"I'm Glad You're On My Side"

"I'm Glad You're On My Side"
Date of Scene:	25 November 2012
Location:	Fluorgis - Shard Seekers HQ - Garden
Synopsis:	A training session between the indomitable Raiya Fujihara and her incorrigible protege Ivo Galvan amidst a garden flooded by the setting sunlight and the quiet snores of fearless leader Reize Seatlan is interrupted by the opportunity for a challenging sparring match and the prospect of great reward. Riku and Ivo, uneasy allies, confront each other for the first time. Will the two of them ever be friends? Or will the different darknesses dwelling in each of them someday make them enemies?
Cast of Characters:	Ivo Galvan, Reize Seatlan, Raiya Fujihara, Riku

---

Ivo Galvan has posed:
The sound of steel leaving leather. The click of the hilt hitting home.

In the stillness of the early evening, the desert sun setting in the distance, bathing the garden in orange and violet hues, Ivo stands poised and alert. A faint breeze ruffles the dark bangs about his focused blue eyes as it sends ripples across the pond, and for an extended moment that is his only movement save his steady, measured breathing.

Until, its passage eased by the wind, a single leaf drops from the tree above.

The sound of steel leaving leather. The click of the hilt hitting home.

The quick draw technique splits the leaf in twain, sending green fragments scattering. Yet the cut is imperfect, for all Ivo's formidable grace and concentration, not along the line he had planned. He is undismayed, and his gaze does not flicker. Instead, he struggles to clear his mind, to find the void and, after all else has been swept away by it, his essence.

"Focus," he murmurs softly to himself. "Focus... the leaf is..."

Another leaf drops.

"...Raiya-sensei's kimono sash...!"

A flash of steel. Two halves of a perfectly split leaf.

And a grinning Ivo whips Hauteclare back into its sheath-- only to flinch and grimace as he holds up his hand, bleeding between thumb and forefinger, the slice which portends what's known for a reason as a 'swordsman's scar'. He pops his hand in his mouth, turning blithely toward his watchful teacher.

"Ah cmmt myshelf," he eloquently observes.

Reize Seatlan has posed:
The garden, a place of peace. The atmosphere is generally nice, free from all other presences outside of the city. It has been revitalized, now a great.

One other person is with Ivo in the course of his training. However, he has been in the garden all day. It was likely due to the fact that he had spent the time with Sassaral earlier in the day. However, at some point, Reize had drifted asleep.

It's easy to 'miss' Reize. Maybe.

Yet, here he lies, in the middle of the garden, even while Ivo's training goes on. Both arms sprawled out, his head facing the sky.

"ZZZzzzzzZzzZZZzz.."

Because Reize is in a deep sleep, he is at his most vulnerable.

Riku has posed:
Riku makes his way through the city of Fluorgis with an ease of stride and languid strolling pace that weaves through the crowd without worry.

He stops to look at stalls, to buy potions or to talk with several who he knows (and who know him, and the tabs he keeps on the Shard Seekers. There are more than one way to bug a phone, so to speak) He stands near a waterfall and a small bridge looking out towards the falling twilight with an almost painful longing. He watches the rays of light play over the desert that stretches around then until he can't bear the light stinging his eyes anymore.

He turns away, making the smaller journey to the Shard Seeker headquarters. He peers arond the courtyard and makes his way around to the garden. He doesn't disturb the practice going on, merely nodding to Ivo and watching with curiosity and a hint of arrogant amusement.

He doesn't exactly miss Reize. He simply has an edge in knowing where people are, and so he wanders over to stand by Reize, raising an eybrow. "Don't look now, Fearless leader. The sand crabs have come back and they want your shoes."

Raiya Fujihara has posed:
Has Ivo made any real progress since this whole master-student relationship began? That is entirely up to debate as the are in which Ivo is showing the most interest in over a move in which the end results is derobing her. Naturally, this is annoying to the samurai, but she has found that allowing Ivo to be Ivo was the best way for her to teach him anything. She would just have to in turn learn the perfect counter-move to Ivo's 'secret' technique. Or she could always perform a more permanent sword slash to a certain area. That just might work too.

The snoozing Reize is left alone for now as Raiya already has her hands full with Ivo here. The arrival of Riku causes the Ronin to look his way before turning her gaze back on Ivo. She knows not to take her eye off the intrepid swordsman and horndog for too long. Lest he gets the idea to try out that technique for real. On her way over, she picks up a bucket of water that was located to the side of their training area. "Here let me wash it off for you." She offers in her usual firm voice while holding the bucketof water aloft.

Should Ivo approach Raiya, the samurai will do her best to throw the bucket of water on Ivo. Success of failure, Raiya still says, "You are lucky that I know you are a talented swordsman and a good person. Or the punishment might have been more severe."

