[Suzerain of Sheol]

"I know a good spot. There's an empty construction site a district over, it'll be deserted this early. Race you there!" With that, she bolts out the front of the house, scampering up onto her neighbor's overhang and then onto the adjoining wall, quick-stepping over rooftops. She likes to do this to exercise, though thinking on it now... she doesn't actually know that Syrgei's up to it. She pauses to wait for him to catch up a little.

[Quiet Man Cometh]

Tsaerri's sudden dash surprises him, and he bolts out the door after her, just fast enough to catch the fluttering end of her skirt and one purple boot heel before she disappears on the rooftop.

Well, I think I know the place...

Syrgei keeps as quick a pace as he can while sticking to the alleys below, using fences and hanging balconies to clear any obstacles and refuse in his path. At a dead-end alley he hikes himself up onto the roof tops as well.

[Suzerain of Sheol]

She's a little displeased to see him keeping up with her. It's those long legs, damn it! She has to work twice as hard! She goes as fast as she can, clambering over a balcony and onto the rooftop of the Delaqua residence -- much to their delight, no doubt -- before leaping into a somersaulting dive and blinking down into the empty yard below. Just ahead of Syrgei.

"I said I wouldn't cheat at fighting," Tsae pouts at him.

[Quiet Man Cometh]

Taking the traditional way down, Syrgei lands in the yard next to Tsaerri with a light ‘oof,’ and smooths his coat down. He suppresses his amusement at her pouting. She probably wouldn’t take that well.

“Do this all the time, do you? Usually if I’m running around like that there’s someone I want to avoid. So,” he looks around at the site to get his bearings. “Anything I should know about these swords of yours?”

[Suzerain of Sheol]

"Yeah, I do, it's called exercise. Maybe you should try it sometime." Tsaerri scrunches up her face, taking in the empty lot, and starts to pace.

"All right," she tells him tossing him a phantom sword. "I've never actually fought someone a foot-and-a-half taller than me without invisishanking them, so this might be... interesting. Just try and hit me, I guess. I have them turned down so it won't hurt much." She conjures two for herself and gets her balance set for his approach.

[Quiet Man Cometh]

He looks at the phantom sword, turning it a few times in his hand but still somewhat reluctant to really test it, even though Tsaerri had whacked him on the head a few times already. “Personally, I think that’s a sound tactic if you can do it without the invisible part. I generally avoid face-to-face fighting myself.”

He swings the sword a couple of times, then holds it lightly to his side. “You ready?”

On her say, Syrgei lifts the sword slightly and takes two quick steps towards her, before feinting left and rushing her from the side with a heavy swipe.

[Suzerain of Sheol]

Okay... no blinking, no stealthing, and no distortion. Which means I actually have to block-- ohgodshe'sfast!

Rather than attempt to dodge, Tsae rushes into the attack, hoping to intercept it before it reaches its full momentum. Unfortunately, though, it's a long way to inside his reach, and she ends up catching the blow full-force low on her right-hand sword, and she has to let it go as she drops into a desperate roll to avoid getting trampled by Syrgei as he breaks through her guard.

She just kneels there for a moment, considering what went wrong.

I might as well be trying to parry a freaking ettin. The whole reason I have all this magic is to avoid situations like this. But all right, all right, how did those biomechanics lessons go again...?

She snaps for the sword she dropped, calling it back to her hand, and pushes herself back to her feet, beckoning with it at Syrgei. "Again," she grumbles at him.

[Quiet Man Cometh]

Syrgei nods, holding his sword slightly upright again, but this time he comes in low, sword poised for a strong thrust.

[Suzerain of Sheol]

Unfortunately, low for Syrgei is about chest-height for Tsae, and she finds herself reacting on pure instinct, side-stepping into a cross parry with both of her blades to keep him from pursuing her with a follow-up, and then freeing the top sword to angle a back-handed thrust at his neck in the same tempo.

[Quiet Man Cometh]

Syrgei drops his sword, having to put all his focus into redirecting his momentum so he doesn’t skewer himself on Tsaerri’s sword. Already low to the ground he’s forced to go over, and leaps overhead, swiping out with an empty hand at Tsaerri’s midsection.

[Suzerain of Sheol]

Surprised that he would drop his weapon, Tsae wastes no time whacking his striking hand with one of her swords as he sails over her, falling back into a guard as Syrgei rights himself.

"This is useless," she tells him. "Do you even know how to fight? She was way better than you, you're just twice my size."

[Quiet Man Cometh]

Landing on his feet but slightly off balance, he catches himself. "I did say that face-to-face fighting is not my preference, and neither is a sword. What do you want me to do?"

He goes to pick up the dropped sword. "I can fight but I'm not a duelist."

[Suzerain of Sheol]

"Okay, fine, other way around then. Just try and defend."

With that, Tsae rushes forward, leaping at him with a dizzying series of cuts and thrusts and feints, fully done messing around here.

[Quiet Man Cometh]

Alright.

Not quite as adept with a sword as the Tsaerri, Sygei has little issue keeping ahead, or just ahead, of her rapid attacks: dodging, rolling, or leaping as necessary with more dexterity than a man of his size deserves to have. He attacks occasionally, as much to try and force the mesmer to keep her distance rather than out of any real attempt at “harm.”

He tries not to let his enjoyment of the exercise show too much.

[Suzerain of Sheol]

All of a sudden, Tsaerri just stops, letting both of their weapons dissipate. "This is pointless," she says dejectedly. "You wouldn't have a chance if I wasn't handicapping myself."

She sighs in annoyance and sits down on a nearby workbench, snapping for a convenient illusionary cloth to wipe the dirt off her boots. "I want to get out of the city. Any preference on where to go?"

[Quiet Man Cometh]

"I wouldn't say no, but handicapping yourself is the point, isn't it?"

He sits down next to her, not bothering to wipe the dust off his own boots, or the edge of his coat, or his gloves...

"Do you want to go where something else will be trying to kill your or just away from here? Got any place you want to see? Explore"