Arriving at the training ground, Elaine was stood with an overly long sword. Not something that would be of good use in tight confines, but could be pretty brutal in the open field from the reach advantage it gave. The sheath was tied onto it to create a makeshift practice sword, and she was clearly in the sparring mood. Though, not so much she couldn’t be shocked to see Estaria stumbling towards her, dressed in all that.
“...Wow. I did not expect you to come to a training match dressed like that. But who am I to complain, mon amour? Such a great sight on the sidelines while I demonstrate La longue caresse with your wife. From the looks of it, you need the break anyway” Elaine would coo, her tone teasing and her eyes sultry. One quick glance at Filnon, and Estaria’s blood was fired. And not in the good way either.
“You two planned this!” she exclaimed, to soft chuckles from the two. Riled up from Filnon and this dam dress, and everyone staring, Estaria would dramatically point to Elaine. “Screw watching, I’m going to learn your style by beating the crap out of you!” Estaria would dismiss the pop-up she got, not even acknowledging it’s presence right now. Just rushing in with a practice sword and throwing down with the Vampire.
Blood Dragons, were no joke it seemed. Sure, Estaria was in a poor way right now, using a weapon she hadn’t used in about a year, fighting a person with centuries of experience and supernatural physique, but still. Elaine was definitely having fun, the way she sparred without trying to hurt the woman too much. It would be far too easy, here and now.
“So riled. I can smell so much coming off you in waves. I think I’m going to like that dress” Elaine commented, giving a giggle. Though it seemed to have the opposite effect, and Estaria stood up straight and exhaled, before turning to Elaine.
“You are right, I am trying to learn something here” she’d comment, shaking out her hair and and adopting her Witch Dance stance. “Should not be surprised you two are conspiring to have all the fun you can. It’s nice, in a way, that you are getting along. I’ll be the doll that helps that, if I need to be”
Any other situation, Estaria might have been embarrassed the admit such a thing, but this dress was making her go mad right now, and so her thoughts were not the most coherent. And so she engaged again, less like she was trying to break something, more like she was trying to learn something.
“There we go. I am sorry for the trickery” Elaine would state, as they went through the forms properly. “It’s just, you’ve always been so delectable when it comes to this sort of thing. You’ve got such skill, such prowess, and yet you think so little of it. So little of yourself. Despite everything, you don’t want to be in control. And such a thing makes it hard not to play with you”
Elaine’s casual dissection of Estaria’s psyche was spot on, and Estaria knew it. It made it hard to really focus on words, given everything else that was going on, so she just finished up the session and then looked at the two. Life was going to get really complicated from here on, huh?
Still, right here and now was not complicated. Just fight the thing in front of her. Elaine’s use of the sword reminded her of that Swordsmaster she fought in the dungeon. Such a long blade, and yet swung with such a fluid grace and with perfect use of it’s length. She was even using the off-balanced nature of it’s length to further her strides and swings, keeping a constant motion going without a second’s pause to recover from the swing. Truly, Elaine embodied the search for martial perfection.
The sparring lasted ten minutes before Elaine took mercy on Estaria, and called an end to it.
“Considering the situation you are in right now, you did really well to keep up with me. I didn’t feel much soul in your sword though. I don’t think it is the weapon for you” Elaine would state, shrugging gently.
“Yea” Estaria would reply simply, her shoulders dipped and her eyes closed for the moment as she tried to sort her head and get her words. “I really, just wanted to spend some time with you, sword training was an excuse” Estaria would then open her eyes and look back to Elaine, who gave a smile, and then flitted in close and kissed Estaria’s lips.
“You never need an excuse to spend time with me. In fact, why don’t we go spend some time together now? I can deal with that frustration you’ve got building beneath this lovely dress” Elaine offered, stroking the smooth, shiny black.
“As much as I truly want to accept that offer, you’ve another student today. So I, will go find some things to kill, and maybe bring back dinner. You two can conspire while I am not here, so you don’t need to worry I might overhear and be forewarned about what terrible thing you are going to do to me next”
Elaine would look back at Filnon for a moment, and then nod to Estaria, and head back to get into position. For her part, Es would glare at Filnon and then equip her Bride dress while maintaining eye contact. The airy fabric let her skin breathe, and the sweat cooled blissfully. Her scent also apparently waffed out a lot, as Elaine’s nostrils flared and her body stood to attention.
“A-avoid, going to Middenheim. It’s crawling with enemies” Elaine would state, stuttering a little as she tried to get the sudden blast of Estaria under control. To say crawling, while she as a woman that powerful and had Borrago to back her up, must mean it was really bad.
“Thanks” Estaria would reply, giving a nod and leaving the two to it.
The run from the camp into the open was great for her head. There was something soothing about just getting out there and running. Not at a superhuman pace, just a normal pace. It really felt nice. And on the topic of feeling nice, she was back in The Empire, so didn’t have to restrict use of her Guns anymore for the social faux pas that it would make. Once sufficiently out of the camp, she’d tap a glowing box in her peripherals, and apparently complete a quest.
New Quest - Gain the approval of La Chelia Delari
Quest Completed - 1 Trait rewarded
Considering she was on 4 levels per trait, and levels were coming in slow right now, that was a huge benefit. So, cooling off in the Middenland breeze, she’d open up her talents. At the top, was a red talent Mother Of The Snowdens. Other than being red, there was no details for it at all. Still, she had lived life so far being drifting on the breeze and pretty impulsive, so she tapped it and got the mystery trait.
New Quest - Defend The Snowdens
The mini-map lit up a place in the hills not far from here as where she was meant to go. Never having gotten a quest from a trait before, she took off at full speed towards it, wondering what was going to greet her when she got there.
