Making friends and throwing punches.

[ThatPolishDude]

Huan could tell that she struck a nerve with her question, hearing the frustration in the reply, still, it felt more like Alice wanted to talk more about that even if she was quick to change the subject. "I know a thing or two." Huan replied to the last question with a slight smile as they circled before going in for an elbow-collar tie-up, taking the question as a sort of invitation

"You don't sound ordinary, and your work seems really stressful, to be honest" Huan returned to the previous topic as they got close, trying to coax more out of Alice as it seemed she needed to vent at least a little. That being said she would not just stand there after engaging a tie-up. First, she would go to pull at the back of Alice's neck while attempting to push her arm to the side as if to break her posture. That was however only a ploy to make Alice focus on her upper body as Huan would quickly break the hold she had and move down for a single-leg takedown.

[Hagen-Autem]

Alice was naturally wary of intimate conversations.

"No more than you would expect" She rebutted the other woman's last statement. She agreed to make the link and, bent on also trying to pull Huan Lei's head as much as she did Alice's, did not read the situation she was being planted in.

Perhaps it was because her concentration was targeted on her duties or because she was not seeking to protect herself as much as she would the brawlers under her wing, but the situation was drawn as Huan wanted, breaking part of the necklace to go for Alice's light leg and bring this to the grappling. Were it not for the fact that Alice wasn't that clueless.

She narrowed her eyes and immediately extended her trapped leg to hook it over Huan's crotch and seek to balance on the other leg while pushing Huan's head to the side. If she can accommodate her, Alice would conclude the counter-attack by slipping one arm under Huan's armpit and the other between hers legs to locked hands together under the other woman and drop backwards to lock Huan in a headfirst position and with one leg hooked between Alice's legs. "Holds are definitely your hallmark, aren't they?"

Spoiler

[ThatPolishDude]

Huan certainly did not expect such a swift response to the takedown as she fell right into Alice's hold, gasping in surprise. "A bit, though kicks and chokes are what I'm known for." She replied in a somewhat strained voice as the hold while not painful, was not comfortable either. To get out of her predicament, Huan first grabbed Alice's hands, digging her fingers in between hers to force her hands to release. Then she would plant one hand on the mat and push along with swinging her bodyweight back to land in Alice's Half guard from where she would scramble up to the mount and pin her opponent's arms.

"Still, I feel like you are stressing about that work of yours. I don't mind being vented to on the mats, I don't know any of the people you would speak of anyway." She said looking down at her sparring partner before raising up a little, still holding her wrists before valiantly pulling them to the left to create an opening for her elbow strike.

[Hagen-Autem]

Alice did not have such a powerful hand lock, and Huan emphasised this by inserting one of hers hands into it to open the hold and turn things over.

"I knew you were direct, but I didn't know you liked to talk so much," she scolded, buying time to find the most effective way to get her off hers system. She has to accommodate the gap of strength in her favour and break that position.

But before she could articulate a full sentence to distract her, Huan elbowed her in the chest, causing her to sputter and grit her teeth. What made it worse was that she delivered it without releasing her wrists. However, before she went for a second punch. The woman tensed hers arm, resisting the ex-MMA's strength and then took advantage of that scuffle to pump a knee to her back to force hers to stand on hers own hands, releasing her in the process and being able to begin her escape by clinging to hers waist in a tenacious embrace.

"Thanks, but if work was the problem, I'd have quit by now." She won't deny that she wishes she could keep things better to herself, but she also admits that this proposal Huan made to her is quite tempting. "How about you show me some of those chokes,I let off steam in the sparr and we talk about our lives over breakfast, mh?"

Alice arched up towards the ceiling to manifest all her strength in her legs and back to flip its half-guard and get on top of Huan, with the ex-MMA's legs on either side of her waist. It was difficult to hold them back, but if she could prevent her from escaping, she would throw a few blows with the edge of her hand to hers head to force her to cover herself and to be able to have the opportunity to turn to one side to catch it in a Boston crab and to be able to put pressure on hers legs by bending them backwards.

[ThatPolishDude]

"Deal!" Huan replied to Alice right before the other women began her attempt at getting free. It was rather effective and being flipped around wasn't the end of the world given Huan's experience with wrestling, as she would cut Alice's attempts at a hold short by wrapping her around her body, higher than usual guard would be, as she had her legs around the other woman's chest.

