It seemed that Tyaethe's tangent about Talderian had temporarily distracted the rabbit from her purpose--and if anyone cared to pay much attention, and had familiarity with the language, they'd be able to piece together that the dialect Rui knew was demonstrably different even on some fairly well-known phrases from both the version still recorded for legal and the occasional liturgical reason, or the well-known version spoken by the Talderian nobility towards the end of the empire's existence. About the only clearer thing was that it was even more remote from the Thaln language that (most people) were otherwise speaking.

Looking around, she realised that Lein, Steffen, and her luggage had left and offered an abrupt apology before disappearing after them. Probably after them, who could say for sure.

Well, Lein would, when she somehow managed to appear, silently watching, in his peripheral vision some half an hour later.

"Aw, that's a shame, I wanted to persuade her to teach me Akitsushiman. Diplomats don't come through often enough to pick it up," the vampire grumbled, to nobody in particular.

"Enchanted?"

The question was a little quiet, like an afterthought. Or maybe more like a thought spoken aloud without realizing. That fit better. Nicomede was looking at the slender blade that had gotten through Renar's defense with a tilted head, interest and curiosity obvious on his face. He blinked when he realized he had asked out loud. Normally self possessed he actually looked slightly uncomfortable to have intruded. Actually, his entire demeanor faintly suggested a man a little off his mental balance. After what everyone had experienced the night before— not that Nicomede knew about anyone else's dream yet— it wasn't hard to guess why.

"Forgive me for intruding, and please forgive me for not having caught your name." He bowed his head slightly to Lilia. "I'm Nicomede. But if it wouldn't bother you I'm curious about the question."

"When you parried, your blade seemed to have greater mass than it should." He touched the hilt of his own spada lightly, the similarity— and likely shared ancestry of design— between the two kinds of sword the explanation for his observation. "Is the blade itself enchanted? Or is it a function of the spellcraft you were employing?"

@Raineh Daze @The Otter @HereComesTheSnow [@Psyker Landhsark]

"Um, Lilia, daughter of Lilette..." the girl answered, mumbling and motioning for Nicomede to go along with the question. When he got to his sword, she drew hers obligingly, laying the long blade out where everyone can see it.

"Oooooh, the sword? It's not an enchanted weapon, not really," she explained brightly, pointing at a cluster of runes along its length that looked... well, like just about every other piece of runework on the lengthy weapon, "It doesn't have a single effect on it aside from this strengthening, and you'll find that on almost anything that needs to regularly be exposed to magic in an active or passive form, just so it doesn't get warped or destroyed by the mana going through it."

One tanned finger pointed at... another seemingly innocuous piece of detailing, as long as one of the gems in its hilt. A pale blue one that was both nicely faceted, yet seemingly irregularly cut. "These parts are to help the sword work as a catalyst and vector for touch-carried effects. Without them, the spell would need to be at least twice as long just to let you use the blade as an extension of yourself, and then even more if you wanted to properly modulate the amount of mana it consumes and not just overcharge it. So, that let me use the sword to release a spell when I deflected, and then..."

There was another burst of singing, the indicated gem growing brightly before she whipped the blade into the ground. It made a surprisingly loud thud, the packed earth reacting more like a heavy weight had been dropped on it. "I think you were talking about that spell? It's a really versatile effect for how simple it is, since it's just a single thrust from the point of contact, undirected and going in all directions to the contacted body. Since the strength doesn't take into account the strength of the target, it's even better if deflecting a light weapon, but it's good for parrying, or destabilising someone in armour, because it's so easy to catch people off-guard with the weight of the blow... um, if that makes sense? You did mean that spell?

@Krayzikk @The Otter @HereComesTheSnow @Psyker Landshark

Gerard Segremors

@Psyker Landshark@Raineh Daze@The Otter@Krayzikk

"Right, Nach. Misspoke." the reply and acceptance was equally swift. Genuine mixup. Though, there was likely something to the idea that Indes had taken Nach's place in his internalized combative hierarchy of initiatives— as hard and uncompromising as the thirst for Vor had been hammered in, was it possible it had skewed his interpretation on the whole? Fighting on the front foot was like breathing— even simultaneous counters had an alien air compared to simple insistence on pressure, pace, and persistence. "And that..."

His brow furrowed, expression twisting into something quite perturbed by the discovered answer to Fionn's rhetorical question. His right hand closed into a fist, then one finger rose beneath his flummoxed gaze.

"Jeremiah,"

Another.

"Sir Erich,"

Three.

