Pepper chuckles a little, shaking her head. "I promise," she vows magnanimously, making sure she's all set before returning to the mat, taking her place opposite of him, rolling her shoulders a little to loosen them.

"I'll be gentle, if that's what you're worried about," she volleys back with a tiny smirk of her own, blue eyes gleaming with good humor even as she raises her hands into position and widens her stance, taking a deep breath in. With a nod to signal him it's now officially on, her smile twitches indicatively a second before she makes the first move, telegraphing the jab to his side some degree -- she does try to be as good as her word, after all.