[Whispering Meadows] Take a risk, take a shot [Private]

[Jade Alanon]

Third Cycle of Ioannes, Season of Summer.

The smell of fall hung in the air, summer would soon be ending, giving way to cooler days in the fall. It would be a lot more comfortable for Nymira since she had such hot fur, though in the shade of the trees in natura, it wasn't as bad. Jade enjoyed the summer and enjoyed fall, but she abhored the winter when it came, she hated snow and she hated the cold, it had always been tough on her when she wished to travel, though she didn't know if she would be traveling around much now. Jade smiled as she moved towards her favorite training ground, every place she went she found a place to train, near Coldlight in Prime and here in Whispering Meadows.

She had met with Avrie once before and sparred with her and that had been quite the experience and now it was time to spar with yet another Eventide, Austin had given her the invitition for a spar and she took such an oppurtunity well. She had no way of knowing how good he was with his weapon of choice nor had she ever sparred against a rapier, Avrie had weilded a katana herself. Nymira followed Jade as always, despite Jade's feelings for the Eventides, her bloodlust had to be taken into account as well. Throughout Jade's training, she had been taught that in every fight, there was a definite chance that she would die, so she was too fight with all she had in her and not stop until one of them was not breathing.

Hence Nymira was a fail safe for Jade, she was there to talk Jade down when she was fighting, keeping her grounded and keeping her from making a mistake that would ruin her life. Jade knew of this and appreciated her sister greatly for being there with her, despite the bickering, they were close as ever and no one could come between them. Jade left her bracers back in her room, knowing she wouldn't need them, all she carried was her staff, wearing a short sleeved dress that was easy to move in, she wanted to enjoy this spar, hoping that Austin provided a challenge for her. She hadn't been jesting when she said she played dirty, in a fight, one had to do anything they could to win, there was no such thing as an honorable fight when one wished to live.

She had left a message with Risess to give to Austin. It was simple and to the point really.

Meet me in the Whispering Meadows, bring your rapier.

~Jade

As she waited for Austin to come, she took her time in stretching, getting herself limber enough. Once she felt she was stretched enough, she began to do various staff excercises, enjoying the fluid movement and anticipating a spar, as she always did. Nymira took her place beneath the trees and watched her sister closely, enjoying just relaxing and not having to worry about much.

[Austin Eventide]

Austin awoke to a brightening which he assumed to be like any other. He bathed and dressed and went to his office to attend to the routine chores of running the Winehouse. He saw to the books detailing expenses, profits and the like. Not long after, in the late morning to early afternoon, the Winehouse staff began to arrive to prepare for opening. There was a knock at the open door of Austin's office. It was Risess with a message. She sat a piece of parchment on Austin's desk.

"Hey hon, your friend, Jade, left this for ya. Have fun." She winked and turned, heading back to begin work.

Austin pulled the parchment to him and looked at what was written on it. Smiling he found quite a bit of excitement at the opportunity to see Jade again. He never tired of her company and looked forward to seeing her in action with the staff which she cared so much for.

Finishing with his duties, Austin retreated to his chambers and accessed his wardrobe where he kept many of his personal items. Retrieving his rapier which he purchased before leaving Daltina the first time, he strapped it on while taking a look in the mirror. He wanted to look his best for Jade and made sure he was at it before turning to leave. He exited the Winehouse but not before giving his blessings to the staff for a good brightening and many graces given.

He made his way to the Whispering Meadows and entered the opening to the Whispering Trees. Beneath the towering examples of Nature's finest, he found Jade going through various exercises with her staff. He watched for a few moments, entranced by her fluid movements and surprised at the skill that was witnessed. Afterwards, he slowly approached, rapier sheathed, a soft look and a smile on his face.

"Beauty in motion...a rare sight to be sure." He said as he approached.

[Jade Alanon]

Jade smiled to herself as she focused on her movements, inwardly scolding herself if a step was out of line or a swipe missed her imaginary target. She heard footsteps coming towards them so she wasn't startled by Austin's approach, Nymira looked over to where he stood and smiled inwardly, knowing he enjoyed watching her bondmate move. Nymira had been around the Orchard when both Austin and Jade professed love for each other, it had been a sweet thing and the young Virkyn was happy for the two of them, they both deserved it as far as Nymira saw it.

