Fighting fancy, failing fabulously. (Crystal)

[Alexander Faircroft]

15th of winter 515AV Granted blessed sleep. The first late rise in weeks. Eight full hours of slumber. Despite the feeling of sleepless dream he still felt refreshed. The soreness of his limbs finally healed up a little. His spirits a little raised Alex headed towards the fighting pits. Stepping into the lowered ring he felt something akin to dread. He knew that he wasn't good enough to be here. Not really. Which is why this day he opted to leave his proof of being a knight squire hidden so that just in case he got utterly demolished, he could still just call it learning and not embarrass the knights. The soft loose sand slipped underfoot. A very different terrain to the hard stone of the knights training grounds. He stepped up towards one of the small weapon racks glancing through the weapons. Steel. Real steel. Blunt as a butter knife but real none the less. These could cause some serious damage if mishandled. Perhaps it’s not my place to test these out yet…I barely have a grasp on the basics of wooden weapons, steel might be too much of a jump too quickly. Still as unnerved as he was he pushed through his curiosity carrying him further. He pulled one of the daggers free of the rack, the rusted and blunted weapon still carried a weight in it that the wooden blade could not match. He twisted the blade in his hands. Angling the tip towards the ground he easily slipped into his father’s fighting stance. Nothing fancy, but form enough to convey the fact it was something that was of use. The weight that real steel carried was immense, and not physical weight but the feeling that one misstep could cost someone far more than intended. Alex began to draw the blade across the air in small horizontal figure eight motions. The small tight motions were working the advice he’d gotten and taken from his instructors was paying off even if his hands were still a little clumsy in the use of it. His fingers occasionally fumbling in their grip. Hold the blade like you intend to use it. Wield it your way. These words echoed through his mind, and instead of holding it directly in front of him pointing the blade straight down he held it off slightly to the side, the edge pointing outwards towards a would-be target. A few short sharp strikes. Wild but fast or precise but slow, right now he had as of yet to marry speed and precision. He sighed lightly letting his shoulders slump. Getting beaten was now the least of his worries because he knew it was more like than not to happen. However he just didn’t want to embarrass himself in the process. Or the name of the knights.

[Crystal Nightshade]

There was nothing like the clash of metal to certain people. Swords were a popular weapon choice, at least according to what people were saying. The way they felt, their effectiveness.. it was something to admire. And those who wielded them with expert precision? They were to be held in high regard. A sigh escaped the young woman's lips. She much preferred long range, but she had studied up a little bit on daggers in case the need for close combat rose. Currently she was watching a match between two men using daggers themselves. They twisted their blades efficiently, wasting little energy in their movement. Crystal wanted to try some of thier moves, so took the dagger from the sheath at her side and began to practice. By observing them, she had noticed one thing in particular. They didn't make heavy or harsh swings, but the blades in their hands did just as much damage. Perhaps their was a trick to it? Crystal twirled the dagger in her hand. She took a light stance, one that she had seen in the beginning of the match. She made a awkward ark with the blade in her hand. It wasn't effective nor graceful, but it was a start. She then twisted the blade slowly in her hand and made a slash at a practice dummy. Although for some reason, it felt.. unnatural. She was so used to going long range, she hadn't even been using the dagger. Sure she used it to skin her catches, but she never used it for defense purposes. It felt weird trying to. The woman began to think she was forcing it as she moved on. As she walked she noticed a man using what looked to be a dagger from the pits. Perhaps he was here to train.

[Alexander Faircroft]

The armour clad squire followed through with some simple motions trying not to be a fool and remember what he’d learnt both from his father and the instructors at the training field. Tuck your arm under as you strike bring the blade back over and. Aaah it’s no use. You need someone to practice against. Someone to measure upto. And right now you’re useless as anything. Alex dug his knuckles into his forehead lightly the cold kiss of the plate gauntlets pressing into the bare skin of his forehead. Right take it again from the top. Alex started with a strike to the left, drawing his hand back over and following it around with an outward swing of the reversed hold dagger blade. Twisting it back in his eyes closed he pictured his opponent. He drove his knuckles forwards picturing a strike to the face a short motion to take the blade to the targets neck changing the angle of his arm. He drew back into the set stance he’d been taught so long ago. His motions were slow and precise. Slow enough for him to follow and aim. His swings gradually picked up pace but each time they did they grew a little more wide and wild. He shook his head throwing the tagger blade first into the sand having it stick in an inch and stand to attention. Scratching his hands over his head and tossing his hair about as he did so. Dammit why is it so hard to aim and hit with speed! I can see the point of impact but every time I swing I am way out. He grumbled to himself and punched his breastplate full force with the flat of his hand. Shaking his arm lightly after the impact. He was stronger now but how did that little pycon dent his armour with such little effort. The sheer fact of that was driving him crazy. Hissing out another breath he bent down to retrieve the dagger from the ground. Out the corner of his eye he caught someone he’d not seen in the pit before heading into the fray. Something about here didn’t seem like this was somewhere she belonged at least not in a sense of purpose. Alex then straightened up grasping the blade in his hand. Bow still slung over his shoulder and quiver at his waist and his real blade sheathed. He took the full measure of her in before walking towards her. “Scuse me miss…I know it might sound rude but I was wondering what you’re doing here. You kind of have a look of a lost lamb about you.” He spoke in his usual soft and airy tone and was only trying to be polite however the way he said things often set people off on a bad note to begin with. He was just hoping that this wasn’t the case here.

