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[Belinda]

27th, spring, 516 av
9th bell


She had found employment but thought she should work up more routines and add some flash. These people really did like their luxuries. It made her chuckle at the pompous arses in this place but the air teamed with wickedness aid that called to her. The raven haired beauty found a empty spot among hail bales that haven't been stacked by slaves yet. The simple circle would suit her. She lifted the hay bales on ends and put them in certain locations. The idea stemmed from combining her skill in rapier and her dancing. It was novel and no one that she could tell was doing this.

Belinda needed the room to figure out the moves correctly. She looked from side to side to determine distance and length before warming up a bit. rapier movements and dancing movements were similar in some instances and different in other. She took her boots off before she started stretching in the simple linen pants and camisole on with a hip scarf that provided the flash of color. Purple was generally her color of choice. She hiked the hem of the camisole up and in between her breasts pulling it over and tightly. Her body bent down to limber up as she moved slowly from one leg to the other. Those legs spread apart wider as she did the same thing. Then her hands went down onto the ground to push herself up into a handstand she went as she took a deep breath before one leg went down and out into a split. Her nose went down onto her knee and held there for a breath or two. Her hands pushed herself up into a second handstand before the legs came down and was pressed together as her body bent to press her nose into her knees with straight legs.

The roll of the shouders and then the neck very slowly and elegantly before her arms came up and locked into an elegant position. Her abdomen moved one section at a time slowly. The ripple of muscle there became evident as those muscles moved and then rolled effortlessly while the legs and torso did not move. Isolation of movement this was a game of. The dancer then moved to her arms moving them ever so carefully paying attention to singular movements. She wished she had some music to go by but the beat of the workers would have to do as someone was hammering. For fun she started moving to the hammer beats, turning it into a game as th nature of the place entered her veins and the melted steel burned in those smoldering eyes.

There was a laugh from her in the solace of her reverie as she then strapped on her rapier. Scarf on one hip and rapier on the other. Belinda pondered this contrast, yet two very distinct sides of herself. The butterfly with the stinger she had become. That was it. The woman drew the blade and took a rather efficient offense stance. The footwork was started as she stepped with small steps smoothly. There was a fluid grace to her style. One of the hay bales provided a stabbing partner. The lunging stab was precise and well placed albeit a bit off center. This did not please her. The woman backed stepped then forward stepped into a stronger lunge with a bit more fervor. That was better. She did it again and repeated this for several chimes till she was happy with the lunge.

Let’s see if we can add some Dance steps to this. Turn and swirl and slice with a lunge. The overstepping balance landed her into the hay bale as her face hit the hay. Well that wasn’t a good one. She worked on the spin and slice. Balance, turn and slice down at an angle. The woman was starting to sweat. She kept going over the controlled spin with the slice for a bell as the hay bale looked like it had part of a definite angled cut carved into it.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

The Ravokian had spent his first nights in Kenash in the Rest House. The first night a man who had missed the deadline to receive the mark had been dragged away, and Valerius had moved out. He had not done so out of pity with the man, because he couldn’t bear sleeping where such a terrible thing had happened – he didn’t care about the fate of what had clearly been a fool – but because he thought that, for the price of two golden mizas, he should be able to sleep undisturbed.

On the 27th day of spring he found himself in the same area again though. There were a few things he wanted to buy at the Visitor’s Inventory, things that he needed for the business he wanted to set up in Kenash, a business that would hopefully help him enter the highest social circles of the city. He was used to being a man of importance, a man that others respected and sometimes even feared. He ultimately wanted to lead the same life he had lead in Ravok here.

He was just a short distance away from his destination, when he noticed her, a woman dancing in a circle of haybales. At first he was a little irritated. To him, dancing barefoot and dressed in a somewhat indecent manner in a public place was unacceptable. Could she not do it somewhere inside? He was about to confront her and tell her to leave, but then he decided not to, but lean against a nearby wall and watch her. He didn’t care for whatever feminine charms she might possess, but there was something about the way she moved that spoke to him. If nothing else, he appreciated elegance and grace.

It was almost as if she were moving to some kind of music that only she could hear. As she drew her blade, he arched an eyebrow. So she was a fighter as well? Apparently not, at least not a very good one, he decided as she landed face first in a hay bale. At least she did not let that accident discourage her, but tried again. On the other hand, maybe she was just a fool. A lot of people were.

