It wasn't the ideal place to practice, but the rows of dead vines made for a perfect sparring lane. And at least it was out of the way and away from prying eyes at this time of year. And quiet. Thank God for the quiet. All except for the soft 'shish' of clothing and singing of metal as it cut through the air. A constant tune to the focused preteen that matched the count in her head. Crimson hues stared straight ahead at the empty air, counting off the points she could achieve against her imaginary adversary.

A deep breath was taken and released in a puff of white as she backstepped to her starting point, her long blade dangling in her fingers beside leg. She was careful to never let the tip touch the snow as she swept it back up into a ready position and lunged forward once more. Zephyra kept her breathing even and pace exact to keep each movement to the minimum so she wouldn't exert too much energy. Even so, perspiration gathered at her temples and across her forehead.

Suddenly the redhead stumbled forward and grit her teeth to keep from calling out a string of profanities she wasn't even supposed to know, but staying around the stable hands had opened her eyes to the nastier bits of language. Her hand raised to rub against her forehead and remove the moisture gathered there as she returned to her starting position to start the procedure over.

You've got the music to play loud and shameless
Out of control you're aiming to be famous
You've got the gift to make the stars all around us
Begin to shine, and dance to excite us

A faint sound of music began to creep in. There wasn't a boom to it or anything, just a low hum of faintly audible lyrics - the source was likely from headphones. Headphones that were far too loud for the wearer's hearing to be safe. The answer to that problem was simply to wear them around her neck rather than on her head. And accompanying those headphones was a body, definitely of an athletic build, and ghost pale with choppy white hair, and eyes so red they stood against her otherwise ghostly complexion as if unnatural. The uniform was Le Rim, to boot.

There was a certain air about the way she carried herself in her stride as well - each step being exactly the same pace and lightness as the previous. She was careful not to leave too many tracks, but that wasn't from fear. More so from reflex. She had her eyes fixed on nothing in particular, but her legs carried her with such assured direction that she had to be trying to go somewhere specific. And perhaps she had found her objective right there.

"Ken?" she asked from a distance, an noticeable Eastern European accent in her broken Japanese, in the general direction of the woman in front of her. "No, never mind. You looked like someone I know for a second."

It was only then that the purpose for this stranger being here came to her. She took a closer look and, upon not only discovering she had gotten hair colors gravely mixed up, she also took note that the girl before her had a weapon in hand. Shadow fencing, perhaps? She certainly was young, but if she was capable, it couldn't hurt. Still, it was hard to ignore a blade in hand, especially when she hadn't had a good fight in a while. She pondered her next words carefully, and decided this could be fun.

"Need a training dummy? I could use a workout."

She was walking through the vineyard killing time before she could see Margeaux again, it was cold, but there was no snow making it a pretty comfortable day for it being winter. She soon noticed, however, she was not alone out here, a tall redhead, who was not her beloved was fencing. Something her parents had always said was unfeminine and disgusting, but RIn thought it was cool. QUietly she watched through the vines when another girl approached. They were both tall and looked like they could handle anything, in fact they were kind of intimidating to little Rin.

Still, she couldn't look away, watching through the vines in the next row over, she peeked at them, eventually crouching for a more comfortable position while she eavesdropped.

(short and lame sorrryyy)

At the sound of a voice, Zeph paused, halfway through a strike and turned toward the voice as a gloved hand reached up to toss her braid over her shoulder so that it swept across her lower back. Her red 'brows lifted so they practically disappeared into her choppy bangs. A quick glance was cast down upon her slender frame before she quickly straightened her white, button down shirt and dusted off her spotless, black skinny jeans.

"It is quite alright." The Gael murmured and tilted her head slightly to the right as she looked the other girl over. Crimson hues were hidden behind a blink of surprise and her Epee lifted to rest against her shoulder.

"What about an Epee for you? And we also have no gear."

The last bit wasn't much of a worry for the tall girl. She had practiced multiple times with her tutor's upper level students without gear and could pull her touches without much effort or block those gone too far. But.. sparing with an unarmed opponent seemed unfair.

