Lotus Eater
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Presence (4) Capable |Rigid Mask | Winter Mantle | Status (Licensed Security) | Autumn Goodwill (1)
Posts: 74
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Post by Lotus Eater on Feb 8, 2022 19:04:05 GMT -8
Her fingers tightened, not too much, along the hilt. One hand choked up forward, the second a bit lower. Her opponent was stronger and highly experienced. She had seen her opponent disarm men with a well-placed strike. Lindsey felt the weight of the padded armor press down upon her body. The helmet dulled her senses, muffling hearing and obscuring sight. She was used to it, didn't mean she liked it. But worse than any weight was the heat. She was thankful the duel was not in the baking sun but indoors. Yet she could already feel the wax gliding across her skin. The duelist slid one foot back, giving herself a stable wider stance. Slowly she raises her hands, pulling the longsword into a high guard. Her eyes fell upon the center mass of Ramona across from her. The wizened breathing slowed. She was ready.
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Post by Wayland on Feb 9, 2022 14:51:56 GMT -8
Her opponent is more skilled than she is. This isn’t the first time they’ve fought, and it won’t be the last. It’s good to fight opponents that are better than you are. It teaches you things. And Wayland has been learning lesson after lesson lately. The padded armor covers bruises still not healed from battles days previously. She’s been hitting the SCA warrior circuit hard. And getting hit back even harder.
She’s quick to adopt an aggressive posture, leaning forward, both hands wrapped around the grip of her own longsword, held tight to her torso and blade up as she hunches forward. She likes the longsword. She likes long weapons in general, longswords and dane axes and halberds and spears. Weapons with reach and leverage. Not for the power that can bring, though that’s always nice. No, she likes how they chamber off each other, how you can lever off of meeting your opponent’s blade to strike with one end or the other unexpectedly, or draw someone close for a grapple, or fling their weapon out of their grip.
It’s nothing like seizing a madman from behind and driving your knife into his kidney.
Experience has taught her that if she gives Lotus space and time, the Winter will win. Despite Wayland’s stamina, the Lotus Eater's greater skill will prevail in a war of attrition, one where she can wait for Wayland to give her an opening. The Ogre’s best chance for victory is in the opening moments of the bout, and she seizes it, lunging forward with a feint towards her right, Lotus’s left, before shifting opposite and slashing down to her left, keeping her sword high to deflect the inevitable counterstroke.
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Lotus Eater
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Presence (4) Capable |Rigid Mask | Winter Mantle | Status (Licensed Security) | Autumn Goodwill (1)
Posts: 74
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Post by Lotus Eater on Feb 11, 2022 13:51:27 GMT -8
Lotus breath hissed as the incoming flurry of strikes rained down from the ogre. Her feet gracefully retreat with each pressing strike. Her sword dances to either side of her body, using her blade to guide the strikes away from her smaller frame.
The blades sang.
She was surprised, she knew that Wayland would push an advantage, but the aggression of this opener was more than she had anticipated. She was skillful as a defender, but the flurry of attacks prevented her from finding an opening in the melee.
Her eyes focused on center mass, awaiting a moment where she could break free from the incoming attacks.
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Post by Wayland on Feb 11, 2022 15:09:41 GMT -8
The first clash has set the tone. Lotus yielding ground and Wayland pursuing. There's not a lot of ground to be traded, the dueling square is not so wide. And if Wayland forces Lotus out of it, the match will go to the Summer. There's a low feeling in her gut, hot and cold at once, and sinking, pulling. People should be afraid of her. Should flee from her. From the things she's done. From the things she can do.
She keeps her sword moving. Trying to stay unpredictable. But it means that her guard keeps changing, keeps shifting, can't focus on one thing at once, can't cover every angle. And her transitions are dangerous. But heedless of this danger, she continues to press the attack, one forceful blow battering her opponent's sword, trying to knock her grip loose, off balance her, give Wayland an opening for the finishing stroke.
This isn't about coming out unscathed for he Wayland. In fact that'd be counter to what she wants.
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Lotus Eater
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Presence (4) Capable |Rigid Mask | Winter Mantle | Status (Licensed Security) | Autumn Goodwill (1)
Posts: 74
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Post by Lotus Eater on Feb 14, 2022 9:06:36 GMT -8
Lotus was back peddling as the Ogre pressed the advantage and moved in faster and more aggressive than expected. Her blade moved in her signature quick defensive maneuvers. Finally, Wayland came down with a decisive strike. The Wizened blade raised to meet the strike, the power of the blow sent a shake rippling down her arms, and she felt her grip loosen.
However, that gave Lotus an opportunity. Letting the Ogre move through with the attack, Lotus steps to the side, swinging herself around. It reestablished her footing and no longer needed to back peddle. However, she was tiring, and if she meant to win this bout, she had to do something soon.
