By the shore. [PAIN!]

[Markus Andres]

Markus gripped the handle of the blade when it was offered. It was as much instinct as experience. If he lost his blade, had he been told, many a times, then he was without a weapon, which increased the odds of him dying by a lot. Markus recovered a little while Pain talked about him being tough, albeit, with a little more sailor language involved. Then talking about the stuff he got 'down there'. Markus almost jerked up as a response, seeing if she had removed his pants while he had been out cold. But he could feel the fabric against his skin. She had been metaphorical. Markus had tried to give her hell, but she had just been better than him at fighting. He would just have to practice his unarmed more often. But it was hard to concentrate on something like that with the pain from his head coursing through his body. He forced himself up in a sitting position. Ignoring the said pain. Something he had gotten unusually good at from many years of training with his master. "But sometimes, hell is not enough..." He groaned after a little. She reminded him of their deal, which seemed far more sour with the pain involved. But a deal was a deal. "Of course. Just ask away." Markus said pushing himself up so he was standing. He didn't feel like lying or sitting down. He almost stumbled to the ground again, but using his blade as a cane he managed to stay standing. He was going to feel everything that had happened once he had slept for real. It seemed like he would be doing no evening practice. That would probably murder his muscles. Markus just kept his eyes at the water, waiting for her questions.

[Elhaym]

Pain could almost feel the discouraged vibrations from Markus as he muttered his response to her pep talk. It couldn't be helped. Even a Knight would some day clash swords with someone who was just better. It was best Markus learned this without having his life on the line, so he would be prepared to handle it in the future. For now, her part was over. Now, it was his turn to teach her. But, Pain did feel a bit bad. He looked horrible, and she decided she would keep her questions quick and concise. Actually, her question. She would have liked to learn about the Knights, but she didn't think Markus would really give much effort into divulging the history of his order at this point. So, she simply asked one thing. "Why do you do it? Why do all of you do it? You train your whole lives to be Knights... but what's in it for you? What makes you go on, getting spit on by drunks... getting killed in the wild, knowing no one really cares. Sure, your parents may care, maybe even a friend or two... but, why? What makes you people do it?" She was searching for a purpose too. She was not Knight material, this was true. But... when other people spoke about why they did what they did, Pain could get a glimpse of what it was like to live with purpose, to have that fervor for their duties. She needed to know. She needed to understand. What would give her purpose in life? Perhaps, if Markus could find it in himself to answer for both himself and as many of his peers as he could, Pain could discover something that may lead her in the right direction.

[Markus Andres]

Markus would recover quick enough, his master had ensured that Markus' downtime was as short as possible after being knocked out. His head cleared quite quickly and he felt ready to answer Pain's questions. But when her words reached his ears, he was surprised. He had expected questions related to what they did or how you become one... Not a question like that. Markus had avoided those questions for a while. They just let one down a road that eventually just sprung a trap of new questions. For him, it was better just follow the flow. Learn that skill. There, done. Now move onto something else. He rarely cared for the why anymore. The back-breaking discipline from his master had taken care of that. He looked away from the ocean/sea and looked at Pain, sitting there. Looking quite frail, but Markus knew that was quite deceptive. "It differs from knight to knight, of course. There are some hereditary knights, who only are there because of their family. And for those of us, who joined for other reasons. Some because they had grand illusions of the knights, others because they had no other choice. It is hard to label us all under one thing." Markus said. Still thinking of what he himself believed. It was a terrible hard question. He supposed bringing order and law to the world was the Knight's purpose. But was it what drove the individual knight? Markus was a bit lost on that subject. Should he just give her a general picture of them all, which would be vague? Or tell her a lie? Which he would feel pretty bad about, since he had struck a deal with her. It would be dirty to lie and not uphold his own side of the bargain. He would be like a thief. A dirty scoundrel. "But, for me..." He looked at the ocean now, finding it more relaxing for his train of thoughts. "... It is a deep rooted desire to change myself from what I once did... I want to stop evil wherever it might manifest its ugly head. Be there to help people in their hardships. Simply be the best a man can be, in both mind and body." He looked away from the ocean and at Pain. Realizing he had fallen into a trance like stance while he had spoken. When he looked back at his words. They had seemed awfully naive. But that was his drive. That was what made him go on.

