(Dis)arm Yourself (attn: Katrie)

[Sunny]

Dakson Torellion

Firelight flickered on the walls, the windows, the bed, and Katrie's supine body. Dax lay next to her, his hand trailing over her skin as they talked. Their conversation drifted as free as the fire, hither and thither, broken occasionally by activity of another sort entirely, though certainly no less enjoyable. He found himself telling her about his time with the caravan- the walking, riding, waiting, long nights, and the fights. When he mentioned fighting, her eyes lit up. “How often did that happen?”

“Sometimes many times on a trip,” he said, relaxing into the pillow. “It wasn’t quite the glorious thing you hear of in the tales, unfortunately. Most of my opponents were desperate farmers or rival merchants. I kept myself in good shape, though- the best swordsman can be taken down by a rock if he isn’t prepared. I also made sure at least some of my charges knew the right end of a sword. I had no intention of dying alone in the Black Hills.”

She nodded, then looked at him sideways beneath those glorious lashes, her lips curling into a provocative smile. “Could you show me the right end of a sword?” She asked. He blinked at her, caught off guard for a moment, then his mouth twitched upward.

“I thought I was already doing that,” he said, dragging up her side with his fingernails.

“Dax!” She laughed. “I meant an actual sword.”

He chuckled and rolled her on top of him with an arm around her shoulders, pulling her down to capture her lips with his for a long moment. “Of course, kitten,” he said. “Find me in the practice yards in the afternoon. I will teach you anything you like.”

[Jenn]

Katrie

Her feet knew the way to the yards, and she made her way there with familiar ease. That should have been warning enough, should have been enough to make her turn around and try to forget that any of this had ever happened, but… Katrie angled her head back, tilting her face up towards the sky. The feel of the sun was warm on her face, a faint breeze caressing her lips much the way Dax’s fingers did.

She shivered despite herself. Her eyes closed for a moment, and she shuddered again as the memory of Dax’s voice rising and falling along with his spent passion echoed in her ears. The roll of his tongue and his body, the way he whispered her pet name… the way he slipped sometimes and spoke her actual name… it all pushed her forward, inexorably towards him.

As promised, the tall Ji was there. Had he been waiting for her? Katrie wasn’t so foolish as to believe so, but… she couldn’t deny the traitorous little thrill that shot through her. She smiled in greeting, and indulged in an entirely inappropriate moment where she let her eyes undress him.

Dax’s answering grin told her that he knew exactly what she was doing.

“Dax,” she said with a formal little curtsey.

“Katrie,” he responded in much the same tone. “I am curious about something.”

She lifted a brow and made a slight gesture for him to continue, her gaze tracing over his body.

“Why?”

She laughed then. “Because Lady Aikaterine of House Riatin would never have been allowed to do so. That’s why.” Her head tilted to the side. “So are you going to teach me or not?”

[Sunny]

Dax

He so rarely saw her in public. They met quietly, furtively, hidden from sight and sound, at night, in dark corners….and now there she stood, that copper skin glowing in the sun, shoulders back and posture formal- as it should be, he supposed. He caught her eyes on him, and his lips twitched. She wasn’t the soul of propriety either, it seemed. He let his gaze slide down her body in deliberate appreciation, then back up, before he spoke.

“I told you I was going to, didn’t I?” he asked, gesturing for her to join him. She did, stopping just within arm’s reach. “Before you can touch a blade you must learn how to stand properly. It is more difficult to do in skirts, but not impossible.”

The Tairen shifted his feet, then gestured down. Her eyes rolled down his body like hot water, and he swallowed, hard. “Stand lightly, like so. Your strong foot forward, legs shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent. Upper body should be turned to face your opponent- that would be me,” he added, reaching out to turn her chin up to look at him. “Keep your eyes on my shoulders at all times- with practice, they will tell you where I will move next.” His voice softened into a caress for just a moment, then he let his hand fall.

“Tie up your skirts,” he said with a wicked twinkle in his eye. She arched an eyebrow at him, and he added in the blandest tone he could manage, “I need to see your feet when you practice. Otherwise how will I know you’re doing it correctly?” She nodded.

“Shall we see how well Accepted Katrie understands directions?” He asked teasingly, putting his fingers to his lips.

[Jenn]

Katrie

Katrie tried to ignore the sudden way her heart began to pound as he cupped her chin briefly, his fingers lingering against the sensitive skin along jawline and neck. She was keenly aware of the the way her body demanded that she give in and close the distance between them so she could push Dax to the ground, capture his mouth with hers… pull his bottom lip between her teeth…

She gave herself a mental kick, biting down hard on her tongue. The brief flood of pain brought with it clarity, and she was able to focus on what Dax was saying, instead of what he was - or wasn't - wearing. She moved her legs apart slowly, stopping when they were shoulder width apart. Knees slightly bent.

