Face the Facts [End]

[Tigeress]

She should have known better with her experience than to think remorse for that kind of death would be reasonable. Being The Queen of Hearts meant that not being on her good side was as much an offense as anything. She knew this, understood why just 'being a pain in the ass' could earn you a death sentence, but it still didn't stop it from really hurting. Something so small, so stupidly small. Why couldn't he have been just a little more controlled? Not like he had a role model to show him this. But blaming herself wasn't any better than blaming someone else.

"Thank you..." She started, before visibly flinching at the finishing of the woman's statement, nodding her head a little too rapidly as if to make the explanation stop. She knew, she knew how they'd all turned out. Maybe it was wishful thinking to believe there was one single other person who would feel the pain of their loss. Maybe she'd gotten soft in her time away, there was a time where she looked at them as being useless. She didn't like seeing Raj or Khizr beccause they were His kids, and then when they began to turn 'sour', she'd turned her back. And now she was regretting it. Well, too damn bad about that one.

"I understand." She said simply, the words lost in the barrage that came afterwards, one to sober her completely to the state she'd been at before. Muscles carefully taut, she sat straight and firm in her seat and nodded. Collecting herself in an instant, she began slowly, deliberating on what to start with. "As Rai's King to call, I managed most of the face to face negotiations and alliances with representatives from outside regions and neighboring courts. I am not only familiar with a lot of the clients, providing they have not been replaced entirely, but also on friendly terms with many." She paused and considered her role in all of this- what she had been to Rai, she would now have to be to Xiven... sans a few, ah, perks?

"I also believe I am very qualified in protecting you, and sacrificing my life for it, if need be. I have, on top of extensive physical combat training, a few dangerous protective magical abilities that I can offer you. One of which includes... an ability to become a being of complete silver." The last was said a little rushed, a little quiet. It was still something a lot of the court hadn't known when she'd left.

[Kari Muffin]

Xiven listened, her expression completely neutral. She took notice of the "Thank you" with nothing more than a slight twitch of her eyebrow. Carefully the woman leaned forward, her gaze never leaving Sekhmet as she spoke.

Interesting.

She wasn't particularly impressed yet. There was a briefly silence after the doe had finished speaking. Xiven picked up her tea to finish it off. She poured another cup before she actually spoke.

"All of my Kings have multiple talents. Apocalypse is more than capable of thrashing me in a fight and keeping me satisfied in quite a few areas. Mephit is skilled in gathering information and taking care of dirty work. Bernard clearly has the intelligence, diligence and experience to have the title, and his magical understanding is unparalleled." She grinned. "So I think you turning into silver is pretty, but I don't know if it's enough. You clearly have skills in the verbal battlefield since you haven't skipped a beat, but I don't want you to only have one talent. Would you be willing to show me your swordsmanship?"

And this could possibly give the Queen a chance to spar after a demonstration.

[Tigeress]

She had anticipated Xiven having quite a few talented people around her. With all the upset, she'd probably be just another victim by now if she hadn't chosen a strong alliance to rebuild the courts around. She listened to the first two with interest, smiling softly when Bernard was mentioned. Working alongside him again, ah, that would be so nice, like old times.

The King smiled a little despite herself, nodding at the 'silver is pretty' part. It wasn't really very pretty, in fact it looked a little frightening and she could only assume being hit by pure silver didn't feel that fantastic, either. Her verbal eloquence and experience came from many years, a lot of practice, and a few beat downs. The doe nodded at the last question. She'd been training since before Xiven was born, but she wouldn't underestimate the woman. She'd likely had a lot of time to train recently whereas Sekhmet had taken it off for obvious reasons.

She'd be rusty, but she'd hopefully get back into her old ways fast. Her swordsmanship, as well as her survivability, were the two things that secured her usefulness in her King quest for Rai. "Very well, I would be honored." From under her skirts she secured two clips that brough the layers up at the sides enough for her to move her legs quickly and not be trapped or hindered by the long fabric. She normally trained in her leathers, but had sewn these little features on in case of a time such as this.

"Will it be here in the gardens, then?" Her demeanor had changed visibly. Shockingly, she seemed more relaxed, more emotionally stable. And for once, this wasn't a mask, the idea of feeling a routine, doing the things she used to do, made her feel like she still had Something.

