Fighting (Mainly Skipp, but Open)

[Grath]

"You got me, sah." Eli's words were bitter and resentful. "One t'one now, eh?" She rubbed the blood from her paw onto her tunic.

"Aye, missie, an' I'll bloody well get ye again!"

"Well, ye won' get me again, sirrah!"

Eli's saber-tip moved just a fraction of a second before she made her charge, Aidan moved his sword into position, but she swerved around him, probably hoping to out-pace him.

He spun on his heel, there was no such thing as slow reflexes for him, if he was slow he was dead. His sword flashed in a serpentine, his body contorted, and he was unscathed. He pressed forward, saber flicking at ears, shoulders, a quick slice at her legs. This would end soon.

[]

[Elicia]

((Agreed! ^^))

Eli watched with still-large eyes Aidan's performance. She was slightly annoyed that he kept avoiding her and slightly impressed that he kept avoiding her. However, she soon threw herself back into the battle. Aidan sliced at her ears, and Eli bent her head backwards to save the two long appendages. He sliced at her shoulders, and she leaned back further, almost losing her balance-almost, but not quite. She caught herself with a quick step backwards, making it look as though she had meant to do it all along.

He attacked again, this time aiming for Eli's long, lanky legs. She gritted her teeth as her opponent's saber came swishing through the air. For a split second, Eli considered jumping out of the way, but that was out of the question. Since she had not used her saber in the previous two dodges, she swung it around to meet and parry the final swing.

"Not that fast, sirrah!" Eli smiled grimly at Aidan. "I'm not bloody well done yet!"

Eli took one, two, three quick steps to her left and thrust the saber straight forward, then brought it swinging down in a giant 'U', aiming for Aidan's upper legs or torso-whatever came in contact with her blade first. The swing was aided by gravity, and shot downwards like it had suddenly gained too much weight for Elicia to keep it aloft.

Somewhere in the back of her mind Elicia noted that this was a set of positions that she had been wanting to try out, but hadn't gotten the chance. It was of her own design, really, based off of a clumsy new recruit who, too tired to keep fighting, let his sword drop suddenly and nicked his friend a good one on the leg. Eli somehow managed to find time to find the origins of her current attack rather ironic, but forgot about that almost immediately.

[Grath]

"Not that fast, sirrah!" Eli smiled grimly at Aidan. "I'm not bloody well done yet!"

"Good, young'un!" Aidan gritted, blocking her overhand blow with his saber. She brought the saber down with force, and he had to brace himself well. Suddenly the weight was gone, and thrown off balance, he drove his sword at her shoulder. A controlled motion that could have severed the arm served only to pierce the skin once on each shoulder.

It was only then that the brigadier realized blood was running down his leg from a short gash in his upper thigh. Raising a brow in recognition, the old hare took the hilt of his saber in both paws and bowed low over it.

"Well fought... Elicia." He turned towards his badger lady, sword still in paw, and waited.

[Elicia]

Elicia smiled at his compliment, and was still smiling when Aidan's saber point pierced both of her shoulders. As soon as what had happened processed through her mind, the smile fell of her face. Eli stepped back, and bowed her head. She let herself focus somewhere else, somewhere that was not right next to Aidan, somewhere she had not just lost a duel. Her eyes closed, Eli replayed their battle through her head quickly. One of her paws went to the opposite shoulder and stayed there, hanging on tightly and covering her third wound.

She stood there for a moment, not moving, then, stiffly, she bowed deeply to Aidan. Her expression was mixed; there was disappointment there, a little bit of simmering anger, what was left of the excitement of the fight, appreciation, awe, joy, and a tiny bit of fear. "Well fought." Was all she said, though, before turning to face her Lady.

Ryn smiled fondly at the two hares. "That was well fought, you two. It was close, too; the Lieutenant Colonel scored twice on the Brigadier, and the Brigadier had three on the Lieutenant Colonel." She said, for the edification of those who had not known the winner, nor seen some of the fight. The Badger Lady looked first at Eli, and then at Aidan. "I do hope you two will get along better in the future." With a nod, the Lady Silverclaw turned and walked away, silently stating the obvious: that the fight was over, and it was all done with.

Once her badger lady had left, Elicia turned back to Aidan. "Look, sah, I h'apologize." She forced herself to say the words out loud. "I was out o' line, and didn't see it." Eli rubbed her shoulder ruefully where Aidan had cut her. "'Suppose there's a reason why they made some great ol' gallompher like ye Brigadier, sah." She tried to smile, but it didn't really work out. Instead, she grimaced, and sighed very softly. She had just lost a duel in front of most of the Patrol and many others. Eli wondered when they would let her get over it.

[Grath]

Ryn smiled fondly at the two hares. "That was well fought, you two. It was close, too; the Lieutenant Colonel scored twice on the Brigadier, and the Brigadier had three on the Lieutenant Colonel." […] "I do hope you two will get along better in the future."

“Thank ye, m’lady.” The brigadier said, coming to attention and saluting Ryn. The badger lady turned and left, followed soon after by Lady Carwyn, who nodded a farewell and turned in the direction of her tent.

"Look, sah, I h'apologize." She forced herself to say the words out loud. "I was out o' line, and didn't see it."

