Rangers: Training Grounds

[Pele Alarion]

Captain Pele Alarion
Sparring with Abrazimir and Trastion
@Lantaelen , @Rillewen

Pele found it increasingly difficult to keep going against both opponents, her muscles felt fatigued from constant tension and effort exerted to defend herself. She kept a firm two-handed grip on her sword as she did her best to deflect Abrazimir's wild axe swings - seeing that he did not hold back, Pele realised that should she turn away to face Trastion, she'd be rather mercilessly battered, armour or no. All she could do was attempt to retreat and manoeuvre to make sure Trastion was not behind her back, all while she did her best to meet the axe with her sword or avoid it.

Her sword raised to keep away Abrazimir's axe, Pele's side was left open for Trastion's attack. The Captain could not disengage her weapon quickly enough and was glad for extra protection of the armour when Trastion's axe reached her. The hit was not heavy, and she assumed that the Recruit was holding back much of his power.

An twinkle of mischief appeared in Pele's blue eyes, and she escaped the following attacks by crying out: "Aaaaaaaaaah!" as she dropped her sword, both of her hands covering the side which had taken a hit as if the axe had sliced both through her armour and flesh, and falling to the ground in a dramatically slow motion. This was her chosen way to admit being overwhelmed and defeated and to test whether Trastion would believe that she was seriously hurt or see through her plain acting, and whether he would even play along.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Hyandaner Kaylin Maethyr

She gave him a devil-may-care look when he asked if she wasn't worried about him cutting her. Then she raised her arms a bit, indicating her armour. "I wore my army gear for this, in case you hadn't noticed. Most I need to worry about is my head. Plus, I hope this isn't a blow to your male ego or anything, lil' brother, but I've faced worse than you in this gear." She slanted her head, grinning. "I think I'll manage."

She caught his grin and prepared, ready for his swing. She parried it but did not move back. The challenge in her voice was obvious. "You know what, if you manage to get a cut in, I'll buy you a drink. One of your boring ones." With a grin, she stepped back, resuming her defensive position. "But you're going to have to do better than that. Be faster. Don't wait to see whether your strike hits. Continue. Like I did before. Until I yield or call for a stop. Fluid. Now, go!"

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Recruit Trastion Leithor

Trastion gave a little laugh when Kaylin commented about his 'male ego', rolling his eyes slightly. "Not that, I just.." He shrugged. "I've never done any sparring using real weapons before, that's all." He left out that he had used real weapons in real fights. That was a different matter. And as for sparring practices back home, it was strictly forbidden. Which was just as well, since he and Togg might have ended up slicing each other to bits if they'd been allowed to practice against each other with real weapons. To Kaylin, he continued, "I'm just.. not totally confident in my own ability to stop my sword in time, in case the other person fails to block or whatever, you know?" He explained. "Not you, specifically, but whoever it is."

When she then challenged him to actually try to cut her, he blinked in stunned disbelief. "Uh.." He hesitated, not sure he liked that idea, but managed a vague smile at her teasing about his 'boring' drinks. 'Yeah, cause not dying is sooo boring,' he thought in amusement. Trastion very much doubted that her buying him a drink was going to happen though, since he really didn't want to actually cut her. Not to mention, he wasn't even sure where he would manage it, because he planned on avoiding her head, which seemed to be the only place open to any sort of cuts.

"Right," He nodded in reply to her instructions, took a deep breath to try and calm his nervousness, perhaps stalling a moment to enjoy the rainfall that was helping to cool the air a little. He tried not think of her as a friend or teacher, but temporarily as a foe. Difficult as it was to put aside their friendship for the moment, he did his best to stop worrying so much about if he accidentally hit her with his sword, and tried to trust that Kaylin would block or evade if necessary.

He continued to keep up his attacks as well as he could, while remembering to keep moving and not let her get too close. Another thing which popped into mind, remembered from his lessons long ago, was to not fall into a pattern, doing the same kind of attacks, so not to become predictable. And, as much as he worried about hurting her with his own blade, he was also quite nervous of getting hurt by hers, and so he was hasty to block or evade whenever seemed necessary.

[Lantaelen]

@Pele Alarion @Rillewen

Abrazimir Dimaethor
Sparring with Trastion Leithor & Pele Alarion, Training Grounds

Abrazimir didn’t hold back his strength or forcefulness with the Captain. He knew she was a veteran and could handle herself against far worse. Though he was very much aware this wasn’t meant to be the real thing. He didn’t want to hurt her beyond reason. Just a nasty bruise or two, otherwise could one really call this particular session a good training experience? He was willing to risk just the same. Abrazimir had been in the same position in the prior match and took some hits. And he hoped the younger Recruit was seeing that it was all apart of the process.

And Trastion managed with a determined swing that the Captain reacted to with no small degree of theatrics, causing Abrazimir to falter his next swing against Pele’s defenses. His eyebrows quirked and he wondered if his previous line of thinking was perhaps wrong. And that someone really had gotten hurt. ”Are you…alright?” He said, ready to shout for the medics or something, when the blood started flowing. But the way she was reacting…hmm.

But he would let the Recruit figure it out. ”Good strike. You vanquished her.” He complimented the other man. ”Maybe…quite literally.” He even suggested, playing into the scene.

[Rillewen]

@Pele Alarion @Lantaelen

Recruit Trastion Leithor
(Sparring with Pele and Abrazimir - some point before Midsummer)

As the captain cried out 'aaaaaaaah!' as if in pain, Trastion froze for a second, fearing that either he or Abrazimir had actually harmed her. That was definitely not what he'd meant to do! But then, seeing how she dropped to the ground in a sort of slow motion, he relaxed and smiled slightly as he realized she was just being dramatic about her defeat. Abrazimir asked whether she was alright, but even without her replying to that, Trastion suspected she was fine. He'd barely put any force into his blow, so unless she had some sort of pain in her side from another source, there was little reason to suspect there was anything actually wrong with her.

He grinned slightly and lowered his ax. "If she were not fine, she'd call for a stop," he reminded Abrazimir of what Pele had said only moments ago, with a slightly teasing glance. He switched his weapon into his other hand before offering that hand down to the 'vanquished foe', aka his captain, to help her up if she chose to accept. "I hope I'm not expected to fight the both of you, next, because I'm far too tired and hot for any of that now. And I don't think I could manage against even one of you, let alone both at once," he laughed lightly, though he was serious about it.

[Pele Alarion]

Captain Pele Alarion
Sparring with Abrazimir and Trastion
@Lantaelen , @Rillewen

Pele observed for a while and found that while she had caught the two men by surprise initially, that moment passed quickly and they did not buy into her play. Giving up her disguise of pain she laughed heartily and accepted Trastion's hand, getting up to her feet as smoothly as the armour let her.

"Quick learning and smart thinking there, Recruit," she commended Trastion who had not forgotten what she had said not that long ago, even in the heat of their training battle.

The Captain brushed off some of the dust with her gloved hand, and then removed the glove to reach for her canteen to quench the thirst. No matter how much experience and strength she might have, a vigorous sparring still had its effect. The water was slightly warm, yet she still enjoyed those few sips, as she thought over further Trastion's words.

Glancing at Abrazimir and then back at Trastion she eventually said: "But what if you did end up in a situation where you were already tired and yet had to fight off a tough pair of opponents? A good reason to have a buddy or two assisting, hmm? Even I run out of options as you could see just now, rank or no rank, so a good reminder that we all need each other to rely on when things go bad, right?"

"How about you, Abrazimir? Want another round, or should we call it a day?"

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Hyandaner Kaylin Maethyr

"Have to start using the real deal at some point," she shrugged. "Why not now? Don't worry about stopping your blade," she told him, now getting a bit impatient with his lingering doubts. "That is my concern. You worry about stopping mine." She flashed him a grin. "Though I promise I'll try to mostly just... defend."

Trastion wasn't bad. He switched up his attacks, and after a minute or so he seemed to find a rhythm whilst not being too predictable. But Kaylin was a master sword of the city and had years of training and experience on the recruit. She did not allow his blade to touch her. A few times she tried to get closer, and he kept her away. "Good," she exclaimed, spurring him on. "Faster!" Her focused expression slowly made way for a grin when the recruit sped up and managed to make her keep her distance while he attacked.

The next time he slashed at her, she met his blade high with hers and raised her shield as well to keep his blade away as she turned and barrelled into him. Whether it ended up being her back or her side that crashed into him, honestly mattered little. The move had no grace. No ceremony. Hardly any coordination. It was a pure, unadulterated crash. With a hint of madness, perhaps.

[Lantaelen]

@Pele Alarion @Rillewen

Abrazimir Dimaethor
Sparring with Trastion Leithor & Pele Alarion, Training Grounds

The Captain was indeed playing some theatrics, no doubt to strengthen the confidence and courage of the young Recruit. Trastion worked it out though, proving he was a bit more intelligent than the common foot soldier. The Recruit moved to help the Captain up and Pele paused to take some water, whereas Abrazimir refused rest or water, despite the heat of the Sun and the weight of his armour. He was used to testing his endurance and stamina, having been at it for years now. He was ready for the next match and already the Recruit was expressing his worries. That he could not possibly take on two veterans after the exertions of the first two sparring sessions.

And yet…in a real battle, asking for quarter or pause would be unlikely. Abrazimir returned Pele’s gaze and was in agreement with her. What if the Recruit did end up in a situation like that? How would he know what to do? And how would he know what not to do? There was only one way to learn and the best they could do was play out a practical demonstration here on the sands. But it was indeed an uphill challenge. Both Abrazimir and Pele despite their experience had been bested.

It seemed only fair then…

Abrazimir grinned and lifted his axe, resting it upwards on his shoulder, the axehead next to his cheek guard. ”The young man here is clever and he’s quick. His arms don’t seem to be as heavy as marble. Let us go once more. And see how well he fares against us. Maybe, him being the one out of us three who has taken the least number of blows to the head, he can conjure up some new options to escape the onslaught that we could not have fathomed.” He shrugged innocently and grinned widely, but then gestured towards Trastion.

”Of course, if he is willing. There will be other training sessions, no doubt. It never truly ends over here.” He then, asking the Recruit’s permission, despite his worries against it. Abrazimir had confidence he could do well. And at least he would know what to expect in such a challenge, too. You only learned by battling those greater than you…

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Recruit Trastion Leithor

Trastion felt like he was doing pretty well, though he was trying not to let himself get too overconfident about the fact. He suspected that Kaylin could probably defeat him easily if she took a notion, but at the moment, he was doing well enough at this. Around them, the rain kept coming, and he wasn't protesting. The rain felt good. It was cooling the air somewhat, making him feel less like he was melting. He would've raised his face to let the raindrops wash the sweat from it, except he couldn't take the time at the moment.

All of his attention was focused on keeping Kaylin from getting close enough to kill him, and keeping his own attacks coming, and trying to keep them varied up enough not to become predictable. Suddenly, Kaylin did something very unexpected. Trastion's eyes widened slightly as she slammed her back and shoulder against him. His feet swiftly moved backward, trying and brace himself in order to stand his ground against the impact. While that might have worked under normal circumstances, with the rain having turned everything to mud, he didn't stand a chance of staying upright.

