Observing Steel [Bolden Denusk]

[Matthial]

The young man blinked at the question, obviously thinking. The sword fell to a single hand as he reached into a pouch at his belt and withdrew the pipe. He didn't fill or light the object, but instead inserted the curved stem into the side of his mouth. It was clearly a comforting act, and the man frowned as he absently rolled his tongue over the stem. Still mulling things over, he spoke after a long moment. "I.. I don't know. I was raised with my brother in Syliras. We.. ah...we had our own paths. He was training to be a knight, and me a common laborer. We both learned how to fight at a young age, our master was a retired knight." He shook his head and looked to the sky for a second. "It was... later that I picked up his sword. I wandered the roads... in search of .. vengeance. All I found was blood." The warrior leaned back on his heels as he spoke next. "I came here after getting lost out among the plains. A group of bandits I was tracking tricked me, and I almost died. A young hunter rescued me, and a healer helped nurse me back to health." He paused, clearly pained by something. "Hey, if you take anything at all from this, let it be something my master taught me. Its the golden rule of fighting. Don't draw that blade unless you intend to kill. Even then, you need to consider what you are doing. There is always another option. I wish... I wish I had listened to him." Matthial looked down at his hands pointedly, and then sighed. "Oh? No... no. I can't ride worth a crap. I lost my horse several seasons ago. I can't tell you how to fight while riding. I've never had to do it."

[Bolden Denusk]

The word brother echoed over and over in his mind, touching on the edge of a crumbling wall.

"We both learned how to fight at a young age.."

Vanator's face caught--and held--in Bolden's mind. And it stuck. His brother Vanator! His father--sisters! He had sisters--a ..a whole family in the Denusk Pavilion of the Sapphire Clan!

The sword with the sapphire on the hilt, clanged to the ground unnoticed as it slipped from his hand.

Snatches of Matthial's phrases wandered in and out of him as memories rushed him like a herd of horses.

"...lost out among the plains.."

The more the other man spoke, the more his pitch and tone reminded Bold of his brother--Vanator! He had family! He had a last name! Bolden shook his head in an exact copy of his strider.

"You..I..I'm Bolden ...Denusk of the Sapphire Clan Pavilion!" The world's biggest smile broke his face nearly in half as he proudly proclaimed his heritage.

"My father is Ankal Eachann, and my mother is Ay'vata! I remember now--all of it! You just gave me my memory back! I wa--

"Wait what? You've never fought from horseback and your teaching me from the -ground-?!" Bolden just couldn't conceive of anyone not riding before learning fighting. You were -supposed- to learn fighting from horseback, and then ground combat after! That's why things seemed so familiar, yet different!

"Man you need to remedy that petching quick. No respectable Drykas would be caught doing ground combat without learning from horseback first! Otherwise, you've got no foundation to work from. We need to get your Syliran arse on horseback!"

Bolden's face lit from within as he finally felt completely whole. He had -family- again!

[Matthial]

Matthial gave his companion a worried expression as he sort of nibbled on the end of his pipe in utter confusion. He wasn't entirely sure why Bolden was ecstatic, but he assumed it had something to do with that mind of his. Almost as soon as he thought it, Matthial found his idea was confirmed as the other man let out his jubilation. For his own part Matthial raised an eyebrow and listened. He knew nothing of amnesia or how it worked save for its name. Something must have clicked when they where sparring. Matthial gave the other man a smile. "A blessing it is then." He seemed to raise his eyebrow again as Bolden spoke his last. "Yes... because horse-fighting outside of the sea of grass is, so very common." A single hand supported the pipe as he raised his finger to the sky to emphasize the sarcastic remark. "Im not a Drykas you know..." However, it seemed his companion wasn't having it, and seemed to be coming up with ideas of his own.

[Bolden Denusk]

Bolden suddenly realized he'd dropped his sword -on the ground- and he quickly grasped it to wipe it clean and slide it back into the sheath.

'Gods, Van would kill him if he found out--well he'll never know, coz I won't tell him!' the man finished the thought and turned his attention back to Matthial. He grinned sheepishly, unable to contain himself at finally remembering thirteen years of his life.

"I uh, I'm sorry 'bout that. Your voice is almost identical to my brother Vanator's and it just made everything click into place."