[Elhaym]

Pain listened intently as Markus spoke, and though she felt he wasn't holding anything back she was slightly disappointed. No great insight seeped to her from his words, and though it was a difficult question to answer, she silently pleaded for more. Ah, he began to speak of his own desires. Pain perked up now, listening to his words. The desires of others would always be vague, but someone could explain their own reasoning in much greater detail. Markus spoke of changing himself, perhaps past sins... putting an end to evil. While Markus stared into the sea, Pain stared at the ground. Maybe her own deeply felt desire to firmly pinpoint what it was that would drive her forward in life was foolish. Maybe no one really knew... we could all say "I want to do this, because it i'm good at it and it'll make a small difference"... but, what did that really mean? How did someone really know that would make them happy, that it would make a difference at all? She supposed that maybe, deep down, no one really had a concrete answer. "You're not naive. Just... optimistic is all." Pain said wearily, getting to her feet. Was that rude to say? Maybe. Or maybe, Markus would find himself in a similar situation to her own one day, when the thing that drove her for so many years suddenly seemed like a foolish dream. Would it hurt him, like it did her? For so long, she had tried to live her dead brothers life. He had been an artist, and a good one. He longed to travel, to sing and dance, celebrate life and paint pictures that would immortalize his brief stay on this world forever. Pain was heartbroken now, realizing that his dreams, as much as she tried to make it so, did not fulfill her. A tear crept down her face, and she turned away, shamed. She dishonored her brother with her thoughts. Why did he have to die? "Markus... do me a favor. What you said, just now. It's beautiful... ahh, how to say this. It's... real. Just... don't ever lose that about yourself, okay? I know you don't know me, and I don't know you... hell, I doubt i'm someone you want to take advice from right now, or if you even want it. Just know this. Those things you said, they mean something. Don't become disheartened and lose your way... you'll question yourself, everything you've done, and it becomes... lonely. Markus, we can survive even if we're lonely, but if your dreams slip away from you... aw, petch, i'm horrible at this. It's just that even the greatest men and women will falter if they're left without even their dreams. So just... remember that." Pain got to her feet, her body weary from the exercise. It was brief, but an actual spar took a lot more out of the body than any typical workout would. The adrenaline leaving the body and the onset of aches and pains seemed to reach out and beg her to sleep, despite having woken not long ago. "I'm gonna go... sorry about, y'know... the whole getting knocked out thing. I hope you learned something from it. I think... I think maybe I did, too." Without further words, Pain turned to walk away. If he were to call to her, she would stop. If not, she would simply wander back towards the castle gates, lost in thought.

[Markus Andres]

Markus found it odd to be standing there, deep in thoughts about what drove him forward. Wondering if he had been telling the truth. It was what he felt, but was it the whole truth. Or was it all a lie he had tricked himself to believe in? He hated getting deep into thoughts. It always ended up like that, him second guessing his own thoughts. Wondering. Pondering. Always running in circles. He let Pain's words mingle with his thoughts. His eyes narrowed a little when she doubted that she wasn't someone he should take advice from, he felt compelled to push aside his own thoughts and focus on hers. But he found himself weary from the fight and he simply felt like he didn't have the mental capacity to help another person. Not in his current state. He felt like this fall season had taken a toll on him. The whole business with Airil had finally fallen to rest in his mind. And now this. He was thinking too much. He closed his eyes as his head reminded him of Pain's elbow - and where it had struck. Pain's words pierced the dizziness of the pain and advised him not to question himself. An advice that had come only chimes too late. But still, it meant that Pain actually gave him good advice. made him wonder why she doubted herself even more. He listened to her last words more closely. Trying to push away his own faltering confidence. She gave him her take on what would happen. he could only whole heartedly agree with her. When she said she were going to go, and apologized. Markus wanted to stop her. Say something to have her stay. He really didn't want to be left alone with his own thoughts. But he really felt like he didn't have anything left to give. He really just wanted to do something to get his mind off of... Well, his mind. "Pain, wait a second." Markus said, taking several hasty steps and put a hand on her shoulder. Hoping to every god out there, that she wouldn't react instinctively and put an elbow to his face ... or worse. "I know it wasn't a part of the deal. But. Where do you live, if I ever feel like getting knocked out again." Markus said with a small smile. Not finding himself funny at all, but he hoped his attempt at humor would bring a smile on Pain's lips. It wasn't much, but it was all Markus could muster at the moment.

