EVANGELICAL STEEL

It's not like Catherine isn't my real name, or that I'm a criminal on the run or anything. Closed Catherine, Knight of Seiros at The Officer's Academy

[thunderbanned]

PINNED POAST THAT I WILL DEFINITELY EDIT LATER

Affiliated Catherine // Cassandra Rubens Charon of Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Unaffiliated Knight of Seiros

Penned by Mar

stats | mun

[thunderbanned]

GRRR BARK BARK

catherine & shamir - continued from here

[heavy-draw]

There’s been only a handful of times before when her hands have been this shaky— but this time, it’s not for any reason other than a good one. It’s not because an ally’s blood stains her arms and shirt, and it’s not because adrenaline pulses through her veins from sheer fear for her life. It’s because she feels alive, because she feels warm… and most importantly, because she feels loved.

Catherine’s the only one that can do this to her. She has a love/hate relationship with that thought, but Shamir certainly leans more towards loving it. Purple eyes lock gazes with the woman underneath her, chest heaving with the effort of their tryst, cheeks flushed red from the vulnerability of it all.

She knows what Catherine is trying to say. All she can do is chuckle, and offer a small “I know.” The gentle kiss that follows is rather uncharacteristic of her, but she’s okay with making that a new habit with her partner.

As her forehead falls to Catherine’s shoulder, she lets out a content sigh— she can think about the repercussions of this later, but the warmth and fullness she feels is worth it in this very moment. By the time her eyes shut for a chance to relax, she’s almost certain that her partner has already drifted off into sleep. As always, Shamir has to be the responsible one, shuffling off of Catherine and flopping onto her side to cuddle up to her… drifting off into a nap alongside the woman she’s always belonged next to.

—

By the time Shamir stirs once again, there’s a soreness that’s set into her hips that feels more pleasant than she initially believed. The blonde hair that tickles her face only forces her to nuzzle closer to the crook of Catherine’s neck, a sigh of content escaping her as she squeezes her partner’s waist.

“Catherine…?” She’s terrified of broaching this subject. She’s terrified of what they have to say about what’s between them, and she’s terrified to think that this couldn’t be as important to her partner as it is to her.

Yet somehow, she knows better than that. She knows that Catherine never says anything she doesn’t mean.

She leaves a trail of kisses from the soft skin of Catherine’s shoulder up along her neck, stopping only once she reaches the corner of her jaw. “Wake up. You’re hogging the bed,” She whispers against the shell of her ear, a ghost of a smile plastered across her face.

Not that she actually minds. She fits just fine into the curve of Catherine’s body.

@thunderbanned

[thunderbanned]

Waking up sore is no cause for alarm-- no, that wasn't it. How many times had Catherine woken up in some shitty tent, surrounded by soldiers, and aching from battle? A shattered elbow here, a infected wound there... No, no, this was normal, right? A packed Faerghus garrison even sported the same sort of close proximity that Shamir leaned against her. Not that she would rather have anyone beside her than Shamir.

Waking up next to Shamir, though-- this, this was new. Her modest bedroom at Garreg Mach had never even been privvy to any guests, let alone a night's companion. She turns her head awkwardly so as not to wake Shamir, smiling. Shamir's already awake, nuzzling her neck.

Now, she could see herself liking more of this.

A soft squeeze of Shamir's hand around her waist confirms it, and her words make Catherine chuckle. Shamir's humor is always a rarity-- she feels almost possessive, now, knowing that Shamir's letting her in past the assassin's usual passive glare. She loves the feeling of knowing that right now? It's just for her.

"M-morning, Shamir." Fire pumps in her breast next to her partner. Sacrificing half of the bed space isn't so bad. Catherine offers a clumsy kiss of her own to Shamir's eyelids. "I'm awake now, I'm awake."

Frankly, she feels as if she's just run a marathon, but she makes the full effort to turn onto her side, facing her partner.

"So how about it, then. Did I rock your world?" she says with a smirk.

[heavy-draw]

thank you so much taro for the absolutely wonderful piece!!!!!!!! losing my absolute mind. everyone go commission them NOW (source) @thunderbanned thank you for being the dopey golden retriever catherine in this

[thunderbanned]

if i was going to get kidnapped tomorrow and the only way we could stop it was me getting to swing thunderbrand would you let me swing thunderbrand then? so i don't get kidnapped?