He had neither moved nor said a single word while she had practiced, but stood completely still, arms crossed over his chest. After her little accident though, he clapped.

“Bravo!”

Was he complimenting or mocking her? That was for her to decide. The tone of his voice was comparatively neutral, and his face betrayed little, but on other hand he did look suspiciously like the pompous arses she had thought of earlier with his fine clothes and the rapier at his belt.

[Belinda]

The head turned at the clap. She was not expecting an observer. He was finely dressed but the rapier did not go unnoticed as those steel grey eyes took in the details. Her graceful proud posture posed for a moment as she gave him a sultry smile. “Thank you.” Her voice was kept neutral despite its husky quality. She sheathed her blade deftly before walking with that figure eight of a walk that moved hips as she snapped her hips in his direction as a bit of a playful gesture.

Nothing. The man’s expression didn’t change didn’t move. The woman dared and boldly came closer as her eyes looked at his directly and with imputence. Yes she dared to cross that threshold and yes she questions if she can stand toe to toe with someone of his like. The rapier appeared to be plain build build much the same as hers. It wasn’t a custom blade her father had told her stories of. The opportunities started circling that convoluted calculating mind of hers. “Hello.” The sultry voice offered in a lower tone as she was standing toe to toe.

Those steel grey eyes were like molten metal that glided over every inch of him as she slowly looked at him down and then just as slowly moving up. Her eyes would stop at certain key locations ever so briefly but just long enough. When her eyes returned to his face as the lean serious arrogant man kept his stiff stance. Too, stiff. “Introductions are in order, I am Belinida Lucavis.” The girl said in a tone that would cause one to lean in closer to hear it.

“Do you fence? “ She asked boldly without much preamble and certainly didn’t give any kind of care as to his status or rank. Belinda carried herself in a manner that was most definitely not submission. The sweat created from her practice session was running down between the two heavy mounds that were held in tight by the bunched up camisole which was damped at the edges and whispering musk and passion.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

The Ravokian took in everything, the way she held herself and swayed her hips as she moved, the husky tone of her voice, that mixture of utter confidence and playfulness. For a moment he wondered whether she was a whore that played the role of a fighter in whatever little free time her customers left her, one of those women that sold their bodies at the Den, the Casino and similar establishments, but she seemed too wild and free for that.

He didn’t move away as she came closer, for moving away would have meant admitting that he had a problem with women such as her or with whatever feelings she awoke in him. Instead he allowed her to come so close that they were standing toe to toe, that he would only have to move a little in order to touch her, so close that she could feel his breath. His face was still unreadable, and the look in those brilliant blue eyes of his was almost too cool, as if he were hiding his thoughts and feelings behind a layer of ice.

The way she looked at him, the way her gaze glided over his body didn’t go unnoticed. He briefly let his gaze glide across her body as well, as if he were apprasing her, and then he met her gaze and held it. Did she find him appealing? Was she trying to play with him? For some reason the thought amused him. He could play such games as well as anybody else, but rarely lowered himself down to it.

“I have never heard of the Lucavis family”, he replied. “You don’t belong to one of the dynasties, do you?” Of course she didn’t. She was likely a mere commoner. But still, there was something about her voice that compelled him to listen, that made him instinctively lean closer to hear it. It was hard to ignore. His own voice was not sultry and seductive like hers, but not unpleasant, even though it was to some extent lacking warmth.

“I am Valerius, of House Nitrozian, and I do of course fence.” He recalled the way she had landed in the hay bale and added in a somewhat dry tone, “As well as you.”

[Belinda]

She was not versed in the Ravokian Houses or names. The edge of one of her lips twitched up into a half smile as a wicked gleam etched along the molten steel grey eyes. Heat met Ice as she did not waver in her stance or position. “I would be surprised if you had.” The girl said as she found his voice and tone to be pleasant indeed. It was controlled to be sure but passionless.

How can someone live without passion? Does coin and status suck it out of you? “I do not belong to one of the dynasties here. I arrived not too long ago. “ Belinda provided only necessary information and nothing more. She spoke in her velvet sultry voice. Her mind wandered of how one would melt someone like Valerius? Not for any gain, though coin would definitely be a lovely score keeper, but to break him down to his raw passionate self. That would be something to see.

