I saw rise in the heat settle soft and as pure as snow

[reunionize]

[This, honestly, took a lot of work. More work than some of the battleplans, but admittedly the machinations of the Victorian nobles are predictable. The only thing Talulah knows about the northern territories is what she's gleaned from her father's journals.

Edward Artorius apparently had a decent enough relationship with the ruler when he'd been alive, and since the wendigo race of Sarkaz live for a very, very long time, perhaps any goodwill towards her parent might be extended to her.

She has also gleaned the northerners are not unreasonable; they've crossed paths during various skirmishes at the border, and they ignore all rebel forces once their own task is complete. Talulah has made it very clear no one from her side is to engage with any other party that isn't either obviously Victorian, or strikes first, and it seems the courtesy is returned.

That said, isolationist policy is hard to overcome, and what she's asking isn't a mere favor. To be embroiled in civil war in another country is an idea most people would scoff at, but...the north has undoubtedly seen the writing on the wall for what will transpire after the dust settles. Victoria's appetite is ever unsatiable.

The Gaulish castle she walks through is a testament to that. It's nothing but ruins now, good for little else besides neutral territory. She's brought two members of the rebels with her, two with a calm rationality suited to negotiations. She'd be fine going in alone, but, well...if Talulah saw another group's leader sitting all alone during a meeting that was meant to be a peaceful talk, she'd think there was an ambush waiting.

Still, no matter how rational one is, curiosity tends to win out, and she can hear her escort party gossiping even behind their masks. They're wondering if the northern princess is as beautiful and strong as the rumors say. If she's half as strong as that Cautus she'd seen once during a border skirmish, then her alliance would be more than a boon.

By her estimation, the meeting time is near, so she supposes she'll find out soon enough.]

Comments

[reunionize]

[Talulah's energy for her arts is starting to fade as well. She's not used to this constant need to sustain it against the cold--she's much better at and much more accustomed to concentrated bursts of power.

Still, she's not going to let the protective layer of heat around her waver yet, even when Frostnova does push her back against one of the other ice walls. At least now she has a solid foundation to reorient herself against.

She keeps her sword in a guard position until she's on firm footing, before flicking the blade forward in a short, firm swing as she pushes herself off the of wall.]

[hypothermy]

[ Talulah has the advantage when it comes to pure physical combat, and Frostnova isn't ignorant to the fact that her counter move will quickly be turned against her. she can't muster another grand arts attack again so soon, and it would be dangerous to try something now that they're locked in with each other, but she's not entirely out of options yet.

the ice in the area where Yelena was standing is thick enough on the ground that Talulah's presence hasn't yet melted through all of it. when she finds her footing and swings, a corner of Frostnova's mouth twitches, and the ice beneath Talulah's feet suddenly shifts to the side. Yelena takes the opening to throw her own weight forward, attempting to knock Talulah to the ground the moment her stance breaks. ]

[reunionize]

[She hadn't been thinking about the floor all that much, since she expected her arts to take care of it. But either she'd used up too much fuel already, or the ice underneath them in this part of the arena is thicker than the rest, because there's enough of it left to send her off-balance when Frostnova makes it shift.

She feels the other knock into her and curses, dropping one hand from the hilt of her sword to grab whatever part of Frostnova's arm is closest to her and drag her down too. Talulah isn't going to give her the chance to stand there and cast a spell.]

[hypothermy]

[ trying to disentangle herself is easier said than done, and Frostnova isn't quite quick to pull back when Talulah grabs for her on the way down. she's not sure if this should count as a successful strike for either of them, but she's not thinking much on the rules of the match anymore, the adrenaline high coursing through her narrowing all thought down to a singular drive to subdue her opponent.

the arm Talulah's grabbed is the one holding her cane, making it even more difficult to keep the others sword at bay. her only course of action now is shift them the best she can as they fall to ensure she lands on top of Talulah, the hand she has holding the practice knife scraping up the blade of the sword before breaking away, Yelena aiming to hold it against Talulah's throat. ]

[reunionize]

[The actual rules of the match aren't at the forefront of Talulah's mind either, which is likely the reason she reacted by pulling Frostnova down with her in the first place.

She manages to twist her wrist enough to knock the hilt of her sword against the knife in the other's hand, just enough to keep the point from actually touching her neck. Of course, now they're...kind of at a stalemate. If she lets go of Frostnova's other arm, then that frees up the cane. She doesn't have enough leverage to push Frostnova off of her completely, either.

There are arts, but the ones Talulah can effectively use at this distance aren't ones she'd ever consider using in a sparring match.]

