Flashback The children who teach one another

[Valo]

Age: 17 years 70th Spring 506AV Early afternoon Archery Range The sound of arrows being expelled, penetrated the air, disrupting the silence which otherwise hung over the archery range. "You really aren't very good at this are you?" laughed Tora, her frosty eyes gleaming with light as she ridiculed her older brother over his skill, or rather lack of skill, in the art of archery. Even though she had started this occupation almost a whole year later than he had, it seemed that pure talent coursed her veins and soon she became the archer of the family. The pride of her mother and the beloved marksman of her siblings. "I keep telling you to focus more on each shot." "I am focusing." he grumbled in turn. Whereas all of this came so naturally to her, he lacked both the love and the talent for any weapon skill. Having abandoned the notion of archery completely, it was only lately that she had pressured him back into it. And with full force Tora made it her business to teach him and to perfect him. Though despite his deep gratitude however, he did not make her job easy as frustration quickly overtook him at yet another one of their practices. It seemed at this remark the radiant smile in her face only grew and she indulged in letting him know just how awful he truly was. A rainy cloud over his head, partly an incentive for him to try harder, partly childish fun at his expense. And matching the boy's elegance in her own movement, Tora grasped the bow from him, nudging him gently to the side and explaining once again that which they have been over so many times. A hope in her heart that he may grasp the technique finally, though it was only hope for somehow she presumed his next shot will be just as terrible as all the others he had done today. A day worse than perhaps all those other days during which they practised together. Valo stepped to the side, giving his beloved little sister - though she was technically little more than a year younger and matched him in both intellect and maturity, he still regarded her as the little sibling he must look after - plenty of space to once again demonstrate. His eyes observing every movement, every twitch of muscle in her as she stood in a perfect pose with the bow at her hip and the arrow knocked onto the string. A prerequisite grin of subtle mischief, before the weapon was raised and her eyes gaining a predatory emotion to them. A precision with which she eyes the pinned the target and which did not escape the observant emerald eyes of her brother. At first Tora'd head was bowed slightly, a meticulousness lining of the arrow tip with the bull's eyes. Her chest barely elevated and she barely breathed, keeping a firm stance, her features not shaking at all; unlike him who trembled slightly with every shot. Her strong right arm then moved back, not slowly yet not too fast, giving the fibres of the bow string enough time to stretch and gather the potential energy within them. Another thing he noticed he did wrong, for when Valo pulled back the bow string it was either too fast, resulting in the lack to strength to pull it all the way back; or too slow in which case his sister jeered and made nasty remarks about his fear of bows. He wasn't afraid! He was just gentle. And as the wood of the bow compressed under tension, and the string pulled all the way, the arrow lined with the target, Valo observing her every movement with scholarly contemplation, Tora tilted her head backwards just a little and her chest inflated. Still not a shake from her feminine features which for the final moment seemed to have been frozen in time like a statue. What Valo saw next was a sudden explosion of movement as her hand, a claw, released the bow string and the entirety of the energy built up in the tension within the wood was expelled, propelling the arrow though the air, it's wooden shaft flexing a little before impacting with a muffled thud straight into the red eye of the bull, the target. A sudden halt as the tip disappeared within the material. A flawless shot that left Valo's lips a little ajar, for he could not prevent him self from being awfully impressed with her. A pride that they shared blood, if only half of it. And it was only after a moment that she finally breathed out and the expression returned into her ivory features. "That's how it's done." she exclaimed before handing him the bow again. "See, Tora, you make it all look so simple." he commented, quickly banishing that expression of awe and replacing it with subtle bitterness and scepticism which was necessary to his profession of being an older brother. "It is simple." she cried at the retort. For the more of a sceptic he became, the more she adopted a manner of ridicule, enjoying her self greatly at his expense. "You just need to try harder, for your girly fingers are too lazy Valo." Valo and Tora's relationship was quite peculiar, for despite the altruistic love in which they shared, not being able to imagine how one would fair without the other for they had been the best of friends; their communication was a convoluted mess of jeering and thoroughly unpleasant retort. Perhaps their own little sense of humour. A speech bound play fight, a manifestation of their utmost comfort in each other's company, to the point