Jade reacted instinctly, bringing her staff in front of her as she turned to greet Austin, so used to getting attacked by Dimiah, she had to react in such a way. She let her staff drop to her side as she smiled up at Austin, he looked handsome as always, his rapier at his side. His words caused a slight blush to come across her cheeks, usually such compliments slid off without so much as a bat of the eyes, but his comments seemed so much more sincere. "Now you wouldn't be trying to butter me up so I take it easy on you, would you?" She said this with a teasing laugh, her excitement showing through at the thought of sparring. "And Risess came through for me, I am glad I was able to count on her with giving you the note."

She walked forward to give him a gentle yet teasing kiss and pulled back with a smile, bringing her staff up as she backed up away from him a few feet, getting to a defensive stance. "Don't worry Austin, I'll be nice." She was in her element now, Nymira stood to her feet and moved a bit closer, knowing already she would need to keep Jade grounded. Jade would wait to see if he made the first move, wanting to be careful in case he was better with his weapon then she was with hers.

[Austin Eventide]

"One always looks for tactics that produce the most benefit." Austin replied with a sly grin. "As for Risess, she is more concerned with our relationship than most I think...and probably knows more as well."
He licked lips following Jade's kiss and raised an eyebrow as she brought her staff to bare for spar. It was all new to him as far as this side of Jade was concerned yet he found it rather exciting and unsheathed his rapier. Of course he wouldn't in any time or place bring harm upon her, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't give her a run for her crowns in a good practice fight.

The trees formed a beautiful canopy above them with but a few slight breaks for sunlight. Leaves slowly drifted downward signaling the coming change in seasons. A light breeze flowed through, carrying the leaves and the sweet scent of flowers as well. Such a scene was almost dreamlike and peaceful with a slight energy hovering about.

"Jade, I would like it even more if you played as dirty as possible" He winked and swung his sword, ending in a salute. He was not sure how skilled he was in comparison to her but looked forward to finding out. He took his stance and began to circle with his blade in front of him. He tested her defenses with a few slaps of his blade and a light thrust.

[Jade Alanon]

Jade rolled her eyes and laughed, he always said such silly things and always with the sly grin, though she had to wonder why Risess would be concerned about their relationship. "Concerned? Why would she be concerned about our relationship?" Jade didn't see what there was to worry about, unless Risess knew what Jade was...but how could she, it didn't seem possible. She laughed as he licked his lips, such a goofball and yet she enjoyed it, it was better then him being too serious and quite dull to be around.

With her staff raised, her stance wide and waiting for him to advance on her, she was excited about this spar because she could see how good he actually was at sparring and how good he was with his rapier. She didn't want to hurt him but there was a fair chance being she easily got caught up when she was in a fight and often went for the places that would leave lasting bruises if not welts. She wasn't superior in her fighting skills because she had been taught that there was always someone better and never allow her pride to get in the way, pride goes before a fall.

A friendly spar...pfft no such thing, a spar in which either or both opponents leave with a lot more bruises then what they had coming in, now that was what Jade was going for. She would accept any bruises or strikes she was dealt and in turn Austin would accept his lashing, if in fact Jade was able to land a blow on him. The sunlight shone through the canopy of trees in various places, providing some warmth even as the breeze passed to give them a certain coolness as well, all and all it was a pleasent atmosphere to be in, one reason Jade enjoyed training there so much.

Jade's cheeks burned, Gods this man knew how to push buttons with her. "Keep your mind on the spar Austin." It sounded scolding but the smile on her face and the flush in her cheeks showed that she found it in humor. He soon found his stance in front of her and began to circle his blade, she was careful and kept her eye out for the jabs that would come. Each slap of his blade he handed her was deflected by her staff as was the light thrust, yet she didn't move in for any sort of attack just yet, she was content to be on the defense at that moment, better then handing out injuries. "Stop trying to hit me and just hit me." It was a taunt that had laughter behind it, playful taunting that held no insults to it.

[Austin Eventide]

"Risess is, how should I say it...she likes to be in the know on everything. It is why she does so well as a waitress; she gets to know everyone." His winehouse staff felt more like an extended family with the way the related to one another and knew each others business. He had even considered getting the waitresses involved in a little swordplay as well as they both expressed interest in learning. He didn't feel confident enough yet to teach them but told them perhaps soon he would show them a bit.

