Redana is not very good with shields, no matter who she happens to be.

Swords? Swords she can do. Wrestling? You'd best believe it. Sprinting, lunging, throwing? She's as much an Olympian athlete as her wife. She's trained in dueling, operations behind enemy lines, escaping the most [i]dreadful[/i] of predicaments, and everyone here would be quite surprised how well she could keep up with Bella if she really, really tried.

But a shield? Eugh. Like, with a rim and a burnished face and all. Just your typical real shield. Yeesh.

At least this one's the kind the Princess of Tellus would carry. The Ceronians don't really "do" shields, you see - they're all about offense, hitting them hard, rendering the opponent unable to retaliate. But the gladiatorial games of Tellus would sport shields like this: an aspis worked around with prayers to the gods for victory, or at the very least for safety. One edge all the way around; a face emblazoned with the faces of serpent-maned Kerberos; a grip that fits just so in her hand.

As the great dragon surges forward, Redana lifts the shield high and lets the point of the lance race from one side of the rim to another; she keeps going, brings it in to smash against the knee of one of those powerful legs, and promptly gets her knees swept out from underneath her by that lashing tail. Across tiles worn in such interesting patterns by the click-clack of talons she rolls, keeps rolling, gets her legs under her in time to match her shield against that lance. Up! Up! She goes for the chin now, with a jump and a grunt that forces all the air of her lungs.

That's right, o Princess of the Sky Castle! She's trained in CQC[1]!

But with a sword she could flourish! With a sword she could command some small space between her and the lance! And with the shield, all she can do is get bodychecked across the tiles again, clinging to her shield, bouncing her way into a kneeling crouch, grinning with all the enthusiasm of a woman who will not learn her lesson until she's physically incapable of getting up again.

But shields? Come on!

[hr]
[1]: Cutie-Queen Combat. Goldie would not lie to her.