Blademaster hopes to joins the ranks...

[Jaydena]

Lyssa looked around and headed out to one of the biggest days or her life, today she hoped that she would become a Blademaster, she had waited years and she had fought hard to get here. She hoped she was ready, but she would have to fight and find out if this was true. Today she was wearing her clothes she wore to train in, a part of her had wanted to dress up, but this was not a fashion contest, it was about showing herself to be worthy to be a Blademaster and protect Aes Sedai, the women she would give her life for. The black britched were made a light material which moved easily and stretched without the potential to get caught on anything. She wore a white shirt of the same material and knee high boots of a soft leather. Around her neck she wore her necklace for good luck and her black hair was pinned on her head out of the way. Her swordbelt was around her waist and her sword was hooked to it, as well as her daggers.

 

Turning toward the glade as she walked she was glad she had warmed up already and felt in the best condition to do this. She had stretched and done all she could to be ready. Mentally prepared herself as best she could. Lys had no idea who she would be facing today, it wouldn't be easy and there were quite a few Blademasters in the Tower so it could be any of them. She finally reached the glade and saw that she was the first to arrive, she continued stretching and waited for everyone to arrive, hoping she didn't have the day wrong or something...

 

Lyssa Simeone

[Arie]

 

The was cold, the weather turning unusually, but it had little to no effect on Cairma's morning routine. Perhaps a little warmer tunic, but  otherwise unaffected. Bathing for the morning, She headed out in the pre-dawn hours before even the most dedicated were out so that way she could practice in peace. Since her return to the Tower, she had taken on 4 trainee's which left her pleasantly busy during the day, and she even recently mentioned to Thera that she was willing to take on at least 2 more if there were need for trainers. There was simply something satisfying about teaching that never left her even if she left it behind on the road to Kings Crossing. Cairma even secretly hoped one day Aran's son would be among the ranks of the Yard.

 

Morning was the perfect time to practice for her. Although beast we retired from all her spars and any outing unless to the Blight, she still kept her skills with the 6 foot sword as if it was still her lifeline. Even the heavier lathe was just as good for practice as it not only made her movements stronger but it also made for the perfect workout. Slowly moving gracefully through her forms, for the first few hours of the day, and chose to stop when the yards started to entertain sleepy trainees. Turning to leave, she saw Lyssa approaching.

 

"You are up early, Lys. I would have though you'd sleep in a little."

 

 

 

 

Cairma Vishnu

Grandmaster

Formerly of the RenShai

[_Kynwric_]

Kynwric had known that Lyssa was approaching the time for a bout, it had been passed on to him when he had attained the rank of Blademaster, to be watchful for one who could reach that far themselves. Kyn was dressed much as he usually did, breeches and shirt. However, unlike a normal day he strapped his sword belt on, having freshly polished and honed it last night and hefted his shield into place, suspending it from its carry strap. Kyn swung the shield around so as to have it carried across his back and stepped out onto the yard. He spotted Lyssa and Cairma standing next to each other. Kyn deliberately crossed the space between them and greeted them with a nod and smile. "Good morning ladies. Looks to be the makings of a fine day."

[Jaydena]

Lyssa turned as she saw Cairma approach her, she smiled at the woman and was about to speak when Cairma began speaking, "You are up early, Lys. I would have though you'd sleep in a little." She laughed and then spoke, "Cairma, you know me better than that, I would rather be awake when the sun is shining and not sleeping the day away. I have things to do and one of those things is training to be the best Tower Guard I can and to hopefully some day bond a Aes Sedai. I would think you would be asleep yourself my dear, since you don't have to be woken up at the crack of dawn anymore." She lowered her voice, "Since my Mother left, I have to find someone else to bond me if the Light allows, so I need to spend my time in the yards training, I need to be better in everything." She chuckled, "On top of that, there are always Aes Sedai looking for fresh meat when we are out in the Yard." As she waited for Cairma to reply she noticed another man approaching, she took a deep breath and wondered if he was here to test her, she recognized him ans Kynwric Larind, the Gaidin of Loraine Sedai. He was well known for being a fair and honest task master and seemed to be totally devoted to Loraine Sedai from what she had seen.

