Thunk.

Moira looked at the spear she just threw into her target, watching it fall as the tip wasn't quite stuck in.

Uriah was reading a book in the tree beside her, reclined on a thick branch. He didn't even look up when he said, "You're doing that wrong."

[MELODY]

"Haud yer wheesht!"(be quiet!) Moira glared up at him before sighing frustrated. "...I just started ye know.." she mumbled as she pulled the spear out of the target. "Then come down and show me..know-it-all.." Ikatere was watching her as well as he laid underneath the tree Uriah was in. He lifted and tilted his head slightly as he looked at her confused by her reaction.

Sep 22, 2023, 4:43 PM

[GEM]

He turned the page of his book idly, not looking at her. "Hm... nah," he said plainly, trying his best not to smile as he just pretended not to care.

Sep 23, 2023, 2:36 AM

[MELODY]

Moira tried her best to keep the intrusive thought out of her mind to throw it his way. She just took a deep breath before she went to stand at the spot she threw from. "..fine..." She said trying to sound like she didn't care either now before made sure she got her posture right before throwing again.

Sep 23, 2023, 12:26 PM

[GEM]

He tried not to grin with amusement at her reply as he continued to read.

The spear missed the target entirely now that she was putting too much pressure on herself and she glared at the target as if it was mocking her.

Uriah snuck a glance to see this and sighed. "Alright, I'll show you," he said as if it was a huge inconvenience and hopped down from the tree.

Sep 23, 2023, 3:25 PM

[MELODY]

"..oh so now ye want to?" Moira sighed frustrated as she went to pick up the spear again. "I don't want to bother ye.." she glanced over at him as she walked back with the spear. She held it out to him so he could grab it.

[GEM]

"Well you're just so bad I couldn't watch anymore," he joked, smirking at her when he took the spear.

Sep 23, 2023, 4:05 PM

[MELODY]

Moira rolled with her eyes but couldn't help but smile slightly. "..well show me then..know-it-all.." she said to him as she sticked her tongue out to him in a playful way. She would lie if she wasn't frustrated but she could take the teasing from him.

Sep 23, 2023, 6:29 PM

[GEM]

"Well aren't you demanding? I think I'd like a 'please'," he told her with a playful frown, sticking the tip of the spear into the ground as he folded his arms and rested them atop the shaft to lean towards her.

Sep 24, 2023, 2:34 AM

[MELODY]

"Oh look who is demanding now.." moira said to him in a playful mood now as well. "Please show me ye Gallus.." (over-confident) she gave him a playful nudge.

Sep 24, 2023, 2:57 AM

[GEM]

"Certainly, bean bearránach," he replied before picking up the spear once again. (annoying/tiresome woman)

"You are letting go too late. Try it when the spear is at its peak," he told her as he went through the motion himself. But then he stopped and realized, "Oh, wait, how could I forget? This is the part where the man teaches the woman how to do something while standing behind her like a disturbing creep—one moment." He got behind her and pretended like he was doing just this as he put his hands over her own from behind and began to explain the motions again but not laughing was a difficult task that he definitely failed.

[MELODY]

Moira rolled her eyes again at that comment as she had to laugh herself when he went to stand behind her. Since she was so much smaller then him it must be a funny strange moment to see. "..ye certainly are a creep right now.." she said looking up at him after he laughed.

Ikatere was still laying by the tree watching the two of them curiously. He didn't quite get human behaviour yet it seems. But humans themselves were struggling with that as well.

[GEM]

As she began to laugh he let out one himself, nearly falling over and bringing her with him as he did. He then used his hands to put hers all over her face as he said, "I have no idea what you're talking about, this is perfectly normal behavior."

[MELODY]

"Ey! Ye skinny malinky longlegs!" (Tall thin person) Moira shouted at him as he took her with him in his fall. "..oh sure it's perfectly normal ye dafty! Let me go!" She said laughing at his silliness. "..we should be training ye know!"

Sep 24, 2023, 3:42 AM

[GEM]

He was laughing loudly now as he let her go, propping himself up on his elbow. "Oh lighten up. You could use a break," he said as he used his other hand to ruffle her messy red hair, continuing to chuckle when he did.

She was still on top of him as they hadn't detangled themselves from one another just yet.