Ivo Galvan has posed:
Of course, if you asked Ivo, the essence of his technique, laid bare by his improving focus, is not so much 'being a pervert' as it is 'lightly antagonizing the people around him'. From a position of perfect distance, to watch the world around him becoming, as he would put it, more interesting, making meaning from the mundane, to in complete silence split the leaf in twain send its halves fluttering in all directions. The stoic Raiya is difficult to provoke, and Ivo, however justifiably, has persuaded himself that to tease her, just as he teases everyone (especially girls, because it is especially fun), is his mission and his destiny.

But, then again, if Raiya's kimono fell open right now, making the world a more interesting place would be the last thing on his mind. So while Ivo may be less of a lech than the world thinks he is, he is definitely more of one than /he/ thinks he is.

Not that this could cause him any problems down the line or anything.

Taking his hand out of his mouth, now that he's done with his comical display of inelegance, the knight-errant glances over at the sound of Reize snoring and smirks quietly to himself. Having made some progress with his quick draw technique, it might be time to have a little fun. But Riku enters, receiving a nod from Ivo in turn -- he's pretty much over the whole Rachel thing after being able to give the silver-haired boy a little bit of a hard time in Luca, and now that he's resolved to /never/ let anything like that /ever/ happen again, definitely -- and it looks like the other boy's got it covered. Distracted at the thought, Ivo blinks when Raiya speaks to him, looking back belatedly, seeing her raise a bucket. "Oh," he says, smiling as he reaches out his hand, "thanks--"

Splash!

In retrospect, he should have anticipated that.

Hair hanging almost over his eyes, soaked to the bone, Ivo stares deadpan into empty space for a brief pause before glances down at his hand, the blood having been washed away, leaving only a thin line. "Should be clean now," he murmurs to himself, before grinning back at Raiya. "Come now, Sensei, you have to allow me my own learning style. Aren't I progressing? Don't I get a reward? Maybe if you'd just remove the sash, I wouldn't have to cut it." How's that for devising a counter-attack? That'd work great. See, Ivo's even helping you out with your strategies.

But at the mention of him being a good person, Ivo's gaze flickers, and he subsides a little bit, his grin reducing to a soft smile, the playful light leaving his eyes. "...Yeah. Sorry, Asteria," he says quietly. "I promise I won't waste your time." He likes playing games. He doesn't want to hurt those who've put their trust in him-- who /he/ trusts. And who believe in him even when he himself doesn't.

Maybe someday he'll learn to stop playing games with hearts.

"...so... what kind of punishment are we talking about?"

Or not.

Reize Seatlan has posed:
"ZzZzzz...."

The deep sleeper continues to dream. Sheeps are jumping over the fence. It is a nice, quiet day. The boy is turning his head over towards Riku, his ams wrap around his leg. "Pillow....zZzzZzz..."

However, the dream inserted of the crabs going after his shoes. "NOT THE SAND CRABS!" Reize panic, snapping awake and he shifts around. He then looks up, realizing that he is holding Riku's leg. "Errr..."

And then he sees Ivo and Raiya. Blink.

"Ooooooooiiiii!" When he looks at Ivo, Reize tilts his head over. "...Is it raining? Why are you all wet? Were you jumping into the bath? Why did you try to do that with all of your clothes on? Won't you ruin them?""

Riku has posed:
Riku will probably tease Ivo about the whole thing off and off for the next little while. After all, he did put a lot of time into that recording. His complete lack of concern in what others think of him is even more obvious now.

He looks down at Reize, raising an eyebrow. "My, but we're full of questions today. " He then goes down the list in order.

"No. Because he's just a big of a doof as you are, No, because of answer two and no. He'll just take them off when it is appropriately timed, but maybe not with Raiya here because she'll hit him if he tries. I think that's all of them." he gently disengages Reize from his leg, turning to bow in Raiya's direction. "It is nice to meet you again." he looks to Ivo, asking. "I am guessing this is a private practice?" he looks down at Reize. "Ish."

Raiya Fujihara has posed:
Horndog is a completely different thing then a pervert. And yet, Raiya would not put it past Ivo to spy upon the girl's side of a hotsprings so maybe he really is a pervert. Raiya Fujihara will have to make a mental note to take extra precautions when it is time to take a bath around here. It is wonderful to try to make life more interesting, but that does mean one has to antagonize every poor girl that one meets.

The blonde swordswoman is silent for a moment before offering her response to Ivo. "I have developed a surprising amount of patience when it comes to you, Ivo. I accept that you are your own unique, woman-loving snowflake, but I am also trying to teach you to become a better swordsman as well." The wooden bucket is tilted upwards now. "You should still consider yourself lucky when compared to my previous students." comments Raiya with a grin towards Ivo when he agrees to take things more seriously. For about three seconds. She frowns slightly and shakes her head at young swordsman. The bucket is then thrown up into the air and hit towards Ivo with her sheathed sword. It seems the next lesson had already begun.

