The trouble with chance Part 2 (Gael)

[Reed]

1st of Spring, 520 A.V. (Evening)

Reed’s idea of a good location was of course his apartment. After all, there wasn’t really a good place that he knew of to spar with a civilian and he didn’t know how the knights would feel about bring a reformed thief to their training grounds. Best not to chance it he’d quickly decided as he led the way from the tavern. Besides, it would give him a chance to consult little Nikali. If this whole bond was to be a thing now, he would have to introduce them sooner or later so he might as well get it all out of the way up front. That way there was nothing to nag him during the quiet hours of the night.

As they walked, Reed occasionally looked over Gael. He was as quiet as he had been on the way to the tavern as once more his mind was full of things to think about. Somethings he chased in circles like what kind of work could he find in Syliras for a former guard. Knights came naturally to mind, though of course that would probably need to wait until things smoothed over. When he wasn’t thinking in circles, he found himself going down weird tangents, like what did that make Gael’s parents to him now that they had bonded. Bond father and bond mother? He had never had either of those before, but the thought wasn’t an entirely unwelcome one.

Before he knew it, they had arrived at his apartment, and snapping out of his daze, Reed turned towards Gael with a smile. “It isn’t much of a sparring ground, but its private. Not likely to disturb the neighbors if we keep it simple. Feel free to make yourself at home while I get ready. You can get the ‘stage’ ready by moving the furniture out of the way if you want, or just wait and I’ll do it.” He said before opening the door. Immediately he began stripping his armor, laying the pieces carefully across the bed as he extracted them from his form. The process was as long as it was arduous, but Reed thought he made good time all things considered. When he finished, he turned, standing there in his sweat stained shirt and breeches for a moment while he took a moment to savor the feeling of being unencumbered by all that plate. Then he fished a little, eight inch statuette out of his pack beside his bed.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, he touched his forehead to the head of the slim figurine in his hands. If Gael was watching, he would see that the figurine was of a nude female with dark hair and dark eyes. As he mumbled something under his breath, the statue would suddenly animate, resting her arms crosswise on top of his hands. She then propped up her chin atop her folded arms, looking at Reed rather pointedly until he opened his eyes. When he did, she pouted. “Why didn’t you bring me with you today?” Reed rolled his eyes and set her down gently on the floor, quickly gesturing her attention to Gael standing behind her. Through their bond, Gael would feel Reed’s impatience mixed in with amusement because this was very much a daily altercation between him and the statuette. Of course he didn’t want to risk damaging her while he was training, but try explaining that to a divine statue. It was easier to just placate her with stories. That was what she seemed to prefer anyways.

“Gael, this is little Nikali. Little Nikali, this is Gael?” He said, and waited to see the reaction from Gael.

[Gael Reacher]

The pair walked in silence as they had before, Gael’s gaze quietly taking in the scenery around them. He still wasn’t used to Syliras, having only been there a day at that point, and all the…stability that seemed to come with it. It was so foreign and it made him feel a little out of place. It wasn’t like he was some do gooder hero in Sunberth, but at least there he knew what he was meant to do. He’d had a purpose. He could feel Reed’s pale pink eyes occasionally land on him, but he pretended not to notice. Yeah, this would definitely take some getting used to.

To his surprise, Reed led them to the Stormhold Citadel and down into the dim apartment quarters. As he was led into the man’s room, his gaze shifted down the hallway. His own apartment was down the hall and a little way further past the bend. The irony was not lost on him.

He gave a simple nod when he was instructed to move the furniture around to allow them more space. It hadn’t been what he was expecting, to spar in this little four walled, stone room, but he wouldn’t complain. He moved the table and chair against the wall and squished the chest closer to the other furniture, giving them as much room as possible. He stood up, wiping the sweat from his brow, and turned around to see Reed holding a figurine to his forehead. He didn’t think much of it, knowing some people were religious, but what he didn’t expect was for the damn thing to come to life.
His bondmate would definitely be able to feel the shock course through their bond as Gael blinked rapidly, trying to make sure he was seeing it right. Then, the figure started speaking and the man ran a hand through his messy hair. Well, this might as well happen, he mused to himself.

The Akalak man placed the walking, talking figurine on the ground and introduced her as Little Nikali. He paused for a moment, unsure of what exactly to do, before taking a step forward and crouching down and holding his pointer finger out in what was a make-shift handshake to the tiny being. “Its, uh, nice to meet you, Little Nikali,” he said. His attention turned back to Reed, a brow raised in what was clearly a question of ‘What the hell?’

