𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒

𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠

Isolde and Xaden had not fought at all during the time that everyone was training for Presentation and Threshing, which is not entirely surprising. Both of them had won their individual matches when they were scored but because they hadn't been up against one another Isolde was not sure as to which one of them was stronger. When he sparred she kept a close eye, like she did with all of the matches, doing her best to learn their tells and remember them for a day where she may end up fighting against them. Apparently, today was her lucky day.

"Give me everything you've got Aritia." fell out of Xaden's mouth, matching the wild look that infected his eyes. His stance gave her hardly anything to exploit, which left her slightly irritated. But she had the advantage of being smaller which allowed her to move quicker due to the laws of basic physics, so she began.

Isolde leapt forward, invading his space first, and threw a punch against his stomach. Without even stumbling, Xaden grasped her wrist and hooked her foot with his, pulling it forward so that she lost her balance, but she had seen this trick from his previous matches. She turned her remaining leg so that she looked as if she was preparing a wolf turn which provided her with more stability. Following this, she plucked a dagger from a holster by her rib and used it to slice Xaden's thigh with a surface level cut.

Quickly, her caught her wrist before she could do any further damage and twisted it causing the metal to fall, clanging as it met with the ground. He didn't let go of her arm this time and instead pulled it behind her as a police officer would whilst arresting a suspect. Xaden's foot went to the backs of her knees, making them buckle beneath her and result in her collapsing to the ground. He pulled one of her handheld spears out of the holsters on her back and placed it lightly on the back of her neck, enough to draw blood but not to cause serious, long-lasting harm.

"It seems I've disarmed you twice already, should you perhaps give up now?" This lit up another burst of fire and rage within Isolde. She quickly hooked both of her ankles around his and used the momentum from her moving off of the ground to flip them over so that she was now on top of him.

Isolde pressed her forearm gently against his windpipe and swiped both her spear from his hands and a further two daggers that he had holstered against his thighs and threw them onto the floor. "Oh, it seems I've one upped you Riorson." She stared down into his onyx-flecked eyes and suddenly she was all too aware of the position they were in. Her legs were situated either side of him whilst she sat atop his abdomen. If she thought too deeply, she would be reminded of a similar time with Tomas, but she shoved those thoughts down temporarily and continued staring.

He caused a dangerous feeling to flood through her, an intense burning that came from a sense of unease she had often experienced around him and another thing entirely that she may have thought it to be jealousy. Regardless, the images of him and Quinn launched themselves into the forefront of her mind and subconsciously a small part of her wanted it to be her.