[thunderbanned]

catherine what if i could heal some one by hitting them with a sword but it could only be thunderbrand. what then. could i swing it then.

"Let me tell you a story about a nosy little boy named um... Finhardt. So this kid Fin, he gets really up in somebody's business, right? And it turns out, that somebody is a bandit, with a taste for the meat of nosy little children. So one day when he goes to bother this man, he gets scooped up and kidnapped! And he was never seen again. Poor kid, right?"

Catherine sets down her fork, and swalllows the rest of the bite she was chewing. Of all the days to not dine with company, this had to be the worst one.

"...You picking up what I'm putting down, little eagle?"

[thunderbanned]

You Will Recall Our Names

Laylea + Catherine - Xenoblade 2 AU

[aedsunderstudy]

After a performance it often occurred to Laylea that she could stay backstage for as long as she wanted before meeting up with Catherine. She didn’t know how long it took to get out of those costumes - she probably didn’t even know how long her makeup took. Yet after every performance, Laylea found herself in a rush to reunite with her driver. 

Catherine was good to her, she was Laylea’s first driver that gave her the free time to pursue her dreams of performing on stage (well, first that she knew of - the stage manager said they’d seen her in the audience for decades before her first audition). She was fun, decently attractive, and seemed strong enough that she wouldn’t die any time soon. 

(Laylea was often told about her past drivers. But the names and dreams of people she didn’t remember meant nothing to her. More worrying was how quick they were to die, how little she’d been able to live.) 

She knows where to find Catherine, even if she can’t see her through the crowd. Her own gentle glow is all she needs to know she’s near. 

“Sorry I took so long.” She beams as she joins her. She gazes down town, out across the titan’s stomach. Uraya truly was a beautiful place. 

“It’s a love story between a blade and their driver.” She says in response to Catherine’s question. “Maybe you should come watch it one day, I’m sure you’d find it interesting~” She giggles slightly. “What have you been up to? Don’t tell me you’ve taken up another mission.”

[thunderbanned]

"A love story, huh? Hey, you're not thinking of making any moves on me, yeah?" It's a tease, and her voice remains light. Not like I'd make a move on my own blade. "Maybe I will watch it one day. When we get back to Uraya."

"Yeah, it's time to head back to Mor Ardain. There's a guy there who's willing to pay some hefty gold for a good driver-blade duo. Plus, we haven't ever been there together, right? That's where I grew up."

She heaves up, and shoves her hands in her pockets as she meet's Laylea at her side. "The ship leaves in a few minutes. What do you think about a change of scenery?"

[thunderbanned]

GRRR BARK BARK

catherine & shamir - continued from here

[heavy-draw]

There's so many things that she wants to say in the moment, but Shamir knows better than to do so, even as her mind is reduced to nothing but putty with every movement of Catherine's hips. It's impossible to do anything but slump against her partner, tilting her head to leave open-mouthed kisses along the column of her throat and whatever inches of skin that she can reach-- little gasps punctuate the times where her Knight presses that much harder and that much faster, her grip on the other's hair tightening even further to the point of stinging. She's barely cognizant of what's being said, but the way that Catherine sounds so desperate drags a proper moan from her throat, squeezing down tight against her. Her teeth drag against the pounding pulse in her partner's neck, pricking the skin there with a little more ferocity than she initially intended. It'll leave a mark, for sure, but Shamir finds that she doesn't give a damn right now. All she wants is to see Catherine's eyes roll back into her skull, and she lifts her head to catch her gaze. It's the only warning she gets before she picks up her own pace, crashing her lips against Catherine's-- she may not verbally give her an answer, but Shamir knows what she wants, and she's too incoherent to think of anything but "yes." There's a vulnerability to all of this, something that she'll have to mull over later... but, fuck, she doesn't care right now. And by the time she reaches her own peak, all she can do is moan into a kiss that can barely be classified as such, hands grasping at Catherine's cheeks as if she'll die if her partner pulls away. For once... she's okay with having to deal with the consequences of her impulsive actions later.

@thunderbanned

[thunderbanned]

nsfw

Shamir practically eats her up, hands and tongue and teeth attacking Catherine's face all at once. In combination with her quickened pace, it's a purgatory of pleasure: one moment, on the verge of climax, another, distracted by other sensations. Her adrenline-fueled hips chug along, faster and faster. She doesn't really know what's happening, if this safe or proper, but goddess, it feels good.

