1124/Luna practices her swordsmareship.

Luna practices her swordsmareship.
Date of Scene:	11 December 2014
Location:	Njorun Station - Ring of Philosophy
Synopsis:	Some people wanted to practice with swords, and so they did.
Cast of Characters:	20, 337, 481, 570, 628, 633, 642, 647, 655

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Luna (337) has posed:
     Those who enter the Ring after Luna will find the terrain generator has been programmed for a dark, moonlit forest with a large clearing in the middle. In that clearing stands Luna, the graceful mistress of the night. She is a pony (which is quite obvious), so how is she wielding a sword? Well, she is an Alicorn, which means she has magical powers including telekinetics.

     Right now, her horn is glowing softly and her sword is floating in front of her. Her wings are spread for balance. Which is curious because she doesn't actually have to move to use her sword. It seems to be fighting on its own, slashing and flourishing about the area in front of her as the midnight breeze makes her mane and tail flow gently. She waits for a challenger or a practice partner. If none appear, she seems content to practice the movements.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Right now she isn't here to spar, but Toph does enjoy hanging out with her fellow Unionites. Besides, she doesn't do swords. But the blind girl walks into the area, a bit curious about the forest area. While she has spoken with Luna before she hasn't met the alicorn face to face. But she offers a grin to her nonetheless and waves. "Heya there." Pretty easy to deduce who it is anyway, unless other ponies decided to drop by. "Just here to hang out for now, don't mind me," Toph informs Luna before she walks over by a large rock and sits down by it, getting comfortable.

    "Besides, it would be useful to see what these new guys can do, right?" She did spar with Spider-Man yesterday, and heck, he got some new ideas today it seems. So getting their new allies ready for stuff isn't a bad idea if it means they will be more prepared against the Feds.

Dominic Masoch (655) has posed:
For a Sword Saint, albeit one who keeps his identity a secret, encountering extraversal sword users is an opportunity not to be passed up. It was minimal effort to secure his permission to go off-world and then less effort to secure transport. With his half-cloak wrapped around him, the proclaimed Fencer makes his way to this arena that has been spoken of.

"Truly Landon al Cid speaks true," Dominic proclaimed, wandering into the Ring to find that the terrain was that of a lush and dark forest. His boots crunch along the underbrush of the forest while he looks around in wonderment, "The extraverse is full of wonderful new things."

And he takes a moment's pause to be rather amazed at Luna herself, "And people as well! I am Sir Dominic Masoch of Ramuh. Please call me Dominic."

And then his natural instinct for swords kicks in, "It is an interesting style you use, to not wield it in-hand."

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Swords tend to be one of the things that gets Kirika's attention, given her own nature as a samurai, albeit one not quite in line with earth history anyway. She arrives with her sheathed blade in hand, cloak trailing behind her as she lowers her hood. The moment she spots people present, she approaches them with her tail following the same movements as her cloak. Her red eyes scan the room's inhabitants carefully, focusing on Dominic in particular.

    "I bid greetings to all." She bows respectfully, before standing back up.

    Luna's appearance was rather unexpected, as was her technique given her equine appearance. A brow arches, and Kirika observes the Alicorn closely for a moment, before nodding to Dominic. "Well met, Sir Masoch. I am Kirika, we already spoke on the radio before." She says, tone as polite and stoic as possible.

Luna (337) has posed:
     Luna turns her head when Toph pops in. "Ah, hello." Luna says, a kind smile on her muzzle. She nods at Toph's observation. "Indeed. Seeing what our allies can do is important to fighting alongside them." the alicorn says before returning to her sword play. Although it is not required, it does seem to add power to her sword thrusts when she starts putting her body into the actions. Flicking her head, rearing up, lunging forward, and other such movements often associated with sword fighting.

     When Masoch shows up and introduces himself, Luna stops her swordplay and turns to face him. Her sword continues to float in place, the magical glow around it almost making it appear to be trailing blue flames. "Greetings, Sir Dominic. I am Luna. It is an honor to meet you." she says, then smirks lightly. "Well, when one has the magical abilities I have, one can develop styles of fighting outside the normal methods." she says. She nods to Kirika as the kitsune woman enters. "I understand you were intending to practice your sword skills. If you are not opposed, I would be happy to join you." the pony says, smiling.

Kamon Lionward (628) has posed:
Kamon's here. He heard something about extraversal swords(wo)men doing their thing and decided he should put in an appearance. After all, fighting is his /thing/. He supposes he should probably accept that if he's good at it, he should just do it. Practice is pretty awesome, anyway; people don't usually get mad at him for getting beat up when they practice.

Staying out of the way, Kamon wanders over to Toph's rock and crouches down next to it. He's wearing a sword, but he isn't out there with the other three, and Toph will pretty quickly recognize his unusually heavy tread and the enormous amount of metal in his body. It makes it hard to hide from someone with her particular skills.

"Hi," he asides to her quietly, apparently keeping it down out of respect for the fight that is totally about to break out.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Shinobu Kimiko arrives, in apparent calm, her usual poker face in place regardless of what appears before her. She's armed and half-armored by the time she shows, with a long blade sheathed and hanging from a double-banded belt at her left hip, and a combination of chain and plate. Her breastplate, elegantly articulated heavy gauntlets, and sabatons are the only visible points of the latter, with much obscured by a plain, gray surcoat. She does not immediately introduce herself, instead standing to the side, and watching. With a straight stance, she's not even readying herself to draw.

