[Palette]

It could not have been more obvious that the faerie walking calmly into the Altar of Fates was not Palette.

There was a smooth rhythm of barely heard footsteps hitting the white marble flow unlike the nimbus’ inconstant ones. They spoke of sinewy strength and predatory grace. The sound suddenly stopped and then there is the sound of clothes rustling and the tip of his katana’s sheath tapping into the floor. The figure went on one of his knees, paying his respects at the large, prominent golden altar that the lower level of the castle was known for: The Altar of Fate. Faerie blood had been shed here through the centuries by bloodthirsty blades.

When his head finally looked up, one noticed that his burgundy-colored eyes have a calm gaze that was colder than any steel, a frightening calmness that forced respect and caused a shiver down anyone who looked directly into Silver’s eyes. His features somehow seemed sharper than his host’s, masculine despite his small build, and edgier. And his fearsome crooked smirk was not an expression that the Lady Palette would ever use.

It is a pity, he thought idly as he opened one of the doors leading to one of the large dueling rooms within the castle, there is no one here besides me.. Had he known the fullness and the richness of Alanor’s dueling history, he would have found it pathetic how much the once integral part of the Realm had fallen.

He was dressed in a silver-colored gi which was outlined in black. Oddly enough, while most martial artist chose to go barefoot, Silver had chosen to wear tennis shoes. Perhaps the fact that, hidden in the shoe was his footblade. Although he rarely used it, when he found a suitable situation, the blade could be used with deadly efficiency.

His outward calmness was only matched with his internal. His state was meditative as he slipped into an almost trace-like state that is gone into before a duel. All his concentration was put into his senses, reflexes, and, most of all, his blades. His left hand rested on the handle of his katana. His feet moved into position. A quick, powerful slash was executed and with a blink of the eye, the blade was returned to its scabbard. With such an attack, it was possible to cut any person, faerie, in half with a single attack. For that was the power of Silver’s iai. And he did not just practice iado, but many others styles that have been effortless blended into one that he called his own.

As he continued to practice various sword kata, he noticed that someone had entered the room. Glancing up, he saw Haley. A challenger finally appeared. A savage grin appeared on his countenance when he accessed her weapons. She would be an amusing prey. He bowed only out of habit. And, when the other faerie shifted into her own battle stance, confirming that she was ready, he began.

He did not run. He was not an imbecile, willing to sacrifice his precious balance. He could only hope Haley would; if so, he would make her regret making such a juvenile mistake. Besides, the distance between them was not far.

Walking forward Silver placed his right hand on the scabbard and the other on the handle. He was, after all, left-handed. However, by no means was his right hand weak. He had made sure through years of training that his other hand could handle a blade and throw a punch just as well. That was why his wakazashi, unlike the samurai of old, was not placed on the same side of his katana, but on the other. Silver draws his katana with his left, wakazashi with his right.

There was no signs of his sudden attack. His blade flew out of its sheath in an almost horizontal slash. The sharp edge of the blade would cut cleanly through starting from Haley’s hip and then arc to the middle of her ribs if not defended against. His footing shifted as he made a small half circle so he was now standing behind her. As it did, his blade was quickly sheathed. Now standing almost behind her, his lead foot (the left one) took a step, giving him the necessary balance to execute his next lightning quick slash. Like a cannon, his katana shot out and delivered a horizontal cut to her back. It, like the other slash he had used, had the strength to cut completely through a body.

Both attacks were completed before five seconds were over. With the flick of his wrist, he cleaned the blood off of his blade as he slowly backed away from Haley, creating distance between them. He could not help letting a smug, knowing look appear on his face. His blade had a longer reach than hers, obviously. So he didn’t have to move close to her for his attacks. Within those few seconds, in between his attacks, Haley might be able barely defend against them. She could not, however, attack him with her katars. Actually she could, but not without giving him taking advantage of that mistake. Making that connection, Silver prepared himself for her turn, knowing that his fellow Seelie member would be attacking soon.

This post has been edited by Palette on Aug 17 2007, 10:33 PM

[Haley]

Enter the Iron Maiden

Haley was a peculiar woman. She had two different modes: insanely hyper or incredibly serious. At times the two would blend and create a perfect Haley...but most of her life was spent either at the top of the ferris wheel or dangling at the bottom. She didn't much mind. Though the mood swings and the lack of actual social interest kept her from establishing any long-time friendships (not that she cared...she had a particular dislike for people anyways), Haley made no attempt to try and rectify her personality disorders. She had once thought of perhaps visiting a shrink, or even getting on some sort of medication, but that had never happened. Instead, to perhaps try and focus her energy, she turned to combat training.

