"You had to climb a tree to get directions," I muttered, tearing small pieces from my leaf as we started walking again. She was right about spontaneity; in battle or out, there was no better way to have fun and throw someone off than to be completely random about whatever you are trying to do. The worst warriors I had ever met never did anything but use a set of pre-ordained skills to adapt to a situation.

The ones who tried that kind of thing socially were just plain stupid. Women were exceptionally good at bringing out the ridiculous in social meetings—stupid jokes, mind tricks, and every under trick under the sun—just to trip up men. It was women and elves. Elves were obsessive about throwing people off-balance any time. My eyes skipped over Jaina. If she was trying to make me skip a beat, she was going to be sadly disappointed. Or at least disappointed.

My sword flicked from its sheathe, catching her eye for a moment as it flashed, and lifted one of her own weapons by the guard before she could react. The moment I spun into the air and caught it was the same moment she reached to grab it from midair. My sword slipped back into its scabbard with a satisfactory snick and I examined her weapon.

"Not a bad sword," I said, putting it out of her reach just when she reached for it the second time. "Sabers of some kind. Decent weight, too."

I looked at her, all deadpan without even giving away a tiny bit of hint that I was playing with her, and failed miserably. The look on her face was irresistibly humorous to me for some reason. To be honest, she looked like she was about to bite my face off and go chew it in the corner as punishment for my misbehavior. Unfortunately, I did not know what she was capable of, or what she would do, and I had no desire to find out about either. I handed the sword back and earned a glare.

"So much for liking spontaneity," I grumbled.

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[Graphics by Me.]

[The signature links to Aleksandr Sokoll.]
["I believe in sleeping." ~ Bruce Lee]