7333/Parry! Dodge! Spin!

Parry! Dodge! Spin!
Date of Scene:	11 August 2021
Location:	Battery Park City
Synopsis:	Fandral does a fencing exhibition with Kaida and Cliff, while the Valkyrie observes
Cast of Characters:	Fandral, Clifford Secord, Brunnhilde, Kaida Connolly

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Fandral has posed:
Fandral has been visiting Midgard for a few hours and, frankly, he's already finding it delightful. He had some form of street sausage which apparently is made of dog, which sounds off-putting but turned out to be rather delicious, especially with this yellow sauce. He has seen women clad so scantily that even he was scandalized and he once visited the Rampant Wenches of the Heather Hills during a particularly raucous quest for a lost chestplate belonging to a rather buxom shield maiden.

Now, he seems to have found his place when there's a fencing club practicing in Battery Park, the dashing hero engaging them in turn and defeating each with their weapon of choice, while his own sword gleams at his hip.

"I would use my own blade, yet it would snap yours like a twig, good sir, for it is both firm and girthy, or so I have been told reliably by some of the finest warriors."

Clifford Secord has posed:
     "I suppose that puts me in good luck then." Clifford offers as he pulls off his helmet revealing a head of brown hair parted perfectly in the center and a dashing smile. "This is more a hobby for me than a blood sport after all." The young looking man tosses the fencing helmet to one side and runs a hand through his hair flicking the sweat away with a light flick.

     He adjusts his stance with both feet hitting onto the ground as he's recently been bested by none other than Fandral in one on one fencing combat. There's a cocksureness about him as he tosses the sword into its holder removing his gloves only to reveal another pair of black leather gloves beneath his fencing gloves as he walks around the park pulling off his fencing gear for the time being.

     "Still I suppose it didn't stop things being a slaughter." He laughs and flashes a bright smile of pure white teeth. "Good learning experience all the same." He throws out a single hand towards Fandral.

Brunnhilde has posed:
"Alright, alright. Nice, nice, nice," Brunnhilde calls from a park bench nearby, accentuating every word with a slow measured clap. The words could be a jeer or genuine. Difficult to tell.

Then she settles back, limbs splayed wide. And drinks from a vessel hidden in a small brown paper bag. There have been worse days.

Fandral has posed:
Fandral places the tip of his blade against the ground and smiles at Cliff, "You have good instincts and burgeoning skill, fair warrior. Take it as no slight that you cannot defeat Fandral the Bold, for I am renowned throughout the Nine Realms for my skill with a sword. Among my other numerous talents, of course," he says, stroking his mustache.

He looks back over his shoulder at Brunnhilde, "Your acclaim, while faint, is nonetheless appreciated, fair one. By the looks of thy sinews, you have a ferocious aspect of your own."

Kaida Connolly has posed:
"Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow!" Kaida says to no one in particular when she spots what is happening. She wasn't really saying that when she first saw the fencers. She wasn't eager to see a bunch of amatuers fighting. By no means. However, when she saw Fandral going at it, she was rather impressed. She was already mimicing him on the ground. Watching and following along with her own sword. Of course, most people have no idea she's even there in the grass given she's only six inches tall.

She watches more as now Clifford hops in and she scampers closer, peering at Brunnhilde briefly and then back to the fighters, moving to beside her and trying to get a better view.

Clifford Secord has posed:
     Cliff makes his way over to the side so that the other fencers can have their fun making sure to get out of their path. He's got a joyous gait even in the face of his loss. The smile never once leaves his face even as he tries to work out in his head how he can do better next time around.

     "Must have lost track of a few continents over the years, last I knew there were seven." He offers as he looks down towards his water bottle before snagging up the one with his name on it for a quick drink of liquid refreshment. "Might need to catch up on my geography." He chuckles to himself as he tosses the bottle back down, managing to miss hitting the small mouse on the ground whom he had yet to notice in the moment.

Brunnhilde has posed:
Brunnhilde sniffs and smirks, "You wanna have a go?"

No reason to boast of her own skills. If Fandral tries his arm, he will rememeber the might of the Valkyrior.

Fandral has posed:
Fandral shakes his head to Brunnhilde, "Nay, milady. I have fought alongside your cadre before and know all too well the ferocity of the maidens of Valhalla. I am far too fond of my pretty neck to put it at risk should I cut you and incur your wrath," he says.