Soan Sagittarius (633) has posed:
     Soan was not straight up invited, but neither was a lot of people. He was rather curious on how some foreing swordmasters (or mistresses in this case) would be able to handle the blade. He's not a particularly talented swordsman, his true talent lying elsewhere, but watching a duel with a Fencer of their school against an Extraversal one might result in some insight. Then again, he could get completely lost.

     Like Kamon, he does not get into the fight, instead staying out of the way near-by Toph and his friend Kamon. /Unlike/ the man from Odin, his footsteps were astoundingly light, only 'audible' for her a few dozen metres at most as he causally strolled out for something to lean against to watch the fight.

     "Hello, hello." Soan keeps the greetings simple, offering a nod at Kamon. He, too, have a sword and a buckler. The second strapped over his arm, the first sheathed at his side.

Noiela (647) has posed:
Compulsive eavesdropper and unable to muster the easy flow of banter when her mind still buzzed with questions resulted in one extra observer; their appearance dwarfed by the chosen tree whose gnarled branches they rest underneath, legs drawn up to support one leatherbound book.

As to the strangers own appearance, it is unremarkable; when placed next to winged Luna or the samurai. Just another seemingly human person whose taste in attire runs to dark, hooded coats and chunky bootware.
At the precise moment, their gloved left hand idly twirls a pen, suspended above the opened book weighing down their knees.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Recognizing the voice from the radio, Toph offers a brief salute to Dominic as he enters the forest clearing. "Heya and welcome to the Ring, Dominic," she greets. Then she picks up Kirika, offering her a wave. "Heya. You gonna teach the new kid something?" Either way it ought to be amusing. And better than guqin practice.

    Man, even more people are coming, huh? The more the merrier. and Toph turns her head slightly towards Kamon. Indeed, picking up the metal in his body is easy enough, and she cants her head a bit. "Heya. You're that... Kamon guy, right?" It's a bit hard to keep up with the reports of all the new people, but she tries to at least. Now she's a bit curious about why he has so much metal in his body, but she has the sense to not ask directly. Soan might be light footed, but for a girl who can sense the footsteps of an ant it doesn't matter, now does it? "This ought to be interesting..." she muses, then opens her bag and pulls out a bag of chips, offering it to the others.

Landon al Cid (642) has posed:
     This is the first chance the Prince of Ramuh has gotten to actually leave Galianda. In the wake of the recent announcement of heightened extraversal interaction, Prince Landon finally managed to finagle an outing for himself.

     Granted, he isn't exactly alone. Several Judges, dressed in heavy armor but bearing no weapons, flank the young Prince as he arriveson the Ring. They go ahead of him and behind him, eagerly casing out the room - and probably as delighted to get this trip as Landon is. Being extraversal pioneers isn't something everyone on Galianda will get to do, after all!

     The Prince himself stands maybe six feet, with bright white hair and bright eyes. He is also clad in dark armor, though his armor lacks a helmet, and he also wields no weapon. He offers a smile to Kamon, Soan, and Dominic, then turns his attention to the rest of the group.

     "Good afternoon...I hope I am not intruding?"

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko turns to watch the judges with an appraising look, then nods. "The ring is open to all. Even the unaffiliated." She turns back, then, to cast a sharper look on those with weapons drawn, or soon to be.

Dominic Masoch (655) has posed:
"A pleasure to meet you in person," Dominic responds to Kirika with an even tone, the arm hanging under his half cloak placed in one pocket. The long, slender rapier that hangs at his side is left there for now.

He turns to face Luna and agrees, "Yes. I imagine it would allow you to utilize unusual attack vectors and to combine numerous maneuvers which the body could not handle. I see." He rubs a hand under his chin before he waves to Toph and then adjusts the beret atop his head.

Kimiko does not receive much overt greeting, but her presence is noted and acknowledged with a nod of his head. He turns back to Luna as he unclasps the half-cloak he wears and hangs it on a branch, "Tell me what troubles you about your swordsmanship? In what areas do you feel inadequate?"

While outwardly calm and stoic, the appearance of this many people from his academy, and particularly of the Prince, give him an undercurrent of performance anxiety in this battle.

Kamon Lionward (628) has posed:
"Yeah, that's me. Uhhh... Toph, yeah?" He's trying to keep the names to voices. It's tricky, with how many there are. He /does/ snag a couple of her chips, munching with a muttered, "Thanks."

Kamon spends his time sizing up the current competitors. He scratches his chin, frowning a little at the telekinetically-controlled weapon and coming to about the same conclusions Dominic does. He wonders about the range of control. Could Luna just stand on one end of the field and take swings at people on the other, or is there a limit? Kimiko and Kirika... more traditional weapon styles, and he can guess how they'll fight.

"This'll be pretty good," he remarks, among the spectators.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Toph Beifong. Call me Toph," she replies to Kamon, making sure to pass on the bag of chips after he has taken something to munch on.

    Well, somebody brought a lot of friends...

    Toph stuffs her mouth with some potato chips, and then she snorts. "Only if your buddies want chips too, buddy. I obviously didn't bring enough for everyone."

    It's a bit funny with how tense Dominic seems, but luckily for him Toph doesn't comment on it.

Soan Sagittarius (633) has posed:
     "It'll sure be interesting. It's always facinating to see unknown martial styles displayed like this." Soan says, grabbing himself a few of her chips as well with his gloved hand, giving them a taste. Huh. Weird. Nice, but weird. "Thanks you."

