[The Sanctuary] Gracing The Tides Of Learning (Vanator)

by **Lysaea Frostfawn** on March 14th, 2014, 3:06 pm

Lysa heard the Drykas tell her to stop just a minute after she faltered. Gratefully stopping, she let her arms fall by her side. Making sure she didn't seem like she wasn't paying attention, she looked at Vanator directly. She couldn't imagine thinking that she fighting an enemy. She had seen a Zith before although it had been dead by the time she reached there. She had been killed by a girl who didn't seem to mind she had been nude at that time. That was probably the only reason why she ever remembered that day.

Keeping her attention fixed, she observed the Drykas's bending of knees. He was certainly right. The action did seem weird to the Huntress. Trying it out, she copied his movements as best as she could and bent her knees. So it would give her more flexibility and power apparently. If her memory wasn't that bad, she did recall someone else telling her that very same thing before.

Head facing the ground, she tried to find that position. Hunching over, she decided that her position was a bit over. Feeling this, she stood back up a little more and felt more comfortable.

Getting somewhere

At the Drykas's question, she grimaced slightly. She honestly didn't know. Something about the place was... well beckoning she guessed. It had seemed like a nice place compared to other places she had seen and it reminded her of the Holds in Avanthal somewhat. She didn't particularly get why it did or even that she was sentimental about her birthplace. Basically her first impression of the place was probably: Homely. That was something she was trying to find so naturally, she felt inclined to join. Thinking about a response while she maneuvered herself to the position that had been shown to her, she turned her mixed sapphire and amethyst eyes back towards the Drykas and opened her mouth to respond.

"I'm not sure to be honest, it just seemed like... home I guess," she simply said, being completely truthful. She didn't know what else to say; there just wasn't any other reason she could think of. Shaking her thoughts off, her now amethyst eyes returned from being distant to alert. If she was going to do something, she might as well do good in it. That's what she decided. Her halfheartedness in the task wouldn't help her in any way after all.

"What do I do now?" she asked, finally deciding her position was good enough.

OOCI just realised, I never did a thread for Lysa coming to the Sanctuary nor did I really think about why she would have decided to come either than it sounded good for her character. Thus if her reason sounds sort of bad sorry; it's entirely my fault for not thinking about it till now

by **Vanator** on March 17th, 2014, 5:15 pm

Lysaea was a good student, in that she had followed his instructions and made an attempt to do as Van instructed. The Vanthan girl seemed to begin to embrace the training, though Vanator had already discerned that the young woman either did not see the need, or possess the desire to learn defense. It was to Lysaea's credit that she was embracing Vanator's instruction in spite of her reluctance.

The huntress attempted to assume the fighting 'crouch' Van described. It did not look right when she started, and Lysaea herself felt that something was off. On her own, she made adjustments until if felt right. Van smiled, she found it herself, made the posture her own, that is what he wanted to see, taking initiative.

His attempt to pull her out of her shell had only partially succeeded. Lysaea seemed to ponder her answer to the question about why she was at Sanctuary, the Vanthan's gaze swirling between a deep blue and violet. Her answer was simple, without much elaboration. But Vanator understood what she meant when Lysaea said it felt like home. It was home. It was hard to make it so, at first, having grown up never living inside a structure of wood and stone. The he spent a nightmarish year in a Zith colony. But Sanctuary had...was his family. He and Kavala's children running around, close friends like Caelum, and of course his beloved sister. It was his home, and it was why he wanted to get to know Lysaea. She was in his home, and if she stayed, she would be family in his eyes. It was also why he insisted that she learn to fight. He would ensure his family would survive any attack.

The Vanthan's gaze had grown distant, and he wondered to what far off place her thoughts had wandered. As he cleared his throat, her gaze refocused, the purple now dominating her lovely irises. "It is home, for me. I hope it becomes your home too, Lysaea." Van offered her a sincere smile.

"Now, you have the basics of attacking with your spear. I don't have a lot of experience with the spear, but I had a wife who was, and she prodded me with it from time to time." He joked, laughing lightly. "Just keep a good foundation, thrust out and back quick, aiming for soft targets." Van pointed to his own body. "The abdomen, throat, armpits and loins. Those areas are soft and contain major blood vessels."

"So lets work on defending against attack. You can use the spear to block, holding it just like you would for a thrust attack, hands on the shaft, spread apart, at your side pointing out." Van took the wooden spear and held it forward towards Lysaea. "Take the spear and knock mine aside. Now, I am going to jab at you, and you try to knock it away." Vanator began to make slow thrusts at the huntress, at various targets on her body, giving her the chance to try to block them.

by **Lysaea Frostfawn** on March 22nd, 2014, 2:29 pm

Lysa let out a small but genuine smile when Vanator responded to her answer. She did hope it will be. Maybe it would be. Maybe it wouldn't. She didn't know. Only time would tell. Paying keen attention again to the armsmaster, her smile widened a fraction when he cracked a joke but chose to remain silent, instead thinking of how her mother was more brutal albeit in a humorous way to her father.