Given that position, it was natural to try a certain choke that Alice so recently asked to be shown. Huan would grab one of Alice's arms and pull to keep her in place while she unwrapped one leg from its position and whipped it over her opponent's shoulder and behind her to lock with the other leg for a triangle choke. After that was in place she would move Alice's hand to the side and hold it there with one of her own to keep her from attempting to use a slam as a counter while her other hand moved to the back of her head to pull down, deepening the choke.

[Hagen-Autem]

At that moment Alice could have cursed as she clenched teeth and sent her free hand immediately to the knee on her neck to force the scissors open. Huan was definitely a pain in the ass when he's on the ground.

If she faltered in any one thing, Huan Lei was going to take advantage of it to dominate her and guide this into her domain. And Alice liked that because, although her face gesticulated the effort it takes to overcome a well-placed choke by Huan Lei, there was a genuine passion in facing someone of whom she could learn and have a real sparring.

As Huan tugged her head deeper into the restraint, the secretary had no choice but to control her breathing and push her body forward to get on top of Huan, levering with her restrained arm and reaching for Huan's neck to pull it.

It is a position that, if done well, would put a lot of pressure on the cervical area. And Alice hoped that the situation already set up would make Huan let go of her arm to try some counter-measure, and there, when the ex-MMA did that, the secretary bring that hand also to hers neck to close the submission. Although Alice wouldn't exert as much pressure as in a real match either, is also not as far-fetched as the equipment it has to support, she would just try to hold her position and resist until she could get the other woman to tap or teach her another trick.

Spoiler

[ThatPolishDude]

Alice was certainly a tenacious fighter as she continued to struggle and shift, forcing Huan's body to contort in a less then comfortable way. This wasn't however a move without the possibility of being exploited as she could use her new position to generate more force in what she was about to do to get free.

First, her hands moved to the other women's shoulders as he also pulled her down, it momentarily made the discomfort of the hold greater but not for long as she unwrapped her legs from the other woman, planting them on her stomach before pulling her further down while pushing off with her legs to lunch her overhead into something akin to a monkey flip. With that done she would quickly get up to her feet and face her opponent again.

[Hagen-Autem]

Alice rolled through the air and onto the canvas in Huan's favour. The distance between them now gave a breathing space to cool down, yes; but Huan was already charging at her and the brunette was no slouch in the sparr either: Alice was squatting down, assessed her companion and before Huan was on top of her again, she got back with an her feet on impulse and attacked her with the same impetus, tackling her with thrust kicks to try and keep her at bay as they moved around the octagon, looking for the moment...

The practice was still to try out the more experienced fighter's new gloves, but the point of these encounters is to practice a move or two and the secretary had a kick in mind that can rehearse now. But first, she has to try to keep a constant distance between her and Huan...

"Correct me if I'm wrong, maybe I'm getting carried away, but it seems to me that you are getting excited or is it just me?"

[ThatPolishDude]

Huan managed to get back before the kicks got her, then smiled at the comment, noticing that Alice seemed to be cooking something up. Well, that's what sparrings are for so she would entertain that, slowly getting closer so the secretary could get her at the right distance for whatever it was she had been wanting to try, still weary and ready to defend against it of course.

"Every time I get to roll like this I get excited."

[Hagen-Autem]

Alice was panting covertly; she had managed to regulate her breathing and keep her mind cool to every move, stance, defence and attack she gave and received to avoid unnecessary wear and tear, but she was getting carried away and Alice can't deny that. Even more so when Huan interpreted her intentions and encouraging her to try what she was planning.

She kept a tight smile behind that defence of hers, complicit in Huan's response. "That's good because it would have been tragic if only one of us was having fun here," she completed before taking a lateral stance, preparing to perform that experimental kick. And when the other brunette got close enough, the secretary stomped her front foot. Among wrestlers that's usually a taunt, but here, it was a way of saying that at that distance he was fine and to get ready. Alice wasn't going to hold back.

Because in a split second, Alice would suddenly take a breath, temper her abdomen and leap towards her as she spun in the air to unleash every drop of strength she had accumulated in a high roundhouse kick against the Huan's arms; was putting everything into removing those arms from the front with a hook of her foot to destabilise Huan Lei and form a window in her, if successful, to use what was left of her strength to ram her with her shoulder and pass one arm between hers legs and with the other grab a bicep from Huan to do a Judo throw. Although if it goes that far, Huan's weight and the fatigue her own body carries would not make the move very effective.

Spoiler