[Skye Verath Lodge] When in doubt, punch (Faith)

[Kylar]

123rd Vhalar

A bolt flew out of the end of the crossbow in the training yard, hitting only a few rings from the center. For most, that would be enough - but enough wasn't what he was aiming for. When he was on the back of a Volareon, he had to hit perfectly. If he missed he could risk a lot, depending on who he was aiming for. But if it was a Qe'dreki rebel, or even the beast, he had to aim well. Because he didn't have endless bolts, and he definitely didn't have endless lives. He loaded a new bolt and aimed down again. When he fired his last shot, he aimed for the center and it veered off left. Was it wind? Or just the recoil perhaps? So he aimed three rings to the left, then fired. This time, the bolt missed completely, loading in the floor beneath the target. After a few seconds, Kylar realized what had happened.
Kylar cursed, lowering his crossbow down to the floor. As he dropped it, he walked towards the target to take back the bolts. He pulled one out of the target, then knelt down by and looked at the one stuck in the floor. He had never seen himself doing this until it happened. Using a crossbow and not daggers? He still wanted to train with his daggers, of course, but he needed a crossbow for his job. Hell, what was his job compared to his path? Yeah, he hunted rebels, but was this the path of the hunter? That thought frustrated him more than his poor aim.
He dropped both the bolts and just looked to the target. He started to think, about the fight he got in the night before his wedding. About how his path had once seemed so clear and was now so uncertain. The harsh conditions he had just endured in the mountains and how he still didn't have time for a break. Without realizing it, his fist was clenched. He found himself snarling under his teeth, eyes fixed on the target and his fist clenched.
He put his fist slowly against the target, then drew it back so he knew he would hit. He prepared himself to punch.

[Faith Augustin]

after visiting with Nir'wei...

There was no doubting that the young woman who was exiting the Skye Verath Lodge was in a state of emotional turmoil, but as always was the case, she walked with a slow and calm step, mostly keeping her eyes down and trying not to be too noticeable. She didn't like to be noticed, it must be said, espcially in place where there were people she didn't know or who didn't know her. But she couldn't quite help but notice the young man who was retrieving crossbow bolts from the ground.

She'd seem him in the trills previously, practicing with his crossbow. Either he was doing something difficult, she thought, or he really wasn't very good with it. But then, he was undoubtedly better than she was so she should not criticise. She considered, briefly, that she ought to consider learning a ranged weapon; she seemed to get into all sorts of fights and yet she had no ranged skills. That might be sensible, she thought and she lowered her head again. But then, glancing up, she saw that the young man was about to punch the crossbow target. So, bad with the weapon and short tempered, she considered, and wondered just what it was that had irritated and frustrated him so much. She was walking past him, her path normally taking her far enough away that she would be safe from the people practicing with those ranged weapons, but Faith couldn't quite bring herself to. He seemed to be in such pain, she thought, so full of frustration.

"If you punch that, it will hurt your hand. Quite a lot, I'd say. There are training dummies somewhere, I'm sure." Closer up to him and she noticed two things immediately. First, he was tall. Like, really tall. Faith was five foot four and so the man in front of her caused her to lift her head to look at him. Second, he looked grumpy. Like, really grumpy. Snarling and not one bit amused and Faith wondered just what it was that drove her to try and help people; it was probably going to kill her one of these trials, she thought.

The woman in front of Kylar was younger than him by a few arcs, short and pale skinned. Her long black hair was pulled back from her face in a high ponytail which gave it a slightly dishevelled appeared. She wore flat shoes and sensible clothes, but the slave brand on her neck was visible, even with a coat on. "My name is Faith. It is a pleasure to meet you" When she spoke her voice was barely above a whisper, but it seemed to be her usual tone. Her smile was genuine and her eyes gazed at him with friendly concern; they were blue so pale that they seemed almost silver in colour.

"Are you having trouble with the crossbow, the target or the punching?" She couldn't help but smile slightly as she asked him that, wondering what it was that had caused this rather hefty chap to threaten the crossbow target so.

