Punch First, Punch Hard [Attn: Ravak]

[Sunny]

"How did you find your way to Hama Valon?" Dax asked. He leaned on a counter near the object of his attention, casually flipping a coin between his fingers. This woman, with her extravagant black curls and green eyes, had his complete attention. She was named Janille, and she was new to the Blue Falcon. Very new.

"I thought I'd see if I could train in the Tower," she admitted, blushing a little as she glanced at him sidelong. He had been on patrol earlier, and had stopped in for a drink before heading back to the Tower; he still wore his fancloak, and the girl had taken quite a fancy to it. "Turns out I can't, but they gave me a bit of silver before turning me out. I decided I'd stick around a while and see what life would bring me." She touched his bandaged arm, but unlike the other maids, it was no tempting caress, simply curiosity. He found her lack of dissembling oddly refreshing. "How did that happen?"

He bit back what he wanted to say -crude and violent, she would not appreciate that- and instead gave her his most charming smile as he leaned closer. "I was beset outside this very inn," he confided to her. "Five men, all of them armed. I fought them off of course and sent them packing, but one of them got past my guard." He winked at her. "That's the last time I leave my sword at home." Shameless lies, meant to awe and distract; she took the bait, fluttering and giggling before the innkeeper bellowed her name and she took off with a guilty "I'll be back soon, Gaidin!" over her shoulder. He took a drink of his beer, watching the girl go. She couldn't be much more than half his age, and her naivety might prove difficult, but the way her body moved beneath that dress...perhaps it was worth it.

As the girl disappeared, Katrie came crashing back into his mind in her customary chaotic maze of frustration, grief, and guilt. He let his head fall back against the wall and drowned in it, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling as she washed over him. If he did not find relief from that maelstrom of darkness, he would lose his mind.

Eventually he drained his mug and forced himself back upright- just as Janille reappeared, her low cut bodice inches from his nose. She smelled of beeswax and tabac smoke, but more importantly, she smelled like a woman....and his need for one of those abruptly consumed him.

A touch here, a joke there, a flirtatious remark a little later...he focused on the game and the shape of this strange woman's bottom, and pushed Katrie from his mind. By the time the sun had fallen past the horizon he was pleasantly inebriated, and Janille was his. He kissed her with a grin, grabbed her hand, and stood to leave. As he rose, memory came crashing down unbidden: hot lips on his neck, fingers caressing his shoulders, Katrie drunk and laughing as he led her away to uproarious applause.

He turned away from the stairs.

In the street outside, Janille laughed and clung to him, and he wrapped an arm around her waist, guiding her with assumed care. As they rounded a corner, Dax caught a glimpse of red. He looked up, and realized that Ravak Darrow of all people was striding toward him, face a brooding thunderstorm. Shrugging, Dax turned his attention back to the girl in his arms.

That might not have been the wisest idea.

[Craig]

Ravak

Nobody thought to stop and ask any questions of the Ji'alantin that strode purposefully through the streets of Hama Valon. His face was set as hard as any Gaidin's, and his eyes of icy blue seared in open anger. Each hand gripped the hilt of a sword, knuckles standing out bone white from the effort not to wield the weapons openly. As clear as his motivations may seem to any onlooker, he didn't plan on doing anything outwardly prohibited until he found his quarry.

Ravak knew the Blue Falcon by name alone; it was only one of the many taverns in the town. It didn't occur to him to enquire directions from anyone. There was no proof that his target would be at that particular pub, although it was on that scrap of information that had sent him on his way towards it. The deeper into the town he searched, the more he hoped the information was wrong. If that source couldn't be trusted, then that threw doubts on other things, and maybe he had no reason to be here at all.

Halfway down a lantern-lit street, and the source of his temper stepped into sight. What made it truly sickening was the open display he made of the girl in his arm. Bad enough she was revealing an immodest amount of herself to the world, but she was also young enough to be his daughter. That sent renewed waves of fury through the Shienaran, and his pace towards the pair quickened.