     He looks down at Toph for a moment, tilting his head for a bit as he sits down on the ground at the moment, giving the swordsusers at the center a look, rubbing his chin thoughfully.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Kirika's keen sense of smell leaves her nose twitching when she sees Toph's doritos. A wary look comes from the half-kitsune, before she nods to Dominic. "The feeling is mutual, Sir Masoch." She smiles faintly, before nodding to the others that arrive, including Kimiko. She remembers the Puella Magi from a few operations a while back, but otherwise they are but acquaintences.

    When the Prince arrives, with his retinue of Judges, Kirika bows before them with respect. They /are/ technically foreign dignitaries, and deserve the most reverence possible in this setting.

    "I will be content to simply converse, unless someone is in need of a sparring partner here." Kirika offers, looking to Luna and Dominic ofr a moment before she taps the pommel of her sword's hilt.

Noiela (647) has posed:
The mysterious stranger with the obsfucating outfit jitters more than a little when the Prince makes his grande entrance, bringing keen eyed Judges to inspect the room. Shrinking back against the gnarled treetrunk, they decide it is better to stand up and be counted-marginally on both counts. A favourable angle later reveals that despite considerable effort to bulk out by added layers the person is decidedly female. The alternative is a rather unsual chest pocket. Stuffed with socks.

Politely inclining her head to anyone watching, they-she slides down again, depositing the book tucked underneath one arm back into its place on the knees.
"An electic crowd tonight." Murmurs the short stranger, shooting a glance in the direction of Kamon, Toph and Soan.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    As everyone likely to arrive has now gathered, the silver-haired swordswoman chooses this moment to identify herself.

    "I am... Shinobu. Kimiko. I would not mind practice involving any weapon in which I am proficient. These include--a variety of swords."

Landon al Cid (642) has posed:
     Landon bows politely to Kirika. If she allows, he also kisses her hand in the archaic style common to medieval worlds; if not, he seems utterly amenable to the refusal. It's probably just courtly manners, of which the Prince appears to have in spades.

     "I would not, myself, mind seeing extraversal martial styles," the Prince observes, "Nor would I particularly mind experiencing them! In fact, I should like that very much, I think."

     "I am Prince Landon al Cid, for those of you I have not yet had the chance to meet in person. It is a pleasure and an honor to meet with you, Union Representatives."

Luna (337) has posed:
     Luna offers a polite bow to Landon. "Welcome." she says to the prince, offering a warm smile. "I am Luna, of Equestria."

     Luna considers a moment, then sheaths her sword. "Nothing in particularly troubles me about it, but I have had no formal sword training. There may be techniques or secrets I do not know about that could make my fighting style more effective. However, if my style is so different, I am unsure those who use their hands will have the sort of knowledge I would need." she says to Dominic.

     When Kirika speaks up, Luna considers a moment. "We could spar so that you can see my style in action and advise me on how I might improve it. If it needs improving." the pony says, looking between the two sword users before her. "That is the nice thing about this arena. There is no need to hold back. The special protective fields allow us to use all our strength without injuring our opponents."

Dominic Masoch (655) has posed:
"I see. Well my Job is not Samurai or Ninja, so I could not teach you formally about how to use that sword," Only half-true, but true enough to make his point, "Yet the design of your weapon allows me to offer you basic tips. You should favor sweeping slashes and powerful cuts over thrusting attacks," He notes with a casual gesture, stepping towards her when she sheaths her sword.

"The single-edged design with a reinforced blade makes it ideal for more crushing blows and means that you should favor that. While the design of the tip allows stabbing, it is single-edged and so this is unideal for the weapon," He explains simply, giving Luna a pretty obvious explanation about the design of her blade.

His hand falls to the hilt of his rapier in a casual gesture, resting there while he watches the others converse and arrange sparring.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    "I believe Dominic has you covered." Kirika says, smiling towards the fencer and alicorn. As the prince greets her formally, Kirika turns to face him-

    Only to get a kiss on the hand. Human traditions, especially offworld ones, are certainly not the sorts of things she's quite used to yet. The kitsune hides a blush, trying not to look like a sheepish maiden too much in the presence of royalty. She observes the judges for a moment, wondering if they are bodyguards to the Prince, or perhaps officators if there is to be a duel here today. Mayhap both? Who knows?

    In any case, she allows Dominic to handle the teaching for now, convinced the Fencer knows his stuff. Kenjutsu is a bit of a different beast than anything Luna is expecting, anyway.

Soan Sagittarius (633) has posed:
     Soan looks up from watching the instructions between sword people, giving Noiela a quick greeting wave at her glance, smiling at the mysterious girl. "Yes, yes it is." He replies, his voice low as well, crunching on his last chips.

     "Please, sit down, sit down, Noiela. Make yourself comfortable, this ius going to get pretty good, I think."

Noiela (647) has posed:
Observing the main duelists, the girls stare wavers slightly when Landon dispenses his princely courtship of everyone within eye and earshot. Attention completely derailed with the sharp eyed Soan directly addressing her, sending her lowered pen skittering across the open page. Ripping the blotchy paper out in one swift tear and crumple, she lugs book and person over to where the rest are situated, lowering her hood to reval a girl with hair and skin bleached white in the moonlight. If one felt inspired to insipid poetry.

"You've got eagle vision." She remarks in a rumble, frown unable to hide the smile curling her mouth. Open book, poise pen and hunch back. "Hello, fellow spectators."

