Closed Learning the Moves [Nieve]

Sinaetri agrees to teach Nieve and Ixtli some combat skills.

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Syka is a new settlement of primarily humans on the east coast of Falyndar opposite of Riverfall on The Suvan Sea. [Syka Codex]

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Learning the Moves [Nieve]

Postby Ixtli on May 30th, 2018, 1:55 pm

17th of Spring, 518
Near the Commons


She had risen with the Sun and thanked Syna for the gift of her warmth as she stretched towards the azure sky. Her hunger had been sated with a simple meal of dried meat and clear water while she readied her body and mind for the day's efforts. Her living quarters had been organized, blanket and bed roll shaken in the fresh morning breeze and belongings tidily put away to their most convenient place. The fire had been briefly tended to, excess ashes removed from the pit and stored away for later use and a small log added to the glowing embers so they wouldn't die entirely during the day.

Her morning routine completed, Ixtli was now on her way to the nearby Commons where she was to meet one of the exotic settlers recently arrived to Syka; the Verusk Sinaetri had graciously offered her to join the training session she was to lead with her Sykan host, a lively character named Nieve. The Myrian had readily accepted, eager to resume some form of training and even more so with such a knowledgeable fighter as a teacher. It was necessary that she bring back her combat skills and military discipline, to reconnect with her Myrian upbringing.

Ixtli wore her crimson loincloth, favoured for physical activities and battle, as well as a simple white top and the leather belt with her kukri hanging in its sheath. Her feet were bare as always and her long, dark hair was tied back in the ever-present mowhawk, loyal to her martial training; coupled to her tattoos, it gave her a fierce and exotic, warrior-like aura. She carried a full waterskin and her old spear in hand, preferring to be prepared in case the training would involve weapons.

Arriving at the elevated platforms that made up Syka's famous meeting place, she chose to wait at ground-level for the others to appear. It was unlikely that they'd practice in the Commons themselves; the open beach offered much more space and shadow, and thus a better workout environment. Ixtli planted her spear into the sand and, dropping the water by its side, sat herself cross-legged in the comfortable shade of the Commons.

She folded her hands across her lap, closed her eyes. Breathed in deeply, then exhaled slowly. She focused and worked to quiet her mind, isolate herself from the surroundings. The Myrian took one more inhalation, as deep and controlled as the first one, released it ever so slowly, and followed with another one, and then another... As her chest rose and fell under the work of her lungs, with every breath in and out she silenced a thought, as if snuffing out the flames from candles, one by one. She aimed for perfect stillness, only listened to the soft wave of her breathing, forgot about the touch of the wind. She held in the back of her head thoughts about the day, her chores, her goals, her fears, reaching for absolute silence with all of her mental energy.

And she felt it.

For a brief moment, just the time for her mind to realise what was happening, she had felt the emptiness, the peace and inner quietness she was aiming for, before it got swept away by her undisciplined train of thought. Ixtli breathed out, more freely than she had allowed herself before, and when she opened her eyes a spark of satisfaction shone within the deep green of her iris. Today was a day for progress.


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Learning the Moves [Nieve]

Postby Nieve Glass on June 1st, 2018, 2:22 am

Nieve was woken, quite rudely really, by a booted foot prodding her side. "Get up." Even half-asleep and with her eyes closed, the Kelvic recognized Sinaetri's voice.

"Ngh," She grumbled, cracking one eye open to glare blearily up at the Verusk, who stood over her, dimly silhouetted in the tent.

Sinaetri seemed unimpressed. "Come. We are training today; the Myrian woman is going to join us."

Nieve recalled the conversation from the day prior where Sianetri had mentioned that one of the other residents was interested in joining them for a training session. Ixtli, a Myrian. "Give me a second," Nieve groaned, pushing herself up.

Sinaetri ducked out of the tent, and Nieve stretched, arching her back until she felt it give a satisfying pop. Rolling her neck, she stood, stifling a yawn, before dressing in her loincloth, wrapping her scarf around her chest and tying it to hold it in place.

Grabbing her kukri from where it sat in the corner, she trotted out of the tent barefoot and hair mussed from sleep, still blinking herself awake. The sun wasn't too high in the sky yet, meaning the day hadn't reached its peak heat; yet already it was warm.

