Kirk stepped forward, not removing any of his own clothing.  He was dressed roughly already, and saw little to gain in removing his shirt.  Besides, that wasn’t something he wished to do with the girl watching.  The scars covering the other man’s skin was impressive, and he was in superb shape.  [i]Have to watch this one, I will,[/i] Kirk thought to himself as he squared off.  “No weapons -- an’ no magic, I dinnae have any o’ that meself, so ‘twouldn’t be fair,” he said, smiling broadly.  “James, ye want to count us off?”

The third guardsman, the one with the dark eyes and darker hair, nodded assent.  A number of others in the yard had noticed the pair preparing for a match, and were watching as well.  They were curious -- and some had heard about the little display earlier.

Amuné didn’t answer Cain’s question right away.  The girl was taking in the network of scars and tattoos across his torso, her expression somewhere between sympathetic and curious.  When she realized she’d been addressed, her gaze moved up to his face, and she nodded.  It was an odd question.  Spars were friendly, didn’t he know that?  The fact that he needed to ask made her uneasy.

[@TheMinorFall]