The Blade and the Cycle

> Rapier

C&PD. Why not.

Actium plucks his rapier from it sconce and relishes the silty sound its blade makes along the wood. It's light and beautifully balanced in his grip. Time to take his best girl out dancing.

He looks back toward the window.

>Back flip out of the window.

One of the things they can't teach you is you have to make an entrance.



Actium lands lightly on his feet in front of a shocked squadmate. He straightens.

"Shall we, ladies and gents?"


Actium saunters to the front of the section, where the best fighters lead the group. Preveza nudges him. "Hey, Acty."
"Hi, Prev."
"Nice backflip. You and your flair for the dramatic."
"Says the ringmaster out there who nearly woke Grippa up."

"How do, Actium," says Horius. He's a full head taller than Actium and with a blade as wide as his forearm. One of the best tacticians in the platoon, though you wouldn't know it by his looks. "Study hard?"
"I am, as ever, the consummate scholar."

"Grippa's going to be pissed." Dia catches up with everyone else. She has to take about two strides for every one Horius does. Possibly the only better fencer than Actium, Dia, and very serious about the craft. She's along mostly for the duels. People say a lot of things about the proclivites of stereotypical pink Qal, and to the frustration of everyone, Dia defies them all.

"He won't be if I come back with a conquest or two beneath my belt," says Actium. "Not that kind, Horius. Quit your elbowing."

"Where to, PFC?" asks Kepral. He wears his harness and gloves on the outside, because it 'chafes during the exchanges, don't you know, old boy.' On the prissy and eccentric side, is Kepral, but you won't find a better, quicker scout. "Drinks at the Death's Head? Fights? Ice cream parlor? The streets are ours. Oh, and Gelton's. And Aquinna's. Word is they're out and about too, quayside."

Fights and then drinks. TO THE DOCKS!

Fight sober, then get drunk on some Rum & Raisin ice cream at Baskon Rubens

> Charge about, boldly proclaiming your might.

Are Gelton and Aquinna street rivals of yours? If so, what say we make their night a bit worse? Quayside!

"Whaddya say, kids?" Actium runs ahead of the group and turns around to address them. "I think I'm in the mood to whet my blade before my whistle!"
A cheer goes up from the assembled troops.



"What's that supposed to mean?" asks Kepral, as Actium's train catches up with him.

"How am I supposed to know?" says Actium. "Sounded neat, though. Whatever! They can't all be zingers."

"Around a third?" offers Horius.
"Are we talking yea zingers or nea zingers?" Dia slides past him. "Because I'd sooner go with fifty-fifty and split the difference."

Actium twirls back around and saunters down the path. "You people don't pay me for my speechcrafting."

"We don't pay you," says Horius.

"But if you did, it would be for stabbing people! Let's go stab people."



They cut for the Quays, which would be a bad part of town to be in if the bad wasn't Actium's baddest of the bad.
The kids all clamber out onto the roofs of the tenements or the high dockwalls to catch sight of the bravos in scarlet striding down the streets. They cheer, whistle, catcall, and taunt as the adults who have outgrown all this lean out their windows.

"Hey Actium!" one boy around 11 cries. "Grange says once he beat you with a broomhandle!"
"If Grange's blade was as tall as his tales he could stab me from his shitter," Actium calls back. "Hoy! Bow, ye mere striplings! For lo, Section Karstrix take long strides!"

"Flex!" The usual gaggle of girls are calling down to Horius. "Flex! Pythons!"
"Hold this." Horius brings his massive whacker down from his shoulders and hoists it at Kepral.
"Aw Horius no don't make me ack" Kepral staggers from the impact as Horius rolls up his sleeves and shows off his sculpted physique to the loudly appreciative girlfolk.

"Oy, Dia!" calls an old Qal from a high window. "Think you could give us a show like that?"
Dia twirls round, whips her blade up into the air, christens both her middle fingers with a kiss, and displays them proudly at the tenement. She catches the blade in one hand and bows to the cheering boys on the rooftops.

"Prev. Talk to me about the Gelton/Aquinna situation," says Actium as the swordswoman (brava?) finishes a somersault over the block's well.

