A Question of Loyalty

Donahue felt the kopesh connect with his back, and let out a small growl. He turned to face Nasrin, and tossed his shield aside before gripping his sword with both hands as he took on a defensive stance. He waited for her next attack, carefully examining her for any of her tells.

Nasrin grinned when Donahue dropped his shield, her confidence growing dangerously. She waited a moment, but when she saw that Donahue wasn't going to attack she lunged. She thrust the tip of her kopesh forward, aiming it towards his chest. The attack was much more brazen and direct than her others, a detail that she was only half aware of.

Donahue raised his sword to meet Nasrin's kopesh before flicking it away from him. He then twirled to the right, bringing his sword to rest just short of her back. He smiled, and leapt backwards, just out of her reach. Donahue didn't say anything about her brazen attack, he simply watched her silently.

Nasrin snarled as she felt Donahue's sword press lightly against her back, the cool steel enough to remind her to check her pride. By the time she moved to counter, she found that Donahue had moved away from her. She  herself for her oversight, but she wasn't ready to give up yet. She was too stubborn for that.
Be quick. Be clever.
Her eyes darted around the room, looking for some advantage that she had yet to use. Something that Donahue might not see coming . . .
She had to keep herself from smiling when her eyes passed over his discarded shield.
Tightening her grip on her weapon, Nasrin coiled to strike. She went for his side yet again, though she didn't intend for her strike to land. She just needed to make sure she could get to the shield safely. Once she heard the song of steel on steel, Nasrin ducked low and reached out with her free hand. The weight of the shield was almlst enough to throw her off balance, but she managed to heft it up to her side.
She knew she wouldn't be able to wield it for long, but then if her plan worked she wouldn't need to.

Upon seeing Nasrin raise his discarded shield, Donahue smiled before taking on an attack stance. He tightend his grip on his sword, adjusting his footing before charging at her, focusing his attacks on the shield. Even if he didn't do any damage, the sheer force could very well cause her to stumble back or fall.

Donahue charged and Nasrin took a breath. Her knuckles turning white and her golden eyes narrowed in focus. The attacks came with staggering force, pushing her back. Still, Nasrin - out of sheer will more than anything else - kept herself up. She fought to regain control of the fight, desperately blocking with the hopes of finding an opening.