[Kylar]

Kylar un-clenched his fist as he heard a voice behind him. He turned around, lowering his hand slowly, starting to turn red with embarrassment. "Yeah, I guessed...thanks for the warning" he said quietly. The woman in front of him, although short, had an air to her. Confidence, something he was seemingly lacking. "Sorry you had to see that, I didn't mean to disturb you at all."
Kylar then noticed the brand. It was that of a slave, from what he knew. After glancing at it for a second, he turned his attention away. It was unimportant, he wouldn't let it affect anything. After all, she was a woman like any other - caring about him hurting himself. That deserved a lot of respect, in his opinion. He smiled back slightly at her, but the hurt was clear on his face. He hadn't forgotten what made him angry, he instead held it back in front of this young woman.
"Kylar, the pleasure is mine" he said uncomfortably. First impressions weren't ever his thing, but this had to be the worst one yet. Losing his temper, about to break his own hand, after missing shots. He was almost certain that this was a rather unusual sight for Faith. Her eyes showed concern though, as did almost everything about her for that fact. Perhaps it was more pity than sympathy?
"Strangely enough, almost all of the above and more" he said, laughing at his own idiocy. "I was trying to improve my aim, originally, and failing as you probably saw. But the punching comes in from a fight, recently. Just a bar fight, but without a weapon I had no clue what I was doing. Guess I assumed this would help me in some way?" he said to her, unsure of the reason himself. "Thank you for your concern, I appreciate it. Most people normally ignore my stupidity and leave me to it. It's greatly appreciated."

[Faith Augustin]

"There is nothing to apologise for, I assure you", her voice was quiet but her smile very genuine as she looked at him. She might have said more, perhaps, but his gaze turned to her brand and she stood in silence. She wasn't ashamed of her brands, not at all, they were who she was, but it was what she normally did, allowing him to observe and then make his decision in terms of action. Although, of course, she said nothing just watched him; he seemed concerned and upset all at the same time "It is nice to meet you, Kylar", she smiled, trying to be reassuring and calm in order to minimise his concern and upset. He did not react to the sight of her brand, which Faith was pleased about and she turned her head in interest as she listened to his answer to her question.

He seemed like a very intense chap, she thought. As intense as he was tall and as tall as he was intense. And more than a little self depreciating. "I would not consider experimentation stupid, personally." Which was what it was, without a doubt. "I have thought about using the bow before. It seems to make much more sense than being in the thick of it if possible. But I have some skill at unarmed combat. We could do a trade?" Handing him back one of the bolts from on the ground she watched him with interest.

"You could teach me how to use that thing", she motioned to the crossbow "And I could teach you how to punch without breaking your thumb, use your size and strength and things like that, if you should find yourself in a bar brawl again, it will be better than nothing?" It seemed like a fair trade to her, but she wondered whether her brands might stop him from taking up that offer. It wouldn't surprise her, in fairness, simply because he might assume that it was not acceptable to teach a slave to fight. But, she kept quiet for the moment and held her own thoughts. After all, she considered with a slight smile, she had a secret weapon.

[Kylar]

Kylar smiled faintly when she said there was nothing to apologize for. In his head, and more than likely hers, he looked like the biggest idiot Idalos. Punching a crossbow target, and then failing utterly at conversation. Frankly, he had seen better days. But it was the stress that was getting to him, and he knew that if he held on to it the stress would rise. With that, he dropped his smile and returned to his normal serious expression. Then he noticed that as he looked at the brand, Faith paused and waited as if letting him observe. Was she wanting him to see? Perhaps she was trying to show him her status? Not that it mattered to Kylar, nobody was below him as far as he was concerned. Slave, homeless or criminal - they were never below him. As was the way of the hunt.
Kylar took back the bolt and listened to the proposal of the trade with interest. Learning to fight would be much easier with help, and he had learnt a fair amount with the crossbow he had. Perhaps the trade was a fair one to make, but should he be teaching someone a weapon? Better yet, should he be learning to fight like this? He shouldn't be in bar fights to begin with. But in his defense, he was protecting people - which was more important than his pride. With that in his mind, he made his choice. "If you're willing to teach, I'm willing to learn - and the same applies both ways. I can teach you to use a crossbow. In no way am I amazing, but I know what I'm doing enough to start you off. Thank you."
After that, he picked up the last bolt and held them in his hand. "So, what's first?"

