Practice Makes Perfect (open)

Kevin walked into the arena just for a little practice. He brought out his celestial bronze blade and stared at it for a moment. It had been quite a while since he had last used the weapon, but he couldn't let his fighting skills be forgotten. So, he grabbed a few target dummies and started to slash away at them. Perhaps someone else would come to train with him, but Kevin didn't know. All he care about right now was impaling one of the dummies' straw heart. He stopped for a moment after he impaled the poor straw figure letting out a pout. He had forgotten how hard using a sword was. Well, that's why I'm here then, he thought getting his sword and going on to the next dummy.

She walked into the arena, for her daily practice, and noticed a boy. He was practicing on a straw dummy, but was a bit sloppy. He was also quite young, maybe five years younger than herself.

Time to help the little ones again, she sighed mentally to herself. She walked on over, and watched a moment silently, as he hacked at the dummy. "Raise your arm a bit," She finally said.

Kevin stopped for a moment as he heard someone's voice. He turned and it was a teenage girl. He supposed she was trying to give him advice. Perhaps he would try. In fact he turned badck around tried it, and his sword managed to impale the strawman's brains. Welll that seemed to work well. The girl was helpful afterall. He nodded help was always nice so he turned back towards the girl.

"Hello," he said in a cheerful voice.

Kevin wondered if the girl wa shere to practice also. Perhaps she would want to co-op practice with him. Maybe, but maybe not also seeing as how he was a bit younger than her.

She blinked, when he stopped to greet her. So she grabbed his weapon, hanking it away from him, dancing back a few steps and holding the point towardshim. "When in a fight, you never let your guard down. You stay on your toes, ans you are always alert. Never lower your blade, or you shall be saying 'hello' to the Underworld." She told him, before turning the blade's handle back to him and offering it back.

When the girl grabbed Kevin's sword he just frowned, and he gave here that 'really' look. Figures when your're done fighting someone snatches your sword.

"Well lucky for me I wasn't in the fight nay more seeing as how both my targets are impaled in many," he said with a slight a slight bit of frustration in his voice.

When the girl handed the weapon back, Kevin quickly grabbed it and pointed it at the girl.

"Never let your guard down and give the opponent back his weapon less you'll be sayinh 'hello' to the Underworld," Kevin said still pointing his sword at the girl.

After a few moments though he lowered his sword ever so slightly, but he still kept a good grip on it.

She laughed as he tried her trick on herself. "Really? Be more original!" She laughed, as she whipped out her dagger, smacking the sword. "Using my own trick on me? Don't you think I'd know how to deal with it? She debated on if she should draw his blood, just as a lesson, but he was new, so she resisted.

Kevin twisted his head for a mometn. True his manuver was similar to the girls, but it was still different in a way.

"Well you see you were teaching me a lesson of keeping my guard down by taking my sword," Kevin said moving his sword back, "I on the other hand pointed my sword at you, which is a different method than what you did."

Kevin took a step back from the older girl to distance himself a little more from her. He didn't know what to think of the girl. She seemed really sturn and strict. Perhaps she was just double sided. A Janus child perhaps.

As he stepped back, she stepped forward. Daggers had a disadvantage of shortness,,and one had to stay close as soon as they got the chance. You had to be skilled with a dagger to fight a swordsman and win... She had been training every day she could for five years, and was quite skilled. She wasn't a master, but she was still better than most.

"The method was the same, merely the application was different," She grinned wildly, wondering if she would get to see his skills in a fight.

Kevin took another step back, as the girl took one forward. "Ah true true, but that is what makes it truly different," He said back to the girl.

Kevin ten took two steps back so he was in line with both of the straw dummies. Perhaps if things got serious he could use them somehow. Perhaps as a shield seeing as how he had none.

Kevin wondered though who this girls parent was. He would find out soon enough he supposed.

She continued forward as he continued back, instantly checking her advantages and disadvantages. The boy was in line with the straw dummies, limiting his movemen but heightening his defense. She instantly began thinking of ways to use them to he advantage if he took use of them.
"Practice makes perfect; but no practice is quite as good as practice with a real person." She told him, although she had no intention of hurting him. She had five years of experience more than him, so she would make sure this remained a relatively blood free battle to keep it fair.