"That bloated undead just before him,"

A trio stood tall in the passing breeze, looming larger than they had any right to. They may not have formed a proper excuse within that "W" shape, but they did bring up a pattern that was worth, if not alarm, a certain level of consideration. He returned his gaze to Fionn all but apologetically, well aware of how this wasn't necessarily the point.

"Quite a few, actually. It's weird, now that I think about it."

He cast the three impudent soldiers into the reserves with a wave, folding his arms after a nod of greeting to the approaching Sir Nicomede, the exchange on arcane matters already lost on him, bereft of any spark of mana that he could think of, from the first word. the thoughtful frown he often wore slid back over his features like an old glove, and his brow furrowed as the mind set to work.

"I think we drive at the same point, though— these examples are boiling down to distance control. Her stance and weapon elongate the engagement, giving her more room to bait out overextensions and less commitment behind the change in level than I'd need, since the longsword naturally demands we square up more to utilize both hands for cutting power and leverage. She can keep her feet on a line and play with distances more readily by simply bouncing in and out, where I'm getting in much closer to leverage my frame and build. Bear down on people, use the bind to isolate their sword and nullify cleaner, quicker strikes, not give them room to breathe."

... Good soldier, good soldier, we need a conclusion to drive this to. Theory is well and good, but useless without application.

"So what do I take from that, then— Angle in? Can't be right, I already know to move laterally. Getting ahold of the faster party is generally a good idea, dictate the terms of engagement..."

Wait.

"I'm an idiot, Fionn. Solid posture."

He'd walked right past it through all that.

"I did," Nico confirmed, listening attentively to the explanation and following each demonstrated piece and motion. "I was least familiar with it. I could follow the others at least in principle. That's really quite clever. It would go a long way to mitigating some of the rapier's weaknesses, wouldn't it?"

He drew his own sword thoughtfully and held it not at the ready, but resting the flat of the blade on his other hand. It was exquisitely made, one of the small remnants of his life he had been allowed to keep. It was still immaculate through his own maintenance and the sword's own durability; itself owing, as Lilia had said, to strengthening used in its creation. His family's bladesmith had made it for him on the occasion of his birthday. In hindsight it coincided, too, with Nicomede's practice with the water magic he preferred. He hadn't noticed it then, he had been too excited explaining the moves and tactics he was developing. But he remembered clearly the look of dismay at hearing how Nicomede had been using his blade as a focus. The memory made him chuckle, a soft sound from deep in his chest.

"If you have the time, and the inclination, I would appreciate a chance to spare with you, Lady Lilia. Or at least to observe. I think I can learn from it." He smiled, remembering unbidden the Mirror Knight's last compliment... Or taunt. "Maybe it could be even more enlightening for my fellow knights as well."

@Raineh Daze @Psyker Landshark @The Otter @HereComesTheSnow

Her opponent carries a shield and she does not. But her sword is longer and possesses more reach. She will use it to her advantage.

She took a deep breath, then exhaled through her nose.

She will avoid a range in which her reach is no longer effective. Will use her leverage. Will find an angle from which to strike.

She shifted her stance.

An imperceptible, but wholly recognizable change.

For the few who had faced that legend, had seen him emerge from the shadow, an unbreakable phantom, it was a stance that, though wholly mundane, nevertheless could only ever belong to one being now.

Serenity took the stance of the Demonbreaker, Erich Cazt.

Why else would she choose a shield of such length, a sword of such length?

When Dame Serenity altered her stance, realization dawned on Fanilly.

The dream that they had shared that night, and the ancient figure who had risen within the depths of the Cazt Mausoleum...

It was the Demonbreaker, that the knight sought to emulate. It made far more sense now, the choice of shield and training blade.

Immediately Fanilly's mental stock of the fight changed track. If Dame Serenity was confident enough to attempt to emulate the Demonbreaker, that meant it was possible her initially intended approach was not the ideal one.

This was a training match, but if they were going to spar to better one another... not only was it her duty as a knight, but it was her duty as Knight-Captain to do all she could.

And thus she had to try and analyze the battle as if it was a real one.

Fanilly's mind reached back to the words of her instructor.

'Against an opponent of greater strength and defensive capabilities, you must find any opening that you can. Their strikes are your opportunity.'

She had never trained against Dame Serenity.

Fanilly leaned forward, her training sword held low as she angled her body towards her opponent.

Planting one foot forward, she propelled herself towards her.

It was a straightforward advance without any presumptions, the girl's grip on the training blade seeming set for an equally straightforward strike.

Perhaps Dame Serenity would immediately see through it, but the opening of a duel was often a move intended to test one another more than anything else.

One step into her opponent's range.

Another.