In the heat of the moment, she lets fly her palm from Shamir's ass, spanking her quickly, just to hear something, just to feel her clench a little more. Hell no Shamir would never allow something like this, but she doesn't care. She doesn't care, and she wants Shamir taking every centimeter of her girth.

She stutters in her motion, fire coursing through her veins, burning her, warning her. She wants to tell Shamir, it's coming, it's finally coming, but Shamir's sloppy kisses make it difficult. A moan is the best she can muster before clamping her hands to Shamir's sides, holding her down on top of her.

Catherine's release cascades onward, onward, inside of her partner. Her cock twitches with every spurt of white-hot semen, painting her partner's womb with her mark. The beginnings of words come and go, but she remains nonverbal in her euphoria. It's a minute, an eternity, before she's finally unloaded herself, and her shaky hands pull away from Shamir's ass, mark red in her possession. They draw up towards her partner, her friend, her lover, lovingly lain in caress of her face.

Her voice is still yet to properly make a return, but she blinks pale blue eyes up at Shamir and prays she can read her lips through her gasps for breath, just this once. "I've been in love with you..."

[thunderbanned]

uh oh! all swords

Yuzu & Catherine - Sword+1

[craneswings]

Just like the intense clashing of the wasted crates onto the ground, Yuzu feels an intense clashing of emotions seeing the faint mix of disappointment yet humor in Lady Catherine’s face. The student merely wished to copy the motions of her hero, without considering the change in scenario or their consequences.

For this once, the samurai finds extensive relief in her slightly below-average height, being able to duck within Catherine’s shadow to avoid any lingering looks from the shopping crowd.

Between eyes of guilt, Yuzu studies how Catherine reviews the sample of steel, picturing herself moving the blade around with thumbs in her mind rather than groping at the air. Shortly after, the knight’s judgment is revealed, even if not outright spoken as “No,” and Yuzu obeys Catherine’s lean as a sign to move on. Gladly.

“A…scam?” Yuzu restates, not confused by the meaning of the word but rather curious of how heartless people could find themselves here in the monastery, after all they’ve been through. “Aye, my lady. I will be cautious of the polish and wear of any future blades alike in the future. Sound advice.”

Suddenly, with the risk of shady sellers, Yuzu feels hesitant in pointing out their next stall to visit. And her previous flop, no matter how far they walk from it, still rings within her head.

“These ‘average merchants’...I am afraid I lack proper exposure to them,” Yuzu confesses, speaking more to the arm on her shoulder over Catherine’s face. “The majority of my warfare had weapons simply supplied to us, and the warriors handled the rest from there.”

She must sound immature and childish, but it was true. The closest she ever had to purchase more weaponry during those chaotic times were when she was placed in high regard as general, and even so the weapons seemed to appear over need to be bartered for.

[thunderbanned]

She relinquishes her hold on the warrior, keeping pace amicably.

"Don't sweat it. That's probably pretty usual for a soldier, right? For mercenaries, though, we have to look out for all our own needs. Sometimes it's a real bother. But, it's good practice," she states, in the end.

"I feel like I have to do this sort of thing every so often for the Knights." She waves her hand dismissively. "Somebody's gotta do it, right? And come on, it's not like I can trust Alois for this kind of stuff."

Catherine stops suddenly, in the middle of the marketplace. She eyes a new merchant, for haggling practice purposes. "Alright, let me show you. Just stay quiet, and listen. Then you can give it a try!"

With that, she's off, marching straight to a new stranger selling steel of unknown quality. Her pace never slows down until she's slapping her palms down on the counter.

"Hey, good sir! How many swords can I purchase for 12 thousand gold"

From behind a thick canvas mask, he rumbles a terse, "Twenty swords."

Instantly, a grin flicks up on Catherine's face, lighting up her eyes. She doesn't crack her knuckles, but she might as well have for the way she gets all excited. She narrows her eyes.

"That's outrageous. I should be able to get at least twice that many, maybe more!" She glances at Yuzu, to make sure she's paying close attention. "Or are you saying your swords are such high quality, I gotta settle with less?"

She drags a hand slowly, deliberately, to her scabbard, where Thunderbrand poked out by her side.

