[center][h1][u]     Sanhan vs Eris     [/u][/h1][/center]
A duel? Fighting was certainly not what Sanhan wished to do, but it wasn't exactly like she had a choice. The upcoming festival of champions was the quickest way for her to be expelled, and not of her own fault. No, in three months time, even if she did the absolute best she could, the low performers of the class could easily be the cause of her own expulsion. While she beared them no ill will and understood that not everyone gained skill at the same rate, wasting her people's resources in getting her to Avalice was not something she wanted.

Lo and behold, when Nyx announced that the worst performing half would be expelled after the first test, Sanhan was filled with a sense of remorse. Unfortunately, those that were not immediately talented would be sent packing. A sad state of affairs. One made to protect the rest of the class from being expelled? Maybe.

With all of the explanations out of the way, it was time for Sanhan to duel. If she had her horse, she would stand much more of a chance. Her people were most skilled on horseback, after all. Unfortunately, all she had was a bag of bagels, something that she brought

[color=#B62800]"Ready?"[/color] Sanhan asked the white-haired girl in front of her. It was more an affirmation of herself being ready, if anything. She'd try to win this thing. After all, getting expelled on the first day would have made her family's efforts vain.

'Eris' looked at her opponent with a puzzled expression. It didn't look like she had any will to fight. Not for the same reasons as Eris herself. No, it was more like she was sleep walking, or something like this. [i][color=palegoldenrod]“Well, it's not my place to judge,”[/color][/i] Eris thought as she shrugged.

[color=palegoldenrod]“Sure. I'm ready whenever you are,”[/color] 'Eris' said as she picked a wooden sword. It wouldn't do well to cut down a classmate by accident just because their teacher was a little too eager to see some action.

As soon as she made her status known to her partner, 'Eris' hushed forward with great speed, aiming a thrust at the other girl's gut as a feint. The true attack would come in the shape of a low powered light shot, aimed at Sanhan's back. If no one of them was really willing to drag this fight for that long, Eris might as well try to get a good hit from the very beginning.

Such an attempt at foolery would have worked on a trained fighter. But Sanhan wasn't exactly knowledgable about swords. Rather than try to deflect or defend against the blow in some way, her body instantly dropped to the ground in an over-the-top attempt to dodge. By absolute dumb luck, she managed to dodge the shot aimed at her back. In fact, she didn't even realize it happened. She was too busy tucking and rolling, trying not to bash her knees on her cuneiform tablet or get tangled in the large bag of bagles. 

If Eris was really going to go this hard out the gate, Sanhan could at least do her best to respond in kind. From within the bag of bagels, she ripped a chunk of the delicious wheat. Quickly, it turned hard and shrunk, almost becoming rock-like as a flowing river of mana poured over it. Pointing it at Eris, another magic washed over it. This time, it was less flowing and more forceful. A river meeting ocean, the launched the hardened bagel forward at the sword wielding girl.

Well, so the slowpoke act was just a ruse to trick others, huh? In truth, it seemed like Eris opponent was a little smarter than she thought, along with being quick on her feet. It was funny, then that Eris had to drop her act from the very beginning, but an opponent thrown on the ground was just too good to ignore.

Sanhan's counter hit 'Eris' as she intended. It would be an otherwise ironic scene, or maybe just a silly one, where it not for the fact that the 'Eris' she hit just disappeared out of the blue. An illusion not made to last, when its purpose had been fulfilled. Instead of that, the ground-dwelling girl would find a weigth on her back as the actual Eris--who had been invisible until now--pinned her down to the ground between her legs.

[color=palegoldenrod]“That was an impressive move. To think that you had such wits concealed under your visage of calmness. But I think I got the upperhand here, don't you think?”[/color] Eris said as she pressed training sword against Sanhan's neck, lightly. It was less as if she were trying to hold the other girl down and more like she was sizing her up, in a very direct manner.

[color=#B62800]"You don't get to survive being the weakest daughter without learning a few tricks.[/color] Sanhan replied. As if it were second nature, by the time Sanhan was grappled, she had already been protecting her neck with a floating glyph. After all, being the loser princess often meant she had to play with her more successful brothers and sisters. That playing was more akin to torment. At the very least, she learned how to protect herself from those better than her. Like a harsh wave, a flow of mana came to meet the wooden blade and stopped it from being an actual threat.

But Eris had Sanhan's back. It would be difficult for her to see the front of her neck. While she was a mage with a weak body and no technique, only a fool would assume that she was defenseless up close. Her own arms wrapped around Eris' hips like a terrible quality vice. Seeing how the first time was some sort of illusion, the fact she was pinned meant that this was probably the real one. Probably.

Forming two glyphs in the air, Sanhan did another wacky move. She imbued her own tablet with force, launching it upwards as it met with another glyph. The moment it touched, the tablet launched itself at the back of Eris' head. Probably. She didn't have the most accurate grasp on what was behind her. The second glyph was between Sanhan and Eris. In case she dodged it or there was some wacky illusion like her head not being real, it would bounce it back towards Eris' head again. Though, this was more to ensure Sanhan didn't crush her own skull with her magic rock.