Reize's questions are about to be answered, but Riku performs the honors instead. She turns and offers a return bow towards Riku. "You are most correct in your first assumption. I would prefer if my student keeps his clothes on." A look is then afforded towards Ivo. "...And no, it is not. We were merely going over some fundamental sword-techniques of Wutai." The quick-draw part atleast as the kimono slashing is far less popular in her country.

Ivo Galvan has posed:
"As a matter of fact, Reize," Ivo replies gamely, seemingly undismayed by his sopping state, "Raiya and I were just about to take a bath tog-- ahh." Riku ruined it. Once again not particularly put out, Ivo just grins and shrugs with his wounded hand. "Good morning, sunshine, or evening, anyway." He looks over to the silver-haired boy. "She's being kind enough to help me round out my style a bit," he remarks, a little more seriously, "so that she doesn't beat me up so badly next time we spar." As intriguing as Ivo's hereditary fighting style is, it is fairly specialized. This is the first training he's ever had in an alternate style. Then again, he's never thought of himself as a serious swordsman, for several reasons.

This may be beginning to change.

Though maybe not fast enough. He quickly looks back at Raiya, as though he can sense her thinking about hot springs and is hoping he'll be invited. Or maybe he's just watching out for buckets. "Aw, thanks, Sensei." As though being declared a 'unique, woman-loving snowflake' were 100% a compliment. "Trust me. Any man who gets to spend time in your presence is as lucky as can be--" He's going to issue forth with more flattery, but the typically serious lady samurai's sudden grin catches him a bit off-guard. It lights up the blonde's face for a moment, and Ivo seems a little thrown off somehow. You've got to be outside the pot to stir it with any precision. Proper teasing requires distance from the situation. "Oh, er, yeah..."

He keeps forgetting that distance has shortened quite a bit.

"...geh!"

You know what's also closer? The bucket, to his face. Deftly, acting on reflex, Ivo, hand on his sheathed sword, whips it up, still attached to his hip, and leaning back, catching the open face of the bucket on the tip of his scabbard, rolling it around and then with a flick of his wrist plopping it safely on the ground. "...Whew." Catching his breath, he manages a smile. "Just as anticipated," he announces, rather unbelievably.

Reize Seatlan has posed:
For as many questions that Reize has asked of Ivo, it looks like Riku has taken the honors of answering every single one of them. Once each question has been answered in the very order that they were asked, Reize takes the moment to process them all. "Oh! Thanks, Riku! You're always helpful!"

As Reize is peeled off of Riku's leg...

Wait, did Riku call him a doof?

"HEY!" Reize's antenna hair flips up, pointing at Riku irritibly. Once Ivo explains about the training, Reize smiles. "Oh! Goo Ivo! Train to your spirit's content!" Then, he starts rubbing his head, trying to recall where he is at.

"Nghh... I wonder how long I've been asleep. ..."
He blinks, looking up at the sky, "Oh! It's evening!"

Riku has posed:
"Case in point." is all Riku says to Reize in regards to his doof status, although he does nod at the compliment. He gives Ivo a look that pretty much says that 'Just as anticipated' is about as real as his chances for that bath with his instructor are.

It's not that he doesn't respect the move, really. It's more that good reflexes rather than good planning saved Ivo from taking a bucket to the head. Riku raises his arms above his head, yawning and looking towards the horizon as the last light paints dusk across the sluggishly moving wisps of cloud populating the sky.

The teenager yawns, putting a hand in front of his mouth as the sound persists far beyond what should be a normal yawn. "Sorry. Maybe Reize has the right idea, Ivo. I'm standing here watching your antics, and it's enough to put anybody to sleep. How your poor instructor puts up with you.." he grins, the expression challenging as he rocks back on his heels and moves to another part of the garden in slow, strolling strides.

He folds his arms in front of him, leaning up against a tree to watch the continuing late evening comedy theatre.

Raiya Fujihara has posed:
It is a shame that fate has only given her one bucket to throw or she surely would have thrown the second after that attempted comment. Back to the training, Ivo seriously has some potential when it comes to his swordplay. He simply needs to find a happy medium inbetween his own unique sword techniques and Raiya's disciplined swordcraft. Should he ever accomplish this, then Ivo would easily surpass Raiya when it comes to skill.

Tch. Raiya thought for sure that the combo aimed grin and bucket throw would be Ivo's downfall. She tries to not look to displeased that Ivo did not receive a bucket up the side of the head. Reize also gets a smile from the Samurai. Both Reize and Lily are reminders of the innocents she fights to protect and its little moments like Reize cheering Ivo that exemplify that.

Riku gets a sad nod from the samurai instructor. Ivo was as tough as a student as she ever had. But, giving up easily was not something that Raiya did either. "You are still so easily distracted by me?" The Wutai ronin asks of Ivo as she gets back to instructing. "If I still have that effect on you, how do you ever hope to defeat me in a duel?"