"If these are excellent blades, then surely they can handle a blow from my Thunderbrand, right?"

Though the merchant's mouth is covered, doubt seems to cloud his eyes. He coughs, turning away, fiddling with something behind the counter. Catherine flashes Yuzu a wily smirk. This is it!

He turns a shoulder back open to Catherine. Fear has gotten the best of him. With this reputation on the line, it is surely best to come clean...

"Fine. Fifty swords."

Catherine practically pumps her fist in celebration. "There we go! Knew we could come to an agreement. We'll take those swords then."

The merchant turns away to prepare her purchases, and Catherine leans down to Yuzu. Her voice lowered a little bit, she slides her their wallet, now 12 000 gold lighter.

"Make sense? You gotta make them a little scared, heh. Show 'em your someone to be respected! Right, now it's your turn, 'kay?" She takes the girl's elbow, and spins her in the direction of a new stall. A small man sporting a large beard blinks back at them. "Try that guy. I'll finish up over here, then join ya. I'll be watching, so if you need anything, just look over to me, okay?"

Catherine pats Yuzu's back, shoving her forward playfully. She knows the girl is rigid, but the only way to get more comfortable is to put yourself out there. She leans an elbow on the counter, watching Yuzu set off on her grand quest.

[thunderbanned]

hi catherine, professor byleth told me i should bother you about swinging thunderbrand, which i believe is a permission slip from him to you.

A loud, hearty laugh erupts from her chest, and Catherine throws back her head to let it ring in the room around them.

"She what? Oh, there's no way that- "

It occurs to her, in a moment of sudden clarity, that perhaps this is the professor's idea of a joke. Catherine shakes her head, smiling.

"Nice try, Linhardt. You know, it's been so long since you've asked, I almost forgot how wily you are. Did Professor Byleth even ask you, or are you just pulling my chain?" She shrugs, still chuckling to herself.

"Either way, the answer's still no."

[thunderbanned]

uh oh! all swords

Yuzu & Catherine - Sword+1

[craneswings]

“I’m counting on you.”

Studies should be done for how impactful four simple words can be, coming from the proper party, no less. The shoulders that Catherine still has a hold on tighten in determination as Yuzu glares with a smile. “I do not aim to disappoint, Lady Catherine!!”

She watches the tall blonde passively push and pass through the crowd a second before turning back. Yuzu passes by the previous merchant who is still organizing the sword stock. Despite her previous uncertainties, all it takes is the confidence of a glorious sparring partner to get the samurai’s mind back on track. She puts the prior sword confusion aside and heads over to other armories in business.

There are many more stores to choose from than expected. Does word of the monastery’s upcoming battle stretch out that far and wide? One stall with their wares on full display catches Yuzu’s eye. The seller does not say much, even when Yuzu wordlessly picks up an iron sword. Her motions try to mimic the swordmaster’s, getting a feel of the hilt and blade alike. Nothing appears to stand out in a negative light… If anything, the weapon appears even more well-built than the last one.

“Hmmm…” Yuzu’s eyes narrow, placing the sword down on the stall while trying to eye the merchant for tells. “Do you hold 10 blades of similar qua- Oh!”

Out of the corner of her eye, Yuzu notices Catherine making her way back to their previous place of commerce. A crate does a lot in convincing window shoppers to get out of the way. The road ahead is clear enough that Yuzu is confident in repeating one of her maneuvers.

“Catch, Lady Catherine!” Yuzu calls from across stalls, giving a vertical toss with the sword she appraised earlier. “Would you say these swords are better than those ones?”

[thunderbanned]

To the experienced swordsman, catching a sword by its hilt is but a trifle. Its weight, its assumed trajectory, it's all concrete in her mind.

As it turns out, it's a lot harder to catch it while one is holding a crate in their arms.

"Whoa, hold on- !" but her protests don't reach Yuzu in time. The box crashes to the cobblestones, and though wide-eyed, the swordsmaster catches the blade cleanly in her hand.

The sword falls to her side with a sigh. Catherine glances around at the bits of wood strewn about the martketplace, the once-crates reduced to kindling. It's a bummer, and a surefire way to waste her time, but Catherine can't let it get to her. In the end, it's just a few boxes. Though she rolls her eyes in frustration, she waves her hand over the wreckage. "Next time, wait until I set them down, yeah?" The hint of a laugh plays at the back of her throat, despite everything.

