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No experience in war seemed an easy indicator of what to do. Shooting well took practice, and even with all the experience you had in it, you weren’t a crack shot. However, if your enemy <span class="mu-i">had</span> learned to shoot and simply hadn’t ever done so in anger…that’d be a bad miscalculation. She <span class="mu-i">knew</span> you were a mercenary, after all. She might dare to take you on. Something that <span class="mu-i">was</span> impossible to simply practice was another idea.
“Does One-Notch know how t’ ride a motorbike?” You asked.
Magnus thought a second. “Not that I know of. She knows how to ride a bicycle. Why, are you thinking of a race?”
“Something like that,” you said, “I’ve got some idea of fair play though. Back in the red dust, sometimes, on patrol, you run into other motorcycle patrols. If y’ don’t want t’ shoot, or can’t, you can still do Chicken. You rush at each other, fast as you can, and whoever bugs out or falls off first, they had less nerves.”
“That sounds extremely dangerous.”
No shit. “She wants us to chop each other to bits with knives. I think crashing a motorcycle’s a bit more civilized. All either of us has to do is drive in a straight line.”
Magnus’s lips made a taut line. “I think you might just smash into one another out of sheer stubbornness.”
You shrugged. That <span class="mu-i">could</span> happen, but you’d never heard of it before. Usually, at the very last moment, <span class="mu-i">somebody</span> would turn away. That somebody had never been you, though, in the six face-offs you’d had.
“Lady Nowicki,” Magnus said seriously, “Even if I’ll allow a duel, I don’t want either of you to die.”
“You keep your nose outta this” You pointed accusingly, “Besides. I’d win. Easy.”
Edelschwert looked up and down at your outfit. “You don’t plan to ride in <span class="mu-i">that</span>, I presume.”
…You thought about it. Tested the weight of the skirt, twisted in the corset. “Nah, I don’t think so. I’ll have to put on pants at least. Might as well change while we’re here.”
>Again, dress yourself.
“Are you planning on taking whatever Yuliana’s challenge is, then?” Magnus asked, “It might be more dignified to forfeit such. I’ve not seen you cook something that didn’t come out of a can…”
It was, unfortunately, true. Your sister was the domestic one. Mercenaries didn’t <span class="mu-i">cook</span>, they had <span class="mu-i">money</span> and <span class="mu-i">strength</span> to not have to do such things. Though…how hard could it really be? It wasn’t like any man you’d been near had thought it important for you to know…
>If she was going to come up with some bullshit to win effortlessly, you wouldn’t entertain her. Not like you couldn’t win with a handicap anyways.
>She expected you to forfeit, but you wouldn’t. Even if a battle was hopeless, you weren’t the sort to give up just like that.
>Surely you could debate the point. You picked something she could win- the least respect she could give was extending the same to you.
>Other?
