You think you're scary? (Hyran)

[Nascha]

A warning. That made sense, given the behavior of the other Akalak and that of her crow, who was now watching the both of them with apparent interest. It would also explain the vague empathy she felt towards him. Given her past, she often felt some compassion for those who were outsiders from their groups or races, being a part of something but at the same time not at all. The explanation still didn’t account for his random changes in facial expression or mood, but Nascha supposed that he still had quite a few secrets.

Vague curiosity nagged at the edges of her mind as to what he had done to earn his marking, but she pushed it back. Nascha already knew that her last question was somewhat out of line, and on top of that, she didn’t want to end up sharing feelings or anything uncomfortable like that.

“I see,” she said at last, scraping her wet hair over one shoulder and wringing it out, careful not to crush the feathers. “You don’t look that scary to me, Akalak.” At this, a small smile quirked at the side of her mouth. “But your ability to keep away unwanted people does sound useful. Perhaps you can teach me sometime, and I won’t have to get tattoos, yes?” This last question was intended as a joke, perhaps so that they could part on good terms. Well, not good terms, more like something beneath hostility.

[Hyran]

Hyran watched her wrench out her dark hair, and followed the drops of water that rolled down her shoulder with his eyes. “Perhaps I could,” he sounded a little absentminded.
Had his meager answer on her previous question really sated her curiosity? He could hardly imagine that to be true. Maybe she had a little reserve after all.

“You’re taking a risk though, by asking me,” he added, casting a sidelong glance at the crow. “You might not be scared by my appearance, but those markings aren’t there for nothing. Keep that in mind if you decide you seriously want to go through with it.”

Busy with his own thoughts, he hadn’t really picked up the joke. The Cerulean’s fingers still tangled and twisted themselves in the necklace he wore, and he turned his gaze back at the Chaktawe girl in front of him. It had been a while since he’d spoken to someone like this.
Within the Takula outpost there was an ever present tension, a need to be on guard, because everyone there could react quite unpredictable, which often resulted in a reasonable amount of violence. And the people in Riverfall were usually wary of him, with good reason he knew, but it was tiring sometimes.
This conversation however, was simple. He realized that this girl’s attitude towards him -even though it had been honestly irritating at first- was still untainted by prejudices about his being, and that was something he noticed he liked. But he also knew very well that it would probably change as soon as she figured out what he was really capable of.

Can't blame her.

[Nascha]

Nascha’s eyes widened a little bit. She hadn’t expected him to take her joke seriously. Just as she was about to say something to assure him she had only been joking, he spoke first.
“You’re taking a risk though, by asking me.”
Well, she couldn’t say no to a challenge like that, could she? Still wanting to think about it, though, she decided to get out of the water (the idea of swimming all day was obviously not going to work out). Quietly, she made her way to the bank several paces from where the Akalak was sitting, then climbed out. As usual when she swam, she had nothing to dry herself with, except perhaps her cloak. In the hot sun, though, that wasn’t too much of a problem. She sat down near the water’s edge, aligning herself with the most sunlight she could.

Did she really want to learn something from this stranger? He was obviously dangerous but, despite being somewhat annoying, he had yet to do anything to her. She had the feeling that, as long as he was kept reasonably calm, she would be safe. Not only that, but it wasn’t as if she was going to stay with him forever. One or two days, maximum and she would be gone, free to continue her journey and a little safer in the knowledge that she had learned something.

“I’ve been travelling alone for four years now,” she said finally, not taking her eyes off the water in front of her. “Risk isn’t one of my main concerns, really. I’d be happy to learn, if you think you can handle it.”

[Hyran]

Hyran decided the girl was either brave, or very stupid. Or both, Kahn noted disgruntled, obviously not pleased with the situation.
The Cerulean studied her form as she settled herself comfortably in the sun. So she'd been traveling for quite a long time, that was usefull. It explained a little of her attitude, and it was comfortable to know she must've learned to read people well enough as to avoid some potentially dangerous situations on her travels. Well... that wasn't true entirely, she was here, after all.

"Alright, but under one condition." Hyran spoke, meanwhile keeping his gaze fixed at her form. "Don't trust me, trust your instincts. When they tell you to run, you run."

After a moment of silence, he cocked his head slightly and frowned, "wel then, Chaktawe, do you have a name?"

[Nascha]

Nascha noted his condition, but didn't think too seriously about it. It had been a very long time, over ten years, since she had trusted someone over her own instincts, and she had been let down. Rather, she had let them down. Regardless, she certainly wasn’t planning on trusting the Akalak anyway. She wasn’t an idiot; she knew he was dangerous. At the same time, though, Nascha’s instincts, most likely due to the general attitude of her people, rarely told her to run. She wouldn’t mention that. Rather, she just nodded gravely, raising her eyes to meet his.