Luna (337) has posed:
     Despite the obvious assessment of her weapon. Luna seems to appreciate it. "I see. And, do you suppose it is suited for blocking? Or should I focus on avoiding and parrying blows with it?" she says, the young alicorn seeming interested in this subject. "Oh, and..." Her horn glows, and her scythe (shown in the picture in her desc) appears. "...do you know anything about these sorts of weapons?" she adds, unaware of the Job system on Galianda.

     Luna nods to Kirika before smirking lightly as the kitsune is caught off guard by the kiss to her hand. With the kitsune and prince and the others occupying each other, Luna focuses on Dominic. She floats the scythe off to the side, away from harming anyone, then gives it a few swishes and spins. "I received it only recently, but I am quite fond of it already."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The blind girl listens to the talk about swords, looking slightly bored. When are they getting to the actual sparring? She does hear Soan speak to Noiela, and the girl earns a slight nod from Toph. But she turns her focus back to the fight soon enough as Luna swishes and spins her scythe.

    "Lots of you new people lately. Do all of you fight?" Toph asks to the others who have gathered around the rock. And she makes sure that everybody gets offered some chips to snack on.

Landon al Cid (642) has posed:
     Landon beams at Noiela. Several of the Judges glance at each other, presumably because they should've caught her, but they were probably about to anyway - Soan's practiced at seeking out hidden people, after all. They're not likely to lose their jobs at that.

     "Good afternoon, Lady Noiela," he offers politely. He doesn't kiss her hand; he's met her before, after all. "I hope I find you well? I understand you're intending to attend the event tonight...do you intend to also enroll in the Academy, now that its doors are open?"

     Landon looks over at Toph. "Ah, yes. Combat is something of a necessity on Galianda. Battle can spring up everywhere. Monsters come from the depths of all the Plates, and laxity is often deadly."

Soan Sagittarius (633) has posed:
     "Have to be, m'lady." Soan says, watching with some satisfaction Noiela coming down and making herself fully known. Not so much on her frustration that he apparently caused. "Traps are not particularly obvious half of the time, even if theyh are often not nearly as clever their creator like them to be half of the time. Good to see you, Noiela."

     The Thief is not worried about giving competition to a bunch of bodyguard judges. They are quite adept at jumping in the way of danger... much like he is, now that he muses about it.

     "As the good Prince says, most people know how to fight." He says, leaning back against his seat, quite relaxed. "Even I can fight. Not nearly as well as some of my fellow, but hey. I can avoid detection very well."

Dominic Masoch (655) has posed:
"Blocking is possible but should quickly be transitioned into deflection or parrying. You will wish to catch incoming sword strikes at an angle with the flat or thick portions of your sword along the side or back, allowing them to graze down towards the rounded hilt at your hand," Dominic says in a weirdly specific display of kenjutsu knowledge despite being a rapier user by all apeparances, "Then you will transition this into an advantageous position through a parry or push and attempt to score a disabling or killing blow. Direct blocking is not advised as it can damage or distort your sword irreparably."

He keeps those gloved hands folded at his back as he explains this to Luna. He takes pause for a moment, bowing about 10 degrees in mostly show to Kimiko, "Dominic Masoch." He introduces for his final time today, "Of Ramuh. Please call me Dominic."

When Kirika passes teaching off onto him and goes to wander off to introduce herself to Landon. The Prince is as charming as ever, and that puts Dominic somewhat at ease. He takes a half-deep breath and smiles at Luna.

"That is a scythe and a weapon I know very little about. You will see better training in a polearm from someone like Kamon, who has a wider array of knowledge than myself."

Noiela (647) has posed:
"Mostly let others do the fighting." Noiela raises a hand to conceal the smirk twitching her mouth at the Judges brief show of bewilderment, gleeful and admittedly slightly childish glee brightening up those darkly lit eyes. It helps to reduce the faint tremble at Landon addressing her; relaxed to a telltale quaver in reply once it becomes clear he will not be grasping her hand to bestow a kiss anytime soon.

"Good afternoon." Equally formal, grin reduced to a far more acceptable smile pinched at the corners. "Perhaps, with the intent to purloin your worlds knowledge and apply it further afield. Do you happen to know of any lessons that focus on trap making? Soan feels the current crop lack invention." Dipping into the stock of corn chips with a quiet word of thanks to Toph, the tactician attempts to balance writing up on the interaction between the duelists and munching. Many crumbs are shed.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Your footsteps are very light, you walk like an airbender," Toph comments to Soan. "And I know /you/ can fight, you were there when we worked to stop Lute and his crazy girlfriend, remember?" It's good to hear that they are all used to combat, however. Most of them. "You can leave the fighting to us, honey." Not everybody fights, and that's fine.

Luna (337) has posed:
     Luna nods at Dominic's explanations, then smirks. "Well, it seems there is little more you can teach me with words. Perhaps a proper training match would be in order. I need to keep my skills and my weapons sharp for dealing with the enemies of the Union and the dangers of my own world." she says to him.

     Luna then steps a short distance away and draws her sword again with nothing more than a thought. Now, she is wielding two weapons. Dominic might notice that the weapons stay with about 10 feet of Luna as she moves. Perhaps that is the maximum distance her telekinetics can handle the objects. "Are you sure you would not like to join us, Miss Kirika? I do have two weapons."

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Kirika shakes her head, "I believe Dominic has this in hand for the time being. I will watch." She says politely, before she backs up to help give the Fencer and Alicorn some room. Grabbing a seat someone, Kirika kneels down and politely remains at rest, watching silently.

