humans who are always learning to discover themselves, huh? That is surprisingly interesting, remarkable even. I wonder if there are any Danava I've met before, then, and didn't know it..." Kenichi stroked his chin before waving his hand and smiling, an infectious grin dominated his expression.

"There is an old saying. It's not about the starting point, but the finish line. I admire that you kept moving forward in spite of the issues you faced. I've been told by peers I really respect that it isn't good to go spouting off a promise I can't keep... but I think I can with this one. You spoke of freedom, and that really resonates with me. It is a grand gift to be free, and I hope that I can help you enjoy your freedom as you continue to move forward. Whether it is an adventure you desire, a journey towards a place you've never been, or more importantly, even a shoulder to lean on... I am more than happy to be a resource you can rely on at any time."

Kenichi gave her two thumbs up, signifying how much he meant that, even if his words didn't strike her. It was a corny expression but Kenichi certainly meant every word of it. Remnant of Ulv or just Lethe, it didn't matter. He simply wanted to be of assistance to those he cared for.

'Ahh, my little Chipmunk. Glad to see he's still doing well' came the voice from Lethe's mind. It was a cute nickname, though she could hardly comment on it's validity right now.

"Pretty much, yea. Danava aren't very different from normal people, and it takes a keen eye to spot them in a crowd of humans. So don't worry too much about it, we don't eat people. And, I am glad to have such an offer of support. It feels good to know I have people to count on in this world. I shall keep marching forever onwards, to progress and progression"