Ivo Galvan has posed:
"Thanks, chief," Ivo says, grinning back at Reize. "I won't rest until I'm strong enough to protect us all." It's a protagonist-esque line, which is maybe why he delivers it in such a calm and casual way, sounding a little amused at himself. "You know, many adversaries can be disabled by flustering them."

If only it weren't true.

Regardless of whether or not Ivo is /actually/ just learning the quick draw technique to disrobe people, the young knight-errant does arch his brow slightly as the silver-haired boy begins to snark. He's well aware of Riku's perchant for aloof mockery, but Ivo is typically not its object. Then again, perhaps that's changed with the advent of 'Rachel'. Unless Riku has something else in mind. "Am I boring you?" he murmurs, the corners of his lips just faintly upturned. "If you're falling asleep, maybe you need a little exercise to improve your circulation."

To be honest, Ivo doesn't much like fighting, and even if he occasionally enjoys the boy's presence and appreciates him as Reize's ally, he still doesn't trust Riku at all, and perhaps never will. He's too young, and too smart, and too powerful, and there's something eating him that Ivo can't fathom. But training is training.

And apparently the grin was training too! No fair, Raiya, only Ivo's supposed to play with people's hearts. The student may have lucked out of a bucket to the face this time, but accusing him of distraction is still fair. "It would be a crime to ignore your beauty, Sensei," Ivo replies, almost plaintively, as though begging her to understand. "That's why I'm using it as inspiration." It's sort of a half-truth, maybe. "It's my way to make an asset of what might otherwise be a distraction. For example," he tilts his head toward the condescending silver-haired boy, "if I sparred with Riku here, your smile wouldn't sway me, it would spur me onward. Particularly if I had some sort of inducement should I triumph. Like, say, a date."

A brief pause.

"A training mission against Heartless doesn't count," he adds.

He glances toward Riku again. He sounds playful, but whenever he looks over at his erstwhile ally, his features get a bit inscrutible, hiding something. "Think that'd wake you up?" he offers to him, before looking back at Raiya and tilting his head, to see if she is amenable to the interlude. After a moment, though, he grins at her again.

"Don't forget," he says, "you have to smile, to encourage me."

Reize Seatlan has posed:
And.... thunk.
At some point.... Reize is back asleep. For the time that passes, the young boy gives a thumbs up to Ivo. Train on. He has all of the faith in Ivo.

Riku has posed:
Riku returns every glance with the same bemused, slightly arrogant smile. He has been waiting for this opportunity to present itself. There was a time in which it didn't matter, and a time in which he didn't feel he deserved the attention or help of others even when he was offered it just the same.

His arrogance has been tempered by hard lessons in how swordsmanship is different in the greater sea of stars than in his lost home, but it still remains. It has even been bolstered. A flicker of something passes in front of his eyes. The remnants of a vision, and Riku smiles a little bit wider. "Only if you manage to surprise me. I don't really wager much on that, right at the moment."

A focus and casual confidence radiates from him as he takes Ivo's measure, perhaps for the first time. He has always been a fixture. A vaguely amusing adjunct to an echo. A shadow of a shadow and as such inconsequential. It is only now that he will determine a little bit more of who Ivo actually is.

It's a curious thought, a whim of the moment. He was always in need of someone to practice on, if not with. Riku slides casually across the garden with his hands behind his back, pacing carefully across the garden to an open place. "I do wager your going to need that smile though, should your instructor care to give it." he smirks. "For a heroic rally just before your inevitable defeat."

Raiya Fujihara has posed:
Raiya crosses her arms against herself as she listens to Ivo's plea. She has heard such flattery before, but not as much since she gained the scars that she now proudly wears. It matters not in the end, for she was samurai and not some lady-in-waiting hoping to catch a courtier's eye. And because of that pride in her occupation she -should- just smack Ivo across the face again with the blunt side of her sword for that tongue of his.

But, for whatever reason, Raiya likes being around Ivo and has gotten use to -some- of his shenanigans. She inserts her face into her palm before turning her green-brown eyes up at Ivo. "Fine. The rules are the same as last time. If..." A gesture is made towards Riku. " ....he accepts a duel of course then you shall win a boon from me should you prevail. However, I shall bequeath another boon from you should you fail." Riku seemed pretty confident in his abilities. Hopefully he will not let Raiya down.

"Best of luck to both combatants." Raiya says with a smile before shifting a coy look towards Ivo at the last minute. The samurai then takes up a position against one of the Garden's pillars. She might regret doing this, but this seemed to be the only way that Ivo took her training seriously when she waved a carrot in front of Ivo's nose.

Ivo Galvan has posed:
"You like to talk almost as much as I do," Ivo replies to Riku, unhooking his scabbard from his belt and flipping the sheathed sword around so it rests, reversed, against his shoulder for a moment. "Almost."

