Northstar Vale i'm not about to sit up here

They had already made a silent decision to dislike each other, which meant that Queenie choosing @Nathaniel wouldn't have any awkward strings attached. It always seemed to difficult to spar with friends; if one thing went wrong or one person's head was in the wrong space, it could end a relationship. With enemies or, in this case, indifferent acquaintances, there was nothing to lose. 

With the move finally complete, Queenie had planned to make an effort to better her skills as a mercenary. If the Family was ever going to make it anywhere, each soldier would have to be as capable as the next, with the Boss being in the top teir. I'm the Boss, Queenie reminded herself as she strolled through the vale, searching for Nat.

ooh bless you I desperately need trade threads <3 keeping this vague

The ex-soldier hadn't thought much about Queenie lately. He was far too preoccupied with other things-- spending time with his firebird, marking borders, brooding, patrolling, brooding. Nathaniel had a very interesting life.
He was getting ready to leave the territory when the mercenary came into view, and was suddenly reminded of his distaste for her. Nonetheless, he turned his cracked ice gaze to her with no hostility. Nat nodded a greeting to Queenie, stopping in case she wanted something from him. The miniscule, new-found respect he had for her was what kept him from glaring, from walking away. He figured it was never too late for either things if she started being rude again anyway.

It wasn't long before their gazes crossed and Nate's greeting was sounded. Queenie mimicked the nod and began to trot over to him, tail wagging behind her. Hey, she called, much less invasive than before, Wanna spar? As we all know, Queenie had never been one for casual conversation; when she had something on her mind, that was it. Looking at the other mercenary, she braced herself in case he agreed.

how do you want to do the dice rolls for this? I'm not picky on specifics

He wasn't certain what he had expected; the abruptness of her question startled him, but Nathaniel was ultimately unsurprised by the request. What other reason did she have to seek him out? Aside annoying him, but perhaps she knew he wouldn't stick around for that anymore.
"Sure." The former soldier didn't change his posture in preparation-- he never did. It was really just a habit developed out of youthful laziness, but it hadn't gotten him killed yet. Maybe if it did, he'd reconsider.
"Go on." Nathaniel invited, hanging back to allow Queenie the first move.

I like the 1-5 format, 1 being a complete miss and 5 being a perfect hit. I've got a thread up here!

Maybe Nathaniel's nonchalance had worked for him in the past, but rather than one of his cocky tactics, Queenie saw it as a clear opportunity to show him just what she was capable of. She raised a brow at his invitation before allowing a small smirk to curl up onto her lips, acting as a warning to her lunge to come. In one swift motion, Queenie was able to lift herself from the ground and halfway into the air, planting most of her weight down onto Nat's side and hopefully knocking him completely onto his side.

After the attack, hubris began to seep into Queenie's mind; in her moments of pride, she stupidly left herself completely unguarded and vulnerable.

edit: if you don't super need this for your trade, could we possibly cut this short/fade out? <3 I want to get Nathaniel's Tindómë threads wrapped up

If he came off as arrogant, Nathaniel wasn't paying enough attention to notice— in fact, he found himself oddly sluggish. Age?— lack of adrenaline, for some strange reason?— it didn't matter when Queenie slammed into him and he huffed, forced down by her weight but keeping his paws under him. The strange crouched position irritated him slightly, but not more than his own early failure. He was rusty— and that wouldn't do at all. The Rochester rose and simultaneously moved to slam his shoulder against Queenie, hoping to stun her. It was becoming clear he wasn't as fast as he used to be.

Gotcha ;)

Both of the mercenaries were succesful in their attacks, but Queenie had already known it would end up that way. Still, something about this spar was incredibly uninteresting, compared to the other ones she'd had. After being hit by Nat's bulk of a shoulder, she went down and stayed there, huffing a bored breath. You're better than I thought, she sighed, half-disappointed, before standing up and walking back toward the pack center.