Yoriko smiled again and bowed as she finished her performance. She was sweating now, and a little eager to change out of the tight-fitting and revealing costume she wore. It was getting to be early dusk, and several other street performers were finishing up their own gigs, but musicians of various sorts still played and the festival as a whole was hardly winding down, with people beginning to drink a bit more enthusiastically, dance, and loosen their coin-purses as they pondered over what to buy.<br/><br/>The elf maiden's smile faded a bit as she was addressed by the taller woman, who's hard and refined musculature suggested that she was a veteran warrior of some sort. Yoriko found the corners of her lips twitching upwards again though, after she had briefly pondered the question, and replied: "A keen blade requires little force to kill or maim, so long as an uncovered target is available; the key to wielding a sword like this is speed and finesse, not brute strength. I admit that parrying a larger sword can be difficult, but even a two-handed swing can be directed safely away if you have leverage and momentum on your side. Generally though, when faced with such a foe, I find distance to be a safer way to evade an attack; and the second they lose their balance- that's when you strike!" She swished her slender sword through the air once or twice as she spoke, and accentuated her final word with a deep, lunging thrust. The toned muscles of her lithe body rippled faintly with every movement, even through the fabric of the leotard and leggings she wore.<br/><br/>The girl recovered, blushing a little, and placed the sword back in its sheath. "You wouldn't happen to be looking for a teacher, would you? By performing for the festival, I was really hoping to find some people interested in personal lessons; I kind've need the money..." she said, absent mindedly rubbing her stomach with one hand and looking off in the direction of some of the food stands. She was actually thinking more about Dora, and wondering where she might be watching from.<br/>-----------------------------------------------------------------------<br/><br/>@Insidious Word/Ulric: The man tending the small bar nodded and finished pouring out a mug of ale for another customer, before shuffling over to his stock. "The finest, eh? Most people're too cheap for this stuff..." he said, a bit cheerfully as he reached for a bottle high on the shelf and grabbed an empty tankard. "It's Elven- real good stuff, a little sweet and stronger than ye might expect, hard to get most o' the time, but I always try to stock up 'round the Summer Festival. There ye are..." he poured out a very full tankard and brought it over carefully. "That'll be five silver, if you please."