A crowd formed around Cechele and me as we exchanged repartee. The tyrant seethed, running fingers through her short curls, "This is the style, though I wouldn't expect you to understand."
Her black riding crop of a leash still hung at her hip, stark black against her pristine white jacket and skirt, both of which were stitched with golden-threaded starbursts. Sharing the same loop, distending from her belt, was Reilin's chord of braided red leather. The diamond charm at its end was dull, appropriate for a stolen Esprit. When unneeded, most would recede into a leash's internal, spiritual locale.
Per the code of conduct, taking another student's leash, through défi de fierté or otherwise, was perfectly acceptable. Once claimed, one could hang onto it for a week or until the leash's rightful owner or another party reclaimed it.
"Alright, Cece, the air's starting to reek. If you could seal your lips for a moment, I'd like to issue a challenge."
A glower set over her face, and her eyes rolled down to my leash. It carried no gem or charm with Ainset unbonded, but it still thrummed at the attention.
"Oh, that broken toy you had fishing for hand-me-downs? Is she in there?" Cechele said, pulling her leash from its loop, "Défi de fierté? You know that's a tough proposition with an unbonded, and I don't think your reputation can handle another blow."
Reilin watched from a few paces outside of the huddle, her arms crossed, and Vivvienne did her best to shirk back through the crowd.
"So you're declining? I asked, digging a fingernail into my leash's leather, contemplating bending her over a stone bench and tanning her hide with it.
Oh, for fuck's sake, I cursed myself. Of course, this was the moment I'd notice plump thighs wrapped in eggshell white lace stockings. Something about this kind of situation set me off.
"Moi?" she said.
Oh, you pretentious bitch.
"Of course not," she went on, making a few short practice slashes with her leash, "Do you have a preferred time? Or here, now?"
Ainsets' voice trailed up from my side, "We could make her wait for it, let the dread grow."
"No, now is good."
I took a quick account of my surroundings. There were thirty or so sets of eyes in the immediate vicinity, plenty of open ground, and minimal obstacles outside of a few flower beds I would want to avoid. Trampling flowers was a quick route to the faculty's bad graces.
I directed the crowd to back up with a quick wave of my leash, then returned my gaze to Cechele. Hers was palmed, and she stood in stance, gripping it like a fencing sabre. I knew the basics of fencing, but wasn't too proud of my form. It was a simple decision not to make a fool of myself in the attempt. Besides, once Esprit began to flare, traditional combat forms quickly went out the window.
Hanging at my side, the leash went rigid, a gimmering mist of Ainset's brass rolling off its length in waves. They took on the vague shape of an end of Ainset's bar, a tray hanging from its end.
The length of it held real weight. Cechele raised an arm and called out, "Minuiton." At her beckoning, A thin black edge rolled along the underside of her leash's length, ending in a tight point.
Well, that looks wicked.
I didn't recognize the word; it was likely the Esprit's personal name and not that of its House. In either instance, I didn't savor the idea of letting it sting me. A défi de fierté carried on until yield or first wound. That could either be instantaneous or take hours, depending on the essential pressure of the combatants and Esprit involved.
I had a good feeling about Ainset. In my limited interactions with Esprit, I'd come to recognize the clutch of Essential Pressure. I likened it to someone grabbing the top of my neck, and her grasp was tight. In interactions with spiritual forces, it acted as a second skin.
"You called for this thing," Cechele said, prodding me from my thoughts, "To the victor goes?"
I want to see you beg.
Unfortunately, that request wasn't appropriate in this setting, and naming a price that's too high might prompt her to call it off or find a way to excuse herself. One non-negotiable was the return of Reilin's leash. If I wound up with her in the draft, her disarmed status would be a mark against my équipe. Still, I wanted my cherry on top. I hadn't just come for Reilin's honor.
"You'll give me that red leash..."
On second thought, I may not need to push it. If the bout went as planned, she'd likely debase herself in the process. That'd be enough.
"Yeah, that's it," I said.