He felt his feet slide out from under him, even as the impact of Kaylin crashing into him sent him sprawling to the ground. Splashing right into a puddle, he let out a surprised grunt as his back hit the ground. Thankfully, the armor and helmet kept him from getting hurt, but he was briefly stunned by the fact that it had happened. Then he couldn't help laughing, not even trying to get up just yet. After falling in the mud once already today, he was starting to think the Valar just enjoyed seeing it happen. Then, this incident reminded him of the day in the forest with Duinion, when Trastion had tried to jump across the creek, only to fall into the creek. And his meeting with both Arnyn and Pele, when he'd ended up covered in mud. That thought made him laugh even harder, and it took him a moment before he had managed to calm his amusement enough to speak. "Are you.. alright?" he asked finally, through his laughter.

---

@Pele Alarion @Lantaelen

Recruit Trastion Leithor
(Sparring with Pele and Abrazimir - some point before Midsummer)

Following the captain's example, by going over to get a drink, Trastion nodded in gratitude when she complimented his 'quick learning' and 'smart thinking'. He tried to be mindful not to drink his water down too quickly, but he was very thirsty and it was quite hot out.

"But what if you did end up in a situation where you were already tired and yet had to fight off a tough pair of opponents?"

The captain's words made him think about how to reply while he was taking a drink. He had been in such situations before, back when he was still in the habit of regular practice with a sword. It wasn't quite the same though, with a weapon he was unfamiliar with. And even with a sword, he was a bit hesitant to be pushed too hard, in this particular company, lest his identity be revealed or guessed at.

Swallowing, he glanced at Abrazimir when the knight seemed eager to take sides with the captain against him now. While he could see the value in testing himself against two, he was a little surprised, considering what little experience he claimed to have with weapons. He looked back at Captain Alarion with a faint smile. "One would hope that I would have a bit more time to learn how to fight, before ending up in any sort of situation like that..." He answered her comment with a slightly nervous laugh, thinking it seemed a logical response. After all, as far as either of them knew, he'd only barely begun learning any of this stuff.


(I'm trying to keep in mind that this session was set at a point in time not all that long after he had become a recruit :) I think he's only had one or maybe two training sessions with arnyn, so far lol)

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Hyandaner Kaylin Maethyr

Boots were slipping in the mud. Not just Trastion's. Kaylin's too. She grinned as she lost her balance, faltering for a moment as she crashed into the mud right next to him as she had turned and pushed away slightly. Once they were both down and she heard Trastion's laughter, the grin returned fiercely, and soon she was laughing along with him as she moved to her hands and knees in the mud, still holding her sword but having let go of her shield.

What a sight they must make. Trastion sprawled on his back in the mud. She with her hands and knees in the mud, her front and side covered with it. Rain pouring down around them. Both of them laughing.

"Better than alright," she replied, feeling very much alive. After all, what was life without a good laugh now and then? Kaylin sat back on her lower legs, not caring about the rain or the mud. She was already soaked and dirty anyway. A broad smile was aimed at Trastion. "Just a reminder that not all of your enemies will be as poised and sensible as your mentor." She slanted her head. "What about you? You okay?" A snicker escaped her. "Not too surprised?"

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Recruit Trastion Leithor

Since Kaylin was laughing too, he could only assume she was fine. Trastion could hardly help laughing like a silly kid, then. He was really just glad neither of them had landed on his sword or something, or on hers. Her words about Arnyn being 'poised' and 'sensible' made him laugh even harder for a moment. Finally, he made an effort to get ahold of himself again, but still grinned. "Oh, fine," He assured her, propping up on his elbows. "It's just.. that's the second time today I've fallen in a mud puddle." He grinned. "What a fit Brian would have, if he could see us."

At that, he burst into snickers again, remembering the way the man had scolded him for being 'unpresentable' after Nal's dog pushed Trastion in the mud. Totally unreasonable, and he belatedly wondered why neither he, nor Nal, had taken the opportunity to turn things around on the barrack's master when Hattie did the same to him. The very thought of that made him laugh again. "Ahh, I shoulda told him he was 'unpresentable'," he lamented jokingly.

[Arnyn]

(Open)

Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen
Sparring with Hyandaner Kaylin Maethyr

This was bound to happen. At some point.

She had been training with Trastion to improve his skills. And while he was learning, learning fast, he still had much ground to cover.

She had been training with Pele, as well, trying to get her friend and Captain to learn to cope with her adjusted physique, getting her stamina and strength back up. The Captain was nearly back to her previous prowess. Soon, Pele and Arnyn would have a sparring session of their own, so both officers could rest assured. As of yet, they still needed to plan such a match.

And so. None of what Arnyn had been doing lately had been quite the same as a sparring match against an expert swordfighter - in peak condition - with years of experience. Not to mention, this was a swordmaster who did not always see eye to eye with her. That alone made her opponent today vastly different from Pele.

Arnyn had to admit it. She was itching for this duel.

It had been her suggestion, to Kaylin. The redheaded Hyandaner had seemed eager - just as eager as Arnyn felt today. Kaylin, then, had suggested the conditions. One of which Kaylin, as a former soldier, would be much more comfortable in than Arnyn. Plate armour, she had requested. The Lieutenant had agreed. The second condition would prove equally interesting to both of them, as Kaylin had suggested dual short swords in regards to their weapons. Without any additional arms such as daggers or knives. They each would have two short swords and their own hands. No more.

The crisp morning air filled her lungs as she walked down to the training grounds. They had chosen an early hour, to escape the summer heat. And, if at all possible, too much of a crowd.

At the gates to the grounds, one of the guards posted lifted an eyebrow. "Plate, Lieutenant?"

Arnyn grinned. "Plate, Ranger. Having a bout with Maethyr."

The other guard whistled. "Damn. Too bad we're on duty. Wouldn't have minded catching that."

She laughed lightly, shrugging one shoulder as she moved past them. "Sorry."

Naturally, she was the first to arrive. Seeking out a sparring area on the edge of the grounds, Arnyn rested her hands on the pommels of the shortswords to her belt as she leaned against the fence, taking most of her weight off her feet.

[Arnyn]

(Open)

Hyandaner Kaylin Maethyr
Sparring with Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen

Two huge grins greeted her at the entrance to the grounds. Kaylin slanted her head. "Not that I mind beind greeted so cheerily or anything," she assured the two rangers, "But uh... what's going on?"

One of them might as well have been rubbing his hands together. "You are what's going on! You and your duel with Arnyn."

Kaylin rolled her eyes. "It's not a duel, Sadar. Just a sparring match."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," came the dismissive reply. "I can't believe I'm stuck at this Varda-forsaken gate!"

A smirk. "It's not like we announced our plans to the unit or anything. If you hadn't been posted here, you probably wouldn't even know it was happening."

Sadar scowled, but his companion smiled good-naturedly. "Regardless. Good luck, K!"

Her shoulders stiffened. "Who says I need luck?"

The Ranger froze briefly. "Umm. It's not that you're not good or anything." When he saw the dangerous look in her eyes, he laughed uncomfortably. "You're great, I know you are. But I served with her all the way back from when she was a Hyandaner Captain and..." He shook his head.

Kaylin grunted, raising her hand to stop him from finishing the sentence. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. 'Arnyn the legend', blah blah blah." With a mischievous expression, she leaned in toward Sadar, who was already grinning again. "But I'm about to introduce our legendary Lieutenant to the reason why they made me a Master Sword of the city." She flicked the other Ranger's shoulder on her way into the grounds. "Anyway. Enjoy the rest of your shift, mates." With a casual wave, she was on her way.

Rolling her shoulders as she scanned the grounds, Kaylin couldn't deny she was excited. And nervous. A grin mastered her face when she saw Arnyn waiting off to the side of one of the sparring areas near the fence. During her approach, the adrenaline really started pumping the blood faster through her veins.

"Hûl, Lieutenant!" she greeted Arnyn cheerfully, meanwhile assessing her equipment. "You came all ready to play!"

---

@Rillewen

Hyandaner Kaylin Maethyr
Training with Recruit Trastion Leithor

"Mud puddles are not dangerous things to fall into," Kaylin judged cheerily. She had to laugh briefly at the mention of the barracks master. "Though, the concept of dangerous changes altogether when you involve Lieutenant Brian and the chance of muddy boot prints on his immaculate floors." Almost proudly, she then added: "Then again. That is purely your concern, I'm afraid. The barracks master can be as displeased with my appearance as he likes. I no longer live in his domain!"

Rising to her feet, some of the mud slowly dripping from several spots of her armor as she reached to pick up her shield, Kaylin let out a strangely happy grunt. She was about to suggest they continue, when Trastion made a comment she couldn't quite make sense of. "Sorry, what?" she asked, confused but wanting to get in on the joke anyway.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Recruit Trastion Leithor

Slowly, he began to get control of his laughter again. Trastion could feel the water soaking through to the skin, but he hardly cared anymore. It was cooling, anyway. Better than being soaked in sweat, right? He took his time getting to his feet. The armor was a bit bulky, though he was more familiar with it than he had been a month ago. He picked up his sword from where it lay in the mud, and hoped it was alright.

"Oh," He realized he'd failed to explain what he said, and grinned. "Sorry, I was just thinking about.. you know, the Hattie incident," he snickered. "After she pushed me in the mud, Brian was griping at me for being dirty, after he'd just seen her push me in the mud. Like, how am I supposed to help that? Anyway, then when she did the same thing to him, I was thinking I should've said something like that back to him." He smirked. "Although, I was already in enough trouble, so it's probably best that I was laughing too hard to think of it."

He rolled his eyes when she 'boasted' about the fact she didn't have to worry about getting in trouble for tracking mud into the barracks. And that she no longer lived in his domain. "Yeah, rub it in," he teased, pretending to be annoyed, but grinned soon after. "Right, so that was fun. And I'm not as hot anymore." He looked up at the sky, welcoming the rain washing away the mud from his face, at least. "I guess you were right though. It was sort of pointless to clean my gear before we started." He laughed.

---

Trastion with Duinion
Training Grounds

Trastion was glad to take a break now and then from the vigorous weapons training, and focus on things more aligned with his hobbies. So, while he enjoyed training sessions with Arnyn, and with Kaylinn, he looked forward to getting out in the woods and learning about woodcraft and survival with Duinion. They had gone out yesterday, as per the schedule. But this time, instead of coming back for the mealtime, Duinion had revealed that they were going to be staying overnight, and putting his skills to the test.

Catching their own meal was only part of it. There was the cooking part, as well. Trastion had to admit this was not his strong point. He knew some basic stuff, because he and Aeaeron used to go off in the woods overnight all the time, and would cook stuff over the open fire. But they'd brought their own food, and usually it only needed a bit of heating, or little preparation. So, while he had managed to survive well enough on his own, between leaving home and coming here to enlist, Trastion had endured plenty of meals that were a bit overcooked, or just didn't taste as great as he'd like.

