Possibly each other by the sounds of it

"Vatarie and Ana." Asune said quickly.

"Alix and Lina." Nika said just as quickly.

Asune looked at her by Nika refused to look back. Around the arena everyone got very quite. Cynthia, who'd been in the middle of handing out a new batch of bets started writing out notes for a new match.

Stephanie looked at the two. "Very well. To the field." There was a bit of hesitation in all but one two parties. Vatarie and Asune took a step out, both excited at the prospect of a larger battle but not for the same reasons. The three groups made their way to the field, creating a triangle. Seven and Six looked deeply unhappy with this prospect but weren't about to back down in front of all the other students and Stephanie.

In the stands Cynthia had to rapidly write up a whole collection of new bets and odds. Kinda impressed by how fast she can adapt with several students shouted at her to get their bets in. You even see Clare there also trying to get a bet in. You'd bet her bet was that Asune would end up cumming during the fight.

"Begin." Stephanie said before any party was ready.

Vatarie moved first, trying to get into close range with Asune and Nika. Ana however, did not want to be in close range and held onto their stick and her ground as she fired a blast of magic. Vatarie came to a sudden stop as her arm reached it's max length and Ana's attack hit her side. She looked at Ana in confusion at about the same time Nika sent a blast of magic at her knees, hoping to take advantage of their team division. It didn't do anything beyond annoying Vatarie and returning her focus to her opponents and not her ally. Vatarie tried to attack again and again Ana refused to advance with her.

Asune ignored all this and turned to her newest opponents with a discerning level of glee. Alix and Lina looked appropriately terrified and did the sensible thing throwing up as many shield around themselves as they could. Asune sent a few wires to test the defense. You noted how much better you had gotten at seeing them. Having them shoved inside you so many times seems to have force you to developed a detention method out of simple self preservation.

With Asune and Nika's attention obviously divided Ana attack again. From range and around the side of Vatarie which hit Asune in chest. Asune threw a few wires at Ana but she was out of range so they didn't do anything. Ana pulled Vatarie back and the three pairs all took a moment to try and plan out the next move. Vatarie clearly wanted to get into a fist fight but from the slump in her body she'd relented to a ranged one. Nika wasn't having any luck with Asune, try as she might to get Asune focused on the real threat the new targets she'd been given were simply too irresistible. The wires she's been probing their defenses with hadn't breached the shield so she sent more, slamming hard enough that the air shimmered as the shield wavered but held.

Ana and Vatarie attacked together this time. Vatarie's natural heat rapidly increasing as she made a fireball. Ana used her magic to throw it at Nika, carefully aiming to avoid Asune. Nika blocked as best she could but a bit of her tunic did catch on a fire. As she batted the fire out Asune didn't even look over.

Vatarie produced another fire and Ana whipped it at Nika who dodged by moving behind Asune. You had to admit the combined attacks were much a lot stronger than you expected them to be. Not in the sense they were actually trying to kill, just that focusing on one aspect of the attack made that aspect a lot stronger. Kinda obvious when you see it in person. Wonder if you and Delilah could work together to do that, could be immensely helpful if a stronger champion decides to fight first then talk.

With Nika taking cover behind Asune Vatarie gave Ana a sardonic smirk. Ana nodded and the two ran forwards. They were both targeting Nika and avoiding Asune which made the attempted to grapple her very near things as she ducked or dodged to try and make them touch Asune and snap her out of her focus.

Asune's wires were starting to coil around the shields protecting Alix and Lina very slowly and deliberately squeezing them. The pair just threw up more shields. You were impressed that they hadn't given up while under such an intense assault.

Vatarie let out a trimpahant call as she finally managed to get a hold of Nika's waist. Holding her from behind let Ana put her arm around her shoulders and the two tried to pull her away from Asune. It looked like it was going to be entirely successful and around the arena students started shouting for Asune to pay attention. You imagine she had been the safe bet so a lot of people looked like they were at risk of losing money.

Asune for her part didn't look away in the slightest. Not as Nika was lifted off her feet, not as she was flipped over, and not as her hand was pulled down the stick until onto the very tip remained, squeezed between Nika's thumb and forefinger. There were cries of disappointment from the arena, though nothing that could be in anyway considered abusive toward Asune, no amount of lost money would anyone dumb enough to do that. Vatarie dug her heels into the sand and with Ana gave a final pull.

Nika's hand didn't budge, like not even a little. The pair tried again and again there was budging. Vatarie let go of Nika and slammed a magically reinforced fist against it, which moved it downward but didn't even put a crack in it.