[Kari Muffin]

That was easy.

Xiven drained her second tea cup, placing it upside down on its saucer. "I'm so happy you've accepted the terms." Standing up the woman straightened her skirt out, eying the doe's movements as she went.

A fight in the gardens? Xiven almost snorted. "No, of course not. We'll actually make use of the sparring grounds. I'd rather not have someone crack their head open on the fountain you know? I do need to to stop at my room briefly to gather my preferred weapon, however."

The Queen motioned for the woman to go ahead of her before she fell into a rather quick pace. There was no point in dawdling when there was plenty to be done. It didn't take her long to collect her weapon and lead the way to the battle ground.

Absently she spun her axe in her hand as if it were nothing. "Before we begin, I would like to say this is a battle of skill. So please refrain from using magic. Do you still agree to the terms Miss Sekhmet?"

[Tigeress]

She was thankful for that, because while she didn't intend any blood spill (and hopefully her 'opponent' didn't, either), it would be a shame to mess up the careful upkeep. And yeah, that fountain could have been problematic.

Nodding with a slight smile, she followed Xiven to get her axe, the brisk pace a little comforting. Everything started to feel like home again. It was helping her to get into the right mood, for sure. As soon as they got to the battle grounds, Sekhmet expertly pulled out her sword in a cross-draw, reveling at the sound of it sliding out of the small sheath, and the weight of it in her hands.

There was almost a thankful look to Sekhmet's expression as she nodded towards the other woman. "That is not a problem, Majesty." Magic had never been her strongest point anyway. No wonder her magic spells were so unusual, and, for the most part, combat oriented. "Shall we begin?"

As soon as the signal was given, Sekhmet would come up angling from the right side with a precise sweep towards the woman's mid-section. The resistance and size of the axe meant that her speed and precision would be up a touch. However, the significant damage value of the axe meant that she had to give herself room to move abruptly out of the way, less she be beheaded or lose other important sections of body. Even one slight miscalculation could be problematic, if not fatal. It had been a long time since she'd fought against anyone who didn't use some type of knife or sword, in a way it would be fun to develop the mechanics of fighting against it.

[Kari Muffin]

Xiven's smile was brief. Her expression changed to one of complete focus. She had no intention of letting anyone show her up when it came to fighting. This woman, no matter her age and no matter her skills with the sword, was no exception to the rule that Xiven had created for herself.

The signal was a simple one. She pulled a handkerchief out of her suit. When it hit the ground they would begin.

At least Sekhmet was edger to get started.

It wasn't all that difficult for Xiven to avoid an attack like that. She may have had a long rage weapon that was extremely heavy, but ever since she could pick the blasted thing up she had trained with it everyday of her life. At this point many people said she could move as fast as lightning. It did also help that she was a cat, of course.

As Xiven jumped backwards to avoid the attack she drew her weapon back as well. As fast as possibly could, the axe spun to its "dull" side, that was neatly decorated with a hook. With a burst forward she swung at Sekhmet's midsection in retaliation. Of course her reach was longer than the sword, and she had no intention of actually hitting the woman. This was just a fantastic way to test reaction time.

[Tigeress]

As Xiven moved backwards, which was really the best way to get out of the way, Sekhmet paused only a fraction of a second. When the woman began her retaliation, Sekhmet pushed in closer. Her method of fighting involved staying in close, as she was usually at a length disadvantage, and once out of that 'circle', she would have to fight to get close again.

Because of this, when she lunged back in, Xiven was beginning her rush forward with the axe angled towards her midsection. Narrowing her eyes in focus, she dropped down to one powerful crouched leg, the other swinging wide to angle her body off to the right, sword coming around in response to where Xiven's left shoulder blade would be if she didn't turn with her attack to face Sekhmet again. The axe pretty much carved an outline of the woman's waist in the air only an inch above it, which should have been startling and worrisome.

But, in her fighting style, missing a hit by an inch was not only normal, but necessary. Xiven may have had the advantage of being a feline, but Sekhmet had trained an entire lifetime in the art of speed and precision. So long as she could stay in tight like this and let her reactions guide her, she would be alright. Her mind had completely turned off, there was only the eagle-like eye which watched Xiven's muscle movements and the motion of the blade, and her own muscles activating in response to move her body without thought.

