Chapter Text
Mira lunged forwards, swinging at your head and missing as you danced out of range. You looked into Mira’s eyes as you both shuffled about, just outside her range. There was an intense focus there, piercing your soul as she searched for an opening to strike at. She had the advantage of reach, but you had the advantage of all that experience from the loops, and a Crafted speed buff.
Your fingers snapped, and the Craft flooded your body. Mira’s eyes widened as you shot forwards. You planted your feet, abruptly stopping your charge and leaping to the side as she attempted to mount a defence. You darted around her before she could recover and struck out at her torso just below her arm. She could do nothing to stop you.
“Hit! Sif wins!” Isa called from the sidelines where he was acting as referee. Panting heavily, you cast some light Healing Craft on Mira to get ahead of any forming bruises. Odile made a note of the score from where she was watching, and Bonbon rushed over with drinks for you both.
“Drink! Now! Before you get dehydrated!” they all but yelled, thrusting the bottles of water under your noses with all the authority they could muster. Which was a surprisingly large amount.
You took yours and gratefully chugged half of the ice-cold blessing, and got promptly reprimanded by Bonnie, who had caught you despite being in the process of giving Isa his own water bottle – he was only the ref, but there wasn’t a boundary to your sparring sessions and you liked to run around as you fought. Slowing down, you took gentle sips in between deep calming breaths. Mira copied you, just without the chugging part. At least there was only one more round left, then you could have a proper break and heal up before Mira started to wipe the floor with you.
“You alright over there?” you asked Isa. His face was dark, and he was breathing heavily.
“Yeah,” he got out between breaths, “That round just went on longer than the others. I don’t know how you two manage to move like that for so long. I’m only chasing you and I’m exhausted. It’s a great workout though, definitely improving my stamina. I’ve been neglecting it since even before the curse, actually, so this has been really good for me.”
You felt a bit bad, knowing it was mostly your excessive movements that were giving him grief, but you had to or else Mira would beat you every time. You did have a training sword you could use – since you bought matching sets – and you did occasionally both use rapiers or both use daggers, but for the most part you stuck to your preferred weapons. That meant that Mira always had the reach advantage on you, so you had to get tricky – running around and weaving amongst trees to block her line of sight, limit her movement, and make better openings for yourself.
“What’s the score now?” You heard Mira ask Odile.
“Twenty-six to twenty-five, in Siffrin’s favour,” Odile replied.
Mira would undoubtedly regain the lead by the end of today’s sparring session. She had more stamina than you did, and conserved it better with her fighting style. You spent so much time running around that you could overwhelm her to begin with, but would quickly begin to flag. She, meanwhile, focused on conserving her energy for short bursts when she saw an opening. Maybe you could do the same once you actually reached her level of skill.
Sparring with Mira was honestly not something you, or anyone, expected to become a regular habit. It had started when she brought up the idea in one of your ‘feelings buddies’ chats. She’d said she actually really enjoyed fencing before the curse, and wanted to start using her sword without her (and the entire country’s) continued existence on the line. You were the only members of your odd little family that used weapons (since you weren’t counting a wok as a weapon, no matter well it worked) so it was a good way to stop your skills getting rusty as well, and you’d started to really enjoy it.
The next time you’d stopped in a large city for a while you’d gone out together to look for some sparring weapons and found a place that gave discounts on buying pairs, and would adjust the grips for you. It had still been pricey, but such is the cost of quality.
Teaching each other your preferred weapons was something that had also come about as a result of that purchase, but those fights weren’t kept on the main scoreboard. It was fun, learning the different ways a rapier had to be employed compared to a dagger – and learned actually techniques. Trying to teach Mira was a bit harder, since you had never actually been formally taught, but she was learning quick so you must’ve been doing something right. Her being an amazing student certainly helped.
“Ready for the next round?” Mira asked, drawing you back to the present moment.
