Seren Gwyn
White Star
Seren listened without interrupting as the conversation wound its way through mercy, spectacle, and holodrama tropes, her attention more often on the arena than on the speakers themselves. The rhythm of the place mattered to her more than the words did. The way the crowd leaned. The way fighters paced. The moments where noise fell away, and instinct took over.
When Varin offered to get seats and the crowd began to shift, she moved with them easily, unhurried, letting the others take the tighter spaces while she chose a position that allowed for a clear line of sight rather than proximity.
Only then did she speak.
"Footwork tells you intent long before a strike does," Seren said calmly, eyes tracking the fighters below rather than the group. "Distance shows confidence. Hesitation shows fear pretending to be strategy."
She glanced briefly toward Naniti, not judgmental, simply acknowledging a difference in instinct.
"There's value in the fight itself," she continued. "But there's also value in knowing when you're learning more by watching than by bleeding."
Her gaze shifted back to the arena as the crowd roared at a near miss.
"This place isn't about honor or fairness," Seren added quietly. "It's about performance under pressure. Who remembers themselves when everything else is noise."
She settled, posture relaxed, observant rather than detached.
"If they're worth watching," she finished, "we'll know in the first exchange."
And with that, Seren fell silent again, content to let the fight speak for itself.
Naniti
Lysander von Ascania
Varin Mortifer
When Varin offered to get seats and the crowd began to shift, she moved with them easily, unhurried, letting the others take the tighter spaces while she chose a position that allowed for a clear line of sight rather than proximity.
Only then did she speak.
"Footwork tells you intent long before a strike does," Seren said calmly, eyes tracking the fighters below rather than the group. "Distance shows confidence. Hesitation shows fear pretending to be strategy."
She glanced briefly toward Naniti, not judgmental, simply acknowledging a difference in instinct.
"There's value in the fight itself," she continued. "But there's also value in knowing when you're learning more by watching than by bleeding."
Her gaze shifted back to the arena as the crowd roared at a near miss.
"This place isn't about honor or fairness," Seren added quietly. "It's about performance under pressure. Who remembers themselves when everything else is noise."
She settled, posture relaxed, observant rather than detached.
"If they're worth watching," she finished, "we'll know in the first exchange."
And with that, Seren fell silent again, content to let the fight speak for itself.