<We could spar now, if you'd like. They don't have cameras in your rooms, it's considered very rude.>

:Sure. I would like that: Leareth tries to decide if he would consider cameras in his rooms rude. Probably not? He might try to locate and disable them but it feels like it could be a sensible choice on their part. Though he does appreciate how non-adversarial they're being about the whole thing. 

He morphs. He's been playing around with morph control lately, seeing if he can make the transformation happen in a given order, and it's very hard but he manages to get the tail first and keep his human face nearly through the end. 

Matirin is entertained. <Some people have an innate gift for morph control, and they do professional dance with it. It's on your schedule somewhere, I think.> 

And then he steps closer to spar.

Leareth moves in as well. 

As usual, he's not especially graceful, but he's focused and in control and thinking several moves ahead and he moves with intent, trying-to-win.

Vanyel asked him once if he spars so much because it's fun, and - Leareth wasn't sure if 'fun' was the right word, exactly, but in a way he's the most relaxed and present and in-the-moment as he ever is. He expects to lose, because Matirin has thousands of hours of practice at this, but he's going to make him work for it and enjoy the process. 

Matirin really dislikes sparring on this rug-on-top-of-grass, the footing is terrible, but it's probably healthy to practice fighting under all kinds of bizarre footing conditions. Some people spar in zero gravity.

Leareth's getting better at sparring and it's - shocking how much he appreciates that, how much closer he feels to Leareth when Leareth's in an Andalite form and alive in this specifically Andalite kind of motion - he feels like he's known him for years, somehow...

He does win. It takes him a while. He leaves his tail-blade at Leareth's throat for a half-second longer than normal, looking at him, appreciating him, and then he remembers himself and his tail is back behind him, coiled a little sheepishly. <You've kept practicing.>

Leareth holds very still while Matirin's tail-blade is at his throat, and then his body language is pleased, proud. <I have. I like doing this.> Human bodies are good at many things but they're not nearly so - inherently designed to fight, without tools or weapons or magic. 

<You fight like yourself. -  most people do, but it's more notable when their self is very distinctive.>

<Am I distinctive?> He hasn't really thought of it that way before. <I keep suspecting my fighting style is ugly, to Andalites who have had their bodies their entire lives, but - I make do. I suppose that is rather characteristic of my life overall.> 

<Tail-fighting can only be ugly, or wrong, insofar as it loses. It's - we almost never do it seriously but it's not a game, still, it's measured against something real. I think you are often measured against something real, and it shows, even if you have not had very many lessons on technique and even if some things that are habit for us aren't, for you. ...have you won any sparring matches.>

<A couple? Mostly by luck, still, at this stage. I think I will win more in a few months.> 

<Oh, I'm sure so. I just wondered whether anyone had the good sense to teach you how to win safely. I am glad they did.>

<I asked. Before I moved to sparring without the tail-cover. It seemed important.> Leareth keeps feeling like this conversation is half about literal sparring and, maybe, half about something else, and he doesn't know what to make of it. 

<Again?>

<Certainly.> And he takes a moment to make sure he has his footing solid on the stupid rug - though he doesn't really mind it, he thinks it throws Matirin off more than it does him, so it's to his benefit. 

They spar. He tries to win. 

He seems distracted. Not very distracted, but he doesn't have to be very distracted when they're also on this extremely squishy rug, and when Leareth can read his mind (he hasn't been wearing the amulet, here; he doesn't want to draw attention to the fact Leareth is mindreading everybody else.)

Leareth has in general not been mindreading Matirin except to help navigate interactions with other Andalites, he's got a lot to keep track of and it didn't feel like there was much point in checking a known ally's reasoning. He will, however, totally mindread him in order to pick up on his intentions a fraction of a second in advance and win against him at tail-sparring.

He catches Matirin just barely off-guard enough, and wins, and does not chop off his head in the process or something. He holds his tail-blade to Matirin's throat and turns all four eyes on him, because he knows there's nothing dangerous behind him now, and he feels exhilarated and delighted and - okay it's not traditional to stand here gloating for that long, even if it's very satisfying. He lowers his tail. 

<That was very good.> Proud, and - something more than that, maybe. 

Leareth isn't sure what the something-more-than-that is, but he's visibly so pleased; as usual his body language is far more expressive in Andalite form, in addition to just being more legible to Andalites in general. <Thank you> 

<Best of three?>

<Of course.> Leareth takes a moment to set aside the gloating and re-focus. Probably Matirin's distraction won't last, whatever that was about, but he'll take advantage of whatever he can. 

He is less distracted and more determined, this time, and also getting a better read on Leareth, though the mindreading is still a substantial advantage. It takes him a while to catch Leareth off guard. This time he does not hold his blade at Leareth's throat for even a slight fraction longer than usual.

Leareth is - obscurely disappointed about that, and has no idea why, but he doesn't poke at it much. <Well, you win. Thank you, that was very satisfying.> 

<You are very welcome.> He tosses his head, a little. <I enjoyed myself a great deal. And - it's good to see you again.>

<It is very good to see you again. ...Are you going to return to Earth also when I finish the agenda here? I suppose I am not sure where it most makes sense to stage the planning for the rest of the war.> 

<I do not know either. Probably I should be wherever the politics will need the most finessing.> Which feels vaguely sad, but he is a professional and is going to do his job, here, he can spar with Leareth and with Finleran and with whoever else he pleases once this is over.