"Be sure you cheer for me," Malanon grinned widely at the grey haired woman with the baby propped on a hip. She glanced over the rest of the crowd gathered in the castle courtyard before hooking one hand around the hilt of her sword and sauntering up to the podium.
Arien, her grey hair with two bold streaks of cyan tied in a knot with a stick, knew the glance was more than an attempt to see other contestants. Mal didn't think being in a crowd would stop the Druje or Fyumus from showing up and was pretty sure Iziah wouldn't hesitate to use the crowd as a distraction. She didn't understand a lot of why baby Sigi was in danger of being killed or whisked away - but she felt a strong sense of rightness after Mal explained she wasn't going to run from anyone. It had been the first time in a long time (about three weeks, but that was all she remembered at the time, so it seemed long) she felt something so strongly - other than confusion.
Sigi just gummed her hand, oblivious to everything but how she could feel her hand with her gums and her gums with her hand. She still couldn't feel her hand with Grey Woman's sleeve when she touched it and was currently trying to figure out why.
Malanon, a tall woman with horns (one of them broken) rising from her brown hair, armored throat to foot with black leather and blackened chain and armed with a short sword and a spear kept grinning as she approached the podium. "The name's Malanon!" she boomed, turning slightly to address the herald and the crowd. "I'm a Mercenary, and my weapon'll be-" she stroked the sword's worn leather grip for a breath, then reached up and drew the spear, slamming the butt on the ground before continuing. "The spear!"
She was sure no one able to hold their own in the little brawl would be surprised by her choice - a weapon carried was a weapon used after all. It was more insurance than anything - if she had to face anyone with bitter memories of her sudden departure from the Serendipity palace guard it might give her a little edge. As far as she knew, they'd only seen her fight with her sword.