He grins at Kaida's enthusiasm, giving another flourishing bow in her direction, then speaks to Cliff, "I know not of continents, but I speak of the Nine Realms. Asgard, the Shining Realm, is my own home, although I have become fond of Midgard. Especially in this new age, when even the lowliest hamlet shines with light as if cast in the glow of the brightest moon."

Kaida Connolly has posed:
A quick blink comes to Kaida as she bowed to and then blinks again. She quickly looks behind and above herself before realizing that the sword guy was actually bowing to her. She gets a little giddy and bounces before she rushes forward and leaps to before Fandral and pulls out her blade. It's literaly just a piece of sharpened metal with a leather shoelace tied about it for a hilt. As far as very tiny blades go, it's actually not all that bad.

"I can be your next opponent! I bet I can learn a lot!" She nods and then giggles, "Assuming you can even score a hit." She bounces a little, assuming a fencing pose.

Clifford Secord has posed:
     "That's me out of the loop." Cliff pulls out a lighter from his pocket and pulls it up in his hand before pausing as he tries to follow who the other man is bowing to. He'd obviously missed it in the first place otherwise he wouldn't have tossed his waterbottle down quite where it had landed.

     When he catches sight of it he's completely unable to make the next motion that he had planned as suddenly there's a talking mouse. He flicks the lighter back shut in his hand tossing it into his pocket and locking the latch back shut into place

     "Alright so I'm very out of the loop." He pauses for a long moment, double taking towards his water bottle. A long moments pause to wonder if he'd been drugged before this whole conversation had taken place or if it really was a talking mouse. "This is what I get for retiring." Spoken by the man who looks to be in his early 30's at the absolute latest.

Brunnhilde has posed:
Brunnhilde squints down at Kaida. "Oh, so you're *real*. I thought I was hearing things. Little squeaky fighty voices."

She takes another pull from her brown bagged bottle. Since the little apparition can be seen by everybody, she obviously hasn't had too much. Maybe just enough for this situation, in fact.

"Nice to meet you. All." She looks up to include the two men with the final utterance.

Fandral has posed:
Fandral drops down to kneel and get a good look at Kaida, one hand resting on the pommel of his own fabled sword, "Aren't you the very picture of bravado and spirit? Whatever size your body may be, my bewhiskered lady, thou art not lacking in heart! I am unsure if I have a weapon suited to give you a proper duel - even my smallest dagger t'would be enough to dwarf thee. But if you have a spare weapon of your own, I will do my best, although I prithee have mercy if my knuckles do start to bleed," he says, "And worry, not, fair fencer. I myself have visited Midgard but sparsely in the last five hundred years or so, and never for long. Not since SHerwood. As for you, you shall be respected for your are Valkryior, even if you are one deep in the midst of a drunk. I fear what such circumstances that could bring you so low, but then I have swum the wine seas a few times mine own self."

Kaida Connolly has posed:
A look over at Brunnhilde and Clifford and Kaida briefly laughs, "I am not a figment or anything like that. I'm very real." She puts a hand on her hip and nods before pointing her blade once more at Fandral, "As for you, you do not need a sword my size." She nods her head, "While miy style may be unconvention, I am not asking for any handicap." She then grins and moves to the side with incredible alacrity before doing just as agile and much faster zip to the right.

"You have to be able to even hit me first!" She laughs and nods her head as she dances from spot to spot, "And I have learned long ago to fight those who are greater than my size!"

Clifford Secord has posed:
     "Got me beat" Cliff admits as he looks down towards himself suddenly feeling much more confident about his age than he did just a few seconds prior. Presuming the other man was telling the truth of course which was a big presumption but then again talking mouse. Talking mouse seemed to be a counterpoint for most of his doubts at the moment.

     He takes his way back a few steps before introducing himself "Clif, retiree at your service." He says it with all the confidence of a man who was speaking a proper job title, than again for him it was his proper job title now.

Brunnhilde has posed:
Brunnhilde laughs, "A mighty warrior indeed. Stab him in the bollocks, girl. If you can stand the stench of manly musk." She raises her drink; a toast to violence.

Then she turns to Fandral. "Well, come on man. First time you've had a rodent up your trousers? Shake a leg." It seems her belligerence is meted out in equal harmless measures. Despite that rankling drunk comment.

Fandral has posed:
Fandral picks up Fimbuldraugr, his trusted longsword, and flips it into the air, letting it land in his palm. "You may mock, but I see the spirit of the warrior in the eyes of the girl. Mouse or no mouse. If she wishes to engage in combat, then let it not be said that Fandral the Brave denied her the right."

