Weisse smiled at the story, before quietly murmuring "It's probably a normal Katana, judging from the size. I don't see how leaving the blade unfinished makes a differance, though. Surely the [i]deib[/i] would just finish it off themselves?"
To answer Daniel's question, Weisse leaned over, opened his duffle bag and lifted his sheathed blade from under a pile of clothes. He grabbed the hilt and pulled it with a satisfying [i]shhckt[/i], revealing the rapier in its full glory.
"This is Albione." Weisse explained, his face lighting up with joy. "Back home in Schweiz, my Vatti worked with a man called Etienne. His daughter, Amy, was about my age, so when Vatti was out at work during the evening or weekends, I would meet up with Amy and we would kick about until our Vatti's came back. But Amy was in to fencing and wanted to teach me a few things. 'A few things' became everything she knew, and before long we were having full-fledged duels all over the manor. We only used fake swords, but they felt authentic"
Weisse paused, looking at Albione thoughtfully. Then, without warning, he sprang to his feet in the traditional fencer's stance.
"[i]En garde, pret, allez![/i]"
He smiled at the memories, silent for a few tense seconds. The smile saddened, tears filling his eyes.
"I learned to fight off a girl. Dad never gave me peace for it 'What good is that?' he'd say 'Everyone knows girls are better at diplomacy than fighting.' He was kidding, sure, but I kept practicing regardless. I started researching sword types, going to fencing classes and looking into famous historical battles."
Now abandoning the smile entirely, Weisse stopped for a moment and looked at the sword thoughtfully.
"When I turned nine, Mum and Dad got me this. According to Dad, it belonged to my great-great-something grandpa. It was a family heirloom that Dad tracked down and found. I don't think I ever hugged someone so much. I showed it off to my freinds at school, my fencing class, my family..."
The Swiss trailed off, looking solemn. Then, in a low, almost silent whisper -
"It was the last gift they ever got me."
All of a sudden, the depressed look on Weisse's face vanished, replaced by a warm, toothy grin. It was like someone had hit a switch that completely changed his emotional state.
"Ah well, the past's in the past, right? No point whining about the things we can't change."