[Reed]

“A pleasure” the statue giggled, doing a little spin where it grasped his finger. Her eyes twinkled with mischief as she looked up at Gael. Turning towards Reed, she asked. “What’s this about? You’ve gone and got yourself bonded?” Reed shouldn’t have been surprised, but perhaps it was from the residual feelings through the bond. The little statue had a knack for knowing things about people. He still wasn’t entirely sure how it worked, though her efficacy was obvious enough. Scratching the back of his neck, Reed hesitantly answered from where he sat on the bed. “Well it wasn’t like I expected it. I didn’t even know such a thing was possible.”

He held up a hand as little Nikali tried to speak, and continued. “There’s plenty of time for talk of that later though. Right now, I feel like sparring, and was kinda hoping you could keep score?” The statue's eyes went wide as she stormed over in a huff, little fists clenched at her side. “Score!?” Reed patted the air placating and gave Gael a thoughtful look. “Look I promise you we’ll do all sorts of talking later, and Gael will even tell you a story. Besides, I thought you might want to walk around after being cooped up all day.” He reached out as he said this and tapped at her little fist.

For the longest moment she just glared at him, but after the touch she relaxed somewhat. With a sigh, she shook her head before climbing up onto the bed beside him. “Better be two stories with spice.” She grumped, folding her arms. Reed grinned, taking that for a win, and got up to stand across from Gael. “So, best of three, back on the ground counts as a point?” He asked as he stretched, leaning forwards to extend his hands all the way down to the tip of his left foot. After ten seconds of holding that position, he switched to the other side. He didn’t bother with the rest of the set, he was ready enough. Instead he was thinking of what sort of hand to hand combat Gael knew if any. Through the link he didn’t feel any nervousness about engaging in this kind of spar, so he took that as a good sign.

“I’m a little rusty, but I’ll give it my best. Its been over two years since I’ve been in the pits after all.” He laughed, eyes watching Gael carefully as he got into proper position.

[Gael Reacher]

The statuesque being seemed to be all pomp and flare, doing a twirl before shaking his hand…finger. Then, she immediately pegged their bond which earned another bout of surprise from him. What was she and where in the world did he get her? She was incredibly interesting. He stood up as Reed mentioned not even knowing such a bond could exist and he nodded as if to confirm him. Of course Gael knew about it, but he was sure little Nikali understood that much.

Gael watched as she threw a tiny tantrum, his nose scrunching as he smirked, the deep dimple on his right cheek becoming apparent. But, it was quick to disappear when he was volunteered to give a story at the end. He blinked a few times, hand raising to rub the back of his neck and he nodded hesitantly. “Yeah, story,” he replied. The man wasn’t much of a story teller as he didn’t get much of them growing up. Plus, he didn’t have any siblings so it wasn’t like he would have someone to tell his own to. But he’d already confirmed and a promise was a promise, so they’d just have to struggle through with him.

Reed started stretching and Gael did the same, reaching his arm up and bending it to grab and pull gently behind his head in order to stretch his shoulder and triceps. He repeated this with his other arm before bending and touching his palms flat to the ground to stretch his lower back and calves. “Sounds good,” he replied as he stood up, responding to the two out of three question and the final remark in one go.

He grasped the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head, throwing the clothing item on top of the chest without a second thought. It was a habit he picked up from sparring with his father. It wasn’t often that they sparred in their first form, but it was enough that he had learned two things: If you don’t want your clothes ruined, best take them off, and the less amount of clothing you have on the less they have to pull on and find an opening. Small scars littered his body like confetti and he rubbed a larger, angrier looking one on his arm absent mindedly as he got into position himself. It was his newest scar, one he’d gotten roughly four months prior and it was still a little sensitive.

He spread his legs, one foot slightly in front of the other, and raised his fists and forearms to window his face. Fortunately, he’d already assessed his partner’s strengths and weaknesses out of instinct. Reed was taller than him and heavier by several pounds. He was solidly built, broad and strong, which meant he needed to avoid getting caught in a hold by him because the chance of getting out was pretty slim. By rules of honor, anything to the head or groin were also out which left even fewer options. So, how did one dismantle a muscled, battle worn machine? Endurance, joints and pressure points. It took a lot of energy to move that body around, so if he could remain out of range long enough to tire him out he’d stand a good chance. The backs of his knees, his ankles and wrists were also soft spots. Pressure points included solar plexus, sides and collar bones.

Now that he had his strategy decided, he had one thing to do: act. In a swift motion Gael took a large step forward, using the momentum to duck ever so slightly and try to ram his shin into the back of Reed’s knees with the hope of toppling him. If he was successful, he would then wrap his arm around the man’s neck as he fell to place him in a chokehold.