Under normal circumstances, he'd be a bit uneasy to train with Riku, frankly. The boy's such an unknown factor, and the knight-errant has never forgotten the wave of malice he experienced from him that one day. Ivo's not spiritually attuned, particularly, and he doesn't understand Light and Darkness in any metaphysical sense, but whatever's gnawing away at Riku is a threat unless the boy keeps it contained. He doesn't want to do anything to encourage Riku to unleash it.

To be perfectly honest, Ivo's a bit scared of Riku.

Not that he /would/ be honest about that.

But the thumbs up from the ever-spirited Reize has set Ivo more at ease, and the presence of Raiya, for all his jokes, is reassuring. Nothing should get out of hand with her around to take care of it. He trusts her. And even Reize can help if-- oh, no, he's falling asleep again. Yeah, good thing Raiya's here. Glancing over, he /does/ half-expect his long-suffering teacher to smack him one again, but to his delight, she elects to play along. "That's the spirit," Ivo says, smiling broadly.

Ironically, perhaps, knowing 'something interesting' boon-wise is going to happen whether he wins or loses helps him settle his nerves a little bit. Not that he looks anything other than composed. He doesn't intend to reveal any weakness. Still, it takes something like this for the thought of sparring with Riku to not set him on edge. Now, he can get serious. He almost forgot that he's in this to win it.

It's Raiya's coy smile that settles that matter.

"No crying."

That's the cool-voiced warning Ivo offers before, gaze snapping into focus upon his younger adversary, he coils in and lunges, sheathed Hauteclare sweeping low in at Riku's legs, spinning into several rapid thrusts that culminate in a fierce jab at the boy's gut, aiming to wind him and inflict enduring, debilitating pain.

Game on.

Riku has posed:
Riku doesn't move fast enough to move out of the way of the attack because an instant before he puts himself out of danger, he locks himself out of warping.

This moment of indecision, of holding himself back, costs him just as much for the loss in focus as in the pain induced by the attack. He manages to block one or two of the attacks, but the jab nearly folds him in half and sends him sprawling across the ground.

Oddly enough, even though it takes him a moment to rise Riku is smiling as he pulls himself painfully to his feet. He dusts the dirt from his clothes and rotates his neck and then one shoulder around in a circle as he snorts faintly at Ivo.

"If only you hit as hard as you do the alcohol, I think I'd be more worried." he gestures forwards to the swordsman, still unarmed and in a casual, unworried stance. "Is that all? I'm falling asleep on my feet here."

Raiya Fujihara has posed:
Raiya, while the duo begins their fight, goes to retrieve a second bucket of water for a multitude of reasons. You just never know when it might come in handy. The first bucket is retrieved as well and used as an impromptu seat. A whetstone is retrieved from her sash and she goes about sharpening her katana idly. Yup, nothing to see here! Nope. Nothing going on here with these two buckets. Nothing at all!

Ivo Galvan has posed:
"...Hrn."

As anticipated, the kid is preternaturally tough. Still, his behavior is almost unreadable. Ivo's brow furrows slightly. "You'd better summon your weapon," he advises, not unkindly, though his blue eyes have turned steely with focus, a reminder of just how serious he can be -- and perhaps is, more than his oft-playful demeanor evidences. "I'm not going to toy with you, Riku." There's a date on the line. Don't think he won't beat up an unarmed teenager to get that. He's not /that/ nice. "If you don't..."

Without further hesitation, he closes the distance.

"...you'll be sleeping soon enough! Dance, Hauteclare!"

A crackle and a flash of light, and Ivo's sword's blade -- still blunted by its sheath -- parts from its hilt, in the unique style of the Galvan sword dance. The pulsing orb between hilt and blade flares, whereupon the steel flips up into the air and toward the fading rays of the sun, and... does nothing. It is a feint, as Ivo himself bodily rushes in to slam his buckler toward Riku's body and attempt to knock him into the air, /whereupon/ the floating blade hammers down, zipping about and past, flitting so swiftly it sometimes seems to strike from multiple directions at once.

"Playtime's over, Riku!" Ivo exclaims. "This is a grown-up match!"

He'll just have to take the risk.

Riku has posed:
"I don't need a weapon to beat you." Riku says calmly. He stands perfectly still, his head slightly tilted towards the swordsman as he approaches. He lists just slightly to the left side because of his injuries but otherwise doesn't look all that interested in what Ivo is doing.

He watches the arc of the steel vanish into the fading light of evening, charging forwards as Ivo charges. He plants a hand on the buckler, propelling himself upwards and contorting his body to languidly flip himself over the swordman's head and behind him, standing almost back to back.

He aims a vicious low kick at the back of the swordman's left knee as he slides down and away, head and torso weaving as he strides out of the way of the floating blade, almost bringing it down on the owner itself. He weaves sinuously back and forth without the blade being able to touch him keeping his hands behind him in the same way that he strolled around the garden.

He scoops up a rock from the garden, tossing it up in the air and catching it before throwing it casually at Ivo's swordhand as if he were skipping rocks in a pond. An instant later a sword appears in his hand, slashing at shoulder height in a short, pragmatic arc. "But if you insist."

