The Only Way to Improve... [A Jointly-Written Sparring Fic]

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Welcome to the Warder Yards. This is the place for Warder and Trainee roleplays. Informal non-training interactions take place here, as well as some extended role plays. Yet these events may take place at any area of the Tower, and sometimes outside of it, since the images to the left merely serves as inspiration towards the sceneries of your stories. Channelers are always welcome, and might even find his or her bondmate through the threads that are displayed below.
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Bella
Female Channeller Representative
Posts: 5615
Joined: April 14th, 2015, 11:28 pm
PC: Miahala Darrow Sedai
SC: Lysira Viathene Gaidin
TC: Gareth Tomosan Asha'man
QC: Natlya Cade Gaidin
QC: Andraste Alhandra Sedai
Location: New England

The Only Way to Improve... [A Jointly-Written Sparring Fic]

Post by Bella » September 21st, 2018, 10:58 pm

Riahana Gaidin & Haeden Gaidin (This was choreographed and written jointly by Roan and Bella. Yes, we even used practice swords. On my lawn. I think my grandfather was amused...) As Mistress of Training, Riahana was responsible for the learning ranks of the Warder Yards, but that didn't mean she turned her back on those who wished to sharpen their skills with swords. Her door was always open, and she even welcomed those who were brave enough to seek her out when she went through her swordforms each and every morning in her quiet corner of the Warder Yards before things got too busy. Despite having an 'open door' policy, she didn't expect her great-uncle to be one of those who'd come knocking.

He'd waited for her to finish her forms yesterday morning and requested a sparring session with her. The blademaster smiled at Haeden and agreed to the spar. She'd watched him progress in his own skill with the blade, and saw something of the man's father in him in the way he moved. She knew he was on his way to earning his own Heron-marked blades.

Even though Ria hadn't mentioned the spar to anyone, news of the event spread like wildfire through the Warder Yard and the Tower. The Blademaster couldn't help the slight amused smile on her lips as she finished warming up, waiting for Haeden to arrive. When she saw her great-uncle step into the sparring area, the slight smile turned to a slight smirk, "I don't know how they find out about these things. I swear I didn't mention this to anyone, but it looks like we'll have an audience today. I can send them away, if you'd rather do this without the crowd."

"I think some wise Gaidin at some point in history, in some place in my family, said that in life, we will not get to choose how the fight takes place," he said with a half-smile of his own, looking over the crowd and wondering how they'd found out about it since he hadn't told anyone either. (Some argued that he never told anyone anything...) "So they may remain." He put his coat aside and took up the wooden practice sword. "Thank you for agreeing to this, Ria," he said, pitching his voice just for them.

At this, Ria offered Haeden a warm smile, something few outside of her family got to see, "Don't mention it, Haeden. I'm flattered you asked." She already shed her coat and had stretched, "Take as much time as you need to warm up, otherwise, I am ready to go."

Inwardly, he was earnestly a little nervous. It didn't show, of course, but his kin here was a blademaster. Like his own father before him had been. There was little by way of parallels, but it was still all a little... Well. He just hoped to not make an arse out of himself here, fighting against a woman with her skills and experience and the birds on her blades. He knew he had improved, but this would show just how much.

So he warmed up briefly and then took a deep breath. The small knot in his head remained a solid spot of comfort before he moved into his most familiar form: The Ox Lowers its Horns and waited for her to move into whatever stance she'd choose for herself. Once she was in guard as well, he moved to make the first strike. Caution was a good thing, but so was taking the advantage and not showing fear. He kept his move conservative, at first, striking with The Falcon Stoops as his opener.

For her part, Ria embraced the Void like an old friend as she watched her kin. They both settled into The Ox Lowers its Horns, and she intended to let him make the first move, as was her habit for spars. As he moved into The Falcon Stoops, she rotated her wrists and brought the flat of the blade around to parry his strike before shuffling forward with a thrust aimed at chest height.