[Elhaym]

Pain recoiled just tiniest bit as Markus' called out to her and grabbed her shoulder. Her mind wandered for a split second, flashing back to a fourteen year old Pain walking away from a yelling match with her father. The feeling of his strong hands digging into her shoulder, and spinning her around. Bad memories, but only for a small moment in time. Pain shook her head rapidly as if a fly had landed on her nose and she was trying to scare if off, chasing away the memory with physical action. "Uhh... I live at Traveler's Row, for now." Pain said as she turned to face him. She brought her hand to her face, curling her hand into a fist and wiping her nose. She hesitated for a moment, but decided to give in and let Markus in on a bit of a secret. "Listen, Markus. Out here, we can talk... but you're a Squire. You probably shouldn't... uh, let me put it this way. I did some things that weren't exactly, uh... well, the Knights are watching me so to speak. Not as though they're following me every day, y'know, but... they know. I'm not really in trouble, just someone they want to contain. You kind of... understand what I mean? I dunno if they'll be upset at you for talking to me." Simply put, she'd murdered three people and the Knights knew. They knew it was self defense, and they had let her off after an investigation revealed she was indeed in danger. That didn't change the fact that she had murdered them, and she had been involved in yet another altercation since then. The Syliran Knights knew Pain to be a person of interest, with her fighting skills and hot temper. Pain wasn't a bad person or a murderer by nature, but she had a mean streak that could make it happen. "So uh... just be careful, Markus. Like I said, I may not be the best person to take advice from. But I meant what I said." Pain muttered, raising her arms and clasping her fingers on the back of her head. She shifted her weight onto her left leg, the right having begun to ache. After effects.

[Markus Andres]

It would appear that Markus would not get the rest of mind that he so desired. For as his luck continued to sour for every passing day, he had once again stumbled into a person with a troubled past. Pain wouldn't go into details, it reminded him a lot of what had happened between Airil and him, just a whole lot of secrecy, but to the contrary of Airil, Pain was more open and a lot more talkative than Airil had ever been. Still, she peeked his curiosity. Keeping the details few. Leaving hints. But it was also a mess to understand. As Pain talked, Markus realized that she was doing it for different reasons than Airil. Trying to help Markus, it was a bit touching, but at the same time, it just tore at the still open wounds Airil had left in him. Those minor wounds where anger and rage seemed to slip so easily through. Markus felt the urge to step forward and grab Pain by the shoulders and shake and scream into her head. But he fought that urge with nail and tooth. Driving it back. Subduing it deep into the abyss of his mind. "Why should I give a damn about their feelings? Let them be upset. Let them be suspicious." The anger in his voice could easily be heard. Even though he had tried to flush the anger from his system. "It is my business if I choose to associate myself with you. The knights can go to hell if they disapprove of you training me in unarmed combat." Markus didn't really understand where the anger came from. Nor did he understand why his anger was so strong. Almost overwhelming. He turned away from Pain. Not wanting to look at her anymore. Waning to look at the soothing and calm waters. Find some inner peace instead of the anger that was gripping at his heart. It took him almost half a chime to find it in him to speak again.This time with noticeable less anger in his voice. "But thank you. For the warning. It was... Kind of you."