Katrie wanted to laugh. Keeping her eyes on his shoulders was not going to be a problem… Neither would it be difficult for her to anticipate the ways in which his toned muscled body would move. She had been doing that for as long as they had been seeing one another. Even the dubious bit about lifting her skirts… well… she did that as well, pulling at the folds of pristine white until the banded hem hovered several inches above her feet. She made certain catch Dax’s blue eyes then, a quick little wink appearing and disappearing before she could help herself. She managed to tie the excess fabric into some kind of makeshift knot, leaving both of her hands free for… swordplay.

“What do you think, Ji’alantin? Do I understand your… direction as well as you hoped?” She gave him her most dazzling smile.

Dax shifted slightly and she found herself mirroring the slight motion, his left shoulder moving forward, her right side moving back. She arched her brow a little and was rewarded with one of his rare, genuine smiles.

[Sunny]

Dax

Dax flushed, his skin prickling as Katrie tied her skirts up. He had seen so much more of her than her ankles, and yet somehow this was different. In this world of sunlight and loud voices, a woman’s ankles were provocative, forbidden, a glimpse of something private. He sucked in his lower lip, then slowly drew it between his teeth when she winked at him. For some reason she flushed, eyes averted.

Amused, he shook himself back to reality. He shifted his shoulders, and saw her intuitively move in response. He nodded unfeigned approval. “You certainly seem to have a knack for it, k- Katrie,” he said. It seems we move together as well here as we do elsewhere, kitten. “Standing like this, you are unlikely to be unbalanced by a blow, and are also able to move with or against your opponent.”

He held his finger up. “One moment.” He strode to the racks and retrieved the two practice swords he had brought. When he returned, he put one on the ground, and gave the other to Katrie, hilt first. She took it uncertainly, then hastily adjusted her grip when the “blade” dipped down. “Yes, it’s rather heavy.” Dax laughed. She made a face at him.

The Tairen circled behind and reached around her to place his hand over hers on the sword. This close he could smell her, and took a deep, shuddering breath. “Like this,” he murmured into her ear, carefully adjusting her hand to the correct position on the hilt. “Fingers here, and here. Keep your other arm like so,” he reached for her wrist and pulled her left arm up and to the front in a protective posture. “Now try swinging it.”

He stepped away briskly, and nodded a greeting to the Gaidin passing near.

[Jenn]

Katrie

The pretty Cairhienin felt her body arch back ever-so-slightly as Dax’s breath brushed against her ear. The sensation startled her with its intimacy, Katrie feeling her knees go weak. She hadn't thought this intensity would be possible without the shroud of secrecy and the cloak of night to fuel it, but she was sorely mistaken. She was glad that she didn't have to face him right in that moment.

The hard calluses on his hands were in stark contrast to the almost tender way he adjusted and repositioned her fingers, his arm laying flat against hers in a brief moment of stillness. She watched the way his forearm turned, noting the difference in thickness and muscle tone as Dax’s larger one overshadowed hers. She bit back a gasp as she felt another set of his fingers close around her other wrist. She didn't resist as he guided her left arm up, bringing it in front of her body. The urge to pull free and slide her hand up into his hair, fingers curling and pulling at the back of his head, teasing at the sensitive place just above the nape of his neck was nearly overwhelming.

The strange chill that came as Dax moved away from her left her dizzy. Where he had touched her burned with icy fire, the woolen fabric of her Accepted dress doing nothing to protect her from the taller man’s caress. His words that she try and swing the practice sword barely registered, Katrie consumed with an unfamiliar, not entirely welcome, sensation. The pit of her stomach felt as if it was lined with lead even as her desire soared with snapping, impatient wings.

Movement from the corner of her eye was the only thing that broke through, the part of her mind that was still functioning remembering that she and Dax were not safely hidden away.

She cleared her throat abruptly and did what had been asked of her. She swung experimentally at first, a furrow appearing between her brows. The weight of the practice sword was awkward and unwieldy, Katrie wrinkling her nose at the way it dragged against muscles that weren't accustomed to any of the motions Dax wanted her to do.

“It feels...odd,” she told him softly, luminous dark eyes finally lifting to look into his. “I don't feel like I'm doing this right…”

[Sunny]

Dax

The Gaidin passed without comment, and Dax released the breath he had held. He had let his attraction to Katrie get in the way of common sense and safety. Looking at her as she swung the sword back and forth experimentally, he couldn’t truthfully say it wouldn’t happen again. She seemed both intrigued and perplexed by the activity. He collected his practice sword from the ground, and returned to her side. “It feels...odd,” she told him.

He threw back his head and laughed. “It takes practice, and dedication to find true comfort with a blade,” he told her. “Your fingers slipped.” He propped his sword between his arm and his chest, held her wooden blade with one hand, and adjusted her fingers with the other. “There.”

He flipped his own blade in one smooth motion, deftly catching it in his right hand. “Defense is important, we’ll start with that.” He lifted his sword to form a horizontal line at eye level. “This is a high block.” He shifted, moving his sword down to waist level. “A middle block.” He moved it again, this time a diagonal line in front of his legs. “And a low block.” She watched, though whether to learn or to study his body he couldn’t say.

"These are used to block a direct blow. You can shift from that position to redirect your opponent's blade, or to stop it entirely. I'll give you a chance to hit me," he grinned wickedly at her, "but for now, just give those positions a try. I am quite certain that knowing where to…put your sword….will help you with the discomfort."

