For Sherlock of some flavor or another

[tofightinjustice]

There's a heavy bag hung up on one of the trees at the edge of the Milliways forest. It's a little off the beaten path, which is nice, and Bryce finds that working in the cool not-Scottish air is a lot less dehydrating than working in the California sun.

For her size (she's middling tall but not very bulky), she's giving the bag a fairly thorough beating.

Comments

[tofightinjustice]

Bryce resists the urge to follow it up with a palm-heel to the chin -- minimal damage -- and instead grabs Sherlock by the shoulders and twists, trying again to throw her off.

[sicaria]

This one works.

[tofightinjustice]

Over they go.

A moment of grappling ensues, in which Bryce attempts to pin Sherlock's hands to the ground.

[sicaria]

Much less effective—she is both agile and strong, and with a relatively clear goal in the moment, suffers very little of her usual hesitation.

[tofightinjustice]

Bryce's lip curls up into a silent snarl of effort. She lets go of Sherlock's left hand so she can pull back for a punch with her right.

[sicaria]

She doesn't know what to do, is the problem.

[tofightinjustice]

What she's going to do right now is get punched in the face, apparently.

[sicaria]

So it is.

She blinks thoughtfully, considering this new information.

[tofightinjustice]

Bryce pauses.

"Wanna tap out?"

[sicaria]

"Not sure," she says, slowly. "I'm doing something terribly wrong, but I can't figure out what it is."

[tofightinjustice]

"Okay."

Bryce pins her hand again, absent-mindedly. If the fight's not over, she's not letting her guard down.

(Not that she generally lets her guard down when she's not fighting, but that's beside the point.)

[sicaria]

And Sherlock thinks.

What's her problem? It's almost inconceivable how bad she is at this. The first time she ever fought, she was better at it than this.

The first time she ever fought, she had more at stake.

Is it stress that elevates her performance? Yes and no. Adrenalin has its effects, but she's fought completely calm and done better, even accounting for the differing skill levels of her opponents across cases.

(She hasn't fought someone as good as Bryce since—actually, even the people she killed in the Games weren't as good as Bryce. Some of them were close, though, and she took them apart without any trouble.)

What's the common factor?

[tofightinjustice]

"Either fight or think," Bryce suggests. "Your dress is going to be ruined."

[sicaria]

"No it's not," she says absently, still analyzing data. "What d'you think it was made for?"

[tofightinjustice]

Skeptical: "Not rolling around in the dirt?"

[sicaria]

"For fighting in," she explains. "Look—"

And, with most of her attention still elsewhere, she twists to throw Bryce off her. The move is perfectly executed, without any of her usual hesitation.

[tofightinjustice]

Bryce inhales sharply, letting Sherlock throw her off. This time she rolls out of range and comes up into a crouch, watching Sherlock warily, one hand balancing her on the ground and the other ready to block an attack.

[sicaria]

She shows Bryce the back of the dress, which is indeed a little wrinkled but otherwise intact.

"See? It's hard to find a fashion designer in the Capitol capable of entertaining a practical thought, but the results are more than worth it."

Beat.

"Oh, of course," she says, brightening. "The reason I've been so awful is because I don't have a clear goal."

[tofightinjustice]

"Because you're not trying to kill me?"

[sicaria]

"Kill or incapacitate or chase off. I've always been after something."

[tofightinjustice]

She stands up, still on guard.

"So try and keep me from fighting back. I'll tap out if you manage it."

[sicaria]

"Hmm," says Sherlock, thoughtfully. Recalibrating.

[tofightinjustice]

Bryce stays on the defensive, at first, which turns out to be good, because when Sherlock attacks again it's almost an entirely new fight. It takes her a few minutes to work out Sherlock's new methods.

Once she does -- once she spots their weaknesses, which are mostly strategic, not physical; there's no way to win this fight solely by being faster or stronger -- she adjusts her own thought patterns and goes back on the offensive.

It's a hell of a fight.

Five minutes of fierce, fast brawling later, with both girls tiring, Bryce takes advantage of a minor stumble on Sherlock's part and tackles the gladiatrix to the ground.

[sicaria]

This time there is no easy throw. She doesn't even try; nothing that fits parameters would work.

[tofightinjustice]

And Bryce doesn't give her time to try anything. A moment after they're both down, Bryce's forearm is across Sherlock's throat and pressing lightly.

"Tap out," she pants.