Duinion was not the most excellent cook, by any means, but he'd managed to learn enough over the years to make a good meal out of little, or find enough things in the wild to turn barely anything into something more than it seemed. While he was more accustomed to the wilder woods of Ithilien, or even the patches of forest out in the Pelennor, he was able to locate enough things to show Trastion how to forage for food, even when meat was not an option. So they ate well, and then took turns watching their small camp. In the morning, he let Trastion manage breakfast, and was pleased to see that he was learning quickly. Their morning meal was good enough not to draw any complaint from Duinion, and Trastion seemed quite proud of his very basic culinary accomplishments for the trip.

Now, to both ranger's regret, it was time to return. So, they packed up their things, and Duinion showed the young man how to cover all traces of their having camped, as much as was possible. "You never know when you may need such a skill. And I prefer to leave the forest as I found it." He explained. At last, they began the hike back. The training grounds forest was nowhere near as expansive as the other forests Duinion preferred to frequent, so it seemed to him to take hardly any time before they began to approach other parts of the training grounds. The glint of sunlight on metal revealed the presence of someone ahead, in one of the sparring areas. Duinion paused, an idea striking him. "Hold up." He whispered.

Trastion paused and glanced at him questioningly. "What?" he wondered why they were whispering.

Duinion nodded ahead through the trees. "Notice anything?"

Trastion looked. "Someone wearing armor. Probably preparing for practice or something." He shrugged.

"Are you sure? Suppose it's an enemy, infiltrating the ranger training grounds." He suggested with a raised eyebrow. "How would you know?"

Trastion blinked at him, then looked back toward the person in armor. "Uh.. don't we have guards at the gates?" He whispered back.

Duinion rolled his eyes. "Yes. But, pretend." he explained. "Pretend you are in a real situation, and there's an enemy creeping through the forest. They're up to something. You need to find out who they are, and get close enough to them to spy on them and find out what they're up to, without them spotting you. That is your mission now, understand?" He watched the smile break out on the young ranger's face. "I know we came to practice other things, but... seems like a good opportunity to practice stealth, don't you think?" He grinned.

"Yeah," Trastion grinned, and listened carefully as Duinion gave him some instructions to begin with. He figured it could also be useful in situations where he was hunting and needed to sneak up on a deer. And he figured, if he could successfully sneak up on some ranger in the training grounds, he would be pretty good at stealth. Sticking close to Duinion and trying to keep in mind the crash course on stealth, he moved slowly and carefully through the woods, watching where he stepped, and feeling glad that he'd chosen to wear "foresty" colors for their overnight camping trip.

As Duinion got nearer, he caught a glimpse of red hair at the top of the glinting armor. Kaylin, he guessed. He moved to crouch behind a cluster of thick bushes, where he could peek through the branches and be shielded well enough from view. He could hear voices now.

"Hûl, Lieutenant! You came all ready to play!"

Definitely Kaylin. And Arnyn, apparently. Then he caught sight of the lieutenant, leaning against a fence, also dressed in full gear. She had been so still, and a tree had been blocking his view before, so, he had not noticed her right off. He raised an eyebrow curiously, then looked over to find out where Trastion had decided to hide himself.

[Arnyn]

(Open)

vs
Hyandaner Kaylin Maethyr sparring with Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen

Arnyn smiled. "Of course. Being ready seemed like a good idea when coming out to face a Hyandaner. Especially one that used to be not only a Master Sword but then also a Master at Arms."

Kaylin grinned in return. "Not underestimating me, I see. Wise! Then again, should I expect any less from the Second in Command of the King's Rangers?" The redhead bowed in mock ceremony. "As it happens, the sentiment is mutual. Given that you always were some kind of officer prodigy or whatever." Though her choice of words would be considered dismissive, her tone stood in stark contrast. Her reply had actually come from a place of respect.

"Well," Arnyn replied, pushing herself away from the wall. She unbuckled one of the scabbards from her belt. "Two shortswords, as requested." She unsheathed the sword and dropped the scabbard to the grass surrounding the edges of the sparring area. "And plate armor. As requested." Unbuckling the second scabbard, she repeated her earlier actions. The second scabbard was dropped next to the first, the second short sword now ready in her other hand.

Kaylin was still wearing her grin. "You don't muck about, do you? No chit chat before the fight or anything?"

Arnyn raised her eyebrows slightly and approached the center of the sparring area. "I like efficiency."

"Yes," Kaylin agreed, drawing both longswords from the scabbards on her back at the same time. She approached the Lieutenant, an almost wicked smile of anticipation on her face. "That, you do." The redhead's expression would probably have intimidated most people. Arnyn, however, assessed it with a detachment that gave Kaylin pause.

"You don't want to lose the scabbards?" the Lieutenant asked. "I would prefer you did. Otherwise they would give me un unfair advantage." When Kaylin frowned, the Lieutenant gestured vaguely with one sword. "More to grab onto. Should it come to that."

Eyes widening with what could only be described as glee, Kaylin drew in an eager breath. "Alright then." She lowered her blades to the ground before removing the baldrics holding the scabbards to her back and stepping back to deposit them on the other side of the sparring area. When she was ready, she approached the Lieutenant a second time. Crouching, she retrieved her blades. Kaylin straightened slowly, both her eyes already on Arnyn. She was not taking any chances. She'd heard too much to take the blonde lightly.

They both took a step back, although neither fell into a specific pose of attack or defense. Two sets of eyes appraised each other. One of those sets, cold-coloured in sky blue and smokey grey. Winter eyes disguising the hot spirit beneath. The other, warm-toned in dark red-browns and hints of gold. Eyes of summer, betraying the unexpected warmth that could be pulled forth from an analytical mind.

It was the analytical mind that breached the silence. "Three strikes?"

Kaylin just grinned with a nod. "Alright. And then we re-assess."

One corner of Arnyn's mouth curled upward. So. If one of them landed three thrikes too fast, Kaylin might want to extend the time. What was her opponent playing at with that comment? Was she saying she thought she could land three strikes against Arnyn rather quickly? Was the comment part of her attempt at demoralizing her? If so, it was pointless. Or was she saying she simply wanted to have a good, long run? The Lieutenant found herself in agreement with the last option, at least. Hence, she nodded in turn. "Agreed."

With no more than a slight narrowing of the eyes as a warning, Kaylin leapt forward. She closed the distance with impressive speed, lunging, attacking with both blades at once. Arnyn's response was equally swift, her own two swords shooting up to meet Kaylin's, her feet adjusting to the attack and her opponent's stance. Four swords clashed together, the sudden sound a jarring breach of the peace that still lingered over the grounds.

There was no dramatic stand-off. No pause. Arnyn's ripost was instantaneous, forcing Kaylin to disentangle herself before Arnyn could land a strike on her shoulder. Yet Kaylin did not need a moment to gather her bearings. She moved back in. Two sets of blades flashed in the sun, two pairs of feet shifted around each other as the two Hyandaner engaged in a dangerous dance of steel.

While the fight took place among the heart-warming beauty of the season, the two Rangers could only see the gleam of sharp steel; not the bluest of skies a summer could produce, not the lush greens of the forest within the grounds, nor the breathtaking jewel that was the White City in the soft glow of the morning sun. It was no easy feat to fight with two shortswords skillfully, let alone to defend against two more at the same time.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Trastion with Duinion
Training Grounds

Trastion had found a big tree to hide behind. The trunk had forked into two at a point about chest heigh on him, so that he could look through the slim gap between the two trunks, and see ahead of him. He grinned to himself as he saw and heard Kaylin. But when he realized that Arnyn was also there, his jaw dropped slightly, realizing Arnyn was in gear, and Kaylin was in gear. Preparing to spar?

Wait. Surely not. Was this... had Kaylin neglected to invite him to this? He almost couldn't believe it, but then decided it didn't matter. He was here anyway, haha. He wondered if he could get any closer, so he could see a bit better. If he was really spying on enemies, he'd barely be close enough to see what they were doing, through all these leaves and stuff. After a moment, when they seemed absorbed in their battle, he left his cover and moved nearer, and crouched down behind a fallen log that ran diagonally toward the sparring area. Then, dropping to his stomach, he crawled forward until he reached the tree-top part, which was closest to the sparring area. He crawled under some of the branches so that they concealed him, and found a semi-comfortable spot from which he could see everything fairly well, while peering through the branches of the fallen tree.

Watching Trastion's movements with one eye, Duinion kept the other half of his attention on the match between the two ladies. He tilted his head thoughtfully as he saw the young man's hiding spot, and privately assessed how good the spot really was. He was a bit vulnerable, being under the tree like that, but it did offer concealment from view, mostly. He thought it would be better if he'd taken the time to camouflage himself, but then, he also reminded himself that he had not yet gone over any of that sort of thing with Trastion. So, he excused his lack of knowledge on the matter.

Therefore, satisfied with Trastion's position, Duinion focused his gaze more fully on the match, as it was quite interesting. He could see what was going on fairly well even from back here. He could have seen better if he had moved closer, but he wanted to remain still and therefore, remain unnoticed. Keeping still was one of the best ways to not be detected, as he had been taught very young. Instead, he slowly shifted his position so that he was more comfortable to remain there for a longer time, and then carefully pulled off a few carefully chosen leaves from the bushes in front of him, so that his line of sight was not obstructed. And then he watched, paying special attention to the different moves the two opponents made against one another.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Hyandaner Kaylin Maethyr
Training with Recruit Trastion Leithor

"Ahhh, the Hattie incident," she grinned, not even trying to get some of the mud off her. That was a lost cause. "That never gets old, does it?"

She wore a victorious smile when Trastion said she was rubbing in her independency on the barracks master's approval. The smile grew back into a grin at his last comment. "Yup. But hey, now at least I can report back you're a proper and responsible recruit, right?"

They returned to practicing then, first with Tras on the attack, trying to keep Kaylin away. After a break to drink some water and slow down their heartbeats for a while, they switched again: Kaylin resumed the role of the attacker, trying to get into Trastion's guard. This time, she held back less, although she still tried to find a balance so he would realize he was learning but would also be confronted with the fact there still was substantial room for improvement.

When Kaylin had deemed she'd tired out the recruit enough - and when she was pretty much ready for a different activity, herself - she unceremoniously ducked and dove into his guard, grinning broadly. "Game over, lil bro. How about we call it a day? You did well, and you might be up for more, but I hear the Lieutenant has you on quite the schedule."

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Recruit Trastion Leithor

The more he practiced against Kaylin, the more Trastion began to remember some of his old lessons, but he was aware that he had let his skills get rusty during the years between then, and joining the rangers. Thankfully, Arnyn had helped him to sharpen those skills up again, somewhat. So, it was easier to get the swing of it, now.

The thought of her reporting back anything, left him wondering what she would say? He tried not to think too much about it, but couldn't help feeling as if he wasn't really doing so well. He was reminded of the times when he used to spar against his older brother. He had always been much more skilled than Trastion, and it had been evident even when Aearon was holding back. He tried not to let those sad thoughts in, however, and instead tried to joke and laugh as they went about the training session.

When Kaylin suddenly made her move to end that round, Trastion blinked as he froze, staring at the sword pointed in his face. He was very glad she was a friend and not enemy, and gave a slightly nervous laugh. "Right." He agreed. Game over, indeed. He lowered his sword and nodded when she mentioned his schedule. "Yeah, it's definitely full," He agreed. "I've had to keep notes about what I'm doing on what days, and so forth.. it's crazy." He shook his head, then worked on the straps of his helmet, and finally pulled it off with relief. Even his hair was wet, despite having been covered by the helmet. Part of it was from sweat, and part from the rain. But now, the rain felt pretty good, falling on the top of his head. He ran his fingers through it to make it sweep back a bit.

