The Salle, Monday Morning

[bitchprince]

Arthur had woken up in a room covered in Union Jacks and smelling of poorly-made scones.

He had made an executive decision not to think about it.

He had then cleared out, taken a sword from the weapons locker, and gone straight down to the salle in order to pound some normality into being on the heads of the poor fencing dummies. He had no idea where Merlin was yet (having wanted to get out of the be-Union Jacked room as soon as possible) but he'd sent a text message (along the lines of where are you? I'm in the salle which was downright civil for his standards) and he was sort of hoping the boy could make it there to join him in his denial.

He would be here, anyway, slashing at things.

[[ ooopen ]]

Comments

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah showed up on time; at least she hadn't woken up anywhere strange. That was a plus, right?

Maybe she and Priestly could get drunk again, like after last time.

She headed for the practice dummy, eskrima in hand, and said, "I won't ask if you don't," to Arthur.

Then proceeded to whap the dummy about the head.

[bitchprince]

"Fair enough," Arthur decided, giving his sword a twirl. "Attack drills today." He was feeling positively kind, Dinah. See?

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

It would be sad how much that cheered her up, really, except that yes, it was kind! In some things, they did speak the same language.

"Cool. I am so up for that." When she'd finished her eskrima drill, Dinah put the sticks away and headed over to pick up her sword. "How was the trip to England, then? Francine said something about Wales?"

Twirl of the sword back at Arthur, and if the eyes are little more focused than usual, it's still not because of the Other Dinah Lance. She probably didn't even know how to use a sword.

[bitchprince]

"We went to what is now known as Wales, yes. Caerleon, Carmarthen, Llanuwchllyn," he listed off, smoothly. "It was fine. Good, actually."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Llan-- I'm not even gonna try." Dinah's lips ticked up in a smile, and she got into a ready stance as her expression went back to something closer to neutral. "Glad you had a good time, though. Merlin would have fried in the Bahamas." She took a breath, and stilled, feeling how different the effort was from this time a year ago. Strange, strange to remember that.

This time last year, she'd told Arthur she wasn't normal.

[bitchprince]

"More than fried," Arthur said, dryly. "Albion is safe for him. Well, as much as anything can be safe, considering the amount of time he spends tripping over everything, but there you go."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Cloudy, with a chance of mist and fog?" Dinah grinned, keeping her stance. "Also, how he manages to still do that, when he's been training with Professor Atreides..." Merlin seriously didn't focus, sometimes. Or just got really impatient. Let's not think about Francine-and-other-incident-related near-misses.

[bitchprince]

Arthur could spend a happy, long, fruitful life without ever thinking about the circumstances surrounding Francine-and-other-incident-related near-misses. "I think it's just in his nature to be a clumsy idiot," Arthur shared, for all that he sounded some what irritatingly fond.

At least he also sounded irritated. That was something. If he wound up ambling about like some love-stunned calf he'd prefer someone strike him down.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Clumsy, klutzy, kerflummoxed," Dinah said, the words rolling off her tongue as she started to circle Arthur. She could hear the amusement and affection there, and had to tease just a little bit. "But c'mon. Would he have lasted this long if he weren't waaaaay smarter than most people expect? Credit where it's due, Coach."

[bitchprince]

"He's lasted this long mostly by sheer dumb luck," Arthur said, giving his sword a swing as he settled into a lazy stance. "With the occasional flare of cleverness beyond his looks."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"I don't even know what the word is for you," Dinah informed him, still cheerful, body relaxed and ready. "You're just about beyond deadpan and backhanded and into your whole new realm of understated snark."

[bitchprince]

"Brilliant would be a start," he told her, and struck at her left flank, almost idle, a single, sliding motion.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Shyeah, right," Dinah said, blocking the strike, gritting her teeth at the force of it, and focusing to slash upward toward his other arm. "Sarcasm as an artform?"

[bitchprince]

"Please. That would mean I had to spend time perfecting it," he said. His own block seemed effortless.

He kicked out at her knee.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Ow!" Dinah bit down on that yelp, too, hopping backward as that connected glancingly, then got her guard back up, fast. "So you were not only--" She got her breath back, sword up and ready. "Born with a sword in your hand. But a quip on your tongue?"

[bitchprince]

"A natural aptitude for cleverness, and a distaste of clear idiocy," he said. And barely even relented before moving back in, striking high, low, high, adding in a little more speed.

He'd never go all the way, but it was a little closer to his natural speed.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

High-low-high, faster, and Dinah quit quipping for a bit to keep up, focus focus focus, and someday, maybe, she'd be the person she kept turning into on these weird weekends....

She followed up with a swipe at his shoulder that was instinctive, not-planned, eyes widening as she realized what she'd done.

[bitchprince]

His shoulder wasn't there anymore.

That was Arthur's full speed at work, shifting away, lifting his sword up to block hers and shove back immediately. "Is that the best you can manage?"

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"No!" Dinah shouted back immediately, and again had to grit her teeth as her sword came up to block, sliding upward clumsily, but managing to fall back without losing her feet or stumbling. No bravado, just another moment where the blocking worked, mostly, low-middle then slash high, knowing it wouldn't connect, but seeing where it would get her free to move again, with better balance. "I'm not you. But I learn." Parry!

[bitchprince]

"You can learn all you want, it doesn't make you any less rubbish," Arthur told her. He was trying to teach her something, not whip her into shape like he would his knights, so he kept reasonably slow, still.

On some level, it was irritating to know she still wouldn't hold out against a proper swordsman.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Then again, she wasn't likely to meet one before she *could* hold out against them. At least by Arthur's standards.

"That doesn't even make sense," she told him, forcing herself to calmness, circling him again. "I know I'm not in your league. But I'm miles better than I was."

[bitchprince]

"Which is progress," he agreed, letting her circle with his own calm, "But it doesn't mean you're good enough yet."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Good enough for--?" She was going to ask, for what? then realized, To survive, because that was the only standard Arthur judged by. Her shoulders slumped for a moment, then she shook her head, and set her jaw.

"Not yet," she echoed. Called up the image of the other Dinahs in her head, and relaxed a little, certainty straightening her spine. "But I will be."

Feint-slash!

[bitchprince]

"Maybe."

He parried, keeping up with the rhythm of three, four blows at a time, testing to see where she was weakened.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

Merlin might have stopped by his room to change out of the furs and god knows what else the other him had thought to wear all weekend.

Then he arrived at the salle.

Sheepishly.