[Elhaym]

"Yeah, well. You may think that now." Pain said, folding her arms across her chest and pushing her weight onto her left leg. Her right leg was a bit sore from all the movement and stress, a carryover from an injury she had sustained earlier in the season. "First of all, you don't need me to teach you anything at this point. I showed you the basics, you're not retarded. You can throw up a guard and fight back, and just make up the rest on your own. That's what I did." Pain said, her tone a bit aggressive. It wasn't that she was really mad at him, rather his seemingly reckless attitude toward his own future within the Knighthood. "Second, I killed three men. Your compatriots keep an eye on me, even though they figured it wasn't technically murder, more of an initiative towards self defense." Pain said, deepening her voice as she spoke the last few words as if to imitate a male, most likely a Knight who had said the same thing to her. "You need to keep your eye on the prize, Markus. Not everyone can be your best friend. Some people just... float on by. Like me." Was that harsh? Probably. Pain had indeed earned herself a special place on the list of people who we don't take chances with. The truth of the matter is, Markus seemed like he had a few anger issues of his own, and Pain could relate. Something apparently made him feel compelled to risk his own reputation by trying to establish some sort of continual friendship. If he wasn't a squire, then maybe... but Pain was far from heartless, and she had an idea that her continued presence around him would only end with Markus being harassed by his own organization. "You're welcome, I guess." Pain said finally in response to the last words he had spoken. She waited a small moment for him to register all that she had said, and that she was now addressing his thanks rather than his stubbornness. "Just take care of yourself, and don't let stupid stuff like me get you in trouble. Eye on the prize, Markus." Pain turned, sighing a bit to herself. She rotated her arms, stretching them out a bit and waking them up after their brief repose. It was kind of hard for her to be so short with Markus. Now, if he had been drunk or something, different story... but he actually had done nothing wrong at all. He just seemed like a good man, slightly lonely, slightly stubborn. It was for his own good however, that she had said what she did. It was all true. Pain touched her toes, bending her back nimbly while keeping her knees locked. It looked as though she were stretching her muscles in preparation for a run, perhaps to finish the one she had been on when they met in the first place. If Markus had anything left to say, he had only a moment or two.

[Markus Andres]

The aggressive tone surprised Markus. But that was, perhaps, what had surprised him the least. She had murdered 3 people. Her tone of voice changed too. Initiative towards self defense. What was that supposed to mean? Was that what she had rubbed it off as? He didn't really understand it, at all. Was Pain what he was trying to rid the world of, an evil thing, murdering for pleasure? He didn't want to ask her. He didn't want to know any more. The brief silence was broken by Pain again. Telling him to keep his eyes on the price. The problem was, he couldn't always see what the price would be. He didn't really think there would be a price for his endeavors. Perhaps a high rank within the Syliran Knights. But that would be it. Pain seemed like she were preparing to run off. Markus didn't want to stop her. Not this time. He wouldn't want to anger the murderer, not with his sword sheathed and his head trembling with pain. He really had nothing to say. It was rather rare for Markus to just shut up like that. Stranger things had happened. "Take care." Was all Markus would say to her. Reaching down for his blade and pulling it out of the sheath. Perhaps he should get on with training. Do as Pain has said. Forget about her. Markus closed his eyes and stood silent with the deadly weapon held in his hands. Feeling disgusted at his own reaction. Silence. It was like his anger had been washed away with the surprise of her being a murderer. He felt calm again. He opened his eyes slowly and watched the water gently roll up on the shoreline. A small smile made its way across his face. Eyes on the price. - He thought as his blade split his vision of the ocean in two. His blade would soon be swinging in patterns he had trained long ago. Trying to get into the routine of training. Give his troubled mind ease. Give it time to forget Pain... To forget Airil... To just forget the troubled women who recently had entered and left his life.