Austin and Jade circled as he tested her defenses with his slaps and thrust. His mind was half on the spar and half on what they could do afterwards. As Jade tossed in a few verbal jests, Austin couldn't help but recall his sparring with Avrie as it felt similar somehow.

"It is always wise to test ones opponent before leaping into battle. Blindly slashing and stabbing could lead to opening yourself up to unexpected attacks." He emphasized his words with a few more light slaps of his blade against her staff along with a taunting grin. He held his blade halfway between his thighs and his shoulders with his grip loose. Balancing his weight between his feet as to not put all of it on either one, he bounced about is a simple dance of sorts as he slowly circled.

Then after one more round of light test swipes, he took a few strong steps forward and let loose a slash to Jade's left side, toward her shoulder where he knew if he hit her, the wound would not be too harmful as the last thing he wished to do was accidentally gut her. His swipe was not wide as it came from the movement of his wrist and forearm and not his entire arm. His father had taught him to maintain his distance; meaning that he remain in control of his movements and not open himself up to an attack in the process of performing one. The swipe was not the light, test slap and indeed had a bit more to it.

[Jade Alanon]

Jade could tell that Risess enjoyed knowing everything about everything, it was an amusing quality most of the time, but such a curiousity could do more damage to Jade should the woman find out too much about her. Jade liked the woman and enjoyed being around her, but she made a note that she had to be careful around her as well, she could see that Austin was close with his staff and highly doubted Risess would keep the fact that Jade killed others a secret long, if at all. "She does ask a lot of questions, though it is a quality is quite entertaining at times."

As they circled one another, Jade could tell that his full mind wasn't on the spar, Carmelya only knew what was on that man's mind as she watched him, he moved well, showing that he had some training in swordplay. He didn't respond in turn to any of her verbal jabs and thought perhaps he was one that preferred to find no humor in sparring, much like Dimiah was. His words irked her to a point, hearing Dimiah say something quite similiar in regards to Jade's impatience during a fight, Jade knew fully well how to spar and knew that she was reckless at times, no use in reminding her. She stopped her taunts for a moment, putting her mind to the fight, though a smile touched her lips as Austin offered a rather taunting grin himself, his sword blade hitting against her staff a few more times.

Sparring against one who held a rapier was something Jade had never done before, though it was good experience as she would find how a swordsman handled his weapon and what to look for as time went on. His held his sword loosely, giving himself flexibility in his movement, his feet dancing around a bit to show he was well balanced and yet able to move should he need to. She studied his movements carefully, trying to think of various ways of using her knowledge of him to her advantage him, it didn't help that she was able to lose herself within his brilliant blue orbs or charming smile. Note to self, fighting against someone you love is not a good idea."

Continuing to hold her staff in front of her, taking the test swipes he sent out at her and sending a few of her own towards him, he made the first real strike in the spar, signaling that practice was over and the fight had begun. His shot was quick and aimed well, the rapier was able to move quicker then her staff because it wasn't as heavy and was thinner. She noticed his swipe wasn't too wide, the normal mistake a swordsman could make that would lead to him having a broken nose or hipbone because of it. The strike hit, her shoulder releasing shoots of pain though nothing severe, more of an annoyance then anything since Jade had a high pain tolerance anyway. She took a few steps back to bring more distance between them before she did her own move, bringing the top of her staff towards his midsection, it was hard enough to leave a bruise but that was it, no ribs would be broken should the hit land. However, if Austin chose to try and block such an attack, she would lift her hand from the top of her staff and brought it down to the bottom of it quickly, raising the bottom of the staff to hit against his shin. It was a move Jade used often and had thought of herself, her own trick shot.

Being that she was fighting against Austin, she didn't hit as hard as she could nor did she aim for any areas that might lead to lasting pain or damage, even though she easily could have.