[Pele Alarion]

Captain Pele Alarion
Sparring with Abrazimir and Trastion
@Rillewen , @Lantaelen

Pele rolled her shoulders to release some of the tension built up from the constant alertness and wielding of weapons and observed the reactions from her sparring partners. It became clear that Trastion was not all that willing to engage in another bout, while Abrazimir looked ready to spar all day long.

"You will surely be prepared," Pele agreed to the Recruit's smartly evasive answer to her question, "But I don't think a little bit more sparring would do you harm. We are all tired, and it is not always the best to engage the opponents straight on. If you escape the onslaught..." Pele made use of Abrazimir's words. "Evade... you might wear us out at least, if nothing else. Give it a try, Recruit. It is not our aim to run you into the ground, only to test your limits - even when you are only at the beginning of your journey with the Rangers."

The Captain remained where she was, though her stance and the sword, even with its tip pointed downwards, showed readiness to spar. While she could simply command participation of him, she rather preferred to see whether he would choose it himself and still left an option to not continue open. "Else, perhaps we can do a one-on-one fight," she offered, with a glance at Abrazimir.

[Lantaelen]

@Pele Alarion @Rillewen

Abrazimir Dimaethor
Sparring with Trastion Leithor & Pele Alarion, Training Grounds

Abrazimir had to check himself mentally, seeing how he was a guest here in the Training Grounds and it was not his place to dictate suggestions one a Recruit’s training, when he was no longer in the same chain of command. Pele got to make those decisions and he merely cosigned to them, for having been trained himself here and put it to practical use, he understood the wisdom. But he also understood, having been a Recruit himself, that such things could seem daunting at first. Being so unskilled and not assured of one’s own ability, in a profession where even a slip up could lead to death…it was no small thing to ponder or muse on. He ought to be more patient with Trastion.

Pele suggested one more bout, that Trastion simply try to defend, evade, and survive the dual assault. His eyebrows quirked however when Pele suggested a single combat between herself and Abrazimir. He lifted his axe and rested the back end of the axehead against his shoulder. He gave a chuckle, not at all opposed to a practice duel. ”Either works for me, though perhaps it might persuade upon the Recruit’s mind if I were to exchange my axe for a traditional sword and shield combination.” It’ll hurt less to be whacked with a sword then struck with an axe. Which, even with armour, could sometimes be deadly. ”Or no shield even, to better your odds.” He suggested further to Trastion.

[Rillewen]

@Pele Alarion @Lantaelen

Recruit Trastion Leithor
(Sparring with Pele and Abrazimir - some point before Midsummer)

Both of them seemed to want to convince him to try it, and Trastion actually wished he had not said anything. He held back a sigh as he realized he was outnumbered in this, and it seemed that he wouldn't be given a chance to rest. Unless he refused to participate. It wasn't exactly an order, but still, the captain seemed to want him to make the attempt, and he didn't think it seemed like the sort of thing he should refuse. He was starting to feel like he was in an oven with the warm summer sun beaming down on his borrowed armor. It wasn't so much the weight and bulkiness of it that troubled him (although that was also uncomfortable) but the heat. He tried to wipe away the sweat from around his face under the edges of the helmet, but it felt like it did no good.

"Alright," He answered, resigned to at least try, although he doubted that he would manage much, being so weary and too hot. "I'll do my best," He agreed. He wondered how long they had been at this already, and how long it had been since he'd stopped to eat, earlier. Taking another last drink of his canteen, he was disappointed when it turned out to be the last of it. He tossed the now-empty canteen down as Abrazimir was suggesting that he could trade in his ax for a sword. Trastion looked at him curiously. "Wouldn't that be worse?" He wondered, confused.

He was tempted to ask if he could trade the ax in for a sword, since that was the weapon he knew best, but then he thought he'd probably be better off to stick with the one he knew less how to use, if he was to maintain his claim that he didn't know much about fighting, yet. But he thought he'd had a shield earlier, and he couldn't remember what had become of it.

[Pele Alarion]

Captain Pele Alarion
Sparring with Abrazimir and Trastion
@Rillewen , @Lantaelen

As she observed Trastion's well-being while he thought on the option to keep sparring, Pele was very well aware that she might be pushing the Recruit to his limits. However, she required the same endurance of herself for she much preferred the lighter leather armour or chainmail which allowed for more speed and flexibility. This was heavy, unwieldy, and very hot, but also good for practice and testing the level of endurance.

"Very well then," she remarked, seeing that Trastion agreed to sparring, though it seemed to her to be done with great reluctance - of which she could not really blame him. Giving thought to Abrazimir's offer to exchange his axe for a sword, Pele shrugged lightly when the Recruit asked if it wouldn't be worse.

"It depends, Trastion," she replied. "It might be better and then again it might be worse, too many variables to consider. Might as well stick to the axe, if you two don't go chopping each other and me into tiny pieces."

Sword still pointing down, Pele took a step towards Trastion, though she did not quite look like she would attack immediately.

[Lantaelen]

@Pele Alarion @Rillewen

Abrazimir Dimaethor
Sparring with Trastion Leithor & Pele Alarion, Training Grounds

”Worse for whom?” Abrazimir asked the Recruit back, in a mock-innocent voice, before offering up a morbid grin. Nothing was going to be better for the young man in this new line up. ”You’ll do alright. Just remember to breathe and think, even when your defenses are being battered. I know it’ll be hard but that’s what these practice sessions are for, to prepare you for the real thing, and what to expect in the real thing.” He offered up some advice, adopting an offense stand, his two handed axe gripped and ready to swing.

Pele offered up some advice as well and a light warning for Abrazimir not to somehow strike her in any reckless assault he might carry through with his weapon. He gave her a little salute in acknowledgement, two fingers to the side of his brow, then snapped off in her direction. He’ll watch his strokes.

So now the two veterans lined up against the Recruit, both directly in front of him. Abrazimir stood three or four paces to Pele’s side. She took one step forward…so he took two, now standing just a miniscule distance out of Trastion’s maximum reach with his weapon, as if to dare him to attack first. Of course, lashing out at one of them might open Trastion up to the assault of the other. But to do nothing could be just as worse too, losing the initiative.

[Rillewen]

@Pele Alarion @Lantaelen

Recruit Trastion Leithor
(Sparring with Pele and Abrazimir - some point before Midsummer)

Just remember to breathe and think. Trastion offered a faint smile toward Abrazimir, and gave a tiny nod in gratitude, for the bit of advice. But that didn't help him with the heat. There was no advice on how to prevent himself from sweating out every bit of liquid he'd drank today. And how could he get around the feeling of being baked alive in this suit? He'd nearly forgotten how much he hated wearing plate armor until today when he put it on again. And they'd also had him put on some chain mail under the plate, so having both seemed to make it that much worse.

Trying to wipe away the sweat drenching his forehead, Trastion hoped it wouldn't get in his eyes as he started to fight. But he couldn't really do much about it. Glancing from one to the other, he refrained from commenting in reply to 'that's what these training sessions are for'. This was technically his day off from training, and had only come out to investigate the forest, but he didn't say so.

Pele moved a step closer, though her sword was down. Abrazimir moved two steps closer, looking ready to attack. Trastion moved back a couple of steps, holding his own ax as if he might be preparing to chop down a tree, and wished he knew something about using this thing properly. Trying not to feel too frustrated with his lack of knowledge in that area, he tried to keep an eye on both opponents to see which would attack first, while he felt his sweat already beading on his forehead again. The helmet was acting like a heat trap, and it was very annoying, not to mention uncomfortable.

[Arnyn]

(Open)

vs
Hyandaner Kaylin Maethyr sparring with Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen

Arnyn could see why Kaylin had been a Master Sword within the Army and was now a Hyandaner within the Rangers. The redhead's sense of distance was perfection, and she understood well that fighting with two blades meant always having at least one weapon close to your opponent. Warriors who used dual swords to slash both ways at the same time and thus ended up with each sword to the side and a fully exposed torso, never lasted long against a skilled opponent. But Kaylin did not make such mistakes, despite her spontaneous and instinct-driven style. Whoever had trained her, Arnyn commented mentally, had made sure to instill the right instincts to fall back on. Kaylin's technique was impressive, too; her array of moves and techniques allowed her to remain unpredictable, and Kaylin used that very much to her advantage.

Meanwhile, Kaylin could see why the Rangers at the gate had wanted to wish her good luck. Sweat was dripping down her face and she was glad she was in excellent shape, because the Lieutenant was not giving her so much as a moment's time to recover or gather herself during the fight. Arnyn had a way of angling her swords into a new attack without having to disengage or swing Kaylin's own blades out of the way. The Lieutenant's movements were so economical - so efficient. As if Arnyn flat out refused to use any unnecessary strength, as if she bluntly rejected to waste a single ounce of superfluous energy. Was this why Arnyn still seemed so... fresh? And how was it Kaylin had not been able to spot a single opening so far?

When Kaylin's off hand blade was coming back around at one point, Arnyn saw an opportunity - and by the Valar, the window was ever so small - to use her own off hand blade to hit down Kaylin's main hand sword. In the space this created, Arnyn's main hand weapon made contact with Kaylin's off hand weapon, and the Lieutenant slid it over and around and around again, forcing the blade out of Kaylin's hand and disarming the Hyandaner.

Kaylin cursed loudly, stepping back to maintain the distance between them and so Arnyn would not immediately move in further. While one part of her was enjoying it to spar against such a skilled opponent, another part of her was getting frustrated. How was she going to get a strike in, let alone three? Especially now she only had one weapon left, and Arnyn still had two? She used her off hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead, frowing at her opponent.

Arnyn put a boot on Kaylin's fallen weapon and pushed it off to the side of the ring. As per the general and unspoken rules, that weapon was now forfeit. She allowed Kaylin a moment's pause, as she considered what her next moves might be. It would be easier to get in her hits now. And she had been unable to land a blow so far, so maybe she should be smart and use this opportunity. Before Kaylin found a way to take that opportunity away.
However. This was not an actual battle. This was not a life or death situation. It was not even a competition. It was an exercise. A mutual test, perhaps. And what would be a smart way to claim victory should not claim precedence over the respect she wished to show to a fellow swordmaster.

Arnyn smiled faintly, and tossed one of her own swords into the soft grass next to the sparring area. It drew a smile from Kaylin in return, before both their expressions grew serious again, and the match continued.

[Pele Alarion]

Captain Pele Alarion
Sparring with Abrazimir and Trastion
@Rillewen ; @Lantaelen

There was not much to say in addition to Abrazimir’s advice, so Pele gave him a small smile and a nod, before turning her attention back to Trastion. When the Recruit chose to step back rather than snap forward at one of them, Pele accepted it as a fair enough choice, especially considering that to her knowledge Trastion was not very familiar with weapons, and axe even less so than a sword.

