Along came a Spider ((Sock, Open RP, grounds, Kusuriyuri, Akabane))

[edomedpeddler]

The day was cooler than it had been recently, clouds obscuring the sun, promising rain, though just when that would happen remained to be seen as those clouds that became heavy enough to begin shedding their load onto the earth were shifted off, moved to another part of the sky, leaving lighter gray clouds hanging over Hogwarts, as though there

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[runaway_stark]

Arya was up a tree, as was usual if the weather was not horribly foul. And even sometimes when the weather was--she was sure that Syrio would have told her that a water dancer would not have been constrained by mere weather.

For the moment, she rested, one skinny scabby leg dangling from the branch she sat on, Needle laid out carefully along the branch's surface so that the sword would be within reach in case of danger. She dozed lightly, leaning against the tree's trunk, almost peaceful.

Paranoia-sharpened senses woke her fully, and she saw the black-clad figure in a wide-brimmed hat. She drew her dangling leg up as quickly and quietly as she could, and flattened herself. Calm as still water, she thought. It was like a game, almost, seeing who she could and could not make not see her as they passed by.

Sunlight glinted off of Needle as a slight breeze moved the tree branches above her.

[babylonjackal]

It was something very small, a glint of light filtered through clouds off of metal, something he couldn't mistake. Then there were the small movements, barely perceptible beyond the wind in the trees and the sounds of life within the forest. More, it was the breathing, the flow of breath in and out, too quickly, that caused him to stop. He turned, facing the tree, but didn't look up. "Yare, yare, what a strange bird," he said, his voice amused.

[runaway_stark]

Arya froze and held her position for a handful of heartbeats, but gave an exasperated sigh and finally leaned her head out, peering down. "What gave me away?"

Better know for next time. She never knew when it would be a Lannister passing by.

[babylonjackal]

Akabane tilted his head up to look at the girl. She was young but obviously had some potential. "You should not move your blade until you are ready to use it," he said. He brought a hand up, four scalpels between his fingers. "To show your weapon gives your opponent time to prepare."

[runaway_stark]

Her grip tightened on Needle when she saw the small blades, and she tensed, ready to dive down and attempt to use the tree as a block, something to give her time to run. She kept a wary eye on them. She didn't ask if he was going to use them; she would find out soon enough one way or the other.

Instead, she asked, "Anything else?"

[babylonjackal]

Akabane smiled at her reaction. The blades vanished into his hand and he spread his fingers, showing her they were gone, for now.

"Your breathing was harsh," he replied, tilting his head a little. "You are not used to hunting," he said, his hands sliding into his pockets. "Your posture, your face, everything shows your intent."

[runaway_stark]

Arya exhaled, breathing out only a little of the tension. "Most people don't hear me breathe," she said, annoyance creeping into her voice. "And I don't hunt."

At least, not now that she was eating regularly, and not outside of her dreams.

[babylonjackal]

Akabane reached up to touch the brim of his hat, then jumped, landing easily on the branch the girl was on. "You do not hunt? Yet you are here laying in wait?" he asked, looking at the girl.

[runaway_stark]

She scrambled back, bumping into the trunk, and placed one hand where she thought had been a surface. She was wrong, and fell. Her first panicked thought was to get Needle away from her, because even if she could not die here she didn't want to have to explain to anyone that she had impaled herself on her own sword because of her own stupidity.

She landed with a thump and a grunt, rolled, and retrieved Needle from where she had tossed it. "I wasn't laying in anything," she called up, shame and anger making her dour face flush. "I was taking a rest from practicing, is all."

[babylonjackal]

Akabane watched her, let her recover before dropping from the branch, his coat swirling around him as he landed. "So you say, but when you noticed me, your posture changed, you became ready to fight." He took a step toward her. She interested him, young, afraid, cocky enough to try and hide it, but quick, moving to protect herself as she fell and to rearm herself as quickly as possible.

[runaway_stark]

"That doesn't mean I'm hunting anything," she said, taking a wary step backward. "I'm always ready to fight. There's people I need to watch out for." She set her jaw, balancing on the balls of her bare feet. "What about you?" she challenged him. "Are you hunting anything?"

[babylonjackal]

"I am hunting entertainment," Akabane replied. "Someone to challenge me, to help me find my limits," he explained. He brought out a single scalpel. "You seem to know some," he said, circling her. "Young, but there is potential," he murmured. He moved toward her, bringing the blade up as he did, aiming for her body, sure she her blade would come between them, hoping it would. He didn't want to be wrong about his estimate of her.

[runaway_stark]

As soon as she saw the scalpel, she slid into a water dancer's stance the way Syrio had taught her, presenting only her left side to make her a smaller target. She could almost hear his voice, the Braavosi accent as he admonished her to watch the movements and not the weapon, on the correct way to hold her own blade.

Still, there was a panicked moment as the scalpel actually moved toward her, where she almost lost her footing. She swung Needle across her in a block, just a little too hard. She cursed herself and moved the blade back to its guard position as quickly as she could.

[babylonjackal]

After a single attack, Akabane stepped back, his jacket settling around his legs, the scalpel remaining in his hand for now. "Good," he said. "You have had some training, but not much actual experience," he observed, moving around her. "Your sword is a comfort in your hand, but you are still learning its power, your own power."

[runaway_stark]

She didn't say that she had experience, because while she had killed several people, it was true that she didn't have very much experience using Needle with any more finesse than could be gained from striking at a tree instead of a real opponent. Syrio had done a good job teaching her, she thought, but he had died before being able to teach her very much.

"That's why I was up there," she said, panting a little. "I'm trying to get better, and it's harder to keep your balance on a branch than on the ground." She punctuated her sentence with a brief, tentative lunge--she couldn't be on the defensive all the time, but it was hard to find people to practice with. Maybe he'd get mad and leave if she stuck him.

[babylonjackal]

Catching the lunge was easy enough. He took his time, bringing up his scalpel at the last possible moment and deflecting the blow. In his other hand, a scalpel appeared and approached her body. "You allow yourself to be open," he pointed out, his voice utterly calm. He was enjoying himself, though. This girl seemed willing enough to learn, even if she wasn't direct about it. He stepped back. "Now then," he said, the second scalpel sliding back into his hand again, "attack me as though you mean it unless you mean for me to become bored."