[MELODY]

"..Ey! Alright maybe ye are right.." Moira said then getting her hair out of her face as he messed it up even more. She then noticed how close they were as a pink blush appeared on her face. She got out of that position as she went to sit down next to him with her back to him. She started really to detangle her hair to distract herself. From what she wasn't sure..but did she want to distract herself really?

[GEM]

He watched her with a warm smile on his face and complete adoration in his eyes. She was such an amazing treasure of a woman... he hoped she knew that.

When Moira noticed his gaze he looked away and to the distance instead, but his expression remaining unchanged.

But before any more words could be spoken between them, their moment was interrupted.

"Hiccup!" they heard Ruffnut's voice shout in the distance as she came running from the village to Hiccup and Astrid who were nearby sparring. "You better come," she told them breathlessly.

The two followed her in a hurried manner back towards the settlement.

Uriah's brows were pulled together now and he looked at Moira.

[MELODY]

Moira looked in the direction of Ruffnut's shouting before looking over at Uriah with a confused but concerned look on her face. "..we better go as well..hoping it's nothing too bad.." she said as she got up holding her hand out to him. Ikatere had come to them now as he noticed something made them worry.

Sep 24, 2023, 3:08 PM

[GEM]

He got up as well and ran with her towards where the others left.

Near the old well, people gathered in a cluster, the two unable to see what the commotion was about until they moved between Berkians and saw two dragons in the center of the crowd that appeared to be stealth types. One of them was trembling and the other obsessively clawing at the ground as its eyes were wide. They were wearing saddles indicating that they belonged to riders but the most noticeable part was the blood.

Human blood.

[MELODY]

Moira ran with him to where the others went. She pushed herself through the crowd to see what was going on to make everyone gather there like that. When she saw the dragons her eyes widen in shock seeing the blood and the state the poor creatures were in.

Sep 24, 2023, 11:38 PM

[GEM]

"Move aside!" Stoick commanded as he made his way through his people, towering over them. When he came upon the scene his expression showed great concern and confusion. Taking steps towards the beasts, he placed his hand on the frantic one to calm it, the dragon almost hissing back at him but realized who it was and submitted. "Get back!" he told the crowds and they shuffled out of the way but still watched with alarm.

Hiccup ran through and when he saw the dragons he widened his eyes in worry. "Oh my gods—dad! Is that—?"

[GEM]

"Shockwave!" someone shouted and looking to the one who said this, they saw Snotlout pushing past people to get to the dragon he was speaking about, the one shivering as he assessed its condition. "Where's my father?! Where did you send him?!" he demanded from Stoick.

"Spitelout and Hjorfer chose to go west on their own when we were appointing scouts. They said they were going to the clusters of Bloodpine Islands south of Iceland."

"Home to the witch tribe Hekseøya? Why would he get near that place?" Ruffnut asked with confusion.

"We sent scouts in a radius all around the island," Hadvar answered. "We had to. The danger was great but we only sent the best."

"Then whoever did this was better," Astrid said grimly.

Uriah's brows tugged together as his eyes kept a serious look, glancing up with suspicion.

Hiccup glanced at him with a similar look.

Sep 25, 2023, 4:25 AM

[MELODY]

Moira watched this unfold before her as she watched them in concern before glancing up at Uriah seeing the look on his face as well as Hiccup's. Witches? Really? Of course she had heard of tales of witches but she didn't know there were really tribes of them. The confusion about it was clear on her face. But whatever these two were thinking they were thinking the same thing.

Sep 26, 2023, 12:34 AM

[GEM]

"He went out there while those maniacs are loose and you just let it happen?!" Snotlout said in a fury to Stoick. "Why do we need to looking around anyway?! What information could that have possibly given us?!"

Stoick wasn't going to argue with him as he was only lashing out for rightful fear of his father's fate. But he wasn't about to roll over when it came to this. He grabbed the young man's collar as he said, "Do you think I care less for your father than you do?" he asked with equal sternness but not shouting, his voice and demeanor always reflecting the highest of authority. "Two of my men were lost. And I will do whatever I can to find them."

"Do whatever the Hel you want!" he said through his teeth. "I'm going to find my father myself—" He shoved past Stoick.

