#fenixtj

"Oh! She stole the Countess's sword. Princesca, should you fly to her defense?"

Jessica, breathing heavily, nods. "Thank you. Good bout." She offers a hand.

Mitra takes it and says "it was. And I think our audience enjoyed their popcorn"

"Well, maybe Contessa should learn to keep hers."

Ariel grins "I think she's learning all right"

Jess glances at the girls. "Ready for your turn?"

"I was going to take up archery.. pew pew, not hew hew" Ariel says her eyes big at the idea of being bashed

"We don't always get to pick our range" Mitra says

"Yes!" She bounces to her feet.

"me too!" Sayda says

"Dame." Jessica hands control to Mitra.

"Okay, practice weapons it is" She hands them out "Epee, Rapier, or sabre, Countess Eleanor? "

"Rapier." Obviously.

"I prefer a gladius" Sayda frowns

"I'm sure you do, but remember what we said?" Mitra raises a brow

Sayda sighs "Not every hold will have it's own arena. Okay. Rapier for me too. She'll be better, but she can also teach me"

"Sure! Rapier is light and fast."

"Like a hummingbird, Sir Gerald says. Or a bee."

Mitra nods "Indeed, in the hands of a master duelist, a rapier duel can be over very quickly "

"En guarde?" Sayda strikes a pose, but it's obvious she's used to regular blades

"Sayda, deep knees!" She demonstrates.

And she mimes

"Like this?"

"Oui... and feet... like.. no, more like..."

"And then, see, you can dance..." Light as a feather on her toes, she bounces back and forth while holding the crouch.

"oh, " Sayda follows suit. Soon, the girls are thrusting and lunging. Sayda is alread y a good fighter for her age, but the Beaumayn is formerly trained in the rapier, and is her better to be sure at least with rapiers.

"Ack. I can't hit you"

"That's why we practice! You'll get better."

Swishy-poke.

Sayda eeps playfully when poked rather than getting mad, but she focuses and tries to swishy poke back

A graceful parry. "And that's what you do... there's a circle..."

"Oh... I think I see, so you kind ... swirl and draw it in?"

"Or do you swirl and knock it out?"

Mitra says to JESSICA in a whisper "Sayda is used to more.. brutal weapons I fear. This will be a good change up for her"

"Oh, either! If you draw in, you can.. wait... do it again and I'll show you."

And she does

"It is good for all of them." She agrees.

Drawing in is a binding of blades. "See? Not good against a troll, though. Or a redcap."

"You don't want to be in too close with either of them."

"I see yeah. the redcap would just bite the blade off"

"Kick her shin with your hooves!" Ariel calls out

Mitra smirks at Ariel's suggestion, "On the other hand, we might end up with some bloodthirsty kids"

"Mmm. How is everything going with you?"

"Oh, same old same old. Being Regent Baroness for the Pitt is.. interesting" Mitra admits "It's not just Tidemarch that gets a lot of Unseelie... but there are more commoners there. Abuela keeps any trouble makers in line though. And it has its mysteries"

"Suits you?"

"Oh, I'd say. I do sometimes miss Fenix"

"Exactly.. so.. with those too dangerous to be close... you gotta - come, do it again, I'll show you..."

"We miss you too."

Sayda nods ,and lunges to close

Mitra smiles "Well, I suppose I could make a few reports in person now and then"