Metal clashed against metal as master and partner sparred in the courtyard.
"No! Try again!"
"Haah—!"
"Block and dodge and- yes! Good!" The tall man jumped out of his student's range, blocking her wild strike with his own sword, "-but not good enough!"
His arm burst into blue flame, enveloping his sword in fire. He spun and struck out, slashing the young woman across the chest. She fell with a cry, and knelt in front of him, her flesh knitting itself back together and healing within seconds as if she were never cut. "Not fair, Marco," she growled, "you never said you'd use your spirit."
He shrugged and flicked a few strands of hair out of his eyes. "But I also never said I wouldn't," he pointed out, the flames on his arm politely snuffing themselves out. His fire spirit, barely visible over his shoulder, seemed to agree. The woman got to her feet and took down her long blonde hair from its ponytail.
"Cheat."
Her healer spirit adjusted her wrap and lifted her chin huffily. Marco's fire spirit gave a silent laugh and flickered over to the other spirit, playfully poking her on the nose. This irritated the healer enough to grab the fire spirit's hat and flicker away. While the two spirits chased each other around the clearing, Marco sheathed his sword and slapped the blonde woman on the shoulder. "We'd better get back to the dojo before Teach eats both our dinners."
She laughed and said, "You're probably right there."
And they made their way back, the two spirits scuffling all the way.
As it turned out, it was too late for Loki's dinner. Marco's was practically untouched, though, and so the two of them shared it quietly while the rest of the warriors bustled all around them. Spirits went where their bonded warriors did, moving around and occasionally through them as they went about their business. Teach stole through the crowd well out of Loki's reach, his dark shadow spirit on his heels, occasionally attempting to pilfer someone else's dinner, but generally receiving a boot to the face for his trouble.
In between cramming mashed potato into her face, Loki asked, "So does Luffy really have another spirit to his name? I heard he did, but…"
Marco nodded and swallowed his mouthful of food. "Yes, and it's a decay spirit at that. You would think that three would be enough, wouldn't you?"
"Mmm…" Loki snatched the last bit of fish out from under Marco's nose. "Four spirits bonded, is that some sort of record?"
I don't think so, said the healer spirit, the fire spirit's hat jammed firmly on her head. Didn't the last king mage have something like ten or eleven?
"Twelve including the Silver One," added Marco.
A door opened in the air behind him, and Kaku stepped out into the crowd. Strangely enough, Marco's fire spirit also tumbled out, before a broad-shouldered door spirit stepped out and pushed the fire spirit to his feet, giving him a dirty look as he closed the door. Ha ha… sorry, man, he chuckled.
The door spirit shoved him out of the way as he went to follow Kaku. You will be if you try that again.
The fiery one trotted through a warrior or two and stopped beside Marco. So that's where you went! he said, snatching his hat back. What are we talking about?
"Well…" began Marco, but he was cut off by a small explosion from the other side of the room. He gritted his teeth and got up. "Damn newbies, I'll bet it's Eustass and Trafalgar again…Come on then, Ace."
The man and the spirit made their way to the fight, and Loki watched with vague interest as all hell broke loose.
Just by way of an explanation, Loki is the wonderful Kemmasandi's OC, who features prominently in her fic Something In The Water, which you can find on her deviantArt, and maybe on here, I don't know. I'm too lazy to check for myself.