[Reed]

As he squared up, Reed immediately understood his mistake. Rusty was a misnomer. What he should have said was that he had no idea what he was going to do without his usual tools. Tools being anything he could get his hands on. Since this wasn’t that kind of fight, he’d have to depend on his paltry skills at hand to hand. What happened next was too fast for him to follow, but it ended with him flat on his back. Distantly, little Nikali was calling point one for Gael while Reed was working the former’s forearm from around his neck. He might have even been about to break the hold when her voice registered to him.

With the point called, Reed stopped his struggling and extracted himself from the floor to take up a position across once more. “You’re quick.” Reed grinned, wiping off some drool from his chin with the back of his hand. He bit back the excuse that bubbled to mind from Merdem waxing impotently, focusing instead on the next bout. Perhaps he should try something more straightforward, and take the initiative. This time he approached with the intent on making the first move. His strategy was basic if a bit high energy. On the mental count of three ticks, he charged Gael, who promptly abused him of his notion of theoretical superiority when he tripped him.

Landing on his stomach, Reed barely had time to grasp his error before he felt Gael’s weight straddling his back. Reed tried to shrug him off but Gael’s hold was good. From where he was on the ground, he could never get his feet positioned under him correctly to get out of it. Sensing the stalemate, he tapped out, patting Gael on the back when they stood up together. “I can see why you guarded at the pits. I should have expected you’d have some tricks up your sleeve.” Reed groaned, his back aching a little from the pressure Gael put on it after wearing that plate all morning. If this kept up he wouldn’t even be able to don the armor after this was over. He would do it anyways, but it was certainly going to put him in a shite load of pain.

Reluctantly, he got into position again. He didn’t think this one was going to go any better for him, but that wasn’t going to stop him from trying. Balling up his hands, he got ready for Gael’s next move.

[Gael Reacher]

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THERE ARE NIGHTS WHEN THE WOLVES ARE SILENT

It was all muscle memory, honestly. His movements were precise and rehearsed, obvious to anyone around him that they came with experience. The experience came at a cost of course, but it kept him alive all the same. He rolled onto his feet after releasing Reed, Little Nikali awarding him the first point with a wave of her tiny hand. He rolled his shoulders, loosening them in an effort to not pull any muscles. How embarrassing would that be? Reed grinned at him, commenting on his speed and he shrugged, tossing the compliment because he wasn’t exactly sure how to respond to it in the first place.

Growing up he hadn’t received much praise from his mother and especially not from his father. It was either silence or orders to work harder, be smarter, do this do that. It was part of the reason he didn’t talk much, he’d always been taught that actions speak louder than words. What was the use in talking when A. he’d spent so much time in his wolf form and B. they didn’t get him anywhere anyways?

Suddenly, Reed was charging him, 200lbs of muscles barreling towards him. Instinctually he spun, leg swinging out to interrupt his bondmate midstride and pushing him between the shoulder blades for good measure. Gael was on top of him as soon as he hit the ground, knee pressed firmly between his shoulder blades and arms dug underneath his sparring partner’s armpits, bending them back and upwards in a hold that resembled as if Gael was arresting him. After a moment he released, standing up and to the side to allow Reed to gather himself up. A hand was slapped onto his back in a pat and he held back a cough from the force, a forced smirk curling onto his lips. “Sorry, when some thug is running at you with a knife or axe fair fighting tactics are out the window,” he replied.

A sliver of pain wormed its way up his back as Reed groaned, undoubtedly in the same spot his partner was hurting. Hearing about the bond was one thing, but experiencing it was a whole different level. It was intriguing, to feel everything Reed was feeling in almost every sense of the word. Sharing emotions was one thing, but sharing pain felt so much more…intimate. There was truly nothing they could hide from each other, and for someone like Gael who was so used to hiding so much of himself, he knew it would take a lot of getting used to.

As his partner got into position, so did Gael. He returned to his earlier defensive stance, arms up and legs spread. Looking between the two it would have been easy to see who had more experience in unarmed combat. Reed’s stance left many openings up to chance and Gael made a mental note to correct him on it later. There was so much the pair had to learn from each other even though they had come from the same city.

Feeling a bit gutsy, Gael decided to go in head-first. Charging forward he struck with a flat palm into his bondmate’s solar plexus, the soft area of his belly between the arc of his ribs. It was enough to knock the breath out of anyone and as the Akalak hunched to regain his breath, he once again curled his arm around the back of the man’s neck, pulling his weight down and wrapping the back of his leg around his partner’s, pulling it out from under him and twisting so that he landed on his back.