The crowd, having parted at her accident, look on in confusion. Catherine waves at them. "Just a slip-up. Nothing to see here."

She turns her attention to the sword finally, thumbing the frayed grip of the hilt. Certainly, it was a sturdy sword -- but to say it was better than the ones previously found would be wrong. Its edge is dulled and chipped, and it has clearly seen more wear and tear than its polishing should suggest: the work of a crafty merchant, looking for a little extra gold.

She strides back over to the violet-haired woman, and sets the sword back on the counter behind her. "It's alright," she admits. "Probably suitable for the mock battle. But..." She leans an arm around Yuzu's shoulders, guiding her away from this stall. "Let's see if there's more to be offered."

As soon as they leave earshot of the sword-seller, Catherine reveals her findings. "That guy wanted to scam you. Those blades were polished, but they were worn down a lot. Gotta be careful out here. Your average merchant can be pretty ruthless."

[thunderbanned]

You Will Recall Our Names

Laylea + Catherine - Xenoblade 2 AU

[thunderbanned]

The Urayan air had always felt a bit stuffy to Catherine, even if she had been stationed here a while. The bioluminescent trees, painting the inside of the titan in brilliant orange and pink, had too become dullened in her long stay. She was restless, just waiting. Her mouth twists into a grimace, and she sighs down at her chest. Surely, Laylea had to have finished her performance by now.

The Mymoma Playhouse had long been a favorite spot of Laylea's, and having now aquired her as her blade, Catherine was still adjusting to her attachment. Of all the places in Fonsa Myma, it was not somewhere she had frequented. Truly, it was just her luck that she couldn't have gotten a blade as quiet as her last partner. Shamir, she could have taken to a tavern; Laylea, though? People would stare at her bright colors. The drab navies and stoney grays of the Urayan capital was just the kind of backdrop Catherine preferred -- easy to keep incognito. Her new blade made that difficult.

Her eyes stare off at the distant pools littering the titan's stomach, unfocusing lazily as her mind drifts off. She'd been staying with a mercenary group in Garfont for, what, nine years now? As soon as she'd been called traitor to Mor Ardain, she'd fled and never looked back. Mercenary life treated her well. Ample time to train, many people to help, and Garfont made it all too easy to make it sustainable. When she lost Shamir - her previous blade, and partner - she thought it would be the end to this lifestyle. She'd grieved, yes, but she'd moved on. Slowly. Painfully. Laylea helped a lot with that.

As if in response, the sword at her side hums to life softly, a sign of its blade returning. Sure enough, she recognizes the bright voice over the bustle of people leaving the playhouse. The show must have finally finished. She smiles, relieved.

Standing up, she searches for the familiar orange lights in the crowd. "About time." Catherine wracks her brain, trying to come up with a nice friendly question to shoot at her new partner. Polite, but not overly cold, she asks, "So, what was today's play about?"

@aedsunderstudy !

[thunderbanned]

GRRR BARK BARK

catherine & shamir - continued from here

[heavy-draw]

The stubborn insistence that is so undeniably Catherine already has her rolling her eyes, a breathy chuckle following suit. It's always been a game of push and pull, a balance of give and take in the way that they test each other's limits; where Shamir is quiet and reserved, Catherine is loud and boisterous with the talent to back it up-- even now, when it's just the two of them alone, she still retains the qualities that gripped Shamir's heart from the beginning. Perhaps at one point in time, she found it annoying. She thought that Catherine's confidence was more akin to arrogance, and her corny jokes only served to grate on her nerves even further. Peace and quiet had become a thing of the past once she had been assigned as the Thunderbrand wielder's partner. Now, however, Shamir can't bear the thought of a day passing without it. Without her. It's no longer an assignment-- it's a choice. A choice she's making here and now.

