Peiter had not expected to hit with his first strike, though it was not exactly as if he was trying to make it easy to block. Her retaliatory strike was actually not bad in concept. In swordfighting, the hands were a vulnerable and useful target to attempt to hit. However, he was able to twist his blade to block the strike with the crossguard. That did not necessarily put her in a bad position, but because her footing was unstable at best, he was able to push the blade aside at an angle that would be awkward to resist and recover from, then thrust successfully at her stomach. 

Peiter did not take up a combat stance again, and instead rubbed his chin as he looked her over. "I see. It seems you do have the theoretical knowledge, but of course you're not in practice enough to execute it properly. That's no trouble, though. It just means you need practice."

Walking over to stand beside Sabine, Peiter assumed a basic combat stance. "You seem to know where to hold the blade, but your footwork needs work. It is the basis of any fighting style, and while it can be boring to practice, it's probably the most important thing to master. Watch my feet when I swing." He said before demonstrating a heavy forward slash. Just as if he was in a duel, he took a step forward so Sabine could see what he was referring to. "Now, why don't you try. See if you can move like I do."

---

Irenya shook her head. "Oh, don't give me that, Gallus. I know what you're trying to say. I am [i]certainly[/i] not intimidated by that particular lizard. But, even if I do not agree with lord Hircine's decisions, I will follow them. By rights, this...Argonian is the alpha of every lycan in Tamriel, and I would be a fool to disobey Hircine without issuing the proper challenges."

Although Irenya's answer hinted at her feelings, she was still not directly stating it. The issues she was having were not as simple as complete bigotry, but neither were they far removed from it.