Aidan was collecting his blades and tucking them away, the daggers disappearing into the folds of his tunic. He turned when Eli addressed him, holding one last dirk in his paw as she spoke. To the brigadier, the matter was closed, the duel was over, honor ascertained on all sides. “Look, Elicia,” he flipped it up and caught it by the point, “Ye need t’relax lass. Sometimes an offer t’help is just that, an offer, an’ not a shade on your honor or experience. Both of which are considerable, I’m sure.” He dipped his ears in salute, cleaning the point of his saber off before sheathing it.

"'Suppose there's a reason why they made some great ol' gallompher like ye Brigadier, sah."

Aidan turned back towards the haremaid. “Here lass.” He flipped the dirk in her direction. “Take some advice from an old campaigner. They,” he pointed one of his daggers at the crowd, produced from somewhere, “they’re not as concerned with watchin’ ye as ye are in watchin’ them t’see if they’re watchin’ ye.”

[Elicia]

Elicia raised one eyebrow. "Oh really, sah? Ye lost me three words in, but I'll take yore jolly old word for it, wot!" Her paw shot out and caught the dirk he tossed towards her neatly. With her snarky remark made, Eli now felt compelled to leave, not thinking about the dirk in her paws. She turned around to leave. She found that she couldn't bring herself to go walk among the rest of the Long Patrol alone, so instead she turned back to the brigadier, assessing her situation. Would it be worse to stay and talk with the brigadier, who was likely to spout advice out at her, or to go walk in the ranks of hares that had just seen her lose a duel? Eli decided that the latter would be the worst. She turned back to Aidan.

"Wait. Wot do ye bally well mean, 'They're not as concerned with watchin' ye as ye are in watchin' them t'see if..." The Lieutenant Colonel tripped over some of her words in an attempt to re-create Aidan's previous statement. "T'see if... you're watchin' them?" She threw up a paw, indicating her defeat. "Wotever it was that ye just blinkin' well said."

[Treble Tiderunner]

"Wait. Wot do ye bally well mean, 'They're not as concerned with watchin' ye as ye are in watchin' them t'see if..." The Lieutenant Colonel tripped over some of her words in an attempt to re-create Aidan's previous statement. "T'see if... you're watchin' them?" She threw up a paw, indicating her defeat. "Wotever it was that ye just blinkin' well said."

Aidan chuckled, tucking the dagger under the bracers Roseleaf had given him. "It means, they aren't nearly as blinkin' concerned with wot ye're doin' as ye think they are." The hares and woodlanders, deprived of their entertainment, were beginning to disperse. He tugged an ear, looking to see if she'd understood him.

"Yore a jolly good officah, miss, wot! An' ye've worked hard. Why, I only made Lieutenant Colonel after three bloody years fightin' the Searats!" Bloody years they had been, against a determined warlord and his horde. Searat Wars, he believed they were calling them now.

"Ye would remember them," He continued, "but thats not the bally point, wot! Ye haven't fought in any wars, just battles'n skirmishes, an' ye've made blinkin' lt. col.! Folks aren't out to see ye torn down, missie, they're not out to get ye. Relax a little, thats all, wot!"

He tapped the end of her nose, the way he might with Rosie. "Now, would ye jolly well like t'learn that maneuver ye were tryin' with th' recruits?" Sometimes he regretted always being out away from the mountain, no chance to share his knowledge on. And old Kettle was long gone, dead of old age nearly fifteen years.

[Elicia]

Elicia rolled her eyes. She had known he was going to spout advice. However, her voice was slightly sullen as she replied. "Lady Silverclaw says she promoted me on blinkin' faith alone." Eli spun the dirk between her paws slowly. "As ye said, sah, I haven't proven myself t'her, or t'anyone else. I mess up, then there're plenty more chaps that would like this position." The hare crinkled her nose in slight annoyance as he tapped her nose, and handed back the dirk.

Drawing her sword, Elicia shoved the tip into the soft ground, leaned a paw against it, and crossed her footpaws. "One condition, sirrah!" She looked at him fiercely, as if daring him to refuse her. "Ye'll try not t'embarrass me in front of the bloody recruits again." Eli watched Aidan levelly. "I've got a lot at stake here, sah, an' I don't fancy losin' it. Wotever ye say, I can't look like a fool an' hope t'progress in the bloody ranks, wot!" She uncrossed her feet and pulled the tip of the saber from the ground. Absently, the hare rubbed a bit of dirt from the tip with the back of her paw, taking care not to cut herself.

[Treble Tiderunner]

"Ah, listen t'me, spoutin' off t'blinkin' advice!" The elder hare winked at her, refusing to take back the dirk. "No, keep it. I haven't 'ad such a close match in years, wot!"

"One condition, sirrah!" She looked at him fiercely, as if daring him to refuse her. "Ye'll try not t'embarrass me in front of the bloody recruits again." Eli watched Aidan levelly. "I've got a lot at stake here, sah, an' I don't fancy losin' it. Wotever ye say, I can't look like a fool an' hope t'progress in the bloody ranks, wot!"

"Are ye done, miss?" Aidan waited to see if she'd open her mouth again. Snippy, reminded him of Roseleaf, slightly. "Now, the move is properly called Cat Stalking Sparrow, an' ye move from th' first position to third, by way of fifth position..."

{I'd really like to leave it there, no matter how well I read Mercedes Lackey's books and WoT, I know nothing about swordsmanship}