Caroline stayed where she was for a while. That girl, Samarkand her name was, was right. even though officially it had been a draw, she should have lost that match. If it were a real battle, she would have been dead, no matter what the rules said. [i]A stomach punch?[/i] she berated herself mentally, standing up. Apparently the draw had counted as a win for both sides, as she watched Samarkand walk off unchallenged. She thought briefly about leaving, then turned around and picked up her blade, starting her drills again. [i]I have to get stronger. I'm not good enough to protect myself, let alone anyone else.[/i] She continued drilling until she realized the field was mostly empty, ten minutes later. Packing up her gear, she walked back towards her room to get changed. Now that she was out of her sparring outfit, she felt a lot better. She smoothed out the folds in her blouse as she stepped out of her room, violin case under her arm.