For a few moments Pele thought if she should take the time, start slow and then increase the speed and variety of attacks, or start out with a serious series of attacks. She assumed that Abrazimir would likely at least double her chosen strength, and… it was very likely that Trastion would soon regret not having insisted on skipping this bout. The armour was unwieldy and hot, and the sun did not spare them.

Eventually, the Captain half-danced a few steps forward, threw a light stabbing attack towards Trastion’s armoured chest, but withdrew before her attack would make any contact, swerving away to her left to start something of a half-circle around Trastion, aiming a couple more light thrusts at him as she moved.

---

Captain Pele Alarion
Interested spectator of Arnyn/Kaylin sparring
@Arnyn

She could have easily slept in, not having much business until later in the day, yet Pele got herself ready, not even in uniform but in a pair of comfortable trousers and tunic she used for light training – and set out via little mess to snatch up a roll with a plentiful layer of butter and honey between the two parts of it. Of the gear, she only had a sheathed dagger, a relatively small medical pouch, and a water flask – all secured to her belt.

At first the Captain simply walked while she ate, enjoying the morning freshness and relative quiet on the streets. Soon the city would be properly awake, buzzing like a busy beehive with everyday activities. She walked almost to the fourth circle, still taking it easy even after she had washed down the last morsel of quick breakfast with some water. Eventually, she set off at a leisurely jog which allowed her a plenty of opportunities to avoid citizens who began appearing on the streets and exchange some greetings here and there.

“Captain!” one of the guards at the gate greeted her in addition to a salute, when Pele reached the gate to the training grounds, “Have you come to observe the duel?”

“The duel?” she stopped and tilted her head slightly, her blue eyes glinting with good-natured amusement.

“Well, yes… kind of. Lieutenant Dealedwen and Hyandaner Maethyr,” the guard explained, exchanging the looks with his guard companion.

“Hmm,” Pele shrugged lightly in response, and moved on into the training grounds leaving the two sentries to ponder whether she did not care for this intriguing competition at all, or had been in the know all along.

Pele continued the same leisurely jog, at the same time letting her gaze take in the surroundings. She ran one lap around the oval track, then weaved in and out among the trees, coming to a stop near the sparring area where she had noticed both ladies busily engaging each other. Making sure to stay in the shadows where her presence would hopefully not disturb the two, Pele did a few stretches. However, at the point where Arnyn relieved Kaylin of one sword, the Captain stopped pretending that she was here for her own training and leaned against one of the trees comfortably to watch the unfolding display of mastery, each competitor now only left with one sword each.

[Arnyn]

(Open)

vs
Hyandaner Kaylin Maethyr sparring with Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen

Swords were not clunky, unwieldy weapons as some people imagined them to be. There could be no doubt of the weapon's speed and maneuverability when watching the match between the two Hyandaner. Whereas some might prefer seeing more wide angles or broad slashes, the two Rangers' moves were almost all of them quite different. Tight and subtle, but with maximum impact.

Thrusts, cuts and parries followed each other in increasingly faster succession as they tested one another. When would one of them fail to keep up? When would one of them leave an opening or miss a parry? When would one of them make a costly mistake?

Arnyn was glad for the early hour, or she would have been baking in that uncomfortable plate by now. That was more Kaylin's element than it was hers, and she felt clumsier than usual - although it hardly showed to the observer. Nevertheless, it annoyed her.

Kaylin was glad that the Lieutenant had chosen to cast aside her second blade and even out the odds again. Now that they each had one sword, Kaylin felt more up to the task. If she were being honest, Arnyn had outmatched her in the dual wield. With two blades, it would have only been a matter of time before Arnyn would end up the victor. Kaylin had felt it. She'd known. But now... now she felt like the match could go either way. The first to miss a beat would lose. The first to tire, perhaps? With a half smile, the redhead lunged forward suddenly.

Arnyn sidestepped as she held her blade vertically against Kaylin's, her sword between her own body and Kaylin's shortsword. The Lieutenant tried to step close to the redheaded Hyandaner, but the latter immediately moved away, backwards and to her left, maintaining distance between them.

They paused for a brief moment, as if they had agreed upon such a thing without the need for words. Each woman appraised the other. Taking in the way the other's chest moved, the amount of sweat on the other's brow, the alertness in the other's eyes. Arnyn gave Kaylin a specific kind of slow nod. Kaylin's lips twitched upward momentarily before she returned it. Respect for the other's skill. For it was one thing to hear of competence, and quite another to experience it for yourself.

The Lieutenant raised her blade into a balanced guard. Kaylin did the same. Both waited, just a moment, to see who would dare move first. The first move could, after all, be a dangerous one. Especially when facing an opponent skilled at ripostes, which both of them were. It was Arnyn who ended up making the first move, this time. She attacked, stepping forward and aiming at Kaylin's forearm. Kaylin parried and moved back a step at the same time, to maximize her chances to avoid being hit by Arnyn's blade. Then, the redhead moved forward for a counterattack. But Arnyn's attack for Kaylin's arms had been shallow, and was not necessarily meant to land a hit. Instead, it was a provocation. A lure. And while Kaylin moved forward for her ripost, Arnyn stepped forward again and thrust her sword at Kaylin while touching her own blade against the redhead's to control part of its movement before it could even travel down enough to get close to her.

Strike one.

Kaylin gasped as the tip of Arnyn's blade struck her plate in the chest. No! Wasting no time, she launched a downward strike from a high guard. Arnyn parried it with a diagonal cut from her shoulder and in the bind, prepared to move in for a thrust. Kaylin recognized the way Arnyn's elbow moved to set up the thrust, so she instinctively moved her head to the right - away from Arnyn's blade's trajectory, and took an additional step to the right with her front foot while her left hand joined her right on the sword handle. Kaylin pushed her own blade to her upper left side - taking Arnyn's with her - and changed her right hand grip to a thumb grip so her thumb supported the blade from below to then deliver a thrust of her own.

Arnyn gritted her teeth and stepped back with her left foot while rotating her body, so Kaylin's thrust would slide off her plate armor. Regardless, it still counted as a strike. So now they each had one strike against the other.

"Well," the Lieutenant said as they moved to and fro, testing each other again to see who would make the next move, "it does not seem like we are at risk of ending the match too soon."

Kaylin grunted her agreement. One of them landing three strikes would do. The sparring match was intense as well as becoming lengthy. It was taking its toll.

[Lantaelen]

@Pele Alarion @Rillewen

Abrazimir Dimaethor
Sparring with Trastion Leithor & Pele Alarion, Training Grounds

It was Pele who struck first, breaking their silent dance of movement with a direct strike towards the Recruit’s chest. Abrazimir copied Pele’s tactic, choosing to feint his opening assault, leaping forward and pretending to attack, instead drawing back at the last second, hoping to draw Trastion’s attentions towards him as Pele moved about to flank and get at his side. Who would he engage with first? The distance between him and Pele grew greater and only then did Abrazimir go in for the full onslaught.

He targeted Trastion’s weapon-arm. A hard enough hit and he might force the Recruit to drop his weapon, forcing a yield. Abrazimir twirled his axe about, using the backend of the axehead like a blunt weapon to hammer and hack at Trastion’s defences. It was starting to get very hot. Even in his armour he felt the perspiration starting to grow. It dripped off his eyelids and blurred his vision, causing him to blink rapidly to clear it. Moments like those might give Trastion a heartbeat or two to catch a breath.

”Don’t stop moving.” He advised Trastion nonetheless, because if they managed to get him between them fully, one person in front and one behind, it was only a matter of time. He hoped the young Recruit had done some real dancing before because he was going to need the footwork practice here to stay alive, figuratively speaking.

[Rillewen]

@Pele Alarion @Lantaelen

Recruit Trastion Leithor
(Sparring with Pele and Abrazimir - some point before Midsummer)

As Pele seemed to move to stab him, Trastion backed away swiftly, or as swiftly as he could manage given his weariness and the armor weighing him down. As he moved back to avoid what turned out to be a faked stab, he was going to aim a strike hoping to knock her sword away from him, when Abrazimir moved in swiftly with an attack of his own. He swung instead toward his weapon, but since the man had drawn back before the attack was fully executed, Trastion's ax swung uselessly through the air.

By that time, he wasn't sure where Pele had gone, but thought she was trying to move around behind him. He glanced swiftly from one side to the other, while moving back quickly to keep them from fully surrounding him. Seeing her doing a few swift thrusts toward him, he kept backing away, hoping to stay out of her reach as well as Abrazimir's. As he moved, he used his off hand to try and wipe at some sweat trying to run into his eyes, but found it useless. The helmet was in the way.

Before he could do much else, Abrazimir was coming at him with his own ax, trying to attack his arm. Trastion swiftly yanked his arm out of the way before the other weapon could make contact, and then had to keep backing away as the attacks kept on coming, and all he could think of to do was bring up his ax to try and block any blows that got too close. For a moment, he was focused on getting out of the way while also looking for an opening to attack back. Suddenly, he remembered Pele trying to get around to his other side, and risked a swift glance to find her. And then he realized he had backed up so far that he was nearing the railing bordering the sparring area, and would soon not have anywhere else to go. Shoot, now what?

Trying to think of what he might do if he were fighting real enemies, he tried to look for some opening to dart between them and get to the other side. He was breathing hard, and he felt too tired to keep this up for long, but he would try to push through as well as he could. For a second, he debated making a dive to the ground, so he could roll back up onto his feet on the other side of them, but then he considered the bulky, awkward armor, and quickly dismissed that idea. Maybe when he still had plenty of energy, but not now when he was exhausted.

Instead, he suddenly swung toward Pele, when he had previously seemed to be focused mostly on defending himself from Abrazimir. He swung his ax toward her legs hoping to catch her off guard, so he might create just enough of a pause for him to slip past her and get out of this tight spot he'd ended up in. Between the two, he had picked her because he figured Abrazimir was far too big and aggressive for such a move to work. But he also had very little idea of what the captain might do, and just hoped for the best.

[Pele Alarion]

Captain Pele Alarion
Sparring with Abrazimir and Trastion
@Lantaelen , @Rillewen

Pele did not envy the Recruit being stuck between two opponents with varying styles of attack. While Pele went swift and light using her sword mostly to stab rather than cut, Abrazimir was perhaps slower but much more heavy-handed as was befitting his choice of weapon.

However, Trastion did not do too poorly, considering this, and the accumulating heat and weariness. He had managed to avoid their attacks this far, and at the time when they seemed to have driven him to the very fence, he did not give up.

Pele had watched Trastion’s movements, evaluating his skills, quite by habit, and when he turned on her, she stepped out of his reach in the last moment choosing rather to avoid the hit instead of attempting to meet his axe with her sword.

“Good, good,” she muttered the encouragement, not pressing the attack to let the Recruit change the direction of movement if he could. Yet, she did not give him too much room, closing in again with a slash towards his side.

---

Captain Pele Alarion
Interested spectator of Arnyn/Kaylin sparring
@Arnyn

Pele had meant only to tarry a moment and then attend to her own training, but it was not an easy feat to move away from the match this intense and equal. Her eyes moved from following the dance of blades to observing the impeccable footwork to watching the expressions of the women’s faces and back to swords again. She did not choose a favourite to choose for but rather simply enjoyed the whole process of sparring.

