“Ah..” he looked around for someplace to put his old clothes, eventually finding a somewhat decent ledge to set them on. He remembered his own combat training back at home, more than likely wildly different techniques than Fiori practiced. He was by no means a prodigy in combat, but he was adequately proficient in it thanks to the training.
Fiori nodded once and grabbed Levi's wrist, dragging him out of the dressing room as soon as the clothes had been set down. "Are you good enough to spar with me? Or should I have you hold some blocks for me to punch?" His voice was devoid of any judgment, though the words were rather pointed. He was clearly tense, walking almost too fast for Levi to keep up with.
He just barely managed to keep up with him, “I’m well trained in my combat, but I’m not used to yours,” he answered honestly. “I’ll spar with you,” he decided despite his knowing he wouldn’t be able to work at his pique performance running on little sleep and the bare minimum amount of food.
"Good." His voice was vaguely approving. They turned into a dark hallway and paused in front of a wooden door. Fiori kicked it open, storming through a room full of armor and into one full of weapons. "Your people… what is the style like?"
Levi took a moment to think about how to explain their style of fighting “We rely most heavily on self defense and flexibility, using the opponent’s force against them and channeling it back into an offense. It’s mostly hand to hand combat, but we train with lithe and agile blades as well.”
Fiori nodded in approval. "A good pick for you. You're too tiny for brute force." He released Levi's wrist and turned to the weapons, tracing a hand over a few with a soft smile on his face. "You're comfortable sparring with weapons, yes?"
He glanced over the vast array of weapons, recognizing some but not others. “I’m familiar with a handful of them, but many of these are new to me.” He brushed his hand against one of the hilts, “Are these bound with leather?”
"Hmm?" Fi turned to the weapon, nodding enthusiastically when he realized what Levi was talking about. "Yes! We bind with leather because it makes for an easier grip and lets the weapon wear into the shape of your hand. Means an enemy won't be able to use it as effectively." His voice was slightly more animated than normal, eyes twinkling with childlike excitement. It softened his normally harsh features into something almost sweet.
“Aha,” Levi smiled at Fiori’s reaction, “We do the same thing with our weapons. It’s a lot more comfortable than wood or twine.” He eyed one of the longswords, “I have a personal one of these in my bedroom. A blacksmith friend of my dad’s made it for me when I was younger.” He humored somberly at the sweet memory of his father. He took hold of the hilt, almost as if he was about to pick it up, but he paused at the reminder he could be reprimanded.
Fiori noticed Levi's newfound seriousness, but he couldn't connect it to anything in particular. In Usige, your family wasn't as important as your piuthar. Your brothers and sisters in arms. So instead of comforting Levi, he walked behind him, wrapped his hands over Levi's on the sword, and drew it. "Is it too heavy? This was built for me, it may be a bit… big."
“I don’t know. I didn’t know if I was supposed to hold it or not.” He squinted to think about the weight and feel of the sword, “It’s a little heavy but I can use it.” He rolled his shoulders back a bit. He’d gotten a sliver more comfortable around Fiori. At times he forgot he was a slave, and not a visitor.
"Swing it around a bit. Make sure it's balanced." Fi backed away once Levi seemed to be settled, unable to resist the siren's song of the weaponry. It didn't even occur to him that Levi may attack him or try to escape, too busy trying to figure out what would work best against a longsword to worry. A look of childish determination settled on his face as he traced his fingers over the hilts of various swords and knives.
Levi stepped back a bit to give himself room to swing the long sword. Indeed, it was a bit weighty and put some strain on his arms, but this was the style he was most used to. He should be able to manage enough, he reasoned. He glanced along the edge of the blade, chewing his lip in thought. “Do you have any lighter designs?”
"Next to the axes and below the throwing knives," Fi replied, finally settling on a pair of dual broadswords. He swirled them around with practiced ease as a small smile crept onto his face. The blades were obviously well worn, but they were freshly polished, a clear sign that they were used often. "How proficient are you as a fighter? I do not want to hurt you on accident."
“I’m proficient in the style I learned,” Levi answered, walking the longsword back to where he got it. He located the axes and throwing knives in search of the lighter swords, squinting to examine each and every style. “Impressive…” he murmured to it all.
"I am glad you think so." Fi wandered over to where Levi was standing and gave him an appraising look, pale eyes taking in every detail of his body. There was no way to discern if he approved of what he saw. Eventually, He looked down at the weapons, drawing a sword with a long, thin blade. "Try this. It should suit you."
Levi took the blade, instantly feeling difference in weight and general feel. “This is much better,” he decided, “I’ll use this.” He stepped back out of range to swing it around a bit in his own style.
Fiori watched calculatingly, trying to get a grasp on the way Levi fought. He'd been a general for 3 years now, so he knew the ins and outs of the iceblood's style, but every fighter put their own spin on things and it would serve him well to find out Levi's. "Are you ready?"
He had a specific angle in which he swung and held the sword, along with a certain lightness in his stance, “I am,” He replied, stepping back a bit farther to give him a fair amount of distance. He eyed Fiori’s stance and posture, particularly his knees and elbows.
Fiori closed his eyes and murmured something softly in a language Levi couldn't understand. When he opened them again, dropping into a casual stance with swords protecting his joints, they seemed to gleam with a kind of savage energy. A smirk was crawling onto his face as he slowly started to circle Levi, looking every inch like a predator about to devour its prey.
Levi eyed his opponent, rolling his shoulders back and staying light in his feet. He held his sword position in a defensive stance. When Fiori was in front of him, he took a step back to give himself more room, and thus more time to react, even if just a fraction of a second.
Fiori pressed forward, slowly but steadily backing Levi into a corner. His form was perfect, never giving Levi a single opening to strike, and the confidence was starting to roll off him in waves. Levi was giving up ground like it was nothing, never a tactical choice, which meant his experience with real-world combat was limited. This was going to be an easy win.
Levi notes his backward travel towards the corner and swallowed. Maybe he wasn’t as recently experienced as he recalled, or maybe all this change in dynamics was getting to him. At least that’s what he reasoned with himself.
After Levi was well and truly cornered, Fiori took the chance to strike. He swung both swords down in a powerful arc, slow enough to be blocked- he'd never really managed to perfect a quick swing- but strong enough to knock the sword out of Levi's hands if he wasn't gripping it tightly.
Indeed Levi clutched the handle of his sword tightly—though out of experience or anxiety, even he didn’t quite know. He parried Fiori’s attack, eyes flying from his opponent’s blades to his joints for a brief second, then back to the blades again. Trapped in a one on one battle with a soldier clearly more powerful than him, he had to try and gage how many of his own skills would be useful. He didn’t make many offensive attacks yet, if he even would until he found an opening.