Open Courtesy is the Best Defence

[Leda]

38th Day of Spring 513 Early Evening Sacred Arch Hotspring As soon as the number of people in the great bazaar had started thinning out with only a few stragglers left and people at stalls began packing away their goods, Leda had folded up her tent and disappeared. Twenty minutes later, she arrived at the Sacred Arched Hotspring with relief. It was thankfully void of any people, as she had hoped for, though she knew it to be considered a spot for couples and those seeking remedy in the waters for their ails. However, on the most part and from her past two experiences, she would not run into anyone. Leda put her bundle down on a rock and took out her new estoc. It was so beautiful - she could hardly imagine a weapon could be that shiny and sleek - and light enough for her to carry. Of course, she could have gone to practise in the Fighter's Arena, but she had no skill in fighting and had little confidence in her natural ability. She did not wish to make a fool of herself in front of more experienced fighters before she had at least become more comfortable with the dynamics of her weapon. Looking around her quickly to be certain that nobody would interrupt her, she changed out of her cumbersome floor-length silk tunic into simple brown leather trousers and white blouse. She was already in her knee-high brown leather boots so that wasn't an issue and, once her hair tied back with a ribbon of white fabric, she felt ready to try and tackle the basics of wielding her estoc. She held it in her right hand after working out exactly how to hold it beneath the pommel and thrust it out in front of her with a smile. She rather liked the image of herself with a sword as she caught a glance of her reflection in the water. The sun was still relatively high in the sky and she knew she'd have at least another hour of daylight. Right. So, she turned to the instructions which she had hastily written down on a piece of paper from a book she had not been able to buy for lack of funds - scribbled down when the bookshop owner had been busy with a rather tiresome customer. "Firstly, draw your sword and always be prepared for the fight in advance. Pulling a sword speedily from the scabbard gives you a vital edge over your opponent." Well, that seemed easy enough. She turned to the next instruction. "Secondly, breathe deeply and maintain a calm posture to get the best out of your weapon and make speedy decisions in a fight. Staying cool in a nerve-wracking position will make the difference between winning and losing." And she bloody well knew she did not want to lose since Leda felt strongly that her life was worth hanging on to. Still, she wasn't quite sure how she was going to wholly proceed. She had a couple of things scribbled down about basic movements, but did not know what to practise them against. Maybe that tree...

[Gaius Sivet]

Gaius sighed as he headed towards the Sacred Arched Hotspring, running a hand through his hair as he did so, his other resting on the pommel of his sword. It had been a long, tiresome day and he needed a long soak to relax and unwind his tense muscles. As he trudged towards the hotspring, he could swear he heard the sound of metal scrapping against leather, a sword or knife being drawn. He shook his head and told himself he was being foolish. He'd not seen anyone going this way and no one had passed him. He was just on edge and needed to unwind.

As he neared the hotspring though, he realized he wasn't imagining anything. He could see, just ahead, a woman, in simple clothes, her hair tied back with a ribbon, holding a rapier and studying from a book. The rapier was dazzlingly bright when what little light hit it, so it had to have either been brand new or extremely well cared for and little used. Based on the woman's stance and how she seemed to be slowly going through motions as she read from the book, Gaius guessed it was the former.

He stopped and leaned against a tree, watching her for a moment. Obviously she was unfamiliar with the weapon, but she seemed to have a knack for where to start. She was at least holding it right, which was more than could be said for many these days. Gaius tapped a finger against the pommel of his talon sword, thinking to himself. The polite thing would probably be to walk away quietly, pretending he had never arrived. But what did he care about polite? Besides, it would be more interesting to talk to the woman. Maybe even get a bit of practice with her.

At that thought, Gaius nodded to himself, making his decision. He cleared his throat before calling out to the woman. "You've got a nice form," he said, smiling. "And you know how to hold your weapon, which is more than most can say, I'm afraid," he said, still leaning on the tree.