[hypothermy]

[ it doesn't take long for Frostnova to come to the same conclusion, her mind refocusing on the facts of their current position once she realizes how they're almost locked into place. Talulah's angled her blade to block her own, and has a grip on her other arm that doesn't show any signs of faltering when Yelena leans forward to test it.

she huffs out a breath, the air between them quickly turning white and foggy as the cold of Frostnova's arts meets Talulah's heat. ]

You're not bad.

[reunionize]

[The bit of reluctant praise doesn't make Talulah falter, but a bit of her expression softens out of the focused intensity used in a fight.]

And you actually live up to your reputation.

[That doesn't quite solve their stalemate, though. Talulah doesn't want to end things in a tie, but they also can't stay here forever. Or until the general decides to interfere.]

...how do you want to finish this?

[hypothermy]

You want to keep going?

[ Yelena does too, of course, but hearing Talulah echo her sentiment even as they're bearing down on each other like this is ... amusing, she supposes. perhaps that's not the exact emotion behind the smile she flashes for a moment so brief Talulah might think she imagined it.

while she's dangerously interested in seeing what Talulah looks like pushed to her absolute limits, her own arts use is beginning to wear on her, and another extended fight would leave her exhausted for the foreseeable future. ]

First one to hit the ground? Anything other than your soles or weapons on the dirt counts as out.

[reunionize]

You don't strike me as someone fine with leaving it as a tie, either.

[She does think she imagines the smile, but she recognizes Frostnova relaxing enough that means this particular round is over. Her own energy for arts is waning, so a duel with simpler rules seems best.

Before she gives her answer, she loosens the grip she has on Frostnova's arm and moves the hilt of her sword away.]

Sure. That's fine by me.

[hypothermy]

Good.

[ Yelena pulls her weapon away, sitting up and then moving to stand. she can't banish the multitude of ice walls still encircling them like the overlapping petals of a flower, and while she supposes she could ask Talulah to melt them down, it seems simpler to move them.

she makes a quick gesture with her hand, the ice creaking with a shudder before it moves, falling back from where they two duelists landed like a receding tide. taking care to make sure the ground is clear as well, Frostnova creates them a generally sized space to start the final round. ]

Ready when you are.

[reunionize]

[Talulah stands up after Frostnova moves and absently dusts herself off. She watches the ice walls crack and fall around them. After the friendly match they just had, there's no room for doubting Frostnova's skills when it comes to arts at all, but it's still impressive to see all that ice removed with seemingly such little effort.

She moves to stand in the space mostly cleared of ice and debris, and readjusts the grip on her sword.]

Ready.

[hypothermy]

[ shuffling it around to clear the space is relatively easy compared to spinning it from the air to create blockades and projectiles. Frostnova's about hit her limit with the latter, and there's no tell-tale signs of another drop in temperature or fogging of the air as adjusts her stance.

it's been a while since she played at close combat— it doesn't suite her fighting style out on the southern front, but for the current win conditions of their bout, she can't avoid it. she stands stock-still for a few long moments, eyes locked on Talulah, silently deliberating.

even without ice beneath her feet to fly her from one spot to another, Yelena's quick on her feet. she's bearing down on Talulah in an instant once she dashes forward, her cane raised to crack down on the space between her neck and shoulder on her dominant arm, trying to break her hold on her sword. ]

[reunionize]

[Talulah's capacity for finesse when it comes to arts has all but been exhausted, so at least she doesn't have to maintain a larger aura of heat to stave off Frostnova's ice anymore.

Close combat is something she's more used to, but she's facing an opponent whose fighting style is still relatively unknown, so she doesn't relax, even through the long moment when Frostnova doesn't move.

She expects the speed, even without the ice, but even though she knew how fast the other could move, Talulah's sword arm is barely fast enough to bring up her weapon to block. It's awkward, but Talulah is strong enough to try and pivot her weight to throw Frostnova off-balance.]

[hypothermy]

[ with a height and weight advantage on her, Talulah's riposte succeeds, pushing Frostnova back. it's a temporary reprieve, her footing still strong enough to correct her balance with minimal effort, and she dives in again to strike Talulah on her opposite side a second later. the aggressive close-combat style she was taught by her father and his honor guard isn't suited for someone of build and stamina, but she's found some success with it if she manages to end the bout before her opponent starts to wear her down. ]

[reunionize]

[She shifts her stance, flicking her sword to the side just enough to deflect Frostnova's blow. It's a bad idea, since it leaves her slightly off-balance, and she only manages to recover thanks to the counterweight of her tail.

Victory won't be won on defense forever, she knows. She plants her feet as firmly as she's able, waiting for whatever brief reprieve there is between blows, before trying to block the next one with two hands, one along the flat of the blade to get more power behind it. If it had been a real sword, she'd likely slice her palm open, but it's not a true fight, is it?]