The glimmer in her eyes seemed to sparkle even more as the smile spread. The woman was not put off in the slightest at marking her a beginner. “Pleasure to meet you Valerius." With an incline of her head. The blue black raven hair was down in waves to her mid back as it seemed to shimmer with the sun and have a life of its own. "I see, so you too are a beginner.” One lovely thin delicately and groomed arched eyebrow beckoned up at that prospect. “Practice could be in order. If you have the time?” She certainly didn’t want to interrupt any important standoffish icy moments that he might be contemplating having an exhausting time holding all that emotion in or whatever it was his types do. She fully expected to be rejected as she boldly placed a slight challenge expression in that face ever so delicately.

It was a subtle communication. It wasn’t something that one could readily read at a distance and placed just for his eyes as if to mock his icy gaze. It even invited a chase of the fire. Try and put out this fire or temper the steel that was her backbone. Just try it. The ride promised to be something that ice would not be able to withstand for very long. She danced on the edge of wickedness like the water danced on the edge of the shore. The woman then without a yes or no moved towards the self-made practice circle and drew her blade. Her foot forward and her back foot making a T formation in the back of it and balanced it. “Be at your ready.” The voice took on a more controlled tone.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

"So did I", he replied. "I only came to Kenash at the beginning of the season." Just like Belinda he only provided necessary information, only gave her as much as she had offered to him. She was a Freeborn then, he conluded, just like he unfortunately was. What kind of position did she hold in the city? How did she expect to gain a dynasty’s favour and avoid slavery? By dancing?

"The pleasure is mine." He was polite, almost overly so. He was of course not aware that she was entertaining thoughts of melting his icy exterior, that she might also be secretly mocking him. He only wondered how it could be that hair that was as black as the night itself could shimmer in the sunlight as if were made of a thousand crystals.

Not a mere Freeborn, a mere commoner, he amended, and definitely not a whore. There was something about her, something that belonged into a palace rather than onto the streets of Kenash, despite the flaws that she possessed.

He did not reply as she asked him if he had time, but merely drew his rapier which was all the answer she would need. The comment about him being a beginner as well was ignored. He moved away from her, to the opposite side of the practice circle she had created and looked at her. The challenge had been accepted. The fire would either be put out or the ice would be melted.

Valerius had learned what little he knew of fighting in a most unorthodox manner and in an informal setting, with the help of his professor of Nader-canoch and a Kelvic, of all things.

The memory almost made him smile – the professor was one of the few people that had his respect - but that hint of a smile disappeared as quickly as it had come as he settled into his stance, one leg in front, his feet slightly apart and his blade held at a ninety degree angle. He knew at least how to stand correctly, even if the finer points of fencing unfortunately still escaped him.

He did not make the first move though, but nodded at her. He wanted her to attack first.

[Belinda]

Valerius drew his weapon without very much in the way of words and was at least holding the blade reasonably well. This may get interesting. She didn’t care about gaining favor and she was very much not going to be enslaved as her schedule was starting to fill of her appearances in the city’s taverns and casinos. “You speak well for just coming off the boat.” She asked obliquely before her blade would touch his experimentally with an ever so slight flick of the wrist. It could be viewed as a failed attempt to an attack but it was testing the waters.

Those steel grey eyes watched his form and body. Fencing was a game. A deadly game to be sure, but it was a game of who would tell on whom. Belinda has a bit of an unpredictable style as what tells she may give, may not necessarily mean that was what she would do. It was a language entirely of its own right, one that her father parted to her before he stopped coming by to see her. Another slash to the other side of the blade was provided in moments after the second before the third movement would zoom very quickly to tap the flat of the blade against his shoulder.

She wasn’t out to hurt the man as this was a friendly practice session. She had to see what the look on his face to see the kind of speed and technique he was dealing with. What kind of tells and techniques did he bring to the table. Those eyes where hungry to know. They poured over his person like gold pours on to form an inlay on a decorative piece or even a custom weapon.

How could one stay so stiff and cool in presence amongst what life had to offer? The raven haired beauty didn’t understand this. She lived a life of feeling things in her observations of details and information. The why and feelings attached to that why often said a great deal more than the scarce few words one would say. It was this she paid attention to but the man held no emotion in his speech. Why was he like this?

[Valerius Nitrozian]

As she told him that he spoke well for somebody that had just come off the boat, he arched an eyebrow. What did she mean with that? What were the people that came off the boats usually like, and why shouldn’t he be able to speak well? It also irritated him that she was making assumptions about him. "I didn’t come off the boat", he informed her. "I travelled with a merchant. I wanted to see what the world was like between our safe cities. It seemed more interesting than staring at water for days on end.”"

