A Double Edged Blade (Aello)

[Raiyari]

A Double Edged Blade Spring 85, 508 Rai groaned as she and Izumi flopped down onto the grass for a quick break. Her olive skin was a mottled purple color, healing bruises dotted her body. Most were hidden under her robes, as her stomach was currently a mess of purply blotches. Though there was a particularly nasty one on her throat, the same size and shape of a bootprint. That was exactly what it was. Rai knew how to take a beating, the short young woman had been taking them for years now. But hiding the signs? That was something she'd never get good at. None of the bruises had been earned at Izumi's hand, but they sure as hell didn't help when they were at sparring. Izumi giggled, letting her wooden practice sword drop to the ground. They both didn't practice with steel outside the training ring, as the Shinya believed that wood went a long way to preserving the Acolyte's lives. At least, for the time being. Both girls had wooden katanas and tantos, Izumi's were lying on the grass, Rai's were tucked neatly into her obi. "Again," sighed Rai, pulling herself up with much effort. There was a concerned look on Izumi's face, but the younger girl quickly hid it. She knew how much Rai hated being pitied. It made her feel weak. The duo drew their wooden swords, the blades making only a whisper as they slid against the fabric of their belts. They bowed to each other, beginning the match. In a flash, Rai was beside Izumi, her blade whistling towards the girl's midsection. Friends were friends, but within a duel, they were your opponent. Respect your opponent, but give no quarter. That was what she was taught, and was what Rai firmly believed. The click clack of wood rang out, as both girls blocked and struck at each other. Rai's movements were fluid and practiced, Izumi's were frantic but fast. They spun in a dance of whirling wood and blue robes, swords darting out, only to be blocked again. Finally, Rai saw an opening. Without a moments hesitation, she took it, whacking Izumi sharply on the shoulder. Her friend cried out in surprise, dropping the wooden blade. But before she could reach to pick it up, Rai had the katana at Izumi's throat. But as usual, nothing could diminish Izumi's good spirits. Her eyes were bright with adrenaline and giggles would no doubt spill out any second now. A big grin split the younger girl's face, from ear to ear. Rai returned the cheshire grin with a small smile of her own, her brow furrowed at the aching pain that currently coursed through her body. Both girls slumped right back down into the grass, taking another break. Before long, they would be at it again. But for now, a rest was what they wanted.

[Aello]

Aello was walking through Lhavit in search of an archery range. Her eyes were darting back and forth, looking for someone who may be able to give her directions, or the range itself. That would be nice. She knew that there had to be one of them around, although, she wasn't sure where it would be located exactly. Or, at least, how to get there from where she was now. She had been looking for over an hour, and was certain that she had merely been walking in circles. After all, that tree did look familiar, and so did that patch of grass, and that bush that had been cut into the shape of a five-pointed star. Aello sighed heavily as she tightened her grip on her father's bow. It was resting in her right hand. Yup, she was definitely lost. Perfect. Hoping that she'd magically find her way to the ranges if she just kept at it, Aello continued walking. She stepped almost silently over rows upon rows of green grass for several minutes until she caught sight of someone off in the distance. Excited at finally finding another life form, Aello quickened her pace, and soon found herself standing over two women. Each of them were wearing long, flowing, dark blue robes. They seemed to shine in the sunlight, and to Aello, appeared as though they were made of silk. "Hello. Sorry to bother you," Aello said to neither one of the girls in the particular. "Do you know the way to the archery ranges? I seem to be having a little trouble finding them." Aello tried to sound as sweet as possible, there was no use being rude when you were asking for directions, especially if you expected to actually receive them. OOCSorry for forcing the awkward introductions onto you so early. Erm... hopefully we can get past this soon. Please pm me if you need more to work with, I know there isn't much to go on right now. But Aello doesn't know Rai yet, so I don't think she'd really overwhelm her with words... yet.

