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Post by Arwen on Jun 8, 2005 16:19:44 GMT -5
Swish… Swish… Swish... Thunk. “Mmph…” Wonderful. Her sword was now stuck in the tree. She hadn’t meant to swing the blade that hard… Oh well, she would find a way to pull it out later. Trotting over to the weapons rack, she trailed her fingertips over varied hilts: a broadsword here, a two-handed sword of a weight she would probably never be able to wield properly, a set of older daggers, a cutlass, backswords… Hmm…
She finally selected a lightweight sword and slashed it through the air a few times to get used to the feel, then dropped it to pull her hair hastily into a knot on top of her head—it had fallen out a few minutes before whilst she was still in her violent battle with the tree. Perhaps another soul would come around. Some practice with another human—or elf rather—would be much treasured at the moment. How long had it been since she’d had a human partner?
She spread her legs slightly and bent them, placing herself in a decent fighting stance before advancing upon an invisible target and swinging the sword through the air madly, the elven maid becoming naught but a blur of tan clothing as she twisted and turned.
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Post by Elladan on Jun 8, 2005 16:34:37 GMT -5
Suddenly a blade struck against her own, clashing with a vague chuckle. Cyrus drew away, knees bent appropriately, sword at the ready, swirling dauntingly at his will.
"It this yours?" he jested, glancing over at the tree, notched where her sword had previously been lodged. His smile was subtle, challenging, spirited, ready for a good row. He stood upright again, walking around like a wild panther judging the best angle of attack, pausing where he thought it most advantagous.
"Ready?"
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Post by Arwen on Jun 8, 2005 16:40:46 GMT -5
Lomadia fought the urge to leap backward in surprise when the blade clashed against hers, but her eyes did glance at him in start, body frozen mid-pirouette. Her eyes followed his to the notch in the tree, and she managed a nonchalant smile. "Why yes it is--thank you for retrieving it for me, kind sir! I would rather appreciate it back, however, as you, being a man, will insist, I will have to win it back. Therefore--"
She replaced the lightweight blade for one more convenient for this type of battle, a one handed, slightly curved longsword, after which action she dipped into a slight lunge, and taking the initiative, rushed at his left side. She was indeed one to study the mind, and she knew well enough that the left side would bypass the logical side of his brain, and perhaps delay his reaction. And, when sparring a taller man with a longer reach and more weight, one needs all the advantage they can get, right? "I will be honoured to snatch that sword right back out of your hand!"
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Post by Elladan on Jun 8, 2005 21:09:27 GMT -5
He lept back, parrying swiftly, then went for a reprise- not before, of course, letting one quick, comic bow recite his humor. He attacked at the shoulder just to warm up, then jolted back once again.
" And I'll be honoured to give you both," his eyes lit with the fiery charm of a pheonix, inticiting her next strike. His hair had already been tied back, leaving only that smile-creased visage for show, dimpling inadvertantly, tanned by the sun and shadowed by mortality. He was, after all, only half elf, cheating death only by time.
"Methinks, at least. How about a round, loser buy-- Oh, but wait," he paused, considering her gender, "Perhaps not," he smiled subtley, eyes sparkling.
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Post by Arwen on Jun 8, 2005 21:25:51 GMT -5
She dodged with the agility and grace of any elf as he swung for her shoulder, then ducked to the side to seek an opening before realizing that there was not one. He was a fair fighter indeed. This spar would be a long one, if she did not falter, as she well might having not participated in a true spar in a long while.
"Someone has very cute dimples," she stated almost matter-of-factly, eyes teasing as her medium-brown brows (the same shade as her hair) lifted high on her forehead. She took to holding the sword two-handed a few moments, circling swiftly before holding her left hand out for balance and rushing forward forward for her next attack.
"What were you begining to say?" she asked quickly after missing her attack altogether, but moving away quickly enough to avoid any riposte from the fellow. "The name's Lomadia, by the way."
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Post by Elladan on Jun 8, 2005 22:17:02 GMT -5
He restrained a slight blush with a mild laugh, "Now you sound like my grandmother. Just avoid the cheek pinching ordeal, " he feined a wince for effect/affect( I'm having a gramatically challanged moment.)
"And I," continued he, chuckling as she gathered herself after missing him completely, tapping her lightly on the head with the flat of his sword, "am Cyrus, proposing that the loser buys a round of Avalbanian rum, though you might prefer something... milder," his voice took one of those taunting, pesky little ' I dare you to' tones, finished off by a pearlesent flash of white from that roguish grin adopted by many youth of mirth and laugther.
He hesitated a moment, calculating, then lunged forth, just gracing her thigh, and retracted with satisfation.
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Post by Arwen on Jun 10, 2005 16:45:24 GMT -5
"Hmm..."
She had parried a little late on that last attack, caught up in thoughts of a reply, however she moved so that it was the flat of the blade only that touched her again. The place on her head smarted slightly, though she knew that smarting was only in her mind. If she were a more feminine woman, she might have thought he to be a flirt, however she was locked into the battle as of this moment, and the thought of a good draught.