"If you think I will allow you to leave this island you are mistaken," Stoick said to him with a commanding voice. "I promised your father I would look after you if anything happened to him and it's a promise I intend to keep. I will think of a plan moving forward. But as if now no one is to leave this island! Am I understood?!" he said to the crowd when he finished, a presence making everyone want to submit even if they didn't agree.

But he didn't stick around to hear their replies as he tried not to look deeply upset by this news and turned to move his way through the crowd, Snotlout looking more than pissed as he took off in the opposite direction.

Sep 26, 2023, 1:13 AM

[MELODY]

The whole crowd had grown quiet as they were arguing. But once Stoick let the crowd broke up and people started talking among themselves. Moira watched Snotlout leave as her concern about this situation only. He could be a huge pain and act arrogantly but she knew him long enough to know that that was just a way for Snotlout to protect himself. Same could be said for Stoick who had to keep on a 'mask' not showing his true emotions while he was as concerned as them and probably beyond frustrated "..we should do something." She said quietly before looking up at Uriah. "So what are ye thinking? I know that look of yers.."

Sep 26, 2023, 1:54 AM

[GEM]

A couple of Berkians stepped forward to calm the dragons down and begin removing their saddles...

Uriah hesitated, not answering her as he was deep in thought.

In fact, even the twins were in a state of grim pensiveness rather than being their usual goofy selves seemingly despite anything that was going on around them...

Hiccup stared at the dragons, something going over in his own mind, they could tell. He was on the brink of a decision as his eyes looked intensely serious. Whoever was responsible for these tribes disappearing, assassinations, and absolute chaos, was finally reaching his deathly fingers into Berk and killing their own men. They had stood by long enough.

Uriah looked over at Hiccup just as he turned and left the crowds, something in his eyes that the Irishman was keen enough to catch.

Hiccup strapped on the final buckle of his dragon leather armor, grabbing his helmet along with the saddlebags. He walked outside his home and over to where Toothless was waiting for him out of sight to begin tightening the beast's riding gear.

[GEM]

Astrid wasn't far behind Hiccup as she found him, not yet speaking.

"Don't try to talk me out of this," the young man said in determination. "This destruction has gone on long enough. I'm not staying out of the investigation anymore. I have to get answers."

"...I was going to suggest bringing more weapons with us," she commented plainly with her arms crossed, shrugging as she leaned against a tree.

He glanced over his shoulder, surprised at this and it showed on his face.

Astrid let a slow smirk spread on her lips. 

Uriah used a stone to sharpen the edge of his throwing hatchet, picking it up to examine it as he has his things gathered, standing near the fireplace of Astrid's home that only had embers in it now as the flames had been neglected.

Sep 26, 2023, 2:09 AM

[MELODY]

Moira followed Uriah back to the house. While watching him pack she stayed silent as she just started to do the same. As well as gathering her arrows, checking them and her bow. She didn't know what they both had in mind but she wasn't going to stay here and do nothing.

[GEM]

"You should stay here, lass. You've only just recovered," he began to say, breaking the silence as he sheathed a dagger.

[MELODY]

"..I am not going to stay here.." Moira said as she started sharpening her dirk. The look on her face said enough to tell him she really wasn't planning on listening to him.

[GEM]

"Moira, I..." he stopped and thought about his words. But he avoided eye contact as he faced feelings of fear he wasn't comfortable confronting. "...Please stay. The dangers we will likely face will be beyond anyone's imagining. I need you to stay safe... for just a bit longer," he said as he had his palms on the table that held his gear; the table they would always eat dinner at together. That seemed like a dream now.

[MELODY]

Moira took a deep breath when he said it like that as she felt his emotions in what he said. "..I am not going to let ye go alone..I know ye can perfectly protect yerself..but..I can't live with meself if something happens to ye.." she said the last part quietly as if she realized herself what she just said, what it meant. She didn't want to lose anyone else she cared about. That was a fear deeply rooted within her.

[GEM]

"And you've stolen the words from my lips as well." He finally made eye contact with her and she saw someone a bit more vulnerable than she 'd known before. He'd always been this stable rock, holding himself in a stern place for her to lean on so long as she knew him. Like Moira, he seemed to have a strong sense of selflessness in him; one that only got more intense when it came to her. But in this moment she was reminded he had just as deep emotions as herself, however much he tried to keep himself stone-like for her.