Before she sprang backwards just as swiftly as she advanced. If Dame Serenity struck, it was her opportunity to circle to her flank. If she did not, then it was a test of what she would do instead.

Either way, it would shed at least a little light on the progress of the sparring match if nothing else.

@ERode

Fleuri Jodeau

With Rui having left to set up her residence here, that left Fleuri with Tyaethe, Fanilly, and Serenity. The thing of most interest still happening in the training yard was the sparring match between Fanilly and Serenity. Both of these young women were candidates for captaincy, and consequently this would be a good match. Fanilly had been trained by one of the order's finest duelists- certainly its best among its active members. Serenity had been trained by whatever resources the House Arcedeen could muster, and given their dream of making her an Iron Rose captain, it was no doubt the very best that the house could provide.

While Fleuri was curious to see who would prevail, his current interest was more a matter of their techniques. Fanilly's swordsmanship mentor tended to be busy raising a family and therefore was probably unavailable to teach lower, less important members of the order, but he might be able to learn something from watching. After everything that had happened, he was considering returning to his family tomb and (assuming his family allowed it) taking Candlestick as a sidearm, and watching these two go at it might not only help him better combat attacks from arming swords, it might help him better use one.

"If I may, Dame Tyaethe," he asked the vampire, as the match begun, "One of the things I noticed in both our last two battles and the dream was that I don't know much about fighting mages and beasts. You're the Roses' pre-eminent beast slayer- would you be willing to educate me on fighting those types of foes sometime?"

@VitaVitaAR@ERode@Raineh Daze

Whether Serenity saw through it or not, her own response was simple.

When Fanilly charged, wooden blade at the ready, so did Serenity. She was an arrow loosed, long strides digging deep into the dirt as she charged forth, and even when Fanilly sprung back, the lioness pursued regardless. If it was a matter of explosive speed, it was no contest.

Serenity bore down upon her, not with sword, but with shield, prepared to simply slam Fanilly into the dirt with a ferocity akin to a cavalry charge.

A shield, after all, was a weapon too.

And if a swordsman could not work around that, what good were they?

"Beast hunting, huh?" Tyaethe wondered, looking at Fleuri out of curiosity, "There's less of a specific trick to it than you'd think. It's more a general approach. You know how a boar will keep going and gore you if you tried a normal spear? The nastier monsters won't stop just because you did something lethal, or something crippling.

"Either you learn to hurt them so badly they can't keep fighting, or you get even better at evasion," the vampire continued, flashing him a grin, "But I can help with that one."

There was a pause as she tilted her head in the direction of the other spar, then the paladin was off like a shot, parasol slowly floating down behind her. Not that Fleuri had long to worry what she might be doing, or if it was a risk to his person. Tyaethe was back surprisingly quickly... carrying am elegant-looking woman with silvered eyes and matching hair in a high ponytail. Her passenger, in turn, was holding a young child with the same eyes and much rounder features.

The little girl was nibbling at a flaky pastry and looking at Fleuri with wide eyes.

"You..." the woman said, sighing instead as Tyaethe propped her up, neither of them saying anything about the knife that was jutting out of the paladin's side before it was quickly sheathed again.

"I just thought you'd want to see how your pupil is doing."

"You know I want to keep Franzi away from this until she's older."

"And that's why we're watching these two, not some of the mercenary lot."

The woman still seemed annoyed at being dragged into this audience.

@Crimson Paladin

Of course. The shield was a weapon as well as a defense.

While Fanilly had anticipated a sword strike, that didn't mean she was entirely unaware of the possibility of a blow from the shield instead. Blocking was impractical at best and self-harming at worst against such a charge.

And thus the best response was not to be in the path of the shield at all.

Fanilly's feet shifted, and she threw her body sideways. While the shield was hardly safe, it would be easier to turn and swing a sword then it would be to turn and swing a shield.

Get around to her opponent's side. Capitalize on even an instant of exposure.

A swift thrust, and then move on. If it landed, then her blow was a success. If it didn't, then she could hardly afford to remain and try again when the shield remained a threat.

@ERode

Fleuri Jodeau

Fleuri turned away from the duel to see Tyaethe's swift return...carrying a woman, who was in turn carrying a child. This was no ordinary woman, though. He recognized her as Lilianna Belwiss, senior Iron Rose and mentor to Fanilly, and the child must be her young daughter. While she currently was working a desk job and training the captain due to having a young daughter, Fleuri remembered seeing her swordplay skill firsthand in tournaments many years ago, back before he was a knight. And was that a knife sticking out of Tyaethe?

The vampire's audacity was truly a sight to behold. The perks of being an un-living legend, no doubt.