Close combat enthusiast?

As an active member of the United States Airforce, Haley had undergone a lot of combat training. She had been most specialized in weaponry of course, since the young female had somewhat of an obsession with firearms, but she had always been fascinated with close-combat fighting. While her preference was hand-to-hand combat, Haley knew that in a place like this, weapons were a complete necessity. She had several sets of close-combat weapons, one set of which was her precious katars. While she had never actually done combat with them (people in her time zone didn't exactly fight each other with blades), she had practiced with them for countless hours, and she was adept with them as if they were mere extensions of her arms.

Haley was not a stranger to combat. She had competed in martial arts competitions, regular brawls with acquaintances, and she had even gotten herself into several street brawls...instigated by her of course. She was a spitfire duelist: fast, strong, and unpredictable. However, she was also a perfectionist when it came to defensive maneuvers. It was her strong belief that flashy attacks were alright, but a solid foundation in combat is achieved by the initiation of a perfect defense. Thus, Haley wasn't all that strong when it came to attacking another -she lacked some strength, and she had minor precision issues, mainly due to her own inner indecision- but she had a solid defense, especially against long bladed weapons. The only unfortunate part? It was mostly all theory.

Ah, the smell of inexperience!

She chose weapons such as these because they were basically extensions of her own arms. Haley had, of course, been in so many fights that she was incredibly effective in hand to hand combat. The katars only provided extra reaching distance and the ability to pierce her opponent. They were familiar in her hands, easy to move, easy to use, but never used against another in an actual duel. This would be her first time inflicting damage that actually initiated blood on first contact. Needless to say, the thrill was somewhat overpowering.

Part of her defense against longer bladed weapons was her double bladed katar. Designed to open into two blades, it gave the opportunity to ensnare weapons such as swords, and prevent them from attacking further. A second part of her defense was the hood of her katars, that of which completely protected the upper portion of her hand, preventing longer-reaching weapons from penetrating her flesh. Finally, the third portion was her metal bracers. They were perfect for deflecting blades, and the did not slow her down a bit. With both the hood and the bracers, her entire forearm was protected from destruction, nearly ensuring that she would remain firmly attached to her blades.

That was the only armor she actual wore on her body. The rest of her clothing was simple and ineffective against blades. She wore a tight-fitting black spandex tank, with matching short black shorts. Sneakers were situated on her feet, well worn in but full of traction. She couldn't exactly wear her stiff big black, clunky combat boots now could she? Her hair was tied up in a tight bun, slicked back to prevent anything from obscuring her vision.

Oh my, this will be interesting!

Haley didn't care much for ritual. She had no clue what the Altar of Fates was, nor did she particularly want to know. The fact of the matter was...she was bored. She needed some sort of output for her energy, and this was the perfect opportunity. She took only a few moments to assess her surroundings, testing the floor, and taking care to spot any sort of vantage points. After which, she came to face her opponent, and instantly rose an eyebrow. She hadn't known who to expect, so the fact that technically this wasn't a man...escaped her. The fact that he appeared to be a powerful competent man didn't. Haley met his gaze full on and resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. She was a woman that was never intimidated, no matter the person. Strong-willed and a total bitch when she wanted to be, Haley was every bit as intimidating (as intimidating a somewhat short female could be).

She bowed because he did, and only because he did. After all, she didn't want to be rude, now did she? The moment they were done with formalities, she slid into a somewhat crouched stance, balanced on the balls of her feet to prevent flat footedness. Haley relied a lot on her agility and her ability to react quickly. To create a good defense you have to have good reflexes. Haley had honed hers to perfection. She took noticed of his choice of weapons and instantly tightened her grip on her right katar, and the blade split in two. As always, the left hand was positioned over the area of most concern: her abdomen. The blade was held in a less than parallel position, for Haley knew, from her studies of such swords, that quick slashes were commonly used to take down an opponent in one fell swoop. She hardly doubted that this man would start off with a full force stab, for to set up for one would take precious time away from what could be a quick and easy dispatch.

