[Wimp! Coward! Cad!], Voxea complained mentally as she kept floating around me.
Evidently, she was rather upset about being denied her coup de grace, but still had enough decorum to not suddenly verbally lash at Kiero.
[I'm angry, not stupid].
"So...do I qualify to be among your numbers?", I asked the defeated Knight with as much grace and etiquette I could muster while also suppressing a smug grin from forming.
Voxea may have been denied her finishing move, but it didn't change the fact that I had proven to Kiero and the others that I could definitely hold my own, despite my "lack of background".
Kiero let out a deep sigh before he finally replied.
"I will admit that I had underestimated you. It was wrong of me to assume just because you didn't come from a noble background or have a strong backer that you would be...easy to defeat. I apologize", Kiero said while bowing from the waist.
While I would normally assumed he was blowing smoke in order to pay pleasantries, his overall demeanor gave me the feeling that he truly meant it. Whether it was respect for Voxea's strength or that he was raised to be prim and proper and mean it...I couldn't tell.
"Apology accepted, Sir Kiero", I replied with a matching courtesy. I could feel the sense of shock from the others at my display of court etiquette. Evidently, I would need to thank Mother and Father for drilling etiquette into my head before coming here.
"Huh...never expected the high and mighty Kiero to be so humble", Brisbane teased with a smug grin on his face.
Kiero straightened up from his bow before shooting Brisbane a dirty look.
"Watch your tongue, you saltwater dandy. Just because I couldn't beat her doesn't mean I can't grind you into sawdust", Kiero replied in a slightly harsher tone.
"Or perhaps...you'd like to have a go in the ring with Voxea and I? She is still a bit bothered about not having a proper finish to the fight", I interjected with a mischievous grin.
[Oh please say yes, it won't hurt...much], Voxea said in my head as she floated over to Brisbane. Her sudden movement had caused him to step back, while the rather bloodthirsty look on her face caused him to look a bit skittish.
"I...well...", Brisbane began to stammer, "While it would be rude for me to refuse a lady's invitation, I will have to decline. Ozen's not feeling up to snuff at the moment".
[Lame], Voxea complained as she floated away with a sour face.
"Did she just sneer at me"?
"What kind of majimonster is she?",Lu Yan asked as she watched Voxea sulkily float around.
[You were that blood hungry]?
[Less about the blood and more of the denial of the finish. It was one of my good techniques, I was going to blow a hole in the arena walls!], Voxea commented while pouting.
"And more importantly, how did you get her? It's not often a binder as young as you get such a ... powerful and beautiful majimonster...kukuku",Delira asked with a creepy smile and grabby hands. I'm sure she was a very nice person once you get to know them, but the way she's looking at Voxea is reminding me of a certain lecherous bard.
Evidently, Voxea picked up the feeling and floated just out of reach of her...although the feeling I got from her implied she didn't do it out of her own safety concerns.
[Why are you teasing her]?
[Her expressions amuse me], Voxea said as she lazily swung a leg, that Delira was about to try and touch, away.
"It's not that interesting of a story. I was just out hunting a little further than normal pass my hometown's defenses when I stumbled down a hole...that turned out to be the tomb of a maji", I explained nonchalantly.
"A maji's tomb?", Lu Yan asked with a shocked expression, "the chance of finding of one those are-".
"One in a million chance!", Brisbane interrupted.
"One in one million, three hundred thousand and four, actually", Delira added as she still kept trying to grab Voxea's foot.
"And you just happened to find her in there?", Kiero followed up.
"Well... not exactly...".