"Ah, m'lord, a rum would be nice. How about this. I win this spar... You buy the rum. I lose... You buy the rum! You are, after, the gentleman, nay? You would surely not have a woman pay for your drink?"
She was certainly not a foolish one--she knew why his original challenge had been cut short. She lifted her brows again, then spun toward him, knees bent, arm outstretched--
And stopped in a well trained lunge/squat, blade not inches away from his torso in such a position that one without strong thighs and calves alike, and flexible hips at that would not have been able to hold, or even hope to; one that a man might have used to flaunt his finesse for a lady, and she used to flaunt before a man, or not really flaunt, but surely to show that she was not playing games. A challenge was in the tense manner her left arm was held parallel to the ground, and she moved not, not even when her legs felt weak, not to shake at all; nothing showed a weakness. Good, let him think that she had none. A wry smile quirked at the corner of her lips, and those same, challenging dark eyes locked with his.
"Your move, sir."
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Post by Elladan on Jun 10, 2005 21:17:19 GMT -5
His brows rose extensively, muscles twitching about at his face, unsure of what expression to take. He glanced down at the tip of the sword, lips immovable, wanting to laugh, but thinking better of it. He was still, silent as a buck in the meadow who had sensed a presence or heard the faintest of rustles, ready to run.
“I imagine so, m’lady” he said, swirling her sword away with his own, forcing it to be thrown back from such a threatening position to himself. A simple, effective gesture.
“Ready?” He now took the proper stance, pointing the blade at her, then twisted about, circling in his own turn, coming down with a force that, if she did not parry, may prove deadly. Well, if she was making him pay, she’d better earn it.
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Post by Arwen on Jun 10, 2005 21:27:06 GMT -5
Barely did she move after he readied himself again even. She shifted her upper body back slightly and rose up even less so, having calmly left the blade in the uncomfortable position he had pushed it in to, watching his movements with still raised, deep brown brows until he swung forward in the described way, at which she sprang in to action, swinging the blade in a wide arc and upward before pressing her hand to the flat of the blade and standing, shoving upward on his blade with her own and all of the strength she had, eyes leveling with hers as she lept into the air, prepared to change the direction of her jump if he managed to catch himself before she could throw his arms far enough in to the air to remove herself from the danger of the sharp blade--and she knew how sharp it was, she'd been using it only a few minutes before.
"I am always ready, m'lord," she hissed into his face before angling the blade to the side.
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Post by Elladan on Jun 10, 2005 22:00:13 GMT -5
He bared his teeth, eyes lit with still with that fiery light, blazing in their many genetically exotic hues, majestic and charming. Unfortunately for her, men as young and energetic as he tired little in duels, possessing that wonderful vigor of youth that reddens faces in love and war. Unfortunately for him, she was full blooded elf, and might never tire.
"I'm glad," he muttered through his defense before pushing her blade aside with all his might, quickly swinging his own to the left in a wide semi-circle, going for a new attack.. His feet moved upon instinct, falling elegantly into position. His mass allowed a decent advantage over her, yet oft the smaller ones proved more agile. He cautioned himself against this new idea, a logical concept, but such concepts were often the ones overlooked until later.
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Post by Arwen on Jun 10, 2005 22:21:00 GMT -5
She was indeed ready for this next attack, and angled her blade quickly downward to parry, and slammed the blades together even more heavily than the last time. This spar was wearying indeed. She'd pulled a few too many energy spending tricks for this to go on much longer yet, but it seemed it would. Breathing heavily through her teeth, she sized up his position, legs slightly spread... Could she possibly fit through there? Of course! And with room to spare...
This time she raised only one brow, ducking slightly, then dove--legs first, straight through his spread and firmly planted legs. As soon as she was out the other side, she spun rather quickly on her back and kicked her legs up, digging them into the backs of his knees, rolling quickly again out of the way when this action was completed, an action that would have him falling backwards, and hopefully not only on his half-blood rear, but on his backwhere she could have him won. Either way, she would have him at a disadvantage, even as she stood again.
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Post by Elladan on Jun 11, 2005 12:26:30 GMT -5
He landed with an "Omph!" almost falling onto his back, but catching himself with a free hand. It only took a moment to recover, flipping up, brushing himself off and brushing the strands of auburn hair that had fallen.
"You want to play rough, then?"
He wielded his sword, smiling with that roguish charm, positioning himself appropriately, then took a swing for her, yet the blade never fell entirely. He spun the blade at the hilt, switching his angle of attack, went in that direction, hoping maybe to trick her.
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Post by Arwen on Jun 11, 2005 13:05:14 GMT -5
"Oh!"
He had indeed tricked her, despite the careful way she continued to examine his actions--she had caught on as soon as his arms began to hint at the change of direction, tensing slightly more, and her parry did not completely find its mark. She managed to recover quickly though, and lept up for an easy attack in response to the angle that his blade was currently in. Perhaps... Ah, no! Foul leg, slashed right across the side in that neat little cut, her jump did not work out quite as well as she might have hoped, and aimed a touch too low. Well, she quickly dodged to the side, lips pursed as she gazed at him with fiery brown eyes, shaking her head slightly as she sized him up again.
