Working towards Virtue

[Katherine Knightswood]

Katherine had made a point of finding the Room of Requirement as soon as possible after Winter Break. Once her father had told here about the room at his alma mater, the curious young lady couldn’t wait to find it. She needed to work out more, especially at ballet and her swordplay. All that wonderful food the house elves made was not helping her keep in Quidditch and equestrian trim! And sitting on her rump studying and filling parchment didn't help either. Katherine refused to get out of shape, knowing it could eventually interfere with her magic.

So here she was now, after pacing the sixth floor corridor the requisite three times. The young woman had concentrated on having a mirrored salle to dance and work out in, and she’d gotten it in spades. When the door had finally appeared, Katherine had grabbed the handle and gone in quickly and quietly, hoping no one had seen her. She’d snuck her own blades and her practice armor up here under her cloak, and had also carried her dance shoes. She stripped off the cloak, the weapons, and all the armor except the vambraces and put on her dance shoes, tying the ribbons expertly. Her hair was up out of the way in a tight dancer’s bun.

Katherine walked over to the barre, and began the series of limbering stretches that no dancer ever skipped. She stretched the arches of her feet, and then her ankles and calves. More exercises loosened the knees and warmed up her thigh muscles. Another series readied each muscle in her arms and then her torso. She began running through all the five leg positions, then the arm positions, facing the mirrors to catch her mistakes. She took herself through leg lifts to the front, side and back on each leg. Then finally she began to let it all flow together, dancing to relax. She pirouetted neatly, and then flowed into an arabesque. It relaxed her and warmed her up for the swordplay to come, and she enjoyed it.

Finally, she wound down, and replaced the dance shoes with her boots. She put her armor back on – greaves, breastplate and light helm all made of ver light metal – and adjusted the sheaths at her belt. Her swords, which she’d nicknamed Lord and Lady, were elegant little short swords given to her by her father and mother the Christmas after she’d passed her journeyman swordsman’s test. They were a matched set, their hilts wrapped in blue and green leather respectively. Their crosspieces were shaped like willow withies made of silver, and each pommel held a small gemstone that matched their leather wrappings. They were fine blades, balanced and honed, but completely non-magical in every respect.

Katherine preferred it that way. She wanted to learn with good blades, yes, but not ones that assisted her in any way. She wanted to know how to fight and do so properly, not be dependent on a blade. It was a piece of advice her father’s Armsmistress had given her at her first lesson six years ago. So she worked with Lord and Lady, knowing that their quality helped her, but not too much. Katherine stood in front of the salle mirrors and practiced her two-handed draw, quarter speed at first, then working up to full speed. She kept the sheaths in place on her hips as she began her drill patterns, getting herself used to fighting without time to take off the belt.

Katherine wished she had thought to include a sparring partner of some level higher than herself to help her practice. It was harder to drill one’s self, given that she wouldn’t catch every mistake she made. Some of them, yes, but not all of them, and that could prove deadly down the line. Katherine wondered if she’d ever be able to match her father. He wielded the Knightswood family sword, known only as Virtue, as easily as breathing. The blade was half again as long as her own short swords and correspondingly heavier. Katherine would inherit the blade one day, and so she trained, hoping to be ready when it came to her. Katherine wiped the sweat off her brow, and went at it again, practicing her overhand and block.

[Katherine Knightswood]

(OOC - Sure! I'm leaving it open to anyone with access to the ROR, especially the Shadow War people.)

[Silren Chalis]

(ooc: *Snatches thread* If I don't get a post out tonight I'll have one tomorrow. Man... darn lightfighters should have gotten off their butts... now I'm going to have some fun... dun dun dunnnn)

[Keaira O'Connell]

((sorry guilty pleasures had me distracted last night, I couldn’t stop reading until I got to a suitable spot. But here you go, and if Silren still wishes to join by all means she can.))

