[i]Octavia smirked cleverly to herself, as she then drew her dagger and prepared herself for combat against Xanthus: she could see that he could use the staff quickly and efficiently, while he had...something that made it more capable of blocking and parries. She thought he would dodge, if anything.[/i] [i]Octavia didn't bother to make the first move against Xanthus, as countering him would be much easier than hacking away at him, hoping to get a lucky hit.[/i]