[@Tristwich]

The roar of the crowd slowly subsided within the arena. Don't be afraid? That was something that kept one alive. IIt didn't matter where he fought or who he fought, there was always some fear lurking within the back of his mind. Especially when it came to someone that he had never fought before. One wrong move could wind up ending his time for good, being the human that he was. He narrowed his eyes in response. As she started to circle to his left Finnegan moved to his right so that he maintained his position in front of her and kept the distance between them the same, he wasn't going to let her flank him when it was just the two of them. He knew about the healers and how good they were, he was informed about what he needed to know when he wound up in this place, but still dind't find much comfort in the fact that he could die and they'd just simply bring him back to life. He maintained his stance as he walked, blade held diagonally across his body with his left arm held in a defensive position. She wasn't attacking, she was studying him. Once more that golden energy flashed across her body. He studied her form in these few moments that they had.

Enhancements had their tells most of the time. The way the body moved was prone to changing subtly as an increase in strength caused the wielder of it to adjust how they were moving, they didn't want to move too far too fast because of their added power. A strengthening of the body through a defensive enhancement would apply more resistance to armor pressing down upon the skin. Increased speed and reflexed might be shown through faster movement of the eyes, albeit subtle, as they took in everything around them as if it were being viewed in a slower rate of motion. Everything had a tell and he was looking for it. His own passive enhancement, Insight of the Leaves, made this a lot easier than it normally would have been.

Frankly if she wasn't going to be the one to start things then he figured it was going to be him, she seemed to be taking a strong defensive stance in this encounter. He slowly continued to circle with her until their positions were reversed, where he would be standing where she started and she would be standing where he had started, then he started to move toward her. He didn't run toward her but he did advance at a steady pace. The fifteen foot gap was closed to a ten foot one and then down to a 7 foot one. When he was at this seven foot distance he took a step forward like he was about to charge, pulling his sword back with the tip pointing out to his right side like he was winding up for a swing. After he took that step forward, sword primed and ready to strike once he closed the distance, he dropped it low. He hoped the feint worked and she would start to move to counter his charge. What he did instead was plant his left foot forward in that step, rooting his stance while bending his knees, while his sword swung down toward the dirt covered floor of the arena fighting pit. The tip of his sword cleaved into the floor with the edge that he then turned so that the flat faced Annabelle.

What happened as his blade swung forward was a spray of soil and earth firing toward her, aiming specifically for the face in an attempt to blind her temporarily. As a grounds keeper and landscaper he knew how much force was needed to launch the packed soil beneath his feet, all he had to do was walk on it a bit. The distraction needed to work only for a moment as he rushed forward as she would be dealing with the spray of dirt. He closed that seven foot distance to a rough four foot one. His right arm pulled back, bent at the elbow sharply, to bring the point of the longsword in line with his opponent. Hi sword was thrust forward toward the shoulder joint of her sword wielding arm, aiming to penetrate through the armor she wore and find a gap, in an attempt to hinder her sword play. He figured she'd be better with a weapon than himself so he tried to take that away from her, or at least make it harder for her to wield one. As per his stance his left leg was still in the lead, facing her with his left side closer than his right, with most of his weight at the moment even spread between both legs. He was ready to move when he reacted even if he didn't know what she was going to do.