You nodded, humming as you swallowed your last mouthful of water. You both walked back to the centre of the clearing. It was a good space, decently sized, ringed by an assortment of trees, and there was a picnic table in the shadow of a large boulder on one side, where Odile and Bonnie sat. You shivered as the cold started to settle back in. Your cloak would protect you normally, but you took it off for sparring since it made it hard to see – and feel – when you were actually hit. You’d warm back up once you got moving. You also took your eyepatch off when sparring; partly because it was nice to feel the wind on your face, and partly because it fell off once and took five minutes to find in the bush you’d dived through.
Isabeau walked out with you, stretching as he went through the usual spiel. “Remember, it’s first to five points, body shots are worth two, limbs one, and the head is off-limits. No Offensive Craft either. There’s no boundary, but be careful of M’dame and Bonbon at the table. Don’t worry about me – It’s my job to keep clear of you two. We all clear?”
You both nodded and tucked your off-hands behind your backs as he raised his arm above his head. Normally, you’d keep those hands up for Crafting, but with the safety rule of no Offensive Craft you’d both decided to keep your off-hands behind your backs to avoid risking using any on instinct.
“In that case. Begin!” His arm came down and he leapt well clear.
Wasting no time, you ran away.
There was a moment where Mira expected a trick, but she quickly gave chase when she realised you were actually just fleeing. You dove into the treeline with Isa off to the side and Mira steadily catching up. Weaving between the wide trunks you began to circle her, and watched her spin in place, tracking your movements. A small smile found its way onto your face as the thrill overtook your mind.
You waited until Mira stepped a little too close to a tree before rushing her, using the tree as cover. When she noticed you and tried to attack, you darted around the tree and let her blade catch on it. The rush of wind filled your ears and tossed your hair as you spun around the tree, swinging your dagger at Mira’s exposed side. She managed to get her arm in-between her body and the blow, only giving you one point.
Isa could be heard calling the point, but you barely acknowledged it as you hopped away. Your grin widening to match Mira’s own.
The rapier whipped towards you, whistling through the air as Mira extended her body into a thrust. You stumbled backwards, always caught off-guard by just how much distance she could cover doing that. Your lack of depth perception didn’t help. She sprung out of the lunge with ease, closing the distance between you and keeping up the pressure with thrusts and cuts as you scrambled back and forth, deflecting some with your dagger, and avoiding others by the skin of your teeth.
Your back hit a tree. Mira lunged. The air was forced from your lungs by the blow. Two points to Mira.
“Oh, are you okay?” she gasped, starting forwards.
You waved her off and brought your dagger back up, holding it mostly centred in front of you and bending your legs slightly, resisting the urge to cross your other arm over it with a Scissors Craft sign. “I’m fine,” you wheezed.
Her smile returned as she settled into her own, much more professional, stance: low to the ground and coiled like a spring. This was the most dangerous place for you to be. You were just outside her range, but she was scary good at closing that gap. Every nervous movement you made was mirrored by her own short, confident steps. You could try another speed buff, but she’d be looking for it this time.
Well then, time for the number one lesson that comes with a lack of formal training: if you’re losing, cheat. What you did next wasn’t against any actual rules, but it was probably in bad faith. Really funny, though. You dug your foot into the scattered leaves and loose dirt, and kicked it all up in the air, vaguely aiming at Mira.
Under the cover of your makeshift smokescreen you turned and ran once more. Mira had long since gotten used to your tricks, and hounded you like a hunting dog. If you went left around a tree, she went right (you’d tripped her once when she followed your exact path and she hasn’t done it since). If you tried to fake her out, she basically never fell for it any more. If you turned and fought… well, she embarrassed you with how much better she was.
The fact she’d ever thought that you were cool and mysterious baffled you. You barely had any idea what you were doing, and she’d been this competent the whole time. She was the cool one here. You could still show off a little, though. She may have the better training, and technique, and understanding of how fighting worked, and weapon, and stamina; but you had style, and pizazz, and flair, and gumption, and a certain je ne sais quoi, which had to count for something.
Powering up a small slope and ducking behind a magnificent old willow tree, you put your plan into action. The wide trunk easily obscured your lithe form, and you put your superior agility and flexibility to work as you jumped for a low hanging branch, twisted, and curled your body up onto it in one fluid movement.