[Leda]

Leda swished her estoc a few times, and was about to turn back to the book when she heard a voice behind her. She spun around with surprise then smiled lightly at the man with fiery red hair, though the tree he was leaning shaded it slightly. She wondered if he was an Inarta or if he just looked like one. "It's not the first time I've heard that of my form, though admittedly the context in this case is a little different to the usual." She paused to untie her hair, which was coming loose, and tie it back again, this time with a double knot. As she was doing this, she looked up at the man with curiosity. "There are not usually any people here at this time, or rather, not that I have seen. I have heard that it's a good place to receive some sort of natural healing remedy so that would suggest that I really shouldn't expect to find it free from people." Leda realised then that that might look like a rebuttal of his company, which it really was not. She did not want to offend him, especially alone and, she assumed, quite a distance away from anyone else. One did not take risks with strangers. "I am sorry. My name is Leda." She sheathed her estoc and moved closer towards him. "Do you know anything about weapons? Since you seem to know that I am holding it correctly and I am afraid I am rather a beginner." Oh. Clever thing to say. Yes, he would probably have guessed. It wasn't hard, but she shouldn't have said it so plainly. Although he looked decent, not the type to take a hack at one for the sake of it, you couldn't always tell and it was always a bad idea revealing to a stranger the weakness of your position without knowing more of it.

[Castor]

oocMind if I hope in? feel free to shot me a PM if you do.

Leda: Castor hasn't met you and Accalia hasn't said anything to him. just to let you know.

Castor The day had been nice to castor. It was pleasant weather from the morning up to now. He had spent the day doing his usually thing. After waking up he’ll get ready and do some laps around the streets, after that he spend the time before lunch practising his hand-to-hand combat skills, then he at lunch at the tavern and then returned home to meditate. However, after his meditation he decided to visit the Bronze woods to see if he can hone his weaponry skill. Just before he left his apartment he equipped his usual gear. He puts on his night leather armour and clock, before strapping down his knives and his signature weapon Spiritus. He then left his apartment and headed out into the wilds. The day was late in the evening and Castor was treading through the forest. He was about fourteen chimes away from the main part the city. After a chime, he had stumbled upon some sort of hot spring with an arch. The place seemed desolated, which was weird. However, Castor decided he’d use this place as his training ground. Castor gripped Spiritus, unwrapping its lengthy body off him. Castor then held Spiritus and began swinging one side around in circles, aiming at a nearby tree. Castor flings the spinning side of the Spiritus and prepped the other side to cut through the air. Spiritus grapples onto the tree and Castor pulls himself toward the tree with the chain. Soon after Castor Smacks the tree with the combine force of the swinging chain, his bodyweight and the momentum gained from castor pulling him towards the targeted tree. When the chain hit the tree a large thud follow by the sound of the splintering bark was heard. Castor was pleased with this combo his Sire taught him. He wants to polish this attack as much as he can, and make his own variations of it. Castor continued practising his techniques. As time passed, began to hear things. What is that…? Animals, water, people? He wasn’t sure that the noise was, so he investigated the source of the noise. Slowly Castor crept about the area, following the noise. Hmm…? I bet it’s behind this bush… Castor gentle moves the bush in front of him so he could see what was the noise without being see. There he saw a woman and a man. The woman had what appears to be a rapier. The woman seem to be introducing herself to the man, her name was Leda. Leda… Leda… Leda… where have I hear that name before? Castor tugged off the ribbon on his neck and looked as it, wondering if she was one of Accalia’s. He quickly ties it back on his neck and resumed observing the couple’s conversation. Trying not to be seen.

[Gaius Sivet]

Gaius nodded, smiling. "I'm a bit of a novice myself, but I do appreciate good swordsmanship. But if you want, I'd be more than willing to spar with you. Two novices might be able to learn a few things off one another," he said with a smile, his finger tapping at the hilt of his talon sword.

He never noticed the new comer, smiling and focusing on Leda. "And my name is Gaius. Gaius Sivet. It's lovely to meet you, Leda," he said, taking her hand and giving a slight bow of the head, placing a light kiss to the back of her hand. He had no idea if this was even the right situation for that but he figured it just might be, so why not give it a go.

[Leda]

Leda smiled lightly as he kissed her hand, quite taken aback but simultaneously rather amused. "Alright then. Where do you suggest that we start?" She brandished her sword to punctuate her point and looked at Gaius. "Gaius is a nice name. I do not think I have ever come across it before." Of course, Leda did not note that she was being watched. She probably would not have minded even if she had known. There's nowt as odd as folk, and she supposed she must be flattered.