Dresden had less and less free time lately. He was spending the majority of his time with Ikisina, and when he wasn't doing that or working, he was generally scouting men to take part in Elliot's underground fighting ring or following around the barons in hopes of executing the plan of blackmailing them. Now, though, Ikisina was spending more time training with Remiel Allemeade. The thought put a bad taste in his mouth, but he couldn't keep her from doing it. She wasn't beholden to him, and unless he asked her to marry him, he couldn't exactly tell her what to do.

It was times like this that he found himself in the courtyard. Maybe because the last time he remembered truly enjoying himself in the last two seasons had been here, with Scout. He thought of her now. Of the way it had all felt. Of the night she'd come to him in his room and they had laid together on the bed and talked over their options. Her options. Dresden really had nothing to do with it. And she hadn't returned. She hadn't so much as looked his way, so he could only assume she was making herself free of him. Just as well. But he still thought of it.

When he couldn't find peace and he couldn't find pleasure, what was left was pain. But as he entered the courtyard he saw only one other person. Marchioness Andino. He'd forgotten their little interaction in the courtyard shortly after the rumor spread about he and Scout. Although the secret she had told him was something about hitting hard, he had his doubts. She was a tiny framed woman, and she'd just given birth. But pain was pain, no matter who gave it to him.

"Marchioness Andino," he spoke as he approached, his Legionnaire's jacket hanging open, making it clear he'd just gotten off duty. "You may be the last person I would've expected to see here. Is it alright for you to be so active after havin' a baby so recently?"

Annabeth took a swing nearly knocking the dummy over when she heard a voice. She hold the dummy steady to stop it from falling over to have a look at the voice. It was Mr Drake. "Hello Mr Drake. It been nearly five months now, plus when you need to punch something, you need to punch something." She explained softly. She looked over to where the nursemaid and her precious daughter are sitting.

"Doing some training? because I think I recall we still yet to do the Sparing" Watching Dresden not in a studios fashion but more of wondering if he up for a little spar kind of way. She had a massive grin on her face.

"Ah, has it been that long?" He asked, glancing at the child with a forced smile, before returning his attention to the woman. "Can't argue with that," he agreed. It was a little different for him, of course, but same idea. They all needed something to take themselves away for a while. To get out of their own heads. This seemed to be her way, and if he was lucky, she could get what she wanted and give him his way, too.

"Yes," he nodded, lightly patting his belly. "Been slackin' a little too much lately, gotta get back to it," he lied. "You're correct, we haven't sparred before, Marchioness but I feel there's a reason for that." He smiled. "It would hardly be befittin' of me to spar with nobility who're not part of the Legion or Guard." He glanced around, as if looking for someone more suitable to fulfill her request. "Not that I don't find you capable, of course. You did tell me once that you throw a mean punch but I wouldn't dare return it."

Annabeth crossed her arms, "Are you scared that I will beat you?" She was slightly joking. Anna looked around and apart from the nurse maid and Trixie there was nobody else in the training yard. "I am sure the nursemaid won't tell anyone that you sparred with me if that what you are worried about, plus what the worse that could happen? You end up with a broken pride being beaten by a woman." sounding slightly cocky with the statement.

Annabeth went to the middle of the training yard and sorted her sleeves out.

"By no means am I questioning your ability, my lady," he said, though his smirk widened at the challenge. She seemed as eager to spar as he was, though his hid it better and she didn't hide it at all. Their reasons were different, of course, but that was neither here nor there.

She spoke of broken pride and being beaten by women, and he could do little more than laugh. Her cockiness wasn't attractive, but her willingness to fight him was all he needed anyway. "No pride to break, my lady. I assure you, I'm as happy to take a beaten from any woman than I am any man," and that was entirely true. He had Ikisina to prove that, she'd taken a good shot at him plenty of times.

As she walked out into the yard, he nodded and removed his Legionnaire's jacket, draping it over one of the dummies then removed his sword and rested it on the ground. Following Annabeth out, he rolled up the sleeves of his tunic and moved into a defensive stance. "Ladies first."

Annabeth wasn't one to be normally cocky just trying to just be trying out who she was and try and find who the confidence Annabeth was. Willing to be more herself plus Annabeth got Cas, and he the most important man in her life right now. Annabeth laughed slightly when he said ladies first. Annabeth remembers everything that her husband have taught her over the years. She looked him and his stance, studing how he moved and how he stands. Looking for his week spots. He looked like a strong man and he a man of military he a inch taller then her husband. So she know that she have combated with a man of similar size before.

Annabeth knew she would have to do a move that he possible won't see coming. Like she was nearly a foot smaller then him but she not long had a baby only mere five month ago. So all these play into account of what she can do. Annabeth went in balencing her size and using her height as some adventage. She takes a swing at his stomach then using his motiong to grab his arm and pulled him foward kicking her heal of her foot into the knee joint.

