Elyna hung back as the two men approached, she kept her back to the wall and head turned to the side, listening. She’d really hoped that they didn’t mean the young woman any harm. She was going to give them a chance. The echoing roar from the crowd outside made the stands shake. Another death; more waste. It became quickly apparent though that the two men weren’t going to take the chance she’d offered them to simply walk away and she drew her sword. Elyna stepped out from around the corner and approached, sword held easily in her grip, but the point tipped down.
“I love to play,” she stepped up behind them, offering a cold smile as they turned in surprise, “let’s play, I’m arresting you for the attempted assault of a young woman…” the smile vanished and she lifted the tip of her weapon to a guard position and put one foot back, ready to fight if needed.
“I’ll give you two choices, put the bag down and run home so fast you get back yesterday…or don’t,” she rolled the shoulder of her free arm back, “I’ve got all day to put the display out in the arena to shame,” it was part bravado, but she kept her voice low and level in an attempt to be menacing. Most men quickly realised she was a good few inches smaller than they were, but she hoped to scare them out of the observation. It would be easier if they just ran, but she was prepared if they didn’t. She really hoped they weren’t armed. Her gaze flickered to the woman stood against the wall for a brief moment, hopeful that she would assist if it came to a fight.
Much as Sabine wanted to be surprised by the unfortunate turn of events, it felt like a fitting addition to the entirely terrible morning. Why wouldn’t she end up cornered by the same bastards who had spoken so flippantly of the Arena’s enslaved fighters?
Sabine balled up her fists and raised them protectively before her, with the right guarding her face and the left guarding her chest. Adrenaline coursed through her veins. She had wanted a fight, hadn’t she? All the rage that had accumulated while watching death after death after death demanded a release. It was in desperate need of somewhere to go, so why not straight into Baldy’s face?
She might even get a second punch in before they both flattened her.
A cold wind whistled down the passage as Sabine bent her knees and eyed her primary opponent. Sewage Water seemed content enough to let his companion do the dirty work, so she decided she could worry about him after they realized she was prepared to be a massive pain in both their asses. She had just about psyched herself up to fight, too, when the pretty brunette - the one who had been near tears not even a break earlier - stepped in.
Three jaws dropped.
“You’re a Knight?” Sabine and Baldy chorused, their faces the very picture of disbelief. Sewage Water however, seemed too wary of the woman’s sword to comment on the situation. He swallowed thickly and followed the weapon’s every movement with nervous eyes.
Sabine was the first to recover, and took full advantage of the group’s distraction.
“I pick option three!” She swung her right fist wildly at Baldy’s nose, and connected with a resounding crunch.
She was immediately filled with regret, and her curse echoed along the corridor as her hand began to throb. “Mother fuc-“
Baldy moaned and clutched his nose. “Sonofabi-“
Of the three, Sewage Water was the only one who managed to keep his head on straight. He raised his empty hands, took several slow steps back from the brunette, and then turned as if to sprint away.
The journalist landed a solid punch, and at another point in time Elyna would have grinned at her. She was her kind of girl. When the larger man started running though, Elyna couldn’t help but sigh, dutifully setting off after him. She was a quicker runner than most people expected from someone of such a small stature, but she’d been training for year and was used to competing against men and women who were bigger than she was. There had to be something she was good at, and it was speed.
Sprinting forward she dodged the bald man who was still cursing and jumped, barreling into the runaway, trying to keep her sword out the way. She didn’t want to slice him open, just to stop him. They tumbled down together and Elyna managed to pin him beneath; rather ungraciously with one foot on arm and kneeling on his chest with the other knee. She sheathed the sword and lent forward, brows raised “You made me run,” she chastised, “you had two reasonable options and you made me run,” She pulled the bag up and over his head as he struggled beneath her, then trod on his arm to stand up, hearing it crunch beneath her boot. He let out a yelp of pain and rolled, clutching his arm to his chest as she swung the bag up and over her shoulder. She surveyed him and glanced down the corridor at his friend. Did she want to arrest them? Yes. Could she be bothered?
Elyna sighed and helped the man she’d dropped back up to his feet, half-dragging him upright. It was then that two gaurds rounded the corner, surprised to see the commotion and she offered them a weary smile, “would you both take these to the nearest booking office? Attempted assult, attempted robbery,”
The guards exchanged glances and Elyna pulled aside her jerkin to reveal the wing pinned to her shirt.
One of the guards darted forward to collect the first man, “we’ll need a name Ser?”
“Elyna,” she sighed “Elyna Burhan,” she didn’t need to watch the exchanged looks between the guards to know they’d recognised her name. The judges daughter. They straightened up quickly and dutifully grabbed hold of both vagrants; determined to do the very best job that they could.