As Vanator pointed out the spots where Lysa should aim for, she couldn't suppress the strange look on her face when he said a place where a major blood vessel was the armpits. She couldn't help but doubt that. It just didn't make sense in her brain. Shrugging her shoulders. she made her face nonchalant again and decided to listen anyways.

Distracted by her nonsensical thoughts, the huntress looked mystified for the first part of the Drykas's next sentence before regaining her attention when Vanator held a wooden spear out towards her.

"Take the spear and knock mine aside. Now, I am going to jab at you, and you try to knock it away."

Lysa's eyes immediately turned into a mix of ruby and gold. Absolutely clueless about what the Drykas had said, she refused to let it show on her face and remained placid in her facial expression.

Following his instructions, she couldn't help but feel a little panicked when Vanator began thrusting at her. Unable to help herself, she took a slight step backwards to dodge the thrust than brush it away with her own spear. It was more of a natural instinct for her to dodge the attacks and maneuver herself around them rather than face it head on.

Doing this for the next few thrusts, she told herself that she needed to use the smallspear more. Holding it in front of her, she desperately tried to recall what Vanator had said about how to defend. Nope, nothing. All blank. Well then. When all was lost, the most she could do would be to try.

Instead of using the pointy bit of the spear, she used the bit slightly below it. Effectively, to an outsider's eye she would've have appeared to have been trying to use the smallspear like a sword.

by **Vanator** on March 26th, 2014, 6:52 pm

There it was. Vanator's heartfelt sentiment managed to garner a genuine smile from Lysaea. Not a grand smile, but the small one she offered lit her face up. It was a shame she did not smile more, the young Vanthan really was beautiful, with bright eyes and raven hair adorned with a sheen of violet. His silly joke plied Lysaea's humor further, stretching her grin to a full smile. Vanator would do his best to see more of that in the coming days.

Back to business, the pleasant curl of her smile flattened into a face of preplexity as the Drykas resumed teaching. Van saw the confused look, but Lysaea did not speak up, so he continued. Much of learning was best done by experience and experiment. Once they got to hands-on again, she would find her way.

Lysaea did not seem comfortable in her defense, but her instincts were good, and she naturally dodged his spear's thrust. Van saw the apprehension in her eyes as her movements seemed a bit panicked. But just like with her attacks, the Vanthan began quickly to catch on, using the shaft just below the spearhead to catch and deflect his thrusts.

"Good Lysaea, you are getting the idea. Just try not to swing or move the spear head too far to one side or the other and leave yourself open." Van withdrew the short practice spear, leaning on it, looking down at the young woman.

Larik walked by, Vanator's Kelvic son brushing the unruly brown hair out of his face, a bundle of wood under his arm. The raptor's eyes were fixed on Lysaea, until his father caught him eying the Vanthan. Van laughed as the teenaged-equivalent Larik hurried his past.

"Looks like you have an admirer. A fondness for Vantha runs in the family.I was married to a woman from Avanthal." Van grinned, turning to set the wooden spear against the wall. "I don't want to wear your patience. I just wanted to get you started, we can practice now and again. You are a hunter, you will pick it up in no time. Do you have any questions, about anything? I am here to help."

by **Lysaea Frostfawn** on April 8th, 2014, 6:37 am

As soon as Vanator told her that she was doing good, she allowed herself to relax from her tense position and nodded to acknowledge what he had told her. She'd keep that in mind if she ever encountered a situation in that she'd have to fight again. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. Aware of someone eyeing her, she opened her eyes again to see who it was and was met with a young man carrying wood.

She looked at him back curiously before he scurried off as Vanator saw him. It didn't really strike her particular interest when he told her that he had once been married to a Vantha but she still listened.

"I guess so," she responded slightly distantly as she continued watching after the young man before her violet gaze returned to the Drykas. "And no, I don't have any questions," she spoke, her voice becoming more solid again. She began to head back towards the within when she stopped as the passed the wall. She should really remember her manners.

"And thanks," she paused, looking back at the Drykas, "I enjoyed it,"

And with that last word, she walked gracefully away and headed back into the Within.

OOCI am really sorry that I haven't responded before this

I'll admit I forgot about it and I will never do so again! (Well at least I'll try) I think it sounds pretty finished so put it in for grading?

by **Ragdoll** on June 29th, 2014, 11:07 am

Grade Awarded!

Lysaea :

Vanator :

Don't forget to edit your grading request! Though I try my hardest to award you what you deserve, I may occasionally mess things up! If there's something you'd like to discuss about your grade, then please don't hesitate to send me a PM and I'll be happy to work things out with you.

Skill	Points
Socialization	3
Observation	2
Weapon: Smallspear	3

Skill	Points
Socialization	2
Teaching	4
Weapon: Spear	3

Closed [The Sanctuary] Gracing The Tides Of Learning (Vanator)