Sword Fight (Sorry it's so long)

Lafayette walked over to the wall of practice blades. Looking up and down the racks, he settled on a blade that looked to be fairly old. Grabbing it, he gave it a feel, checking the weight, and balance of the blade. Lafayette wanted it to have the same feel as the blade he had been taught to fight in this style. "I have selected my blade," he told Kalena. As he put on a chest guard, which was basically what he wore as armor anyway, he swung his shoulders a few times getting limber, stretching and popping his fingers and neck. "Ready when you are," he told her, though he hadn't taken position yet, as he waited for her to finish getting ready.

Kalena watched him choose an épée, what he earlier had said he preferred to fence with, and she followed suit and plucked another one from the rack, this one a bit more new. The balance was fine, but all the same she considered the sword a pathetic excuse for a weapon. All you could do was stab with an épée. Like Kline, she preferred a weapon with versatility. But she supposed the restriction would spur her to get a little... creative. She handed the sword brusquely to a slave to hold as she pulled a thickly padded white jacket with a built-in metal chest protector over the top of her evening gown. She then slipped out of her heels and nimbly strode to the sparring area where there were lines marked on the floor. She stood on her line to face Lafayette, and with a smile, raised her blade in salute. "Now let's see— what is it they say in your homeland? Ah, yes: En garde, monsieur!" Upon hearing his positive response, she lunged at him aggressively, aiming the blunted tip of her epee at his heart.

At her words Lafayette took an odd stance, in a way that shown it was far more muscle memory and instinct then him puppeting himself in his movements. Something not normal, it would to most seem impractical. Yet he parried and riposted her advancing attack with relative ease. One hand placed behind his back he stood taking a few steps back. Before advancing on her nimbly attempting to prod at her. Lafayette's heels barely touched to floor he began to force her to take steps back now. "Do not take this so seriously, Mademoiselle," he teased her as their épées were locked. "You are how you say...feisty. I like it," he said, seeming to be enjoying himself far too much as he began to counter attack.
(Odd stance

Kalena let the comment go without a retort from her. The chamber echoed with the clatter of the blades that were a blur through the air. Eliza sat on the side of the fighting area, letting out shocked gasps and and cheers through muffled hands. She knew she was meant to be quiet, but it was exciting seeing the woman she looked up to and the man with long red hair fighting in ways she had never seen. Not wanting to distract either from the fight. Lafayette parried a few lunges before hopping back and taking offensive position again.

Kalena, in perfect balance blocked and countered with skill and reflexes honed from nearly a decade of hard training and swordplay. She fended off several thrusts with a series of circular parries and then, for a second, batted Lafayette's épée aside. She leaped to the attack, but he stepped out of the way of her lunge with impressive agility and spinning around, aimed a thrust back at her chest. She parried the stroke and sent a riposte that almost caught him under the ribs. She pressed forward, but to her frustration could not break through Lafayette's defences.

“I must say, I expected that you were good,” Kalena said a bit grudgingly. “But not... this good.”

If she had a sabre, and was not unnaturally restraining herself from injurious and lethal strikes, things might have been a very different story. Still, it was little consolation to her, and a very competitive person, she was determined to beat him at his own game. Surely she was faster than him, and more skilled! She attempted one of her better feints, however Lafayette seemed to see through the deception and almost disarmed her with a move she'd only seen practiced by a swordmaster she'd trained under in his native land. She used the move herself on several occasions when she wanted to really show off, but had not thought to do so in epee fighting.

Lafayette advanced on her yet again, his sword thrusting out. Kalena easily danced back with fluid grace, but suddenly she found her movement impeded by the long hem of her gown that she stepped back on, tripping up her fencing footwork in the process. Lafayette took the chance to lunge and his épée dipped beneath her sword and tapped her on the chest.

Lafayette noticed her trip as his swords tip made contact. In a flourish he pulled his sword back, and swooped his hand behind the small of her back keeping her from falling like the two were only slow dancing, and he had just dipped her. "Merveilleux," he said hoisting her back to solid footing, and hopping back to not be open for an attack. "Viens à moi!" he told her as he stood back ready for her to come at him. He was fired up and ready to keep going. Though he didn't see it as completely fair that he was fighting a woman in a dress and that he was in light easy flowing cloths and lighter chest armor then she was using. He was at an advantage, under normal circumstances at least. As of now they seemed to have had the same trainer though 'The Old Man' trained women different then men. He didn't coddle women but the styles were the only factor that wasn't the same. The Old Man training was enough to break most. Half quit and half of the other half die. The lucky few that live can fight with almost any blade or blunt weapon.

“Prends garde à tes désirs, car ils pourraient se concrétiser,” Kalena replied, enunciating the words with as much precision as she could and forcing a lighthearted smile as she tamped down on her irritation at being shown up at her own sport. The fact he was doing so with such stylishness and flair made it all the worse. With blistering swiftness, she attacked again, employing just a little more cunning and strategy than she heretofore had done; Lafayette really making her elevate her game. She had a risky idea inspired by some of his more unorthodox and showboat moves. Their blades clattered loudly. His footwork continued to prove excellent and as he momentarily backed away, rapidly fending off her blistering fast lunges, she rose almost on her toes like a ballerina and launched a high lunge. It missed the top of his sternum by only a fingerbreadth.

She immediately made to repeat the same high lunge, spurring a backpedalling Lafayette to quickly raise his sword up a second time to parry aside her blade, but with splendid timing Kalena instead suddenly dropped low and slid forward across the floor on her satin dress a few feet, angling the balled tip of her épée and thrusting it into the bottom of his chest guard. It was an old sabre trick usually intended for getting in close to slash a leg or stab an attacker in the groin or stomach, and she doubted too many had ever used it for fencing, let alone with an épée. Having finally scored on him, she grinned with genuine pleasure, feeling like she was having fun now and that all was right in the world again and they were all tied up.