Haeden moved quickly to swing his sword around and under, swinging up to block her blade and keep it from touching his chest. While they were, of course, just wooden practice blades, it could still hurt when those things hit. From there, they both retreated back a step and moved into guard once more.

For Ria, she settled into Swallow Glides to the Branch, moving towards Haeden with the tip of her sword pointed towards the other Gaidin and her hands and hilt at about hip level. As she closed distance, she transitioned into Swallow Takes Flight, moving into a diagonal slash before trying to land a 'killing' thrust. She made each of her strikes with quick precision, not giving him any ground.

It was the first time that he had ever actually properly sparred with... Well, technically she was his great-something-niece, but given their ages and positions in the Grey Tower, it was simply too strange to call her that...but anyways, they had never fought against each other. Rarely beside one another, now that he thought about it, but he had still anticipated that she would be. Well. As good as she was. He knew he was going to be hard-pressed here, but that's what he'd wanted.

As she came at him with these latest strikes, he didn't have time to think. His muscles just acted, and his blade moved into The Falling Leaf to block each incoming attempt at his life, figuratively speaking.

With their blades briefly held together, he tried to take the initiative. Doubt was something he tried to keep from his mind as he let instinct pull him forward. Shifting his body, he pressed the hilt of his weapon forward and gripped the blade, trying to send the hilt and his fist into her side in an attempt to knock her off-balance.

He was good, though this was not a surprise to Ria given what she'd seen of him over the years. Inwardly, she was pleasantly surprised by his use of hand and a half sword skills, but the Void kept such surprise off of her face. The Void also helped her stay focused as she moved her leading food back and rotating her body so the blow missed her side. She saw an opening in this and simply thrust forward.

As expected, if he was being honest, his attempt didn't work, but it did enough that her next move didn't catch him entirely off guard. As she thrust forward, he released his blade with his second hand and let it swing around to parry her blade before it had a chance to reach him. From there, he quickly moved back and put distance between them. He moved back into guard and watched as she did as well. He wasn't going to let himself linger here, however, and he shifted forward once again. This time, he aimed less for a proper strike and more for something that might distract her. Slow her down.

He cut the sweep of The Eel Among the Lilypads.

The Blademaster brought her practice lathe around in a low block before taking a trick out of his book, and grabbed the sword above the hilt in an attempt to slam the hilt up towards his throat.

Haeden had to all but jump back to avoid having the hilt end land in his jugular, which would not have made for an attractive look for him certainly. He didn't want to move too far back, of course, lest he lose some level of advantage. Seeing that she had her sword tip held low with the hilt raised, he saw an opening that he couldn't help but go for. With a quick lift, he brought his own sword up and slid forward in a small lunge of a thrust toward her. She, naturally, blocked it, and they both sprang away to return to guard.

Circling... Circling...

Ria was in a high guard as the pair circled. There had been an ebb and flow to their spar, as there usually was. She liked to let the other person strike first, but then after that, she'd take initiative when she could. This time, she sprung into The Boar Rushes Down the Mountain with her diagonal slash coming from over her right shoulder, not holding back (not that she'd been holding back).

Haeden had to move fast to block, because he recognized immediately what would be coming next. If he didn't catch it during the diagonal slash, he'd end up with more than one nasty bruise. So he brought his blade up fast, catching hers before it could make contact with him. She disengaged fast, but didn't give him long enough to take a breath before she was coming at him with Rain in the High Wind, and once more, he had to move just as quickly--without any time at all to think--to catch his swing as it came for him. But he did. It saved him from both bruises and embarrassment...at least for a moment.

After the third block, there was the briefest of pauses and he suddenly realized that there was a small opening... A twist of his blade in that minute break, and he was able to slide his blade forward and up into a thrust that tagged her shoulder...