Her right arm was held in front of her chest in a more diagonal position. Although tensed for action, her actual position was somewhat lax, allowing her the ability to switch in quick and easy movements. She could either be fluid or jerky, depending on what the situation called for. Normally she combined a more acrobatic method of fighting alongside her street knowledge. Now would be a time to use such a plan.

There's no need to rush. A solid defense is a good defense.

There was a smile on her lips, a mirror reflection of how thrilled she was to actually be there. Better off alive than dead. She reminded herself of what was perhaps the most common knowledge of all. And then, without any further distraction, she completely focused herself on the incoming start of her very first serious weaponry duel.

His first attack went exactly where she had anticipated. Since his katana was drawn from his left, the attack would first strike for her right side, near the area where her double bladed katar was settled. While Haley was set up to defend with ease, inexperience still shone through as she attempted her defense. He was fast. Haley had only studied katana's in theory. She had watched videos, and others perform, but never had she seen a true master in true combat. It is very different to watch someone perform than it is to watch them actually attack with the intent to kill. Haley expected power from him, and her muscled was instantly well braced for the impact. However, the speed caught up to her. It is one thing to know in your mind how fast it may strike, but it is quite another to actually witness it.

Since the blade was incoming towards the position her left katar was held, it took only a down shift of her arm to meet it. Strength was thrown into this movement, and the katar was instantly positioned so that the blade of the katana slid between the two blades of the weapon. This meant that it would actually penetrate further into her defenses than if she had actually warded it off, but it did ensure a complete stop. She was not, however, protected from injury. Though she shifted her weight into her weapon, her right leg bending even more than it originally had, while her left pivoted her hips around, so that she somewhat faced him (but only slightly), his strength and speed combined (along with the fact that she had allowed it to slide in the middle of her weapon) was cause enough for the blade to travel far enough to effectively pierce the flesh of her right hip. The wound wasn't that shallow...it was definitely in dire need of stitches, and it stung like a bitch. Haley couldn't help but hiss between semi-clenched teeth. However, now was not the time to dwell on pain. The instant the katana was nestled into that crevice between her blades, Haley twisted. It was highly likely that the unexpected stop might have set the male off a bit (for originally he had put a lot of power in the blade to make it go rather far), but Haley didn't hold out much hope. Her arm, somewhat strained from combating the ferocity of the previous attack, did nothing more that initiate a vicious twist while shoving upwards and out to the side. Her right arm shifted to accommodate the brief lack this created in her defenses.. Haley, at this point, did not attempt a counter attack. Her only concern was delaying him, or disarming him.

Since disarming was highly unlikely (this man was quite skilled), Haley braced herself for the next attack, her legs pivoting so that she kept eye contact with his body. She was every bit as fast as he at pivoting (at least, only if her previous defense had somewhat delayed him), and thus she remained in a stance that faced him, her arms reverting back to their original defensive standards. In the time it took him to re-sheath his blade, she had already adjusted her defensive style. While she could not count on an identical attack to his first one, the fact that he had resheathed his blade lead her to believe that he was about to repeat his previous movements. She adjusted accordingly, but she was still getting used to his speed. He was incredibly quick, and she had had barely enough time to get herself braced before his next attack came at her. The defense was exactly the same, as was the injury inflicted. She now had zebra stripes on her right hip! Since she wasn't as steady as she had been before, for she had adjusted her body to turn, Haley quickly destroyed her slight handicap with one simple move. While her left arm was occupied with his blade, which she hoped was now securely ensnared between the two katar blades, Haley immediately turned her body to the right so that her left arm no longer had to cross over the front of her frame to keep the katana at bay. Standing probably perpendicular to him, she twisted her left arm so that the katar blades bordered the katana blade on top and bottom, and then pushed slightly upwards while her right arm abandoned it defensive position and lashed up in a vertical stab for the males exposed arm.

It was somewhat simple. Haley hoped that if she was able to keep the katana at bay, and thus his arm, she would be able to pierce through his flesh and disable the limb. This was the only maneuver she attempted, for she was completely and utterly wary of the other weapon nestled at his waste, and fully aware that he had another free arm. With both of her limbs occupied, she adjusted her weight so that she could move away quickly, should the need arise. Her attack also wasn't as powerful as it could have been, for she reserved some of her arm length in order to assure a quick comeback in case an emergency defense was needed.