"Unlikely. Then I'll in turn take yours, despite its lacking value." She lowered into a lunge, bouncing her legs and revealing even more thigh, "Ready."
"Ready," I replied, and rushed in. Swinging my leash sideways, the rod and tray at its end solidified further into a near-tangible state. She met it with her blade, quicker than I'd expected, and set me back on my heels to reorient for another blow.
Giddy, Ainset's voice bubbled through the air as I set back upon Cechele in a series of strikes, looking for an opening, "This Minuiton's pretty cute, I think you'd like her."
I pulled pack and swung her like a bat, straight into Cechele's ethereal blade, and its Esprit squeeled, "Aaa-haah-!"
My opponent grimaced and snapped her blade out sideways, "Cut that out!"
Battlecries.
I smirked. Cechele was growing flush as well, and I hardly felt a thing.
"Enjoying yourself?" I asked, wheeling in for another strike. Feedback was a well-known but seldom spoken aspect of leash-assisted combat, a result of paired essence. As the blows mounted, so did sensation. Cece was feeling it.
"Nnn-no-" she gasped in recoil, retreating to my side. Consent was implicit in her agreement to the match. None of us would be here pursuing Bloom's tutelage if we didn't, in some way, want to feel that rush.
She bit her lip and lunged at me, finally taking the offensive in a series of stabs. Reeling, I grasped Ainset two-handed, rocking her up and down to deflect the strikes.
The blows bit into Ainset's energies surrounding my leash. Each set my nerves ablaze, and a heat began to bloom in my gut. Sweat clung to my brow, and my clothes felt too tight, each fiber rubbing against my skin.
"Minuiton!" Cechele shouted, and a black veil like liquid sick rolled from her leash, wrapping around me and blocking out the sun.
"Don't worry bitch, I've got this!" Ainset shouted and began yanking her length against my palms. The best I could do was hang on.
Each collision sent waves of pressure through me. My nipples peaked, rubbing raw, and the damned pair of panties gripped tighter, gripping at a hardening length that pressed against their legband.
I spun in circles chasing after Ainset, kitten-heels wobbling on cobblestone. My foot landed wrong, and wobbling, the leash-blade ran the length of my fore-arm, a trail of sparks followed it. They rolled into my chest, and it clenched, squeezing a girly squeak from my lips.
"What was that? Want to quit before you cream your undies?" Cechele laughed, her voice shaking. Everything was black, except for a fluttering line of daylight. It kept positioned to my right, I threw out a hand, attempting to catch it, but it rolled just out of reach.
"Serica," Vivienne's voice called through the crowd, "Just hang on, it's thinning out!"
I scrambled back onto my heels. She was right, the glow of sunlight was begging to press through the thick pleats.
Come on, don't forget what we're here for. Ruin this bitch's day.
Her blurry silhouette danced in a continued assault. Ceding ground, I worked with Ainset, defending myself as I worked out my ploy.
Hemill. Play on that.
She struck high and called again on Minuiton, but this time I ducked and slammed Ainset into her calves. "Fuuuhh~haah-" the sound warbled from her, and her knees quaked.
"You sound so needy, Cece-" I said and dipped back, bringing my leash between us, "Still holding out for Hemill? That's why you cut your hair so short?"
Her face contorted as a hushed murmur rose around us, and her body began to shake. She was losing focus, riding out the accumulated impact of Ainset's strikes, unshielded.
"It's true, right?" I spun Ainset hard and knocked the leash from her hand, then rose my leash overhead, its tray trailing, "You didn't know he's-"
"Yield!"
Damnit!
I pulled my blow, sending Ainset rolling to the side. As much as I wanted to bleed a confession from her, assault outside of a défi was too big a risk in my probationary status. With a shake of my leash, Ainset rolled loose into the air. Then I yanked Reilin's handle from the loop at Cechele's hip.
"What? Yeah, you better yield, petite mauviette!" Ainset said, primping her wiry hair, and descending in meet Cechele eye to eye, "You see my Ser associate with anyone, you steer clear..."