where they could frivolously adopt this manner. It was an intricate relationship that they shared, for once upon a time in their early youth Tora had deemed her older sibling a figure to look up to. And she did a lot of this looking up to him. In her great innocence she spent all the time in the world with him, attempted at everything he ever did and took interest in anything he ever took interest in. She'd sneak out on adventures and he in turn was unfathomably protective, like an older brother should be. In many aspects they were the same. A love of mischief and adventure bound them and a curiosity of the unknown and the unbearably inquisitive nature. A certain deep recklessness, that manifested perhaps more in her than in him, but at their very core was the same. And a fundamentally good heart, a love of life and everything it brought. A zest for knowledge, a curiosity in what may or may not lay out there. A deep infatuation with it all, the world. However as she grew in age she also grew in her very bold nature. A light hearted and confident girl, is what she became and often she surpassed even him in charisma. Of course she took on a lot of his own characteristics too, like the profound elegance and the quick wit. Though Tora revelled in sarcasm and satire and all the other forms of humour available to her. And beneath that pleasant outer shell, lay the cunning mind of a little joker. Whereas Valo grew in femininity, she in tern grew in masculinity, being far more interested in professions like archery or falconry than anything else. and her interest in other boys was utmost minimal, having grown up without a father, but most importantly at the centre of her life there was only one boy who bore any importance and that was Valo. And she cherished their friendship relentlessly. As Valo took the bow from her, she stood on her tip toes slightly to reach the top of his head and ruffled his scarlet hair so that strands now hang about his face. And she did so with a daring smile, though sprinkles of warmth were present in her eyes. He inhaled and exhaled calmly before knocking the arrow onto the string like she did and stabled him self. A look in Tora's direction as if to seek approval, to which she merely replied. "We haven't got all day." her arms crossed and her eyebrows raised with impatience. Or course she wasn't really impatient, but made it out just to bother him a little. And he in turn learned not to take too much care of her playful teasing, for it brought nothing but a jolly grin to his face, before subsiding with some sarcastic retort. He steadied him self, just like she did beforehand and kept his feet as a sturdy base, just hip width apart. It there was one word she constantly repeated , it was 'steady' usually fallowed by a remark about his femininity. And so this time he was determined not to allow her to repeat that cursed word. Valo brought the bow before him, bringing the arrow in position before pulling back the bow string and the arrow with it. His hand, a claw upon the elastic device. The other hand grasped firmly at the anchor point of the bow which seemed the only thing he ever did correct in her eyes."Tilt the bow a sightly. You're holding it too straight!" she demanded, reminding him once again. Oh yes, he completely forgot that, but did as he instructed. Tilting the bow about the anchor point so that the arrow lay soundly against the wood. "Now bring the string back more. Some on don't be such a girl!" she called, disrupting hos concentration completely. "And you tell me to focus without allowing me the privilege of peace and quiet." he snapped, pulling the wring further back until his arms shook a little. "Focus Valo!" she in turn demanded. "Don't talk just shoot already or your arms won't take the tension. And by the love of the gods, hurry up." He didn't reply to that nagging of her's, instead taking it as constructive critique. There was truth to her words, for he had spent too much time holding the string back in that position and his left arm began to shake under the tension, making it much more difficult to aim. None the less he tried to overcome that subtle ache that the weapon caused in his muscles. He wasn't weak, not at all. In fact unlike the spindly fibres for limbs he possessed in his earlier years, Valo had grown into a surprisingly strong teen for his slender build. The problem was with all the time he had wasted. A moment of pure silence fell upon them as he aimed and she in turn watched. A determination within her to improve that lousy aim of his and to improve his skill all together. For he lacked the determination she possessed when it came to archery. He lacked the same love for it that he held for art and perhaps that was the cause of this lack of determination, so his sister decided she would be his determination. And when he refused to practice she would nag him and mock him and taunt him until he had enough and obeyed her. A gesture of nothing other than love, she would tell her self. Deep inside he did appreciate it, but simple refused to admit it. As he lingered in that silence, the arrow head began to sway, refusing to stay aimed at the bull's eye of the target like he willed it to.The final push came from her with the worlds "Just shoot already!" and with utmost frustration, the string was