It seemed that Kaylin and Arnyn would endlessly dance with each other in this intense sparring, and Pele began to wonder if any of them would be able to prevail over the other at all. And then Arnyn managed to sneak in a hit on Kaylin’s chest. Pele drew in her breath sharply as if the sword point had reached her, and then made herself relax again. Both opponents were clad in plate armour, she reminded herself, and some prodding would not do much harm.

It did not take long for Kaylin to score a point as well, and Pele bit her lip to keep from commenting out loud on the obvious fact that the scales were even yet again. Her hand mindlessly searched for some snack to supplement the watching experience, yet she was disappointed to realise that she had not taken any. A swig of plain water would suffice. And her own exercises could still wait.

[Arnyn]

(Open)

vs
Hyandaner Kaylin Maethyr sparring with Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen

Kaylin was getting frustrated. Intrigued but frustrated. It was unusual for her to get so few hits in. Arnyn was too calculated, too agile, too fast to hit. The Lieutenant's style was subtle, elegant in a way. Her sword's movements were small, shifts that were hard to see and pinpoint before the attack was well under way. Kaylin found herself more and more on the defensive - and she knew this was a bad sign. Her arms were getting weary. The fight was taking too long. And Arnyn never gave her a moment's peace. She couldn't draw this out much longer. She needed to get her hits in. Now.

Sword technique would not grant her victory over the Lieutenant. The redhead knew she would need a different approach. She needed tactics. Something entirely unexpected... Her leg shot out - hitting Arnyn in the knee. Strike two for me, Kaylin thought with a half smile.

The Lieutenant stepped back, her knee weakened. She was caught off guard, even though all she gave Kaylin was a frown. And a gaze with a... worrisome.... focus. As if Arnyn had made some kind of decision as well. Kaylin felt the small hair on the back of her neck rising, despite of how sweaty and hot she was from the fight. How could dark brown eyes look so detached and so resolute? Not even realizing it, the redhead took a step back herself.

Arnyn assumed a guard. Kaylin matched it, but the Lieutenant did not move. She stayed motionless. Focused. Waiting. Kaylin let out a dissatisfied breath of air. What was this? Trying to get me to make the first move, so that a counterattack could land Arnyn her second hit? Not likely!

Yet Arnyn kept waiting. And Kaylin was getting antsy. "Come on, Lieutenant!" she almost growled. "I'm right here!" But there was no response.

Kaylin's impatience was building inside of her. But at least Arnyn's pause was finally giving her a breather. A breather was good. Once Kaylin realized that, she deepened her breaths - realizing Arnyn was doing the same. Recovering. Kaylin's eyes narrowed in turn. Tactics.

But the last thing she wanted was for Arnyn to recover from her own exertions. I only need one more strike. Just one. Then I win.

Screw this. With a grunt, Kaylin moved. Fast and precise, planning a more unusual move which she had not used so far and thus should catch the Lieutenant off guard. Hopefully. Just one last time.

Her sword approached, closer and closer to her opponent. Arnyn parried. Harder than she had been doing before. Kaylin's sword was forced to the right. Arnyn stepped forward, angling her left arm above and around Kaylin's blade and grabbing Kaylin's sword arm. Kaylin was pulled forward while something hard crashed into the plate covering her chest. The pommel. Before she knew it, she felt the tip of the blade just beneath her chin.

Shaken, Kaylin stared into Arnyn's eyes. She raised her off hand to signal she acknowledged her defeat.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Trastion
Training Grounds (hidden in the woods)

The sparring match was... something to behold. Both of the women were clearly exceptional swordspersons, and he found it difficult to see every move they made. They were swift, and he wished he had a bit better view, but he remembered he'd been tasked with a stealth thing. For training. He tried to keep that in mind, so he didn't call out a cheer for when either of them got a strike.

As for who would be the victor, it was impossible to determine from the beginning. And he wasn't sure whether he had any preference on who would win, since he liked them both. As the match wore on, however, Trastion couldn't help but feel in his gut that Arnyn was more likely to come out of it triumphant. Not that Kaylin wasn't exceptionally good at this, but watching them both, there was something about Arnyn. It was like, he could see that she was exerting effort, but at the same time, she made it all look so easy and smooth, and she looked just as calm as if she were relaxing with a book. While Kaylin appeared to be growing frustrated as she failed to make her blows land.

When they both stepped back from each other, as if with an unspoken understanding, he leaned forward slightly, trying to ignore the leaves tickling his ears or the twigs poking into his hair. This was definitely worth watching. Kaylin finally broke the silence, trying to provoke Arnyn to make the first move. When that didn't work, Kaylin lunged toward the lieutenant, and in a flash almost faster than Trastion could blink, Arnyn had her. She'd won. Trastion bit his lip and reminded himself to keep quiet, but inside he was cheering for his mentor for that victory, while also feeling some sympathy for Kaylin for the loss. He suspected her pride would take the loss harder than Arnyn's would have.

Still! He couldn't help grinning even though he remained quiet. Arnyn had managed to impress him yet again. And in heavy plate armor, as well! He wasn't sure how she could move around so easily in that stuff. He'd picked leather because he hated wearing the bulky metal stuff and felt like it made it harder to do things. Now that the match was over, he suddenly wondered how he would sneak back away to Duinion without them hearing him. Without the sound of their sparring match to cover his own sounds, he wasn't sure he could get out from under this tree without being heard.

---

Duinion
Training Grounds (hidden in the woods)

The match went on, and after a little while, Duinion decided to move a bit closer after all. Moving slowly, he made his way carefully to the left, circling around toward another angle. He was glad for the practice, actually, after so many months without doing anything of this sort. And in a situation where it wasn't life-or-death, too. Yet, he treated it as if it might be, making sure that each footfall was as light as he could make it, that he didn't step on anything noisy like a twig or a dead leaf, and sought cover from trees and bushes whenever possible.

After locating a good position a bit nearer to the edge of the woods, with a reasonably clear view of the sparring ring, he stretched out behind an old, moss-covered log, so that it would hide his body, and quietly scooped away some of the pine needles and other debris so as to widen the gap between the ground and the underside of the log, which was raised up a bit due to some broken-off branches that held it up slightly. Once that was done, he could look out from under the log and watch what was going on, and not risk being spotted looking over the log. If he'd been seriously hiding from enemies, he made a mental note of what he would have done to camouflage his face.

Meanwhile, the two sparring participants had been going at it quite intensely. Duinion was rather impressed, watching them both. While he was intrigued by the event in general, he was also glad for an opportunity to observe not just Kaylin, but Arnyn as well. Since it had been suggested that he and Kaylin ought to spar sometime, he was watching her a bit more closely, trying to make notes of her technique and assess her skills, and silently trying to gauge whether he would stand a chance against her, or if they would be equal, or what.

When the redhead leaped in to try to get her final strike in, Duinion caught his breath. There was a brief moment where he thought it could be a bad move, or a daring risk that would pay off.. but he didn't have long to wait and see which it was. 'Ahh, too bad for Kaylin,' he thought. It did not pay off. And now, the match was ended. He eased back into a crouch while the two were staring at each other, and withdrew a few yards before slipping behind a large tree trunk. He looked back, cautiously peeking around the trunk, to see whether anything more was going to happen, but he doubted they would try a rematch. They must both be rather tired, right? And it wouldn't make much sense for Kaylin to demand a rematch right away, for she looked more exhausted than Arnyn.

[Pele Alarion]

Captain Pele Alarion
Interested spectator of Arnyn/Kaylin sparring

The sparring reminded Pele of waves - an intense measuring of strength against each other followed by a brief respite, and back to activity. With such evenly matched skills, the competition might take the best part of the day; however, it was likely that as the two women tired they were likely to start making small mistakes, and then it would be up to whoever would have wits about her to make use of it.

Besides, even if both competitors had superb swordsmanship skills, they were quite different in their own character and approach. And so Pele waited to see whether Arnyn would be able to maintain her patience and efficiency, and if Kaylin would be able to keep her fiery character in check. After a while, she could see that the redhead's patience was beginning to wear thin. "Careful now..." Pele warned - under her own breath. She watched Kaylin advance, quite masterfully, and yet the attack swiftly turned into a defeat when Arnyn found a way to use it for her own ends.

Pele was about to applaud and praise the two for their display of skills, yet stopped herself short of it deciding that it would be best not to interrupt the interactions of the two women. Instead, she pushed away from the tree she had been leaning against, and quietly turned to follow a path leading away into the forested area. There was not much time left before the day would become too warm for proper exertions, and she still had to get in some exercise.

[Arnyn]

(Open)

vs
Hyandaner Kaylin Maethyr sparring with Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen

Kaylin felt Arnyn's grip on her sword arm loosening, and the tip of the blade was pulled back from her throat. The Hyandaner felt disturbed. Her confidence was definitely taken down a notch. Arnyn could have just killed her. Easy as that. That the Lieutenant felt comfortable perfoming such a move, bringing live and sharp steel so close to a sparring partner's throat... so many things could have gone wrong! Right? Unless Arnyn had felt so secure in her skill and - above all else - her control of the whole situation, that she had deemed whatever risk it held as negligible.

By Mandos. Kaylin wet her lips and swallowed, hoping it would conjure some saliva to her dry throat. "Impressive," she said, forcing herself not to take a step back and managing not to sound shaken at all.

Having lowered her sword, Arnyn's lips turned up into a half smile. "So are you. You taught me a few things. We should do this again."

Somewhat surprised, Kaylin nodded slowly. It had indeed been a learning experience for her, as well. "Just not too soon, Lieutenant."

Sheathing her first sword in one of the discarded scabbard, Arnyn frowned questioningly.

Kaylin gestured. "I do have a reputation to maintain. Getting beaten too frequently would do it no good."

Arnyn laughed. "I would never dare say I would have a sure win against you. Not before today, and definitely not after. But in a match such as this, there are no losers," she stated, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "Fighting an adversary of your level means the learning curve is high. Even if, next we do this, I were not the one to achieve three strikes first - having participated in such a match is a win in and by itself." The Lieutenant inclined her head to Kaylin. "Thank you, Hyandaner Maethyr. Master Sword, indeed."

When they both had recovered their weapons, they headed for the exit. Kaylin managed to put her competitiveness aside, and so the two swordswoman were soon discussing the match in more detail. They both pretended that no one had seen them - or, that they did not care whether anyone had. However, they both knew for a fact that it would not take long for the news to spread among the Rangers. While this did not exactly please Kaylin, at least she could take comfort that her loss had been against Arnyn, who - depending on whom you asked - was either an enigma, a legend or a deviant. It could have been much worse. Perhaps her reputation might even stand.

[Lantaelen]

@Pele Alarion @Rillewen

Abrazimir Dimaethor
Sparring with Trastion Leithor & Pele Alarion, Training Grounds

The first exchange was all that could be expected, as weapon met weapon in a flurry of blows and parries. Trastion withstood Abrazimir on this first onslaught well enough, giving the older knight pause as he had to reevaluate his next move. As long as he kept the young man’s focus on him for as long as Abrazimir could. But it didn’t last long, as the Recruit turned to make a sudden lunge at Pele, but Abrazimir saw his tactic, Trastion over-extending to try and get the Captain to draw back, so Trastion could break through their encirclement and once more have both of them before him. Smart boy.