"Hmm? Oh. Sorry, blood returning to head. Word is they're both out on the street with their sections." Preveza falls back into march. "Their mutual hatred as strong as ever."



"Why can't those two just get along?" muses Actium.
"As opposed to us, who are going to go swordfight them?" asks Preveza.
"Details."

Actium loves nothing more than crossing blades with PFC Gelton and PFC Aquinna, the pointmen for two of the strongest Sections in Fortress Kiprik (besides his). Aquinna of Section Ystrall because she's very pretty in a cagey sort of way and a great opponent and Gelton of Section Grimtwin because he's a stuck-up, overpromoted twat who's highly pleasurable to beat. And a great opponent.

"Well, it's our duty to keep the peace and prevent any sort of bitter fighting in the streets, after all," says Actium. "Why don't we be good citizens and send one or the other home with their tail between their legs first?"
"Sounds like a plan and a half." Dia jogs up next to him. "The question is which?"

Gelton. Easier to beat while sober, and you do love to put him in his place. You can fight Aquinna after you've had a drink or two, if you're still itching. More fun that way.

That said, Gelton'll probably try to pull rank when you show up. Might want to tail him and his crew, wait for him to start something so's you've a more believable alibi. Not that you haven't pulled off some miraculous excuses before, but... Something's telling me you might wanna err on the side of caution tonight.

E: Whoops! Got 'em backwards the first time.

Aquinna. Seems like a rewarding pursuit.

Gelton, and then get a few drinks and fight Aquinna

Gelton sounds like the more satisfying fight.

(The atmosphere of that last update is just great. I'm extremely interested to see how this adventure turns out.)

Fight Gelton, he needs to be cut down a peg or two. Then ask Aquinna to go on a date with fight you!

"Let's see if we can't find Gelton of Grimtwit," says Actium. "Aquinna is too pretty to beat."
Preveza gives him a raspberry.
"Now you don't see me beating you, Prev, do you?"
"I don't see you having the guts to try your hand."
"Tush, Preveza. I'm too pretty to beat right along with her. Kepral!"

Kepral throws an extravagant salute and breaks into a sprint, vaulting his way up to the rooftops of the Quay.
"That is some impressive verticality," says Dia.
"Jealous?" asks Preveza.
"I could give you a boost," says Horius.
"Go sit on your swordguards," says Dia. "Friggin stiltwalkers."
"Hiria told me his stamina translates pretty well to the realm of the horizontal." Preveza does a little dance step over to Dia. "What do you think? I bet he'd be up for a roll in the whatsit."
"Hey," says Dia. "No sell."
"Aww, come on," says Preveza. "Have you even had one live egg yet?"
"The Incubatrices don't tell you if they're live."
"Yeah, but you can totally tell. Everyone says."
"Well I wouldn't want one from Kepral. The kid might tuck his pants into his boots. And besides, what if that puts another lefty on the street? I hate fighting lefties."

They hear a loud whistle from the next block. With a whoop, Actium races off after it. "Come on, kids!" he calls over his shoulder. "We got blades to cross!"



He lights upon a chimney Kepral's leaning against.
"What have we got, spotter?"
Kepral nods his head down to a courtyard far below them. "Trouble is what we got."
Dia's next on the roof. "Preveza and her eggs eggs eggs all the time."
"Well, you would have cute hatchlings in her defense." Actium cranes his neck and looks below. "Uh, oh."



Aquinna and Gelton circle one another, ringed in by a crowd of both their Sections.
"That doesn't look like a normal duel, PFC." Kepral taps his foot against the chimney. "Doesn't sound like one."
"No it does not," says Actium. Normally, two people circling, there's a great deal of joyful noise. Actium doesn't hear any cheering, any clapping, any anything but Gelton yelling and Aquinna and Aquinna yelling at Gelton.
"You don't normally bring a crossbow, either," says Dia. "Look in Aquinna's hand."
"Aww, shitting spirits," mutters Actium.

> Crossbow wielder: pwang. Fire a shot.

Break that shit up pronto.
Focus down Aquinna, she seems to be the instigator this time.

Aquinna has her crossbow out but isn't firing? That seems like a defensive move.