[MELODY]

Moira froze slightly when she saw the vulnerability from him. It really did take her by surprise making her hesitate if what she wanted to do was the best. But she pushed that thought away and continued sharpening her dirk until it was done. "..I guess then we are both going.." she stated trying to hide her true emotions now. She became like that in a second, like she was protecting herself from his true emotions at that moment so she could protect him as well as he her.

[GEM]

Of course he didn't like this reply. But as he looked at her, he saw her sense of duty; her pull to fight. He saw that she needed to do this. It was what she had been training for and she would not only gain her purpose, but would step into her destiny to help others and possibly play a bigger part in this war than he thought. His spirit was moved to relent and he couldn't deny the respect and admiration he had for her.

Swallowing his desperation to keep her from harm's way, he understood there were more important things at stake than even their own lives...

He lifted his chin slightly as he took in a breath and then turned, picking up something and walking over to her in order to hand it to her. "Well then don't forget this," he said with a calm assurance in his tone. It was her leather archery bracer.

Sep 26, 2023, 3:18 AM

[MELODY]

After putting her dirk in it's leather holder she put it on her belt when she looked up at him. A small smile appeared on her face when he handed her that. "..thank ye.." she said softly as she took it from him and put it around her left wrist as well as a leather archery glove around her right hand. She had put her hair in a high ponytail just to keep her hair out of her face for now.

Sep 26, 2023, 2:30 PM

[GEM]

Uriah was wearing light leather armor and his capelet and hood. And once he and Moira were packed, they discretely left the house together.

Arriving at the cliffside with their dragons, they saw Uriah's entire crew along with Hiccup's friend group there waiting with their own dragons. Toothless perked his ears up when he saw Ikatere.

"He doesn't vomit. He spits acid. He's not Gregor from last night," Faelan was arguing with Arne as he stood in front of a saddled Changewing.

"On a side note, that was pretty impressive of me," Gregor commented.

"Yes you should be very proud that you could projectile vomit into someone else's mouth—"

Tuffnut instantly wretched and spit out the water he was drinking.

"Welp, I'm done with that," his sister commented as she bagged up the bread she was trying to eat.

Snotlout was sitting atop Hookfang, deep in thought and not engaged with the rest of their companions.

[MELODY]

As Cailean landed next to the others he made the ground shake. Moira was on top of him holding onto the saddle. She had gotten used to it a bit but it was still something she needed to get used to. She looked over at hiccup and the others as they landed as her gaze fell on Snotlout. She could imagine what he was going through right now having no idea if his father was killed or alive.

Sep 26, 2023, 3:21 PM

[GEM]

Uriah walked over to help Arne with his saddle bags.

"We're taking the princess?" Ruarrc asked skeptically, but quiet enough that no one but the three of them could hear, his arms crossed.

"Yes and if you have a problem with that... you can hold down the fort," Uriah replied sternly. He then looked at Arne's pack and said, "Why are you bringing so many potatoes?" to which Arne began to argue with him about.

"Feeling better today?" Astrid asked kindly to Moira as she sat on Stormfly at her side, facing the cliffs.

Sep 26, 2023, 11:32 PM

[MELODY]

Moira looked over at Astrid as a small smile appeared on her face and she nodded. "Aye..much better.." she said before looking away to look at the ocean. "..so..what kind of people are these witches? I heard tales of course..never seen one.." she asked looking back at Astrid then.

Sep 27, 2023, 1:26 AM

[GEM]

"Eh... some aren't so bad," is all she said, a knowing smile on her face.

Interrupting them, they heard someone coming their way with an half tamed Hobblegrunt. It was David. He had a backpack on and a spear and a shield on his back. "I'm coming with you," he told them. "I'm not going to separate from my family again."

Sep 27, 2023, 4:17 AM

[MELODY]

Moira looked over at David when she heard his voice before sighing softly as she got off Cailean. "God help me.." she mumbled to herself quietly as she walked over to the twelve-year-old and his dragon. "..you are staying here.." she said calmly to him "..No discussion.." she added then as she crossed her arms.