[Faith Augustin]

"Thank you, too, Kylar. That sounds like an excellent exchange, and will help us both." She considered his question of what first and pursed her lips for a moment, then spoke "How about, I teach you two things, you teach me two? Variety, after all". She moved over away from the target and smiled at him, motioning that he should come with her.

"I hate fighting", when she spoke those heartfelt words, her voice was quiet and her silver-blue eyes serious. "I really do. I'm not very good at it, and I am certainly not enthusiastic about it. But I can not stand by and let bad things happen to people if I can help it. So, I learnt to fight. Why were you in a bar brawl?" Her eyebrow lifted and she gestured in a generally upwards manner "I mean you're tall and look like you are a bad person to fight. If I was a bar brawler, I would think twice before brawling with you. Anyway. Stance."

She stood opposite him, so that he could see and she stood in a basic fighting stance. "I think of fighting as like the flow of movement. It's all about being able to move in the right direction, to the right amount. Rather like a push and pull. So, you need to keep your feet ready to move your body. That's why they are slightly apart, so you can go either side, and why one is in front and the other behind, so you can go forward or backwards. The balls of your feet, knees slightly bent. That's it, you try. Good" She watched the way he stood and nodded, pleased with it. "The thing with unarmed combat is that you need to be able to move, because movement is your only defence and your only weapon. I suppose that's always true, really, in terms of physics, but even moreso. So, hands and arms, raised, slightly bent, one forward one back. Same rule applies, in that you need to be able to move your individual limbs, and your body, in as many places as possible. So. Give it a go"

She watched, helped and commented on his stance as needed and then Faith smiled "Alright. Fists. Fists are important because you don't want to break your thumb if you hit hard. So like this, see" She held up both of her small hands into fists and smiled at him, suddenly "I feel ridiculous standing here making fists at someone twice my size." She showed him, then, through illustrating, how to throw a forward punch, the starting point, how the fist turned from being thumb-up to the knuckles being the top point, and she repeated the move a few times, slowly, explaining the movement in her shoulder, then elbow, then wrist. "The trick is to keep practicing." She thought that, by now, his muscles might well be aching so, she dropped her arms and shook them and then smiled "Your turn", she motioned to the crossbow and gave him a smile.

[Kylar]

Kylar nodded at the idea of two things each. After all, it seemed only fair as far as Kylar was concerned. Faith chose to teach him two things about fighting first. However, she first told him how little she liked fighting and wished she didn't have to. Once, Kylar felt the same. In fact, in some ways, he still did. He did only fight for the good of other people. But times had changed. If she had asked him last season, or even earlier this season, Kylar would have told her that he also had a deep dislike of fighting. But now, he saw how it was a necessity. He found it hard to sympathize with the people he fought, after everything he had been through. Besides, he never fought people that didn't deserve it.
"Some civilians were jumped, felt it was my duty to step in. The three men weren't too keen on backing down, despite all warning they were given, so I had to handle them myself before the guards got there to handle it. After all, I wasn't about to let the couple get attacked" he explained, his voice unwavering and seemingly uncaring. The fact was, it wasn't that he had no care - but more that he had no regret. He'd done much worse than a small bar fight, recently, and saving people was something he now refused to be sorry for.
As she demonstrated, Kylar mimicked the fighting stance he was supposed to be in. At first it was somewhat wrong, but he moved his feet and knees accordingly. He took in every word, and to him it made sense. But his love of the crossbow probably didn't help. After all, the two differed greatly. Unlike the crossbow, he had to be fluid and ready, but being too fluid meant his aim would be weak. By Karem, this was confusing. Why couldn't it all just work the same? Eventually, he got it, and was then shown how to punch. He balled his fist correctly, then threw a weak punch. He felt his arm was too loose as he did it, so tried to put more pressure on straightening his arm. As he did so, he winced in pain a little. Some pain shot through his chest where he had recently been injured. He tried again, slightly less force this time. Gradually, he found the balance. "That makes sense, thank you" he said, nodding.
Then, he picked up his crossbow. It was his turn. First, he supposed, learning to hold and load the crossbow would help. So he put the bow down, facing the floor. He placed a foot in the stirrup, then pulled the string back until he heard the click. "You hear that? It means the bolt is ready to load, nice and secure. You keep your foot in there for security, to keep the crossbow down. Slipping could be nasty" he told her. He hoped he was teaching it as well as Lazuli had taught him. He then picked up a bolt. Unfortunately, he couldn't demonstrate different kinds of bolts like he had been shown. "Normally we use different types of bolts, depending on armor or flesh, or even just general usage. These ones are made for flesh, but they work damn well against targets too."
He loaded the bolt, then aimed at the target - making sure Faith wasn't in the way. "The trick now is to put two fingers on the trigger when you fire. The bolt is loaded and this is the only way of unloading it. Stand with your feet secure and well balanced, so you can't move too far from the recoil. Then you fire" he told her. He took a few steps back, then fired. His shot hit pretty well, finally.
"Right, your turn. Try loading it first, then firing from some distance."