[Raiyari]

Rai stood up quickly, brushing the grass and dirt off her Acolyte's robes, and giving the foreigner a bow in greeting. This stranger had to be a foreigner, what else could she be? With her light brown hair, pale features, and lovely hourglass shape, she was obviously no Shinya. And most likely no Lhavitian either. Her speech was not that of Lhavit, but Common, and Rai groaned internally. The last thing she wanted was some sort of miscommunication. "Ar-cherry," mused Rai, rolling the odd word over her tongue. It certainly seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. "The bow, she wants to practice," giggled Izumi in Lhavitian, giving Aello a little wave. Rai gave a sound of understanding, and then looked about her surroundings. "Archery, you go keep going West, away from Zintia peak. Archery there," she stumbled over the Common words, sounding like a complete fool. Her accent was extremely thick. Rai certainly felt like a fool, and that familiar embarrassment made her olive-skinned face redden. It had only been five days since she'd been christened 'Mud Queen' by her peers, and she was entirely sick of looking like a fool. But what else could the young girl do but stand there, looking like a museum of bruises, and trying to speak in a foreign tongue?

[Aello]

Aello waved back at Izumi with her free hand. "Hello," she said cheerfully as Rai struggled to reply in Common. Even so, Aello managed to understand her. To read the girl's aura as she simply stared. Concentrating intently on the bruises had simply, led into it Aello supposed. She still didn't understand why she could see auras, or how it worked, or what the colors she saw meant all the time. But even so, she could see Rai's now. Swirling around Rai's head was a bright, lemon yellow mist that closely resembled smoke. The mist seemed to be denser in certain areas, mainly those closest to the woman's chin. The aura also displayed a dark brown overlay, which made it appear as though it had been muddied in some way. As though dirt or grime had been thrown into a pool of water, but in this case, the pool of water was Rai's aura. Yet, as soon as Rai's words cut through the air, Aello's concentration on her seemed to fade. But only for an instant, even so, the aura disappeared as quickly as it had come, if not sooner. Even so, Aello had the feeling Rai was embarassed, and rather insecure. But couldn't just looking at her have told her those things? Aello wondered as the girl's skin reddened, and she first caught sight of the girl's bruises. They seemed nasty, and Aello couldn't help but wonder how she had gotten them. But she didn't ask, that would be rude, even for someone like her. Aello had been quiet for a few moments. She imagined she must seem slow or rude, or perhaps, even both. "Uh... sorry," Aello said. "Thank you for the directions..." Aello's voice trailed off as she realized she hadn't heard either of the local's names. "It'll be nice to get some practice in," Aello added as she began to walk past them. But something stopped her after she had taken a few steps. She looked over her shoulder, back at the two oddly-dressed girls. "What are you two doing out her anyway? And by yourselves?" Aello asked.

[Raiyari]

The two Acolytes nodded and smiled, giving Aello a quick bow as she walked past them. They assumed that the foreigner was leaving now, to practice with her bow. Deciding that their little break had come to a close, the two turned to face each other, just about to resume their practice. Then they heard the foreigner's voice again. Common was such a strange tongue, so unlike Lhavitian. But the stranger spoke it fluidly, her tongue gliding over the syllables. Rai, who was not the most proficient student in languages, usually had a hard a hard time translating most of the words. But this time it was easy. The sentences were simple, and filled with basic words. "We practicing. Like Ar-cherry," Rai stumbled over the new word, but was rather proud she was able to incorporate it into her sentence. "But with sword. We Shinya Acolyte, must lots practice." "Must lots practice," agreed Izumi, taking her hand from the hilt of her wooden katana to brush a stray strand of hair out of her face. "You want sword practice?"[/color]

[Aello]

