Sword Eval (Attn: Roan)

[Gale]

Daliner walked into the Warder Yards. It was early in the morning but the Tower was already busy with both servants and initiates rushing around. The other Novices and Soldiers were rushing to complete chores, lessons or breakfast while the servants were busy readying the Tower for the day and ensuring that the fully raised were cared for. He had no lessons right now, or chores. Instead he had been sent to the Warder Yards to complete an evaluation on his sword skills. It was apparently something more commonly down with Warder trainees to see what class they should go into but as he had years of experience they had felt it would be a shame to let it go to waste and so intending to let him keep practising it, in his own time of course. That was all he knew, they hadn't even told him who would be doing the evaluations although he assumed that it would be a Warder.

As he entered he saw a Warder moving through the sword forms with her blade out. Everyone of her movements was flowing and graceful. Her blade glinted in the early morning sunlight as she moved from stance to stance, form to form. He recognised the women then, she was the Mistress of Arms, the head of the Warder Yard. She was also a Blademaster, he could just see the heron on the blade as he drew closer yet her blade moved so fast that he could only just see it and even then because he knew it would be there.

She was the only Warder out besides the trainees who were rushing about doing their morning activities. As he drew near to her he slowed keeping a respectful distance, and staying well away from that swishing blade. If he drew to near then he might get in the way which could both anger her or get him stabbed. Instead he stood straight backed and rigid like he ha during his military time and waited on her to finish. Even if she wasn't who would be doing his evaluation she would known where he needed to go.

[Roan]

Riahana

Moving through the sword forms in the morning was almost meditative for the Mistress of Arms. Years of practice gave her the grace of a dancer as she transitioned from one form to another, shifting the weight of her body from one foot to another, turning as the Heron-marked blade moved as an extension of her. It was not uncommon for learning ranks to stop and watch. It wasn't something Riahana aimed for, nor was it something she encouraged. The time she took to go through forms in the morning was her time. . .something she didn't get much of once the Yards were in full swing.

Often, the on-lookers would watch for a time, then move off to be about their business. Idling in the Warder Yards wasn't something that was actively encouraged. Ria wouldn't actively discourage people from watching those who were truly masters of their preferred fighting style, though she wasn't about to encourage the onlooking, either. When she was in the middle of her forms, her focus was solely on her, her breathing, and her movements. The Void made everything extraneous melt away while bringing her senses into sharp focus.

Aware that one of the onlookers still lingered as she was nearly done, Ria executed Fold the Fan as she turned to face the Soldier before her. Inclining her head in greeting, Ria realized the man was a bit older than most Soldiers she encountered. "Good morning, Soldier. What brings you to the Yards at this early hour?"