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Post by Wayland on Feb 16, 2022 14:41:35 GMT -8
'Yes!' Something inside Wayland hisses fiercely as her opponent slips away from her. She knows how Lotus thinks, how Lotus fights. Defensive. Watchful. Waiting for a mistake, an opening, an opportunity. That the Wizened has slipped away from her is a good thing. Wayland is challenging her. Challenging Lotus to raise her game. To find that opening. To strike back.
Their fight turns back towards the center of the dueling square, and though Lotus now has more room to move, Wayland keeps up the attack, changing nothing about her approach. A tactical mistake. One that’s going to cost her, she knows. She hopes. She goes in hard for the sword clash, trying to lock their blades together where her strength is an even greater advantage. Where they can be close enough to grapple, to play their weapons off each other like great levers, with weight and angle and raw power.
But it’s a meeting of blades Lotus is under no obligation to join, not with the room to move she has. ’Come on!’ Some corner of Wayland’s brain whispers, without words, just pure emotion. Pure longing. Pure self-loathing. ’Do it! Hit me! Hit me!’
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Lotus Eater
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Presence (4) Capable |Rigid Mask | Winter Mantle | Status (Licensed Security) | Autumn Goodwill (1)
Posts: 74
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Post by Lotus Eater on Feb 24, 2022 16:58:55 GMT -8
Lotus teeth grit. She was growing tired. Wayland could linger in the fight longer, a gift of her labors and craftsmen lifestyle.
Her feet track along the square, careful and measured steps. Each in time to her opponents. The Riddleseeker was gifted at reading situations people. Wayland's intentions were becoming more apparent and more evident as the Summer sworn ogre prepared to lunge forward. This was different; it was reckless and intentionally so. If she had not been in the ring, it would have made her pause, but she didn't have that luxury here.
The Orges blade came down with strength and speed. Lotus pressed her blade up quickly in a swift overhead deflect, using the Orges momentum to guide the sword away. Her hand shot up, chocking her grip on the long sword and pulling it swiftly to the side, Striking across Wayland's exposed flank. The close proximity and grip of the blade didn't give the blow a considerable amount of strength, but its swiftness was enough to give her opponent a stinging lesson.
Lotus caught her footing, taking a few steps past Wayland before turning. Her grip was ready in case the Summer courtier's recklessness turned into anger. But, seeing no retaliation was inbound, the wizened relaxed. Lotus pulled back her helmet, shaking free her hair, and moved to the edge of the ring, grabbing a bottle of water.
"You nearly-" she coughed as her voice caught low before taking a swig of water. "you nearly had me," She said, turning to toss the water to Wayland.
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Post by Wayland on Feb 25, 2022 14:58:38 GMT -8
There’s a split second where Wayland wants the fight to keep going. She can see how Lotus struck her, and knows that if the blade were edged she’d have been sliced open pretty good. It’s not indignation that drives her intrusive thoughts, the quaking, impotent rage of having been beaten. No, Wayland doesn’t have enough ego for that. It’s not even her sense of the fight that drives the impulse, the way she knows that a real fight wouldn’t be over, that they’d keep exchanging blows until one of them was unable or unwilling to continue.
It’s that it doesn’t hurt enough.
Which of course, it’s not supposed to. This is a friendly sparring match, and that split-second impulse is released without action. Lungs pumping like bellows as she catches her breath, she watches Lotus react with appropriate caution. Not fear, exactly, just good sense. Realizing that she hasn’t moved much, Wayland lowers her sword into a one-handed grip at her side, caching the thrown bottle of water with her off hand.
“Good match,” she responds to her opponent’s praise, letting the sword hang on her elbow from it’s crossguard, while she pulls her helmet off and cracks the seal on the bottle, then raises it to her lips for a long pull. Now that the actual fight is over, self-loathing is somewhat pushed back by satisfaction; facing such a potent challenge, using so much of her own skill, the endorphins of exercise, the blood pumping through her veins. And the way exertion and competition put that harsh edge on Lotus’s voice, that’s nice.
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Lotus Eater
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Presence (4) Capable |Rigid Mask | Winter Mantle | Status (Licensed Security) | Autumn Goodwill (1)
Posts: 74
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Post by Lotus Eater on Mar 2, 2022 8:10:15 GMT -8
Lotus nods in agreement to the statement regarding the match. She took another sip of water which soothed her voice. Then, she sheathed the practice sword and grabbed a towel to wipe her face of sweat.
" I need to get better at that offensive, your aggressive fighting really tested my defense there. " Lotus gave Wayland a smile.
" Are you signing up for the tourney next month?"
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Post by Wayland on Mar 2, 2022 12:55:25 GMT -8
“I figured going hard, committing, was pretty much my only option,” she explains as they do some basic analysis of their match. The Ogre joins Lotus in putting away her sword and reaching for a towel. “Your guards are so good, if I don’t press you I’ll never get anywhere. And my guards aren’t so good.” She admits that with a smirk and a shrug. It’s the truth. She’s never claimed to be the best fighter, not in any kind of fighting.