He realized that he had involuntarily revealed more than what she had wanted to know, but he didn’t dwell on it. Even if this was little more than a practice fight, he was utterly concentrated. He did not think about who Belinda Lucavis really was anymore or about her beauty that was far too great for any commoner to possess, but raised his blade to meet hers.

He hadn’t had enough practice to develop his own style yet, but he moved quickly enough. He met her second slash as well, but the third movement caught him by surprise. He didn’t pause to think about it though, didn’t allow himself to be angry, but immediately made an attack of his own, a reversal of her attack more or less. He raised his blade and tried to make it seem as if he were aiming for her shoulder. He didn’t fully execute the maneuver though, but quickly aimed for the middle of her chest instead.

He had not put his full strength behind the attack as he had no interest in leaving her bleeding on the streets of Kenash – the dynasties would probably not be amused – he just wanted to test her skill, to annoy her rather than hurt her. He was not as stiff anymore now, but moved with a certain manner of elegance and grace, even if he could never be her match in this regard.

Stiff people didn’t tend to last very long a fight.

[Belinda]

The woman smiled. Did she just see irritation? Yes!! “Well then I suppose that is as expected then.” She said in a slight dismissive tone. As if to care about rather she had maligned the man or not was meaningless. He came by merchant caravan and not his own private caravan. Either he was a freeborn as she was or he was putting up a front. Well of course it was a front. Everyone has a front of some kind even she had one. His speaking though was a bit too good for a freeborn. The information she garnished from his mannerism and simple statements was growing. “Suppose Daddy’s coin paid your way or maybe mumsie.” The word mumsie she had heard from one patron or the other. It was a pet name for one’s maternal guide, but the way Belinda provided the word it was leveraged to entice irritation. It was better than the ice he provided earlier.

Those grey eyes sparkled as they turned into virtual molten silver as her wrist flicked and tilted at the blade that zoomed towards her chest as her body bent backwards in a smooth back bend and shift to the side as the rapier was flicked towards the other shoulder with the flat of the blade. The tip grazed her chest briefly as pearls of dark dark red seeped out. It didn’t seem to phase her. He went from stiff to flowing movements. This pleased her. The way a man moves can say a lot about a man. His form was very raw.

She denied him purchase of a strike with quick movements and a very flexible body. He also didn’t know how to pull a strike. “Use the flat of your blade? I really don’t want to be out of work for days while cuts heal? “ She demanded as she pressed forward with a stronger strike across the forty five. If he deflected it her wrist would spin over and up to go for the shoulder with the flat of her blade. She watched his face, his body and the blade. The smile did not leave her face as the exhilaration filled her and all else around was forgotten. Now that he was no longer stiff, she liked how he moved. The molten silver glided over his form with wild abandon.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

„Daddy and Mumsie as you put it had nothing to do with this here“, he replied. The tone of his voice was sharp now. “Neither did my grandfather help me. I paid for everything myself. You know nothing, Belinda Lucavis. Making assumptions can be a dangerous thing.” He decided that ne needed to revise his opinion of her again. Maybe she was not a whore, but she was definitely not a lady either. Maybe she was a tavern wench that had been unnaturally blessed by the gods when it came to looks, but had been woefully neglected in other regards.

“How did you pay for the journey?” he asked her. If he had been anybody else, If he had been just a little less well mannered and worried about his reputation, he would have asked her if she had stolen the money or done something even worse, but as it was he only sounded a little bit irritated.

She was better than him, he observed, but only slightly, otherwise he would not have managed to touch her with his blade. “I apologize”, he replied. “I didn’t mean to draw blood. I assumed that you would be able to parry. Shall I take care of your wound?” He was obviously being sarcastic now. “You know, I was Doctor Nitrozian once and had my own clinic, Miss Lucavis. I helped the poor.” He put a noticeable emphasis on the last words. Now what would she think of that? Did that fit her preconceived notion that he was a spoiled brat that lived off daddy’s money?

“Shall we continue?” She’d definitely gotten a reaction from him – there was even a certain fire in those eyes now – but had she gotten the reaction she had hoped for? He met her attack again and deflected it just in time, and then he brought his rapier up and try to parry the attack on his shoulder. He didn’t smile. The look on his face was grim, he was angry, he was even angry that she was so beautiful and that he couldn’t entirely ignore that beauty even though she probably wasn’t even worth his time and his attention. He’d seen what she was like now.