Bolden had the grace to flush at his impudence and apologetically replied,

"I have a gift for putting both feet in my mouth at the same time. I didn't mean to be so judgmental. We don't get a lot of outsiders here and no, no I know you're not a Drykas. Thanks for teaching me in spite of my patchy memory. Aw hells, I've never been real good at words."

[Matthial]

Matthial gave a faint smile to Bolden as he rested his hand on his sheathed sword. He gave the stem of the pipe another nibble as he cracked his neck and looked to the sky. It was about mid-day, and the heat was certainly starting to build. He absently touched at his injured leg before giving the other man a sly grin. "No worries, I'll not have you second guess yourself on my account. I see you where offering something, and I unintentionally knocked ye' down. Its on me friend." Pausing the man winced as he opened his jaw and slid it from side to side in an attempt to get the 'kink' out. "So... ah... whats this.. Vanator fellow like? I take it you learned from him? Also, I wouldn't mind learning how to fight from horseback, its just I don't actually have a horse." Matthial thought back to his rather unloyal animal and gave an unconscious scowl.

[Bolden Denusk]

Bolden saw the slight gesture of Matthial subconsciously reaching for an aching leg and nearly sighed aloud in relief. He called over Nightwind with a quiet nicker so he could lean against the strider. Bold gestured for Matt to do the same.

"He's a brute and enjoys the contact as most herd animals do." Gratefully he leaned his full weight comfortably into Nightwind taking the pressure off his leg.

"Vanator? Well my father's the Ankal so he's always been typically busy, so my big brother Van taught me well, nearly everything I guess. He's heir to the Ankal. One of my earliest memories was Van yelling at me to sit up straight and fold my arms over my chest while I rode. I think I was four or five then. Of course, we'd fight like brothers everyday too."

Bolden's grin stayed there and settled, lighting up his eyes and livening his features as he remembered aloud.

"Well, back to matters at hand. How are you at riding? This is isn't about modesty in swordplay. This is skill evaluation. Are you a novice, moderate or advanced rider? And about how much do you weigh?"

As he waited for Matthial to answer, he mentally calculated which horse would be right for him. Sword play was fun, but horses were serious business.

[Matthial]

Matthial looked to the sky once more, his pipe hanging from the corner of his mouth as he studied a lone cloud overhead. The man said nothing obviously thinking back to a different time. In truth, if one looked close enough, they might find that the man looked tired. It wasn't physical, more... mentally. An exhaustion not with his muscles, but with life. Closing his eyes for a second the man spoke. "Hmm...novice I guess. Maybe less. I havn't ridden in years, and when I did, it was simply to get somewhere. Actual fighting on horseback among the Sylirian knights involves lances, or spears. Neither of which I have put much stock in." He spoke slowly, and Bolden would notice that the man wasn't entirely in the 'now'. In fact, thinking back, Bolden might start to see this as a pattern. Matthial wasn't so much training, as he was trying to keep his mind off of something else. Why don't you give it up? This silly mission of vengeance? It won't help you settle down and start a family. No, I don't understand, they chose their path, I fail to see what drives you to wander the deepest darkest places in search of blood, when you have a beautiful lover waiting for you right here. Why are you so angry? What do you even have to be angry about? Her voice was like a thorn in the back of his mind, scratching at the various lies and trash that filled his head. He hadn't learned to ride because it had never meant anything to him. He had wandered in a fury for so long, that he had given up a part of himself. In wanting to kill, he had only succeeded in hurting himself. It was like a hole that reached down into his very essence. A hole that could never be filled, no matter how long, or how hard he searched. The Syliran gave Bolden a smile. "Lets go." END

[Lariat]

Matthial

Experience:

Weapon (Longsword): 2 xp
Teaching: 2 xp
Observing: 3 xp
Socializing: 2 xp


Lores:

Bolden Denusk (Basic)
Predicting the outcome of a battle
Teaching someone how to fight
Echoing the words of a master

Bolden Denusk

Experience:

Riding (Horse): 1 xp
Weapon (Longsword): 2 xp
Observation: 3 xp
Socialization: 2 xp


Lores:

Matthial (Basic)
How to use less energy when swinging the sword around
Finding where you stand in combat and remembering how to circle
Keeping a hold on your blade
Remembering that which had been forgotten

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