Closed [Martial Association]Open Paw, Closed Fist[Sarai Naavah]

[Rykanis Dakshata]

Morning of:X Summer 514 (To be edited-formely 2 summer) The Martial Association of Zeltiva. Rykanis found the idea a bit laughable, when he compared it to the training halls of Riverfall. In Riverfall everyone fought, and there were several locations set aside and built specifically for training to fight. They even had different halls for fighting with or without weapons. Along with that, each of the places was built for the single purpose of training to fight, whereas this seemed more of a afterthought. Surely if someone put their mind to it they could make a more proper place to fight. As it was, Rykanis had to make do with what was available, and practice his skills with whomever he could. Rykanis spent a few moment looking about the current home of the Martial Association, of where it fought and trained. There was little to it. There were also few people there. Of course it was still early in the day, so perhaps that was part of it... But still, it seemed oddly sad, forgotten, and neglected, when he compared it to the proud halls of Riverfall built with no other purpose or use in mind but that of training ones body into a weapon, or to use them.

[Sarai Naavah]

Since leaving the orphanage it felt like the world was at her finger tips, a world she couldn’t even imagine laid before her and she was determined to explore it all. It was one of her first days on her own and she stumbled across the Martial Arts Association completely without plan or purpose but as she passed it her attention was taken and her feet paused in their attempt to drink in the entire city. Chewing the inside of her cheek she stepped closer and peered in, wide eyes brightly scanning the area and the fighters within before they landed on a man who stood out from all the rest. He was so tall her eyes only widened as she took him in, he was just standing there looking around but that wasn’t what brought her inside the association – he was … well he was deep violet in color and that was completely new to her. Without realizing what she was doing Sarai was walking in chewing on her bottom lip with a sharp canine as she ran a hand through her thick hair. She wasn’t the type to approach someone normally so she kept her distance even now as she stared. It was like she was looking at a painting, no one was really purple were they? Apparently they were. She remembered reading somewhere about a race that was purple or blue or some hue close to that but she didn’t truly believe it until she saw the tall male she was staring at now. What were they called again? … Aklli? Attalak? …. Sarai tried to remember what she read about them, whatever it was it was long enough ago that she couldn’t quiet wrap her mind around the name of his race though she continued letting her thoughts churn. Her steps were quiet and light as they brought her closer – her eyes only diverted from the large male to look at the few others in the space who were training together. She was never a fighter but maybe she should learn? She was here anyways might as well put it to use, plus it was a new experience and well she wanted new experiences it was why she was exploring the city from sun up to sun down anyways. A few deep breaths calmed her and finally the petite female stepped up to the males side and she crossed her arms beneath her breasts staring out at what he was staring out at, she was playing it cool. Maybe she would learn something by watching. She didn’t greet him, she wasn’t a big talker so unless he spoke to her she’d place herself comfortably beside him and shift her weight slightly from side to side every moment or two. She tried to look tough as if she belonged and like he was expecting her to join him despite not knowing her. One look at her eyes though would clearly give away the slight panic behind her silent gaze. If he moved she’d follow a few timid steps behind, he looked strong and like he knew why he was there so she decided she could learn something from him by being near him.

[Rykanis Dakshata]