[Austin Eventide]

Austin flinched a bit as his blade lightly sliced across Jade's shoulder. Although his rapier did have an edge to the blade, it was primarily a thrusting weapon which helped to reduce the potential harm he could do with simple slashing and slicing. Regardless it pained him to cause Jade any harm at all yet he noticed how she took it in stride and continued as if it were nothing. It was a curious occurrence that caused Austin to lower his guard ever so slightly. He suffered the consequences of that mistake as Jade took a couple quick steps backward and then thrust the top of her staff into his gut. He fell backward a few steps while holding his gut with one hand, his sword in the other. The wind had been knocked out of him and he knew that he would feel it more later but he was more surprised than actually hurt . He kept his sword at the ready though and continued to circle.

"Nice shot...remind me not to upset you." He followed his words with a wink and jumped forward with several pressing thrusts aimed to either side of Jade which would force her to defend. If she failed, none would actually hit her. After several thrusts, he stopped and rushed passed her bringing the flat of the blade up against her backside in a playful slap. It was something he had used against his sister once and it proved to be rather distracting for her. Such distractions he found were rather useful while sparring.

"Or maybe it would be rather interesting if I did..." He said as he spun around to face her.

[Jade Alanon]

Jade had taken no real notice of his earlier landed strike, it caused a small amount of pain that only fueled her further, putting her deeper into the fighting mood. She had an odd reaction when it came to most pain, being that she had trained with Dimiah, pain was a learning experience that she often looked for and felt that others should think that way as well. She smiled as her thrust landed, striking him in the gut and stealing away his very breath at the same time. Had this been anyone else, she would have hit a lot harder, but she really didn't wish to hurt Austin and felt a bit bad that she had hit him as hard as she had. Though it would be a learning experience for him, don't let down your guard so easily, especially around one that is used to do pretty much anything to win.

"I take away your breath in so many ways it seems." She said with a laugh as Austin began to circle again, recovering quickly from the strike, his words causing her to laugh. He was right, he didn't want to upset her, she had a foul temper at times and having a staff in hand during those times was not a good idea. Jade was doing quite well keeping herself grounded in this fight, Nymira merely lent her strength and support to her bondmate as she circled Austin, waiting for another oppurtunity to strike. If Austin needed any way to find out more about Jade, it would be through her fighting.

He jumped forward and began a series of thrusts aimed at her sides, she was forced back on the defense and was able to defend against his strikes, a smile on her face as she defended herself, she enjoyed this immensely, the thrill of the fight always got to her. After she was able to defend herself against a series of thrusts, he stopped and rushed passed her, something she hadn't been expecting and let out a squeak of surprise when he slapped her backside with the flat of his blade. She had never had anything like that when she faced someone in a spar, though no male would have done such a thing and lived, but Austin was safe from her wrath, though he would find he would be getting a bruise for that. She couldn't help but smile as he turned to face her again, it had been a while since she had this much fun sparring. "I don't know if interesting is the word I would use."

She relaxed and let herself enjoy this and yet she had to remember that despite being in Natura and fighting against Austin, she was supposed to be prepared for anything. She was able to move fluidily as she circled him again, reaching forward to tap lightly at his sword as he had done with her earlier, doing her best to have him let his guard down again before she suddenly moved forward and swept her staff down at his calfs, hoping to swipe his feet right from under him and if she wasn't successful, she would hopefully be able to move back before he struck at her again.

[Austin Eventide]

Fighting blade against staff was proving to be much different for Austin that fighting blade against blade. It was difficult for him to keep his distance as his father had taught him as Jade's reach was much greater. He was forced to risk potential injury simply to get in close enough to make his own move. As they continued to circle one another, her tapping of his blade was slightly annoying yet not quite enough to lower his guard. His weapon was lighter and narrower thus making it easy to handle. The bigger issue he was having was that she also had two functional ends to the weapon; doubling his need to be aware. His need was increased even more as he focused more on the tapping of the one end and missed the other end as she quickly swept it down at his lower legs. The staff caught his left calf and swept his leg out from beneath him. The sudden move combined with his immediate lack of balance sent him to the ground. Swallowing his pride until later, he quickly rolled back and out of range before scrambling to his feet; sword at the ready.

Again he had the wind knocked out of him and was left feeling a little foolish. He was also seeing more to the lovely elf woman before him than he originally knew. Then for some reason he asked himself how old she must be. Knowing a bit about elves, he guessed she was easily his age a few times over. When she spoke of what she remembered of her childhood, he hadn't thought at the time that she was speaking of a time probably when his grandparents were young or and most likely longer. It would go without saying then that indeed there would be countless things she would have learned and experienced in her life thus far. He had been thinking of her in a human perspective which he now cursed himself for.