Her gaze swept off to the side, catching a movement a row over, but she decided not to say anything. If the person wanted to remain hidden who was she to oust them.

The hand unoccupied with her sword tucked into her pocket as she tried to take a relaxed pose. Since coming to this hill she had found interactions with other girls to be far easier and less like a impossible hurdle she should skirt around. Yet, it was hard to keep her body from its once natural reaction of running from these sorts of situations.

"No need." She waved it off, closing her eyes. "I said training dummy, not sparring partner."

Yes, she willingly offered herself up as target practice. Her gaze fell to the blade present, and several things came to mind. One, it wouldn't be that hard to parry with a precise backhand to the length instead of the tip. She had also handled Épée in the past, so she knew the general safety precautions in play. It was then that she decided to size up the girl herself and analyze her threat potential. Her stance was far more stuff than she probably wanted it to seem, meaning she was probably confident but also nervous. A fun mixture which could cause some unpredictability. Lots of details that the ordinary eye would miss, but the eye of a martial artist and fellow fencer picked up on immediately. June, why can't you pay this much attention in class?

"Practicing is one thing, but it's a lot more effective with a target. dont worry about safety, I can handle it." As if to emphasize the point, she readied a stance for defense. Her dominant side faced forward and a hand raised to meet her eye level, while her weaker side went behind to form a fist at her side. From this position, she could dodge, grapple, and parry unarmed opponents easily enough. It may make a difference with unarmed opponents, but she could handle it. Part of Krav Maga was disarming after all, and she incorporated elements from that, Muay Thai, and Capoeira into her own style.

"Trust me, this will be fun." She said, more for herself. This was actually her first non-family interaction since Anzu disappeared.

A shrug of her shoulder was shown before she tucked her right hand behind her back, resting it against the curve of her spine. Better to start off with your best than to show your weaknesses, right? Not only that, it would be rude to hold back after given such a kind gift. Zephyra dipped her head in agreement and lifted her sword from her shoulder. Extending it outward she kept the distance between them at an even pace mark while she settled into her starting position. Here she seemed so much more comfortable than when just standing about. With her back straight, limbs relaxed, but not limp, her crimson hues locked with those of similar color, but she said not another word. Why would she when none were needed? The white haired one had explained everything well enough and now it was time for more practice.

Booted feet moved silently and gracefully against the snow and mud covered path she had worked up earlier, steps even and precise while her blade sliced through the air. The redhead didn't ever break their eye contact while her body moved. It was one skill she thanked her tutor over and over for. If you didn't look where you were to strike, then it was harder for them to guess. Her youthful features were set in a neutral expression as she lunged toward the girl for the first time. She had told herself not to hold back and she certainly did not, with each touch that would be blocked the first year picked up her pace.

Eye contact. That, she liked. June hadn't had a worthy opponent in some time, and this girl certainly seemed to know what she was doing. Her posture was precise, her eyes were locked in, and her movements were decisive. To an outsider, fighting may seem brutish. But the precision that went into each motion of a true match was beyond explanation. One simply felt the battle at a certain level.

June herself knew exactly how to retaliate. Her own gaze did not break as she allowed her feet to think for themselves. A thrust such as the one coming would be easy enough to back step, but then that could be met with a second thrust with more step to it. A sidestep would leave her open for a new attack as well. Ducking would be complete suicide. The best course of action was to stay the course. Not to eat the attack mind you, but keep close and offer little room to maneuver the tip of the blade. The point of these types of blades was to thrust, not to slash. As suc, the blade was easily manipulated if one closed the distance. Her first movement was sure to seem odd, but it would do the job.

She weaved to one side, but quickly righted her positioning and stepped forward to be at close enough range that her shoulder almost met the cross guard. From here, if she were going to attack, she could grab the wrist of her foe and spin it, gaining control of their body. She could also lock arms and use her free hand to manipulate the blade. However, she had no plans to attack the girl. Instead, she gave her a smirk, and then used her back foot to push her into a step that brought them shoulder to shoulder, and alter the course of the battle to a new plain on the axis. She remained at that distance and kept her back hand in a fist, ready to intercept and parry the potential oncoming attack. If this girl wanted to regain ground, she had to put distance between them, or think up another strategy.