Sep 27, 2023, 3:56 PM

[GEM]

"I can't lose you to those murderous thugs like I lost everyone else!" he said stubbornly, talking from a deep place of emotion.

[MELODY]

Moira took a deep breath before replying as she wanted to stay calm but that was difficult when she knew what he was also going through. "..you aren't going to lose me..and I want you to be safe..now get off the dragon." She said calmly but seriously. It was probably weird hearing moira without her Scottish accent as she talked differently to David.

[GEM]

He kept a stern look and hopped down, walking up to her as he said more quietly, "...Promise me... Promise me you'll return."

Sep 28, 2023, 1:19 AM

[MELODY]

Moira nodded when he asked that giving him a small smile but her eyes said differently as they showed how she really felt. She didn't want to leave him..but she wanted to do this to make sure no one else who she loved and cared about got taken from her. "I promise.." she said to him before pulling him into a hug. "..stay safe alright..listen to stoick, Gobber and the others.."

Sep 28, 2023, 3:10 AM

[GEM]

He felt a growing pain in his heart but hugging her tightly for another moment, he let go reluctantly. He didn't want to stay. But he didn't think he had much of a choice...

"Alright. Let's get on with it before the others find us," Ruarrc said as he mounted his Seashocker.

[MELODY]

Moira gave him a kiss on his forehead by which she had to get on her toes. He had become taller then her which she still needed to get used to. Moira turned around then. It hurted her immensely to do so as she tried to hold back the tears when she walked back and mounted Cailean again.

Oct 6, 2023, 3:24 AM

[GEM]

Uriah gave her a sympathetic but supportive expression as he stood beside Ikatere, tightening the dragon's saddle.

Snotlout gripped the reins of Hookfang and looked over at Hiccup by his side, watching everyone begin to let their dragons leap off the edge of the cliffside. "...You don't have to do this," he said seriously to him.

"...I know," Hiccup replied with a small wholesome smile before he put his helmet on and joined the rest of the gang, leaving Snotlout to bring up the rear as he let a warm feeling spread through him at his friends' devotion. Perhaps he was luckier than he thought...

Runa's blade slid across the leather covering thick fabric layered over straw and a wooden skeleton. With wicked speed, she used her offhand to return with an underarm jab, pulling that out to spin and slice the side of the dummy, twirling her dagger with a skilled flip as she held it backwards and jammed it through the chest, getting it stuck deep inside the armor it wore.

Turning again, she yanked her blade free began to stab the thing over and over in a frenzy with both daggers, getting frustrated that those thoughts kept coming back as she tried her best to silence them, choking them out as if they were this dummy. She finally took her blades and jammed them both in the throat of the dummy, yanking apart so hard the head fell off, exposing the inside straw as it tumbled to the ground...

She stood there breathing hard, very little sound echoing through their new training chambers aside from that; the chambers that were just as dark as the ones back at the sanctuary, as it was dark stone, lit by firelight and the white beams that shone through the small windows at the top of the large circular room. She shut her eyes for a moment...

"You've been avoiding us since your return," a voice said behind her, nearly startling her which was a surprise since she was the one who usually did the startling.

She just continued to breathe and after a moment she said, "And who is 'us'?"

"...Everyone," he replied plainly.

She slowed her heart rate and wiped her hand with her sleeve to stop the bleeding that occurred again. "I needed to think."

Muiredach walked gently over to the table and picked up a dry folded cloth, taking a couple of steps to hand it to her. "How did you get that?" he asked as he looked to her wound.

"Sharpening. My hand slipped," she said plainly as she applied pressure to it with the fabric.

"Hm... You always were a clumsy thing," he said with a slight lift of his brow, the shadow from his hood nearly hiding it.

"And yet here I am, nearly your rank now and half your age," she returned with sass.

"Half? I hadn't realized I was already in my early thirties. I suppose I look rather good for my age," he matched her attitude.

"I don't know. Is that a grey hair?" she said as if looking for one, doubt in her eyes.

He couldn't help it then. His thin lips stretched into a smirk as humor glistened in his eyes, letting out a breath as he glanced to his left. He didn't smile much anymore but somehow Runa was able to extract it from him when she wanted. And it was the same way with her. When she first joined the Brotherhood, not many treated her well, being so young. Everyone else had their theories about why she was even there, not seeing the potential in her that Muiredach saw. Even Valmaor needed convincing at first...