released and the arrow embedded it self into one of the peripheral rings with an abundance of force. Tora's laughter rand though the air, merry laughter of derision saturating it. She joyfully skilled over to him and wound her arms around his slender frame, pressing her cheek into his side and placing another arrow into his hand. "At least this time you hit the target." she smiled, frosty eyes looking up at him with a profound innocence of a little girl within them. The eyes which he could not be angry with, despite her teasing. And his arm wound around her protectively, the arrow in between his teeth he did so. The whole gesture lasted perhaps less than a moment, but it was essential. A way of comforting him and showing him that he wasn't as useless as she claimed. The next several shots weren't so successful either, for Valo had a habit perhaps of concentrating too long on each one. And it was only after she pointed it out several times that he decreased his aiming time, causing his shots to be rather careless, but at least better aimed. Though none flawless. He'd say he wasn't having a great day for all this training, but his little sister refused to let him go until he had hit the bull's eyes at least once. And so he fired shot after shot, allowing her time to retrieve the arrows and trying again and again. Relentless in his training, he became and the frustration which arose with him and his sister's instruction finally caused him to try a little harder, to try a little better. A new found determination, which resided deep in him, needing time to resurface. A determination that manifested it self, the more he practised, until with yet another shot, this time not being all that far from the bull's eyes though the penetration into the target needed improving, he was filled with the need to get it right. The repetition was key. And as the sun began drifting lower in the sky, the repetition became indeed repetitive. Shot after shot after shot. Some better, some perhaps worse. Once r twice completely missing the target, but otherwise a general improvement could be seen within him. He practised until his arms ached and his eyes burned with the fire of this determination. Yet another emotion accompanied, residing somewhere in the pits of his stomach and that very emotion was the need to prove him self to his younger sibling. A need to reward her constant nagging with his improvement. For every time she saw that in him, a greater smile seemed to illuminate her jolly face. And she was his beloved little sister and he would make her proud. Once again, strong stance and the bow brought before him. Eyes focused, mind clear aim taken.The weapon gently rotated to the right about the anchor point, very gently so that the arrow lay snugly against the wood. The arrow pointing straight at the bull's eye as his clawed hand swiftly, yet not to swiftly, bringing the bow string back. And once that was fully tensed, he pulled just a little more so that the wood it self would accompany in that tension, taking a more curved shape. Valo inhaled a splinter of a second which was the prerequisite to expelling the arrow from the bow... He missed, yet only by centimetres. Again, strong stance and the bow brought before him. Eyes focused, mind clear aim taken.The weapon gently rotated to the right about the anchor point, very gently so that the arrow lay snugly against the wood. The arrow pointing straight at the bull's eye, bow string pulled back causing profound tension. A moment to inhale, before expelling the arrow from the bow. A cursed hiss escaped his lips. Yet another miss, though this once lingered just off the bulls eyes. So close yet not close enough. "Come on, one last time." she pleaded, handing him yet another arrow. Her manner shifting acutely from the teasing of an overly courageous sibling, to that off a supportive sister with gentle threads of innocence wound into the words. If there was one thing in the world that Valo could not refuse, it was those puppy eyes of hers. But she wanted him not to become discouraged, for her current approach could only get him so far and the day had rolled on relentlessly. Soon mother would be expecting them back home. With a sigh he repeated the action one last time. This time better, taking yet more care to execute the shot as perfectly as he could. Breathe in... and the arrow sliced though the air, flexing as it did before it's impact with the redness of the target. Tora gave out a cry of joy, throwing her hands in the air before clasping them together before her lips. He did it. He hit the bull's eyes. Perhaps not perfectly in the centre but he hit it and that was all that mattered. A feeling of content washed over him life a tidal wave. Almost disbelief and Valo proceeded to blink his eyes several times, bringing the luscious lashes down and then up again, before coming to complete acceptance with the situation. He did it. He hit the bull's eyes. And perhaps there was an element of luck there, or perhaps he just put him mind to it substantially. Whatever the reason, he finally did it and that achievement was celebrated with a warm hug and further ruffling of his hair by his sister, yet few more shots and then finally the return home where Tora wasted no time to announce his victory over the mysterious ways of the bow.

