Day 218 [Open]

[coffeewithmysugar]

Who: Edea and anyone
Open: Open~
When: Day 218, from the afternoon to fairly late in the evening
Where: The training building
What: Just some routine weapons practice
Format: I'll match
Warnings: none

Edea has been out on the Skyway nearly every day with her trusted katana, but part of her misses the variety of weapons she'd used in her home world. Now that she's more comfortable with the other residents of the Bastion and ready for a break from fighting monsters she can be found in the training hall. You might see her in the melee room, warming up first with her own sword and then practicing with one of the dulled 2-handed blades followed by a staff. Later Edea will spend some time at the shooting range, reminding herself about the feeling of drawing a bow and keeping her aim decent. It's pretty obvious she has a lot of combat experience but nothing she does makes her come across as unapproachable. She'd actually be quite happy to have a sparring partner.

Comments

[daughterofursa]

Zuko usually prefers to train in the open air, but the training building is never a bad place if you're looking for a sparring partner. Not that she doesn't regularly go out onto the Skyway, but unless you deliberately head for the more dangerous areas, most of the creatures there don't pose much of a fight individually. They're also quite a bit different from fighting humans.

She doesn't immediately offer herself as an opponent, leaving her own swords in their sheath across her back. Instead she watches the other girl a moment before remarking, "I thought you didn't like wearing yourself out."

[coffeewithmysugar]

Edea's used to having an audience, so she doesn't do much different once she senses Zuko is there but avoid swinging in the other's direction. Even after a few weeks of using nothing but her katana, it feels odd to wield a heavier two-handed sword. And one so generic, at that, but she didn't want to use her shards to acquire more weapons from her home world. Right now they would still be too painful to see. It's not until Zuko speaks that she pauses and lowers the blade.

"I don't, to be honest. But there are a few people who would be very disappointed with me if I didn't at least keep up all the skills I've gained." Because she is clinging to that hope that at least one of them will still show up. She needs that. "And it takes a lot to wear me out," she adds with a hint of a smile.

[daughterofursa]

Her skills aren't what Zuko worries about when it comes to people being disappointed in her, but she understands the sentiment, whether or not any of those people are here. Even if she never sees him again, she doesn't want to do anything that would make her uncle disappointed in her.

"You won't hear any argument from me. I spend a lot of my time here training."

[coffeewithmysugar]

"I should probably train a little more than I have been," she admits with a faint shrug. Coming from a country with a very strong military and an extended family full of colorful but talented fighters means she had a lot of training growing up, and it's a small comfort now. Then again, Zuko probably understands that.

"It does feel nice to handle something that isn't Ise-no-Kami. It's not that I don't like my own sword though, I'm just used to handling more of a variety."

[daughterofursa]

Zuko would understand the background, but she might not exactly call it a comfort, considering some of her family members.

"A variety, huh? I only learned the sword." And then it wasn't really valued by anyone in her aforementioned family. "What else do you know?"

[coffeewithmysugar]

"Hm, let's see..." she starts, bringing one hand up to her chin so her index finger rests underneath her lip. "I've learned to work with bows, staves, daggers, spears, axes and knuckles. I've had some experience with magical rods but I don't have the same aptitude for magic as my friends do."

Seriously, her team was a walking arsenal. Great for adapting to different combat situations. Edea shrugs once again before motioning to her own sword leaned carefully against the wall. "But swords are what I learned first and still what I do best."

[daughterofursa]

Zuko's eyebrow raises. "That's... quite a repertoire." And she says it all so casually. Can she really be so skilled with all of them to profess that kind of comfort with them? She doesn't look like she could be much older than Zuko herself.

[coffeewithmysugar]

She sees that reaction and nervously smiles, as if attempting to dispel Zuko's surprise. It's not normal to know how to use so many weapons, even in her own country, but her situation was certainly different. "Let's just say there were extenuating circumstances. A lot of that was more out of necessity than anything."

[daughterofursa]

"Necessity doesn't give you any more talent for something." If it did, Zuko would have mastered firebending a lot sooner. "It just makes you try harder."

[coffeewithmysugar]

"Well my talent for all of them is certainly not equal, if that helps." Especially now that she seems to be stuck as a Swordmaster. If she had the ability to change jobs like she did in Luxendarc she could even use songs to aid people in battle. For all the trouble they were to get she does sort of miss her other jobs.

"I take it you have some experience with swords?" she asks, nudging her head towards what little she can see of the blades on Zuko's back.

[daughterofursa]

It's probably for the best if she doesn't bring up this job stuff. Zuko would not understand that in the slightest.

She nods at Edea's question and then offers, "If you want a sparring partner, I'm sure I can at least match you with the sword." She may not have the other girl's range of skills, but she's confident in her ability with a blade.

[coffeewithmysugar]

Yeah, even she'd admit it's pretty weird.

Edea grins, twisting the grip of the sword around in her palm. It's quite tempting to accept. Fighting monsters is certainly not on the same level as combating a person, and goodness knows she would appreciate a little more of a challenge. Yet there is one thing holding her back.

"I have to warn you, I haven't sparred with someone in a while. I'm not sure how good I'll be at holding back."

[daughterofursa]

"That's fine," Zuko says, drawing her swords from their sheath and separating them into her two hands. "Hopefully it just means I won't have to either."

[coffeewithmysugar]

She was not expecting dual swords but it comes as a pleasant surprise. Edea gives a quick bow before her stance becomes more firm and straight, taking the blade back up in her hands.

"You honor me with this match. Ready when you are."

[daughterofursa]

Oh. Oh, there it is. Zuko is doing someone honor. She almost doesn't know how to respond to that, but then she just bows her head and raises her swords.

"Ready."