When Catherine's hands pull at her insistently and they're pressed fully together, Shamir can't stop the gasp that escapes her-- she slumps forward slightly, hands on either side of her partner's head as she adjusts to the sensation of nothing separating the two of them. Carnal desire isn't particularly a priority of hers, and it hasn't been experienced for well over a decade... but that's what Catherine was so good at, wasn't it? Drawing her out of her shell and throwing her into experiences she had long since forgotten. The archer ducks her head to pull Catherine into a messy kiss as she rolls her own hips, a breathy moan escaping against the other's lips. It's hard to set a pace that suits the both of them, considering that Shamir's brain has slowed to a snail's pace, but it doesn't take much encouragement for her to find a rhythm in moving her hips up and down. Her kisses are already uncoordinated and more like half-assed attempts, eyes half-lidded as the sensations have overtaken her entire world. "Y-yeah," She barely manages to choke out as she sinks down again, one hand coming up to tangle in the messy locks of Catherine's hair. "I-- You already have me, all of me. For Goddess's sake, just--" Her words are cut off with a particular movement, instead filled with a low-toned groan. "Just.... cut the shit and take, would you?"

@thunderbanned

[thunderbanned]

[nsfw; cw impregnation]

The words are barely escaped from Shamir's lips as Catherine takes initiative from below.

The pressure of Shamir's chest against her own was more than she could take already, but Catherine pressed on. As her cock slid out from under her partner, her eyes glazed over in anticipation for when they finally rejoined one another. It's pure instinct that drives Catherine's motions now, hooking an arm around Shamir's neck as she pushes back in with a grunt. Her motions become rhythmic, making sure to bury her hilt each time. "Fuck, Sh-shamir..."

Her fingers graze toned back muscles, tracing the topography of her lover. It's a tender motion, especially for a woman of who can't seem to work with precise actions. Oh, to rip Shamir's remaining clothes off... but, it was not as if she would volunteer to mend them.

The plush of the blanket shifts beneath her, and Catherine grows only more desperate, exacerbated by the additional friction. Her skin burns, sweat sliding against Shamir, pushing in again, again. In the moment, the only thing that matters is pumping her white-hot semen into her lover.

She'd never done this before. She never thought she'd ever do this. In her adolescence, she's been taught the proper series of events to produce an heir. After all, continuing the Charon bloodline was imperative to her position (blah, blah, blah). But now she finds herself wanting nothing more that for Shamir to bear her child. Or, at least to hold her seed.

"Shamir," Catherine groans, hips bucking more aggressively than before. "I'm... I'm close..." If Thunder Catherine could whine, now was the time.

She feels the cum coursing up her length, intent on procreation. "Shamir... Shamir... Shamir...!" The unspoken question of her of permission taunts the little air between their faces.

[thunderbanned]

"Catherine... my true love." Ike drops down to one knee. "Will you marry me, in holy (and very straight) matrimony?"

"Heh... of course. Only a man like you could ever appease a woman like me!"

She throws up her arms, flexing bulging biceps. Surely, the big man matches her pound for pound.

"You know, it's Faerghan marriage tradition to

oil up butt naked and wrestle. I'll definitely win!"

[heavy-draw]

friends with bene-fists

continued from here

[heavy-draw]

Oh, that's a funny thought-- squaring off against Rhea of all people would have been quite the thrill, but her luck wasn't good enough to end up in that sort of a conundrum. Regardless, the idea does bring a bit of a chuckle for her, even if the comment was made in jest at her defeat. "No, actually," Shamir begins as she lowers the ice-pack, a bruise already blooming above her left eyebrow. They'd gotten more hits in than she would've liked, but she also made some pretty great shots of her own; war always was a game of give and take. "A few people I'm not too familiar with. They put up a good fight, so did we- in the end, the better team took the victory." "If you're here to gloat, though, you can leave." She's got enough wounds on her body, her pride doesn't need to suffer one more. @thunderbanned

[thunderbanned]

"Easy there, partner." Probably not her kindest rebuttal, considering Shamir was not, in fact, an angry horse. Treading the line between showing her soft side and egging on an ally's courage wasn't always the easiest for her, after all. She sighs, and sets down on the bench next to Shamir.

"Just relax. Nothing for it, right?" How to cheer up Ms. Terse-and-Grumpy, though? "Hey, you were a hell of a shot, as usual. You really didn't hold back against the kids. It's almost like you want them to look up to you."

Catherine glances at her face, but the hand holding the ice pack blocks her eyes. She scooches closer, and places her hand on Shamir's, lowering the blockade. Dark eyes flit back at her, and Catherine has to bite her cheek not to smile wider than she's ever smiled. A small smile manages through. Catherine looks around warily.