"Don't you mean that you must practice the use of your sword a lot?" Aello asked as she put her bow down and slipped her quiver off her shoulders. She gingerly navigated it over the length of her left arm, before placing the quiver by the side of her bow. The last thing she removed was her bag, in one fluid motion, she placed it beside her belongings before straightening herself up and saying, "and you more than likely meant to ask: do you want to practice the use of a sword?" Aello giggled. Aello took a few steps closer to the acolytes. "I wouldn't mind giving it a try." Aello shrugged. "But do you have anything more for beginners? For a lack of a better word..." Aello's voice trailed off for a moment as she considered her words. She knew so little of swords and melee weapons in general. Bows and magic were her thing, and she knew little else. "Perhaps something smaller? Something like a dagger? Something kept close to the body that should be easier for a clueless person such as myself to wield?" Aello shifted her weight uncomfortably from her right foot to her left foot. She felt so foolish for knowing so little of blades. She could feel her face flushing much as Raiyari's had a few moments before. She sensed the edges of her cheeks growing pink with embarrassment. "Unless you have a lot of time in which to show me how to use such a thing?" Aello added as she took a few more steps forward, only to notice that the blades were made of wood. Perhaps they were tricking her, or simply using them so as to reduce injuries while training. Aello couldn't be sure. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the girls. Was she being played? Aello wondered.

[Raiyari]

Raiyari let the foreigner correct her use of Common, trying to remember how the words fit together. Infinitive verb, then noun. To practice, kenjutsu. Interesting how this language worked. She'd have to remember this, which would greatly reduce the risk of looking like a bumbling idiot. "Dagger? Tanto, yes," agreed Raiyari, reaching for her wooden practice dagger. It was twelve inches long, as long as her steel one, but with a dull edge. Adequate for use in training, but not much else. It would suffice. Rai didn't know much about wielding a Tanto, it was more of an extra measure to her, in case an enemy got too close for a katana to be pulled out. The fact that Aello's speech consisted of a lot of less basic and longer words led to Rai's confusion. She spoke with a blade, not with words, leaving the translation of the longer words to Izumi. Her friend was less of a warrior, preferring projection and smaller weapons to the art of kenjutsu. Even so, neither of the girls were more than beginners. "Yes, always have time for learning, no?" smiled Rai, nodding politely. One did not turn someone away if they wished to learn. She seemed not to register the narrow-eyed gaze of the stranger, but kept that to herself. She didn't know the cause of this, so she simply dismissed it. Doubtless the impoliteness was commonplace among the stranger's people, or why else would she behave so? "Introductions: I am Raiyari. She, Izumi." It all went back to the basics, saying one's name. Rai would wait until the stranger gave her name. It would only be polite, and in training, to be anything but polite was simply wrong. You did not train with an opponent who gave no respect. They would be dismissed from the dojo. "Feet, here," Rai would say, pointing to the position her feet were in. Both her feet were pointing forwards, with one slightly in front of the other. It seemed like a relaxed standing pose, but in kenjutsu, this was really the guard position. "Hold, here." She held out her hand, pretending to grip a hilt, and gesturing to show that the blade should be below her hand, not above it. That was really all she knew about tantojutsu, how to hold the dagger.

[Aello]

"It is always good to learn new things," Aello said with a shy smile, as she let up on her eyes. It appeared as though the girls were using wooden weapons merely to practice and not get hurt... too much. Aello extended her right hand and took the tanto from Raiyari. It looked like a wooden dagger to Aello. Except the point of the blade cut diagonally as opposed to a more traditional dagger where the blade ended at a point that mirrored an arrowhead. It looked like a puny version of a katana. "Thank you Raiyari," Aello said once she had learned the girl's name and given a slight bow with her head. That was polite, right? Aello thought as she straightened her body back up. "My name is Aello," she continued, before she began to follow Rai's directions. Aello spaced her feet out so that her right was ahead of the left. Her feet were pointing forwards, and she looked as though she were about to walk away. Aello held onto the hilt of the wooden dagger, and pointed the blade downwards and toward her body. She lifted the dagger to show Rai. "Like this?" she asked, hoping that she had understood her correctly. Aello couldn't help but feel somewhat foolish, or at least, like a small child learning how to walk for the first time. It felt like it had been an eternity since she had last learned something new, and the last time she had learned, at least she had someone who spoke the same language as she did. But that was alright, the language barrier did make things rather... interesting. Didn't it? "So what's next Rai?" Aello asked the acolyte.