Rykanis stood before the few people available, trying to decide who he should challenge. As he glanced amongst them, none immediately came to the forefront as a worthy foe. For a moment his right hand slid across the hilt of his lakan resting on his right hip. He knew where it was without even looking, having carried it around for as long as he could recall. Plus being a lakan of his own crafting, it was innnately tethered to him. He'd found it when a wild ferret kelvic had stolen it from him, had chased it down and regained it from the coward. It was a action that could have easily been worthy of a death on the part of the kelvic, for there were few crimes worse than stealing a Akalak's lakan. Lakan's were to be gifted, not taken, and they were a weapon any true Akalak carried by his side wherever he went. He would as likely cast it aside as he would cut off his own arm. Who here however would be worthy of crossing blades with his lakan? He did not see anyone who could handle him, metal to metal, strike to strike. Rykanis train of thought however was broken, as his other half brought his attention to a female entering the building, slowly striding across the room. She was clearly attempting to go unseen, to be quiet and to slip into the background. But Rykanis had seen her. Of course he did not look, he knew enough from spying on others and gathering intelligence on them to know that looking would give to much away. It was far better to think she was succeeding in spying on him. One could learn much from letting someone else think they were succeeding. As it was the time for more subtle arts of espionage, Rykanis' other side took over by a mutual acceptance of the fact that he was better suited for the situation. Rykanis did not like subtlety, he did not like watching and waiting, he liked action. This girl though was not to skilled at the task of spying, not by the way she so clearly stared at him. Rykanis got a fleeting look as he moved his eyes over her, looking from one spot to a spot on her other side. He did not let his gaze stop on her, instead simply taking in what he could in the moment of passing gaze. This was a good tactic to spy on someone spying on you. In his momentary glance he noticed some vague details. She was short, short even for a tiny humans height. She had hair that did not behave, and that was a odd sand color. He also noted the odd hue of her skin, odd when compared to the normal pale, or pasty, or cream colored skins of the humans he so often saw. In the next pass he took in her clothes, giving a periphery examination. Often ones clothes said something about a person, whether it was simple or refined. It also might aid him in knowing if she was hear to spy on him on purpose, or if she had simply decided to do so upon seeing him. As she slowly came closer, it became all the more clear she was attempting to be sneaky. She was none to subtle about it, but clearly she thought she was doing so. Rykanis smiled as the thought occurred to him, but since he was not in control it did not show on his face. She continued to grow closer, and as she did it became all the more difficult to hold up the charade that he did not notice her. He had two options. He could play dumb, and pretend he was only now noticing her... Or he could tip his hand, and attempt to throw her off by revealing how bad she was at being stealthy, in an attempt to gain information from her while she was unbalanced. But of course since he could always do the latter later, and since by doing the latter he would lose the chance to attempt the former, it was only logical to attempt to play dumb to her having been spying on him. More directness could come later if need be. Finally deciding that he should "notice her", or at least reveal to her that he had noticed her, he turned to look at her, finally taking in her eyes. The eyes were off, and suddenly told him another thing about her. But looking at her in the eyes it also showed the flare of the eyes, the tension shining across her face showing her fear, or perhaps simply her discomfort. When he spoke it was in a smooth even tone, without much use of inflection or emotion, as if the words were a bit to practiced and not simply rolling off of his tongue naturally, as he gazed into the tiny girls eyes. Of course common not being his native tongue added to this, and forced him to be a bit more careful in his speech, so as to make himself clear and to not misuse any terms. "Hello there. I am Rykanis. And you are? Do you frequent this establishment often? Are you here to fight? Or just to watch? Or something else?" Rykanis would pause, and glance about the room once more, taking in the various people. "Are you here alone? Or are you here with another?"

[Sarai Naavah]

Sarai spooked at the sound of his voice despite the silky tones each carefully placed word held. She tilted her gaze up to him giving into his questions with a look of pure hesitation and she naturally took a step away from him letting her hands knot into the black linen dress that hung to her knees. Her mouth opened silently and she closed it again glancing between him and the rest of the people in the Martial arts center while she tried to pick which of his questions to answer first, there were so many. Finally she splayed a hand out in front of her with her small palm facing up as if to reveal the openness of the gesture “My name is … Sarai.” Her voice vibrated against her throat in a pleasant velvet tone that was strung a bit tighter than it should be with her nerves. Pulling her hand back into her body she’d bring it to push through her curls, her fingers getting caught a few times before they wiggled free from the mess and she nipped her bottom lip. Her form thrummed with her fear but she forced herself to take that step back towards him that she had retreated with only a moment before. Her body shifted from side to side while she answered his other questions slowly if only because it let her come to the words without stuttering. “I .. I’ve never been in here before.” Her eyes widened slightly and she added quickly “I don’t know how to fight …” She turned her eyes out to the others again and watched them with her head tilted ever so slightly. Scuffing her boot into the floor she added with even softer words, almost a whisper now “…I saw everyone …” she motioned a delicate hand out towards the people sparring and then towards him before twisting her hands once again into her dress “…and wanted to see more.” Rosey colors flourished against her honeyed skin and her chest rose a bit faster with her escalating nerves. His last questions made her look up to him again “I’m alone.” The soft corners of her lips pulled down in a subtle frown before she strung together her own series of questions for him – that’s how socializing worked right? You asked each other questions until you knew everything about the other person? “Rykanis…” She spoke his name, testing it before she continued “Are you waiting for someone? Do you come here to fight? Do you know how to fight?” She paused and looked towards her feet before glancing quickly back up and added with interest “Will you teach me?” The next words that left her lips rushed out in a tornado of panic that he would find her question to invasive and bothersome – perhaps he didn’t want to be bothered “…I mean you don’t have to, maybe you don’t know how to fight? Everyone else just seemed busy and you were standing here alone without a partner …I’m a fast learner ... you should know that.” She concluded in a breath that made a strand of hair in front of her face blow outwards. Of course the fact that he was separated from the others wasn't the only reason she approached him but she wasn’t about to say anything even remotely close to that to him. The young leopard chewed her bottom lip while she watched him and waited for his answers, her body poised ready to flee if he told her to leave him be and stop bothering him.