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[unionjackoff]

[there is a pause that has been recorded, unintentionally, followed by the sound of someone clearing his throat]

Uh. Hullo. This is Arthur Kirkland. Please leave a message. Or text. Or whatever...

[beep]

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[unionjackoff]

[hfdjksfhk England waves his hands]

N-No! That's quite all right! I think I'm psyched up enough!

[helmsplitter]

[Okay then, Nation bro.

It seems a little unfair that he has armor on while England doesn't, so Dotanuki reaches up and removes the neck guard he always wears, dropping it to the ground with a heavy clank. He can't pull the rest off, but this at least leaves him a little more exposed to compensate for Engkand only wearing a sweatshirt. ]

Alright then. Don't pull your punches it you're gonna get hurt, got it?

[He steps back and slides one foot behind him, his hand on the hilt of his sword. ]

Ready when you are.

[unionjackoff]

[England nods, taking on a serious expression, and he gets in a stance. the claymore is pretty heavy, but he used to lift broadswords when he was a child. thankfully, his nation strength is still with him.

part of the reason England chose the claymore was because of its strength. it's too heavy, so England won't be able to run as fast, or do elegant moves with it. no, the claymore is a hacking sword, and hopefully it will defend him against the bigger Dotanuki.

still, England doesn't have a shield, or any sort of armor to protect his body. he's certain he'll probably be doing more defending than actually hitting. this was such a bad idea, but England really wants to fight. maybe it'll help relieve some stress]

...Ready as I'll ever be. [he tosses Dotanuki a playful smirk before adding] Just try not to lop my head off.

[helmsplitter]

Back of the blade only.

[He's not sure if the claymore has s blunt edge, but Dotanuki will be using his inasmuch as he can. Something tells him he shouldn't let the claymore hit his blade if he wants to survive.

But with the go ahead given, Dotanuki starts. He rushes forward and takes a test swing at England to check his mobility, slashing in a wide horizontal arc as he draws his blade. ]

[unionjackoff]

[England springs into action, using the large blade to block Dotanuki's slash. his feet plant into the ground as the blades connect and... the sound sends a rush of warmth through his body. ah, the thrill of the battle, the anticipation of pain. it's been a long time since England's felt it.

he moves back, his blood already singing with joy. he knew, once he got out here, that the doubts would fade away. if he gets hurt, so what? he heals fast. he doesn't think Dotanuki will kill him, so he doesn't have to worry about that. all he has to do is put up a good fight, and then, perhaps, they can be friends, and ViViD partners]

[helmsplitter]

[England doesn't move to avoid the blow, but let's his claymore take the hit. The steel sings against each other and Dotanuki feels how solid the blade is, how it's made to crush and rend limb from body. It's a good blade, but the weight is like an odachi - hard-hitting and cumbersome.

Mobility is going to be Dotsnuki's advantage and he follows the blade, sliding to the side with a smile. While sparring was never quite as good as real battle, it still got his blood pumping to think one of them might bleed. Going up against the odachi had always given him a thrill, so this claymore and its master would do the same.

Dotanuki ran at England again, curving around in a half circle to try and get at his back. ]

Let's see you swing that thing!

[unionjackoff]

[England obliges, twisting his body and arcing the sword in a way to block the other again. this time, he pulls back immediately after the swords hit, and aims his next slash at Dotanuki's side]

[helmsplitter]

[The swords clang against each other and Dotanuki is forced back. The force that comes with a blade that big is impossible to counter and it's better to just let it carry you.

He slides back, shoes digging into the dirt, and then he sees the slash coming. Rather than dodge back, he runs with it, using his speed to stay just ahead of the blade and brings a fist straight toward England's face.]

[unionjackoff]

[the punch is totally unexpected. the weight of the claymore brings down his arms so he has no way of blocking it. after the punch hits, he tries to recollect himself]

What the hell? You didn't say we could hit each other! [crap, his nose is bleeding. he brings up a hand to wipe at it gingerly]

[helmsplitter]

[Dotanuki is breathing hard after the exertion, but he looks at England as if he just grew two heads.]

You think the things at CERES are going to keep to rules? We might be sparring, but if you go at it half-baked, you're going to get hurt.

[unionjackoff]

I wasn't going at it half-baked! [England grits his teeth. but fine. they're going to play dirty? then he will play dirty.

he rushes at Dotanuki again, this time slashing over and over, with barely any breaks in between. he'll lose more stamina this way, but England really wants to land a hit. the man just brought out his competitive side]

[helmsplitter]

[He dodges back out of the way, using his sword to block when the claymore gets too close. He's thrown England into a rage, but that's what he wanted to see. The metal rings off each other, singing like a blacksmith's hammer in the air, and Dotanuki feels bruises forming along his side.