Why don't we just call out "HEY what's all this then?" Even better if we acrobatically jump down into the ring to do so.

Joy. A two-for-one deal. Looks like you're not going to get the fight you wanted tonight...

Aquinna will do serious damage to someone if she fires-- even if she misses Gelton, the crowd's packed too dense for her to miss everyone. And once she shoots, she'll be relatively vulnerable to Gelton's blades. Once it gets bad it will not get better; I'd recommend you separate and restrain the combatants before that point.

Catch any of the shouting? Seen anything like this before? It's not a cultural thing, is it?

Make a dramatic entrance. Be sure to hit on Aquinna a little.

"Whoa there, kiddos," Actium calls from the rooftop. "Don't make me break playtime up."

He springs from the chimney.



This is not a cultural thing.
A sword in the hand says, I want to have a duel and show my skill.
A crossbow in the hand says, I want to hurt you.
And Actium knows Aquinna. She wouldn't pull a crossbow on anyone without rich reason.



Actium lands near the two combatants. Aquinna glances at him, then locks back onto target. "Great," she says. "Karstrix is here."
"What's going on?" asks Actium, taking a step back from the standoff. "I can't imagine any fresh-blooded young man complaining when you wave something around in front of them, Quinn, but a crossbow? Why the hardware?"

"This craven bitch insulted my prowess in front of my Section," hisses Gelton, "and now she denies me my duel."

"I said no, Gelton, you overranked puke." Aquinna's trigger finger twitches. "Now sheathe the cutlery, if those shaky hands of yours can strap them. I'll even bow out of the plaza if it'll make you feel any better about your shitty, inflated ego."

"You dare cast aspersions on my rank and my bravery? Over the stock of a crossbow?" Gelton takes a step forward. Aquinna takes a step back. "Unsheathe your bodkin, dammit. I will have satisfaction."

"You'll have a hole in your head first, Gelton. Don't test me."

"What's the matter, Aquinna?" asks Actium. "It's just a duel. We live for duels."
"It-" Aquinna hesitates. "I don't feel like it tonight. Back off, Gelton."

"You coward." Gelton does not back off. "Fight me."

Point out that it sounds like Aquinna has a legitimate reason to avoid a duel right now. Maybe an egg? Propose a raincheck, or perhaps to fight in her stead. If all else fails, aggro Gelton onto yourself, and duel him while Aquinna does her own thing.

"Hey, if you don't want to fight him can I beat him up?"

Pray tell, what was the insult? You bet you can do better than she.

"There's a perfectly unsheathed bodkin right here, chump."

Don't call attention to her denial. Just start slinging insults at Gelton to get him focused on you. He wants a fight, you'll give him one if she won't.

Bite your thumb at him if you have to.

"What exactly was this insult?" asks Actium.

"She said I was ranked beyond my station, that my lunge reminded her of a man wading through a pool of molasses, and that my uniform made me look like a scarecrow had a run-in with a swarm of colorblind moths."



"Shame on you, Aquinna." Actium steps gingerly between the crossbow and the belligerent Gelton. "You forgot to mention how odiously odorous he is." Aquinna stifles a laugh that threatens to throw off her aim.

"I see what you're trying to do, Actium, and it won't work," says Gelton. "I demand satisfaction."

"I have a good arm's length of satisfaction bared right here for you, Gelton." Actium swishes his ladyfriend through the air for emphasis. She whistles her razor approval. "I'm sure Aquinna has as good reason to avoid a duel with you as I have for seeking it."

"And what would your reason be?"

"Do you have half an hour for the abridged version or would you like me to write it down for you later?" Actium brings up the thrillant business end of his rapier and settles back into a fighting stance. "Or would you rather face me, before that shaky hand of yours gets too sweaty to swing a saber?"

"Actium," Aquinna's voice is low and urgent. "I don't think you should-"
"Don't worry about it," mutters Actium over his shoulder. "Just nurse your hangover or whatever it is. Gelton's a chump."

Gelton laughs. A barking, ugly thing with no trace of humor. "Very well, Actium of Karstrix. I shall carve my way through you and then seek satisfaction from that craven skulking behind you."