Landon al Cid (642) has posed:
     Dominic gets a brief glance from Landon. Landon is, admittedly, curious; he hasn't watched Dominic fight very often. Duels aren't exactly in vogue anymore amidst the nobility as a means of solving problems, or at least not minor problems. The sort of people who get challenged to duels of honor tend to be either incredibly good at killing people or incredibly rude and ignorant and thus not likely to last long anyway.

     "Ah, I haven't taken any. I imagine the Thieves' Curriculum would be the place to look, and such is not really my idiom, so to speak. I leave that to capable men like Soan." He taps the side of his nose with a smile. "I have my own ways of protecting myself, after all."

     He probably doesn't mean the Judges, who are currently watching, milling about, and perusing for other hidden intruders who might possibly try and assassinate the Crown Prince.

     "I meant to ask, by the by; when are you free for that dinner we discussed?"

Dominic Masoch (655) has posed:
"If that is what you wish," Dominic says with a faint smile and a nod of his head. He takes a deep breath and then steps back a bit, taking off the long coat he wears and his beret, both of which are part of his personal school outfit to blend style, functionality and nobility. This also involves his heavy gloves coming off, but there's no reason to keep them on for a spar.

All in all, it leaves the nobleman in a buttoned vest, dress shirt (Which he is currently rolling the sleeves of up towards his elbow) and long pants with those big boots. He makes sure his ponytail is secure before saying, "I will endeavor to show you the skill of Alexander Academy's best Fencer." Capital F.

The fingers on his bare right hand coil and he reaches towards his sheathed weapon. With a swift motion, the long and slender blade is drawn, mithril glinting in the moonlight. Dominic shifts his footing, the left foot moving back behind himself and dragging through the dirt on the ground with the toe of his boot. His body slides sideways, presenting in profile while he keeps the blade in a classic swordplay stance in his right. His left arm is formally folded behind his back, kept at the small of it.

"En garde." He says briskly.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko, despite her armor, manages a smooth bow to Dominic in return, of the same incline--though hers is clearly not of the European style. To Luna, she shakes her head, slightly. Scythes are outside her ability, apart from those heavily modified for war.

Luna (337) has posed:
     Luna nods, a confident look on her face. "Very well." She dismisses the scythe, then turns to face Dominic. She is naturally less of a target when facing something than if she is turned, so she has no special stance to take. Her weapon, a wakizashi, is at best a short sword. Which promises to be very quick when attacking, especially when wielded by telekinetics.

     The alicorn watches Dominic for a few moments, then moves toward him quickly. She keeps her ten food distance as her wakizashi goes flying in, spinning like a lawnmower blade. A most unorthadox attack for a sword, and fairly impossible for those who are actually holding the sword. But for a telekinetic unicorn pony, it is pretty easy.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko watches the two spar from a respectful distance--but simply watching is not all she came here to do. Left hand resting on her hip, just above her sword's hilt, she turns her attention to landon. "And you, Prince Landon al Cid? Do you seek practice? Whether with sword, spear, axe, or gauntlet, I may provide."

Kamon Lionward (628) has posed:
Kamon, still on the sidelines, produces a crumpled bag of what appears to be cookies.

COURAGE COOKIES...?!

He looks at them as if he's wondering if he should share.

Landon al Cid (642) has posed:
     Several of the Judges look warily at Kimiko. Landon, however, offers a broad smile. "I believe I can accomodate myself thusly. Though I confess I am not nearly skilled enough to claim myself the greatest of anything," the Prince observes wryly.

     Landon snaps his hand to the side. A moment later, he holds up what appears to be an intricate, painted card. As the Prince pours mana into the card, the intricate paintings light up; suddenly, the card is no longer a card, but a large, heavy-looking sword with a crescent on the end. It's at least a greatsword, but the Prince wields it in one hand, as though it was no more than a rapier.

     "I'm afraid I'm not quite proficient at dual-wielding. This will have to do for now, hm?"

Soan Sagittarius (633) has posed:
     "The Thieves panoply of abilities /do/ include trap making and trap disarming." Soan confirms, smiling at at Noiela and the Prince, settling in still to look at the incoming duel. Duels are an interesting proposition for Soan. For one, they aren't to be accepted, because anyone that challenges you either think they've got more than you do on the matter, or are dangerously ignorant. For two, it present a fantastic strike opportunity by a third party.

     "I wouldn't say the current crop is, just... most traps, by default, don't /need/ to be very clever. Just clever enough." He comments, turning his attention to Landon and Kimiko. Hm. About their age.

Dominic Masoch (655) has posed:
Her style is as he predicted, utilizing her lack of physical connection to the blade to make unorthodox sword strikes that would normally be impossible. The yellow bolts of 'lightning' that accent Dominic's naturally blue eyes flicker as he slowly begins channeling his MP and deciding how best to proceed.

His first thought is the potential of parrying a blade, but without knowing the exact strength of her sword strike, the spiral motion of the blade runs a risk of disarming him in the first moments of combat and that is unideal for someone with his Job. He could potentially attempt to press through the damage, but that speed of motion and particular line of attack could see him take 'fatal' damage.

So he attempts to go under. In a smooth and agile motion, he shifts his blade to point the tip downwards. He then lunges straight forward, lowering himself to the ground. Boots slide through the dirt and leaves on the forest floor as he seeks to go directly under her spinning blade. If it lowers in time to catch him, a glancing cut appears on his forehead above one eye, lightly trickling blood.