The unfocused eyes of Dakson Torellion turned their attentions onto the red-haired Ji for only a fleeting moment, before slipping back to the pretty thing on his arm. Ravak covered the intervening ground in seconds, dual blades sliding soundlessly free from their sheaths. There would be something dishonourable about killing Dax where he staggered - the Tairen fool was fortunately drunk, fortunate for him - but Rav wasn't going to wait a moment more to let out some of the heat that enveloped him. Hand forming around the sword-breaker's hilt in a fist, the Shienaran lashed out at the Warder with a guttural growl.

[Sunny]

Dax

Dax saw the flash of metal from the corner of his eye, and pulled his shoulder and arm up in time to block a steel-enforced blow that could have ended his life had it reached its destination. As it was, the force of it knocked him backward and to the side, head rebounding off the wall behind him. A woman screamed, and he could feel something tugging at his left side.

The Tairen pushed himself away form the wall and shook his head in an attempt to clear it of cobwebs. Rav stood close by with a naked blade in each hand and murder in his pale eyes. Dax met that gaze for long moment, a dozen different options floating through his mind, along with at least as many half-formed questions. He had never known the man to be anything but even-tempered, even in the Blight. What in the Light? Regardless of why the Shienaran had attacked him, the expression on the other man’s face told Dax he meant it. Whatever “it” is.

Rav's chest flexed preceding a move, and Dax realized he had no more time to think. He still had his arm around Janille, his sword trapped between them; his chances of surviving another blow were far too slim for his liking. With a laugh that sounded more like a growl, Dax wrapped his fingers into the young woman’s bodice and yanked her in front of him, ignoring her frantic hands on his. She spun twice before he shoved her at his red-haired adversary's chest.

Predictably, the Ji’alantin dropped his sword breaker to stop the young woman from falling, and Dax smiled grimly. Honor gets a man killed. He took advantage of the distraction to slide to the side and draw his sword, turning to face Rav with one eyebrow cocked. “Can I help you?” His tone was light, but his head ached abominably.

[Craig]

Ravak

The pirouetting girl fell - had been pushed - towards him. Despite his need for vengeance against the Gaidin, he let the sword-breaker drop, catching the woman before she hit the ground. Bloody Shienaran honour. Setting her down on steady feet, he bent to retrieve his weapon. Dax had drawn his own sword in the momentary distraction. Peace. I should have just let her fall.

"Can I help you?" Why should he be surprised by the Tairen's flippant tone? The man made a bloody mockery of everything. He remembered the fool grin on the man's face even when they were neck-deep in Trollocs. All it did was add fuel to the rage. Well, if you wish to dance with the Dark One, Torellion...

Rav moved forwards carefully, no longer facing an unarmed combatant. The ko'di seemed remote and unobtainable, but the Shienaran made a good impression of the Cat Crossing the Courtyard, even if his weapons were already drawn. Watching the girl out of the corner of his eye - the fool better not intervene - he did his best to anticipate the Gaidin's reactions.

He feinted an attack with his sword-breaker - a sidewards swing towards Dax's neck - while he angled his longsword to stab at his foe's hamstrings.

[Sunny]

Dax

Dax took two rapid steps backward, out of range of the Ji’alantin’s sword-breaker. He had seen the man fight with the thing in the past, and he had no desire for that deadly length of notched steel to be anywhere near his face. His sword swung down to parry the blade slicing at his feet, but he lost his balance on impact and stumbled to the side, his head swimming. His sword caught another blow, and he managed to get his feet back under him.

He swung his blade, and when it crashed against steel once more, his eyes met the younger man’s for a split second. He saw a degree of anger there that baffled him. Katrie’s confused annoyance wrapped around his own consternation, and for a moment, his mind went blank as he struggled to understand what had happened. The Shienaran made the best of his hesitation, and Dax barely pulled himself out of the way. He caught the tip of the sword on the fleshy part of his left shoulder instead, and yelped in pain. As he stepped back, and back again, his eyes slid to either side, searching for the best route to escape. He noted Janille backed against a wall nearby, a small group of spectators gathering, and beyond them, clear street.

