Rabbit fled, best guess, toward home.

[dogtag]

Who: Nic (dogtag) and you. if you want.
What: hanging out and cutting things up.
When: redheiss, 13-20.
Where: library, the ugly jackal, and around goldvale.
Rating: probably pretty tame.

THE LIBRARY.

[ this guy's pretty buff for a bookworm — or, at least, someone with a lot of books. he's reading mostly books on recent history events, but he has another stack of lighter novels and literature next to him, too. there aren't that many books, but it's taking him a very long time to get through them, staring at each page for rather longer than it should take.

every once in a while, he gets up to shelve a book that he's only halfway through or stretch his legs. his colors mark him as a mercenary, too. you could question his presence here, but try not to raise your voice. it is a library, after all. ]

THE UGLY JACKAL.

[ methodically smashing his way through dummies, and occasionally engaging in a spar. he doesn't talk at all, which most of the other fighters don't mind. they're not a very talkative bunch, all in all, but he doesn't look totally unapproachable. ask for a spar, or try to get him to say something. ]

OUT AND ABOUT, OR CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE.

[ nic's usually exploring the city, trying to find a way out, or scouring the first level of the castle, always with his sword. ]

Comments

[someonetocarry]

The nice thing about using a staff for a weapon is that it also doubles as defense. The back end of the staff takes only a small adjustment to block Nic's swing. Zoe gives a small smile. He's not half-bad. Good.

Her next swing, once his blade has bounces from the wood, is for his sword-arm.

[dogtag]

He isn't fighting seriously, for now, just moving in the easy patterns of practice combat. He hasn't done this for a while, actually, but he can still respond correctly, stepping out of the way and forward this time to get closer.

His sword is slightly shorter than the staff, so he has a slight advantage at a close range. Nic goes for an upward cut, diagonally across her chest and throat. It's not a move that should be pulled off in a practice spar, but, well, he's never been one to hold back against good opponents.

[someonetocarry]

Twisting the staff's bottom end around doesn't quite block the slice, but it does give her the momentum needed to hop back and avoid the point. "Jest how sharp is that thing, anyhow?" she asks, holding the staff between him defensively, just making sure. Working with live steel is something she figures she ought to be aware of.

[dogtag]

He allows the pause, shifting his grip on the sword's hilt quietly. It takes him a moment to know what she's saying, but he understands.

"Sharp."

That's it. He doesn't have enough in him to say any more.

[someonetocarry]

Live steel, then. Zoe looks a bit disapproving of going at someone all-out with a blade that could actually do them damage, just in play, but all she says is, "Guess I'll hafta be careful, then."

And next, she aims the very end of the staff for his sword wrist, or fingers if she can get it.

[dogtag]

Well, Nic doesn't quite consider it play. It's certainly not a real fight, but it's still important to practice, isn't it?

And practice is what lets him mostly avoid the next blow, though the staff thuds painfully against his knuckles. He sidesteps and aims an attack with the hilt of his sword, his other hand bracing the guard to give it better direction.

[someonetocarry]

Anything not done in earnest counts as "play", really, since it's nearly all fun. Zoe twists her wrist and sets the staff into a quick spin, to smack at the new strike. It's one of those more desperate moves, since it loosens her grip on it and makes it vulnerable to knocking away if he's quick, but she wasn't expecting that. Very clever. Not many people bother attacking with the hilt.

[dogtag]

It's enough to make him lose some of his grip on the sword, but he uses the momentum to turn to sword and use the blunt side of his blade to try and knock away her staff. He moves quickly and with a certain viciousness to his fighting style; mercenaries don't fight fair or for play.

[someonetocarry]

Apparently not. Zoe can be plenty vicious, just generally when she actually wants to kill people. Nic doesn't seem like he knows the difference, so much. She loses the staff, his swat spinning it off to one side, but follows it up with her own momentum from the jar of his hit to kick out at his sword hand again, aiming to make him lose the sword at the same time.

[dogtag]

He doesn't expect that — most of his spars so far have ended with single disarmament, and this time he's taken off guard enough to lose his grip. But he continues just as she did. He doesn't need a weapon to fight, after all, and he goes for a high kick.

[someonetocarry]

At least kicks aren't likely to slice open her belly on accident. Zoe's not used to specific duels or rules of engagement-- after all, she's a soldier and a thief, and both did what they had to-- so she plays until someone yields. The kick, thus, is not entirely unexpected, even if his vaguely surprised expression is. She steps back just half a foot and tries to grab his foot and twist to knock him over.

[dogtag]

He can't avoid the grab, so he lets the twist give him momentum. Nic shuffles back a step before launching into a sharper high kick and swinging into an elbow strike.

[someonetocarry]

Now that's not something Zoe expected. She'd expected him to either resist, or to fall over. How he's keeping on his feet, she has no idea. Thus, though she can lean back just enough to avoid the foot to the face, the elbow takes her off guard, and she takes it in the side before she can sidestep.

Now, wincing and dropping to a non-offensive stance, she just hopes he didn't hit hard enough to break anything, since he seems to be going all out. "Hold up a sec," she adds, in case he doesn't recognize the "break".

[dogtag]

There have been worse fights involving him. Even if the setting is different, and his abilities aren't the same, he can, for the most part, handle it.

He sees her move out of a fighting stance. It takes another second for him to follow, but he straightens back up to his unimpressive height and waits. He isn't sure what she's saying, but he'll wait before continuing.