Saturdays were the best days. Most of the people that cared still though she was working full time down a t Zonko’s and therefore when they didn’t see her at all throughout the day it wasn’t much of a shock to them. The truth was, instead of spending her days working at the joke shop, Keaira had turned her mind to other things that were more important, Training. Each Saturday since she had cut back on her hours, she had spent the mornings working at the joke store, the afternoons training, and then the evenings on any homework that she may have collected over the week, not that homework had ever been a task for her.

So much like last Saturday had happened, Keaira had woken up, and gathered all the things she would need for the day, including her weapon of choice, some bandage and healing items, sometimes the opponents that she had trained with were a bit too enthusiastic…, and of course her spare clothes and homework. It all fell into her book bag without her bag showing any sign that it carried anything, and without the burden of the weight. To anyone looking at her, the bag looked as empty as always, and she certainly was glad to have that magically enhanced space.

As the hours ticked by slowly through the day, Keaira couldn’t help but to be glad that she had a distraction awaiting her. After an eventful morning of selling items of mischief to the students that had come and gone, she was quite relieved when her boss told her that she would no longer be needed for the day and could be on her way. Her trip back to the school was uneventful as most are, and through the help of some secret passages, and the benefit of knowing when the normal ones were clear, she had made it to the sixth floor without incident as well.

As her routine normally went, when the hall was clear, Keaira walked past the stretch of wall that she knew the room of requirements to be behind the requisite three times while thinking of the training room which she had frequent far less than she should have. As she passed it on her third attempt she looked for the door, however, she was sorely disappointed at its nonappearance. And so as the persistent creature that Keaira was she attempted to summon the room with her desired contents once more. Of course it failed to appear once more.

It was at this point in time however, that it dawned on her that of course the room could not be the training room that she wished it to be if it was already being the room someone else needed. The question was, who was using the room, and for what? For most people that is a question of pure curiosity, and they can only grasp at guesses for the answer hoping that they might grab hold of the right one out of thousands. For Keaira it is a question of action in which she nearly always finds the correct thread to hold and know.

She leaned causally against the wall next to where the door should have been, her mind already reaching past her own mental barriers to find the occupant of the room she so wished to spend her afternoon in. It was never a hard task to find someone close and figure out what they were projecting in their mind. Much like Keaira did to see if the halls were clear of suspicious people, she projected her mind out into the surrounding area and lightly touched the minds of those who were near her. Although, she didn’t have to project very far, and she was happy for that, before she found the younger girl in the room next to her. The images of the place she summoned were strong in her mind, and Keaira understood her intentions for summoning the room. Perhaps she may wish a sparring partner…?

Keaira felt out the girl a little more, attempting to see if there was any malice in her, or anything she should be aware of before she proceeded with joining her in the room as well. She found nothing on the girls’ surface thoughts, and so unless she wanted to push further, and risk revealing herself, mentally, to this other girl, she would simply have to go on what she had. Keaira nodded to herself silently, before pushing off the wall she had leaned against. She thought of the other girls’ room, the wall of mirrors the bar, all of it, just as the other girl had done as she walked the length of the wall three times. As she passed it on the third try the door silently materialized out of the stone wall. The information she had retrieved had worked, and so Keaira did what she nearly always did, she pulled her mind back together in her head, and threw up her mental barriers.

As she reached for the door knob she sent a small mental message to Zane, so that he would know where she was if he needed her, and then she, quietly as she could, pushed the door open. The room was nearly empty with the exception of the one girl who stood in it, the girl was facing a wall of mirrors, but surely that did not stop her from seeing Keaira enter. Keaira made sure the door closed quietly as she watched the girl drill herself a few times. An assessing eye went over the girl, taking in her darker hair, her dual weapon style, and her choice of dress. The room had, as always, show her a new, much more interesting side to people. A smile crept up her face as she cleared her thoat quietly to gain the girls attention.

“Greetings mind if I join?”