[Crystal Nightshade]

Not having goals was something that often caused people to wander aimlessly through life. It was something the inky haired woman's father had taught her once. Today it rang true to her, as she wandered the pits. Although having been here once before, she had actually had a purpose for being their. Today she did not. Perhaps it was because she woke early and decided to venture through the city? Although her first stop had been the pits, it didn't make sense to not train while she was here. So she had studied the fighting styles on display as others trained. Being who she was, she had decided to practice them. After making herself comfortable next to the man beside her she began to train on the dummies. She would first try to strike the dummies out right, hopefully learning from their. And so she made jab with the dagger, straight at the dummy. It was the jab of a true amateur. Uneven, slow, and definitely poorly aimed. So she tried again. The same result. Soon after the man next to her approached her before speaking. Lost lamb? Do I really look that out of place..? She turned to him and shook her head and smirked. "Not to much of a lost lamb I hope. I'm just stopping by. Decided to train while I was here." As she spoke she took the time to get a better look at the man. He was fairly tall, and wore thick armor. He boar a deep scar across his face, but his bright green eyes made up for it. He had lengthy dirty blonde hair. All in all, he wasn't hard on the eyes. Though Crystal hadn't time to notice everything before a question bubbled in her throat. "What brings you here, stranger?"

[Alexander Faircroft]

Her technique against the wooden dummy was…Slow, uneven, a little sloppy much like his own, and he couldn’t help but feel a little bit of his own lack of skill mirrored there. However he wouldn’t mention anything of the sort instead replying to the young lady in front of him in a calm composed manner one that he’d been forced to stitch together some time ago. She’d stopped by deciding to train. Much to his lack of surprise given b how she was attacking the dummy. “Well if you’ve come to train this isn’t the worst place you could have picked.” He softness of his tone carrying through with a touch of concern. “Not so much a lost lamb per say more of the fact since you were scanning everyone here it seemed as if you didn’t know exactly what to do.” He smiled lightly and held the training dagger he was using in his hand the other weaponry showing itself around his person. Even in the dull and slightly dented plate he’d borrowed it was clear he was part of the knights if only a squire himself. And as to what brought him here. “Much the same as you, here to train. I thought it’d be best to take some time away from the other grounds and train by myself for a short while.” He stepped a little closer nearing around a three foot gap between the two of them. “I’ve never really been one for daggers but it was suggested that I learn how to use close quarters weapons better than I have been. I’m more of an archer myself. And judging by the bow you’ve slung over a shoulder, and the rough stab at the dummy I’d day you are as well?” More of a summarisation than an inquiry of her skill. He crossed his hands in front of his torso keeping them straight but clasping one over the one holding the dagger. “I’m not sure the dummy would be much use in rectifying the problems with your strikes, much like it hasn’t been with me. Perhaps we could come to a mutual benefit. And practice alongside each other. Quite bluntly I’m of a firm belief that if I was to challenge anyone else here I’d be destroyed in an instant but I feel like someone of a somewhat equal skill level would be a more suitable sparring partner. If that is of course alright with you?” A long speech about asking her to train with him attempting as best he could to try and practice with him. He felt like a fool saying so much to ask a simple question.

[Crystal Nightshade]

Crystal now had a chance to realize what she hadn't before. The man was part of the knighthood. And here she was a dressing him so casually. She would need to rectify the situation. She felt a bit less relaxed now, having never met a knight. It was true she knew a tad less than others, but she hadn't been one to pay attention to such things. Among all the things, she didn't feel intimidated or shy, perhaps because he looked to be around her age? With all her weapons, she deduced he had summed her up by the way she was armed. He seemed more stiff than she was. Perhaps he wasn't used to speaking with civilians? Was that possible? Well, he seemed to have the same weaponry as she did so she assumed them to be like minded. "Oh, um, yes Ser. I prefer long range as it helps keep me safe in my profession." She offered cautiously, testing the wait of her words. She hoped he didn't think her rude because she had failed to address him as a knight sooner. "I'm not all that skilled with a Bow either to be honest." The next inquiry surprised her quite a bit. Surely he was bluffing to say he and her were of equal skill? Crystal frowned, her brows knit. Was he jesting? No, he couldn't by the look of seriousness on his face. That confused her further. "I do agree the dummy is an insufficient teacher, but surely you're joking when you say a knight is the same level as a civilian?"

