Susan set down her gym bag on a fallen tree near the middle of the clearing. She'd used this particular clearing for practice in the past; while it was smaller than she would have preferred, especially with the tree dividing it in half, it didn't seem to be one frequented by monster. At least, not in her limited experience; she knew she really had no idea where the things that lurked around the campus might go when not ambushing students.

Well, I can't assume everywhere is housing things in the shadows that want nothing more than to have their way with me. That way lies crippling paranoia. Unless I learn otherwise, I'll assume this place is relatively safe. She took her towel and water bottle out of the bag and set them down beside it before starting some basic kata, her white t-shirt and tight red shorts showing off her nicely toned body. I really need to do something about finding a sparring partner, she thought as she went through the simplest forms, ones she could do perfectly without concentrating on them.

Edward was outside, lounging near a clearing which was a distance away from his clearing, enjoying the sunshine and generally lazing about after a bout of research. His ears pricked when he heard something in a clearing, just a distance from where he is, near the center of the forest.

There was also a scent carried by the breeze, the smell of sweat, and an unfamiliar female scent was detected by his nose. Cracking an eye open, he stretched languidly as he got up, wondering who was working out in the middle of the forest like this. He then started to make his way towards the center of the forest, curious about the owner of these scents.

By the time he got to a place where he could see her, she was going through more advanced forms at a faster pace, a light film of sweat making the outlines of her sports bra barely visible through her shirt.

As he approached the clearing, she stopped abruptly, spinning to face roughly in his direction. Maybe she'd heard some slight noise he'd made moving through the forest, maybe she'd caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye, maybe she was just developing a slight sixth sense about these things; in any case, she seemed aware that something was there. "Hello? she asked, peering into the woods to try to see whatever had caught her attention. "Is someone there?"

Edward was entranced at the way she moved as she went through her katas. Sure, there are many girls he had met in the grounds of Shokushu, of all body types and personalities. Most of them are simple students, with the exception of a few people that had unique powers. But when he glanced at this girl, it was like seeing art in motion, and the fighter in him, both a heritage from his parents relished the thought of fighting the girl.

When she called out, as if searching for him he just smirked and then morphed into his human form, letting a bit of his incubi charm release bit by bit into the air. He was wearing a simple drawstring long pants, and a muscle shirt, as he stepped into the clearing. "No need to seek me out, young miss... I am here, and I do not have any intention to hide from you. Though I must say... the way you moved through those katas is quite lovely to watch... it is like watching art flowing in front of my eyes." His words were gentle and appreciative, his eyes twinkling with amusement and wonder.

"Um... Thanks..." Her voice was a bit tentative; she'd had run-ins with monsters that could impersonate humans and ones who used apparent friendliness to get inside her defenses. Still, he did seem honestly impressed, and he was probably just a staff member who happened to be passing by and saw her.

Something in what he'd said caught her attention, though. Most people wouldn't call them 'kata' unless they had at least some interest in martial arts. I wonder... "Do you practice martial arts yourself?" she asked.

He chuckled at her words and nodded. "Of course I do, otherwise I wouldn't have called your movements as katas now would I?"

He paused for a moment before saying. "Though if I would observe your movements, you would be at least a third dan user in kempo. Am I correct miss?"

"Well... I never actually had a chance to take the tests for any higher levels after I earned my black belt, so I don't know if I'd actually qualify as third dan. And purists might disagree about the 'kempo' part." She grinned, then continued, "Ikawa-sensei taught a mix of the more useful parts of several schools of karate. I've pretty much hit the limit of how far I can go on my own, though, and I haven't been able to find a training partner."

"I see..." Edward said thoughtfully before grinning, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "It is good that you do not conform to just one form of martial art, since it is usually painfully easy to defeat those that utilize one particular type of art against others, don\t you agree? And as for a training partner... I suppose that you can consider me one... that is if I feel that you are worthy to spar with my other form. SO... what do you say?|

She got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach at his words. "Other form? Just what are you?" Her stance shifted, ready to try to counter any attack he might make. While she expected he'd have an advantage in both strength and speed, and quite possibly experience as well, she might be able to get an edge if he assumed she only knew karate.