He saw her face twitching, and winked in response, tongue flicking across his lips suggestively. Then he couldn’t keep his face straight anymore; laughing, he gestured for her to begin.

[Jenn]

Katrie

Despite his quip that dripped with barely concealed innuendo, Dax was actually a decent instructor. That wasn’t surprising to her - he had patience, an abundance of it, when he chose to exercise it. She felt no small amount envy as he both flipped and caught his practice sword with ease. If she tried something like that, she’d end up putting out her own eye… or something equally unfortunate.

Dax was somewhat calmer now. He had elicited a reaction from her, blue eyes pleased and amused as he laughed. Katrie didn’t mind; she enjoyed watching him move, his body subtly shifting to match his moods. His voice had an oddly calming effect on her even as it stoked the fire that crackled and pulsed between them.

It scared her sometimes, how easily she could read him.

That spasm of apprehension made her more studious than she might otherwise had been, with Dax in such easy reach. High block. She lifted her arm, holding the sword horizontally at eye level like Dax had done. Then, waist level. Middle block. Then down somewhere around her legs. Low block. The taller Ji watched her with smoldering heat. The way he had his hips cocked and angled towards her told her that he wasn't entirely focused on the task at hand. She felt her cheeks reddening, but she purposefully avoided meeting his gaze.

She had to lick lips that had suddenly gone dry. And even without the knowledge that burning blue eyes were on her, Katrie felt a little ridiculous as she repeated the three different blocks several times in succession.

He didn’t actually expect her to try and block a sword swing later on… did he? The pretty Cairhienin shook her head slightly at that. It wouldn’t surprise her in the least if that was exactly what Dax expected.

[Sunny]

Dax

The Gaidin who had passed by earlier now cooled his heels against a fence on the opposite side of the yard, but he seemed busy talking to someone else. Dax once again moved closer to her. “You have the idea,” he said quietly. “These are extremely basic blocks; there are many others to learn if you ever decide you would like to know more than simply which end to hold.” He grinned at her. “Now, however, you get to hit things- or rather, hit me.”

“What?”

“You won’t hurt me,” he responded with arrogance only a seasoned swordsman could have. Her arms twitched, and he grinned. “Go ahead- try.” She glowered at him, and his breath caught. Light, that fire… He shivered.

“I will hurt you, Torellion,” she said in deceptively calm voice.

He took a step closer under the pretense of adjusting her blade, eyes hot on hers. “Is that a threat, or a promise?” She swore at him, then seemed to collect herself, focusing on her wooden blade again. He followed suit, chuckling.

“When you are swinging at someone, keep your movements controlled, and never strike without having a specific target in mind,” he said. He paused, thoughtful. “Rather than teach you a bunch of formal positions that will get you killed in the time it takes to remember them, I’m just going to teach you how I was taught,” he said finally.

“We are going to pretend to fight, like little boys do with sticks," he explained. "When I strike, you block, then strike back. Try to remember not to leave me too much space to hit you- for example, if I hit low, don't block low and then try to attack high."

She nodded uncertainly, and he stepped back. "First we cross blades," he said.

[Jenn]

Katrie

He was enjoying this entirely too much, Katrie decided, her mouth settling in an expression that was part way between a scowl and a pout. That only seemed to entertain him more. If they had been anywhere else but out in the open Yards… well, she knew exactly how to wipe that smirk off his face...

Her brows lifted slightly as Dax angled his practice blade upwards, blue eyes looking at her expectantly. She had thought that ‘crossing blades’ was another one of Dax’s euphemisms, but realized that he had meant it in a very literal sense. Oh. Well, that she could do. Dark eyes watched how he held his hands, the way his body was positioned. She mimicked that, her stance a reflection of his.

Katrie knew that he was moving at a fraction of what had to be his normal speed, knew that - or hoped anyway - that he wasn’t actually trying to take her head or body parts off, but even still… when he swung, she could barely follow the motion, earning herself a stinging little tap on her upper arm.

“Accepted,” - Kitten, his tone said instead - “I’m disappointed.”

She stayed silent, her eyes watching the way his shoulders moved as he rolled them back, the way his hips followed suit. Balance and power, came the disjointed thought, and she glanced up into Dax’s eyes. You know how he moves, she reminded herself, ignoring the surge of heat that spiked through her. She was thinking too hard.

Katrie kept her focus on his shoulders this time, surprising herself as she shuffled several steps back when Dax advanced. Middle block didn’t block anything as the force behind his swing carried on through, both practice swords tapping against her stomach. For a fleeting moment, she saw concern on his face, the emotion searing across his blue eyes, but it disappeared just as quickly when she wrinkled her nose at him. She could almost have sworn that Dax relaxed in relief.

“Better,” he said with without a trace of sarcasm or derision.

She smiled a little in response, keeping her emotions in check as she swung back at him. Dax blocked it easily, a jolt traveling up her arms. The back-and-forth exchange happened slowly, Katrie feeling a little more comfortable each time they repeated it.