Tala glanced between the two, then nodded, lifting her hand and dropping it quickly. “Lay on!”
J.T. came on hard and high, almost too quickly for Thom to properly react. He ducked to the side, J.T.’s kendo stick missing him by bare inches. He continued the motion, sidestepping quickly before pivoting on his left foot and leading with the tip of his kendo stick.
The leather-wrapped tip of the practice weapon caught in the fabric of J.T.’s parka across his spine but didn’t score a true touch. J.T. darted forward and spun toward Thom, grinning.
“Very nice,” he said.
Thom’s grin matched his. “But not quite good enough.”
“Not quite,” J.T. agreed, the tip of his kendo stick weaving an intricate pattern. “But almost.”
“Remember, Jay, my sister might kill you if you leave too many marks on him,” Matt called from the sidelines.
J.T. laughed. “I’ll just have to make sure I don’t leave that many marks.”
Somehow, I don’t think that means he’s not going to hit me. Thom shook his head. “You’ll have to actually score a hit to leave a mark, Jay.”
The medic smiled a dark, wicked smile, then struck like a cobra on the defensive. Pain bloomed in Thom’s knee and he danced backward, swearing.
“Fuck me sideways, Jay,” Thom said, hopping on one foot in the snow. “What did Matt just tell you about leaving marks?”
“You asked for it. I’ve got witnesses,” his friend said. “You okay?”
“I will be in a second.” Thom scooped up a handful of snow in one gloved hand and pressed it against his knee, hoping to suck out the sting that was rising. “That was a good hit.”
“Probably harder than I intended,” J.T. said. “Come see me later if it starts swelling.”
“I’ll send Marin for revenge if this goes badly.” Thom held the snow against his knee for a moment longer, then let the soggy mess drop to the ground next to his boot. He worked his knee for a moment, then exhaled, nodding to Tala. “All right. We can resume.”
She nodded back. “Right. One nil in favor of Jay. Lay on.”
Thanks for the continuing tale.
Stay warm..