However, going under the blade allows him to close some distance hopefully. He thrusts in towards Luna with a flurry of feather-fast blows, aiming to draw damage at her shoulders with swift slices of his lightning-fast blade.

Noiela (647) has posed:
The metal nib stratches its way industriously as the main contenders fall into their respective battle stances; a steady hand and composed mind is essential when scribbing down the slanting, angular letters that comprise her own personal cipher. Corner of her tongue pinkly showing as she concentrates almost entirely on the upcoming fight, Noiela belatedly catches wind of Cids reply and question. Quelling any tremour in her elbow, she struggles to speak with equanimity.

"Wh-Whenever you are open for such pursuits and I own a dress able to sidestep the stern glare of your guards." Stopped from gabbling when Kimiko engages the Prince; it is gratefully she turns the other way to regard Soan. "I see."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    When Kamon pulls out the bag, it doesn't take Toph long to reach a hand over, palm facing upwards to the guy. Hey, she shared chips, so he should totally share cookies. That's how it works.

    Her attention is on the sparring in front of her though, her feet resting on the ground to pick up the movements of the alicorn and the fencer. Hmm, not bad really. While she isn't used to swords herself, she focuses on their movements. And it seems like they aren't too bad at all. Perhaps they could be a bit steadier. Then again, Toph has high standards, especially for her students. And these guys aren't earthbenders.

Kamon Lionward (628) has posed:
Kamon drops a couple of cookie-lumps into Toph's hand. They're super chocolatey at first bite, and then instantly dry her mouth out like a desert a few seconds after, practically killing all taste sensation from therein.

Kamon also holds out a bottle of water as soon as she takes the cookies.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko nods. "Whatever weapon you wish. Apart from firearms, as I have no experience with those." A mild qualification, as she expects that not to apply, currently. The method of weapon storage is interesting, but she doesn't comment. Her own is no less convenient.

    The armored girl raises both hands, as if holding a long-hilted blade, and immediately, a shining, polished sword the size of a German longsword--closer to a claymore than the typical knight's cross-hilt--appears in her grip in a flash of silver light, sparkles hanging in the air as they drift and wink out like so many white embers. She raises the sword vertically, then executes a few swings without shifting her footing, alternating one- and two-handed, as if getting used to the weight. When she stops, the blade is held high, as if ready for an overhead strike at full power.

    "You may begin. If not, I shall."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Wasting no time in tasting the cookie lumps, Toph stuffs her mouth. With all of them at once. Why is he holding out a water bottle? It's not like she's thi--

    What. The. Hell.

    The girl's eyes widen slightly where she sits. And then she starts coughing, hacking as she grabs the bottle, sticking out her dried out tongue before she starts chugging the water with a panicked look on her face!

Luna (337) has posed:
     Luna blinks in surprise at the agile dodge, and while she tries to adjust, that tiny nick is all she manages. And as Dominic comes lunging in toward her, Luna's eyes widen and her horn glows. And as those lightning-fast strikes come, a shield of energy appears around Luna. She dodges to one side, using her magic to deflect the blows, and as she does, her sword makes its way back over. It takes up defensive position, twirling as before, but this time to defelct the flurry of attacks. So, this is what it is like fighting a true swordsman. It is pretty impressive.

     But, the advantage of not holding her sword comes into play again as the sword suddenly swings out and down in a diagonal arc, then back up in an cross cut. A swing of the blade is like a snake striking. So fast it can barely be seen until after it has happened. But, she apparently can't strike over and over in that fashion like Dominic can. Or hasn't practiced enough to make such a flurry of attacks.

Soan Sagittarius (633) has posed:
Soan watches with interests the effect this will have on Toph! It will be FACINATING.

Landon al Cid (642) has posed:
     "I imagine that you would look stunning in such a dress, Lady Noiela," Landon notes wryly as he swings the Judge Blade calmly, testing it out. It doesn't appear to be made of any real material at all; in fact, it's completely see-through, and it ripples and shimmers like liquid crystal. It most certainly isn't metal or crystal of any nature, though.

     "Then, by your leave, I shall begin!"

     The Prince is actually quite a good swordsman. Though he pales in comparison to Dominic or Kamon, what he lacks in swordsmanship, he makes up for in a very specific trick - one that he demonstrates at the start of the charge.

     As Landon lunges forward, he throws his hand out in front of him. A spinning card appears, glowing a brilliant blue light. And then...

     And then, there's a crystalline barrier in between Landon and Kimiko. Landon throws the Judge Blade upwards; the sword hovers in the air, presumably of its own volition, and then comes swinging down for Kimiko's own.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Kirika supposes she'll wait her turn. When things begin happening, she continues to observe in silence, fascinated by the techniques and powers displayed by the combatants present. WIth two duels going on at once, she works to give both contests equal attention, her crimson gaze eyeing them with impassive silence.

    Suddenly a barrier appears, and Prince Landon pulls some impressive magic as per his position as a Judge. Could the others accompanying him here do the same? Kirika supposes so, and definitely makes a note of that for another time as the Judge and Puella Magi continue to spar.

Soan Sagittarius (633) has posed:
     Soan gives out a small laugh, if a little worried one as he reaches out for Toph for a support. "It's a big rough, ainnit?" The Thief says. "Just take your time, take a good drink of water and you'll be fine."