 

He approached them and spoke, "Good morning ladies. Looks to be the makings of a fine day." She nodded and smiled at him softly before speaking, "Well it's not the warmest day in history but the sun is shining and you know what they say about making hay while the sun is shining." She chuckled softly and then continued, "How are you today Kynwric Gaidin? This is Cairma Vishnu in case the two of you haven't met, she is my long time friend and also my roommate in the barracks." She motioned towards Cairma who was standing with her weapons in their sheaths looking quite dangerous indeed. Lys slowly calmed her breathing and adopted as peaceful a feeling as she could, drowing herself in the Void. If today was the day it was, if it wasn't than it would come another day. She knew that at some point she would earn the right to join the ranks of Blademaster, she had trained hard and would continue to do so...

 

 

Lyssa Simeone

 

[Arie]

Ooc: quick thread, As I think it would be best if you challenged us then us pushing the spar onto Lyssa. :)

 

IC:

 

 

Cairma smiled at Kynwric and then back to Lyssa. "We've met. Over a few pints at the very least, hm?" Cairma noticed the shuffle in Lyssa's steps, and her hand started to rest on the hilt of her sword on the right hip. "This isn't just a morning full of pleasantries, is it Lyssa?" There was that look, a look of searching and judgement, Cairma settled on her roommate. Things were never very easy and she guessed that now with her return to the yard, a good amount of politics would follow. if only it wasn't Lyssa...

[_Kynwric_]

Kynwric silently agreed with Cairma, nodding. "At the very least a few." Kyn noticed the change in Lyssa's stance. What wasn't being spoken of was the discussions of Lyssa's readiness to be tested, he knew Cairma had been gone for some time and wondered if she had been brought up to speed on Lyssa's progress with a blade. Kyn took up Cairma's question for Lyssa, "That all depends on whether Lyssa feels ready, advancement takes courage and courage cannot be bought by others." Kyn turned his gaze back to Lyssa, giving her a nudge. "Much as it is in the wild, Alphas do not fight unless challenged."

[Jaydena]

Ooc: LOL ya wasn't sure how to do it as I have never seen one of these before.

 

IC:

 

Her friend smiled at the other man and then turned back to her before speaking, "We've met. Over a few pints at the very least, hm?" Lyssa changed her stance quite carefully, not sure what to expect and laid her hand on the hilt of her sword again. "This isn't just a morning full of pleasantries, is it Lyssa?" She touched her hand to the blade at her waist again and looked over at Kynwric as he spoke, "At the very least a few." "That all depends on whether Lyssa feels ready, advancement takes courage and courage cannot be bought by others." He looked back at her with his battle ready eyes, the picture of a warder who had defended an Aes Sedai for many years and had every confidence in his abilities to protect her to die for her if need be. Someday she hoped to be bonded to a Aes Sedai and to be worthy of her loyalty as Kyn was. "Much as it is in the wild, Alphas do not fight unless challenged." She shifted to the balls of her feet and nodded, the moment had come, everything she had worked for, years of sweat, pain, occasional tears, and blood. Gazing deeply into his eyes she spoke, "I am ready to challenge the alpha's, I have worked long and hard, and the blade is one with me, as is my heart, soul, and my body. Only by challenging will I know if I am worthy to walk with the alpha's and I believe I am." She looked over at Cairma and spoke, "I am ready to fight you Cairma, I have always looked up to you, and I am ready to walk at your side as your equal." She waited for a response from either of them as she thought again about what had led her here.

 

Her mother had led her hear, the ever cold Sirayn Sedai, who had left her children to be raised by another woman and then had basically ignored them. Oh they had recieved presents on occasion, sometimes in a bundle for several years worth of forgotten birthdays and holiday. Once they had even met her and she had been awed by her Mothers beauty, her beautiful gray eyes, her strong personality, and her own mirror image. She had looked so much like her Mother at that young age, other than the bright blue eyes and longer hair that she had then had. As she had grown she had eclipsed her Mothers own short height. Her height she had gotten she could only assume from the rapist who had begat her. When she had decided she was old enough she had traveled here to confront her Mother and to be an Aes Sedai. Obviously that hadn't worked out she thought with ironic humor. Here I stand, ready to challenge to Blademasters to a battle. Wrapping her hand more firmly around the sword she waited for the two to say something or do something...

