An Unexpected Reunion (Valerius, guest-mod)

[Alea Davenport]

Valerius might be too busy to laugh, but Berrywillow was not so distracted. "Oh, but you are doing so well!" the professor replied jovially. "As you can see," he added in his more traditional teaching voice that did not quite cover up his mirth, "fencing has a number of practical applications, some in places you would never have expected!" Finally seeming to notice his student's exasperation, however, he sighed and said, "Very well." With light steps, he circled the swan to stand between it and Valerius. With slashes and thrusts that were more for show than damage, he force the swan back toward the cage. The swan, flustered by the sharp object that seemed to be everywhere, occasionally stinging her feathers, stepped back in an attempt to escape the terrible and confusing attack, unknowingly allowing herself to be herded into the cage. Upon realizing that she was trapped once more, the swan let out a devastating, and loud, honk. Once the kelvic was secured, Berrywillow retrieved his rapier from Valerius and returned his weapons to their proper positions. "Well, that was refreshing! Nothing like a bit of fencing to get the blood pumping! I do hope you consider keeping up with it. Physical activity, and especially self-defense, are invaluable assets for a man like yourself." The professor then pulled a flask from his jacket and took a long swig. He did not offer whatever it was to Valerius, but the smell suggested it was something stronger than just water. He put the flask back in his jacket and said, "I think I'll go with that mean-looking silver tabby kitten I saw earlier. It may be small, but he's ferocious enough to be plenty intimidating. Besides, can you just imagine him sitting on my shoulder, glaring at my rivals? And the color! My first name's Argent, you know. It's perfect, don't you think?"

[Valerius Nitrozian]

„I see“, Valerius murmurred and tried to parry another one of the swan’s attacks. „I don’t think I’ll ever have to fight a Kelvic with a strange interest in punching holes into my body though. It would have been much more useful if the both of us had fought!“ He watched as Berrywillow forced the creature back into her cage. Valerius didn’t appreciate the man’s attitude – he acted like a circus performer – but he couldn’t deny that he had skill. „I might keep on practicing“, he replied. Physical activity was important, he just didn’t appreciate its unpleasant side effects, such as sweat and occasional injuries. Even if the professor had offered him a drink from his flask, Valerius wouldn’t have accepted. He never drank from the same flask as somebody else. He just leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest and listened to the man. „The kitten it is then“, he replied cooly. He didn’t share the professor’s excitement. „I know your name, professor. And I agree it’s perfect. Would you like to get your kitten now?“ As he waited for the professor’s reply, he cast a glance at the swan who was safely back in her cage. He would try to sell her as soon as possible. Or maybe he would suggest to aunt Amanda that she use her for one of her experiments.

[Alea Davenport]

The Professor could easily have stayed looking at the different kelvics for several more bells, or possibly even days, but luckily for Valerius, he seemed to finally remember that not everyone had the luxury of curiosity quite like he did. "Yes, yes, I suppose I've taken up enough of your time." He followed Valerius back to the silver kitten's cage. The kitten, for his part, seemed delightfully ungrateful for his rescue from the KRI, but after a bit of initial hostility, he calmed down enough to sit obediently on Argent's shoulder, which delighted the professor to no end. He happily handed over the necessary mizas to make the transfer of ownership official. The sun was low in the sky when Professor Berrywillow was finally ready to leave. He shook Valerius's hand vigorously. "Always great to see an old student. Look me up if you ever find yourself in Zeltiva again."

[Valerius Nitrozian]

As Berrywillow remarked that he had taken up enough of his time, Valerius could only nod. By Rhysol, the man had been annoying! Had he been like that in Zeltiva as well? Maybe he, Valerius, wouldn’t return to Zeltiva after all. He’d probably have to deal with Professor Berrywillow again there, and he wasn’t sure if he would be able to be as patient then … „Your kitten, professor!“ he said, opened the cage and pulled the creature out. He was a little rough. Valerius had never really been a cat person, besides he just wanted to get this over with. He thrust the kitten into the professor’s hands before it could scratch him, and then he collected the money. It wasn’t a lot for all the trouble that Berrywillow had caused. The sun was already beginning to set when the professor finally decided to leave. Valerius guided him to the door so that he couldn’t cause anymore trouble. Before he knew what had happened, the man had grabbed his hand and shook it vigurously. Valerius abruptly pulled it away. „I will, professor“, he informed him coolly. „I’m not sure if I will find myself in Zeltiva in the near future though. Goodbye. I hope that you’ll return to Zeltiva soon.“

[Alric Wilmot]

Grades Valerius Nitrozian Socialization +1 Persuasion +1 Rapier +2 Lores:Argent Berrywillow's new cat, How to duel with Swans Notes Secret : I've never seen a sword fight with a swan, that was quite interesting. I gave you points in Rapier since that was what was described, though I thought about giving you sword-cane points instead. If there are any problems at all, please PM me. I may have overlooked something. Also, Please delete your post in the Request thread, or barring that, edit it to say that it has been graded.