[color=palegoldenrod]“I have a little sister too. I know all about that. Though... from where I'm looking,”[/color] Eris said as she was grappled, locking the two of the together. She didn't plan to dodge the hurled tablet either, instead trust her defense to her her shield spell. What happened next was inconsequential to her as well, since this was a fine opportunity to practice some alternative fighting techniques. Or at least have some fun.

[color=palegoldenrod]“From where I'm looking, you don't look all that small,”[/color] she said as she rolled to the side, dragging the other girl with her on the dirty ground, as she crossed her arms around Sanhan's neck and chest catching her in a chokehold.  If the other girl wanted a wrestling match, she would have it. [color=palegoldenrod]“Actually, it looks to be pretty comfy, if I can say,”[/color] Eris commented as she squeezed, letting one of her arms dig between Sanhan's breasts while she tried to keep the other girl immobilized with her legs.

Such immodesty! If there was anything to send Sanhan of the deep-end, that was it. She wasn't using many of her spells on purpose. Too cruel, she thought. After being practically groped, the time for that had ended. Eris' chokehold was still ineffective because of the glyph protecting her neck. She seemed to reflect the tablet, judging by the fact it didn't knock her out in that moment. A shield? Probably. If it could reflect magic, that just made it easier. Gripping Eris' wrist with one hand and her own thigh with the other, a course of mana began to flow. It was much more overwhelming than before. If this shield could reflect magic, that would make it all the easier for Sanhan to roast Eris from inside the protection of her own magic. 

With the raging overflow of magic that rushed into Eris' arm, the temperature quickly would increase. If anything was reflected back into her, Sanhan would steal the heat away from herself and put it back into Eris. Even if she was protected by a shield, it would burn away at some point. Even if it was reflected back at her, she would just feed that into more heat.

Before things got really hot, Eris took the chance she got when Sanhan let go of her legs for a brief moment and jumped aaway from the other girl, propelled by her Haste magic. [color=palegoldenrod]“Come on, you don't need to get all hot and bothered just because of a little friendly touching, especially when you are in my sister's room. I gotta be sure she isn't going to be surrounded by bad apples, you know?”[/color] Eris said as she brought a hand to her hips and grinned nonchalantly.

[color=palegoldenrod]“I gotta say you're not an apple at all if you know what I'm talking about...”[/color] Eris chuckled at her own joke. [color=palegoldenrod]“At any rate, I don't feel like going all out since it's pretty hard not to hurt someone else when I do that. Why don't we call it quits and go take a bath? I hardly doubt that our beloved teacher will want a bunch full of sweaty, dirt-covered kids back in the classroom,”[/color] she asked sincerely. Though, Eris was still ready to throw anything back at Sanhan if she tried any dirty moves.

Sanhan was getting heated, but when Eris backed off, any bit of anger or contempt she had over that pervert went away. Not out of forgiveness or understanding, though. More so she didn't care enough about Eris. With a deep breath, the sigil floating around her neck vanished and she calmed herself. She went and picked up her tablet, it being no more worse for wear.

[color=#B62800]"So you surrender then?"[/color] Sanhan asked Eris, remembering that Nyx said that they would fight until one remained standing. Sanhan wasn't about to sandbag and possibly get expelled because of some pervert's desire to take a bath. She'd see this through. After all, she couldn't betray her family.

[color=palegoldenrod]“I don't know why, but it doesn't like you are the friendly type,”[/color] Ers said when she looked Sanhan in the face. [color=palegoldenrod]“Sure. I was hoping for something more like a mutual understanding, but it's not like I bother either way. There's only one... maybe two--depending on the circumstances--persons in this school that I feel like going all out against. So, yeah, I give up.”[/color]

[color=palegoldenrod]“Also, you can feel free to ignore my proposal. There's no point in hanging around someone who doesn't know how to be cool, or doesn't want to. I'm not turning you down, either the choice is literally yours. At any rate, excuse me. I have, something important to do now,”[/color] Eris said as she picked her wooden sword and turned on her heels to go see how Kiara's duel was going.

And that was that. The duel wasn't some grand display of skill or intense battle that showed true colours. It was an anti-climactic fight that ended in an anti-climactic way. Had Sanhan been a red-blooded conquerer that demanded blood like her ancestors, she might have continued on with the duel, refusing a surrender until the other party collapsed. But Sanhan wasn't that way. She was more interested in graduating from the school to get money. She wouldn't continue a fight when the other side had already turned their back. So that was technically a win for her? One that would hopefully keep her in the class, anyways.

She went over to her bag of bagels and slapped one into her mouth. The flavour made her regret launching a piece at the Eris illusion. Wasted food and all that. It was a really good bagel. The bag protected it from the kicked up dust and dirt, so she wouldn't get a mouthful of earthly flavouring. Not that she minded the dust, though. 

What was that that she said about not being friendly? She just didn't like being groped. Eris was a pretty weird person, equating skinship with sociability. Oh well.
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