Raiya Fujihara has posed:
Raiya's katana is looking mighty sharp indeed as she continues to sharpen the already deadly looking weapon. Her attention is split inbetween this and the duel, but Raiya stops fiddling around when Riku 'summons' a sword out of nowhere. Now it looks like its getting interesting. Ivo might be able to learn something now that it is a proper duel involving weapons.

The samurai rises to her feet, puts the whetstone away, and sheaths her katana. Alright Ivo, Raiya attention is fully on the fight now. Its time to shine or get the crud kicked out of you. No pressure!

Ivo Galvan has posed:
This kid--

"Kuh...!"

How did he get so strong?

Ivo grits his teeth as Riku moves like liquid, flowing out of the way of his assault, the swordsman's heightened focus to no avail, and slams a kick into the back of Ivo's leg, driving him to one knee. Twisting his head about, the knight-errant is able to see the rock just in time to deflect it with his buckler, even as on instinct he desperately summons his blade back to its hilt from its useless position in the air. His foreboding sense at Riku's approach is justified when the boy's weapon simply materializes, melting in from nowhere, and slashes out swiftly. Ivo is just barely able to deflect the strike with his reunited Hauteclare at the last second, but unbalanced as he is, it sends him sprawling.

"Heh..."

Cloak whirling, Ivo rolls to one knee, an eye squinted shut, smiling wryly.

"...That's more like it."

The fencing that results is a little more traditional, lest Ivo deplete himself with too many fantastical techniques. His precision alone is formidable, the tip of his weapon wavering as he steps in only to dart forward, thrusting in-- and causing the sheathe of his sword to fly free distractly, possibly even bonking Riku on the head, as Hauteclare's steel at last gleams. As the blade sinks fully back into the hilt, the orb of energy dissipates, running up the blade, and Ivo then slashes out, sending that numbing pulse of power in Riku's direction.

Better look cool. Raiya-sensei's watching.

Riku has posed:
Riku ducks the bonking sheath but does less well when faced with a concerted and precise effort. Several wounds open up as he fails to turn the blade aside in time but he prevents any total victory. The sword finally drops from his numbed fingers, turning to fog as he overplays his weakness.

He staggers, gasping in pain as the pulse of force knocks him backwards. Riku's gasp turns into a dark laughter as he contorts in the air, landing in a three point crouch before surging forwards with another blade already in hand.

He crashes the blade into Ivo's bucker, hoping to drive him and his guard upwards as he springs into the air, grinning fiercely as the misty shadow blade dobules and redoubles and lengthens into shimmering spears that fade in and out of focus.

They swirl around the combatants for a single rotation before converging on their target, each of the ends has been blunted instead of razor sharp, meant to batter and to wound rather than seriously harm.

Raiya Fujihara has posed:
The blonde samurai continues to watch the ongoing duel with renewed interest. It seems that there is more to Riku then meets the eye. That kind of power that he wields is something that she has not seen since the Wutai-ShinRa war and that among ShinRa's 1st Class SOLDIERS. Maybe Ivo has bitten off more then he can chew. Raiya will just have to work that much harder with Ivo should he lose, but there is no saying that he can't turn this fight around still.

Hopefully, some lesson can still be learned even if Riku also has an unorthodox fighting style. Even if it is a lesson in that one can never know what they could expect from an opponent.

Ivo Galvan has posed:
Ivo expects the second blade.

"Gahh!"

Not so much the spears.

Launched into the air by Riku's counter-attack, braced behind his shield, Ivo takes a deep breath as he flips in mid-air and strives to reorient himself, gathering his wits. He wasn't completely taken by surprise. But when that sword begins to grow, the dark-haired swordsman can only grit his teeth and brace himself for the oncoming assault. One spear is deftly deflected by Hauteclare; another is smashed aside by the buckler. At that moment, Ivo detaches his blade from its hilt again and uses it to sweep the air, redirecting a third. It might have been a clever move. But when an unnoticed spear smashes into his side, the fact that his sword is no longer fully under his control means there's little he can do to prevent the remaining two from crashing into him as well.

Knocked from the air, he descends rapidly, but maintaining focus through the aftermath, Ivo reasserts control over Hauteclare's blade, now flipping lazily through the sky, and sends it blurring down upon Riku in rapid strokes, seeking to keep up the pressure and not give him a chance to catch his breath, aiming to weaken his defenses.

Catching a breath... that would be nice.

Riku has posed:
Riku avoids the first two strikes but loses control of his footing as he leaps backwards to dodge the third.

His leap is badly skewed, a fourth slicing open his side as he lands hard on the ground with an audible crunch. He rolls badly into the crouch, favoring that limp shoulder until he shoves hard against it. As a thread of wind plays around him, he slowly rises to his feet. The bruises fade, the slashed side and his injuries start to vanish as if they had never been there.

