Tell Me

Aina didn't need a second warning. Her gaze flickered, her muscles reacting on instinct. Her mind flashed back to the flick of Leonel's father's finger. A single action changed the trajectory of an attack that had her everything behind it with what was seemingly minimal effort. The key wasn't to try to reverse everything at once, but rather to apply pressure in a new, easier direction. 

Well, maybe this was how Leonel would have broken things down. But to Aina, she only needed to see it once and it was already seamlessly incorporated into her battle style. She didn't need to think, she only needed to react. 

Her ax's arc shifted only the slightest bit, missing its intended target and swinging down and back. In one smooth motion, all of her forward momentum was suddenly pushed in a new direction, sending her body retreating even faster than it had been coming forward.