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Aha. A magical shield? Kimiko is not adept in the same, but if the fight is to include such techniques--

    To begin, however, she displays nothing truly out of the ordinary, at least in terms of what she attempts. Her response is to parry, with a simple, overhead slash, a maneuver that will avail her nothing if the slightest moment too slow--but here she does show ability that, given her frame, must be superhuman. Her sword is raised in one moment, and lowered in the next, along with her stance. A sharp wind whips away from her with the passage of her blade, and the sound of her weapon--made purely from her magic, despite its solid appearance--striking Landon's likewise resounds. Such a parry would normally leave her opponent entirely open, but Landon's style proects from such a fate quite neatly, so Kimiko instead follows up her slash with a backward leap of some ten meters, landing in a half crouch with her blade at her side, watching, and waiting.

    Her eyes are alight with a curiosity almost innocent in its purity.

Noiela (647) has posed:
"Stunningly unfeasible for a formal occasion, you m-mean..." Noiela tries her best to be dryly humourous, but conspiring cookie criminals and the fast paced action has her occupied full time, hand gamely keeping its crabbed scrawl. Spare hand folding itself behind her back, she shoots Kamon and Soan a look brimming with injured pride, crooking her fingers slightly. A minor hex in petty revenge to cause jitters; bringing the cookies to an ignominious crunch underneath her heel if Kamon loses his hold on the bag as plotted and it rolls within reach of her foot. In light of how diminutive height wise she is, her legs suffer similar restrictions.

Landon al Cid (642) has posed:
     The Judge Blade does not break. It bounces away from the impact with a ringing, high-pitched, resonant and beautiful freqency, spinning upwards into the air harmlessly. Landon snaps his fingers to the side; the blade vanishes, reappearing in his hand. The barrier shatters away as Landon stops focusing on it, dismissing the Law Card's effect with but a thought.

     "Ah, now...you are most agile, aren't you, Lady Kimiko?" Landon purses his lips, his friendly smile never wavering. The Prince appears to be a *master* of holding a friendly smile in place, whatever the circumstances may be. He gives the Judge Blade an experimental slash, the weapon humming through the air. The whole time, his eyes are on her.

     "You greatly remind me of someone I know," he adds cheerfully as he whirls the blade, "Though she is a bit more...mmmm.../stern/, I suppose."

     Landon's smile widens. He flings the Judge Blade forward. "Very well. If I am to fight you, I must cut off the avenue of your escape."

     A pair of Law Cards burn into existence in front of him. Landon slashes his hands downwards, making an X, and the cards cross together, burning a blue light in front of him.

     The Judge Blade goes shooting forward. At the same time, new barriers appear - one above Kimiko, and one to the left side. Landon means to cut off her avenue of escape and force her into parrying!

     "Stunningly lovely, Lady Noiela. You mustn't be so hard on yourself. You're a beautiful woman." He tilts his head over at her, but his eyes are still locked on Kimiko as he guides the blade.

     Landon has absolutely no reason to appreciate white- or silver-haired girls.

     That is a bald-faced lie.

Dominic Masoch (655) has posed:
"Hmm."

Dominic lets out a thoughtful noise as his sword strikes and deflects against the shield that Luna projects. He figured she had magic, but had estimated that most of her ability would be tied up in controlling the sword. The shield is an unexpected surprise from Luna.

A Fencer does not wear armor. Dominic could if he wished, for other reasons, but he chooses not to for this fight. He also doesn't have armor. This means he must rely heavily on his ability to dodge the retaliation that Luna brings upon him. Feet gently tapping on the ground, he swerves and moves gracefully between those quick strikes. But they come from such strange angles, and a single mis-step allows one of the snaking blows to draw a deep line across his left arm, causing a wince of pain and temporarily staining his outfit a deep crimson on the sleeve.

Taking a step back for breathing room, he closes his eyes and briefly brings his thoughts back to one of the many Fencers the Academy brought in to train him over the years.

~Dramatic Flashback~

Listan the Mage-Hunter, he'd been called. A pass-through, a man contracted by the Academy and Dominic's Family to teach him for a month. He worked as a bounty hunter who tracked down dangerous fugitives who happened to have spellcaster jobs. He was a gruff man, with one eye; in his late-30s and dreading the day he lost his edge.

"Listen boy. Know how I lost my eye? I thought a mage was out of energy and he caught me with a fireball. I'm going to teach you to make sure you bottom them out. Watch closely."

~End Dramatic Flashback~

Dominic opens his eyes a second later, the yellow in his irises glowing brightly against the blue. He flicks his blade and brings it up vertically. With a push, he channels his MP into it. The blade begins to glow a dim crimson and he lunges in towards Luna again.

This time, though, he's channeling one of the staple techniques of the veteran Fencer. Known simply as Manastriking, the technique involves infusing a blade with a negative magical energy into his blade, creating a supplemental effect to his blows. His sword strikes, while still slicing and powerful, also seek to absorb and disperse the magical energies of his opponent.

He's trying to mana-sap Luna's shield to land a clean hit.

Luna (337) has posed:
     It is a sound strategy, to be sure. But, Dominic doesn't realize how much magical potential an alicorn of Equestria possesses. She moves the moon and stars about the sky on a daily basis. So, while she does feel the drain, and it does make her shield flicker, it doesn't collapse the shield, and it doesn't slow her strikes. So, as Dominic is slicing away at her shield, her wakizashi strikes again. It rises above Dominic, and comes slashing down with the power and speed Dominic suggested earlier, again in a diagonal slice. Because such a cut is much harder to avoid than a simple vertical or horizontal slash.