“A good move, sir, but you won’t be pulling many more like that on me!”
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Post by Elladan on Jun 11, 2005 22:08:13 GMT -5
"Well, that was rather impressive," he thought as she parried, relaxing as she jolted to the side. She was quick, that was certain, and jumpy; his rear still throbbed from that lesson. He shrugged nonchalantly, phoenix eyes focusing on her burning browns,
" An eye for an eye. Don’t worry, I’ll be watching out for you as well, you viper,"
The audacity of the man was inexcusably daring, but he knew he could make up for it later. He was, after all, quite charming, and rather knightly if you knew him better. He was chuckling now, of course. He had to chuckle. It was a vent for the natural born clown, though some perceived it rude of him.
“You pay in blood, I see,” he winked, readying his, or rather her sword, ”Your move, my lady,”
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Post by Arwen on Jun 12, 2005 7:50:52 GMT -5
"A viper I may be, and if this is what you think of me, a viper I will stay. If it is what you wish, I shall be as soundless and as stealthy, and you shall be bloodied by my fangs before you know what hit you! When we are done with this spar, have a look at the base of the hilt of my sword and see what it is called when used properly. But first, prepare to taste my venom! A little blood is naught on my mind, for a snake may continue to writhe and fight even after he has lost his head."
She swung her blade and copied his former trick of changing direction. As it came in from the one side, she quickly dipped the light blade down and up from the other. At the same time, she gripped the blade with two hands so that at his sign of parry or riposte (considering his reach was longer, despite that they were quite close enough together for her attack to land) she might angle the blade to take his blow just at the hilt.
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Post by Elladan on Jun 12, 2005 14:49:02 GMT -5
As it was, he parried, and her blade fell neatly upon the hilt of his own with a silvery ring.
"A viper," he managed to utter through the parry, holding his blade to pause the fight a moment for his words, "is indeed what I wish, elsewise this duel may end quickly."
He repeated the action he had done earlier; throwing the blade away from him by spinning his own, smiling as he did so. It could be assumed that he always would.
He rushed at her, spining deftly, then brought the blade down hard. H At the moment he couldn't think of any dashing tricks he could pull, so he went for something impressive instead.
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Post by Arwen on Jun 12, 2005 20:00:49 GMT -5
She quickly parried his next attack, but just barely--not really for lack of speed, much more for the simple fact that he was stronger. This was his one true advantage--that of his reach could be sidestepped, it was that raw strength and power that would lead to her loss if she was not careful. But pure lightweight agility had its abilities too, and he had a smaller target with her lithe, slim form.
Lomadia was, despite her elven heritage, sheened with sweat on all bare flesh, and her breathing was becoming slightly more labored. When she stood still a moment, her injured leg shook slightly, so she kept active, no longer pausing to size him up, but continuously circling. This was growing quite tiring. If she could just get that sword out of his hand...
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Post by Elladan on Jun 13, 2005 22:34:25 GMT -5
Cyrus lowered his sword slightly, brow raising in question.
"I may be tough, but I keep my chivalry. Need you a rest, or a bandage?"
He cast a glance over at the wound he had previously inflicted, eyes almost ashamed for wounding a woman. He was, after all, stronger, perhaps better practiced. What would his father have said? Then again, he was paying for that drink, and she seemed axious to do battle.
"Then again, you still have your bite, and a viper, even if weary of striking, is still venemous, therefore dangerous..." he smiled, eyes glittering.
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Post by Arwen on Jun 13, 2005 22:43:55 GMT -5
She nearly attacked him while his guard was gone, but she was more chivalrous than that herself. She lowered her own blade, but continued to move in a slow circle, steping in front of and behind the other foot, crisscrossing as she walked on her toes, sword pointed to the ground, however at the ready. She breathed softly through her nose, gazing at him with those fiery brown eyes still focused. "I would think it were you who should need a rest, half-blood," she mocked good naturedly, the tart, but certainly not illnatured sarcasm eminent in her voice as she brushed a bit of hair that had come loose back again, grimacing slightly. "My wound is not bad, and you need not be sexist, milord, I will have you yet if it's the last thing I do before hitting the ground."
With that, she raised her blade again and charged before he was at the ready. Vipers were not chivalrous. Vipers attacked when the time was right, and she had the chance now, though he would no doubt be perfectly capable of parrying.
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Post by Elladan on Jun 14, 2005 21:29:49 GMT -5
He was, of course, perfectly capable of parrying, but the force of her atack had surprised him a bitcausing him to step back and land incorrectly on his ankle. Nevertheless, he sprung back into the action, adrenaline running thorugh his veins, teeth barred, eyes livid, and swung upon her fiercely.
"Alas that I had not a garden snake upon my hands," he exclaimed, laughing albeit his pain, which hit him only just now, as adrenaline had delayed the reaction.
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