Dresden was ready for her when she came at him, but she she looked so focused and determined that he couldn't take it away from her. He moved a little sloppily to the side, which put his arms outside of her strike. It hit him square in the stomach and he huffed, surprised by her strength. His left hand moved quickly to his belly the way one does when cradling an injury, but he wasn't expecting her next move.

She successfully knocked him down to one knee, a move that would certainly make it easier for to reach his face with a proper hit if that was what she was aiming for. He couldn't let it seem like he wasn't trying at all, though, so he also took advantage of his new height. He reached out for her legs, an attempt to grab her somewhere near the ankles and pull her feet out from under her. He moved slowly though, making his move very obvious so that she could avoid it easily enough if she were trained to look for it. He wasn't going easy on her for her, he was doing it for himself. He didn't want the fight to end too quickly, not when he'd already felt how hard she could hit.

Annabeth was trained to see it. However, she made it so when he grabbed her near the ankle. She quickly placed a hand on the side of his head and brought him to her kne. Using that extra support to turn his body, She then used th base of her palm to the middle of his chest to wind him. She could tell that he was going easy on him. Which was funny for her.

Both hits landed just as Annabeth might have hoped. His face was brought down into her knee, busting his nose and immediately drawing blood. As he reeled back, she rammed the flat of her palm into his chest and knocked the breath right out of him. To his surprised, that particular spot felt a little tender. Maybe because of the hit he'd taken from Titus at the beginning of the season. The man hit hard, and she'd struck a tender area.

It pushed him back off of his feet and onto his ass for a moment as he gasped, and tried not to look too happy because blood running down your nose and into your teeth was rarely the kind of thing that was appealing to a lady. Rolling onto his side, he spit some of the blood onto the ground and pushed himself back up, nodding his head. "You're real good, Marchioness. That secret you told me was right." He lifted his hands once more, this time striking toward her first. He didn't put all of his strength or speed into the throw, hoping she'd be able to dodge it or block it. Even if it did hit her, it hardly hard enough power to throw her off balance.

It wasn't really a matter of strength. She was a Marchioness, a civilian, and a worker in the palace. He was a commoner. He really couldn't fight her, regardless of her willingness.

Annabeth had a look in her eye for a moment when she saw the blood. her hands shake for a moment. She takes a deep breath calming herself down, "I can tell that you are being easy on me Mr. Drake. but thank you." She was warm even though she was punching at him. When he throw a punch in her direction she grabbed his arm and pulled him up and used the height different to her advantage and went under up still holding onto his arm and pin his arm against his back.

"Please. don't go easy on me." it wasn't ordering Dresden more of an I want to get better, stronger. I want at least a fair challenge.

She successfully grabbed his forearm and ducked around him, pinning his arm to his lower back. He clenched his teeth, looking over his shoulder and back at her. "Now, come on Lady Andino," he said, humor in his tone. He took two large steps to the right, which loosened her grip just enough that he was able to turn his his arm and break her hold of it. Without giving her time between movements, he stepped forward quickly again. His height played advantage over her this time, his stride quick. He reached out with a foot and did as she had done earlier, kicking the back of her knee to make her lose her balance and, hopefully, drop to one knee.

"There's a difference between two legionnaire's or two men in the courtyard trainin', and a legionnaire and a civilian Marchioness. Even if it's what ya wanted, this is a public place and if I hit ya and leave a mark, I could lose my life over it in a heartbeat. Don't help with how much I've been in trouble lately. So if you wanna train, that's alright with me, but ya can't expect me to hit ya back."

Annabeth went down and looked at him for a moment. "Do you think I'm the sort of person who would let you lose your life from a little friendly spar?" Annabeth explained. "but if you don't feel comfortable hitting me that fine." the sincerity of her voice came out as Annabeth explained. The last thing she wanted was to make him feel like he was uncomfortable. At the same time she didn't want him to feel like he would get into trouble if she did get hurt. Like at the end of the say she was the one who asked for training and she wasn't going to go round shouting from the rooftop that Dresden hit her hard. What is the point of that? Plus the whole thing of her being a woman was silly, like that in her eyes shouldn't make a different. However she knows that with how society is, there is a division betwween the gender, that woman meant to be soft and delicate and should be protected. That Man are the strong ones.

Annabeth used the fact that she was down on one knee to place her hands the ground then swing her legs round to hopefully trip Dresden up.

"I think sometimes things end up out of our hands in life, Lady Andino," he answered honestly. "And it's better to be safe than sorry." He bent down to offer her a hand, but when he did, she instead swung her legs around and knocked him over. He fell onto his right side, landing hard on his shoulder and knocking the breath out of him once again. As they were both technically on the ground, his instinct was to reach out and grab her, pull her under him and pin her arms. But he couldn't do that someone like her, so instead he rolled over onto his back, looking up toward the sky, to recover his breath. Giving her time to make the next move, so he could counter it (or let it land).