[Katherine Knightswood]

The sound of someone clearing their throat caught Katherine’s attention as she came back to her start point in her drills. Katherine raised her eyes to the mirrors, and caught sight of another student, probably a few years older. The young woman had neat brown hair and eyes that were green flecked with brown. There was also an air of quiet sadness or reserve about her, some indefinable quality that gave her a serious demeanor. Despite her inherent shyness, Katherine liked this young woman on sight, which surprised her. “Greetings, mind if I join?” the young lady asked.

Katherine smiled, and wiped the sweat out of her eyes with the back of her hand. “I’d like that actually.” She grinned at the newcomer. “It’s hard to catch your mistakes solo, even with mirrors to help.” Katherine sheathed both her blades in a fluid motion. “Did you want to spar? I could use a few pointers, especially if you know a style I don’t. I normally fight two-bladed because I’m small. I can parry with the one blade while I slip under an attacker’s guard and attack them.” Katherine shrugged, giving the newcomer a wry grin. “Most people don’t expect a small gal like me to have a sting.”

Katherine gestured to the seats over by the mirrors, and collapsed onto one herself. “By the by, I’m Katherine Marie Knightswood, first year Ravenclaw.” She smiled, her blue eyes flashing from under the strands of dark hair across her face. The younger girl undid her hair and re-did her ponytail, getting all the stray hair back out of her face. Katherine adjusted the light armor she had on, and grinned to take the sting out of her words. “So, once we’re done with introductions, how about we chase each other around the floor awhile? I could use a few new bruises.”

[Keaira O'Connell]

It occurred to Keaira after she had already entered the room, and the door had closed behind her, that the girl who had chosen the location had done so with purpose. What purpose Keaira had not taken the time to look in to her mind and find out. And now that the girl was well aware of her, it was too late for her to try and find out. Whether or not the girl was a friend, would have to be determined later. As she began speaking Keaira listened quietly nodding, in agreement to the girls observances. It was much harder to practice alone, which is why Keaira had always made it a point to not do so.

As he younger girl motioned to the chairs the room had provided, Keaira began walking towards them. Katherine was her name apparently. A firstie, and a raven. She would have probably already have meet either Dylan or D’rorah, seeing as they were the prefects of her hours. She wondered for a second whether or not she should lie about her name. Mostly to keep the girl in the dark about her real identity, and her secular activities. But she knew that it wouldn’t take long for the Katherine to find her keeping face as a prefect, and put it all together that she had lied to her. And so the decision was made. Tell the truth.

“Nice to meet you Katherine, my name is Keaira, 5th year, Slytherin prefect at your service for the time being... So, dual short swords are your fancy. I know something of their use.”

A smile playfully danced across Keaira's face, as she slipped her book bag off her shoulder, and unzipped its largest compartment. Carefully she reached into its compartment, and slowly drew out what looked to be a steal curving short bow, its string only attached on one end. Keaira’s smile widened as she twisted the middle of the bow, and pulled the top and the bottom at the same time. The two curving swords that she now held in each hand slid out of the center piece of the bow. She unhooked the wire string from the sword handle it was still attached to and placed it, as well as the connecting center piece of the bow back in to her bag. Standing up, she placed her book bag on the chair and then laid her swords gently on top of it to free her hands. The cloak that was closed around her securely needed removing, and her hands were needed for such a task.

Several buttons were undone, as she moved to remove the cloak; her outfit that was underneath was less than standard. It was the same leather dress and pants combination that she had worn the night she had risked so much of herself to save Alessandro from Mordred. The green and black dress fit her perfectly, much like the matching black leather pants that she wore underneath. The outfit was designed to give her the freedom of movement, while allowing for some measure of protection granted by the leather. With her cloak removed, Keaira was free to place it with her book bag, and in exchange, was able to pick up her two curving short swords.

“Well I’m not one for stances, and drills, but I know how to use these well enough. If you’re ready, let's have a quick spar, but try and keep it light until I’ve warmed up a touch okay?”

