Rae and Marcus, May 3, 2513 Perchance to Meet a Thief

He is a dark shadow as he evades the two attackers. His face covered by a black mask, his clothes matching it in color. He moves rapidly, countering their strikes and blows. They had long since been disarmed, their weapons lost in the shadows of the night in the dark alley. It is not hard to see he has them out classed in hand to hand, as each of them in turn fall, in a broken heap at his feet. He turns and races deeper into the alley after pausing briefly.

She watches him from the shadows, in awe of his skills. When he leaves, she follows behind at what she assumes is a safe distance. Turning a corner on a deserted street, using the moon as her light she comes up short. Turning slightly from side to side she searches for him, fearing she’s lost him. The sudden chokehold on her throat tells her otherwise. She raises her arms in a disarming gesture but is not released. Jamming an elbow into his ribs only earns her a grunt, so she grabs his elbow and wrist and works quickly to slip out of his hold. She is only free a moment before he is barraging her with blows which she clumsily attempts to block. It is obvious he is out of her league. She manages to spit out “Wait.” Which, oddly enough, causes him to pause. She gives him an annoyed look and asks, “Is that any way to treat a lady?” He steps back, stance ready and tilts his head slightly to the side. “I’ve got no doubt you are out of my league, and I am not after you, its just…a girl’s gotta learn somehow.” She smiles widely, taking a ready stance herself. “How about we start slow? Just for fun? You made a real quick job of those guys back there, and I have no wish to end up dead for this. How about I just land a couple blows if I can, and we call it a night?” His posture changes slightly to exude cocky confidence. “Gee, make a girl feel special why don’t you?” She moves in, aiming for his right side only to be quickly blocked and put on the defensive. She keeps her blocks up for several minutes before she spots another opening and goes for it, this one his midpoint area. She comes within an inch of contact before she is blocked, her arm caught and twisted behind her. She is held for a moment, immobilized, closed to him. She notices he is breathing hard and gives herself a mental cheer, thinking if she couldn’t touch him at least she was wearing him out. She reaches back her unrestrained arm and pinches him on the thigh.