Mira came around the other side and didn’t look up in time to stop you from falling onto her. You tumbled across the floor together in a mess of limbs as you rolled back down the slope, laughing the whole way. When you came to a stop at the bottom, you held each other a moment longer, shaking as the giggling subsided.
“I don’t know who got the hit,” Isa said, standing over you. “More importantly, are you both okay after that?”
“I’m fine,” you said.
“Same, and they hit me. Got me in the back,” said Mira, disentangling herself from you and standing.
“Okay, three-two to Sif then,” said Isa, backing off, “Begin when you’re ready.”
Mira pulled you to your feet, reached out and removed a crumpled leaf from your hair, then tapped you on the nose with it and let it fall. You spun your dagger, stepping back. Mira twirled her rapier, mirroring you. Just like that, you were locked back into the fight.
Mira lunged deep, her back leg extending as far as it could and her arm straining in its socket as she eked out every centimetre of range for her explosive opener. You swayed back on the balls of your feet, the padded tip of the blade just barely missing your sternum. She pulled herself back to standing with practised grace, adjusted her position, and lunged again faster than you could counter.
Or so you wanted her to think. You hadn’t tried it since the first few times you’d sparred with her, but you were pretty sure you could get in, grab her sword arm, and strike her torso faster than she could recover – so long as you spaced your dodge perfectly.
You let her miss a few more lunges, getting used to the spacing and speed. When she next lunged you swayed just out of range, and watched the blade bend as it hit you square in the chest.
“Huh?” you said dumbly, gaping as Isa called the score.
“You never notice that one. It’s worked almost every time I’ve done it,” Mira giggled.
“What did you do?”
“I’ll tell you after, since this could be the last round now.”
Settling back into stance, you were already concocting a plan. A brazen display of never before seen foolishness that no one professionally trained would ever think to do. So naturally, it was sure to work. You smiled at Mira, gave her an exaggerated wink (the only way you could wink when missing one eye) turned, and ran back for the clearing.
You slowed down just enough to allow her to keep close, putting on a burst of speed whenever she got close enough for a swipe. You wanted her to think you were starting to tire. Mira was too good for that to make her let her guard down, but it might stop her from considering the idea of a trap.
As you sprinted back into the clearing, Odile glanced up from her book, and Bonnie leapt up in excitement at actually getting a proper look again. You ignored both of them and headed straight for the boulder, keeping Mira at just the right distance behind you.
The boulder was rough and all weird angles, but had no good handholds for climbing – you and Bonnie had already tried. There was one side, though, that had a nice little slope at its base. This was your target. You ran for it, hearing Mira put on a last burst of speed to catch up, sensing her blade whipping towards you as she believed you cornered. You put on your own burst of speed, with a Crafted buff, powering towards the boulder.
You jumped just before you collided with it, ran two steps up the slope before your shoes started to lose their grip, and kicked off, flipping backwards over Mira’s head. She yanked her rapier back to try and hit you, but couldn’t stop her momentum in time. You completed your flip and landed behind her, smacking her in the side as you did.
Isa called the score, Bonnie cheered, and even Odile gave you an impressed whistle. You bowed dramatically, but stopped abruptly when you body protested, wincing and clutching your side.
“Shouldn’t have done that flip after getting hit twice in the chest,” you hissed as you sat on the floor, leaning against the boulder.
“Oh, let me,” Mira said, sitting down next to you, doing a poor job of hiding her own wince. The soreness was settling in quick for both of you now that the intensity of the moment was dropping and taking the adrenaline with it.
She targeted each of the spots her strikes had landed with a small, concentrated burst of Healing Craft. A firm palm on your ribs, warmth blossoming beneath your skin as the bruise vanished. Light fingertips on your sternum, an almost ticklish tingling as the soreness abated. A gentle brush across your cheek, vanishing a scrape you hadn’t even noticed was there until it was being healed.
You sighed in relief as Mira worked her magic. Bonnie brought over more water, and you allowed yourself a sip before turning your attention back to Mira.
“Now you,” you said, gesturing for her to sit back so you could heal her as well.