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AND ONLY THE MOON HOWLS

[Reed]

Sparring was a whole lot different when you couldn’t use tables and chairs to your advantage. Combine that with the fact he was still reeling from the day’s revelations, and it would be fair to say Reed’s mind was far from their spar. He needed this though. A good fight to get out his frustrations even if he was getting his arse handed to him. The only thing barring him from really falling into a steady rhythm was the bond which was ever present now. As present as Merdem was, itching in the background to try out this new contender. Reed stifled the impulse, rejecting the notion of giving his other half a chance to spar. Merdem didn’t take this rejection well. He decided to press the issue which took a considerable amount of concentration from Reed right around the time Gael charged him.

Reed yelped as he was slung to the floor in a move that knocked his breath from him as his back slammed against the ground. Rolling onto his side, he reached out to grasp the leg of one of his dining chairs before squinting his eyes shut. After a brief mental tug of war, Reed used the grab to pull himself up. Then he leaned against the table for a moment to catch his breath.

“You would have been pretty good in the cage fights.” He said after a few ticks. Reed was breathing in deeply and out deeply, staring at the kelvic in an unfocused manner. Within he was having a nonverbal argument with Merdem who wasn’t particularly fond of the rules for this spar. Naturally, Reed expressed the opinion that he wasn’t particularly fond of him so if he wanted more time in the light, he’d best keep quiet. Merdem only doubled down at that, which prompted Reed to just grit his teeth. He could bear the pressure for now, though he might be provoked to call this spar short if it got any more difficult.

“I think it’s clear you’ll win on points so why don’t you show me how you warm up, and I’ll show you how I warm up.” Reed said, taking a position across from Gael. It would be clear through their bond that Reed was struggling with a considerable amount of confusion and doubt. As he came to stand in front of him however those feelings were briefly supplanted by a strong feeling of confidence. Dealing with his ornery brother was something he was well familiar with. So long as he didn’t take any hits to the head, he was certain he could finish the spar with relatively few interruptions.

“Try your same moves but slower so I have a chance to understand them. Then I’ll do the same for what I know.” Reed added, having given the warm up a little consideration. He wanted to get a feel for the man’s abilities without being constantly dropped on his back. There was still more training he had to do today, and he certainly didn’t need help adding extra bruises to his body. Besides, this was the best way he knew about how to get to know the man quickly. Standing across, Reed was ready to observe Gael’s next moves.

[Gael Reacher]

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THERE ARE NIGHTS WHEN THE WOLVES ARE SILENT

As Reed went to get up, Gael could feel it again. Their bond weakening for a moment, as if the invisible string that tied them together was being pulled more and more taught, thinner and thinner. It was peculiar and he fixed his copper gaze on the man’s face, watching as his brows drew together as if he were in an internal battle. Then, things were back to normal and he could sense a feeling of confusion and doubt. Since he couldn’t read his bondmate’s mind, he could only assume that he was feeling the way he was because of how their spar was going. He considered it odd. After all, the Akalak had come from the pits, he couldn’t possibly have been brought down so easily by the loss. Still, what did he know? He’d only just met the guy that day.

Gael nodded when Reed asked him to walk him through some of the moves he’d done. “First thing’s first, I suppose. We have two completely different builds, so whatever I show you you’ll probably need to modify for yourself. I was trained in unarmed combat to defend myself in two different forms,” he began. In all reality, he was being much tamer than he normally was in a real fight. All bets were off and where any other being might have a set of morals, Gael didn’t. It was kill or be killed and his survival instincts from his feral side took over.

“When I looked at you, I knew I couldn’t take you head on. You’re stronger and bigger than me, you’d probably be able to snap me like a toothpick if you got your hands on me. So, I deflected and went indirect instead. Everyone has the same pressure points; solar plexus, wrists, ankles, backs of knees, sides particularly around your kidneys, and collar bones,” he instructed, pointing to each place as he went.

“First move went for the backs of your knees. Stay low and use your momentum, bring your shin into the back of your opponent’s knees. It’s best if you try to get both at once, so they can’t stabilize themselves on one leg. When they start to go down keep their momentum and wrap your arm around their neck in a chokehold,” as he explained he walked his bondmate through the motions slowly, exemplifying everything. God, he felt like his father. Of course, his father had never explained anything in as much detail as he was doing now. It was a lot more trial and error.

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AND ONLY THE MOON HOWLS

[Reed]

Reed was patient as Gael explained his reasoning, and his eyes followed the man’s gestures. Surprisingly it all made a lot of sense. He had expected Gael’s strategy to be far more.. Chaotic. His certainly had been when he fought in the pits, though he supposed that was why he hadn’t been a guard. Where Gael had training to temper his strikes, Reed’s edge had been raw power, and rage in the pit. Smash them till they stop moving had been his go to tactic up until he joined the knights. Joining them had came as a bit of a shock in that respect, however he would trade it for what he had. The discipline was good for him.

