ic The Espadas School: You Hold This End IC

[Fox]

"Well, pretty sure I'm not going to be able to impress anyone after all that," Tarrant chuckled, getting to his feet with a self-depreciating grin and trying his hardest to not feel old. Man, what do they teach these kids these days? "Still, I guess I'm up."

He hefted his sword again to re-test its balance before giving Erik a surprisingly serious bow and settling into a simple, solid fighting stance. When he stuck, there was nothing flashy or elegant about it - not that he was a poor fighter, but his way seemed more cautious: simple, strong blows rooted less in fancy footwork or aggression and more in confident, efficient attacks. Still, while he was likely to be able to defend himself against many, he was clearly not quite on par with his teacher.

[Gizmo]

Erik was able to avoid Tarrant's attack with relative ease, but not so much so that the proficiency of the professor wasn't evident. "Nice. Heavier sword, heavier stance. Grounded." The fencer respected how unflappable the elder student remained in the face of the youths' flashy displays of raw ability. Tarrant's movements weren't just those of someone completely comfortable with himself but someone who knew how to play to his strengths intelligently.

"Alright, well, I think it's fair to say we can jump ahead a couple lessons further than I was expecting," he admitted, running his free hand through dusty brown hair. "We've got a good mix of styles, too, lots of opportunity to practice against varied opponents and pick up some tricks for each other." Erik didn't make an attempt to suppress the broad, lopsided grin that dominated his face. "I'm pumped! Let's get to work."