As a collective every eye looked up from the stick to Asune, staring at Vatarie with a smile on her face. Around the stick and Nika hand were wires. You hadn't noticed them until just now. Asune's apparently faux distaction with Alix and Lina had actually distracted you and possible everyone else, certainly Vatarie and Ana who hadn't been treating her as a threat so much as an obstacle. And now they were in range of her wires.

Vatarie's mouth turned into a grin and she tried to shift her fist from the stick to Asune's face, excited for the fist fight she'd wanted. Asune ducked out of the way while Nika, stuck between Ana and Vatarie rolled. Putting all her weight on Ana while Asune grabbed Vatarie and rolled as well.

Vatarie and Ana's hands on the stick were pulled to their limit and you saw a wire wrap around their stick. The wire cut it effortlessly, the weight they'd put on the stick to hold each other up suddenly gone. Ana and Vatarie stumbled and fell pulling Asune and Nika down with them. You looked over at Alix and Lina, still in their shields and not even contemplating getting involved to try and steal a win.

Asune and Nika got up as Vatarie looked up at them, distinctly unsatisfied. Ana made a show of helping her up and brushing her off and the two walked back to the line. Nika and Asune both turned to their final opponents. Wires shot out to crush their shields but the shields were dropped.

Alix and Lina were trying their first trick again, weakening the sand under Nika and Asune then charging. Both Asune and Nika fell into the sand up to their knees but Asune's wires don't need her to be balanced. However, it did make the wire that was intended to cut their stick in half undershoot it. With a battle cry Alix and Lina slammed into Nika and Asune trying to push them inside the said. It worked on Nika who fell with them but not on Asune who Alix just kinda bounced off of and feel into the sand. With her partner being carried into the sand with Nika the stick between the two of them just wasn't long enough and Lina's hand slipped off it.

Asune looked at Nika then at you and helped Nika out of the sand. She looked at you again to make sure you'd seen her do it. You smiled and nodded at her so she helped Lina up, who only looked a little terrified as Asune forcefully grabbed her arm and lifted her onto her feet. Alix got up as quickly as possible to avoid Asune doing the same to her.

Asune returned to her spot right next to you with a proud smile on her face. Stephanie walked over to you. "Christopher."

You didn't have a stick and to be fair you'd win this sort of duel without much trouble. "Lady Stephanie." In the stand Cynthia didn't even bother trying to make any odds or bets on any duel that might happen here, even if there were a few students trying to make some.

"Did you learn anything?" Stephanie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, focusing on one aspect of an attack while your partner is able to focus on another allows for a significantly stronger version." You answered, content with that knowledge and the prospect of working on it with Delilah.

"Is that all?" She asked.

You thought a bit more. "Asune's scary." You ventured earning a smile from her and a few laughs from down the line and in the audience.

Stephanie didn't answer instead she walked down to Nika now in third place. "Did you know what Asune was going to do?"

"Of course, she'd never get distracted enough to lose." Nika answered as if it was totally obvious, which is hadn't been to you or most of the other people in the audience.

Stephanie looked at you. "Learning to fight on your own can make it impossible to fight with another unless you understand them and their style." You feel almost as if that is a warning about the idea of working with Delilah, her focus on area of inferno attacks and you with your very burnable body probably made teamwork a little harder. "Go get the sand off you." Stephanie dismissed everyone. "Alix, Lina." She walked over to the pair and started talking to them.

You watched, wondering if this was today's attempt t prevent you from ogling Stephanie's naked body in the baths.

The audience started filling out as Cynthia was swarmed by people holding out little the papers she'd handed out to claim their prize money. Clare was among them so she hadn't bet of Asune cumming, little surprised by that you are pulled away from the Arena by Asune who is excited by her victory, and Vatarie who wants to put the lose behind her by putting you behind her, or possibly the other way around based on how her hand grabs your ass the moment she joins your side.

Ana is happily walking beside the three of you, making the odd remake about how your training with her sister had gone. Mostly fishing for confirmation that you'd had sex with her. You hadn't really spoken to her all week since the breaks between classes were more about flirt and hand stuff and she'd gone back to the palace by the time you'd gotten back from the muster grounds. It could just be an expected outcome and no way intentional, but you were pretty sure that is why you always got back so late. Green's probably going to be all proud of herself that you hadn't figured that out until just now. At least you now know that you'll be focusing on Ana tonight. Before then however you need to decide something.