"Yes, yes that's it exactly!" Noah said, excitedly from beneath his headgear. "Just to warn you ahead of time, your stance is very weak. I suggest putting more balance on your other foot first, but don't forget to shift occasionally."

As he spoke, he assumed the at-the-ready position, and then began to swiftly slice and parry at Stalker. As if it were nothing, he continued to talk.
"You see, I require your assistance for tonight. I've heard from many-a-source that you are an excellent bounty hunter and assassin, and I will need those skills of yours for a defensive movement of sorts."

---

Cecil, not knowing what to do, just watched the fencing match for a while. Then, he pulled out his staff and started training. He swung it around and seemed to dance as he poked through the scarecrow heads and dodged the long sticks sticking out of the wooden pole, an exercise that was difficult for most people. Cecil then ripped off part of his sleeve and used it as a blindfold, doing the exercise once again effortlessly.

---

Swipe. Blocked.
"I don't consider myself an assasin, Lord Ducal."
Thrust. Blocked.
"On the bounty hunter part..."
Parry and thrust...
"...you may have something."
Blocked.
Dammit!
Lunge...
"So what...
Dummy and thrust...
"...did you have in mind?"
Hit.
Stalker dropped his sword and waited for a reply. He'd won this round, but he had a feeling that the verbal sparring was about to begin.

---

Noah looked thoughtful for a moment. He had been too easy on Stalker.
Then, calling to his trainer again, the man brought forth a second pair of rapiers.
"I hope you don't mind one more round." He said, grabbing one in his free hand, the other hand still holding his first blade. "If you were good enough to hit me at that level, I can only imagine that you would be able to pick this version up just as swiftly."

The trainer returned the fallen rapier to Stalker and then handed him the second. "Whenever you feel ready. As for your assignment, I would like to request your services to both hunt... and guard. It's rather easy if you look at it the right way-- I need you to help protect my party tonight from any would-be attackers."

Spinning one of his two rapiers once around his hand, he assumed an unusual position, left sword forward, right one over his head, both pointed at Stalker. "Anytime you are ready, chap?"

---

Cecil was half listening to the conversation. Protect a party from any attackers? That seems innocent enough, he thought as he started to practice some of his staff techniques and wished he had a partner of some sort so he could see if they worked. However, he knew better than to ask someone for help. They would surely recognize him, after all. He couldn't have that.
Cecil sighed and turned around to watch the fencing match. Now each person had two swords. It was sure to be an interesting fight. Cecil sat down and watched.

---

"Now." Stalker growled the one word and leapt. He twirled one of the swords in his hand as he thrusted outwards with the other. he wasn't surprised when he didn't hit.
"I think I could handle that. Now, on the subject of payment..." Stalker said, launching into a frightful series of attacks.

---

Noah grinned beneath his helmet. This man had skill. It would be enough for his job, but now it was time to have a little fun.

"Ah, that is actually dependent on your performance tonight." Noah spoke coolly. He was pulling a mixture of parries and side-stepping dodges that put Stalker's earlier performance to shame-- in fact, he was much faster than before. If it hadn't been apparent then, it was now: Noah hadn't been serious before. "I have had spies all over as of late, collecting intelligence. From what I have learned, the Card Magicians organization is tonight's assumed infiltrator."

"It's a shame, because my parties are always such a good time... but there is an irony to tonight's fun. The reason behind their assault is that there shall be a secret meeting of the lords upon this estate. Haha, work masked by play... It is lucky that I have learned of this attack ahead of time." His feet seemed to glide across the ground as he continued to switch stances, altering his weight between left and right rapier, and occasionally striking with both blades at once followed by a parrying swipe. Nobody should've been able to move like that, but this was something the Heart Lord prided himself in: the grace of a swordsman and the flexibility of a acrobat.

Rather quickly, Noah spun the tips of his swords around Stalker's, and froze in place, with his own blades holding his opponents stuck against the mesh of his own face-mask. "I am in your hands, at your mercy so to speak. Protect our meeting and all the guests of the gala, and I shall pay you twice your average fee-- successfully capture any of these vermin for the country to interrogate, and it shall be five times that."

Obviously surrendering, he disengaged their blades and stepped back, bowing to Stalker. Removing his mask, he ran a hand through his tied back hair. "So, do we have a deal?"

---

Card magicians? Cecil thought. Like those guys at the bar? The ones I let get away? He started paying closer attention and wondered if he would have to do anything. He really had no place else to go except with Stalker, but he didn't know if the man wanted Stalker to do the job single-handedly or not.
He didn't know why the man needed help in the first place. He seemed like he was a capable enough fighter. But a group of card magicians would probably be too much for someone, no matter how great they are, to take down alone. Cecil waited for Stalker's response while he stood up, ready to go no matter what Stalker said.

---

"Lord Ducal..."
Clank.
"As this is a meeting..."
Thud.
"Of the Lords..."
Swipe.
"And I've sworn fealty..."
Duck.
"To the Club lord..."
Parry.
"As Knightclub, I would be protecting this anyway..."
Jump.
"But I am not Knightclub at this moment in time..."
Matrix-like dodge.
"So yes, we do."
Stab.

---

Protecting the King of Clubs and this guy at the same time?! That's madness, Cecil thought. Against Card Magicians! How is he supposed to handle that? Even if he is two people.
"It sounds like the party will be eventful," Cecil said. "Have you hired other men for the job besides Stalker? Because this sounds like something that would be too much for just one man to do, no matter how skilled they are." He looked at Stalker once more. Then back at the King of Hearts as he awaited his response.

---

((Justto summarize my last post, he ended the match already by forcing your blades against his own face-mask with an epic metaphor.))
"Actually, no." Noah said. Then , signaling to his trainer, the man stepped forward and offered to take the gear from Stalker. "The match is over for now, it was a good warmup for the day ahead. Returning to the point, I have not hired anybody else yet. It is because of multiple reasons, but the main being that the fewer there are hunting Magicians, the less noticeable they will be. Aside, of course, from my distrust to any others with the information about this meeting to begin with."

Turning to Cecil, he also added. "I assume that you are an assistant of Stalker's? I will permit you a share as well for helping."

---

"Assistant?" Cecil asked. He looked at Stalker.
"I'm just traveling with him for now, sir," he tried to correct. "But I guess I will be accompanying him to the meeting. If that's okay with him, that is." He tried to think of something else to say. Cecil was always nervous around royalty and definitely around card magicians who could cast one spell and render him completely useless. But he had to help, didn't he? After all, those magicians killed innocent people at the bar didn't they?
"I'll gladly help out however I can," he added.

---

((Well...never thought my sudden, unexpected and totally unjustified disappearence would stop this beauty of a game.
Yeah. I'm back. Sorry if I caused any trouble.))
"I'd like a moment."
Stalker strode to the edge of the practice ground. Then he removed his coat and shirt. This was going to hurt.
"Knightclub, I need you...badly!"
A burst of light emanated from Stalker's chest. A solid humanoid was forming. Knightclub. The light faded, and an exact copy of Stalker stood there. Minus the clothing. Stalker reached into a small bag strapped to his back and threw him a set of clothes and an armor-coat while replacing his own.
This wasn't magic. This was a personality.
"Lord Ducal...we're both ready."

---