Rowaini Musketeers: One For All and All For One

[Rystil Arden]

Jacen blinks, then slaps his forehead. "Right...right, sorry. We'd been through that before."

With an apologetic grin he goes and fetches the stick. "The wine is very good tonight. Maybe a bit too good. Anyway! I'll start slow so you can see how it works...but in a real fight you have to be much quicker. Your basic defensive stance is like so.."

He holds the stick out at an angle, tilting it towards Marie with his other hand counterbalancing him backwards.

"Knees bent so you can react, sword out so he can't just rush in at you, center of gravity right between your feet, letting you shift quickly to react..."

He demonstrates this, rocking to the sides, and forward and back.

"If you want to press an attack, you would hold the tip out straighter, or even at a downward angle so it's a touch harder to block...and lean forward a bit so your weight pulls you towards your foe..."

The various techniques he'd learned from his father and later from the drill sergeant at the Musketeers come back to him easily, and he shows Marie several maneuvers he'd learned before getting thirsty enough to pause and take a drink from his wine.

"Honestly, Marie...there's no reason a woman couldn't learn this. None of this requires massive muscles. It's all leveraged weight and speed...things women possess in equal measure to men. I mean, look at me..."

Jacen grins. "I'm not a big lad, but I can fence Sir Tristan as long as he doesn't just run me down like a mad bull."

*Marie stares raptly and breathlessly at Jacen's displays her big blue eyes wide and moving quickly to follow every one of his motions.*

"Do you mean it? Really, I...do you think..."

*She moves in closer to examine Jacen, then his practice blade, and then Jacen again. Then she gazes up into his eyes, her hand running down his arms, stroking his fingers until it stops at the 'hilt' of the faux sword.*

"Do you think I could..."

"Hands off the sword, Sister. I was wondering where you had gone. I knew no good could come of your sneaking away in the middle of the party."

"Guillaume! No...I..."

"Your body language says everything, Marie. You know that it is forbidden for you to learn the blade. It is an insult to everything we stand for. It's an insult to me, especially--you know that I'm in training with the Jurai blademasters. Women cannot learn the blade, especially not you. It is forbidden. Women are too weak--in both body and will. It would break you. Marie, my little sister, you know I care for you. It would crush our father's heart if you were broken so."

*He turns to Jacen with a glower.*

"And you! What's the idea, huh?"

 

[Rystil Arden]

"Oh, we get some free time now and again. But often when gala's come around, we are the ones on duty, so I have not had to opportunity to dance and socialize much, though I have been at balls. We have been patrolling the area around here, and happened to find our selves invited. Seems Royal Musketeers are enough of a novelty to warrant inclusion." says Tristan with a smile.

"It seems your sister is quite taken with young Tommy" he adds.

"Seems, Tristan? Nay, it is. I know not seems," Angelique smiles, "But it is true. There is nothing more attractive to my sister or to me than being as close to the Angels as Tommy is..."

 

[Shayuri]

Jacen quickly turns and lowers the stick.

"No offense," he says quickly. "I was just..." he pauses, but only for a second...then manages an embarrassed expression.

"I was just showing off a bit to a pretty woman." He nods at the two wineglasses there on the stone ledge. "The wine and her beauty went a bit to my head...I suspect I was starting to bore her with all that swooping around with this." He thumps the stick ruefully.

 

[Rystil Arden]

Jacen quickly turns and lowers the stick.

"Enough! I heard whispers among those at the party that you were some sort of young blade technique genius, but you use it in such a petty way...You are a discredit to your blade and a dishonour to whomever taught you the sword. Someone like that...those rumours are obviously exaggerated. I'll put an end to that here," he puts a hand to his blade.

"Guillaume, wait! No! You're not even an initiate yet, you aren't supposed to..."

"Quiet," he turns to Jacen, "Standard Arralan style, best of three?"

 

[Shayuri]

Jacen sighs. At least he's mad at me, not her...