 

Lyssa Simeone

[Arie]

 

Another one? Did she have a bulls-eye on her forehead that proclaimed 'pick me! pick me!'? it took only a few words from Lyssa that otherwise would have left her frowning. 'I have always looked up to you, and I am ready to walk at your side as your equal.'. Were it any other place in the Tower, Cairma would have embraced her and taken her out for ale. Or ... something. Moaning mentally that she could not take it easy on the woman, Cairma bowed her head towards her friend, Beast gleaming in the sunlight from the changing in angles. "I accept your challenge, Lyssa Simeone. Let us see if you are ready to start meeting me as a Blademaster. Shall we dance?"

 

The words left her lips with her usual glint of a smile in her eyes. Dance of the blades, there was an elevated amount of excitement in her blood as Lyssa took a stance across from her. Surprising herself, Cairma could tell that she really wanted to spar with Lyssa and that she had wanted to for quite a long time. She didn't think that Lyssa could beat her, still not long since she was a trainee, yet there was no doubt that the other woman was getting better. How much, she was about to find out.

 

Lyssa was the first too move, and Cairma easily parried with her larger blade. Noting the speed, Cairma centered her mind deep within herself, and allowed the earth, the air, the sound of the blades meeting in their dance guide her in her moves. Too long has it been since she sparred with her beloved sword. Practically of the 6 foot blade made wielding it tiring and even she could not wield it for hours without defaulting back to lighter and quicker blades. Catching Lyssa's blade near her face with a block with Beasts hilt, Cairma pushed against the blade and forced Lyssa on the defense with an under swipe of her blade that arced up against her blade that she barely made it down in time to block. Well done, Cairma noted with a smile. She didn't let the approval show, yet the enjoyment of the spar was evident. Keeping Lyssa on the offense, Cairma eased off enough to give Lyssa a chance to fight back.

 

 

 

[Jaydena]

After a tensing up in her friends body for a brief moment, Cairma finally bowed her head and spoke,  "I accept your challenge, Lyssa Simeone. Let us see if you are ready to start meeting me as a Blademaster. Shall we dance?" Cairma's eyes smiled at her and the light glinted off of her giant sword, she remembered well the first time she had seen that sword, and been convinced that the woman would fall over if she tried to wield a sword that large. She hadn't fallen over and she had yet to see her handle it with anything but grace and fierceness. Moving in Leopard in the Tree, she bent her knees slightly and and began to circle the other woman, her emotions feeding into the Spring as she prepared to make her first strike, this woman was cunning and not one to be messed with. Her sword clashed with Cairma's as she spun into several moves, thrusting and striking quickly, also aware that Kyn could join in at any moment. Her feet continued to move as she stayed aware of Cairma's movement. Cairma moved the blade toward her face and she was forced to block the movement, barely avoiding Cairma's blade as it arched towards her face.

 

She remembered many a spar with this woman and with Aran whose technique was much like Cairma's. Keeping watch out of the corner of her eye for Kyn she made another attempt at disarming the woman. Shaking her head she refocused on Cairma's blade and made a series of thrusts called Twisting in Wind and then moved into Stones Falling from the Cliff as Cairma blocked the attack. She was barely fazed at this point, as part of her was aware that Cairma has always been better than her but that she was much closer to her skill than she used to be. As Cairma blocked those forms she spun into  Twisting in Wind and watched as the woman barely blocked these. Maybe if she could catch the woman by surprise which was not an easy feat, and any moment Kynwric could join the fight. Her body was constantly aware that he could move in....

 

Lyssa Simeone

[Jaydena]

*bounces*

[Arie]

*letting Kyn jump in first*

[_Kynwric_]

OOC: I was waiting on you to finish it. I didn't figure Cairma really needed my help.... anyway.