She hadn't expected the speed, but that just meant she'd be a little more careful in how close she cut it.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Usually, this time of day was a good time for the man to take an hour's break from his work. What he did during this break - well, that depended heavily on what sort of mood he was in. With all the work that they'd been doing on preparing the nursery, generally he would spend that time outside or doing something active, just to wake his mind up and prepare himself for the rest of the day. He always felt a little bit more clear after he'd had a chance to move, not to mention that when he was tired, it eased some of the antsiness that he felt sitting down for long periods of time.

Today, he'd decided to practice footwork in one of the small side-chambers, away from the arena. For once, he didn't invite anyone to join him - after all, he was practicing with a large, almost cleaver-like knife. It was almost as different as he could get from his usual choice in weaponry, but it gave him some satisfaction to go through the movements even without a partner.

Dodge, strike, parry, shift. It was like a dance, the movements of his feet almost as important as those of his hands and the blade. Slowly, he was adjusting to the weight of it, the way it shifted in his hands. He was starting to feel almost comfortable with it, though he still preferred the extension of himself that was a scythe. The small blade left him feeling oddly exposed, but that told him how much he relied on using the pole of his scythe to parry blows from an opponent. This was just something new, a change of pace designed to keep his mind active. When he was breathing hard from the exertion, his heart pounding in his chest, he knew he'd feel content even if he had to spend the rest of the day cooped up inside. He hung the weapon back on the wall, grabbing his towel and rubbing his face dry in it. Then he tossed it across his shoulders and stepped out into the bright light of the arena.

Well. Apocalypse certainly wasn't expecting to step out and see that. He paused by the doorway, his head inclined at a curious angle as he watched his Queen and the unfamiliar woman trade blows.

Who was that, anyway, and why was she fighting Xiven? He wondered for a moment if she was a potential hazard, but that seemed unlikely. After all, what kind of assassin attacked in a place designed for fighting? After a short period of consideration, the man decided he'd stay for a few more minutes to watch. It wasn't every day that he got to watch his lover fight like this, and the new woman... Well, she was rather beautiful, too. What wasn't to like?

[Kari Muffin]

The best part about fighting, was how naturally it came to the Queen. Her movements and reactions were fluid as she focused her attention on the sword rather than the woman dodging the blade. If she was skilled, she would dodge it regardless, the attack had no intent to kill behind it, after all.

It was a high attack. Which meant Xiven either needed to block or dodge and attack low.

A block would be too obvious, and she had to act fast.

Xiven slammed down onto her knees as she pulled her weapon into a backwards swing. She would avoid the blade of the sword with plenty of clearance when she leaned forward as she forced the fall. Her weapon was generally aimed at the woman's knees. Not that Xiven was particularly aiming, this was just to get the woman out of swinging reach.

It was a rather lovely view from down here. And at the very least from the few blows they hadn't exchanged the woman was fast enough to keep up with the flow of battle.

[Tigeress]

Something about the little faux-battle was intensely invigorating. It revived her and made her skin buzz in a way she hadn't felt since the last time she'd been in a bedroom alone with Rai. She was so concentrated that even the thought of him didn't manage to make her falter, though she did push it away rather forcibly in an instant.

To be honest, she'd been anticipating a block, with how much weight was behind the axe it would have been a strong point for her. But the fact that the woman was tricky was exciting, it made Sekhmet anticipate things from different angles, thinking outside of the box.

As Xiven went down on her knees (now if this was any other time or place, Sek would be living every sane man's fantasy), Sek began to throw herself forwards. Honestly there was little plan behind the sudden move, and she didn't even have time to notice Apocolypse observing them, or the fact that Xiven may or may not have been peeking up her lifted skirts.

Sekhmet ended up flipping over the woman, though the movement was a little messy because of her clothing. The blade caressed the bottom fabric of her gown as it became airborne with her, the sword being angled in the air to come down on Xiven's shoulder, dull side down on the off chance that it would make light contact before she could halt and reverse the motion or Xiven could block it. She was starting to breathe more heavily now, aiming to land in a crouched stance.