It had been a while since Nascha gave her name to anyone except for the birds she cared for, but she supposed it was an obvious step. At least by exchanging names, she could stop calling him Akalak , which was a word she didn’t particularly care for. She also didn’t like being called Chaktawe. As far as she was concerned, she wasn’t a real Chaktawe until she had a guardian. The title shamed her more than anything else.

“Nascha,” she said finally, leaning over and extending a hand for him to shake. “And you call yourself..?”

[Hyran]

“Hyran.”
The way she had formulated her question was remarkably fitting, even though she wouldn’t know it. Hyran was indeed a name he had chosen for himself, not the name that had been given to him once. He was not that person anymore.

The Cerulean accepted her open hand and greeted her properly. Noting how small her hand felt within his, he chuckled. It would be of no use to teach her how to throw a proper punch at someone, she lacked the strength to back it up and that would take more than just a few days of training. Basic defense and quick getaway tricks would be more useful to her. Strength was surely not the biggest factor deciding the outcome of a fight, and he was guessing speed might be her strongest point.

“Do you have any experience at all with unarmed combat?” He needed to know what she was already capable of, so he would not be wasting time on things she’d already picked up somewhere.

[Nascha]

As he took her hand, it turned out Hyran wasn’t the only one noting the difference in size. His hand practically swallowed her own, making her feel more vulnerable than she liked. Nascha retracted her arm as quickly as was polite, bringing it down to her side where she could lean on it for support as she faced her new trainer.

Experience in unarmed combat? Well, she had fought before, that much was sure. The outcome had not been in her favor at first, but she had quickly learned, by watching fighting in arenas and bars, different holds and techniques to get out of situations or render an opponent immobile. Mostly, though, she had had the element of surprise on potential muggers, feeling their approach before they reached her and hiding herself. She chose her battles.

“I suppose I’ve learned as much as anyone who has been travelling as long as me could,” she said thoughtfully. “I know how to get out of most holds, how to use an opponent’s weight against them, how to incapacitate someone with a few holds. Really it’s just enough to fend off petty thieves.” Nascha shrugged.

[Hyran]

“Sounds like a good start though,” Hyran nodded. He’d have to play around with her for a bit, see just how far her skills and knowledge stretched, and what he could help her improve on.
Actually he had other matters to tend to, but they were not that pressing and could easily wait another day. This was an interesting break from his usual routine, and Hyran would not let the opportunity slip by to have a little fun -if that is what it was going to be.

With a light scoff he got back up on his feet, stretching his limbs one by one. He’d already overdone it while training this morning, and he knew his muscles would give him quite the payback later. But that did not matter to him now.

“Well Nascha,” he opened a hand to her, ready to pull her up from the ground. “Show me what you've got.”

[Nascha]

Having travelled alone and fended for herself for so long, Nascha hardly felt that it was necessary to accept help in something as simple as standing up. Still, she decided it would be rude not to acknowledge the gesture, particularly after he had offered to teach her a valuable skill. So, it was more out of a sense of obligation than anything else that she took his hand, once again noting the almost comical difference in size. Instead of pulling on his hand to haul her body up, she pushed herself off the ground with her free hand, barely placing any weight on his hand at all. This way, she wasn’t accepting full help, but she also wasn’t being ungrateful.

She thought quickly, weighing up what she knew of Hyran already. He was larger and stronger, but those weren’t necessarily the deciding factors of a fight. She had his hand in hers already, and could probably execute a throw that would propel him in to the river. However, the slippery surface of the banks would probably hinder that attempt. Not only that, but Nascha realized that Hyran had most likely already anticipated a route along those lines just as he offered his hand.

Deciding that there was little she was able to do from that position, she let go of his hand once she was steady on her feet and shook her head. “I can only defend myself, not attack. I’m afraid that you’ll have to show me what you’ve got before you see anything from me.” This was actually true. Nascha had never really attacked someone, her goal always being to get away from a situation rather than in to one.

[Hyran]

Nascha accepted his hand, but got up mostly on her own strength. It amused Hyran slightly, even though he could have seen that coming.
Once again, he quickly let his eyes wander over her form. She seemed to have a wide, steady stance naturally, which was good, but her build was quite fragile.

Hyran’s observations became less analytic when he concentrated on the dark hair framing her face, and the delicate curve of her neck and shoulders. They reminded him of someone from the past, someone he refused to forget, but of whom the memories where more like a haunting than a pleasure to relive. So he shook his head to chase the upcoming visions away, and focus on the situation at hand.

“Alright than,” he replied, attempting to get his thoughts back on track. “For starters, try to get out of a few holds. Do you know how to free yourself from a chokehold?” Hyran moved behind Nascha while he spoke, slowly circling his arms around her until her throat rested lightly in the crook of his left elbow, and his right hand pressed slightly against the back of her neck. His grip wasn’t strong, he kept his muscles relaxed for the most part for he did not really want to cut off her air, but as soon as she would try something, his grip would tighten enough to give resistance.