Crick Crack (Natasha/Anis)

Anis' grand plan was in ruins! Natasha did the unthinkable maneuverer known only to those who have etched themselves into immortal history; Dodge

The bullets in her back rolled her forward some, but between the durability of the woman and the oppressive rage of the Blut, there was not much in the way of lasting damage. She'd turn around and look at the woman doing her cool thing, and stare at it.

"I also have this, but it's not very good yet" Anis would reply, holding out her hands and letting Reishi pool slowly in them to collect into a thick goo that covered her hands and crawled up her arms. The Konrei Gloves slowed her production down considerably in exchange for being able to actually make anything coherent at all.

"Uh-huh..."

Natasha would offer a polite nod of the head as she listened to her speak. There was a small inkling that told her this lady was a novice fighter, but now there was clear proof that she didn't quite possess a full grasp of any other Quincy Art besides Blut. She supposed that would suffice, though. There was little use in turning back now, after all. At once, the pistols in her hands dispersed into ambient reishi. A pleasant smile would follow a soft exhale as Natasha cracked her knuckles. Assuming a defensive stance, unarmed, she beckoned Anis forward.

"I reckon I'll fight at yer pace, then. Blut versus Blut. Whaddya say, Pumpkin? Sound good?"

Well, that was nice of Natasha, but Anis didn't want to just get into fisticuffs. She was here to learn how to do things she didn't know how to do, rather than do things she already knew how to do.

"Just wait. You are not the only one with cool stuff. This is my....Pumpkin....Pumpkin....Pumpkin Liebe Cannon!" Anis shouted, the goo snapping into shape as two huge artillery cannons. With no hesitation, they both cracked off a huge reishi beam at Natasha, each the size of a man's torso. The recoil drove Anis back a few inches, but she learned from the last time she had made these crude facsimiles of a spiritual weapon, and had set her stance down good and proper this time.

"Oho? Well, I'll be damned... you were hidin' a trick up yer sleeve after all, huh? Guess fisticuffs are off the menu."

Natasha regarded Anis's beam of reishi with a measured smile. She had aimed to fight on an even playing field, but it would appear that her sparring partner had different intentions. Regardless, Natasha maintained her defensive stance as she held her palms out.

As soon as that barrel of light emanated from her cannon and barreled toward her, the hazel-eyed soldier activated Blut Vene to soften the impact of the beam as her body was swept several meters backward. A hefty blow, indeed, but her use of Blut allowed her to remain upright without suffering any injury that might knock her out of commission. Whistling softly as she dug through her ear to deal with the slight ring, she grinned from ear to ear as she stepped forward, blowing the locks of messy blonde hair from her face.

"Oh my. That bad boy sure did pack some punch. If I didn't know my way around, I might have ended up on the end of knockout right then and there. Guess there's no problem in drawin' this bad boy out, then..."

The ambient reishi, once dispersed, returned to its temporary wielder's hand as it danced through the air, flowing in elegant waves of azure blue until it finally settled on a shape of its own - a spirit weapon fashioned into the form of a heavy artillery cannon. Resting this heavy-duty beauty on her shoulder, she leveled the weapon on Anis with a grin.

"Alright, let's go, Pumpkin Girl. Fire with Fire."

How did anyone keep these damn things in shape? Every ounce of her, even with her Konrei, were struggling, and the cannon just fell apart into Reishi as Natasha pulled out a much better designed one. She was definitely very strong, to have taken that without a concern. Yes, only half the strength it could be, but still.

"It...is not a trick yet" Anis would admit, watching the big thing in front of her and worrying despite her inherent durability. "I didn't want to have a fist fight because I know how to punch people. But I've only very recently got out of the hospital, so I haven't had a chance to do much Quincy stuff. And honestly, not...much of a driving reason to try after everything. Until I met Meni and now we are dating so I want to be good at this stuff now!"

"You'd be surprised, sweetheart, but in my experience, there are various ways to throw a punch beyond a simple ol' haymaker. After all, that's why martial arts exist."

Natasha chuckled in mock exasperation as she noticed her spirit weapon(?) fall apart at the seams. Yep, she realized that this didn't exactly fit her ideal image of an open challenge, where each combatant was bringing their best to the table. Anis felt as green as grass and her entire approach to this battle was difficult to predict.

One moment she had a trick, and then that trick dissipated. The soldier in her spirit wanted to tell her to step in line and step up, but the soul of the mother bear decided to ease up on the poor thing - for now. At least her intentions were noble. That was a start. Fighting in the name of love, eh?

"Well, you've got spirit goin' for ya at least. The genuine drive to improve is always a mighty good place to start. That said, runnin' into combat without a game plan, spar or not, can be dangerous. When I said open challenge in my message, I was aimin' for somethin' resemblin' live-action combat. That said, I don't mind showin' you the ropes movin' forward."

Tossing the cannon into the air, she allowed the ambient flow of reishi to unravel again, returning to the air as she stretched her arms. All things considered, this was starting to feel pretty awkward. Anis felt like a rookie without a parachute, and the idea of blasting her with a cannon didn't sit well.

"Uh, how about you and me sit down and have lunch instead? Resume this when I've taught you the ropes."

"Y-yea. I know...." Anis would reply. She wasn't exactly what you called an artist but she had a very practical set of skills when it came to punching people. A set learned and honed in settings a little more real than right here and now. But, after that dour comment, Anis was right back to being a dork as Natasha warned her that she wanted a live-fire exercise, and running in half-cocked was a bad plan.

"Ohh, that's fine! I don't scar" she exclaimed with maybe too much pride about the fact that she could get the absolute shit kicked out of her and not have any lasting marks. "I came here because I wanted some real fight, so I could see how everything played out when people were not playing around. It went...better than expected, all told"

Anis' beaming smile shone - quite literally due to the Blut making her teeth luminescent - even as Natasha went from trying to beat her up, to wining and dining the woman for the secrets she had learned while with Sofia. But hey, she could roll with anything and then try to say.....no? Could you say no after someone bought you lunch? She'd have to ask Siobhan when she met up with the woman for her weekly check and some stew that she said she'd bring earlier.

"Lunch sounds great!"

"I can tell. Ya took most of my bullets pretty well without fallin' over. Glad the experience went better than expected."

Motioning for Anis to follow her, Natasha expediently headed toward a casual restaurant that served a damn good meal. As she walked, she flashed a playful smile in Anis's direction. What to talk about, what to talk about. Oh, something finally clicked.

"So, ya said somethin' about wantin' to improve for your significant other. Who's the lucky lady?"

Finally, pushing the Blut off her, Anis stopped being a light-bulb, and followed Natasha. She was glad that the woman wasn't holding back so much that it was worth noting when Anis ate the bullets like a champ. She had a durable, robust body after everything Sofia had done to it, and then what Helle did to it, and then what God-Cyrus did to it.

"Mmm! Meni. I don't know how she views polygamy, but I shall ask her. We might be able to work out a schedule" Anis would state, fully confident she knew exactly why Nat was asking her this.

"Polygamy?"

Natasha tilted her head to the side as she tried to discern what this woman was thinking. She didn't know who was she working out a schedule with, but she hoped things worked out well for her and this mystery partner. The restaurant was coming into full view now, but they weren't there just yet. Just a few more paces and they'd find a few seats to sit in.

"Meninas, right? Cool lady. Haven't met her personally, yet, but I know she's in ma' division. I hear she can throw down pretty well, too."