[Nisaba]

Grade Complete: XP Award! Name: Markus K. Andres   XP Award Sword- 2 XP Observation- 1 XP Negotiation- 1 XP Unarmed Combat- 5 XP Markus practiced his swordsmanship both before and after his bout with Pain, going through moves and (I believe) committing them to muscle memory- which earned him one point for each session. He observed Pain’s muscled body and her shadow boxing, thereby assuming she had talent in body building and unarmed combat, earning him a point in observation. When Pain gave him the terms for a lesson in fighting without weapons, he judged the benefits and decided what they were worth to him, ending up choosing to agree because he believed the cost worth the education- negotiation point. Markus ended up learning quite a bit in the training session, and every move was very detailed. All that effort definitely deserved max points.   Lore Award Hands-On Learning Always Protect the Head Unarmed Technique: Fighting Stance Surprise Attack The Best Defense is Sometimes a Good Offense Splitting Headache Losing a Fight Questioning Life’s Ambition Dealing with Painful Memories Additional Note: I really liked Markus’s emotions through this thread- he was definitely not 2-dimensional. Restless, excited, grumpy, self-righteous, contemplative, etc; he couldn’t have been boring if he tried. The training was nicely done, as well. He took a few punches (which will make him bruised and sore in the morning, I’m sure) and wasn’t entirely happy about the fact that his teacher was so much better than him that she had an easy time defending herself. It was very realistic, at least in my not-so-extensive knowledge of sparring. The only thing I can think of that caused me pause was that Markus was knocked out again. He seems to get knocked out quite a bit- is that a character flaw? I almost wanted to give him the lore of “Glass Skull” (a bit like glass jaw), but I didn’t want to offend you if it was just a coincidence or him just getting hit in a particular spot a lot.

Grade Complete: XP Award! Name: Pain   XP Award Body Building- 1 XP Negotiation- 1 XP Teaching- 4 XP Tactics- 1 XP Unarmed Combat- 3 XP Acrobatics- 2 XP Rhetoric- 2 XP Pain did a LOT in this thread. She first started out working out by running through the waves. I gave the point to body building last time, and I thought that her motivation- “to work on general fitness and strength”- was an indication that she was working out rather than improving her running. She also spent most of the time exercising so I think she definitely deserved at least one body building point. Please let me know if that wasn’t your intention. Her quick process upon deciding if she wanted to teach Markus how to fight and how she let him know her conditions definitely earned her a negotiation point. She earned three points in teaching for her speech discussing the rationalization behind fighting, explaining the concept of pressing an offence for a purpose, and showing Markus how to protect his face. The other teaching point came from the sparring, where she utilized many different ways an attack could come at him so he would know the correct ways to react/defend. Her point in tactics comes from the strategy she concocted to begin the fight. Her unarmed combat skills were definitely used, and in great detail, but because of her skill being so much higher than Markus’s and her focus on teaching him rather than improving herself during most of the session, I don’t think she learned as much as she could have- so she got three out of the possible five points. Her acrobatics are astounding, the ‘Matrix’ type move, the crabwalk, and the backflip were really cool- since they were done in a couple fantastic paragraphs, I gave Pain two points in acrobatics. Rhetoric was used, as well, at the end of the thread where she tried to convince Markus that he wasn’t naïve and that they shouldn’t be friends because she would get in the way of his goals.   Lore Award A Healthy Dose of Suspicion Sizing Up a Potential Threat Hands-On Teaching Technique Risky Maneuver K.O. Being Proud of a Student Searching for Purpose Painful Memories Tough Love: Pushing Someone Away for Their Own Good Additional Note: Pain is certainly a complex character. She keeps getting drawn into helping/teaching people, so it makes me think that she incredibly kindhearted somewhere deep inside and even sorta wants to have friends, at least to a point. Then she pushes them away or doesn’t see them again, which makes me wonder who she’s really trying to protect. It’s like a mystery, waiting to see who will break through her defenses long enough to earn her trust. I also really enjoyed the fact that she mentioned an injury she got earlier in the season, tying the two threads together and making the season seem more connected, if that makes any sense.