Ely turned and pulled the bag off, offering it back to the girl, “I hope there’s nothing valuable in there,” she lifted her shoulders in a shrug.
Sabine’s fury cooled the moment she hit Baldy in the face, and she was left with frozen ears, a bruised hand, and a feeling of distinct dissatisfaction. Her opponent’s anger, however, had heightened with the swelling of his nose. As Sewage Water sprinted down the passageway, Baldy kicked viciously at Sabine and landed a blow on her shin.
“Fuck. Seriously?” She backed away from the man and raised her hands in a gesture of peace. Baldy ignored her. Blood streamed from his nose and dripped steadily along the corridor as he advanced.
She had never been so grateful to see two guards rounding the corner.
Sabine jerked her chin towards the pair. “You may want to watch out for them,” she warned. Baldy’s scowl deepened, but he stilled and turned to face the newcomers warily. Sabine took this as her opportunity to escape, and sidestepped towards the brunette just in time to hear her introduce herself to the two guards.
Burhan, Burhan, Burhan… She pulled off her leather gloves and ran a finger over her bruising knuckles. Why did she recognize that surname?
Sabine frowned as realization hit.
…damn it.
And the woman had seemed so nice, too.
Her expression shuttered as she accepted the bag from Elyna. “Nothing most people would consider valuable. Just a few nels and some parchment,” she said. She looked at the noblewoman guardedly. Better to leave now, Sabine decided, before Elyna changed her mind and decided to turn her in for assault.
She cleared her throat. “Seems today’s not my day. I’m going to head out.” To the tavern, she added silently. She still needed to complete her stupid article, and could only hope that someone at The Arms would know the results of the final match.
Sabine eyed the two men who were about to be marched off. Sewage Water was clutching his broken arm in agony, but Baldy seemed to be arguing with the guards. He shook his head violently and gestured indignantly towards Sabine with the hand that wasn’t clasped to his bleeding nose.
Yes, far better to leave now.
A mixture of exhaustion and guilt washed over Sabine as she nodded curtly to Elyna, fixed her bag over her shoulder, and turned to go. What a mess of a morning. She had accomplished nothing, helped no one, and failed to push past her prejudices – even for the one person in the arena that she had actually liked.
She hesitated, wavered, and then glanced back at the noblewoman.
“Thanks. For the help, I mean."
Her final words were so quiet that Elyna might have missed them if she wasn't listening closely. “I hope you never find the man you’re looking for in this wretched place.”
Last edited by Sabine on Mon May 16, 2016 6:32 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 469
With the bag safely returned, Elyna lent back against the wall, watching the young woman and her braids. She offered a faint smile, as the adrenaline started to ebb and left her with trembling fingers. It was just how adrenaline worked. She took a few deep breathes, eyes fixed on the hand that emerged from the leather glove.
"You're welcome," she responded automatically, a polite response, "snow." She nodded at the hand, "put some snow in a cloth and put it on your hand - it'll feel much better. Bring out the bruising fast so it can heal up...put snow straight on without the cloth, and you might get an ice burn," she offered her knowledge up; unsure if the woman would accept it. She seemed eager to get away; now that Elyna's title had been announced. Unfortunately, it was the reaction she received more often than not. Sometimes she fought against the pre-conception, but she was tired and drained and she couldn't be bothered.
She peeled herself off the wall and followed after the guards, pausing to wave goodbye before pushing her hands into the pockets of her jerkin in a vain attempt to try and stay warm. Better to be at work then where she wasn't wanted, and where she had no desire to linger.
Knowledge Basic:
Location: Fighting Arena
Sabine: A journalist
Nicoli: A good teacher Specific:
Fighting Arena: The best fights are saved for later
Long Sword: Guard position
Medicine: Use snow to numb pain
Comments
Comments: Beautiful, especially the first few posts, I really enjoyed that. A lot of inner thought going on which is hard to reward as you know, but you covered quite a lot in the end! Hit me up if there was some knowledge you wanted that you think I’ve missed.
Knowledge Basic:
Location: Fighting Arena
Elyna: Finds the arena distressing
Fighting Arena: Uncivilised
Elyna Burhan: Skyrider
Elyna: Noble of House Burhan Specific:
Fighting Arena: The Reaper’s Playground
Fighting Arena: Slaves, thieves, bandits, and pirates
Comments
Comments: Son of a biscuit eater! Haha, love Sabine’s role, she is quite imposing and feels very present in the story. I also enjoyed the comedic back and forth with the NPCs. Let me know if you think I have missed anything.
word count: 201
A N D I T' S A L L J U S T S M A L L S T U F F, B A B Y.