"What in the Light's gotten into you?" he demanded, stepping again to the side and back. The ground wobbled alarmingly, but he managed to remain upright.

[Craig]

Ravak

Seeing blood on the tip of his longsword should have given the red-haired Shienaran a reason to pause. If he wanted to hurt Dax, then he had in a very real way. But the desire to hurt Dax was no longer present behind those grey-blue eyes. Blood and adrenaline pumped too quickly through the Ji’s heart for mere pain. He wanted to kill.

The Tairen’s demand washed over Rav as if the Gaidin hadn’t spoken at all. Rav was no longer taking in a lot of things, like the crowd that was slowly flowing out from the Blue Falcon, or the wide-eyed gaze on the indecently dressed girl’s face. Blinding rage was the only thing he could focus on.

Rav charged, slashing wildly with his longsword whilst holding the sword-breaker close to his chest. If he could get an opportunity to catch Dax’s blade and disarm him, that would close out the fight a lot quicker. That he’d had the opposing thought a minute ago - that Dax had to be armed to make this a fair fight - seemed to no longer apply.

Steel struck steel as the Shienaran lashed out using force rather than finesse. His fist took impact after impact as the longsword reverberated from each blow. He couldn’t, didn’t see the effect each blow had, nor how close any of them came to injuring his prey. All that mattered was the rage.

[Sunny]

Dax

Dax parried and dodged, simultaneously cursing his sluggish mind and thanking his stars for his training as he fended off the Ji’alantin’s brutal attack. At least he stopped with the sword-breaker. The Tairen knew it was a brief reprieve only but made the best of it. After what felt like an Age but he knew had only been a few breaths, he realized Ravak had little strategy to his attack, slate-gray eyes blank.

Abruptly, as if the memory had been placed before him in a bubble, he remembered leaning against a wall waiting for a woman in white to emerge from a Drin’far’ji’s room. He had never asked about the man Katrie had been to see that day, had never thought it important enough to warrant a discussion. Certainty settled around him; he had fought too many duels with angry family and jilted swains not to recognize the signs. His lips curled into a pleased smile, his thoughts focusing on Rav’s face. Yes.

Someone put their hands on his free arm as he stepped to the side, and he shook the impediment off violently, his arm colliding with soft flesh. He heard a cry of outrage or pain, but his mind could only handle so much, and Rav had his full attention. If he did not end this now…there- an opening. His blade slipped past Rav’s guard, laying a shallow gash across the man’s forearm above his sword-breaker.

He had no time to celebrate the touch; his feet had shifted too far, and he struggled to remain upright as his mind insisted the ground was actually a wall.

[Craig]

Ravak

As much as that self-satisfied smile on Dakson's face made Rav's blood broil, rage wasn't enough to mask the pain along his right arm. He paused just briefly enough to make an assessment of the injury, twisting and flexing his muscles. Fierce pain raced along his arm, and he couldn't stop the wince that it brought. He Folded the Fan, his longsword sliding neatly into its scabbard. Transferring the sword-breaker into his dominant hand, Rav flashed a wicked grin. He could still best Dax in an even fight.

The Tairen was still tussling with the chit that had been on his arm a few moments before. A gentleman if ever there was one. She was holding him partially upright with no small amount of effort, both of them at precarious angles. If either of them let go, they'd both be crashing to the ground in opposite directions.

The girl stayed his attack for a moment, a cord of honour resisting against the strain of his fury. No more dead women by my actions. Only a couple of seconds passed before Dax was staggering back to his feet, unsteady but standing. The girl pressed herself back against the wall as the Shienaran charged, sword-breaker slashing wildly. Dax parried with equal skill, steel ringing off of steel, reverberating off the walls of nearby buildings. In one of those blocks, the Tairen's sword slipped into one of the notches of the sword-breaker, and Rav twisted the blade sharply. With any luck, that would disarm the Warder. Then I can put an end to this.