“I see, does it take a lot of effort to shift forms or is it as easy as flexing?” He asked curious as he stared at the man. Transforming sounded like a painful experience on paper, and he wondered if he did it often. “How do wounds cross over between forms? Do certain conditions prevent you from shifting?” The idea made him slightly worried about accidentally injuring his bondmate while they sparred, but he shrugged that notion off. Gael was capable enough to handle himself in a fight.

“I’m still learning the sword and shield so I haven’t had much time to focus on unarmed. This will certainly be helpful though. Kind of like how we practice weak points in armor while we are training.” He said while focusing on the places Gael mention. They all made since to him in hindsight. Points of contact that you occasionally made in a scrap that would set your opponent back enough for you to get an edge. An when you got that edge you pressed that advantage brutally. Reed winced at the memory of some of the things he had to do in the pit. He pushed it aside. That time was far enough behind him, he was a different man now.

“Makes sense. I didn’t often face a bigger opponent in the pit or cage so I’ve usually been on the opposite side of that. An I wasn’t really focused on their tactics as I was with putting on a show.” Reed shrugged unapologetically. He knew Gael would understand what he meant. “I suppose I need to keep an eye out for guarding those points in the future then.” He said scratching his chin, then working his way across to his small dining arrangement. Gingerly, he picked up a chair holding it up briefly before setting it back down. “This was one of my tools.” Reed said softly, a faint smile on his lips. Behind him little Nikali was giving him a look that was both bored and impatient. “Did you watch many fights in the pits?”

[Gael Reacher]

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THERE ARE NIGHTS WHEN THE WOLVES ARE SILENT

Reed started asking him questions about shifting and wounds, both very good questions in his opinion. He did surmise, however, that his bondmate had never actually seen a kelvic shift before. To him it was normal, but he’d seen the faces of those around him who clearly weren’t accustomed before and it had always been a mixture of surprise and confusion. “We call them ‘forms’ so others can differentiate, but for Kelvics, we’re just…us. There’s no pain, no anything. Sometimes I’m furless on two legs, sometimes I’m furry on four,” he said with a shrug.

In the beginning, the change was harder to control. It didn’t take Kelvics very long at all to get accustomed to switching back and forth, at most a few days to a week, but in that time it wasn’t uncommon for them to switch back and forth like a blip. That was the most annoying part, but luckily that was all they had to worry about.

“If I get wounded in either form it transfers to the other. If I get stabbed as a wolf, I have the same wound in the same place as a human. The only ‘advantages’ we get are that our senses tend to be stronger in correlation to our second form, but they’re more at fifty percent of the form itself. I have better than average sight, smell and hearing, but its not up to par of my second form,” he explained. “Kelvics have been slaved and bred for almost our entire existence. When we shift, we usually outgrow anything we’re wearing. If I’m going to shift, I prefer to not be wearing clothes because I run the risk of strangling myself. Slavers and masters have use this against us, collaring us in ways to prevent us from shifting, either in our first form or our second. That’s the only real way to prevent it.”

Suddenly, Gael realized he was talking more than he probably ever had in one sitting. The normally quiet, stoic man was being brought out of his shell so easily by the Akalak in front of him and all he could feel was…amazement. “What about you? Is there anything about Akalaks that I should know about?” the Reacher man asked. They’d spoken a little about it earlier, but he was sure that it was just touching the tip of the iceberg.

The man nodded as Reed explained how he was training now in comparison to how he’d fought in the pits. A little smirk even touched the small divot in his cheek when the man mentioned he didn’t often come in contact with those bigger than him. At 6’5, Gael was sure he probably didn’t.

His copper gaze followed his bondmate’s hand to the chair he gestured towards to indicate his weapon and he simply nodded. “I didn’t watch what was happening in the pits. Usually it was me sitting guard outside the door and my father sitting next to the client. I could…hear it…though,” he mentioned, holding back a wince. He could certainly remember the screams of pain, the gurgles, the unmentionables. For a moment the man wondered if any of those cries had come from Reed. If he’d ever sat there complacent while he experienced a torture such as that. Guilt settled in his chest for a beat before he remembered that Reed had left Sunberth before he’d even been born. It didn’t do much to settle him, but it did a little.

“Would you want to see me shift? Then, maybe we should give the little lady here a story?” he offered, nodding to Little Nikali who was obviously growing more and more impatient by the minute.


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AND ONLY THE MOON HOWLS