Chapter 43: Anatia
"Keep your core tight, cailín bea tine," Costrae smacked her stomach with the staff, "you're moving like a bull!" She was moving quick and light but she supposed that she did move like a bull compared to Costrae. She tried again, "Better, but stay light, don't put your weight in your heels."Costrae circled around her staff in hand,
"I'm not!" she'd learned not to do that years ago,
"You are," she used the staff to strike the back of her knees and her legs buckled.
"Will you stop that!" she probably had bruises all over her body by now
"Stop putting your weight in your heels." Costrae said cooly with a slim arched brow in challenge and a hint of amusement in the twitch of her mouth.
At the end of yesterday's sparring session it had been decided that Costrae would be the one to train her since she seemed to be the only one that wasn't afraid of Aspen's death glare. The others were out on some runs but Costrae had decided that she needed to work on her fighting stance and general technique.
She struck again hitting the bag of grain in the side before swinging into a roundhouse kick connecting with the punching bag right as Costrae smacked her leg,
"Control your movement, stop flailing about like a goose." Ana bit back her retort and tried again this time trying to control every meniscal movement. Costrae continued to circle her and the punching bag and she waited until she was right in the path of her next plow and- Her foot struck right in the center and sent the bag swinging for Costrae but she had already moved aside and the bag swung right past her, the wind hustling her hair a bit. The bag then promptly swung back and hit Ana, who had been watching Costrae, right in the face. Costrae conked her lightly on the head where she was lying face up on the ground, head spinning "You have to pay attention to what you are doing, or you're as good as fighting yourself." she groaned, propping herself up on her elbows and looking up at Costrae standing over her.
"If you're so good then why didn't Aine send you to get me?" Costrae smirked
"I don't know." It was a lie but Ana wasn't going to bother testing her luck.
"Get up and try again." Ana stood not bothering to dust off her tunic or pants. She struck left then moved preparing for the back swing, when the bag swung back she was ready with a roundhouse kick. The bag sung back again and Ana adjusted moving to the right and angling her next punch and- there it hit right where she wanted, the bag swaying now in the opposite direction. She danced back dodging the bag as it swung back in her direction.
"Better," Costrae started swiping and lunging, smacking her stick on the ground and at Ana's feet, "Now move!" Ana dodged every blow, her feet moving swift as a dancer. "Faster!" the staff scraped near her foot but she jumped away before it could actually hit her ankle, "You're not paying attention!"
"Yes I am!"
"Really?" Costare jabbed at her foot at the same time as she kicked at Ana's stomach Ana dodged the first blow and caught Costrae's foot, holding it in the air. Costrae didn't look surprised, more amused but it irked Ana none the less.
"I told you I was paying attention." Costrae just answered by using Ana's grip on her leg to flip her onto her back again and pressed the tip of the staff to her heart.
"Costrae if you keep doing that you'll crack her head open." Saron called and Ana looked over to find Aspen, Saron, and Pierson, having apparently returned from their run, entering the training yard. Costrae watched Saron with an amused quirk to her lips where he was gulping down water.
"If there was something in that head maybe it wouldn't be so easy to do it over and over." Pierson barked a laugh and Saron looked amused but empathetic towards Ana.
"You know I once read that the definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result." Ana tried to rebuke, because Costrae was doing the same thing over and over and expecting the outcome to change.
"So you're dim and mad too."
"Good luck Asp-" Aspen shoved Pierson mid sentence and he stumbled muttering something Ana couldn't make out.
"What do you mean I'm mad?"
"Well, you're doing the same things to try to beat me over and over expecting it to suddenly work." What was she talking about? She was the one making Ana do the same things.
"But you're doing the same thing and expecting me to change."
"No, I'm doing the same thing so you can see how different fighting styles compare to one another." Aspen, Pierson, and Saron walked away, probably back to their rooms to get their gear, Aine had likely assigned them a task.
"Fine, but I'm not mad."
"That's what we tell ourselves isn't it."
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