While Pele praised the tactic, Abrazimir tried to garner retribution, himself lunging at Trastion’s rear to try and catch him. Unfortunately, the armour and his own exhaustion had him reacting slower than usual, and perhaps the young Recruit would hear the whoosh as Abrazimir’s backwards axe missed striking the back of his helm by a mere inch as he got by Pele. Abrazimir himself nearly wobbled and staggered from his own momentum, but he hastily recovered.

Between him and Pele, they barely gave Trastion a moment’s reprieve. No, even that was too long. Abrazimir joined in on the onslaught, hurrying stepping forward to Trastion’s other side to try and club his shoulder and arm with a hard blow. There was no time to think – only react! But having to plot out so many moves and contingencies ahead of time was what separated the masters from the meddlers. ”So you’re not wholly a fish out of water. Very good sign.” He offered up in praise.

[Rillewen]

@Pele Alarion @Lantaelen

Recruit Trastion Leithor
(Sparring with Pele and Abrazimir - some point before Midsummer)

While he was a bit surprised that he'd managed to get past the captain, Trastion didn't let himself feel too triumphant in the fact. He spun again to face them, trying to prepare himself for whatever might come at him next. But it was difficult. His eyes were burning from the sweat dripping into them, and he almost didn't see the slash coming. Hastily, he flung his weapon out to block it, instinctively, as he would do if it were a sword. But he had no idea how one should block an attack with an ax, so it felt a bit awkward, given the fact it was shaped differently from a sword, and not the same length. Still, he couldn't exactly take the time to figure it out.

As he blocked Pele's slash, he could hear the sound of Abrazimir's weapon swooshing past his helmet, and could only think how glad he was that this was only a sparring match, and not a real battle. He was far too rusty in his fighting abilities, and he was not using a weapon he was familiar with, and far too exhausted when he began. Thirst, and the desire to wipe the sweat from his forehead and sides of his face, were almost all he could think of at the moment.

He saw, almost too late, the ax swinging toward his shoulder. He immediately brought his own upward, to block his head and shoulder as well as he could. But the impact was a bit more than he anticipated, and made him stagger back a step, before he ended up falling down to the sand with a little grunt of surprise. As he fell, Trastion halfway heard Abrazimir say something about a fish out of water, but he didn't venture a reply. He was too weary to try and talk, and busy trying to stay focused on 'surviving' the match as long as he could. Which, given the recent turn, probably wouldn't be much longer, he thought regretfully. Although he wasn't tremendously surprised, if he was honest.
 
Immediately, Trastion made an attempt to get back up, but found that the armor felt much heavier now than it had felt earlier, like a weight holding him down. In fact, for the moment, he felt a bit like a turtle that's gotten turned onto its back. Expecting that he would have little time to do much else, Trastion raised his weapon as he swiftly tried to blink the sweat out of his eyes, trying to keep aware of where they were and what they were doing, so he could at least try to block any incoming attacks that might come at him while he was down.

[Pele Alarion]

Captain Pele Alarion
Sparring with Abrazimir and Trastion
@Rillewen , @Lantaelen

While she had shown some leniency in letting Trastion escape from the dead-end, Abrazimir was all in and nearly knocked the Recruit on the head with his axe. The lad was surely not doing too shabbily against them both, and Pele thought it was a good testimony both to Trastion's ability to learn new skills and to Arnyn's ability as a good trainer. Though she had already known the latter from her own experiences.

However, the pressure seemed to become too much eventually, and Trastion toppled over. Pele hesitated a moment between a choice of letting him recover his footing and pressing the advantage. She did not want the Recruit to feel too crushed, and yet... they were all tired, and perhaps it would do good to not extend their sparring beyond the necessary. Decision made, Pele came at Trastion and made an attempt at moving his axe aside with her sword to make room for a pushing kick with her foot on his armoured chest to stop his attempts at getting back.

Even as she attacked, Pele felt that this was quite evil so to say, against her internal code of conduct, yet... even if this was not technically the case, sometimes swift and efficient was a necessity to survive and to ensure the lives of others were spared. Or perhaps she was overthinking it. The heat and the heaviness of armour was wearing her down as well, no matter how much she attempted to look like it did not have any effect on her.

[Lantaelen]

@Pele Alarion @Rillewen

Abrazimir Dimaethor
Sparring with Trastion Leithor & Pele Alarion, Training Grounds

When Trastion fell on the ground, Abrazimir didn’t follow up or press his advantage. In a regular battle he would have pounced without a second thought but this was merely sparring. Practice. Besides, he was sure the Recruit didn’t want to lose that way and there was more to learn by fighting to the end. But the young man attempting to get up was simply dragged back down by the weight of his armour and sheer exhaustion. Abrazimir gave a little laugh, having been there himself, and took a moment to catch his breath, throwing his head back and gasping for great, mighty inhales of air into his lungs.

Pele seemed to think the same merciful thought not to press their advantage and he looked over to the Captain and laughed again. But it didn’t last long, as Pele moved in and stomped her boot on the Recruit’s chest, all but slamming him into the sands. Abrazimir was a bit slower to catch up but he was there soon enough to bring his weapon down with a final, strong blow right upon Trastion’s intending to outright knock it out of his grip. Disarmed and under foot, there would be no choice but to…

”Say yield.” Abrazimir said, before leaning in with a little smirk. ”And maybe we might just help you up instead of leaving you like an overturned turtle.” He taunted playfully, though it might sound and feel just as evil as Pele’s own assault did. Of course, trying to get up while exhausted and in full armour would be very difficult, it would not be impossible. But very, very difficult. The Recruit fought good though, Abrazimir thought, especially for one at the end of their rope against two superior opponents. Very good effort indeed. But until Trastion said the word, he wasn’t going to hear of any of that from the Swan Knight.

[Rillewen]

@Pele Alarion @Lantaelen

Recruit Trastion Leithor
(Sparring with Pele and Abrazimir - some point before Midsummer)

From where he lay, the sun was behind his opponents, and in Trastion's eyes. So was his sweat, making him feel nearly blinded by the two combined. Therefore, he couldn't really see much of what the other two were about to do. He didn't see Pele's move with her sword, to knock his ax aside, until she was doing it, and then it was nearly too late to do anything about it. But he did aim a blow to her leg even as she pinned him to the ground with a foot on his chest.

As Abrazimir's weapon swung in and knocked it out of his hand before he could make impact, Trastion couldn't help thinking they made a good team, but it was little consolation to think of how easily they had defeated him. Little surprise there, of course, given the fact he'd had no training with this weapon, and had only just started to brush up on what he had previously learned with a sword. Breathing hard from the exercise, he squinted up at them. Yield... he nearly laughed out loud at that. It reminded him so much of the sparring sessions between himself, Aearon, and Togg, which felt like ages ago now.

"I yield, if it means taking this helmet off." He agreed wearily, too worn out to even think about refusing. It was obvious they'd won, and he'd lost. 'Died', as it were. He didn't mind too much, considering he had told them from the beginning he thought he was too tired to spar against them. Maybe if he'd kept his mouth closed, they wouldn't have even thought of it... he wondered, but didn't say so out loud. Whatever. He was more than anxious to get this helmet off, as he felt like his head was cooking in it, and that would be the first thing he did the moment they let him up.

[Pele Alarion]

@Lantaelen , @Rillewen
Captain Pele Alarion
Sparring with Abrazimir and Trastion

She had been more merciless than Abrazimir and had remained rather serious throughout the finale of their sparring; however, now a small smile played on Pele's face, as she removed her foot from Trastion glad that his axe had not reached it. She usually sported enough bruises already, as it were.

"You can remove your helmet and all that armour too, Trastion," she said extending her hand towards him to help him up. "You've done well, and you are quite resourceful. I'm sure we would have sparred for longer if it were not for the heat and if this was the first pairing."

Pele would have happily taken off her own helmet too and shed the armour, yet she had offered Abrazimir the option of them sparring against each other, and now glanced at him to see if he would remember and take on that challenge. She'd prefer something less exerting to keep from absolute dehydration - even though she had just sipped some water she was sure it had been effectively sweated out. And yet, she would not back off if Abrazimir wished to continue.

[Lantaelen]

@Pele Alarion @Rillewen

Abrazimir Dimaethor
Sparring with Trastion Leithor & Pele Alarion, Training Grounds

Indeed, the best part of yielding was getting the break and water between such grueling sessions of endurance and strength. Pele offered her hand and it might prove to be a chore to lift the young man in a full suit of armour, so Abrazimir loaned his own dwindling energy to help Trastion to his feet by grabbing his other arm. Abrazimir was too exhausted to continue himself at the moment and at Pele’s gesture, he smiled and shook his head. ”I couldn’t, Captain. At least not with these weapons. Sword and shield. In a quarter hour or something.”

He unhooked his own helmet and at once felt the difference in temperature. ”He is a resourceful one,” he said about Trastion, to Pele and the recruit, ”couple more sessions like this, you’ll become a regular battlefield terror. Of that I have no doubt.” He praised the young man’s abilities. ”Just keep up the practice and listen to your officers and teachers. The Captain here won’t lead you astray.” He said with a little grin. ”Well, we can hope.”

”Let’s get something to drink and rest our bones.” He nodded towards the nearby shed and armoury, where there was bound to be barrels of cool water and cups waiting for them.

[Rillewen]

@Pele Alarion @Lantaelen

Recruit Trastion Leithor
(with Pele and Abrazimir - some point before Midsummer)

Trastion was immensely relieved to hear he could take the gear off. He immediately reached for the chin strap and managed to undo the buckle holding it on. As soon as he had the helmet off, he sighed in relief. His face was drenched in sweat, and his hair felt as wet as if he'd been swimming. He'd had to close his eyes because of the sweat dripping into them, and then the sun shining into them had made things worse. "I-I can't see," he informed the other two, trying desperately to wipe the sweat out of his eyes, but quickly realized that his rubbing them was only making it worse. His hands were not only sweaty, but they had picked up some dust from the ground.

Hoping that they would be good enough to help him up, he put out his hands without being able to see that they were already reaching theirs down to help him. "Got sweat in my eyes, they're burning," He explained, after he was back on his feet, eyes still shut to try and keep any more sweat from dripping into them as he attempted to at least wipe his forehead. At least the sun wasn't blinding him now, but his eyes were still burning, and if he tried to open them it got worse.

The comment about him becoming a regular terror brought a little laugh though, as he really didn't feel like he'd done all that well. "Sure. Whatever... maybe if I keep training for a few years. I'm not ready for any battlefields at this point," He was fairly sure of that. He might have used his shirt to try and wipe the sweat from his face, but it was trapped under the armor he wore, and he couldn't yet see to undo the straps and things. "Something to drink would be great," he agreed, for his throat felt a little parched. Maybe he could wash his face too. Hopefully.

[Pele Alarion]

@Lantaelen , @Rillewen
Captain Pele Alarion
Sparring with Abrazimir and Trastion

"What do you mean by 'maybe', Trastion?" Pele asked half amused and half scolding him as she made sure he could at least stand on his own feet even if he could not see properly. "Don't you even think of quitting. Those few years you mentioned should see you turn into a proper warrior to be reckoned with."