There was a code of conduct to spars, and when a tag was made, everything stopped. Ria lowered her blade and offered Haeden a small smirk and slight nod, "You got a touch. Not a mortal blow, but a touch none the less. Well done." There weren't many in the Warder Yards who fought with blades that could get a touch on her, and he joined their ranks. There was a certain amount of pride she felt for him, though she'd not say as much since it might come across as patronizing.

The Mistress of Training settled into a middle guard, The Kingfisher Watches the Sky as she watched her Great Uncle. She sprung forward with a powerful thrust, followed by a second, going into Lightning of Three Prongs. While the form worked better from The Lion on the Hill, it worked from the middle guard she held too.

On the upside, Haeden could be glad that he had, in fact, gotten a hit in against his blademaster kin. That was something to be proud of. However, he also knew that it wasn't likely to happen again and while he was sure she wasn't angry with him over it, he also knew that she'd work just as hard to make sure she returned the favor. He'd have to work twice as hard now to not lose his imaginary head! But he had wanted the challenge, and here it was before him.

He parried the first thrust simply, then caught the second with Willow Embracing the Breeze. Instead of using it to move into her guard, he chose to use it to move out of her range for a moment and catch his thoughts on his defense and her offense, as well as his own offense. He didn't wait long, however, shifting from a high guard into The Hummingbird Kisses the Honeyrose--he knew he could no longer afford to try to slow her.

To be a good swordsperson, not only did you need to be good with the blade, but quick and light on your feet. Riahana had Haeden's mother to thank for being light on her feet, as Miahala Sedai taught a young Riahana how to dance when she was a learning rank, as it helped her when she was learning her sword forms. When Haeden charged forward with The Hummingbird Kisses the Honeyrose, she parried his blade out of the way before stepping back to give distance.

Again, he hadn't really expected to hit...but he had hoped.

What followed from there was a slightly more basic set of strikes and parries, but the speed of the blows exchanged was enough to draw a chorus of "ooh" and "aah" from the crowd. He could feel the start of burning in his muscles that he usually only felt in actual battle. He was glad for it, though. This was what he wanted, what he had asked for: a challenge, but with less actual risk of death.

He certainly had faced his share of challenges with a blade in his hand, but it was different when he could die at any moment.

This, he rather preferred.

His kin was skilled, which he had known of course, but he enjoyed the chance to truly witness and appreciate her skill. And that she was willing to use it to offer him the chance to improve his own. With each step, each swing, he felt himself coming closer to the path of his father... Something that with age brought pride and anger in equal terms. Was something he wanted and loathed in equal turns.

Once more, their blades clashed before the familiar retreat and return to stance.

Ria waited for him to return to guard as she settled into Lion on the Hill. Only once she knew he was ready, she launched into Storm on the Mountain, giving a feint before pivoting and bringing her sword down on his wrists. The blow did what she hoped, and pushed his hands down, allowing her to follow up with a quick thrust into his chest. What would be a mortal blow. The blade master stepped back and lowered her lathe, "Well done. Your speed and skill are remarkable."

Haeden held up his hands, chuckling in a self-deprecating way. "Thank you," he said, hearing some applause from the gathered crowd. "Neither seems to be quite enough just yet, however. I hope that eventually I will be better able to match blades with you." He bowed his head in respect for the Mistress of Training and Blademaster, although he smiled warmly for a close member of his family.

Ria bowed to match Haeden's, and then closed distance to clasp him on the shoulder, "You are one of a small handful who've gotten a touch on me, so do not think you need to be better to match blades with me. I held back nothing, and you matched me every step of the way until the very end."

"Thank you, Ria," he said earnestly. "You made me work harder than I think I ever have with a Trolloc horde upon my feet." The blond Gaidin chuckled again. "But that was just what I needed. I want to keep improving, and the only way to do that is to, well, pick a fight with those who are better than me." Haeden smirked. "I am glad that I at least didn't make a total fool out of myself."

Ria smirked, "You didn't even come close to making a fool out of yourself, Haeden. Your father would have been proud. I am always at your disposal if you wish another spar."

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