"Here, eat." Nieve's head jerked around to where Sinaetri spoke, her hands flying up as something arced through the air towards her face, fumbling and barely managing to catch the banana that Sinaetri tossed to her.

"If you do well perhaps I will treat you to some shrimp from the bar." That caught Nieve's attention. She grinned sharply at Sinaetri, breaking the stem of the banana and peeling it before taking a bite of the pale yellow fruit, enjoying the sweetness of its flesh.

She ate as they walked, flinging the peel into the treeline of the jungle when she was done. It didn't take them long to reach the Commons. They arrived, and Sinaetri spotted the Myrian woman sitting a little bit away, cross-legged in the sand, out of the bright heat of Syna's rays.

Nieve wasted no time in bounding across the sand as Sinaetri followed at a more leisurely pace. Nieve skidded to a halt in front of the seated woman, a smile on her face. "Ixtli, right? Sinaetri tells me you'll be training with us today."

The Verusk nodded a greeting to Ixtli, allowing the two to speak for a moment before gesturing. "Come. We will go a little bit further so as not to disturb those who wish for quiet." Sinaetri walked a little bit further down the beach, out of the shade of the Commons.

Nieve smiled at Ixtli, offering her a hand up should she want it. "I like your spear," The Kelvic commented, eyeing the sharp-tipped shaft. She had yet to see such a weapon up close, and it looked formidable and ferocious; not unlike the Myrian in front of her, with her braided mohawk and tattooed skin. The weapon suited her.

Waiting for Ixtli to stand, whether she accepted Nieve's hand or not, the Kelvic then trotted after Sinaetri, who waited patiently for the two women to follow. "It is good to see you brought your weapons," She addressed Ixtli. "We may use them, though I believe I would like to focus on unarmed combat for today. Do you have any experience with that?"

The question was also directed at Ixtli, the Verusk speaking as she began to do some simple stretches, rotating her arms by her sides. Nieve took the cue, shaking her arms out before leaning down to touch her fingers to her toes, then stretching up and pointing her hands upwards.
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Learning the Moves [Nieve]

Postby Ixtli on June 14th, 2018, 5:42 pm

"You must be Nieve," Ixtli answered, smiling up at the slim woman with messy curls who came bouncing up to her with a wide grin on her lips. "Pleasure to meet you." While uncrossing her legs to get up, she caught Sinaetri's eye and returned her nod. "And yes, that's right. I count myself lucky to have been allowed to join you. I understand we have a lot to learn from your people," she added with a glance at the Verusk. The tinge of polite deference that perspired in her tone spoke of the interest Ixtli had for the foreign race recently arrived in Syka. Having been raised in pure Myrian fashion where feelings towards outsiders and barbarians could be described as condescending at best, it was unexpected and unexplained that she felt as little as a tiny bit of consideration for the reptilian-looking woman; but she felt more than that. It seemed to her Sinaetri and her peers had qualities and knowledge to offer that the residents of Syka - and Mizahar in a more general manner - could only be thankful to receive. So, she pushed aside the traditional Myrian superiority and chose to pay heed to her teacher-of-the-day's words.

She lifted herself up with an effort of the legs, and soon her height towered over the Kelvic woman who was eyeing her spear with a spark in her eyes. Ixtli reached for the weapon with one hand, closed her fingers around the familiar wood and yanked it out of the sand. She then held it out for Nieve to observe in closer detail. "Thank you. It was a gift, and a precious one." Memories of her faraway home crossed the back of her mind but the Myrian brushed them off promptly; the few chimes of meditation had helped her prepare for training, it was out of the question to let herself be distracted by untimely nostalgia.

After picking up her water she treaded over to where Sinaetri had stopped and put down her weapons and waterskin out of the way when hearing the grey-skinned woman's comment. At Sinaetri's question, her face hardened.
"I did, a long time ago, but now that I live on my own I don't train as often and… it seems I have forgotten a lot." With those words she felt a sharp, nasty taste on her lips, the bitterness of her guilt for not keeping up with the martial ways of her people and letting her abilities rust from inactivity. Her sisters would certainly be embarrassed to learn of her new condition, and the idea of bringing shame to her family made her blood boil and the Myrian silently scowl herself. It was absolutely crucial that she maintained the same discipline here than back home.
"But I'm ready to work as hard as you deem it necessary," she continued, calming her nerves with a low tone and composed expression. "I'll follow your instructions."

