Ashan 38 719
A flourish of the arm as he loosened the grip of his fingers allowed the metallic weapon to fly, as Patrick shot a knife towards the target with a swing of his arm from the right. Yester-trial he spent a good chunk of the afternoon practicing a straight throw and so, to-trial was the practicing of a throw in side sweeping motions. He'd been practicing all morning and grown steadily tired from all the constant practice, and honestly surprised the three mentors of the Den with his constant drive. Really Trial after Trial he'd came here to practice and refine his skills, and though he were relatively fit in terms of musculature before; the intensity of his training sessions were just now taking their toll.
Yet even when they asked for him to rest up a little he didn't feel the need to, Patrick had grown to house a lot of stamina from his Trials as a prostitute; and if he could endure Breaks of performance in a night... then this was nothing in comparison. As sweat blanketed his skin with a sheen from forehead to torso, he continued to throw every knife just a little more precise than before. Eagerness was only an obstacle he had to avoid now, even if pushing himself to the limits was a show of that aspect. He wasn't tired in the slightest but the constant exertion did take a toll, and when his muscles ached enough for him to finally admit he'd had enough; the Rharnian moved over towards the bench with heavy pants a short while before lunch began.
The other two proprietors went out just as before while Clarissa stayed behind, and they even thought to ask if she and Patrick both would like anything brought back. Clarissa went off to do something else within the Den as Patrick remained stationary, surprised to find that she'd came back with two mugs in hand while he rested. "Something tells me you could use a little."
"Thanks!" He managed to utter in between weary pants as he accepted the mug, both a little surprised and disappointed that he began to sip water.
"You need it more than you know." She almost scolded him in noticing his reaction when he drank, nevertheless the faint smile remained as she sat down next to him. "The other two have been talking of your prowess you know, you've definitely show a lot of improvement in just the past few Trials."
"Not many go at it for as many Breaks as I do I take it?" He chided vacantly as he started to drink more water, realizing just how true her earlier statement was in needing it. As he slurped the drink down Clarissa couldn't help but chuckle a little, her legs crossed as she sipped from her mug composedly.
"Given we haven't seen many knights or civilians interested in training here for a while, it's been a refreshing change of pace having at least someone come inside Trial after Trial. Admittedly you have shone a lot more vigor than most do, which goes to show just how far you're willing to go to carry out your goals."
"Yeah well... I've got a lot riding on me now, so I can't expect to show up and not be fit for the part."
"It's not just that." Clarissa interjected. "Back when your brother came here, I always thought I saw more to you. Always hiding behind that cocky attitude you sometimes displayed, it was easy for me to tell you weren't confident in yourself at all." Patrick took a hard gulp as he realized just what she meant, and for a moment he began to wonder where she would be going with this. "The moment you walked in here ready to learn for yourself, there was not one sign of that same cocky attitude at all. In fact you looked on the verge of building yourself back up, after all these Arcs you've spent lost without your brother." The woman looked into her mug next as she continued on with her observations.
"Slowly but surely you learned the basics you needed to grow, all that remained was building the confidence in yourself. I'd asked you yester-Trial about what drove you, what created such fire inside you that you suddenly wanted to change. Something told me you'd experienced quite a lot, and that's why I wanted to instruct you personally afterwards."
"Why?" It had been the only thought that came to the Rharnian.
"It's not often we see someone with resolve such as yours. When the knights would bring squires here for training, they would all have the same demeanor as you did when you watched your older brother. They had a cause worth training for but not all possessed the drive, so when someone who's a civilian comes in with just that? How could I not want to help him become a better fighter." Clarissa looked to him once more and for a moment he thought he noticed sincerity in her solitary eyes. "That sort of motivation is inspiring to others, and it's something I think you've needed for a long time. How could the boys or I refuse to empower that spark when we ourselves look to give it to others?"
When he heard her elaborate on that he couldn't help it, as a laugh welled up inside and he had to clear his throat to contain it. "So what other tips do you have to give me from today's lessons?"
Now was Clarissa's turn to briefly laugh as she leaned back, a moment spent to consider what pointers she had to offer after watching him today. "You've got the motion and fluidity of the arm movement down, but you need to remember that it's not just about the arm or the fingers. It's also in the wrist and how you articulate the angle you're throwing from. And also..." The woman looked to him with a humble smile next. "In the future try twisting your body when you throw, moving your upper body from the hips allows for better control as well."
"Control," He reiterated with a few considerable nods, "right."
"If your goal remains as true as you say, then your friends won't have to worry with you at their back. Your learning curve has been outstanding these past few Trials, and while you don't have trouble pacing yourself it's only a matter of time before it slows."
"Well, least I've a few good mentors to keep me in line." He complimented with a lean back against the wall, a slightly pained sigh escaped his lips as he relaxed against the cold surface. "I've always wanted to be like him you know... Somehow he just knew how to be strong, knew the best way to look after his peers."
"I think that he had a different motivation than the rest." Clarissa pointed out. "Of all the knights I mentored here, your brother didn't care for glory or a solid wage. Nor did he seemed focus on serving his fellow knights either, no what I think motivated him was always there. The entire time." She noted the development in his features quickly. "Whether or not you refuse to accept it, the only thing that kept him going was you. All your brother wanted was to be there to keep you safe, if he were here now I'm sure he'd be proud to see you now."
"Yeah..." Patrick lowly agreed as he looked hard into the mug. "I can only wonder if that's true." The irony of the situation is that Dominek was there, only Pat could see him though as he stood at the center of the ring. He seemed vacantly lost in his own world as he tried to remember things, all the times they'd come down here just so Pat could watch him practice combat. Regardless of past memories though the older sibling wasn't ignorant to the conversation, as he turned to look at Pat with a warm smile on his face as he nodded. Was that a sign that he was in fact proud? That he approved of all this effort? The Rharnian tried not to dwell on the thought too much, as he clearly felt opposed to the idea even against all odds. Plus he'd rested enough now to have enough energy to resume his practice, and with the few extra pointers given to him he felt the need to apply their theory to practice.
Slowly but surely he'd grow into the fighter he was born to be.
"Patrick", "NPC"