[Faith Augustin]

"That makes sense. I would do the same", she responded when he told her how and why he was in a bar brawl. She smiled at him and gave a shrug. There were few enough people who would step up and do things when they needed doing, helping others and ensuring that the natural order and justice were served. She was pleased to meet another indiidual who apparently not only felt that it was important that this was the case, but was also able to step forward and do something about it. The first were rare, the second, much moreso and Faith smiled at him and sent a silent prayer to Famula that She guide and protect this very tall man who was so very earnest.

He copied her stance and was quick to get it right. He seemed like quite a physical chap, she thought and she walked around him looking at what he had done and nodded "It's good. You might not have noticed but you are quite tall." Her silver eyes showed that she was amused, sparkling with mischief as she spoke to him. "If you are fighting someone short, say, like me", she was all of five foot four and yet was not in any way intimidated by his height. Come to that, although she was unerringly polite, she was not the kind of deferential one might expect from a slave. "Then you need to be careful not to lean over, you'll put yourself off balance. You center of balance should be here, in the pit of your stomach, no where else. That's the bit that stays the same, I think, whether you're firing a ranged weapon or fighting in close quarters. If you are fighting someone that might almost fit in your pocket", her smile was bright "Use your height to your advantage. Believe me, if I'm fighting someone your size, I will be using my speed and agility to mine."

She saw him wince, though and Faith frowned "Are you in pain?" Her gentle humour disappeared and she looked concerned. "If you are injured, let me know so that I can not make things worse. I have some medical knowledge if you want?"

Whichever way that went, they moved on to the crossbow. She watched him, a frown of concentration on her face as he demonstrating what she had to do. She watched and nodded, trying to commit it to memory, although she was sure that she was going to forget things here and there. Looking at him and his shot, she raised an eyebrow and nodded. "That was impressive." With a thought that there was no way on this green land that she was going to do that well, she took ahold of the weapon. "Oh, it's heavy. It will build up muscles I don't have carting this about", she smiled and ran her hand over the crossbow, getting a feel for it. It seemed like an elegant weapon, in fairness, and one that she might enjoy learning.

Bow down, pointing to the floor. She put her foot where he had put his and pulled the string back. "This isn't making the... oh there it is", she smiled. It wasn't a quick weapon to load, and that might prove a problem in the upcoming campaign, she thought, but then it was what it was and better to have it. Then it was the bolt and she nodded "Different bolts for different jobs. So, flesh, armour, that kind of thing? That makes sense."

She had watched him load the bolt, so she did the same, although it was a little fiddly at first, she at least had the advantage of small fingers. Looking at him, she just glanced to make sure that she had done it right and then she lifted it and aimed. Using the sight on there, she tried to point the bow at the center of the target and she put two fingers on the trigger. She squeezed the trigger and, realised, as she landed on her bottom on the group with a yip noise that he had told her to make her stance more firm in order to avoid recoil. She looked up at him and laughed. "Did I hit?" She highly doubted it, in truth. "May I have another go, please? Maybe this time I'll manage to stay standing." The very fluidity of the stance which she had taught him had been her undoing there, but the young woman looked up at him good naturedly and got started again, if he did not mind.