She began moving with the two others, extending her arms up to the sky before stretching down to mimic Nieve's motion and touch her feet. She could feel an uncomfortable, burning sensation behind her knees, sign that the muscles were being pulled further than usual, and kept the position for a few ticks while making sure to keep her legs straight. She then warmed up her wrists with twisting movements and repeated the exercise for her ankles and shoulders. When she felt ready, she turned to Sinaetri to enquire about the training to come.
"Are you going to show us some movements now or should we warm up some more?"


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Learning the Moves [Nieve]

Postby Nieve Glass on June 30th, 2018, 12:01 am

Nieve hadn't realized with Ixtli sitting down just how tall the Myrian woman was. Not for the first time in her life, self-consciousness over her diminutive stature tinged her thoughts; Nieve rolled her shoulders back, straightening her back and lifting her chin to try and appear taller.

Sinaetri nodded at Ixtli's words as she continued to stretch; almost as if she knew the guilt that crept up on the other woman, she spoke calmly, her tone decidedly rational. "There is no shame in allowing ourselves to forget training; the shame lies in whether or not we make the effort to regain what knowledge we have lost."

Straightening up, Sinaetri rolled her shoulders, stretching her neck from side-to-side with a satisfying crack. "No matter, I am glad to hear you're willing to learn from me. I must admit, when it comes to teaching, my skills may be slightly lacking; but I will try my best to instruct you both properly."

Evie nodded, curls bouncing around her face as she twisted her torso, working out any remaining kinks in her back from her sleep not too long ago. The Kelvic rolled her ankles and wrists, imitating Ixtli's movements before shaking out her arms. "I'm ready to get started," She piped up, glancing between the two taller women.

Sinaetri huffed out a breath at the Kelvic's eagerness, but nodded at Ixtli. "We can begin now." There was silence for a moment as the Verusk allowed her posture to tense up, and thought of where to begin; despite Ixtli's words, she didn't really know the extent of the Myrian's training, and she knew Nieve's experience was minimal. Best to start with the basics, then.

"Often in combat," Sinaetri began, "You will find knowing how to defend yourself is better and more useful than being able to overpower your opponent." She moved closer to Nieve, her shoulders loose but arms tense, knees slightly bent, her weight on the balls of her feet. "You need to be ready to react. A proper stance is important."

Nieve took in Sinaetri's stance with keen eyes, then mimicked it to the best of her abilities; she tensed her upper arms, raising her hands to loosely sit in front of her chest, and crouched ever-so slightly, shifting her weight forward to rest on the balls of her feet. It wasn't unlike the sorts of stances she would take when stalking prey, even in her animal form.

Sinaetri waited for Ixtli to mimic the stance as well before nodding, and then suddenly making to strike at Nieve. The yowlwing let out a rather undignified yelp of surprise, automatically dropping down, making use of her already bent knees, but was slightly too slow; Sinaetri's hand clipped her shoulder regardless, sending her teetering off-balance, only saved from falling over by her weight redistributing onto her feet as she crouched.

"Dodging can be useful, but when it comes to fighting hand-to-hand, sometimes you simply need to learn to block your opponent," Sinaetri spoke calmly as Nieve stood, shaking herself off and resettling into her prepared stance, a flush on her dark cheeks.

"Nieve, I want you to strike at Ixtli, like I did to you. Ixtli, instead of dodging, try to block her; use your forearms and fists." Sinaetri advised the Myrian, motioning for Nieve to strike at the taller woman.

Evie turned towards Ixtli, slightly intimidated by the other woman, but putting on a brave face. She furrowed her brow, pursing her lips slightly as she examined her, deciding where to strike. The woman was in a similar pose to her, ready to react; it certainly wouldn't be easy.

Deciding to use her height to her advantage, Nieve suddenly darted forward a step, lunging for Ixtli's side. Her hand was open and there was no real force behind the movement as she simply made to tap the other woman, not wanting to hurt her should she miss the block.

OOC :
I figured we could use dicing to determine successful attacks and blocks? :) I rolled a 90 in chat. (d100 + 10 in unarmed)


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