[open]

[katabasis]

WHO: Fitcher + Wysteria + Flint & You
WHAT: Catch-all
WHEN: Firstfall-ish
WHERE: Kirkwall and stuff.
NOTES: Will update if necessary. Feel free to grab me if you want a specific starter/wildcard me, baby.

Comments

[bouchonne]

[ By is quick. And he's lean, so lean that when he turns sideways there's scarcely a target to hit. And so when Flint commits, he slips away, twisting like an eel, all signs of incompetence gone. He steps around and flick his light, flexible blade down to the man's upper arm, angled towards his throat.

A smile, wry. It feels almost like Flint let him have this one. By asked to be underestimated, and Flint obliged. ]

One-nothing?

[coquettish_trees]

[ Alexandrie is walking past the back stairs when the first blow rings out.

When steel hits steel for something that isn't training, there's something earnest about it, a kind of urgency, and she's watched enough duels to know the sound when she hears it. Halfway down the back stairs, her crystal chimes to tell her in Bastien's voice who is fighting, and so when she emerges into the courtyard her first two steps are the end of a rather unladylike hustle, just in time to catch Byerly's deft twist away from Flint's thrust, the exactitude of his step and the flick of his sword into position, all of which brings her to an abrupt stop in the doorway, her eyes wide with shocked delight. ]

[altusimperius]

[As the person who has perhaps been here the longest other than duelists, Bene shakes his head lightly (and with deference) to Yseult.]

They came down from the offices. ...didn't seem too angry, though.

[katabasis]

[It's a perfunctory thing from a distance. Flint commits, is caught out, and after some pause the line of his sword wavers toward the idea of resetting.

Up close: Something flexes Flint's face as it is tipped away from that clever swordpoint. It's a brief rise of the eyebrows and a quirk of the mouth that is at once surrender and 'Got you, you shit.']

One-nothing.

[Rather than step back and square off a second time straightaway, Flint instead turns out from under the sharp point and toward the waiting bottle. A splash of whiskey is poured and summarily drunk down.

Then he resets.]

[bouchonne]

[ Byerly, meanwhile, takes the opportunity to turn towards the gathering crowd, lifting his blade in salute. He calls up to them - ]

Did you see that I won? What a stroke of luck.

[ Because, well, if he weren't a little tipsy, he would have also considered before they began fighting: the spot Flint picked is rather public. And he's just shown rather distressing competence to a rather large number of people. Got him, indeed. ]

[hornswoggle]

[ It's at this point John appears at the opposite side of the courtyard. There's some momentary element of confusion that gives way to amusement, partly at the fight itself and partly at the number of spectators.

The idea of passing through and into the stairwell is abandoned as he leans against the stone arch of the entryway, settling in for the show. ]

[filotimo]

[ And Madi is there, too, giving the duelists a glance before leaning to ask John: ]

Is this typical?

[cozen]

[ Bastien, in order: inclines his head at the fight while Benedict answers him, mutters I am not organizing interviews for another Ambassador in Athessa’s direction—as if that would be anywhere near his chief concern—and smiles sheepishly at Yseult’s first question before shaking his head at the second.

Then it’s over. Round one, at least, apparently. Bastien’s little smile turns wider when he sees Alexandrie wide-eyed on the stairs, and he tips his head toward her when Byerly addresses them to make sure he has a look himself. ]

Don’t try too hard. I bet against you.

[ There has been no betting. But there’s time.

In the meantime, he's holding his hand out expectantly for Athessa's apple. Share. ]

[hornswoggle]

It hasn't happened before, but it's not entirely out of the ordinary.

[ Same shit as always, Riftwatch. ]

[sulahnan]

[ Athessa relinquishes the apple to Bastien and, once she's done chewing, cups a hand around her mouth to call down to Byerly: ]

Does the Lord Ambassador have an appointed Second?

[bouchonne]

[ He calls back - ]

Are you volunteering?

[filotimo]

[sulahnan]

Sure am!

[staysail]

[Appearing (of course) behind Yseult, Darras reaches over her and holds out his hand for the apple, since Athessa won't be using it anymore. Dibs next from Bastien.]

I'll take your bet. I'm for the ambassador and his second.

[bouchonne]

[ By whistles and jerks his head, an invitation to Athessa to come down, because there are few things more pleasing than besmirching the dueler's code by having a little elf girl as a second. Charming. ]

[katabasis]

Scoutmaster, kindly inform your subordinate that this is a matter which falls above her rank.

[With a scrape of the boot to clear some minor hedge-adjacent related debris from the cobblestones between them, Flint settles into his stance across from Byerly. It's a touch wider here, the line of his sword arm drifting out by some imperceptible degree. Less weight in the heels. Less square across the span of his shoulders. Hovering at the edge of forward momentum.]

[bouchonne]

How rude.

[ By turns around with a theatrical pout. ]

Well, I wanted you, Athessa.

[ But he doesn't seem all that bothered, really. Instead, he gives up the vamping as he observes the shift in Flint's stance. His own posture changes in turn - moving back on his heels a bit, ready to evade rather than engage. ]

[sulahnan]

[hassaran]

I see. Did it seem they came down for this, or did it begin once they were here? [ This to Benedict, who seems the only informed member of the company, and after a click of her tongue at Bastien.

She then tips her head back to flash a smile at Darras as he appears, before turning back to the duel at Flint's call. ]

You would deny him his choice of second, Commander? That hardly seems sporting.

[altusimperius]

I think they came down for it, ser.

[He seems uneasy all of a sudden-- he's not snitching on anyone, is he? Spirits seem fairly light, all things considered.

To Athessa:]

You can fence?

[sulahnan]

[ She doesn't look smug, but she feels smug about Yseult defending Byerly's choice. To Bene's question, Athessa shrugs. ]

Probably.

[altusimperius]

[doubt]

[katabasis]

[Byerly's instinct is the right one. No sooner has hardly sporting been voiced than Flint strikes forward. It's a shockingly abrupt assault, his intended blow falling heavy and high despite Byerly's nearly full hand of height advantage, and designed to take full advantage of this new arrangement.

If round one had been contained, it seems Flint means to drive the length of the courtyard during this one.]

[bouchonne]

[ Hell. How can a fellow that sturdy move that fast? Even with By preparing to flee, it takes him by surprise. Which: it shouldn't; he's seen the ferocity Flint has on and off the battlefield both. But it's so damnably different from the last time that he's genuinely caught off-guard.

His parry is decidedly ungraceful. It's the downside of a sword like his: although it's light and quick, it can't really stand up to heavy assault, and so it's knocked away. By pivots, backs away, tries to put some distance between himself and Flint. ]

[cozen]

Twenty silver, [ Bastien says to Darras around the chunk he’s torn off of Athessa’s apple and is holding between his teeth.

Then Flint is going after Byerly in a burst, and Bastien pulls the apple piece into his mouth to chew at a leisurely pace and holds the remainder out to Athessa without looking away from the action. ]