<div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>The Bet</strong></span></div><br/><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/eRBwTzu.png)</div><strong>NAME:</strong>Albion<br/><strong>DAY:</strong>June 12th, 2021, Mid Afternoon<br/><strong>LOCATION:</strong>SOPHE, Training Grounds<br/><strong>TAGGING:</strong>Nerissa<br/><strong>EXTRA:</strong>The Nutcracker has been delivered<br/><strong>WEARING:</strong>As pictured<br/><br/><hr/><br/>At some point during the flurry, Albion did not become aware of the state he had put Nerissa into. He only assumed she had been focusing so much that she was trying to do her hardest to keep the memory while striking him. Soon even hits to the hands began to give him pause as the sensation of dull pain radiating began to run up his arms. Yet she had been too lost in the moment to see his hands faltering, and switching to using his forearms to catch her attacks.<br/><br/><em>'Oh no... Maybe I pushed her too hard?'</em>The worry was evident on his face, brows quirking at moments where her torrent of attacks refused to let up, which gave no time for the pain to leave his body before she was adding more ontop of it. It seemed there was a layer of ferocity in Nerissa that could rival... No, surpass his own from his youth. The times he struggled hard to forget, he had perhaps forced her to endure. It was wrong of him, and now these were the consequences he was dealing with.<br/><br/>Soon, not even his arms and legs were her only targets anymore. His shoulders, ankles, often his chest became targets of her ire. He tried to keep up a smile, to assure her everything was alright, but everything most certainly was not. He was definitely going to feel this later, to say nothing of tomorrow. More kicks unleashed themselves upon his legs, and eventually he just could not afford to maintain his former anymore. Faltering, his arms fell as he took a hit square to the jaw and began to take a kneel when the final kick lashed... Right for the critical point. All he could do was move the most resistant hand he could to try and catch her leg as he fell  and though he managed to catch it's full force, there was still contact made, which drew a cough and a wince out of him.<br/><br/>"I... I think I have a better understanding, and appreciation, of your power..." the white haired male spoke through quiet breaths as he tried to do anything he could to mitigate the radiating pain all over his body. He even tasted a bit of blood in his mouth, but he couldn't scare her with those details, not when she looked horrified already at hurting him. Yet she was still aware enough to ask for a hug, as he let out a pained laugh. "H-hahah... Before I give you a hug, I think I need painkillers... J-Just a moment..." He breathed, letting his head hang, but Nerissa had come in for the hug anyway. It was what she deserved for what he put her through, and so at least willed his left arm up to curl around her back, burying his face against her midsection.<br/><br/><em>'Comfortable...'</em><br/><br/>He knew he couldn't stay like this for long, it was embarrassing enough... Though not as much as when he heard her ask him to... Lick her neck? He flushed red, wondering why she could ask such a thing at this time, as he lifted his head to loon at her. "Neri... Come on, now, that's inappropriate. You know I can't do that..." He frowned, guiding his left hand up to her head to pet gently. This was his friend... He couldn't do something like that to her.<br/><br/>He couldn't get her involved with the myriad of problems in his life. Not like back then.