     And if this one hits, it is sure to do more damage than the last few attacks. It has much more of her magical strength behind it. But, still, it is obvious that using a sword is not her strong suit. Dominic can likely feel that she wants to use spells with the sword simply punctuating them. She is only holding back because she asked for help with her sword work, so using magic in the battle seems counterproductive.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    "You have not seen me in battle, prince." Kimiko notes, mildly. Apart from her eyes, her expression is unwavering in its neutrality.

    While Landon prepares his magic, Kimiko prepares hers, appearing as a softly glowing circle beneath her feet. No movement seems required of her body to do this, so it must be purely an effort of intent. It flares brightly as it activates, a slight moment after the blade is thrown forth. Kimiko is, indeed, forced to contend without the possibility of leaping away, thanks to the barrier above her. Likewise, the one to the left restricts her motion.

    In obvious disregard to physical law, she shoots straight forward, her acceleration instantaneous as the magic circle burns away behind her. Straight into the path of the Judge Blade. In the same motion, she raises her blade to guard.

    Both weapons strike together, and the path of each is diverted. The Judge Blade, the more massive of the two, continues on nearly on course--but Kimiko is already twisting her body to duck beneath its path. It strikes her armored shoulder, causing a shriek of tearing metal to be clearly heard.

    This does not halt Kimiko's forward motion. Her sword, from its guarding position, and with still more than half the strength of her accelerated charge, is thrust forward against Landon's defense.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The earthbender gasps for breath as she finally puts the water bottle down, then she reaches out and punches Kamon in the shoulder. /Hard./ "What the hell is this CRUD anyway?!" she demands, her voice slightly raspy. Then she rises, spitting slightly. "Ugh, I need more to drink..." she mutters and begins heading for the exit. Ugh. "I... I gotta go. Later guys."

    Well, at least she's leaving the chips behind.

Kamon Lionward (628) has posed:
Kamon loses the remainder of the cookies, the things being crushed underfoot once again. That's /probably/ all of them, right? He accepts the punch, too, in good spirits. He's a pretty hard target. "Lots of things," he remarks, and then waves as Toph takes off. He shoots Noiela a glance, and then turns back to the brawl. Not every day you see a Judge do things.

Landon al Cid (642) has posed:
     Dangerous. Landon had expected a lot of things, but he hadn't expected someone to throw themselves into the path of the Judge Blade. The sound of tearing metal confirms it, and Landon lets out a cheerful whistle of appreciation and respect.

     "You're more like her than I realized!" Landon replies as the blade vanishes. The barriers shatter and die. Does he have time to rebuild the blade or the barrier before she gets to him?

     No. He does not. Kimiko is much too fast, and with the charge, with her daring move, she punches through his abilities rapidly. There's a shriek of surprise from one of the Judges as Landon brings his armored arm up.

     He deflects the blade from his chest only barely. Like before, with the Judge Blade, the sword carves through metal; unlike before, the sword draws blood. Landon's face never wavers, nor does his smile change, as he steps back and waves his hand gently. "Goodness."

     "You're a dangerous woman, Lady Kimiko. I believe that it's your victory." He places his bleeding hand over his chest with a broad smile. "I salute you."

     Landon covers his arm, suppressing his obvious pain, and rubs it thoughtfully. "I believe I ought see Lady Hyral or Mister Westwind before this scabs, mmm?" He observes thoughtfully, like he's *not* in horrible pain. Apparently, being the Prince of Ramuh means being really good at not giving away anything.

     No wonder Souji hates him so much.

Dominic Masoch (655) has posed:
    Dominic frowns as his strikes are still not landing on his opponent, or seeming to have much effect on her shield, "An admirable amount of defensive capabilities. My sword strikes appear fruitless," He comments in a neutral tone.

Stepping back to give himself room to maneuver, he reassesses the situation and then takes another hop back as the sword strike comes in at him in a cleaving blow. He takes a hop backwards and the sword cuts in a shallow strike across his chest rather than the rending blow it would have landed moments ago.

Feet skidding across the ground of the forest, he comes to a stop in a crouch, rapier held out easily. He comes to a full standing position and then says, "Mn. Much like the Prince, I am afraid I must call my match after only a few blows. I promised to help the Gigas Class with their Tier C testing today. That is happening shortly."

He sheaths his blade again and begins to gather up his hanging cloak and jacket, "With some practice, you will find that your combined magic and swordplay make you a formidable opponent, Miss Luna."

Noiela (647) has posed:
"Pay attention." Noiela notes softly, her rebuke tempered by a notice of how elegantly he parries when put against her own remembrance of sparring with another- it took open effort and she held no breath for banter. Keeping her mouth tightly sealed on how the Prince might suceed in his duel, opening it to briefly give an unconvincing "Ah, clumsy." Turning her head away to cover a smile.

Then, Landon breezes past the injury with his usual unflappable good humour, prompting from a hidden pocket the emergence of a basic potion, already uncorked. Moving up and towards the pair to proffer it before he can insist 'tis just a flesh wound'. Corked, the liquid inside is colourless, smelling faintly of clover.
Of course, forgetting the rules of the virtual realm entirely.

Interesting how she completely overlooks his compliment. The trembling is entirely adrenaline based. Entirely.

Luna (337) has posed:
     Luna nods as Dominic speaks up, then sheaths her own sword. "Thank you for the practice. Good luck with your testing." she says, then smirks lightly. "It is kind of you to notice my strength." she says, then bows her head respectfully a moment. "I look forward to future sessions."