[Sunny]

Dax

Dax regained his balance and took several steps away from Janille, noting that Rav held only his sword-breaker. Bloody Light. The sword was preferable to that bit of wickedness. The Tairen adjusted his grip on his sword and swung into The Falling Leaf, his sword crashing against Rav's next two attacks. Each time he angled his sword to avoid the notches along the Shienaran's blade, then jumped back. Rav followed him step for step, never relenting.

Realizing that tactic would not work, Dax re-centered himself and struck, a series of sharp attacks intended to push his adversary back and give him some space. On the last, he felt the unmistakable shiver of his blade catching on metal, and cursed even as he realized he had made a disastrous mistake. He tried to yank his sword free, but Ravak had already yanked his arm around, the sword-breaker pulling Dax's blade from his grip in one easy move.

The Gaidin stared at his empty hand in horror for a split second, then threw himself backward, away from Rav's sweeping strike. His head rang from the sudden impact with the ground, and the cut on his shoulder burned and pulsed, but he was alive. For how long? He rolled to avoid another blow, arms drawn up to protect his head and neck, and eyes searching for some -any- way out before the Ji'alantin landed a blow that could kill him.

[Trent]

Durent tried to remain stoic and unimposing while he walked the streets of Hama Valon. The city's Captain of the Guard was giving the M'Hael a guided 'shadowing' of a normal patrol. Durent had taken an interest in the city's safety since his return. The area seemed rife with bandits and criminals and that was something he didn't care to see in a city he'd helped build. So far, though, as Durent had feared, the Captain had taken him on a mostly boring section of town, no doubt pre-cleared by other City Guard ahead of them to assure his safety. Durent almost couldn't keep himself from rolling his eyes at the thought. As if he was some foreign dignitary that would faint at the sight of combat. Durent had worn his greaves and gauntlets in the supremely unlikely chance some bandit lord fancied himself wanting to strike at a target like him.

The sun shone overhead, the air warm, a light breeze causing his dark grey cloak to billow out behind. They had a great view of the lake as they walked along a few store fronts. "And, uhh, this... is the Market District, as you probably know, Father. There are sometimes robberies at the stores, and we get all kinds at the various taverns." The poor man was nervous and sweating, almost constantly wiping his brow. Durent nodded, keeping his face impassive.

Just as he was about to suggest they head back, so Durent could go back to working on something that wasn't a disappointing waste of his time, he heard the unmistakable clanging of swords down one of the roads off to his right, towards the lake a little. He looked down the road and saw a crowd forming, and lots of shouting and jeering over the sounds of combat.

Without much of a second thought, Durent started running down that street towards the commotion, seizing saidin and readying to fight if needed. He pushed his way through the crowd, many making way at the shouts and arrival of the City Guard. Durent ignored the protests from the Captain that he stay back in a guarded position.

The last of the crowd parted to reveal two men fighting. He recognized the two from his time spent in the Warder Yards, one of which was wearing his fancloak. He arrived just in time to see the Gaidin disarmed. The younger man had absolute murder in his eyes. The last thing they needed was a Grey Tower Gaidin murdered in the middle of Hama Valon by one of their own trainees. Also, Durent typically frowned on murder too.

Durent sent a woven ball of Air with a touch of Fire for added energy between the two, resulting in powerful winds that would drive the two away from each other and shove them with considerable force into respective walls on opposite sides of the street. He wove bands of Air to hold the two men in place, anger threatening his control of the Void. "Captain, clear the street. This is a Tower matter." His demeanor and look to the Captain allowed no questions and members of the Guard quickly helped clear the area until just the three of them stood in the street.

He rounded on the two men, holding both in place for a few moments to make sure Ravak was in control of himself. His voice was quiet, but dangerous. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't have the Captain of the Guard over there lock you both up for a few days."