Some would call her excessive defensive nature a hindrance. She called it necessary. Despite her obvious failures already, Haley was warming up to how this male operated. Her mind was calm, calculating, and though she was caught up in the moment, subconsciously her body was drifting through those many long hours of practice. Her mind never doubted her chances of winning, but her inexperience was certain. In the eyes of the fates, and those who would care to spectate, she was the underdog in this duel.

[Palette]

Silver’s existence was rather odd. How does an alter of a female faerie who had clearly lived most of her life in Europe come to master not one, but many Asian martial arts? And since he was merely an alter, not a completely separate being from the gentle Palette, how did he find the time and the opportunity to hone his obvious talents? And he was not the only one offspring of the nimbus’ mind, but one of the thirteen. Ah such questions, such whimsical questions…ones that had no time to be contemplated in the fast-paced, bloody dance of battle.

It would seem that he met a defensive dueler. It was unusual, but not unheard of. Nevertheless, this would be an interesting fight. He would have fun piercing her so-called “perfect defense” with his offensive prowess.

He preferred to start out with the basics, testing his opponents, gaging their reactions. For the beginning was always the warm up. From there, he began to push the beat of battle faster and faster. And, in the end, there were very few that could even keep up with the impossible rhythm he set.

It was true that Haley was smaller than the average faerie; however, she matched Silver’s height. There he had no advantage, unfortunately. He preferred being smaller than his opponents: it gave him more leverage. The advantage was less in an armed duel, seeing how his favorite techniques such as various throws were more dangerous to execute (although that had never stopped him in the past). But he would take what he would.

His first attack had been, as expected, blocked. He was slightly surprised at the sophistication Haley’s action; it was more than he had expected. However, if she thought it would throw him off-balance, then she was mistaken. His stance was perfect as expected for one who had studied iaido. For without a good foundation, the sword could not be swung effectively. Besides, he held his katana with one arm—when the blade made contact with the crevice of Haley’s weapon, his arm slightly recoiled from the impact, and that was all. An object in motion stays in motion. So when she twisted her katar and shoved it outward she had only caught part of the blade. He had slide the blade out of her weapon’s crevice before having to even consider the possibility of being disarmed.

Her defense did buy her time to set up her next one as it took a moment for him to regain his footing and move forward. His second attack was blocked in a similar fashion. This time, however, it seemed that she had completely caught his katana. His eyes narrowed and his right hand held the handle of his wakazashi; he sensed an opening for both of them. As her katar blade cut through the air, his second blade flew from its sheath. The sound of blade clanging together was heard. He held the blade pointed down seeing how he had no time to switch positions. Haley’s attack had been pushed outward.

Silver winced. He had miscalculated. Due to the speed of Haley’s attack, he could not push the blade completely away. The cut on the side of his upper arm was luckily not too deep; however, he too would be needing stitches if he had been in the human world.

The situation could not be more perfect for his foot blade. After all, both his hands and Haley’s were occupied and they were standing close together. So he stepped forward, using the momentum to help shift her back. Their blades (at least the ones in his left, her right hand) were locked. He pushed his katana hand forward which would likely cause her to take a step back, and even if she didn’t, her weight would likely be put on her left leg. His foot blade had been pushed out of his shoe and, as he pushed her back, the blade would slice her Achilles tendon. His foot (blade as well) was perpendicular to the back of her's. Due to the fact that she was wearing shoes, and that there was no way he could muster up enough strength in an awkward position, the effect (wound-wise) was not substantial. But his attack did not stop there.

The reason his choice footing suddenly made sense. He ducked down. As he did so, his katana landed horizontally in between Haley’s double katar and his shifted his wakazashi so that he now held it horizontal as well. With a vicious pull his blade would slice through the back of Haley’s left thigh. And because of the placement of his right foot, it was likely that his opponent would instinctively move back, causing her to trip. That wasn’t even considering the fact that, at the time, Haley seemed concerned with moving away from him (which was even better for him because it gave his attacks more power).

As always, both attacks were executed quickly. Within heartbeats of each other, actually, as his first attack was also a set up for his second.

His last attack left him unprotected. But he was willing to make sacrifices. After all, he still had back up plans. Even though his face did not show it, he was relieved that Haley’s second attack never came and, instead, the other backed away.



(ooc: urgh, that was so gross. Sorry for the terrible post. Have the hugest headache ever. Will do better next time.)

This post has been edited by Palette on Aug 18 2007, 03:26 PM