“Oh really?” Crow’s lip curled upward in a smirk when Penelope returned his banter. It looked like his prodding was finally drawing a response out of her. Her reaction only encouraged him, since he prided himself on being able to get under his opponents’ skin. He went on with a sneer: “Come on then. Give me everything you’ve got. I’ll stop you every time.” Adjusting his stance slightly, he stood with bended knees so he could move quickly when she attacked him again.

Her next strike didn’t take long. He braced himself again, taking in her movements as fast as he could as she lunged toward his shoulder. Seeing that she was leaning heavily towards the right, he shifted in the opposite direction, intending to hit an opening on the left side of her torso. However, just as he was about to make contact, she surprised him by protecting the side he had been aiming for with her dagger and shifting weight so her attack came from her leg instead of her arm.

Crow cursed, unable to change directions fast enough to defend himself from the new threat. While his dagger clattered off of hers, he felt her leg strike the back of his left knee, forcing it to buckle. He dropped to the ground, but he wasn’t ready to give up yet.

[i]If she wants a trick, I’ll show her a trick.[/i] Before Penelope had a chance to put distance between them again, he swept out his own leg to force her to her knees as well. Once she was on his level, he leaped on her, using his advantage of strength to bowl both of them over into his grass. Then, dropping his dagger, he grabbed her wrists in each of his hands and pinned her beneath him, using his weight to hold her down.

“Could a child do that?” he smirked at her wryly and leaned down to kiss her on the nose.