"Guillaume, are you sure?" he asks. "I don't want to ruin the party or offend you or your sister...but if you really want to challenge me, I will accept. My honor and the honor of the Musketeers demand nothing less."

He places his own hand to his sword hilt, eyes never leaving Guillaume.

"By the terms you set, draw steel on your count of three...if you choose. If not, then I'd suggest we all go back in to enjoy the dance. What do you say?"

 

[Rystil Arden]

“No, not at all...” Gabriel says before the inevitable dousing, to which he mounts no resistance, so the front of his jacket is doused with wine along with his face.

Licking his lips after Valerie moves back, he says with a chuckle and a grin, “Mmm, refreshing, and I approve most heartily of your method of getting a taste of the wine offered, though I usually prefer to drink my wine rather than wear it.”

“As I was about to say though, before I received my impromptu soaking, it was not I that laid the hand upon you, lovely Valerie, but my dance partner, playing a prank on us both. And while my comment was but an innocent, if audacious, response to your slap and seeing your beauty, it was evidently the exact wrong thing to say, which the second slap made quite clear.”

"Sure it wasn't you. Granted, you were dancing with the incorrigable Zoe Arobin, but if that was enough excuse, then more men would dance her just to blame their actions on her childishness. The flying ink? That was obviously Zoe. Melisante falling over? Probably also Zoe. But no, I'm thinking the wandering hand was all you. It seems about your style. Now if you don't mind, I was just talking to Albert here--"

"That's Algus."

"Oh yes, of course! Sorry dear. Just talking with Algus about what it's like to work with the Marquis."

*She turns back towards Albert...err Algus.*

 

[Rystil Arden]

*Guillaume does not reply to Jacen but instead says to Marie.*

"Stay back, now, and keep away. This is dangerous and no place for a woman."

*Then he turns to Jacen.*

"One..." he waits for Jacen to join him in counting before finishing Two...Three!

(OOC: Initiative--Jacen wins Initiative.

The way Arralan works is very simple. You pull the strikes to make nonlethal blows (and also to exhibit prowess with the sword, as novices have trouble doing this safely and landing blows). When someone makes a strike, you back up to initial starting distance and begin (read--roll Initiative) again with the next bout)

 

[Shayuri]

Init 14 http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1401748

Jacen opens conservatively, keeping his sword more on defense than offense, but testing his foe's ability to defend with a cautious swat of his flat.

(Combat Expertise -2, for +2 AC (AC 18 this round), striking nonlethally as well for a total penalty of -6. Attack roll: Hah! 6 http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1401751 )

 

[Rystil Arden]

*Guillaume easily parries the exploratory swat from Jacen and returns with a canny riposte into what looked like an opening, but Jacen was expecting that all along, so he easily deflects the attack, barely even moving his arm.*

(OOC: Jacen again)

 

[unleashed]

"Sure it wasn't you. Granted, you were dancing with the incorrigable Zoe Arobin, but if that was enough excuse, then more men would dance her just to blame their actions on her childishness. The flying ink? That was obviously Zoe. Melisante falling over? Probably also Zoe. But no, I'm thinking the wandering hand was all you. It seems about your style. Now if you don't mind, I was just talking to Albert here--"

"That's Algus."

"Oh yes, of course! Sorry dear. Just talking with Algus about what it's like to work with the Marquis."

*She turns back towards Albert...err Algus.*

Gabriel sighs and shakes his head in exasperation, “About my style? Considering Zoe’s first prank towards me this evening was trying to make me believe I had bedded her some time in the past, I wouldn’t put anything past her. Believe as you will though, Valerie, but quite frankly I didn’t even know you were there until I saw your hand coming my way, as my attention was on my dance partner ... which is as it should be.”

*Gabriel then bows and turns away, apparently looking for another group to mingle with, though it is more a pretence to allow Valerie time to process what he’s said and to give her a chance to reply, as he’s going to look for somewhere to clean up once he actually departs.*