[hypothermy]

[ adrenaline spurs Frostnova forward, her undeniable excitement from the fight keeping her afloat for longer than she might be otherwise. it's been a long time since she fought someone who could match her, and there's a simmering sense of longing beneath the surface to think that she might be able to do this again with Talulah, perhaps to their true limits.

the two-handed support on Talulah's blade works, even if it's not something she could reasonably pull off in a real fight. Yelena feels the rebuke down through her arm as she's thrown back, and the numbness makes her just that much slower on her recovery, giving Talulah an opening to exploit if she can see it. ]

[reunionize]

["Fun" isn't exactly the word Talulah would use, but it's exciting to have a strong opponent in a fight that doesn't have any other lives on the line. She genuinely and seriously wants these alliance talks to go well, but a part of her can't help but feel that the trip might have been worth it alone to know Frostnova like this.

The fake blade doesn't cut her hand, but the force is enough that she'll likely be dealing with a terribly bruised wrist until she meets up with someone who has healing arts. Still, she's pushed through far worse pain before, and doesn't let the opening she been given escape. Her next swing lacks finesse, but she doesn't need it if all she wants is to break Frostnova's guard completely.]

[hypothermy]

Shit—

[ not a very ladylike thing to say, but no one besides Talulah is close enough to hear the curse Yelena spits out after she realizes her mistake. she's thrown off balance, the arm holding her cane knocked out of the way, and she knows even as she rushes to regain her stance and dance out of Talulah's reach that the fight is likely already over. ]

[reunionize]

[Talulah's too focused on the fight to really hear it, but she wouldn't really care if Frostnova curses any other time, either.

She closes the distance between them in a few strides, knowing that if she lets the other have even a second too long to recover, her speed will make any counter of Talulah's useless. She swings downward, aiming to hit just hard enough that Frostnova's legs will buckle and give Talulah the only win condition.]

[hypothermy]

[ try as she might, the angle of Talulah's swing hits home. Yelena's able to bring her cane up in time so practice sword doesn't hit her directly, but the force behind the strike does what it needs to. she can feel her center of gravity shifting, and in a last ditch effort to correct her form, she miscalculates her movement, and falls to the blow.

if she'd just taken the hit on the chin, she could've at least taken a knee with some dignity. instead, thanks to her messy attempt at a recovery, she's knocked flat on her back, giving a picture-perfect victory to the draco scion. ]

[reunionize]

[In the aftermath, there is a brief moment where Talulah looks faintly surprised. Although she’d gotten the perfect opening, she still half-expected Frostnova to dodge.

She lowers the point of her sword and wipes the sweat off her brows and temple before walking over to Frostnova on the floor. Talulah’s not sure the gesture will be well-received, but she still offers her hand for the other to take. Good will, even if refused, is better than the alternative.]

[hypothermy]

[ Yelena stares blankly up at the sky after her fall, too surprised to move at first. how long has it been since she lost a fight, since she was pushed to point where a loss was even possible? the extended use of arts burned more of her stamina than she expected— she really shouldn't have tried to show off so much.

when Talulah's hand comes into view, she can't help the brief, sharp laugh she barks out, a rueful smile on her lips. ]

—sorry. And thanks.

[ she reaches to take the hand without hesitation. even through her gloves, Talulah can feel the cold radiating off her body. after expending that amount of energy, it takes a while for Yelena to rein her temperature back in. ]

[reunionize]

Sorry for what?

[She feels the chill as she helps Frostnova up, but her own arts turn the cold negligible. She's still breathing harder, the adrenaline not quite wearing off, and yet, she's already thinking about a rematch. How well she'd fare against a Frostnova who now knew her attack patterns.]

And you're welcome. That was a good sparring match.

[hypothermy]

Forget it.

[ if Talulah isn't the type to get worked up over someone laughing in her face, Yelena's not about to push it. another facet of her too good to be true demeanor Yelena will need to factor into plans— especially now, given that she's fully intending to honor the bet she made.

she lets go of her hand as soon as she's back on her feet, moving to brush off the ash and dirt clinging to her clothes. ]

You're as good as they all say. True Elders really are terrifying.

[reunionize]

Does only half count?

[A part of it is likely that Talulah doesn't think the other is laughing at her all that much.

She brushes herself off as well, her grip on her sword finally loose and at ease now that the bout is over. A straightforward compliment from Frostnova isn't something Talulah expected, but there's no surprise on her face, only a small smile.]

And you've certainly earned your own reputation. I don't think I've ever met a caster at your level before.