Still, her opponent’s compliments flatter her. Lotus is a good fighter. Better than Wayland’s plain competence, at any rate.
“Yeah, I’m planning on it,” she answers the inquiry about the tourney. Wayland’s been signing up for every tourney lately. Everything from the more sports-oriented HEMA matches to the full-contact reenactment battles that leave bruises and cuts under plate armor.
She hasn’t been winning, of course. But her goal hasn’t been to win.
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Lotus Eater
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Presence (4) Capable |Rigid Mask | Winter Mantle | Status (Licensed Security) | Autumn Goodwill (1)
Posts: 74
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Post by Lotus Eater on Mar 5, 2022 12:22:15 GMT -8
Lotus nods sipping her water.
“I need to get better at offensive, I dont have the stamina to hold out defensive against fencers like you” She chuckles and shakes her head slightly , grabbing a towel to wipe away some sweat.
“Well I guess I will see you in the tourney ring” She smiles. The wizened took a moment to observe the ogre as they spoke.
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Post by Wayland on Mar 5, 2022 16:41:25 GMT -8
The ogre smiles, sharp, white teeth showing between her lips. She tilts her water bottle towards Lotus, “Count on it. Unless I get knocked out before we meet.” Despite Wayland’s frequent participation in such events, the highest she’s ever placed in a tournament where the real fighters show up is fourth. And that was a very good day. Some people just devote a lot more time and energy to the art than she spends on it. Most of them are mundies of course, and there are things she could do to tip the odds in her favor… but it wouldn’t be sporting. Wayland doesn’t exercise supernatural power in mortal competitions, not without a good reason.
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Lotus Eater
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Presence (4) Capable |Rigid Mask | Winter Mantle | Status (Licensed Security) | Autumn Goodwill (1)
Posts: 74
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Post by Lotus Eater on Mar 10, 2022 14:44:52 GMT -8
"always possible," She says with a smile. The two of them were talented, more so than most mortals. But in fencing, it could turn on a dime, no matter how skilled.
The winter courtier took in a deep breath before beginning to remove the padding of the armor and move into post work out stretches.
"Outside of swords, you doing alright? Or ya know as good as one could be"
Lotus didn't like to pry; as a winter courtier, she respected and understood the need for privacy. Given this whole last year, the idea of ' good' was relative. The freehold was on the brink and both of them were defenders of different kinds. Stress was to be expected.
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Post by Wayland on Mar 10, 2022 20:38:08 GMT -8
With a soft groan, Wayland goes to a nearby bench and sprawls herself limply down onto it, taking a moment to catch her breath, slow her pulse. In so doing, the Ogre reveals a secret truth: Wayland is lazy. If she were more disciplined, she’d be following the example Lotus sets, swiftly removing her gear and proceeding into a cool-down routine. Instead, she pauses, breathing, eyes distant, and considers an answer to the question posed by the Riddleseeker.
Ironic. With all the lies and partial truths and omissions Wayland has had to distribute lately, that question is almost like a riddle.
Her mouth is already almost forming the standard platitude; ’I’m good.’ It’s a response that hardly requires thinking. An everyday response. An unremarkable response. People say ‘I’m good,’ and then they either expand on that or they don’t. And the common social practice is to think nothing more of it.
Her head tilts to the side slightly, pensive. The truth is, she always feel more honest after a fight. Crossing swords with Lotus is one of the most honest things she’s done with another Changeling in a good while. How honest can she afford to be?
No plan survives contact with the enemy. So she decides to just… try.
“I’m… having a rough time right now,” she finally manages to articulate. And with those words found, only now begins to divest herself of the training armor, unfastening and pushing each piece off at an unhurried pace.
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Lotus Eater
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Presence (4) Capable |Rigid Mask | Winter Mantle | Status (Licensed Security) | Autumn Goodwill (1)
Posts: 74
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Post by Lotus Eater on Mar 12, 2022 17:26:18 GMT -8
Lotus did not seem particularly surprised by Waylands statement, though it was always hard to tell with her, given her mask. She Gave a nod pulling one of her arm guards off and set it down before asking her first question.
“I am sorry to hear that” a beat.
“Is this something you want to talk about? If yes, do you want to vent, or are you seeking advice? Or do you prefer something else?”
The question on it’s surface felt abrasive, and lacking subtly, but this was how Lotus operated. She had a keen sense of others emotions, and could read most subtle cues, but she preferred not to use those tools herself. Clear, concise communication. In fact asking the questions showed Lotus Eaters care in that moment.
She set down the next bracer, before downing more of her water bottle. Her eyes rested patiently on Wayland, allowing the Ogress time to process the offers and advocate for her needs.
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