[Alexander Faircroft]

Alex Nodded in agreement of her motions, her simple but curt responses something he’d come to expect from people. After all standing out like a sore thumb in all this armour. The bow kept her safe in her profession? Was she a hunter? Alex couldn’t help but let out a small smile. “Well glad to know what you’re a hunter. Perhaps someone of a like mind in a similar situation.” His light tone carrying through still. Though he could tell she was modest by her approach to her own skill though. He was proficient in how to use his longbow but that was about it. And her sudden reply that he was a knight he couldn’t help but calmly chuckle. “I’m not a knight yet sadly. I’m just a simple squire. Nothing special and still really learning my craft to it’s fullest extent.” He smiled now stretching out the fingers of the hand cradling the other one and shrugging his shoulders lightly. The extra several pounds of weight of his shield on his back weighing him down. “Again as well I’m afraid that any difference in skill that we may have will possibly have been rectified due to the substantially greater weight that I am forced to bear.” The blunted dagger in his hands simple and rusted unlike the sword or dagger he kept at his back. He truly was here to train and get better after the events that transpired the other day. “Still I can at least offer my help in learning how to get better with a blade.” He was being as sincere as he could. He was honestly simply offering the chance to not only help but get better himself.

[Crystal Nightshade]

The tension in her shoulders eased to nothing when the man told her he wasn't a knight. She was relieved to be honest. It wasn't that she disliked the knight, gods no, she simply didn't know how to act or respond in their company. That itself is what made her uncomfortable. She relaxed herself, allowing her guard to slip completely. So he was a squire? In the knighthood for training, but not quite yet a knight. His skill of deduction impressed her however. He was quote the observant squire to figure out her profession from such a small piece of information. It was almost as if she could learn from him. At the mention of his slight disadvantage, Crystal chuckled herself. "I've no problem with you removing you armor. Unless of course it's a rule with the knighthood." She smiled softly at his recommendation for training. He was part of the knighthood, so perhaps he could teach her a few things. It would be most helpful if he could. She saw no error in agreeing so she did. "If you don't mind putting up with a civilian, then sure, let's spar." She meant it as a joke, but nonetheless she looked around for a spacious area. After spotting one she removed her bow and quiver, placing them on the ground and pulled her hair back into a bun. Moving away she took up a basic stance with her feet spread apart and dagger hand ready to strike. There would be no foul play she assumed, so she had no problem with sparing with him. "Teach me however you will, but if you have any rules to ground they are best said now." She announced before inhaling deeply. She wasn't sure if he had intended to spar with the blades, but she would assume so until he said otherwise.

[Alexander Faircroft]

Her demeanour suddenly changed, a lot of the stiffness seemed to fade from her as she heard he wasn’t exactly a knight but a squire instead. Almost as if she was relieved to hear it. No problem with him removing his armour she said, if only she knew. Alex simply smiled as he responded. “I’m not able to train without my armour on until I’m at least a knight fully One of the…many rules we have unfortunately.” He smiled lightly and allowed her to continue. She’d accepted his offer to challenge her to a spar. Good now I have to not mess up. He smiled lightly again masking an instant regret for his lack of prowess. Alex would have followed in her stead of removing his heavy gear however he thought it more important for him to learn with them on in case he had no time to remove them before being set upon. Shifting with her he stepped opposite her. He sank down slightly and held his form tight his dagger in hand in a reversed grip like he’d been taught by his father. “Simple ground rules, when the other side says stop, you stop. No fatal injuries for obvious reasons. And if you place your opponent into a position where they could be considered defeated then we break and reset ready for another round. And of course no shady tactics.” He allowed her to train against him with a honed and sharp edge, his plate more than capable of stopping it but he trained with a much duller and blunted non live edge. His goal here was to simply test how much he’d learnt over the last couple of days the encounters with the squires and the knights shaping his mentality. “You may have the first strike if you’d like.” He offered it to her with an open palm gesture.

[Crystal Nightshade]

That was somewhat disappointing. He has a weight disadvantage.. I prefer a level field, but I guess this is the best it can get. Musings aside, she would harden her expression. She would need to focus. While she wasn't too strong physically, she could hopefully outwit the squire. Keeping her actions conservative would be the best move as she assessed his offensive techniques. Or so she thought. He dropped into a stance where his blade was held in reverse. To her it was strange, but she supposed if it made him more comfortable or effective, it was his choice. She herself had no defined stance, it was just what she had picked up from others. As he explained his preference for the spar Crystal nodded. She was fine with his terms, but she would go all out as his armor would protect him from her strikes. He motioned her closer and announced she had the first strike, disrupting he tactic slightly. The young woman would need to force him into offense somehow, maybe if she toyed with him a bit. She squeezed him before finalizing her grip on the dagger. "So be it." She shot forward, not using all her speed, but enough to be convincing. Now in front of him she would quickly but sloppily side make a quick but sloppy side step to the right, bringing her dagger hand across her chest and quickly stepping back to slash at his chest. If she got a miracle, he would be confused by her side step and follow her body and not the dagger. Of course, she was moving much slower than she normally would, trying her best to test the waters one might say. Her objective was to gauge his prowess, then select the best plan to outsmart him. Simple to say, hard to do. She thought.