[Katherine Knightswood]

Katherine grinned, and then gave a low whistle of appreciation. Keaira’s blades were a fantastic combination of death and grace. Clever that, they way they came together to make a bow. Two weapons in one was a good thing on a battlefield. “Your blades are gorgeous. And thanks for the offer of training. I’m decent enough in a fight, but I can always improve.” Katherine waited politely until Keaira had gotten rid of her cloak and her bag. She raised an eyebrow at the combat outfit Keaira wore. It was a nice balance between freedom to move and protection. But good grief, I’d look ridiculous in it. I haven’t got the curves to pull that off. At least not at age eleven! “Wow, lovely armor!”

Katherine’s own armor was medieval in style, and obviously training armor. She wore a breastplate, greaves and bracers of some tough blue hide, meant more to lighten bruises than take a full combat hit. A set of pauldrons, a gorget and a light helm completed the outfit. The armor had a look of use about it, as if the owner used it regularly and used it hard. The young Ravenclaw looked comfortable in the armor, as if she had been wearing armor for many years. In fact, Katherine had, given that her father’s Armsmistress had been chasing her around the practice ground since she was five.

At Keaira’s suggestion of sparring, Katherine’s eyes lit up. “That would be wonderful. And I’ve got a Dulling charm on the blades for now. I usually do that as a precaution when I get out the live steel.” Katherine took up her blades again, and took a deep breath. “Go ahead and warm up, and I’ll do it as well. I need to stretch out again or my muscles will cramp.” Katherine began to run through her own warm up side by side with Keaira, watching the older girl’s grace with admiration. The Slytherin had a dancer’s grace coupled with the deadly precision of a striking snake.

What have I gotten myself into? wondered the Ravenclaw. She hadn’t considered that maybe this wasn’t a friendly overture. Could she be in danger? Katherine moved into the meditative rhythm of her warm up routine and listened for that small voice within her that guided her instincts. All was quiet. All right then, it was time to see what this young lady could teach her. Nothing seemed wrong, and this Keaira seemed trustworthy. Let it go. After about ten minutes, Katherine cleared her throat. “You warmed up? I’m ready to go at it whenever you think you are, Keaira.”

[Keaira O'Connell]

Keaira let more than a small smile escape her lips as the younger girl commented on the blades that she had. She was glad that the girl seemed to appreciate them almost as much as Keaira herself did. It was truly a shame that Keaira hadn’t had the chance to really show D’rorah what she could do with them. Perhaps she would still get that chance, but one must never get their hopes up too high. She nodded slightly at Katherine’s comments, before she responded.

“I had them crafted specifically for me, with my own desires in mind. I’ve always been a touch better at aiming than at using brute force so it seemed most useful to have a ranged weapon that would suite what I was better at, and of course when desperate times come about there is always practicality in a melee weapon as well. SO I had the two combined so that if it ever came to a battle between myself and another I would start with the advantage of range, but have the option to swiftly switch to that of Melee. Of course one should always hope never to need such training. As for training, I must admit I could use a bit more myself, but I hope that I can show you a thing or two….”

She left her voice to trail off at the end of that sentence, hoping to put a bit of anticipation in the air as she moved away from Katherine, out more into the middle of the room. She smiled again as the girl commented on her choice of clothing. It wasn’t everyday gear, but then again Katherine’s own seemed a bit out of place around the castle. The truth was that Keaira had not chosen this outfit as armor to begin with; she had chosen it as a fire protecting one. It was in fact her choice outfit for when she played with her fire sticks and wished to keep from searing the top layers of flesh that she might accidently hit with the flaming baton. But Katherine did not need to know that. She Keaira opted for a simple response.

“Thank you, I find that my own style requires more freedom than that of most swordsmen, but then again, As I said earlier, I prefer ranged attacks. I find your outfit to be finely crafted, and it seems to have been put to good use over the time you’ve had it, which I think is a great trait.”