"Oh bravo! Bravo! You could sell tickets for this​!​" Eliza gushed cheerfully.

Feeling the foil slide under his chest guard for a moment started Lafayette causing him to hop back again and reset into his stance. Rolling his shoulders again, he looked at Kalena. "That fire, I love it," he said as they started to go again. Though they were not swinging intentionally the speed at which they were attacking each other and the subsequent ripostes and parries caused it to seem that way. The blades looked like silvery arcs of light, the glint of the metal flashing now and again. The metallic clanking getting louder and more fierce as the match continued. Now neither seemed to gain any ground on the other. The fight was devolving quickly from a simple duel to a show of pride and to see who was the alpha blade user in the room. Lafayette tried to speak over the vicious clanging noises. "You are quite good. I may actually break a sweat." He was teasing her. Now it was more like two wild animals fighting to be pack leader. Something told Lafayette she had gone through the same hell as he did to get this training. The fact she was alive was testament to her skills to be sure, but that old man's training was something Lafayette wouldn't even wish on the Devil.
(Old Man

“I think you stole my line,” Kalena replied, a grin of respect on her face that was framed now by more soft hair that had come loose from her pins as, with great alacrity, she fought off his avalanche of flashing steel. It was nothing short of a stalemate in close as they circled each other on the balls of their feet, deflecting masterful attacks with astonishing ease. She was still of the mind she could beat him in a real fight, and she resisted the impulse to sneak in a fast kick or punch to his body. They were perhaps equally skilled with a sword, but she believed that she probably had the edge when it came to plain old meanness. She was often praised by her former teachers for her ingrained viciousness and killer instinct. Lafayette was likely in contrast a peaceable man by nature, and clearly a romantic. That said, he was certainly one of the finest duellists she'd fought against. The best in years. At length, their swords locked at the hilts, parted and locked again.

“You know your Capo Farro,” Kalena said conversationally. “But what of your Salvator Viggiani?” She broke her foil free and flicked forward swiftly, still determined to gain the upper hand.

Lafayette parried each thrust; but he did so with effort. “Viggiani is difficult to counter...unless one has studied Claude Fristeau!” he said, beating back her attacks with sudden ease.

Laughing, Kalena smiled with mock slyness. “Yes, I find Fristeau cancels out Viggiani too, unless the opponent knows Konstantinos Dragomis, which I do!” Her foil feinted toward his side then smoothly switched directions into a thrust straight at his heart.

Lafayette managed to move out of the way just in time. "This fact may be true. However their is something you must know. I am not right-handed," he said switching hands and speeding up slightly. Though he seemed to still be pacing himself. He wasn't taking it easy on her but he wasn't sure how long this could last if they both didn't hold back. He was having a good time after all. Put he knew they were almost even aspects, though there was clearly a difference in skill set. By Lafayette's best guess the same result would have been meet with short swords as well.

“You think to impress me with that, Inigo? Any good swordsman has been trained to be ambidextrous,” Kalena scoffed, following suit and smoothly switching her sword to her other hand without missing a beat. Actually it was her special assassin's training that had made her able to use both hands equally well. In a street fight, with her free hand, she could have hurled a dagger at him, and as he went to block it, she could have thrust him through with her sword. But considering the supreme level of skill and aptitude he had been demonstrating the past few minutes she tended to doubt Lafayette could be dealt with so easily as that. Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed Kline leaning against the wall, watching the fight. To a pure and practical military man like him she wondered if he viewed she and Lafayette as little more than a couple of silly circus performers. With a tight smile, Kalena spun around again and darted in from the right, angling her epee to quickly catch Lafayette in the side.

Lafayette felt the epee poke his side as he did the same to her. Even for points he took a hop back. "I would have to say, it is good that we are not using anything that could actually kill," he said. "We would both be bleeding." Lafayette commented with a grin he took his stance again.

“Such as the live blade of sabre or a fioretto?” Kalena​ ​fired a lightning riposte ​that ​he barely blocked. “I should think we would not just be bleeding, but one of us would certainly be dead.”

"How long do you want to keep this up?" he questioned her. He wouldn't stop if she didn't want to. After all, he did enjoy pleasing women. "I just do not want to be too exhausted to enjoy your elaborate party," he added, giving the epee a taunting circular flick. Causing the tip to rotate as if to beckon her to 'come at him', he was willing to stop or keep fighting either was fine but he wasn't going to give up. Lafayette wouldn't give in to her, and wouldn't lose.

“Surely you're not getting tired?” Kalena said goadingly, then she flashed a smile and put up her sword. “But I suppose there is little real need to continue. You've more than proved your mettle as a swordsman, and do your countrymen proud, who I know have a long fencing tradition. Perhaps we can spar again in the morrow?” Dewa's Tears! she thought. It would certainly be a good work out! She wondered if Lafayette was also trained in any of the obscure hand-to-hand combat arts?

Lafayette let out a long breath, "Tired is not the right word. Simply Wish to have energy for the party." he said, looking at her before giving the epee another fancy flourish that he chained fluidly into a bow. As a sign of a fight well fought. "I would very much enjoy a second chance to spar. Perhaps next time you can choose the method of combat." he said stepping out of the would be ring to put the blade away, and to take off the armor. "That was something to be sure." he said.

Eliza approached the two. "How are you two so fast?" she asked them​.​ "I have never seen anything quite like that​.​" she said. before musing something rather cliche​​. "I bet if you two fought side by side you could kill over one hundred men easily." she said, " "Like in a story book or a bards ballet." Eliza added, to which Lafayette just shrugged, "I do not know if that is possible. It would take a true savage to do something like that." he said.