 

IC:

 

Kyn had drawn his sowrd and was merely waiting for the opportune time to interfere in the bout, to see if Lyssa was capable in more than holding off another Blademaster, to see if she could adapt. He waited as Lyssa's blade arced out and instead of leaving it to Cairma to parry he instead intercepted it with his own sword. From there he joined the fight in earnest, uncaring to whether Cairma stayed in the fight or not he launched his own offense. He was trying to draw all of Lyssa's attention to him, force her into making errors, make her realize that this test was not merely about earning another cookie. It was about how the world outside of here looked upon those who bore the Heron and how anyone of the Tower who bore them had a double responsibility. There was always some fool who wanted to cross blades with a Warder, or with a Blademaster... but there was a magnification of that when it came to fools who wanted to test themselves against a Warder Blademaster. It almost never ended well, he had not heard of anyone outside the Tower earning their Heron by defeating a Warder in his decades in the Tower and he would do his best to ensure than none whom he deemed fit became the first to do so. Kyn continued his assualt, low and high, in and out with precision and speed. This much offense was something different for him, being used to engaging an opponent from behind his shield and letting them break themselves on it before lashing out. However, he found it refreshing to have the vision and freedom of movement that only a bastard sword could afford.

 

It had only been moments but he knew that had been enough for a good flurry of blows and he took a step back to reappraise what had been wrought.

 

[Jaydena]

Whoohooo thanks Kyn, let's get this puppy rolling again. *waits on Cairma*

[Jaydena]

Lyssa felt Kynwric draw his sword and she prepared for him to enter the fight, she could only hope that she had what it took to defeat both of them and earn her place in the ranks of Blademaster. Luckily she was mostly rested and hadn't just eaten or something. Though out in Battle she wouldn't be able to control how much sleep she got or how much she had eaten or when she had last eaten. She had just arched her sword out when instead of Cairma's blade she was faced with another, she struggled to regain her momentum for a moment. He had entered the fight at the worst possible moment and would have made someone with less training hit their knees. Kynwric Gaidin was well trained and had known exactly the moment to go after her in this fight. She began to parry his blows, working to disarm him and not hurt him fatally, though they were using live blades. Cairma was also involved in the fight, so she was parrying her blows and moving twice as fast as before. Her feet weaving in an intricate dance and stirring up clouds of dust into the air, making it harder to see. This was nothing like fighting the Trollocs she had fought against in the Borderlands. Both of these warriors were Blademasters and they were giving it their all. Trollocs were stupid and clumsy and got kills more often than not by brute strength, luck, or mass attack. Kyn she could tell was doing his best to take her out and she refused to let that happen. She had given everything to be here, she had come to these walls to be an Aes Sedai and had been turned down. Her Brother had rejected her and become a gentled Darkfriend, who than raped her Mother and her Mother's Gaidin. Sirayn had gone on to become Amyrlin and survived it all. She might hate her Mother more often than not for her abandonment but she came from tough stock.

 

Lys had been in many battles at this time, fought Trolloc, Fades, and just about every Shadowspawn that existed. She had fought back to back and by herself in Battles and she trained often times more than many around her. Kyn went low and high, weaving his feet just as she was doing and working to throw her off. Cairma was taking the opposite approach, and trying to disarm her, getting blows in as often as possible. Lyssa parried another blow from Kyn and twisted her arm to do the same with Cairma's massive sword coming towards her. After a few more blows, one of which got through and knicked her arm slightly, causing blood to start to drip down her arm, she saw Kyn step back and look at her. She returned her attention to Cairma and began to strike in earnest, working on disarming the woman again and watching out of the corner of her eye for Kyn to approach again. Her breathing was calm and ordered and she pushed all her emotions into the Spring. Ready to do this, she had been fighting so long for it...

 

Lyssa Simeone

 

ooc- So should I say that I disarmed one of you or how are we going to proceed with this?

 

It had only been moments but he knew that had been enough for a good flurry of blows and he took a step back to reappraise what had been wrought.