Training an Incompetent

Barbara Gordon, soon to be the New Red X, was on her knees, her head down and hair falling over her shoulders as she breathed hard. She was at the feet of Slade, her one and only Master, and she had not been pleasing him.

His anger nearly seeped into her bones, as much as from her own imagination as from his true anger. She wanted so badly to please him, but she continued to anger him at nearly every move thus far. She looked up at him where she had fallen to her knees with pleading eyes.

"Please, Slade, I'm trying. I want so badly to please you, I'm just-" She didn't even finish the sentence, jumping out of arms reach before he swung at her. She anticipated the move out of fear, and decided she had best keep her distance.

Slade moved in on her, bo staff clutched tightly in one hand as he advanced on her. Around them the room was barren as the interrogation room before, and they were both dressed as before. She nude, and wearing his control bands, he in his body armor. He had given her no weapon for this initial test, but had left such matters to her own divestment. To his muted delight she had stolen a collapsible bo staff from him, though it now lay aside, knocked from her grip.

He moved closer, speaking in a low and dangerous voice.

"You may not call me Slade slave. You shall call me Master. Is that clear, or do I need to instruct you in That as well?"

Barbara was quick to jump out of the way, yelping, and doing a flip towards her staff, she quickly grabbed it.

"Yes Master, forgive me." Her words were quick, like her breath, as she moved to flip away, but she was afraid her moment of hesitation to answer him and moved quickly, stumbling some. It took her only a moment to gather herself, but then her movements were off and as she turned back to face him and realized se was too close to him.

He stepped into her space, backhanding her roughly away from him, holding firm to his staff at the same time.

"Foolish. None may take my weapons without my bidding. Particularly while I am using them. Doing so once was amusing to me, and smart. Twice? That, my dear is a mistake of the highest order."

Barbara yelped and fell back, cowering for a moment before rolling back onto her feet. She looked at the staff half-heartedly and wished she had been faster. Instead she decided to do the stupid- in hopes of surprising him- and charged at him. She knew that knocking his staff from his hands would be painful, but at least she would feel better about having been hit in the first place.

"If I can't take your weapon, Master, then how do I know that I can take any other opponents weapon."

As he made contact with his staff she made a sweeping kick at his legs.

The kick to his legs knocked him backwards, but he rolled to it, coming easily to his feet, and drawing katana from a sheath at his back, holding up for her to see in the bright light.

"Because they Have weapons my dear, and I Am a weapon. Unarmed I am still more dangerous than any man. Armed, I can face any foe and emerge victorious. All you gain by facing me under those terms is learning how to lose."

Barbara backed up, reassessing the situation.. This would be a damned good time to run if there was anywhere to run. Instead she picked up his bo staff and charged at him again to try and knock him off guard.

"Then I guess I will have to learn how to destroy the weapon itself, Master."

He brought his arm up, deflecting the blow with his own for-arm and then gesturing for her to stop before he spoke, his voice firm, but cold

"That