[The Plucked Arrow] One more time (Kovac)

[Rista]

Breathing a sigh of relief as she saw the more favorable result of her disobedient, it was way more difficult to turn the head and glance at the avora. The girl was prepared for the worst, from chilly discontent to tight-lipped anger; the comment surprised her enough to let a small, uncertain smile form on her own lips, somewhat charmed by the amusing words and the lopsided grin. Yes, a good thing indeed; a thought to Sairque and the feamle Endal's possible reaction in such a situation made her want to swallow, suddenly glad that the fearsome woman was no where around. Better wait next time, perhaps. The man seemed content for some reason though, as if she had done something good. Rista hoped it was the shot that had pleased him; it certainly had her. The commendation was more or less shrugged off; the girl couldn't see how disobeying was a good thing, surely he wasn't serious.

It somehow still felt like she was being rewarded for something when the dark-haired man lifted his own bow; Rista watched with eager interest how he pulled, aimed and fired in one smooth motion. There was no mistaking the competence with which he fired, nor the aiming skill; the girl held back a desire to flinch as her arrow was damaged, and glanced at Kovac for a moment as he lowered the bow again. Better not say anything about those being her own arrows, that she would have to replace for her own pinions... Better not. It probably didn't matter all that much, she still had enough arrows to get around well, and the show was impressive enough. Her feeling of respect towards this man did nothing but rise at the moment.. She better be careful, it would be way too easy to start trust this person. And trust hurt, she knew that much.

Listening to the instructions and watching with her softly gleaming black eyes how he held the bow, the short young woman tried to do as he showed and balance the bow between thumb and index finger. It felt a bit precarious, as if it was on the verge of tilting either back or forth; she experimented a bit, changed the loose grip several times without really getting it to look as relaxed as it did for the older man. The yasi tried letting the length of the bow glide through her hands; long and slender fingers opened and closed around the warming wood of the weapon, and with a bit of imagination and a dirty mind the movements became not so much focused and careful as they were sensual...

Suddenly the short bow seemed to settle within her grasp, balanced in the hand and with the lower arch resting ever so lightly against the palm of her hand. She glanced at Kovac to see if this was how he meant, and tried to view his hands again; unaware of his glances she leaned a bit closer with a concentrated expression. Her foreign eyes gave the short young woman an exotic look, only enhancing the high cheekbones and the narrow chin; the structure of the face was that of an Inarta, but with the almost velveteen darkness of her gaze and the softly gleaming copper skin, she looked wild and startlingly mature compared to their paler kin, so growing teenager she was. Maybe it was because of the hard sarcastic facade she wore, one that only rarely cracked a little to let through a hint of warmth; it was hard to look small and innocent when one distrusted the entire world.

She raised the unoccupied hand and pushed a curling dark sling of hair behind the ear; a faint scent of herbal soap came from the damp locks, but the girl didn't seem to be aware of it. She was only focused on the task at hand, perhaps too naive to be phased by the close proximity of her mongrel senior; the sounds around were as prominent as ever but had been reduced to nothing more than backdrop, barely worth to pay attention to.

"Like this?" Rista asked and raised a thin eyebrow at the man, holding her hand to show what she was doing. "It feels right, but that doesn't have to mean anything.. Now what do I do?" She felt eager to learn more, determined to learn as much as she could now that she had the opportunity; private lessons like this one really didn't came often, it was all up to the whims of the teachers whether they wanted to bother with the students or not. Besides, this was actually fun. She liked archery, enjoyed to push herself and always try to do better, even more so since she could see the progress she made when she worked hard. And with Kovac being tolerable to be around.. well, that wasn't as important, really, but it sure helped if she could listen to the instructor without wanting to say something rude or try to irk them just for the amusing reactions. Paying back for their racist ideal was neither smart nor very mature, but it felt too good when it succeeded. Maybe it wasn't so strange that no one had taken her in so far...