It's only in the stance, the way he holds his body that gives lie to the illusory image of invulnerability. "What. No more brave, grown up words Ivo?" he grins, but it's become a predatory smile instead of one of friendly rivalry. He laughs softly. "Oh. I've been needing this." he sniffs, banishing the sword idly as he brings a hand up to rub the bridge of his nose.

He yawns, stretching his shoulder gingerly. There is another faint crack as he brings it around a full extension. Riku again blurs into motion. One instant he is yawning and stretching, the next he has throw himself forwards into a tight, ground eating roll that puts him staight in Ivo's face again, slashing in three swift arcs before smashing the pommel of the mist sword straight towards his jaw.

Raiya Fujihara has posed:
Riku is fast. He is so fast to the point that he would even put Raiya to shame. However, Ivo is doing an admireable job at trying to keep pace with him. You can learn a lot about a fighter by the way they duel. Naturally, you would learn the most from participating in one yourself, but there are things that can't be noticed in the heat of the moment.

Could it be that male opponents are Ivo's weakness in battle? She had thought that his....'friendly' nature could have hindered him in their own duel, but maybe it is when Ivo doesn't act like that where he actually can be beaten. Maybe Raiya was wrong to try to add some discipline to Ivo's technique. Hrm. A troublesome thought that she could have simply been a bad teacher all along.

Ivo Galvan has posed:
"I'll bet you have."

Ivo's voice is cold, a far cry from his usual bantering tone. From the look in his eye, he's forgotten all about bets and dates, at each in this brief instant. He's reminded why he dislikes violence so very much--

"Glad to see you cut loose a little."

It's because there are people in this world who /don't/ dislike violence, and Ivo doesn't want anything to do with them.

He sure doesn't sound glad. If anything, there's a part of him that wants to stop this right now, before Riku gets any further carried away. That aching feeling is getting worse. No, not the parts of his body that are bruised and battered, the part of his mind that is warning him, screaming at him, that his adversary is far from taking this seriously, even if Ivo is already outpaced. Don't push him any further. Don't tempt the boy to unleash hell.

And why not?

"Heh..."

So Riku can keep on hiding it?

"...of course I haven't got any more words for you."

The grip on his sword tightens, the swordsman gritting his teeth.

"Why bother? You don't listen..."

It was a good idea to set his jaw. Even poised for an attack at any moment, Ivo finds Riku preposterously swift, and though the first two slashes are desperately parried, the third cuts across his off-arm, causing the knight-errant to drop his shield, and opening him for a painful smash against his face. It snaps Ivo's head back, but--

"You're still /playing around/!!"

His eyes stay right on target.

Those blue orbs flare, in fact, even as a trickle of blood emerges from Ivo's lips, and he lunges forward shoulder-first, aiming to check Riku back and unbalance him, even as with a telltale click Hauteclare's blade snaps free-- and becomes a blur. Pirouetting in place, Ivo's wrist twitches like a maddened serpent, and at a distance the sword obeys his commands, cutting a web of steel through the air, aiming to strike Riku again and again with all the expert precision Ivo can muster.

Riku has posed:
Riku goes flying backwardsm unbalanced. This puts him off guard and unable to dodge the first blow. It draws blood, again and again as he's unable to turn the steel away. RIku starts to snarl at Ivo when something flickers across his face. The sword slames out, blocking the next attack and then the one after that although the act of doing so sends rippling shockwaves up and down his arms.

That flickering moment of internal vision gives him a moment of perception. A moment outside of himself to look back on what he is doing and compare it to that flickering moment. Riku finds himself wanting.

A base, cruel, reckless and stupid boy who picked a fight with an ally even if they were not truly a friend, or even trusted to a great degree. How does this get him to the place.. the person he has been shown he can be? Riku's expression shifts to thoughtful as he slowly collapses onto his knees. He sits back on them, staring at Ivo through a fog of pain.

Who did he want to be? The last thread of Twilight vanishes from the world and Riku watches it go, as if more caught up in wanting to call it back than in the fight anymore. When he turns back to Ivo, frowning as he continues to sit there, heaving each breath through his lungs with difficulty. He looks over at Reize who so wants to be a knight, whatever that might mean to his world. He knew what it meant in his. Riku slowly, on hands and knees, forced himself back onto his feet. Riku resummoned the sword with a great effort, his eyes shining with a flash of yellow for an instant like a sheen of flickering gold. He faces Ivo, raising the blade up so that it points to the sky. "I have.." he sucks in a painful breath. "I am sorry, Ivo. " he shakes his head slightly. "I got carried away. I don't care for that part anymore, even though it is a familiar one. Let's finish this at least on a civil terms, shall we?" he smiles, and it looks more or less genuine. "After all. you've got a date to plan, right?" Riku slides the weapon into a ready position, bowing slightly to Ivo although it almost imbalances him again. He then moves to the attack. No tricks. No slight of hand. No blinding speed. Simply a test of swords and his will to remain on his feet a few moments more.