Your healing was slower-acting than hers was, so you had to focus a bit more. You started with her arm, cradling it in your hands as you fed your Craft into it, massaging the already swelling bump under your fingers as it shrunk. Her side next, holding her as she stretched it out. You had her turn around for the hit on her back. It was a nasty one, you could feel immediately how the extra force from the fall had already started forming a nasty bruise between her shoulder blades. You rubbed small circles into it as you healed. Mira sighed and leaned back into you, the muscles in her back loosening instantly. It was impressive she’d kept fighting after that hit; every movement would have only aggravated it further.
You both stood to do some stretches and properly cool down. You could use Healing Craft to patch up the bumps, bruises, and rare cuts, but could do nothing about your muscles. If you healed your muscles with Craft then you wouldn’t actually get any stronger, so proper cooling down and aftercare were important.
“Are you done now?” Bonnie asked, “Is it snack time?”
You looked at Mira, she nodded. “Sounds perfect, Bonbon,” you said, smiling as they beamed and rushed for the snacks.
You settled against the boulder with Mira on your left, lounging on the soft, slightly damp ground. Isa slumped down on your other side.
“You not going to sit at the table?” you asked.
“Nah, you guys were making the ground look really comfy, figured I’d join you.”
“Alright,” Bonnie announced, “I have… fresh juicy strawberries, super duper cookies, and perfect chicken pieces.”
“What makes the chicken perfect?” Isa asked, already reaching for the box.
“Spicy.”
Isa stopped reaching for the box. “Oh.” He reached for the strawberries instead.
Mira also grabbed some strawberries. You knew you should really take the strawberries or chicken, but… “What makes the cookies ‘super duper’?” you asked.
“They have three different kinds of chocolate chips, and frosting, and sprinkles,” Bonnie said, eyes wide with excitement as they showed them to you.
Your mouth watered, and your stomach became very vocal about which option it wanted.
“Eat something else first, Siffrin,” Odile called from the table.
“Yeah, you need more than just sugar after a workout like that,” added Mira.
“Aww, boo,” you said, reaching for the chicken. “Well, that’s just the way the cookie crumbles I guess.”
One boisterous laugh, one stifled laugh, and two very pointed groans all greeted your ears. Great success.
“Now I’m not saving you one,” Bonnie grumbled.
“Oh, what? But I was just trying to spread my chipper mood.”
“No! Bad!” they said, but you could see the way the corners of their mouth twitched. You could even hear Mira laugh, too close to muffle it from you.
You grinned, sidling up to Mira and throwing your legs over Isa’s as you began eating. Bonnie returned the snacks to the table so Odile could make her choice as well. Your head snapped up, along with everyone else’s, when you heard her choose the cookie.
“What?” she said, looking at everyone in turn, “I’m not so old that I can’t enjoy the unhealthiest cookie I’ve ever seen.” She took a bite out of the cookie, and you couldn’t help but feel taunted.
Once you’d finished your chicken – and got a bonus cookie – you stood and addressed Mira. “So, how did that thrust hit me?”
“Right, let’s make this a mini lesson,” she said, plucking her training sword off the ground.
She stood opposite you and settled into her usual stance: side-on with her left foot forwards, legs bent in a low stance, sword arm held close. It managed to make her look even smaller than she was. She shuffled until she was happy with the distance, and then slowly demonstrated a lunge towards you, her sword stopping almost an arms length away from you.
“Pop quiz: what’s wrong with my stance?”
You floundered, not ready for the question, and scanned her form. The various lessons she’d given you flashed through your mind as you tried to remember them. Then you saw it.
“Your front foot, it’s not pointed forwards.”
“Which is bad because?”
“You could hurt your knee when your foot is angled to the side like that.”
“Excellent,” she said, smiling at you. You beamed right back, just glad your remembered that. “So,” she continued, dropping back into a neutral stance. “I’ll show you the trick, but first, do you know what your problem is when fighting?”
“Bad technique? No training? No stamina? Daggers being a poor match-up against any other weapon?”
“No. Well… yes, but you generally compensate for all of those things really well. The big problem is your tunnel vision. Whenever I get close you focus too much on my blade and not me as a whole. Watch this.”