It's been too long indeed. Shadow sparring just didn't quite cut it for this.

Zephyra let a smile reveal a row of perfectly set, white teeth as she looked to the other girl. Glorious! This truly was going to be a far better practice than any of her sessions lately. An unorthodox session, but still better. Her right foot swept out to the side, allowing her to shift her weight away from the whitette. The redhead twisted her wrist so that the flat of the blade touched just below the girl's shoulder blades while her left foot tucked against the other's. She gave a light push, not wanting to completely knock her off balance, just trip her up a bit, hopefully, as her own body pivoted so she was instead behind her. When she turned completely a slight hop back gave some distance between them and her sword returned to the ready position. Her hand tightened its grip for a moment before it relaxed once more, her Epee tipped up slightly and simply and extension of her arm.

Fencing was a game of turns, feigns and strikes. A gentleman's game, her father had always told her. Though he was often corrected by her tutor saying 'genteel' as to remove the gender barrier. The thought of her father wiped the smile from her features and she grit her teeth soundlessly. A deep breath and her expression returned to a neutral one. She was following her promise to him and continued her practice for the upcoming tournament in Ireland, so what did he matter right now?

Crimson eyes watched every move of the girl before her, calculating every retaliation she could make against a strike of her own. It all rushed through her brain in an instant making all other thoughts fly out of head. Even the knowledge that someone was only feet away watching the match. Here and now was all that mattered. Fight each match as if your life was on the line.

There was a sudden shift in balance as the girl made her next move. Alright, she had to give her that one, that was pretty quick thinking. Still, her balance would not be so easily lost. With a stomp, she stopped the momentum flat and caught herself before she could tumblr or lose stance. It was at the next moment that she realized her opponent had managed to get behind her. This would be a problem if she didn't reset the situation quickly. She gave a quick hop and spin to right her direction and face the girl once more, then gave herself distance with a backstop as well. Staying close was the aim of her approach, but stepping back now would either force another attack of opportunity or created enough space that the next attack had to be more predictably thrown in order to close the gap.

She flicked her nose almost tauntingly, but more in a signal kind of way, before returning to stance. It was something she did often in battle to show her complete confidence in the situation. If she removed stance even briefly for a display of bravado like that, she could psyche the enemy into doing what she wanted, which was to attack without thinking. Granted, that strategy may not work here, but at this point it was reflex. Certainly there were other things to focus on at this exact moment. Her stance shifted from her previous one to something a bit more light on her feet. This was an old lesson, one of the earliest things she was taught. Imagine that you could levitate just a fraction of a space off the ground. The amount of things you could do with your feet would increase so much more. And eventually, after one has that mindset, they can app,y it to the ground. Everything about stances and focus was a mind game for her. Every motion as calculated yet dreamy as the last.

She opted to break the silence then, but only in that one moment.

"They sure don't teach this kind of skill in this prissy place. Where'd you learn?" She insisted. And it wasn't too far fetched an observation, either. Most girls here had little interest in martial sports and blades. It was such a girly school, at least hers was. There was nothing wrong with that of course, as some aspects of proper lady life were enjoyable - like being rude in a polite way was always hilarious - but there was something about the technique that stood against those she had seen here. Her last actual fencing match with Moeka revealed that the girls here had a far more grounded stance than fencing should call for. Not enough focus on the footwork, and too much attention to the blade. This girl broke that rule, so surely she had prior experience outside the school.

A smirk pulled up one side of the girl's lips as she noticed the other's hand gesture. Instead of rushing forward like she had seen many do in the past the redhead swept her right foot out and forward, the move eased her stance slightly. Yet, the redhead remained where she was, sword at the ready. All that had changed was her planted position shifting to the balls of her feet so she could spring and maneuver without giving away her intentions. This girl was good, no doubt about that, and she needed to remain on point to even think about scoring against her.

