"No harm done," he assured her, more worried about Alys feeling bad than about himself. He trusted his armor to keep him safe, but the last thing he wanted was her beating herself up over a spar! So to prove he was just fine, he returned the attack, albeit with a hesitancy that came from the dratted blindfold screwing up his aim.
He knew he'd gotten lucky when he heard her hiss and the stumble of her feet, and then it was his turn to pull back and freeze. "Shit, sorry, Alys! Are you--?" He started to reach for his blindfold to check on her, but paused with his fingers on the cloth. The whole point of the training was to get stronger, not to baby each other, and he had to trust that she'd call a halt if she needed it.
Her voice came from a slightly different spot, and her words gave proof to her determination. Tal let his hand fall back to his side with a soft sigh of relief before he nodded with enthusiasm. "Since I got a fancy ring from Frey," he informed her smugly. "Just afore we set out on the trip." Suffice to say her distraction worked, and his head turned to follow the sounds of 'her' foot steps off to the side. He wrinkled his nose in an agony of indecision and then started to throw a careful jab in that direction--
"Oh shit!" He almost dodged by accident, his shift into his attack putting him slightly forward of where he'd been, but her blade grazed lightly over his armor a second time and the courier swore in surprise rather than any pain when he felt the pressure. "This fuckin' blindfold--!" He growled in frustration and shifted from foot to foot, balance a little unsteady on the uneven stones and bones of the bridge. Realizing he had to do something, he sent three short jabs out in three random directions, trying to keep Alys at bay and maybe distract her into making a sound again. "So, uh... whaddya think I should ask the gods for next?" he asked totally casually.
He knew he'd gotten lucky when he heard her hiss and the stumble of her feet, and then it was his turn to pull back and freeze. "Shit, sorry, Alys! Are you--?" He started to reach for his blindfold to check on her, but paused with his fingers on the cloth. The whole point of the training was to get stronger, not to baby each other, and he had to trust that she'd call a halt if she needed it.
Her voice came from a slightly different spot, and her words gave proof to her determination. Tal let his hand fall back to his side with a soft sigh of relief before he nodded with enthusiasm. "Since I got a fancy ring from Frey," he informed her smugly. "Just afore we set out on the trip." Suffice to say her distraction worked, and his head turned to follow the sounds of 'her' foot steps off to the side. He wrinkled his nose in an agony of indecision and then started to throw a careful jab in that direction--
"Oh shit!" He almost dodged by accident, his shift into his attack putting him slightly forward of where he'd been, but her blade grazed lightly over his armor a second time and the courier swore in surprise rather than any pain when he felt the pressure. "This fuckin' blindfold--!" He growled in frustration and shifted from foot to foot, balance a little unsteady on the uneven stones and bones of the bridge. Realizing he had to do something, he sent three short jabs out in three random directions, trying to keep Alys at bay and maybe distract her into making a sound again. "So, uh... whaddya think I should ask the gods for next?" he asked totally casually.