"Surely you'd like to see how your protégé performs against House Arcedeen's scion?" he asked Lilianna. "If you'd rather your daughter not be exposed to this, I can look after her for a few minutes."

@VitaVitaAR@Raineh Daze

Shield in left, sword in right.

Common logic meant that the right side would thus be less well-defended than the left, while the left side was more dangerous than the right. If she wished to escape, it would have been to dive to Serenity’s lefthand side, safe in the knowledge that the harm that a shield could inflict was less than a sword.

And that was what Fanilly did.

The movement of the body was slower than the movement of an arm; her thrust ricocheted off the surface of Serenity's shield, the swiftness of it meaning that the impact itself hardly registered. Just to check her opponent's movements, perhaps. But while circling around took steps, pivoting took none, and Serenity too turned around, shield facing the Knight-Captain once more.

The rest was a repeat.

Step in, shield frontwards.

Surging forth to overwhelm with a weaponized defense.

The question then, was simple. Would Fanilly respond in repeat as well?

"I'll do it," Tyaethe volunteered, motioning for the other woman to hurry up and put the girl down, "I couldn't see what they're doing properly anyway."

Plus she had a few advantages when it came to getting along with children.

"Fine. No giving her any more food, though," Lilianna answered, carefully putting the four-year-old down... who chose to continue staring up at Tyaethe with wide eyes, munching on the pastry with a serious expression.

Eventually, the girl broke her silence to state, with all apparent solemnity, "You don't look like an old lady."

Not that this seemed to bother Tyaethe, and she was happy to lead the only person younger-looking than she was away, being considerably more chatty than she was with the vast majority of the other knights. Which left Fleuri alone with Lilianna, who was watching the fighters with her arms crossed.

"Of course I wish to watch. As long as that child doesn't overthink things, she has no excuse to lose against any of her peers. If she does, it seems her training was less complete than I expected, and I will not permit our captain to be incompetent."

@Crimson Paladin

Lein

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Location: Closet
Interactions:

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Someone must have had a terrible day, because the step-stool in the maids' closet was broken and had neglected to fix it. Usually the humble closet, as out of the way it was, yet retained a good keeping of all its wares. The high shelves were regularily dusted, supplies well maintained and the inconspicuous box in the corner unseen. But today, the stepstool had fallen victim to disrepair. Well, not quite so visibly. It was the insidious kind of fracture, the kind that would hide itself under the flaking paint until an unfortunate soul would climb it, rely on it, tip-toe on it, and the whole thing would split apart in a spectacular fashion.

Someone must have had a terrible day, Lein knew for sure, because that very someone was a Hundi stuck in a precarious position. He was dangling a good foot and a half off the ground, clinging desperately unto the top shelf with one hand with a foot supporting a broom that itself supported an inconspicuous box jingling with conspicous sound of glass. In his other hand, at the very tips of his fingers, supported yet another inconspicuous box, also hosting glass bottles crowding over the edge, spectating the Hundi's remarkably maintained impasse. His tail remained petrified in the air, frazzled out of its usual magnificance in shock, daring not to move even a centimeter and disrupting the balancing act.

Mhmm. This was fine. He just had to crawl his hand away from the box to free - bottle of unlabeled liquid peered over the edge - nope. No, this was fine, really. Lein had to wait. His leg was sore, he wasn't sure how much longer this broom could hold the box, and he definitely was not supposed to be here - but surely, Lein the great escapist could figure something out.

Fleuri Jodeau

Fleuri was a bit surprised at how much Lilianna expected of Fanilly. Sure, the instructor was a duelist without peer, but did she really think she could train a child to be able to overcome any of her fellow knights within just a few short years? And who did she consider Fanilly's peers, anyway?

"Do you believe that you've had enough time to raise her up to the level of mastery to defeat any of her peers?" Fleuri asked. "Then again, if the dream that Merilia sent us is any sign, I must concede that it isn't exactly a high bar."

Fleuri wasn't sure if the veteran instructor would've also received the dream. She'd certainly be skilled enough to do better than Fleuri did.

"Did she visit you last night, too?" he asked.

@Raineh Daze

The duellist inclined her head towards Fleuri slightly, although her eyes didn't turn away from the fighting duo, "Perhaps you should consider that question yourself, Jodeau. Do I, the one responsible for training her and therefore the monitor of her progress from when she was a child until she took command, know where her skill lies in comparison to the majority of the knights?

"I can only speak for skill, not for confidence or field experience," she sighed, her own thoughts drifting to why the Arcedeen had gone for a sword and shield combination. It hardly seemed like her usual style, from the duellist's knowledge, so was this just whim? Or was there some higher purpose? Not that she could guess as to what.