He resumed circling and tried as best he could to focus more on her hands and how she gripped the staff. The one thing about staff use that he began to see was that it opened ones hands up, making them vulnerable. There wasn't a guard or anything to protect them. So, he began testing her defense again yet this time he changed it up so that he was lightly slapping her hands with the flat of his blade. He alternated hands so that her grip would be disrupted and after several shots like that he waited for her to loosen grip with one hand before he rushed forward and grabbed the staff with is off hand. He then pulled it and her to him while stepping forward. He pressed himself against her with his blade held out to the side and kissed her before hopping backward hopefully before she could crack him with a counter.

[Jade Alanon]

Fighting with a staff may have been cumbersome and slower then smaller lighter weapons, but when one knew how to use it, then it was a formidable weapon, plus it had two ends that could be used, unlike a sword. Since Jade was in Natura and was fighting against Austin, she wouldn't dare go full force at him, her bracers had been left at the Inn to keep temptation from setting in, she would hate to be the cause of his pain, save for bruises and a battered ego. Men never seemed to believe women could be warriors and while there was a number of women that couldn't be, Jade and a great many others proved that they could be warriors, Jade worked hard to be as good as she was and was proud of that, as she should be. Austin was a good opponent and she enjoyed sparring with him, hopefully he wasn't angry with her once this spar was finished.

She could tell the light taps against sword annoyed him and yet he didn't seem to bring his guard down much nor did it draw him into reckless attacking, so she waited for an oppurtunity to strike, being that she had a long range weapon while his was short ranged. She swung her staff at his legs and grinned as the end of the staff caught his calf and knocked him off balance, causing to land on the ground. She brought the staff down to hold him down but he rolled out of range and got back up to his feet, sword drawn once again. He was persistant and quick, he didn't groan about getting taken down by a woman, though his pride was most likely bruised.

She moved carefully as they began circling again, weapons at ready and focus on their faces, a smile gracing her lips as she circled him, it wasn't that she was cocky because pride came before the fall, she just didn't feel that Austin could beat her. She squeaked as the flat of his blade slapped against her hand, disrupting her hold on her staff a moment, she glared as she tried to readjust her hands on the staff only to have a hand slapped again. This was new and she wasn't sure she liked it, though she admitted it was quite clever of him. After several strike with the flat of his blade to her hands, she brought her one hand up from the grip only to have Austin rush forward and grab hold of her staff. she kept a tight grip on it with the other hand and tried to pull the staff loose, but he had a good grip on it and was able to pull her and the staff forward to rest against him. She was unable to retaliate for her staff was trapped between the two of them and she was too busy enjoying the feel of his lips pressed against hers to really notice.

Once he pulled back from the unexpected kiss, she regained sense and brought her staff back up in defense, he was able to get back before she was able to counter and so she took a few steps back from him to gain her bearings and think of a new way of attack, his slapping her hands had to stop. Although she was annoyed, she couldn't help but smile as she continued to circle him, lunging forward quickly and bringing her staff to smack against his sword quite hard, seeing it she was able to dislodge the sword from his hand. She then brought the staff sideways to hit against his side, a little above the hip bone, the last thing she wanted was to break his pelvis, she had done that to someone before and it hadn't been a pretty picture. If the blow landed, it would most likely leave a bruise.

[Austin Eventide]

Austin parried the best he could as Jade lunged toward him. Unfortunately his inexperience at facing one armed differently than himself was showing itself as he was unable to hold his blade steady as Jade smacked her staff against the side of his blade. He didn't lose his grip but it was tested and he was no longer at the ready when she swung the other end of the staff sideways against his side. He folded sideways as it slammed against him with an audible "thunk". He stumbled to the opposite side before bringing his blade back to the ready. Austin was taking quite a beating thus far and as for his own attacks, he had done little more than play around. It was obvious that Jade was taking the sparring much more seriously. The last blow jarred his mind as well and he realized that playtime had to end else he would be nothing more than one immense bruise.