Pele did not take off her helmet just yet to keep her own eyes from being drenched in sweat if she could help it no matter how much she wished to feel a refreshing breeze on her face.

"Fine. After a good rest break then," she smiled at Abrazimir, rather happy he did not press for continued sparring this very moment.

Gently taking Trastion by the arm - just above the elbow - she guided him towards the shed and the expected relief provided by water. "Water to drink and water to wash your eyes out, Recruit," her voice held a promise, and then she added with a hint of humour. "Though apparently not from the same source."

The water in the shed was well shielded from the heat and the sun, and so had preserved its cool properties. Pele filled a wooden cup with fresh water and handed it to Trastion, and then proceeded to pour a couple pitchers of water in a wash basin propped up on an empty barrel. "Here. Drink up, Tras, and wash off that sweat. Then you'll be able to tackle that armour."

Finally she turned to attending to her own needs by removing the helmet and shaking out her hair as she took a few steps away so that she would not spoil the water with her perspiration. "You'll keep your heavy armour, Abrazimir?" she asked while fetching a cup of water to quench her thirst. She had half a mind of going back to the light leather alone and shedding the heavy plate armour. It would provide less protection against Abrazimir's strong attacks, yet it would also give her more ability to avoid and manoeuvre.

[Lantaelen]

@Pele Alarion @Rillewen

Abrazimir Dimaethor
Sparring with Trastion Leithor & Pele Alarion, Training Grounds

”It happens.” Abrazimir just said sympathetic as Trastion mentioned the sweat in his eyes. It’ll sting and burn, but it’ll pass. Almost at the shed and soon they could rest and relax a little. He walked behind Trastion, not guiding or coddling him, but ready to intervene if it looked like the exhausted Recruit might walk into a wall or obstacle. Like Pele, he wasn’t too keen on hearing Trastion’s maybe about becoming a great warrior. ”Captain’s right, it does take some time. But you are definitely making good progress down that track.” He added in brief assurance.

While Pele helped the Recruit with washing his eyes, Abrazimir put his weapons away and removed his helm, holding it under an arm. He waited for Trastion and Pele to have their fill of water, then got a cup for himself. He drank half and splashed the other half at his face, letting it patter down his cheeks, through his stubble of a beard, dripping onto his chestplate and armour with a soft sound. He looked down at his armour at Pele’s question and gave a slight smile.

”Always.” He answered her. ”Have to learn to live with it like a second skin. It only gets easier with continued use. No matter the weather, snow, rain, immense, excessive sun and heat…” Abrazimir trailed off. Not just here, but as the future of the Realm was going, he might be out and about in even more severe temperatures soon enough. ”Quick tip, Recruit. If you’re up against a more armoured opponent, going for physical strikes. The armour might block cuts and slashes, but being struck with an heavy object still carries through.” Kinetic force and momentum still hit and one could knock out a heavier armoured opponent with a good club-blow to the side of the head.

Which naturally led to his next suggestion. ”Maybe we should try some of that next.” He laughed. ”How are your arms feeling?” He asked both Trastion and Pele. Enough to swing a club or blunt object around next?

[Rillewen]

@Pele Alarion @Lantaelen

Recruit Trastion Leithor
(with Pele and Abrazimir - some point before Midsummer)

Trastion smiled slightly despite having to keep his eyes scrunched shut. "Oh, don't worry, I'm not about to quit." He assured them both, somewhat pleased to hear positive comments about his potential, but he tried not to think too much on that.

As the captain led him toward water, Trastion followed along gratefully. "Thanks," He mentioned quietly, quite happily accepting the cup of water. His throat felt parched and he had a difficult time not draining the cup all at once, but managed to take it a little slower. Once he had taken care of his thirst, he was more than eager to regain the ability to open his eyes. He wasn't entirely sure what Pele's comment meant, about the water being from different sources, and decided not to ask.

He had somewhat forgotten how much wearing a helmet could cause a person's head to sweat, and he really didn't like it too well. As he gladly washed the sweat from his eyes, he wondered if it was possible to add a piece of towel or something around the brow, to absorb it before it could get into his eyes, but it seemed like it might be a little tricky. Also, washing that would be.. difficult.

At last, he took a look around and observed the other two starting to shed some of their gear. From the basin that Pele had filled, he had splashed the nice, cool water onto his face until it looked almost as if he had dunked his whole head into it. It felt much better than the sweat, and when a light breeze came through the doorway of the shed, it felt great. With that now taken care of, he stepped back and took some time sipping his water, content to just listen for the moment.

When Abrazimir addressed him again, though, with some advice, Trastion looked at him and was a bit surprised by what he heard. "Really?" He asked, a bit skeptically. "Cause, I felt like everything I did hardly even phased you," He admitted. "Felt like I might as well be trying to attack.. I don't know.. the main gates of the city, here, or something." He laughed. It had really felt like his attacks had very little effect, so he found it a bit difficult to believe that it would do much against any other opponent as strong, or stronger, than Abrazimir.

The question about his arms, however, brought his attention to them. "Mine feel like.." He paused. "Well, like they wish I'd left my day off, as my day off." He grinned. "But I'll be fine." Tomorrow, he had an official training session, but he hoped it wouldn't be too terribly intense, after today... although he wasn't going to count on it.

[Pele Alarion]

@Lantaelen , @Rillewen
Captain Pele Alarion
Sparring with Abrazimir and Trastion

Pele did not hasten yet to move the hard, heavy protective shell just yet, besides the helm, which she had placed on an empty spot on a nearby rack, while she refreshed herself with water.

"While for you it may be a lifestyle, Abrazimir, I much prefer the lighter armour which lets me move with more agility and avoid being struck instead of standing there like a block of iron and just taking it," she said with a light laugh. "Sure, I've trained to carry plate armour, but I'd rather not if the situation permits. Besides, with your build, you might as well be as strong as those city gates Trastion mentioned."

She took another few sips of the cool water, and then said: "You want us to fetch sledgehammers and try to flatten you? I'd rather just stick to a sword, or perhaps a spear."

"Wait," Pele looked to Trastion then. "You are spending your day off on the training grounds? I'm not sure your body would be grateful for not having that much needed rest. But your call if you still want to continue after this, Recruit. Not going to command you around when you're supposed to be off duty."

[Pele Alarion]

@Arnyn

Captain Pele Alarion
Testing skills with Arnyn, end of August

A run down to the training grounds turned out more energizing than tiring, and whatever remains of sleepiness Pele had still cherished, had now fled. At the entrance to the grounds, the guards saluted the two officers, and without even waiting for the women to pass out of the earshot, one said to the other: "Wonder if there's going to be a spectacle we would miss again because we're stranded here."

Overhearing this, Pele stopped abruptly, turned around and commented with all seriousness: "Wait, do you sell tickets? I'm claiming fifty percent of the income!"

A blush crept up the guard's cheeks, and he was about to reply something, but Pele did not wait for his reply and continued on in search of an appropriate spot, debating in her mind between a patch of soft grass or sand.

"Think this'll do, no?" she asked Arnyn, picking one of the sandy areas a bit out of the public view - it would be better considering that the grass would still be wet with dew. Taking a few sips of the water, Pele proceeded to place all her things in a neat stack on a tree stump which otherwise could serve as a seat for weary Rangers. Legs had been warmed up all right, but shoulders still felt somewhat stiff, so she set about making some bigger and smaller circles with her arms to limber those up.

"You know, it seems to have been a while since we've had a good sparring match, you and I," Pele remarked to Arnyn with a smile. "And I suspect you've spent more time here than I have."

[Arnyn]

@Pele Alarion

Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen
With Pele, end of August

Arnyn had raised an eyebrow at the comment from the guards, but she'd hardly been able to hold back a laugh at Pele's swift response. Indeed, she did not even hide her grin at the man's blushing. She gave the guard a look that said he should probably be more careful talking like that around the Captain... and then she turned to follow Pele.

The Lieutenant settled the items she'd be better off without next to the treep stump, rather than on it. The sword. The summer cloak she'd worn on the way down. Pouches that might get snatched in a hand-to-hand. Producing a leather tie from a pocket, she gathered her long blonde hair together in a ponytail, to keep most of it out of her face. "A while, yes," she agreed with her friend. "But not overly long, perhaps."

When Pele said Arnyn had probably been spending more time at the grounds than Pele, the Lieutenant gave the Captain a calm look while she loosened up her wrists. "I do not profess to know how much time you spend here, Captain." Arnyn intentionally did not mention how frequently she was here herself. Not just for her own, rather rigorous training regimen, but also for Trastion's. This in addition to rarer events such as the sparring match against Kaylin.

[Pele Alarion]

@Arnyn

Captain Pele Alarion
Sparring with Arnyn, end of August

"No, not too long," Pele agreed, and ran her hands over her attire to make sure there were no loose buttons, strings or anything, since she had left her room in a bit of a rush. "Swords and such. I still feel that hand-to-hand might be the most difficult. While I can improve my left hand, the strength in it would still never be the same, so have to rely on creativity more than usual when fighting."

Once she had purposefully gone through warming up her joints, beginning from the shoulders and neck, Pele moved more towards the centre of the lawn in preparation for their mock combat.

"I've mostly kept to more quiet corners of the training grounds, building the base and perhaps testing my own limits too often," Pele chuckled softly. "Nearly have to sneak my way around the Houses of Healing too, healer Linaiwe tends to evaluate my wellbeing whenever she sees me, like such a mother hen... None of my ranks impress her enough to give me some space."

Even though her words were rather light-hearted, Pele was not inattentive, and her eyes watched Arnyn to see whether her friend would not choose to launch a sudden attack.

[Lantaelen]

@Pele Alarion @Rillewen

Abrazimir Dimaethor
Sparring with Trastion Leithor & Pele Alarion, Training Grounds

Abrazimir gave a laugh to Trastion’s skeptical response. ”Oh, I felt it. I’m just a better actor than some.” He confessed freely, still feeling the aches and throbbing from numerous strikes he had taken. He was used to that. The mention of breaking the main gates of Minas Tirith though caused him to recall some…uncomfortable sights and scenes, from the Great Battle. Pele drew him back to the present moment though, speaking about her liking for lighter armour. He nodded agreeingly with her. Some cases called for speed and decisive action, others for the resilience and protection of heavy armour.

”Well…maybe not today.” Abrazimir relented, after hearing the condition of Trastion’s arms and Pele’s preference for swords and spears. At Pele’s chiding of Trastion using his day off to spar, he grinned and clapped the young man on the back of his shoulder. ”The man’s dedicated, you can’t fault him for that. But, Trastion, you are still living like there’s a war going on. In these times of peace, you ought to enjoy a day of…well, doing nothing.” He put his advice on the matter. It was something he was still trying to learn himself. There didn’t need to be a mission or objective to pursue every waking moment.

”Maybe no more for today. If you got an official session of training tomorrow, you ought to rest up and be top notch for that.” He gave a shrug, moving to a nearby table to begin removing bits and pieces off his armour to loosen his own burden.