"I haven't been at Miator long enough to even gain the beginning forms let alone how to spar. Plus a first year isn't likely to be able to take an Epee from the gym. I was taught by a tutor in Ireland. And yourself?"

What she left out was the fact her tutor had been the national champion of her home country for many years now and taught her much more than simple fencing. Some of the things that would likely be shown in this 'fight'. Zephyra hadn't even finished her sentence and she leapt forward taking several light steps, closing the distance between them far more than what would be necessary to reach her with the Epee's point. In the blink of an eye she was up in her face, a smile on her lips as her hold on the sword switched to a backward position and her arm raised above her head drawing the point toward her chest.

She had been chastised for this maneuver by Bridgette, but later applauded at her quick wit while no one else was around. It was against the rules of fencing, but she was never one for rules anyway.

Quick reaction time indeed. And a smart move to wait it out, for sure. This offered the fencer the advantage in terms of reflex, as the distance could be closed quickly given the proper setup. She knew this,and was okay with it. Perfect for a parry if she could time her movements properly. It was all up to chance though, as the redhead was faster than most fencers she had taken on. And after hearing her explanation on where she acquired her skills, that made sense. Astraea Hill focused more on Olympic and grounded fencing, which was a stark contrast to a lot of free form fencing that took place elsewhere. This was fine though. Free form was much more fun to watch and so much more fun to do.

Ah, and then came the action. A certainly difficult one to match for most, and it probably would have caught her had she assumed a Miator move set. Ice pick grips tended to be dangerous and easy to counter, so many blade users only attempted them as surprise attacks. That seemed to qualify here. Her own posture shifted as well, to a sidestep into the blade side. As much as that seemed counter productive, the tip of the blade would be pointing more toward the center and opposite side than the blade side as the natural flow of the human arm dictated. As the blade was raised, and as she stepped both into and away from it at the same time, she drew the flat of her hand to meet where she predicted the girl's wrist would be. If it connected, this would be her chance to grip and spin her opponent into an unfortunate position that would surely give her something to think about.

Ah, but she had asked her a question as well.

"Fighting has been my life since I was a kid. But what really got me into Krav was a weekend I spent in the woods. You'd be surprised how dangerous that can be."

The redhead kept her expression neutral as she anticipated the force against her wrist and let the appendage relax so her next movements were fluid. 'Always three steps ahead in your strategies with twice as many back up plans.' Her mind was racing a mile a minute with these words of her tutor spurring her on. The most simple predictions of outcomes were normally the path to follow, but against this girl Zephyra had to think outside of the box and step up her game. It was now that she truly realized she was facing an opponent of equal or perhaps even more skill than herself.

When the blow finally came her grip of the sword was released, making sure that it fell point down so that as she was spun in the whitette's grip her right hand could snatch up the blade and draw it between their bodies. Instead of fighting the movement June forced upon her she followed it like a dancer being led through the difficult steps of a new dance. Until she reached that with a slight flick of her wrist she could press the tip very softly against the meaty space between her partner's ribs even as she was placed in a compromising state herself. Even if this ended in a stalemate, she had gained a point and it boosted the first years confidence level a bit more.

"Point." Was her only murmur for a moment as she held perfectly still. Where would they go from here? Whom would relinquish first? If they did at all. How to get out of this hold.. Talk, it'll buy a few moments of time to contemplate.

"I understand completely. Many creatures lurk in the confinement of the woods. Not all friendly. But it seems you bested them well enough to be here today,..." Then it dawned on her that they had never even exchange names before they launched into this match.

"It seems I have forgotten my manners. I'm Zephyra. May I have the honor of knowing whom holds me captive?" She grinned at bit at the girl as well as she could.