A kiss is pressed on Shamir's cheek, planted swiftly enough to avoid prying eyes. Her skin is salty with sweat, but she doesn't care. (Not now, and knowing Catherine, probably not ever.) Icy eyes lock with Shamir's, hungry for a reaction.

"That ought to make it heal up faster, yeah?"

[thunderbanned]

Shamir fully expects to never hear the end of her defeat at the hands of the Blue Lions, especially from a specific Knight that manages to get under her skin more than she’d like to admit. She’s bruised, battered, and the side of her head hurts from a vicious blow that may or may not have given her a concussion— and so she sits on a bench at the medical tent, an ice pack pressed to her forehead.

The moment she spots her partner, though, a frown breaks out across her face.

“Not a word.”

"Heh."

Catherine wasn't going to say anything - honest! She'd trained more than a few of these students herself, and she knew the mettle with which they set out, even for a mock battle. Seeing Shamir looking totally defeated is a rare sight, and Catherine can't get herself to kick her while she's down. Even still, she ignores Shamir's words.

"What happened out there? Archbishop kick your butt?"

[thunderbanned]

Hey! I saw you at the training ground swinging that giant sword around like it was nothing…! You gotta tell me what your secret is. How can I get that kinda strength like yours? Can I feel your arms?

"Ha!" Catherine sets her hands on her hips, and looks down at the redhead. "You want strength like mine, huh? It's no bid deal really; you just have'ta keep up your training every day... forever!"

She chuckles a little to herself, but it in reality, it's the only truth she's ever known.

"You've gotta spar with the best! That's how you'll get to be as strong as me."

[thunderbanned]

uh oh! all swords

Yuzu & Catherine - Sword+1

[craneswings]

Yuzu had already checked some of the swords procured earlier this moon, but being satisfied in a single session of quality assurance for such a historical day would be asinine. She still held a bias for checking the weapons’ post-purchasing, but her offer to help so many times made a shopping trip rather inevitable. Fortunately, providing backup for one of the more fabled swordswomen spoken of in the academy’s walls practically cancels out most of her hiccups regarding the task.

Only most of them, though. Lady Catherine takes the lead, wielding both their pocket money and deep focus as she marches through every merchants’ offerings. Yuzu trails comfortably in the back, ideally imagining to catch a fascinating deal the knight potentially missed. Though that never manages to happen, Yuzu instead hurriedly catches up to Catherine discovering something of interest.

The student is not entirely inexperienced overhearing the lady knight’s voice, yet she still nearly feels her ears nearly pop upon her question. Clearly a wielder worthy of Thunderbrand.

“A-Aye, Lady Catherine!!” Yuzu gasps, wasting little time in closing the distance for a clean catch of the offered sword. The natural next step is to catch any of these “bugs.” Ordinarily, a design flaw can easily show itself from mere touch, yet she sees that Catherine had already performed such a check.

She swings the blade in four directions (with comfortable distance away, of course!), spins it in her hands to overlook the hilt, and nearly considers throwing nearby water onto it. But either due to the pressure of both the knight and merchant overlooking her efforts, or the sword exerting no clear flaws whatsoever, Yuzu softly sighs in defeat.

“This iron, there is nothing externally wrong about it, my lady. Swinging it about feels normal, and unless its endurance is questionable…I find nothing peculiar at the moment.”

Yuzu sets the sword in both hands to hand back to Catherine. She turns face to the merchant’s stall, lifting a brow. “He is offering fair price for a fine blade, yes?”

[thunderbanned]

Catherine beams. "Fantastic!" Then, turning to the merchant: "We'll take 10. Uhm," she looks around distractedly, "Let me fetch a crate or something to hold them."

The merchant having nodded his assent, she moves to bound off in search of her wooden prize. Before springing off her heel completely, though, she pulls Yuzu by the shoulder.

"I'll just be a second, I know Cyril stores some crates by the stables. But hey," Catherine lowers her voice, and gestures broadly to the lineup of stalls. "Find our next swords to buy, yeah? So that I can check 'em out when I get back. I'm counting on you." She flashes a grin.

With that, she navigates the crowd as best she can, hoping for a light jog on her way to the stables. Her muscles, tense from moving and sorting all day, could use a little breather. Surely, Yuzu could hold down the fort. She's seen her technique in the training grounds. The girl surely knew what to look for.