He shifts and extends his blade at length, one knee bend and the other leg straight, "Alright then, Lady Mouse Knight - have at thee!"

Kaida Connolly has posed:
A look over at the pair of onlookers along with the other people gawking and Kaida grins as she adjusts her stance ever so slightly and then blinks, "i'm not stabbin' anyone in any bollocks nor do I wish to smell them." She then shudders and shakes her head before she nods to Fandral, "Well, then, en guarde!" And with that, she's suddenly rushing in close to try to get a quick stab at the man's ankle. Skill might trump speed but she's fast. Way faster than any mouse or even human has any right to be.

Clifford Secord has posed:
     Clif takes off to one side getting out of the way as the mouse travels at her superhuman speeds towards her target. He watches closely the movements as he backs up a little further as he looks from one figure to the next.

Brunnhilde has posed:
"Me, mock? never!" Brunnhilde says to Fandral. "My money's on the little mouse girl."

Then aside to Cliff, "What are the odds, do ya think? I'll give you four to one."

Fandral has posed:
Alas for Kaida, Fandral is neither man nor mouse but, in fact, a son of the Shining Realm. The Asgardian's speed, too, is far greater than an ordinary human and so he flicks is sword out, defelecting that rapid stab. Still, he cedes ground slightly for, indeed, attempting to strike at so small a target seems both daunting and, perhaps, cruel.

"My own fair nature betrays me, for I fear to strike at thee lest I wound you to the quick!"

Kaida Connolly has posed:
A grin comes to Kaida's lips as she watches him, zipping back and forth, not making another attack as she watches him, "If I'm bein' honest, I'm bein' fair, too." She zips back several steps and grins at Brunnehilde, "Thanks!" She then turns back to Fandral and waggles her sword.

"Ya see, I wanted to see you fight up close so I can learn. Add it to my style." She then suddenly is gone in a blur that is massively faster. It's hard to tell even where she went because of the grass. A blur of motion went into the grass somewhere before suddenly there's another blur of motion and she's rushing by Fandral's ankle to behind him.

"Ha!" She calls out, reaching out to give teh back of his shoe a poke before laughing, "I'm not so easiliy hit!"

Brunnhilde has posed:
Brunnhilde laughs and claps. "Toldja," she says grinning."Smart money's on the mouse-girl."

Fandral has posed:
Fandral feels that nip at his heel and leaps into the air, backflipping to land on his feet and flick his silvered blade through an elaborate figure in the air, throwing around a bit of wind, "Zounds! You are quick as a half-stole breath! Truly impressive. If only you had the capacity to inflict more damage. With that blade, however, lest it carry some enchantment, it canst not harm a son of Asgard. Lucky for me, for I think you might pierce my bodkin more than once," he says.

"But can you do more than dodge? Can you parry?" he asks, darting forward with a few rapid, shallow slashes, more meant to tate the measure of her blade than to cause harm.

Kaida Connolly has posed:
A giggle as she watches him flip and she lets out a gasping wow. She then blinks as he comes back at her and she does what she usually does in these situations. He asked her to parry so she, uh, well, parries? It's not exactly what one might expect of a parry and it is clumsy. She's good but not an expert with a blade.

Rather than precisely parry away the blade or even block it, she uses her sword and light body to ride his blade. He stabs and she jumps up while holding her blade to his. It causes her blade to ride over his blade but after only one shot she is letting out a cry and dodging.

"Stop! Stop!" She calls out and dances away, while looking at her sword with concern. It has a nick right down the middle and she hugs it a little as she backs up, frowning with concern.

Fandral has posed:
Fandral holds up his hands and gives a slight wince, "Aye, I feared as much. Asgardian steel has few rivals in the realm of Midgard, even among the blades of the taller specimens," he says.

"Perhaps, instead, we might discuss the joys of swordfighting over a fine beverage and a bit of cheese? I have something of a weakness for cheese myself, I don't know if you favor it."

Kaida Connolly has posed:
A frown as she steps back and away from him before nodding, "Sure." She states and looks closely at her blade before carefully sliding it away. She shakes her haed a little and sighs. Her ears droop now a little and her tail seems less, rigid. She looks over to him and tries to muster a smile, "I do like cheese." She nods some before gesturing for him to lead the way but her hand now rests clearly on the hilt of her blade.