Ayatah mulled over the Kelvic's first question. Of course she missed her family and friends, but did she miss the jungle itself? She supposed that the very fact she was having to ask herself the question indicated to Ayatah that her answer was no. But that seemed unappreciative of Myri's kingdom, and guilt nibbled away at her conscience. Her head tilted slightly, and Aya frowned as she considered her reply.
"I don't know. Sometimes I do. When I feel frustrated, I wish I could stride into the jungle to be alone, but here there are so many people." She shrugged her shoulders before speaking again,
"but other times I realise how much Zeltiva can give me. Taloba could never provide me with the knowledge and career I wanted. Do you want to return to Avanthal one day?" She hoped that the other woman would say no; it would certainly make Aya feel less guilty.
As the redhead slashed her dagger, Aya circled her slowly, black eyes scanning up and down her body to take note of her stance, arms and hands. Once again, she was impressed. Saraphina moved smoothly, as if her muscles were liquid and her bones jelly.
"Have you ever danced before, Saraphina? Or perhaps acrobatics?" If the girl had good balance and was light on her feet, Aya guessed she would be able to master Myrian Fire dancing in no time.
But it was the redhead's statement about bones that truly impressed the half-breed. She smiled faintly, and the modesty of her smile hid the appreciation and admiration that swelled warmly in her belly.
"You are the first person outside Taloba who seems to appreciate Bones the way I do." Saraphina had been correct when she'd said that most people regard bones as fearful. Many individuals who Aya had spoken to reacted in such a way when she introduced herself.
"It is good to hear someone else say those words."The Myrian demonstrated the reverse grip once more. With a flick of her elbow, she raised her arm vertically to block an imaginary attack. She nodded.
"You're correct. By raising your arm in response to your opponent, you can block their attack or knock their weapon out of their hands." Her unarmed left hand tapped her wrist and then her elbow.
"You must be careful, though. If you connect a joint to your opponent, you could fracture your bones."Once again, she regarded the Kelvic before twisting her body, presenting Saraphina with her slim right side, leading with her dagger in her right hand. Her knees were bent, joints poised and limber and ready for battle.
"You know the two most basic holds now, so let's practise them." A smirk came to her lips; she was clearly enjoying this.
"You try to stab me, and I'll try to dodge or block. Take your time, though. It's important that you familiarise yourself with how your muscles move with the dagger." She demonstrated by reaching forward with her dagger in a forward-grip, poking Saraphina in the navel before retracting her arm away.
"As you feel more confident, and become more on target, we can speed up." With that, Ayatah nodded, and shuffled herself left and right to become a moving, bobbing target. Should Saraphina move to stab her, Ayatah might turn left or right to dodge the dagger, or raise her left arm to block the jab. Other times, she allowed the wooden blade to touch her skin, and when she did Aya would watch the dagger carefully until it came in contact with her stomach or arm, as if measuring the pressure and accuracy with which Saraphina wielded it.
oocSo sorry for the delay! In truth, I thought I had replied to you a while ago but clearly hadn't. My apologies!