As she stood loosely in the center of the room, she pulled her wand from a small tailored pocket near her hip, and muttered a quick spell as she slid her wand from the handle of her sword down to the tip and back, and then repeated the same motion and word on her other weapon. A bluish hue engulfed the blades like a fuzzy slipper for a second, and then it faded away. Now her blades would be safe for sparing as well. The wisdom of doing such a thing when she wasn’t sure of her opponent was questionable at best. For all Keaira knew at that moment the girl was lying to her, and had done nothing to dull the bite her blades might give her. Of course if that was the case Keaira had a measure of elemental control of metal to help her, and she knew the counter charm to remove her own blades protection if needed.

With her blades dulled, she took the time to flourish both hands at the same time, spinning the blade over the back of her hands and around to cross in front of her, a trick she had perfected with her years of practice with her devil sticks. She knew that she could juggle the blades easily enough, but for some reason felt the desire not to show her new sparring partner all of her tricks before they started. A few moments later Keaira had efficiently stretched her muscles into a loose state, and warmed up so that her blood was smoothly running through her body. With everything ready for herself, she turned to the other girl, and gave her a curt bow of her head, and said “If you’re ready, let’s begin.”

[Katherine Knightswood]

“I’m certain you can show me something,” said Katherine, her eyes shining in excitement. “Every person I’ve ever sparred against has taught me something new.” Katherine frowned, suddenly thoughtful. “You know, I have no idea what kind of fighting style you’ve been trained in, other than that it is probably different than mine. How about we do this at half-speed, so we can figure each other’s style out?”

Katherine had noted the other student’s lack of armor. Even with a Dulling charm in place, if Katherine landed a hard blow on Keaira, there would be bruises. She’d have to make sure to pull her strikes then. Katherine noted that Keaira was giving her an odd look after the other student finished her preparations. Of course! It was standard in a friendly bout to be obvious about the placement of the Dulling charm. “Hold on, let me renew the charm on these. I’ve been in here practicing for a bit . . . “

'Katherine copied Keaira’s work with her own wand, putting a new and stronger Dulling charm on her two swords. She used exactly the same style of spell Keaira had. “There, that’s better.” Katherine took up a stance opposite her new sparring partner, and smiled. She gave a half-bow and brought her blades up into a defensive stance. “I’m not intending any insult here, but since you’re not wearing armor and I am, I’m going to pull my blows a bit. Otherwise, we’ll have to try to be very creative in explaining the bruises!” Katherine grinned widely, settling herself for a two-bladed defense she needed practice with. “Let’s begin. Would you be so kind as to be on the attack first?”


(OOC_ Sorry this took so blasted long; the past month has bee completely insane.)

[Keaira O'Connell]

((I forgive you so long as you can return the favor. I figure that in light of our meeting in the ROR we should do something about this post…))

Keaira couldn’t help but allow a mischievous smile to cross her features as the younger girl mentioned holding back her blows. It was an odd concept, to think that metal could actually harm her. All it took was a little extra concentration when she was being attacked and she could make the blade simply glance off her without so much as scratching the soft leather outfit she wore. There was of course the chance that if she openly did something like that around the girl she may just arise suspicions, but really, how normal is it for a girl in Hogwarts to be training to fight using such weaponry anyway?

She gave a small nod, all the while thinking that the girl would only be wasting her time, because she would never land a blow. Besides, Keaira didn’t bruise, or at least, never revealed to anyone that she did. That would be one of the great benefits to using magical concealers. They could hide scars, cuts, and bruises for about 2 hours before needing to be reapplied… Of course it only worked on mostly mundane scars, and bruises of the like, but still, a useful thing to have.

Keaira waited for a second to ensure that Katherine would be ready, her swords crossed in front of her loosely. When the second was passed she took a step forward, in a grand flourishing movement, she brought her right hand skyward, hoping to draw the girls attention upward with the blade. While her left stayed low, and thrust forward with her step. The move was mostly for use on a novice, however, it was best to start slow, and gauge her opponents skills slowly instead of jumping headfirst into the fire.