Above the Keep, Volume 28

Above the Keep - By Lorelai Silvermoon Volume 28

Assigned to stand watch, MJ leans over the parapet watching the training in the courtyard her chin resting on the stones. Her eyes track ~her~ Champion as he moves among the Templars and younger warriors. Her thumb rubs the plain looking walking stick tucked against her right shoulder. Her breath clear in the cold winter air for a moment until the wind off the lake whips it away.

Tryphena wanders over to the wall and also peers down into the courtyard. The potter turns to regard her companion with ancient Avariel eyes, "We should have a go too, I think."

"Huh?" MJ tips her head to look back at Try.

Try juts her chin down at the courtyard, " We should keep ourselves warm with some practice, fen?"

MJ's head comes up, "Alright."

Try nods and crosses her arms, "Go get us some weapons. We can play up here."

MJ turns away without a word and disappears looking for practice swords. She returns after a bit of search, producing two wooden short swords, and a beaten up facsimile of a small shield. Tryphena accepts the small shield, slipping her left arm into the straps, and then takes one of the proffered short swords.

MJ flips the remaining short sword and long sword into the appropriate hands and takes a few moments to feel out the balance of the practice blades while Tryphena does the same with her chosen weapons. They sweep through the basic forms; step forward with the right foot sweep right blade up to the right, step back with the left, swoop the right blade in small arc bringing the tip back and down, sidestep and sweep upward with the right blade bringing the implement in the left down. The warm up taking a few moments they turn to face each other.

"Ready?" Tryphena asks.

"Fen." MJ replies.

Neither moves for a moment. Then both together. MJ feinting around to Try's right, and immediately sidestepping back to come at the Avariel from her left. Tryphena easily anticipating the opening gambit by her opponent, sweeps her shield up to catch the longsword with a clack bringing her short sword in a quick slice along the ranger's shoulder. MJ grunts as she parries the short sword and sweeps her longsword to cut at the Avariel's thigh. Tryphena counters, following the longsword down with her shield and flicking her short sword up toward MJ's head. MJ parries both gambits and steps back and round again to Tryphena's left aiming for an upper arm.

Tryphena choses to sweep back out of range, wings spreading out in an automatic assistance to balance. MJ's blade swings through its arc connecting with nothing and Try comes from MJ's right with an attempted blow from her shield and thrust from her blade toward the exposed midsection. MJ manages to reverse her swing and catch the short sword near her guard but takes the full brunt of the the blow of the shield across her arm and right side of her head.

Mentally braced against the expected blow, MJ grunts and holds off the opposing short sword with her longsword and aims a thrust at Tryphena's upper thigh with her off-hand. Tryphena rolls back to avoid the blow, shoving her shield and sword hard into MJ. MJ yields to the shove and they break and circle looking for a new angle of attack.

"Who taught you to fight, hoovaire?" Tryphena lets a small smile curl her lips as they circle, "That the best you can do?"

MJ answers with an attack to Tryphena's upper right thigh from her off-hand while engaging Try's blade with her long sword. Try sidesteps bringing her shield up again to stop the longsword and parrying the shortsword with hers, catching MJ wide open for a knee from the older warrior. MJ springs back to avoid the anticipated strike and returns immediately in an attempt to get inside Tryphena's now open guard. Tryphena sucks back and the tip of the longsword strikes square on the center of the shield while MJ's short sword clacks against Try's once again.

Breaking apart they once again pause, cold air puffs of their breath belying the slight sheen of sweat on their brows.

"Come on little one." Try smirks, "You are one to none now."

"Who are you calling little?" MJ smirks back, "and ... it won't take me longer then two days."

Try gives MJ a puzzled look and MJ sweeps to Tryphena's offside again coming up with her long-sword around the the shield. Not easily caught out, the Warrior Maiden easily blocks the long blade and makes an attempt to sweep MJ's wide-brimmed feather hat from her head. MJ ducks the blow and brings both her blades down with her striking for the Avariel in the legs. Tryphena leaps the attempt and aims a kick at MJ, who is not there. The ranger having dodged to her own left and bringing her short blade into play again while using her long blade to defend herself from shield and short sword. It is Try's turn to grunt as MJ strikes home in what would have been a blow to the hamstring.

"Erg!" Tryphena stops and lets her blades drop, "Hold on, hold on."

The Avariel grimaces and tucks the wooden sword under her arm to rub at the offended spot.

MJ's eyes widen, "Hoovaire? I didn't think I hit that hard."

"Just ... cramp." The Avariel begins to walk in limping circles trying to stretch out the offending hurt.

"I can help!" MJ springs forward and raises her arms to appeal to O'Ma for healing energies chanting the words to a Sylvian prayer with heartfelt need.

Tryphena straightens and flexes her leg experimentally. "Ah, thank-you. MJ, never get old."

MJ watches as her partner turns on her heel and heads back to warmth of the upper room set aside for the Dragonwatch to use while they wait.

"Alright," The ranger says to the empty air. She stands there a little longer wooden blades hanging from her fingers. Finally she lets them drop to the stones and pulls her real weapons from their magical sheaths. Striking the first pose of the basic forms, MJ begins again sweeping through the steps and arcs across the rooftop of the Keep in the cold, Daybringer shining with an inner glow under the grey winter skies.