But now even though things were different, they still had a stronger connection than most in their community.

After a pause, he leaned against the table behind him casually, his arms crossed over his black leather armor that complimented his cloak, and said to her, "What were you thinking about?"

She didn't answer for a moment, recalling the questions in her mind that she'd been dwelling on since she got back from her latest mission. She looked down at her hand. "...Do you ever feel like... you're making a mistake? Like your life has been leading to something you don't want and you see yourself as a villain rather than a hero? ...And you get a horrid chill down your spine?"

There was a long pause as Muiredach's blood began to run cold and his demeanor shifted as his eyes seemed to take in what she was saying in a strange way that she couldn't read. Despite how well she knew him, she always felt there was a side of him she would never know.

The grey glow highlighted his pale scarred face as he took in her words, his brows tugging together just slightly.

"Have you ever... looked into the eyes of a child screaming in terror and realized you were a monster?" she continued, feeling comfortable enough with him to open up but at this point she seemed to be just speaking her thoughts out loud without a care of who was listening.

He shut his eyes briefly as he took in a small breath, closing his lips and looking away from her. "What happened on your mission?" he asked quietly.

She kept a steely gaze as usual but could feel emotions coming back in spite of her efforts. "I was sent to kill a simple man in a small house. He lived a quiet life without signs of any kind of malice in his present nor his past. He had a wife and a small boy who returned shortly after the deed was done... and I can still hear their screams..." she looked into the distance as she recalled that night that lived on repeat in her mind. "When I sleep I see his face... and last night I saw more than his face but the faces of all I've killed..."

Muiredach's expression was void of emotion as he took in this information, nothing but one swallow was noticeable in his reaction. "He sent you to kill an innocent?"

She didn't know how to respond. Surely he couldn't have been innocent of everything if Tempus Mora himself wanted the man dead. This was a leader who broke the chains of slaves and preached about a better world; one without war and pain, where the afflicted will see their fields of green instead of the dirt they were thrown to. Her doubts just didn't add up to what she knew.

Yet here she was, doubting anyway.

"And you believe he doesn't have a good enough reason to want someone that you perceive as innocent to die?" he asked softly, watching her.

"Of course I don't," she said immediately, realizing she was flawed in her conclusions, shaking her head. "It's nothing like that. I am loyal to this family until the end." She looked up at him with assurance in her gaze...

"...But?" he asked, knowing her too well to leave it there.

Her eyes drifted for a moment... "...I looked into his eyes as he died... A man with a past... memories... hopes and dreams... people he cared for, cherished... a confusion in him of what he was being killed for... the pain and fear in his eyes. Nothing good took place there, not even the feeling of satisfaction I would get from killing evil men... It was like despite all I knew... the feeling of what I had just done smothered me to my core and drowned me in despair." She looked at him. "And it's a feeling I can't get rid of..."

He returned her gaze, something deep inside of him stirring like a thunderous wave. But his demeanor remained calm like it always did. "Feelings betray us, dear sister—"

"Don't do that," she snapped.

"Do what?"

"Talk to me like everyone else does," she looked back at him sternly.

He hesitated, realizing she could see through bullshit better than he anticipated. His gaze fell and he spoke from the heart instead when he looked back at her. "You can accuse me all you like... ...but you are and always will be my sister, Runa."

Now that she could see his true self behind his ice blue eyes, she was nearly moved a feeling almost resembling something good occurred in her heart. That was rare... and strange. Her brows were still knit together but her gaze was softer than it was.

"This life is not for the faint of heart, nor is any life worth living... But above all else you must remember... who the enemy is," he said slowly to her, deep intent behind his eyes that looked straight into hers. "And once you have done that, you can carry on, no matter the cost."

She took in his words with deep contemplation, branding them into her memory. One thing she knew ever since she met him, was that everything he said had deep meaning. Every single word.

He looked away from her and stood up straight, walking forward slowly away from her. "There's a war coming, Runa..." he said while he had his back to her, pulling his face mask up over his mouth and nose, completing the shadow armor look. He stood there in that spot for a second. "And when it does... you'll need to be ready—!" He whipped around with lighting speed, throwing a blade from his bracer straight forward.

