#n yes we start in the middle of it all. I'll backtrack eventually but for now it's all good

[ace-malarky]

Snippet Sunday 29/12

Hello here is. a? Halliel sword fight scene? It isn't the one I started writing last week and it also isn't the one I intended to write, so

There will be at least three Halliel sword fights for you eventually lmao

~~

Halliel side-stepped, slapping her opponent's shoulder as he lunged into her space.

He stumbled, recovered, tried to shoulder-barge her.

Halliel was already pushing back, wings opening in a reflexive movement to make herself look bigger.

Her opponent - dog-formed, his ears tipped back and short tail stiff behind him - shook his head and dropped back to a starting position.

Halliel reset her grip on her sword, tilting her head to watch.

He was light on his feet, quiet against the murmur of the spectators. Fast, with the muscles to back it up.

She couldn't remember his name. They had been introduced.

Halliel stepped in, meeting his position with the next sequence. This was a show, it was just entertainment, there were rules.

He broke them immediately, jumping from second to fifth to a new set entirely.

Halliel gritted her teeth, blade screeching against his in a hasty block that had her staggering back.

She steadied herself with a swirl of her wings, beating up the dust on the ring around them.

He smirked at her, sword point lowering to the ground. Blood running down its edge.

There was a thin burn in Halliel's leg, a rip in the fabric of her trousers.

When had he…?

Halliel spread her wings and threw herself three paces to the side and then into the air, twisting over to bring her sword down at his head.

If he wasn't going to play by the rules, then why should she?

He blocked, arching backwards, sword flat against the gloved palm of his hand as Halliel pulled back to correct her flight.

For a second, she thought she saw Syn amongst the audience, but those antlers weren't nearly branching enough.

She landed in time to divert his next hit and folded her wings out of the way.

He was baring his teeth in something that could have been a grin.

Halliel didn't bother responding in kind; she set up the next set of attacks and pressed in, pushing him back to the edge of the ring, not giving him space to change the name of it all. Her wings were rising again, spreading out, eclipsing him in her shadow.

The bell pealed out, signalling the end of their bout.

Halliel stepped back, pulled her wings back in, returned to rest.

Her opponent straightened up, lowering his sword. "A good match," he said, winded.

Halliel nodded. "Yes," she replied, remembering her manners. "You had some… elegant switches."

He laughed. "I'd be interested," he said, stepping to her side and bowing to their audience together, "in another match. Perhaps without the rules of a showcase involved."

Halliel snorted. "So you have less to pay attention to?"

"So you can make better use of your wings," he returned.

"I'll think about it."

The prince and Rion were approaching. He had the dragon touched bodyguard at his shoulder today, and they were watching Halliel like they were sizing her up for a fight of their own.

She wanted to fight them so badly but she hadn't seen their name on the list of fighters.

Coward.