"I suppose I should take you up on your 'offer', though. If I'm right, you're unlikely to let me leave anyway, and if I'm wrong, I'd be missing a good opportunity." She'd wait for him to make the first move; it might give her a chance to confirm her suspicions or to take him by surprise with a judo throw.

Edward just chuckled and said. "Not human definitely, though we do have human forms, like this one. And don't worry, I am no alien, but a creature out of myth... which one, I'll leave you to figure it out yourself."

He then got into the basic stance of his particular art, the one he studied under his father and then studied her for a moment before smiling. "How interesting..." He said to her. "Your stance seemed to be one of a counter offensive... as if you are waiting for me to get in range. Not a bad tactic I must say..."

He then blurred slightly, shifting quickly to her side, and tapped two pressure points in her left arm, numbing it for a few minutes before withdrawing slightly. "...that is if you are able to get hold of me."

She studied her opponent's stance, not recognizing his style but realizing he was going to go for an attack rather than wait for her to do so. His words made it clear that he knew what her basic plan was, but she'd expected that; she'd have been surprised if he couldn't tell a defensive stance from an offensive one, regardless of his skill level. She was even ready for his attack, noticing the little signs that he was about to move...

His actual attack, however, was far too quick for her to react to. Almost before she could even blink, he'd moved in and disabled her arm. She'd heard of techniques that could do that, but had never encountered any before. The fact that he'd taken out her left arm wasn't reassuring, either; it still severely limited her options, and it suggested he was confident enough to leave her able to use her dominant hand against him.

Hoping that his confidence was misplaced, she quickly spun towards him, aiming a kick at his knee.

Edward smirked as he moved back, deftly blocking her kick, which had some power in it, which made him move back a little, but not before he tapped another pressure point near her leg, numbing a part of it before moving back once more, and then made a feint to draw her in again, and moved back and dodged, before going low and made a leg sweep, knocking off her feet, before moving back at a safe distance.

"I do believe the first point is mine, Miss... don't worry, we have all day to spar like this." He said as he settled back to his initial stance once again.

She was in serious trouble if her opponent decided he wanted more from her than a sparring match; he was several times faster than her and skilled enough to take control of a fight quickly. His earlier statement that he was a mythological creature rather than an alien hadn't done anything to reassure her; she'd met too many creatures from myth here already. On the other hand, so far he hadn't done anything when he had the chance; possibly he really was different from the other monsters. She wasn't going to bet on that, though.

Given the results of the first round, she wasn't likely to have any luck if she continued to adopt a defensive posture. While the lingering effects of his attacks would make it difficult for her to attack at her best, she couldn't wait until she recovered. Besides, an unexpected attack might give her enough of an element of surprise to take control of the second round. Almost as soon as she'd dropped into a stance, she moved towards him, feinting with a kick before striking at him with a punch.

He grinned as he saw her getting into a stance and said. "Not bad... so you finally decide to be on the offensive this time. Good... your defensive stance only invites an attack... this way you can better defend your self."

He was amused, but slightly surprised when she attacked, and then dodged the feint, and sensing that she was using the punch to try and attack him, he gently parried the punch, and then sent a light jab towards her abdomen, knocking her back just a little. He grinned to himself though, he was enjoying this spar, and when the time comes, he is going to really enjoy ravishing her... as he saw her as someone worth his time to conquer.

Susan smiled slightly; while she still hadn't managed to land a successful attack, it seemed her opponent couldn't pull off the nerve strikes while she was on the offensive. Perhaps she had a chance here.

Not wanting to give him an opportunity to press his attack after the jab, she made another attack as soon as she regained her balance. It would look more reckless than it actually was, leading off with a strike aimed at his head. That blow was a feint, as was the follow-up with her other hand aimed at his arm; the real attack was a kick to his knee. Even if that failed, with both hands free she had a chance at countering any attack he made with a throw.