She had ducked away from the strike but he also threw it far enough to the left that it wouldn't have hit her. It instead hit the target a few feet behind her, right in the center.

Her eyes were wide.

He lifted a couple of fingers and gestured for her to come as he made a fighting stance.

https://youtu.be/zZZ-FZ03Sxk

(song: "As We Fall" from League of Legends)

She narrowed her gaze and grabbed her blades. Luckily her cut was on the back of her fingers so it didn't hurt her to hold her weapons.

She eyed him and carefully took steps to her right as they circled each other on the training platform.

Knowing he wasn't going to make the first move, she grit her teeth and charged for him, acting as if she was going to strike towards his neck but she ducked and twisted her body around, attempting to jam her dagger into his backside when he spun and his blades broke from their hiding place, attached to his bracers. He eyed her before shoving her weapon of his own, and turning to face her with both of his blades now exposed.

She ducked from his first strike and did a combat roll, trying to catch him off guard by slashing his legs but he anticipated this and leapt into the air at just the right moment, twisting his body horizontally and landing in a springing position as he faced her once more.

But the two didn't hesitate as they engaged again, clashing blades as fast as striking snakes. Their weapons hit off one another and Runa ducked from his next slice from his offhand, blocking the one that followed from his main hand. She tried to jam her other blade onto his hand as their weapons were locked but he brought his weapon back into his bracer and pulled his hand out of the way before she could do this. He grabbed her wrist and dodged his torso backwards to avoid her offhand swipe, kicking her after to knock her back.

She hit the ground on her back but rolled backwards and faced him again as she sprung up and charged once more. Dodging his attack, she slid and kicked his leg out from under him, spinning around to lunge and finish him but he had already thrown his body back to its feet with one swift jump and dodged left to avoid her slice.

Swinging his blade upwards, she dodged and blocked it with her dagger as it slid past her cheek, blocking another just as quickly as she attempted to slice him herself. But both of them were keeping up at high speeds and they exchanged strikes and blocks left and right with intense precision.

When Runa attempted to stab him he caught her blade in both of his and yanked, forcing it from her grasp. She ducked from his following strike and dodged his next, moving with lightning reflexes while she dropped her dagger from her offhand and caught it in her main hand, spinning it around to attempt to slice him. But she only managed to get a scrape through his leather armor before he grabbed her throat and lifted her from the ground.

Acting fast, she grabbed his arm with both hands and threw her body upwards, grabbing his torso with both her legs and forcing him backwards, onto the ground in a compromised position. But before she could put her dagger to his throat he blocked it with his own blade and rolled off her, stabbing his arm blade down into the cushioned training pad where she was. But she had already spun out of the way and got up on one knee. She threw her dagger through the air at him but he knocked it aside with wicked speed with his own blade and charged for her.

She dodged left from his advance and slid on her knees to grab her fallen dagger, but just as she did this, he kicked her arm, forcing the blade to fly from her fingers again and leaving her vulnerable for a split second long enough for him to pin her down to her back and out his arm blade to her throat, his knees keeping her arms down.

She was breathing hard now and seemed frustrated that she didn't beat him, though wasn't exactly surprised. He was their best fighter.

He smirked behind his mask. "You've improved since our last spar."

"Call it my competitive nature," she replied plainly.

He clicked his weapons so that they retreated back into his arm bracers securely before releasing her and standing again. He held out a hand for her and she took it, getting back to her feet.

Before letting go of her, he used his other hand to pull his face mask down as he eyed her arm. "Though it wouldn't hurt you to add push-ups to your workout—"

She snatched her arm from his grasp with offense and smacked him in the chest.

He smirked a little with amusement in his expression, letting out a chuckle.

Just then someone came into the room; a woman in a dark tunic and leather shoulder plates. Her hair was done back in tight braids that complimented her dark skin tone. "Brother. Valmaor has your next target prepared. He wishes to have an audience at once," she said in a monotone way.

He nodded to her and she left.

He glanced back at little Runa before walking after the woman.

"Muiredach," Runa got his attention, causing him to stop and look at her expectantly.

She hesitated and blinked a couple of times before she said, "...Thank you."

There was a hesitance in him as well but he simply gave her a soft look in his eyes before nodding and turning to exit the room.