[Valo]

Evening Tora wasn't exactly the most proficient of artists, it seemed. but in spite of that, she still appreciated good art whenever she may lay her eyes upon it. And one thing which she deemed good art, were the drawings and paintings of Valo. Thus later on that evening the tree of them, Valo, Tora and her twin Sibel, sat by the candle light, ready to spend some times as siblings, allowing Valo to work upon his art. Sibel was perhaps the most beautiful one out of the three of them. A creature of utmost femininity, despite her young age. For she looked at least two or three years older than she really was, which manifested in the perfect sculpting of her feature, prominent cheek bones and the slender nose which she shared with Valo. Eyes of perfect almonds, a pale green like the shimmering morning due upon fresh grass. A gentle girl and a quiet one, much unlike her boisterous twin sister . She sat there, perfectly still on a chair, smiling gracefully, her pale face and the luscious Inarta hair which was draped over one shoulder, now lingered in constant chiaroscuro, illuminated by the candles. Valo stood directly opposite with his canvas on the easel. Tora hovered about, peering over his shoulder. His eyes studied Sibel's pretty face with utmost intensity, taking note of even the most insignificant of features. The way the shadow formed beneath her cheek bones, and the subtle smile lines around her eyes. The light sprinkling of charming freckles across her nose. The way her eyes reflected the candle light. His pencil placed all those features in constant succession on the canvas. Often he would bring the pencil before his face, close one eyes and measure the distance between her features, marking it with his thumb and then relating that to another feature which he could use for positioning. The angles that created the nose, the verticals that positioned the corners of her mouth and then led down to the flickering of shadow across her neck. A round oval for the shoulder. He drew in much a linear fashion, only lightly shading in those areas he truly needed. Often placing the vague outline of the shadows with geometry for that could also be used in the obtaining of anatomical correction. For perhaps it wasn't all completely perfect yet, but with each portrait, his knowledge and the use of anatomy to his advantage, became better. Tora kept very silent as he drew, hypnotised almost by the jagged movements of his hands and the grace with which he drew, The subtlety of the line and the scraping of led against canvas. Those large eyes watched with utmost intent. Soon he was completely submerged in his world of art, with Sibel who had become a form that needed to be represented in the most artistic and photo realistic way he possibly could and Tora, blending back into the background of silence. With his palette full of oil paint on his lap and best brushes at hand, he began mixing the colours into various shades of nude for the skin. An indulgence in the grey toned hues that made up a person. Though this time more warmth needed to be portrayed within the shades, for the candle light case an orange hue upon everything it touches and Valo's observant eyes did not miss this. That orange glow needed to be translated into the chiaroscuro of the painting. Chiaroscuro - a contrast of light and shadow. An equilibrium between darkness and light. One of Valo's very favourite painting stiles. He mined each colour so meticulously that one may think he paid more attention to the precise tone of the colour than the actual artwork it self. Therefore progress was insanely slow, for each hue needed to be perfectly blended into another. Each highlight must flow seamlessly into a lowlight to provide a third dimension to the form of the face. And so much time was dedicated to this that the layering of the oil paint was so thin that the texture of the canvas could be seen from beneath and even though he had been painting for a good few hours, he made very little progress. The eyes, the nose and the lip had lingered in a splodge of colour, painted best to his ability, on a white canvas. Soon his sisters became bore with the painting and as night rolled onto the vast sky, both girls surrendered to the powerful force of sleep. He however continued to paint, keeping the image of his sister's face in his mind for another hour or two. Relentless work with the brush and paint, until most of the face and the neck was finally painted. A final surrender on his behalf as he could no longer keep those green eyes of his open. A surrender of the canvas and a retreat to bed and the snuffing out of candles.

[Phoenix]

Valo

Award

Skill	XP Earned
Weapon: Short Bow	5
Observation	5
Drawing	3
Painting	2

•	Lores Earned
•	Tora: Tough love
•	Pressured to Practice
•	Short Bow: Proper Drawing Technique
•	Short Bow: Not enough Tension
•	Short Bow: Steady
•	Victory over the Bow
•	Drawing: Using Sibel as a model
•	Drawing: The study of shading
•	Drawing: Portraiture

The Order of the Phoenix

Another great solo! Short and sweet, if I do say so myself. I love your descriptions, as I said before, and I also love how Valo never quite does anything perfectly on the first try. It demonstrates that you have a good grasp on his abilities as well as his shortcomings.

I gave Observation for all of the teaching Tora did, as well as the description you put into having Valo watch her movements and ascertain what he was supposed to do from her examples.

I gave drawing as well as painting because he did both! Again, more detail would have meant more points but what you did submit was beautifully written. Great job!

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.