Fleuri's second question sparked a more physical reaction, hand drifting to the hip where a sword would normally have sat. "The Knight-Witch... I have little idea what her game is, but it feels that every knight must have been sought out, yet only the knights. It was... interesting, to feel my skills sharpening after disuse. Enough to provide a challenge to the Gentle Blade at the end, I hope. I think a difference from the experiences of most others, the witch seemed... pleased with my performance?"

The follow-up complaint was quieter, "How her actions woke my wife, though... she had no such dreams."

@Crimson Paladin

While using the shield side to evade was the wider option for just an escape, in terms of actually claiming victory it was less so. The size of the shield made it quite easy to simply pivot into a block. Against a smaller shield, perhaps it would be easier to slip around the edge with a thrust.

But in this case, Fanilly couldn't rely on such a tactic.

And so she would lean into her mobility instead. Not only was she lighter, but the school of swordplay she had been educated it was one that emphasized that mobility.

This time, she went to her left, and Serenity's right. But instead of simply side stepping and rushing in, the knight-girl threw herself, hitting the ground and rolling once before catching herself at the end of the motion and thrusting upwards towards her opponent's flank.

Low to the ground, it would quite simply take longer for the blade to reach her, and her opponent's momentum meant that turning to fully face her would be a much more difficult task. There was no guarantee it would succeed, of course, but it made for a much more potent threat then a blow to the left would have.

@ERode

---

It was a this incredibly inopportune moment that the door opened.

"Ah-hah!" declared a purple-haired girl in a maid's outfit. She was perhaps the same age as the Knight-Captain, hair cut to the base of her neck and sharp eyes the same shade as it was. She thrust a finger accusingly.

"I knew it was you, Alaree! You won't be pranking Miss Tessa any... more..."

Her finger wilted like an overheated flower as she trailed off, staring blanking in confusion. She had certainly not expected to see a hundi here.

Let alone one she recognized as one of the knights.

"... E-er..." she shifted uncertainly for a moment, "Sir... Lein, I believe... what are you doing exactly?"

She'd even put out the damaged stool and waited for the right time... why was one of the knights here?! She'd set her trap for that little brat perfectly...!

@PigeonOfAstora

Fleuri Jodeau

"Fascinating," Fleuri replied, watching the match, noting Fanilly's maneuver. "Up until now I was not sure how widespread the dream had been, other than that several among Fanilly's retinue for the ball had received it. Amazing that Dame Merilia has the power to twist time and perception to give a similar, simultaneous sending to every knight."

It would be worth asking the Gentle Blade if she remembers dueling Lilianna, Fleuri considered. The elf's answer could provide some enlightening revelation on how "real" the founding Iron Roses in the dream were.

"Unfortunately, unlike yourself I think a lot of us were found wanting," he admitted. "After an assessment like that, all I've been able to think about is improving through any avenue I can grasp for, and I suspect that the Captain and Dame Serenity have the same thing on their mind. Sparring, recounting the dream, seeking instruction from knights more skilled than myself...whatever I can to do get better."

@Raineh Daze

After his own duel had concluded, Renar stuck around for a bit longer, smirking at the byplay between Gerard and Fionn before nodding politely to Sir Nicomede. With neither of the other three exactly chomping at the bit to get started yet, Renar just hefted his quarterstaff onto his shoulder and started to walk off. Something off in the distance caught his eye.

"In any case, I'll see you gentlemen at the usual time tomorrow. Lady Lilia, if you care to join us for training, we typically occupy this field through the morning and most of the afternoon. You're always welcome to stop on by."

One wave goodbye, and he sauntered off back to the rest of the training ground. By all accounts, the duel between Serenity and Fanilly was in full swing. And...wasn't that one of the senior knights with Dame Tyaethe and Sir Fleuri? The one who'd taken up a desk job thanks to her child? Thinking back, Renar did recall that she was evidently supposed to have trained the Knight-Captain. So that made sense as to why she was observing, at least.

As he drew closer, Renar approached just in time to hear about the...dreams. Ah. That explained quite a bit. So it was Dame Merilla testing most of the Roses. Rather personal for a test. Despite the irony of the dream being a wake-up call, Renar still wasn't exactly pleased with some of the questions posed to him during it. The witch had no business asking those things of him, to say nothing about what she could have hypothetically asked of some of the others. With a frown, he stormed past Fleuri, Tyaethe, and Lilianna, placing his quarterstaff on a weapon rack as he strode past.

@Crimson Paladin @Raineh Daze