Raiya Fujihara has posed:
My, my. This is quite an interesting turn of events. It seems the that after the summoned spears, orbs of energy, and other magical malarkey; the match will be settled in a simple sword fight. This causes the blonde samurai to smile to herself. These are how duels should be with nothing but skill and steel versus another who only has the same. The only thing left for Raiya to do is to see who will win in the end.

Ivo Galvan has posed:
At long last, Hauteclare clicks back into its hilt, and Ivo, battered but still standing, takes that deep breath he's yearned for. His head is pounding, and his body is aching, but he managed it, at least, that expert technique, one of the few top-class arts of his father's style he was able to observe enough to commit to memory. His father -- now there was a man who enjoyed violence, who thrived on the battlefield, and scorned those who did not.

He does feel a basic wariness toward Riku, it's true, though it hasn't been a problem for some time. But, as he'd initially feared, it's come out as the battle progressed. Perhaps not, however, exactly as he imagined. For it may be that what Ivo truly distrusts is anyone who can take that kind of vicious pleasure in combat. He'll just never understand. And because he can't understand--

"...You alright?"

He has no idea what's going to happen next.

Ivo, who prides himself on being able to anticipate the future, can only watch, one eye squinted shut, breathing heavily, as Riku forces himself back to his feet. Is this it? Will that wave of malice return? Ivo's question isn't mere suspicion; it's a legitimate inquiry. But it's not pure compassion, either. It's not entirely a question about /physical/ health. And...

"...Heh."

Riku is alright, after all.

"I'm just glad you're on my side."

Now /that/ is an honest comment from Ivo Galvan. The young knight-errant offers his younger ally a bloodied grin, and a bit of that usual glitter returns to his blue eyes. A date, huh?

"Well, now," Ivo murmurs as he advances, "who knows what the future holds?"

All they can do is meet it -- and meet their swords do. For all that it appears comparatively straightforward, the technique of both fighters is evident as their blades clash and weave. This time, for all his fatigue, Ivo's focus and resolve allow him to parry Riku's frontal assault, and his own sword feints as he steps in again, unleashing four arcing slashes as a continuous cut. It may have been founded by a man very much unlike himself. But--

"Heh..."

This is Ivo's fighting style, now.

"...Sensei's smiling."

When did he even look?

Riku has posed:
CLASH. CLASH. Riku's blade slides back and forth, weaving as it's master attempts to stay on his feet. Returning to basics again. Riku's eyes are half lidded as he hears the far away echoes of his dad yelling at him for messing up his footwork again.

Everything aches at this point, a constant throb of pain with the undertone of that vicious anger in the background prowling in it's little cage that he's made for it. But Riku had been given a choice. He had been choice that there even WAS one, and he chose this path. Stumbling blindling maybe. Into peril, certainly. But it got him closer.

One step closer. Riku shifts his feet and weaves out of the way of Ivo's strikes. Riku presses his slight advantage by attacking at the very end of the routine, diving low into a crouch and stiking at Ivo's legs to sweep his feet out from under him. If this move succeeds, to gently bonk Ivo over the head with the pommel of the sword. If not?

Well-- he simply would not be able to get up again and could simply pass out. Maybe Reize had the right idea after all.

Ivo Galvan has posed:
You're not the only one on his last legs, pal.

"Ghh--"

Ivo grimaces as Riku's low strike collides with the same leg he had kicked before, the weakened limb collapsing under the overall strain. What a mess. His hands are trembling from fatigue, meaning his usual technique with Hauteclare will be basically impossible to perform. He raises his buckler limply but with all the reflexes he has left, sensing that Riku must be launching a /devastating/ follow up attack at his head--

*ting*

Okay, it was more of a devastating follow-up bonk. The older swordsman looks blearily up at his equally exhausted opponent, and manages a wavering smile. "You must be tired from holding back so much," Ivo quips breathlessly. "I wouldn't know much about that." It's a joke that could be said in a lot of ways. But, perhaps surprisingly, Ivo's voice is gentle. As if to say: 'I don't understand what's going on with you, but...'

"...all I know is..."

'...I can tell you're struggling.'

"...there's a shared bath with Sensei with my name on it..."

Wait, when did the bet become about that!?

"...and that I hope..."

Lurching to his feet, grinning that bloodied grin again, Ivo thrusts Hauteclare pommel-first at Riku's abdomen, then aims to bring the blade's flat around to the boy's temple in another stunning blow.

"...you're not bored anymore."

Riku has posed:
Riku frowns at Ivo, mouthing. "What is it that you are so desperate to see?" as he seems to understand the subtext. Even though it veers wildly off tangent in the typical Ivo fashion. Riku has only a moment to contemplate before the attack drives in. And that is more than enough. Riku groans, crumpling to the ground in a heap at Ivo's feet, knocked unconscious before he even hits the dirt.