Damn England hits hard.

One hit in particular is hard and it pushes Dotanuki's blade aside. He doesn't have time to bring it back up before the claymore is coming back at him, so he turns his side and curls up, using the armor on his arms to take the brunt of the blow. Even so, it hurts like a bitch, and he's thrown to the side, rolling twice before he can come back up. The sword spits some blood from his mouth and grins wide.]

That's the spirit!

[unionjackoff]

[England pants roughly and rests a bit when Dotanuki is knocked down. he didn't actually expect to get a hit on him. and that grin? it makes the nation weak in the knees.

no, focus, England.

he manages to smirk back, his upper lip red thanks to the bloody nose, eyes slightly narrowed. a witty response escapes him now, but he's certain he'll think of one later. currently, he's waiting for the next move]

[helmsplitter]

[Dotanuki pushes himself up from the ground, and brings his sword around again, pointing it at England.]

My turn.

[He dashes forward again, trying to catch England before he can get his breath back. He slashes at England, knowing that one will likely be blocked, then begins his assault, using fists and his sword wherever he can to drive the nation back.]

[unionjackoff]

[England does manage to block that first slash, but Dotanuki's strategy of getting him to move back works. he's holding his own, but, as he thought, England is doing more defending. he's pushed back further and further, and he's slowly becoming exhausted]

...!

[helmsplitter]

[Like the odachis, the claymore needs space to swing and Dotanuki knows not to give that to it. His bones ache from hitting the blade, but it's a good one - the sort of pain that he lives for.]

KEAAAAAA!!!!!!

[He lets out a ferocious cry and pushes forward again, bashing up against the blade. He catches England's eye then and smiles before going for a leg sweep.]

[unionjackoff]

[yikes! England drops down and quickly rolls out of the way, on the opposite side of the slash. when he comes back up, he is behind Dotanuki. his arms ache, but England raises the sword one more time, and brings it down with a cry of his own]

RAAAUGH!

[helmsplitter]

[Blocking an overhead blow like that would be suicide, so he somersaults out of the way, coming up to England's side. He aims a quick (blunt-edge) slash at his knees.]

[unionjackoff]

[whoops! there's no way England could block that in time. should've grabbed a smaller sword, but he did not know how their sparring was going to go.

he drops to his knees, to symbolize being wounded, but he's got his claymore ready to block if Dotanuki comes down on him. if this wasn't just a test run, though, he would have lost by now]

[helmsplitter]

[Dotanuki twists to come back at England, but sees him already preparing to block. Instead he takes a few steps back, wiping at the corner of his mouth. Losing a leg in battle would be a mortal wound, even if the killing blow didn't come next. He'd seen men taken off their feet and stabbed through the neck. And he's seen them left to crawl through the muck only to die days later. Either way, this round is over. ]

Yeah that was good. I haven't been able to go all out in awhile.

[He holds a hand out to England with a crooked grin. ]

That thing you have has got some bite to it.

[unionjackoff]

[thankfully, England has yet to lose a limb in battle. back in his world, that would not have been fatal, at least for him. but here...? well, he just didn't know.

he grins tiredly before setting the claymore on the ground. ah, his arms are going to be so sore tomorrow]

I'm glad you like it. It didn't seem to help me, though. [still, he felt good. got to work off some aggression]

[helmsplitter]

[Yeah plz don't die here. Dotanuki needs his war buddies.

Dotanuki carefully wipes his blade off, inspecting the new scratches. Only a few. It means his bruises won't be so bad. ]

Maybe get something you can move more easily. That thing can take and deal a punch but it'll slow you down.

[He slides his sword back into its saya. ]

Or just be willing to leave it if you have to.

[unionjackoff]

I'm not leaving this baby anywhere. I spent good money on it! [sniff. oh, right, his nose...

England seeks out a handkerchief from his pocket and uses that to clean up a bit] If I do get another sword, it'll be a smaller one. For now, I think I'll just stick to my gun.

[helmsplitter]

[Meanwhile, Dotanuki doesn't care that he's bleeding. It's the mark of a good practice!]

You'll want a dagger - something small and light, easy to put in the boot or on the waist. Guns can run outta bullets at the worst time.

[He doesn't carry a dagger or a gun, but usually he has a tantou backing him somewhere. Or one of the wakizashis. Or Mutsunokami.]

But money can be replaced. Your life? Not so much.

[unionjackoff]

Back at home, I never had to worry about my life. [England massages the back of his neck, closing his eyes] No weapon could kill me, and I healed faster than humans. Here? It varies. I think I'm still able to heal faster, but if I die, that's a crap shoot.