Despite Trudie's laborious duel, she was only getting warmed up. At least she had been before beating Lambro, Keebler, and Jory back to back. Surprisingly, Keebler scored the most hits with three, while the other two only scored once. Lambro's point was more of a technicality; Trudie was helping him adjust his stance when it happened.

Key wasn't sure if he even wanted to fight her anymore. Since her initial victory, there were still several onlookers he did not want to get beaten in front of. He hadn't practiced in a week and was bound to make embarrassing mistakes.

"Come on, Key," Trudie implored from the center of the ring. "I said I would buy you lunch if you beat me."

"Yeah, come on, Key," the onlookers heckled from a safe distance away.

"Okay, okay, fine," Key tried sounding nonchalant amid his panic. He held up a finger and told her to "Just give me a moment, I have to sort something out really fast," before approaching Keebler and asking, "How did you score so many points on her?"

Keebler was abashed by the question and asked, "You're asking me to give you pointers?"

"Yes, I bloody want you to give me pointers," he rasped quietly so he wouldn't be overheard. "You got more touches on her than anyone else today. What's the trick? And don't tell me you don't have one. Quickly now, I'm almost out of time."

Keebler nodded and explained what he could, thankfully matching Key's pace and volume. "Have you ever watched her?"

"Yeah…" Key had been watching her put bodies on the ground all day. She was fast, so he had already made a mental note to try to be faster. That was about all he could glean from it.

"Like, have you really watched her? She gets this cute little look whenever she thinks she's about to do something clever. It's why she's not good at cards. When she makes that look, just back up or do something clever first."

"Cute little look?" Key asked, humored by the concept. Was Keebler sweet on her? He had to admit, her swordplay wasn't an unattractive quality. She was an artist, and her art was beautiful. He still tucked that tidbit away for later.

"What are you doing? Asking Keebler for pointers?" Trudie taunted from the battlefield, surrounded by her fallen foes.

Key whispered a word of thanks to his corporal and stalked off after her. His heart was heavy with the weight of responsibility. He was the last line of defense. If she defeated him, who else would there be? He would avenge those whom Trudie had laid waste to; there was no one else.

He stepped into the ring, and Trudie immediately scored the first hit.

"I wasn't starting yet," Key said more out of habit than anything. "I was going to make a wager, but if you want to make that count, then I change my mind."

He didn't know what else to say. A wager? How utterly foolish of him.

"We can reset the score," Trudie said playfully. "What's the wager?"

"Five marks."

"Make it half the winnings that I won for you in the first place versus dinner on me."

Key acted like he was thinking about it while he moved closer. He said "Deal" as his sword was already mid-arch towards her undefended leg. It struck true. "That's one for me!"

Trudie only smiled as she spread her feet into her all too familiar stance. Instead of pausing, she spun across the gravel, landing rapid blows with nearly unstoppable veracity.

Key knew the best defense was a good offense, but he couldn't stop defending. Finally, there was a break in the pattern, and he saw an opening. He also saw something else. Trudie had the cute little look on her face that Keebler was talking about. Her nose was scrunched up over a very evil-looking smile. He supposed it was cute enough and fell back. She ducked under a swing Key did not make, twisting and swinging a backhanded sweep toward his midsection. It was a move that would have sliced him clean open if it had hit and they had used real swords. He stepped forward again and lunged at her exposed shoulder. His sword met air, and hers met his stomach.

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"That's one for me," Trudie celebrated, already taking her position for the next round.

Key had learned his lesson. If she made the face, he was running. And run he did at every scrunch of the nose. Somehow, it didn't seem to fix everything. Whenever he scored a point, she got him back in the next round. The score was even again at three to three, and again at four to four.

Key felt like he was back in his element for the last round. The training sword felt natural in his hand again after being away from it for so long. The problem was that he knew Trudie was going to try a big finale. She always did. Usually, she ended her last round with some kind of elaborate move. He just had to concentrate on her face.

The round started more muted than the previous ones. They circled each other in a deadly dance. It was the black dance. Key swung with formation one, three, and five, but Trudie blocked with two, four, and six. Key started over, intending to do them again, but out of order. They were both trained to set a pattern and then break it. He had gotten to the first attack when he saw it. Trudie's nose scrunched up, ever so slightly. This time, he did not run; he broke the pattern and went straight for eleven. Trudie thrust out simultaneously, aiming for his left shoulder, but Key tilted. Her attack was missed as he made sweet contact.

"I won!"

Exactly three people applauded with a soft clapping. It was nothing like the uproarious praise after Trudie's first match, but he basked in it anyway.

"Good match," she said, brushing off her clothes. "So, dinner then?"

"It's okay," Key said, placing his sword on the rack. "I still feel bad about taking all your credit this morning. I won't hold you to it."

Trudie shook her head, "Logans always pay their debts. You can make it up to me by giving me some extra time getting back to the office today. I need to make a quick stop at the bathhouse."

"You can use mine if you don't want to walk across town," he began before he realized what he was suggesting. He couldn't offer a girl to use his private bath. It was a weird offer, and he instantly regretted it, hoping she would decline without getting the wrong idea.

"You have a bath?" She asked, not taking the question the wrong way just yet.

"Yeah, but I didn't mean it to come off sounding weird. I just know that you have to walk across town to the public bathhouse, and I didn't mean anything by it at all. I wasn't trying to sound creepy or anything," Key rambled on, feeling embarrassed. "You know, just forget I said anything."

"You're so uptight, you know that?" She teased, but her eyes were calculating. "Can you show me?"

Key was so eager to walk away from the conversation that he just agreed and started walking to the sergeant's quarters. He didn't use the secret entrance because that seemed shady, and he did not want to seem shady. They used the front door like a law-abiding citizen.

Daisy was inside preparing food in the kitchen. "Who's this?"

"Hi Mrs. Dilly, this is Trudie. We're just doing normal stuff," Key said like a law-abiding citizen.

"Well then, Eulerous, are you two hungry?"

"It's just Key-"

"And it's just Daisy." She had caught him in his own trap. "Take some of these with you if you're in a hurry. It's fried flatbread stuffed with vegetables and cheese."

She gave them four on a plate and went back to tending to her work. The thin flatbread was stuffed, reclosed, and fried in a pan. Each would be small enough to hold after they had cooled off. They smelled delicious. Key and Trudie thanked her before taking the plate to Key's room.

"That was Dilly's wife," Key explained after he shut his door.

"Sergeant Dilly's wife?" Trudie asked, incredulous. "But she's so perfect."

"Tell me about it."

He looked around at the mess in his room. At some point, he would need to straighten up a bit. He cleared a place on his desk to set the plate.

"Where's the bath? Or was that just a ploy to make me look at your messy room? I swear… You take girls in here?"

"I haven't had time to clean, okay?" Key said, exasperated. "And I don't take girls in here."

"I'm a girl."

"Hardly," Key joked blandly. "Sorry for the mess, okay? I'll show you the bath."

He waved her to follow as he opened the door to the adjacent room. Trudie's eyes bulged at its luxury. The water steamed welcomingly as it burbled out, crawling down the sides of the square structure. She asked if it was all his, and he smiled with pride.

"Yep."

"Can I use it? Please, please, please? I just have to get my things first. I won't take long. I'll knock every time and never walk in on you."

"Fine," Fin agreed, happy to make her life easier. "We can come up with a plan for you to use it while I'm not around. Today, I'll just take my clothes and use the corporal's baths. Just use the secret entrance for now."

"There's a secret entrance?"

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