As Swift as the Coursing River

Roman strolled into the amphitheatre, his sword comfortably heavy in his hand. He looked up at the clear summer sky, taking in the sun's warmth as it heated up the cracked, old stone beneath him. He leapt up onto one of the steps, facing an invisible opponent.

He pretended to swipe at it, stepping back nimbly as the imaginary sword slashed towards him. Roman dropped his hand and sat down. It just wasn't fun when you were all by yourself.

He sighed and stood up again. He twirled the sword around absentmindedly, looking up at the sky once again.

(OOC: May I..?)


Liddy was presently in control, though, she hadn't bothered to change from Kendera's form. It wasn't any effort, really, Liddy just didn't particularly care. The amphitheatre being one of her favorite places, the girl was seated on the ledge of the lowest rise when Roman entered the arena below.

She smirked, mildly amused.

"You should request permission to use some of the training dummies," she suggested. "Or get one of your classmates to practice with you. I'd offer to practice with you, but I have absolutely no interest in swordplay." Her voice mimicked Kendera's manner of speech perfectly, lacking its usual German accent. Liddy always tried to adhere to Kendera's neutral accent when wearing her primary's appearance.

The girl swung her legs idly back and forth. "We've avoided the magical binding," she stated off-handedly. Liddy was rather more talkative than Kendera. "I'm a bit surprised, really. My grandmother is usually more cautious than that."


((* I'm thinking betrothals in the magical world are both written and/or spoken agreements as well as magically bound, making them harder to break))

Standing at the top of the steps of the amphitheatre Ciar directed her gaze downwards and took in the sight of the younger boy sparring with an invisible partner. His form needed some work, but then again an invisible opponent was never good for form. Stepping silently from bench to bench, in soft leather shod feet, the Irish teen made her way down to where the boy was. She glanced at the girl sitting at one of the lower areas. Ciar didn't recognize her and so kept on her course.

As she got closer she recognized him as a fellow Hrabrost. He was younger than her by a couple years or so. The teen heard the other girl's words and smirked. Well they could both get a lesson now couldn't they. Ciar knew plenty about swordplay and plenty about magical binding and magical law. She took the opportunity while he was looking up at the sky to slip into range, drawing her right hand dagger at the same time. With a quick, decisive move she stopped the twirling blade against her weapon. Quirking an eyebrow Ciar commented, "Now what would have happened to you if I had been an enemy, Ritter? You'd be in a bit of a situation, wouldn't you."

It was rather interesting to see how people reacted to her voice lacking it's usual iciness or degrading words. The Irish teen wasn't the best dueler in the Emerald Isles by making people feel good about themselves and it was unusual for her to not to use insults to teach.

((OOC- Of course. ))

Roman jumped a little when he heard Kendera's voice, breaking his state of semi-meditation. He shrugged, "At least my imagination tries to fight back. Dummies just stand there. It's creepy to say the least."

He let out a sigh of relief. At least now he had something of a chance, but even that seemed unlikely, "Knowing my parents, they've probably just found a more 'socially acceptable' way to seal our fates."

Roman gave a surprised smile when his movements were intercepted by a daggar. Normally, he would've been ticked off that someone if someone tried to give him a lesson in combat, but he hadn't had a real opponent since his parents cut off his lessons as punishment for his "bad behavior" at Kendera's, it would've been a waste not to go along with it.

"Is that a challenge?" He said, not bothering to try and raise his eyebrow in return. For some reason he could never do that. Roman recognized the girl from a couple of his classes last year, and he watched her fight enough to know she was no novice at this.

"Because you may want to rethink it," he said, lightly pushing her daggar aside with the flat side of his blade. This was gonna be fun.

Liddy smirked - something Kendera wasn't really prone to do - amused both by his being startled as well as his simplistic interpretation of her words.

"Dummies can be spelled to fight back," she reminded him. It spoke volumes to her current mood that her tone wasn't condescending.

The girl shrugged. "Perhaps they think we will 'come to our senses'? Most likely, my grandmother couldn't be bothered to force a binding, just yet. She's been trying to have me betrothed since I was a first year."

Liddy was not surprised by the older girl's appearance. Not a lot was missed by someone who had learned to be aware of her surroundings or face punishment she did not deserve. She watched with a sort of idly interest, swinging her back and forth, some more.

Roman shrugged, "I guess, but they still creep me out." He frowned, "Not as much as dolls, though. Dolls are the worst."

He shook his head with a small smirk, "Somehow I don't find that surprising at all. Don't tell anyone this... but... you're Grandma is genuinely scary. She's like an older, meaner version of my mom, and my mom is already pretty scary."

He turned back to Ciar, his blade at the ready.

Ciar smirked. "It could have been," she replied. "Are you willing to test your luck against the best duelist in the Emerald Isles though?" With an oddly chilling cheerful laugh the teen twirled away, black hair swirling about her head. When she stopped on the step roughly four feet from him she stood with one foot forward, the other slightly back and just on the edge of the step. Watching the boy with interest as he spoke to the girl she drew her second dagger.

"I assure you, Ritter," Ciar said almost teasingly with a smirk, "you're going to need all your training, skill, and luck if you hope to have any chance against me. Men far older than you have found themselves helpless at my feet." She slid her foot out slightly more and crouched down slightly. "Do you think you stand a chance, boy?"

Roman's mouth twisted into a devilish smile, "Well, we're never going to know that if we stand here talking all day." Mimicking her laugh, he slid his feet into position, "And I have no intention of doing that."

Although he was reluctant to be the first to attack, he was itching to get this fight started. So without another word, he stepped nimbly forward, his blad swinging lethally through the air.

Ciar's face slid smoothly from one of fun and teasing to a serious, emotionless warrior's face as her feet began moving seemingly on their own accord as she twirled backwards, gracefully avoiding the swinging blade. She clanged both her daggers off Ritter's sword allowing a small glint of mischievousness to enter her grey eyes.

Her movements lithe as a cat's but as precise as a bird on the wing Ciar leapt lightly to the next higher line of seats, soft leather boots making little to no noise as she landed. Her movements were smooth and flowing, like those of a dancers but the way she held herself and the confident way she moved her left dagger to slice at Ritter's front and her right to jab at his neck left no doubt as to the level of her weapons expertise. A warrior engaged in battle.

Roman tracked Ciar's movements with alert, attentive eyes. As she leapt up onto the higher step, a piece of his brain clicked into place, and he heard the voice of Professor Huber in his head,

Remember Ritter, what do you have when you're opponent has the higher ground?

He parried the blade aimed toward his neck and leapt away from the other one, using the lower step to allow him to duck under it. He spun up and ran in an arch up the next two steps, meeting Ciar front to front.

He jabbed with the point of his blade, his feet stepping lightly forward, then began to bring it around in a curve until he made a slash for her feet.