[Kylar]

Kylar smiled as she explained how to use his height. "I'll make sure to bear that in mind, thank you. I suppose as a Lotharro it would be a slight waste to ignore my height advantage" he chuckled.
When Faith asked if he was alright, he frowned. "Thank you for the concern, but I'm fine. The injury is minor, I wouldn't worry. It's just my chest. Again, don't worry, I won't let it stop my training" he said, the final sentence coming across as blunt. It wasn't his intention, but it was fact. He believed that now more than ever, he needed to train. He had let himself get injured, and he wouldn't let it happen again. If Crimson had been there, she might have died instead of him - all due to his mistake. A mistake he would never make again - not as long as he could help it. He learnt, and he would use that to strengthen himself. The displeasure was clear on his face. "Thank you, but I don't need any kind of attention - the wound is well treated already. It's just still rather sore."

As Kylar tried the crossbow, Faith commented on his performance. "Thank you. It's a weapon I devoted much time to, as of late. A close friend taught me to use it and I owe it to her to become the best marksman in Rynmere, if not Idalos" he said jokingly. A part of him was serious, he would reach his peak when it came to using this weapon, but that might not make him the best in Idalos. In fact, he was near to certain it wouldn't. "It is somewhat heavy, but you grow used to it, and the adrenaline of a battle will help with that. Besides, no harm in a little extra strength, right?" he chuckled.
Faith then tried the crossbow, and her performance was as he expected - poor. Loading it seemed fine for her, she put her foot in the right place and loaded it with little effort. Then it came to firing, however, and it was at that moment Kylar questioned if the woman was human or Avriel - it was fair to say she flew. But, what else was there to it? He had been the same, it wasn't a weapon that just anyone could pick up and use. He looked out to the target. "Well, if you hit depends on what you were aiming for. The target, no. But if you went for the grass - you're an expert" he said jokingly, before offering a hand to help her up. He hoped the joking approach would make her lesson with a crossbow more enjoyable, and that she didn't take it to heart. Just to be safe, he turned to her and spoke again. "Believe it or not, I started last season, and my ability was appauling. It took some time to get here, and I'm still not fully satisfied - but we all start somewhere. Don't let yourself be disheartened. Give it a few more attempts until you're happy, alright? I have time."

After saying that, he turned and picked up a few more bolts to give her. He smiled as she took them and watched, wanting to see how she did with a few more goes. Perhaps she was a marksman in the making - time would tell.

[Faith Augustin]

"I do not think I have ever met a Lotharro before. Are you all so tall?" Or was this one just a giant amongst Lotharro? Were they all midgets and he had, in fact, been exiled because he kept standing on his family members? Faith wondered sometimes where her thoughts and ideas came from, but there they were. At least she didn't share them, she considered. He did not like the idea of her helping him, though, and she shook her head at his final sentence there "It obviously is not", impacting his training, she meant "I meant no offense. My apologies". It was well treated and not in danger of becoming infected, he was clear, so it was just sore. She nodded "Sometimes, such things act as reminders. Lessons learnt."

The weight of the crossbow was indeed more than she considered but she nodded when he spoke of the adrenaline of a battle "True that." She said no more, there was no need but instead she focused on what she was doing. Even when what she was doing was landing on the ground with an oof and then a grin up at him as he asked if she had been aiming at the ground. "It had it coming. It looked at me funny", she clambered up, taking his hand and pulling herself up. "Thank you. I'm so glad I did not embarrass myself on my first time out. That would have been dreadful." Her expression told that she was teasing, so she looked at him and nodded. "Thank you. Yes, I will keep trying".

It was all about standing firm, Faith realised. The opposite in many ways of what he had shown her. No bouncing on the balls of her feet here, Faith realised that what she needed to do was to be as immobile as possible, so that she could brace against the impact of the kickback. After a few tries, things were much better and she had a feel for it more. She still wasn't any good, of course, but she was more or less getting more or less somewhere near the target. That, she figured, after a few goes, was the best that she could hope for.

"Thank you for your patience with me. I am very grateful. The things you taught me will, no doubt be helpful. I hope the same is true for you"

Handing him back the crossbow, she smiled and inclined her head "It's been a pleasure to meet you. Thank you again, Kylar. I hope to see you again"

With that, she made her excuses and left, leaving him to his training to get back to what she needed to do in the hopes that perhaps, they had just made each others' trials just a bit better.