Catalogue of injuries

Fight practice last night. Very good to be back in armour, in that "my gods, this stuff is awkward" way. Having lost a chunk of weight, it's also much easier to move myself around. The shield I normally use (about two metric tons of heater, strapped) has gone missing, so I was borrowing Master Sigmundr's - a very light aluminium shield with a centre grip. Such a different thing - I had no idea how to use it, and the hole in my defense that normally exists on my left lower quarter became a sort of gateway to being walloped. Lord Cernac obliged by hitting me twice lightly on the leg there, and then twice with more enthusiasm. There was a welt there last night, and it's now settled into two parallel bruises. My left index knuckle is a bit sore too, but I think that's more the shield than anything else. And for once, I have no bruise on my right underarm. All in all, it's remarkably few marks for being so out of practice.

Viceroy is less than two weeks away now, so Master Sigmundr and Lord Paul are both on the top of their form, and knocking myself and Cernac around with little enough effort. I'm looking forward to next week now - if I can land a few blows on either of them then, I'll be very happy.