He knew he had to do something about the fact that she effectively wielded two weapons in the two ends of her staff. He did have one advantage though in that her staff took both hands to wield with strength and accuracy and it was slower than his rapier. With that in mind, he flashed a crooked smile and said, "Alright, alright, I see what we have goin here. Playtime is over milady..."

With that, Austin took several short, quick steps forward and swiped his blade in an alternating motion to either side of Jade's staff, drawing her focus to both ends. He pushed forward, striking the staff and trying to come close to slapping her hands with the flat of the blade yet intentionally missing. His goal was to focus her attention all around and give himself the advantage to follow up with a slap of the blade to her side, almost exactly where she had struck him. It was meant to show that he could actually hit her if he wished even though he avoided using the edge of the blade with every bit of his being.

[Jade Alanon]

It seemed she had timed her lunge well, smacking her staff hard against the side of his sword in an attempt to disarm him, she was impressed that he was able to keep hold of his rapier but he was knocked off guard and she had to take advantage of that. She noticed with slight dismay that she was taking the spar more serious then Austin was, he seemed to think it a time to jest and goof off, hence the kiss. She was one for enjoying a spar and didn't mind laughing a bit, but when it came down to it, she and him were there to fight and that was really it, not there to speak, not there to jest and not there to kiss, they were there to spar with their chosen weapons. As a result, he was struck in the side with her staff, he folded side ways as it hit with a "thunk", obviously not expecting her to hit so hard.

She wouldn't apologize, he would come to realize that she took her fighting very serious, a bruise would help him to remember that and from what she could tell so far, he would have many bruises by the time this was over. However she could see his plight as well, it was hard fighting against her, her weapon left bruises, his left slashes and deeper wounds, one reason he hadn't really struck her other then a playful slap or so. She couldn't help but smile when he regained his bearings, he surely couldn't be angry with her, this was a fight, pain was part of the learning experience. His crooked smile showed that he wasn't angry at all, his words reassuring that he was going to be concentrating on the spar now. "Good, I was wondering when you would quite taking bruises so easily."

Jade was put on the defense as Austin took quick steps forward, swiping his rapier blade on either side of Jade's staff, she had to raise each end to defend herself and keep him from slapping her hands again, that had been quite annoying when he had started that up. As she was on the defense, she took that moment to study his fighting technique, it helped her know him better as a person and as a fighter. He had something in mind, she could tell that much, he came close enough to slap her hands and yet he missed, not wide misses to they looked as though they were intentionally missing. Her eyes narrowed a bit at the thought that he might very well be holding back, that was something Jade couldn't stand at all, if a man held back during a spar or a fight.

The side of his blade slapped against her side, close to the mark where she herself had hit Austin, though his blade didn't leave a bruise like her staff did and he didn't hit as hard as she had. After having been dealt such a blow, she reeled back, putting distance between herself and Austin, her weapon was better used long range, where she could keep herself safe from his blade, she kept her staff at ready and waited, taking a moment to breath before speaking. "You're not holding back, are you?" She did her best to keep the annoyance out of her voice, though it remained in her eyes as she took a few breaths. "Cause if you are....please don't."

[Austin Eventide]

Austin was seeing a side of Jade that he couldn't have imagined existed. In his eyes, Jade was a beautiful elven maiden surrounded by mystery and secrets. Now that vision was morphing into something else, an energetic, serious, shaky-tempered woman who was not a stranger to a good fight. Something about the thought of that tickled the back of his mind and the previously buried reckless youth that Austin was back living in Daltina. He had encountered a woman or two then that had a bit of spirit to them but they were nothing like Jade. As they circled and he readied himself to put forth true effort into the spar, he thought back to a short time earlier when he bought her a dress and perfume. He had thought he detected a level of discomfort from her then but he was beginning to see a little of why. She was not the dainty, innocent elven girl who wished to be spoiled. Something about that excited him.

Although he didn't want to hurt her, he grudgingly allowed himself to accept the idea of her being wounded if it came to that. There was of course the temple nearby if anything became too heated. From the bruises he knew were forming however, he had a feeling he may be the one in need of temple services though.

With a sigh said, "No more holding back then." He stepped back and gave a courteous salute before taking his stance again, one foot in front of the other; hi