She slid her back foot forwards until it was almost touching her front foot, managing to do it so smoothly that her upper body barely moved. Then she lunged, pushing of the now closer back foot, and the tip of the blade stopped a hair’s breadth from your chest. She’d gained a full step’s worth of distance, whilst maintaining the illusion of not moving at all. No wonder you keep getting caught off-guard by her lunges. She demonstrated it again but faster, and you almost missed it by blinking.
“Now it’s your turn to explain yourself,” she said, walking to the table. She sheathed her sword and flipped the sand timer she brought with her. Twenty minutes and then you’d have to do the final three rounds. “That flip at the ends was insane. How did you even think of that?”
“Would you believe me if I said I thought it was so dumb you’d never see it coming?”
Mira stared at you, eyes narrowing. “Yeah, I would actually. I think that honestly makes it more impressive though, that you just came up with it on the spot and nailed it first try.”
You puffed up at the praise, returning your training dagger to its proper place as well, and retrieving your cloak from where it sat folded on the bench. You wondered if it was worth getting some clothes that were more weather specific. Everyone else was still fine in their normal outfits, but you started shivering the second you took your cloak off. Though, it’s not like you ever really took your cloak off outside of sparring. A nice warm outfit just for sparring would probably be fine, especially as it got colder.
One rest, three rounds, and some lessons on proper swordplay later, you were beaming from ear to ear and sore all over. Mira was much the same, and had reclaimed the lead by handily winning all three rounds. The others had all left after the final round: Isa because he was tired, Bonnie because they wanted to start dinner, and Odile because she was getting cold. You’d gone back and forth in your rapier lessons for close to an extra hour after losing track of time and had to rush back to where you were staying, and were still late for dinner. Because of the rush, you’d had to delay healing and stretching, and had steadily become more and more sore and stiff throughout the meal.
You now found yourself in Mira’s room, laying face down on her bed while she massaged your aching muscles and healed your bruises. She always insisted on healing you first, for some reason. You’d actually refused the massage the first time, because you’d thought it would feel weird. You’d been so sore the next day even after Healing Craft that you’d changed your mind pretty quickly; now you quite enjoyed them.
“You know,” you mumbled, “This is kind of you’re kneading Healing Craft into me, like I’m a dough.”
“So I’m making a loaf of Siffrin bread?”
“Yup, that’s me. Happy little loaf.”
“You what else loafs?”
“Don’t say cats.”
“Cats!”
Your groan of annoyance was quickly replaced by a sigh of relief as the last of your bruises and battered muscles were treated.
Places were swapped and you began fixing up Mira.
“You aren’t going easy on me, are you?” Mira asked.
“What? No. If anything, you’re going easy on me. I know you could have gone another round easily, maybe even two. You’re in such better shape than I am. Maybe in a few months I’ll be a match, but by then you’ll be used to how I fight.”
“Well, yeah, I guess. But didn’t you get really strong in the loops? I thought you were just… humouring me.”
You stopped massaging, processing what she said.
“That only really affected my Craft skills. I thought you knew that. I thought you were humouring me, going easy while I actually built up some strength and stamina.”
Mira sat up, nudging you to the side so she could look at you. You stared at each other in dumbfounded silence as you came to terms with the realisation that both of you had been giving it your absolute all trying to win whilst fully believing the other was taking it easy. Mira broke first, bursting out laughing and opening the flood gates for you to follow suit.
You didn’t know when you ended up on the floor, but you did, and when you finally pulled yourself back upright, gasping for breath, one look at Mira set you both off again. Eventually, you made enough of a racket that Odile came to find out what was going on. Both of you apologised profusely, fighting against the irrational urge to collapse into another fit of laughter.
After actually settling down, you sat behind Mira to finish working on her shoulders, talking at a much calmer level now.
“You know,” you said, “for some mysterious, unknown reason, I’m feeling a lot more competitive all of a sudden.”
Mira turned to smile at you over her shoulder, a fierce determination in her eyes. “Strangely enough, for a completely unfathomable reason, so am I. And, I’m already up one point.”
“Not for long you won’t be.”
You grinned at each other, already planning how you’d try and win the next match. You couldn’t wait, and you certainly wouldn’t be taking it easy.