Bless me with the Leaf off of the tree
On it I see The freedom reign
We are falling, The light is calling
Tears inside me Calm me down
Midnight calling Mist of resolving
Crown me, with the Pure green leaf
Praise to my father, Blessed by the water
Black night, dark sky, The devils cry

J U N E
╜───────╓

Heh.

Her flow was excellent, and her quick wit even more so. This was the opponent she had been looking for. Granted, she hadn't thrown any attacks back, but thinking about it, she had every opportunity to do so. An axe kick on the very first approach would have been a hard hit, and might have injured her. A rib jab would have caused discomfort, making it harder to maneuver. She could have spun herself out instead of the girl in, which in close quarters would have allowed her to elbow her foe using her own momentum. Many moves, but she opted for the one that ended up costing her that little exchange. Fair enough, she had been bested in this round.

"Well earned." she agreed, now fully aware of her palm ghosting into a cobra strike. She halted this as it had just been a natural reflex of the situation, and hoped it wouldn't have been seen. Ah, inquiry about the woods. Time to delicately and precisely not respond to that at all, and move on to the next topic. Introductions, yes. That would be fitting for this moment, if not maybe a few moments earlier.

"June." she answered with a sharpness to her eyes. That same look came to her only when she felt a kindred spirit. Only in battle, with a foe that was her equal. It had been compared to the eyes of a demon before, certainly. However, June was no stranger to solitude, and knew that she shouldn't get her hopes up for a true sparring partner. She had been alone on campus since arriving, save for her unbearable, despicable, rotten, horrid -- Er, her cousin. And her half sister. The odds of seeing this girl again were low in her eyes, and she had to keep that in mind.

"Oh, right. I was looking for my sister earlier. Have you seen her? Pink hair, sunglasses, responds to Kendall?"

╖───────╓
K O H M A

The redhead dipped her head in a nod of respect as she disengaged from the woman and slid her Epee into the leather loop hanging from her belt. She had noticed the strike coming her way and would have taken it with a light heart, knowing she had left herself open and was thankful she had pulled the blow even if she would never speak this aloud. "Thank you, but there are many instances you could have changed this.. outcome.I simply took the moment that I could."

She smiled lightly and offered her right hand to the girl. "It's been a pleasure, June. I would like to do this again sometime. Perhaps both of us could wield or maybe even do a bit of hand to hand. I feel rusty from the lack of a partner and a new friend could never hurt."

A slight shift of her lips was given as she pursed them while she thought. While shaking her head she looked back to the whitette. "You are really the only one I have come across out here. I'm sure I would have remembered someone like that."

The redhead then glanced off to the side to where she had noticed the movement before and narrowed her eyes, trying to see past the slight glare off the melting snow. "Though.. I thought I heard someone over there while we were busy, I couldn't let my attention wander too far though."

This brought another grin to the Gael's face as she slid her hands into her pockets to keep her digits warm.

Bless me with the Leaf off of the tree
On it I see The freedom reign
We are falling, The light is calling
Tears inside me Calm me down
Midnight calling Mist of resolving
Crown me, with the Pure green leaf
Praise to my father, Blessed by the water
Black night, dark sky, The devils cry

J U N E
╜───────╓

Ah well. Kendall was a strong girl, she would be okay. It just would have been nice to see her. Still, June couldn't deny that she had found something just as great to do. She admitted to herself that she hadn't touched her Abyss stance during the fight, and that was fine. Abyss was more for attacking than disarming. Besides, it was far too risky against someone who was armed when she herself wasn't. It requires a false slump in her posture and to draw her strong arm inward like a boxer while her weak one lazily hung. Deceptive, and wild. Just like June's own personality.

"Are you kidding? I wasn't going to let you walk away without exchanging info. I'm much better bare handed than with a blade but I know my stuff both ways." she mused. "I'd be curious to see what else you're capable of too. Your flow was great, so you could probably pick up a good, light martial art with ease."

Her attention had shifted though, and so June allowed her the momentary thought. It was probably for the best that she herself say nothing further until prompted. The situation was a lot calmer now, and the spark of combat had faded. But for how long?

╖───────╓
K O H M A