@charmingvastayadancer They practice close-combat, and the proximity flusters one of them.
"Rakan! Stop that and take this serious!" Frustration was evident in her voice. This was supposed to be a sparring session. A chance to stay sharp before their next mission. Yet somehow, her partner had turned it into… whatever this was. It would have been much easier to practice if her opponent wasn't being so infuriating.
Xayah preferred fighting at range, letting her feathers do the work. But enemies didn't always have the courtesy to stay where she wanted them, and close-combat was a skill worth practicing. Yet, every time she closed the distance, he slipped around her instead of bloquing her attack. Worse, he stayed close, with his hand brushing against her side every other turn. Fingers skimming her arm while avoiding a strike. The occasional touch at her waist that lingered just long enough to know Rakan was doing it on purpose.
With a sharp huff, she took several quick steps backward, reclaiming some much-needed space between them. Only then did she catch the look in his eyes.
And suddenly everything made sense. A flush crept across her pale cheeks before she could stop it. "Oh, you—" She bit back a curse. Of course he wasn't taking this seriously. Of course he had been staying close on purpose. And of course he looked entirely too pleased with himself for it.
"RAKAN!" This time the frustration was accompanied by genuine embarrassment, a real feat not many could achieve.
Whatever determination she'd had to continue the spar evaporated on the spot, leaving her standing there glaring at him while desperately pretending she hadn't noticed exactly what he was doing—or how effective it had been.