(sorry for the shortish post)

Kevin gave the girl a blank eye. He shook his head saying, "Say what?"

Truthfully he had no idea if what the girl just said was a good thing or a bad thing. Perhaps it was both. Kevin wasn't an Athena kid though, so he didn't need to be that smart.

Kevin then while waiting for the girl to reply wrapped one arm around one of the dummy's shoulders.

"You are obviously no child of gray-eyed Athena, but to whom do you belong?" She wonder out loud, as he slung his arm sound the straw dummy. "I said, that practicing shall perfect your skill. But practicing against a dummy is never ad good as practicing against a real person!" Her dagger shot towards the arm slung around, for it was in a weak position. Due to it's posture, it can not move too fast.

(It's okay, mine is probably shorter)

"No, Athena is not my mother, but Hermes is my father," Kevin said still keeping a close eye on the girl.

So, she challenges me to a duel, Kevin guessed as the girl spoke. He was not a good fighter, but he somewhat decent. He raised his sword and waited for the gil to make her first move.

When the girl attacked first, Kevin threw the dummy which he had his arm around at the girl, nocking him back in the process. He got up quickly, and pointed his sword in the girls general direction. He didn't know if the dummy did anything, but hopefully it did.

A son of Hermes, huh? The children of Hermes were not known for any particular fighting skill, butthey tended to be quick and stealthy. Without realizing it, the boy had just given her a small advantage, for by learning of his personality, she learned about his fighting style. Children of Hermes didn't tend to go head on, like a child of Ares would do, but would try and use trickery, and their fast hand-skills.

She jumped back slightly as the dummy was aimed for her, moving out of it's way, but the child knocked himself over in the process. Using this, she closed some of the distance again, but was still farther than she would like to be. It made distance between them, a disadvantage for those who use daggers.

Soon, he was back up, and on his feet. "You might want to watch out next time. If you fall, you're as good as dead to most creatures," She advized him.

"Ah but I'm a son of Hermes," Kevin said with a grin, "I'm quite adept at getting out of slick situations."

He paced back and forth still pointing his blade at the girl. He noticed the girl had a dagger. He wasn't a big fan of daggers because of there short range, but he knew that they could be used deadly if used by the right person. So, He would have to watch out.

Kevin finally stopped pacing and stared at the girl. He gestured her with his other arm.

"Your move," he called.

He wasn't one for offensive manuvers. So, he decided to go on the defensive and possibly use his size and speed to his advantage. He would just have to be carefull though. If the girl got close enough with her dagger she could cause him some serious havoc.

"I bet even a son of Hermes would die in a situation like that. You are quick, but not as quick as some monsters out there," She commented, shuffling back and forward. She pretended to take a jab at him, but stopped part way, and returned backwards. She would shuffle forwards and back, in this maneuver, until, at one point, when she jabbed, she also kicked out with her leg, hoping to knock him over.

Kevin didn't excpect the girls manuver and when he was flat on the ground he let out a large breath. He still grinned a little.

"Godd shot there," He said but then diverted his eyes to wards the entrance of the coliseum.

Kevin had an idea. He would try to use his good lying skills to get him an advantage and he knew just how to.

He pointed to the area he was looking at asking, "Is that man there watching us a friend of yours?"

Kevin hoped she would actually look giving him enough toime to get up and attack at the girl.

She pinned him down, since he was laying down, and put her dagger to his neck, "Don't try to distract someone like that, it's too obvious. You need a better distraction to make an enemy look away in a battle, since few are dumb enough to do it."

Jumping back up, and away from him, she gestured his weapon. "Pick it up, we'll try again."

"Obvious," Kevin said innocently., "How do you know when I'm telling a lie or the truth perhaps there was a man there and now if he was a potential threat you would be dead along with me."

Kevin let out a smug smile. He got up and he picked up his sword. "And besides who said I was not telling the truth before."

Kevin yawned slightly getting ready for the girl to do something.