[Kovac]

Looking up at Kovac with those curious black eyes, the avora saw true interest in learning more. An interested student was much easier to teach, and more tolerable to be around. So many of the inarta brats couldn't keep their attention on the task at hand, rolling their eyes at him. Such yasi often received a cuff to the head, or were sent away with their undergarments harshly yanked up from the back. But Rista took time to listen, not rushing as she attempted to follow his instructions. Kovac saw her discomfort as she mimicked his hold on the bow, instead working the weapon with her hand until she found the right hold. Indeed, the motion of the young woman's slight hand along the length of the bow elicited an involuntary unclean image, but the notion was struck down immediately. As mature as Rista appeared in both demeanor and body, she was still a child. But the girl's almost sensual handling of the short bow spoke of a respect for the weapon, and a true feeling for it. The exotic youth looked up again at him, seeking approval. Kovac leaned around to examine her grip, poking at the bow to test the tightness of Rista's grip. The weapon rocked and shifted slightly in her hand. Then he drew closer, leaning his head in so it rested almost on her shoulder, his green eyes gazing down the length of her arm and past the bow to the target beyond, gauging her hold. He inhaled, catching a whiff of the girl's freshly-bathed scent. She smelled better that the majority of the yasi he had taught, he must of caught her on bath day. "Yes, that's it. When you pull the string back, the tautness will hold the bow secure, and your loose grip will not twist the bow and throw off your aim." He looked at her dark gaze again for a moment, then reached into his quiver, plucked out an arrow and held it out to her. "I owe you one. Now, try again." He indicated, pointing down the shooting lane.

[Rista]

Finding that they suddenly had gotten very close for some reason, Rista blinked a little and took a step to the side once the instructor had confirmed her grasp on the bow. Shrugging it off as coincidence, she looked hesitantly at the arrow that was offered, and opened her mouth to protest. He was giving it to her? Rista wasn't sure what to think of the gesture, did he have any idea what he was doing? She wasn't one to receive things, no one ever gave her anything without expecting payment in some way. This man... Kovac was more tolerable than most adults or yasi, she had come across in a while - Eoin didn't count, their meeting had been way too strange to count anywhere! - but Rista still wasn't sure that she trusted him. Being a fellow half-breed and a good shooter didn't automatically make him a good person, and even if he said funny things, she hadn't even decided whether she liked him or not. Being in debt to such a person was... Then again, what could he demand after giving away a single arrow?

A thought of refusing passed through her mind, but soon the girl pushed it away and slowly took the missile from his hand, almost hesitantly as if she thought he would retract it and laugh her in the face for being silly. "Thank you" she mumbled, then returned her eyes to the bow and what she was doing. And why not? He had damaged hers, it was only fair that he replaced it... Problem was, neither Endal nor Avora was known for being fair towards yasi; their problems were often considered their to deal with, in whatever way they found suitable. As a whole their little society was very fair though; you got what you deserved, if you had earned it. Sometimes less, but certainly nothing more. Since the children rarely made much use of themselves, they couldn't expect to be spoiled for no reason; at least not someone like her, who relied on the society entirely for food and clothing. This gift, no matter how small it was still came unexpected, and it really couldn't be helped that she didn't trust him, she still felt somewhat happy about it..

Without actually thinking it over the girl held the arrow in the hand for a while, and then, instead of using it to fire against the target she placed it down in the quiver and reached for one of her own. She couldn't say for sure that it was the first gift she had received, but it sure was a rarity; no way that she would waste it away on practice like this. She had others, there was no need to risk damage to his.. No, the one she had been given by him. A small, undefinable smile passed over her face as she returned her focus to the target, and using her own arrow she nicked it to the string, once more repeating the process of plying the bow and aiming.

Finding that she no longer could raise the bow as she usually did, it took slightly more concentration that before as her mind took note on the new things, trying to replace them with her old habits. Keep a loose grip on the bow, hold three fingers on the string steadily, as not to repeat the previous disaster. Keep the shoulder low and relaxed, twist the bow arm as not to scrape the under arm with the string.. Now she had to pull while raising the weapon up to the right position, in order to not loose the still somewhat uncomfortable loose grip; pushing back a desire to hold around the frame tighter, Rista shifted the weight of the taught bow from the arms and to her back, breathing out as she took aim, looking down the arrow to align it with the target... When she thought she had it properly aimed, she let the fingers relax, the string happily shooting forth as it was freed from all restraints. The bow wobbled a bit in her grasp, but the flight of the arrow was straight and true, soaring quickly towards the target where it embedded itself next to her best shot, the tip just barely crossing the line between red and white.

Keeping the grasp of the bow, the girl tilted her head a little and tried to decide whether it was a good shot or not. Granted, in comparison to the first ones it was very good, but since the goal had been to move the group over to red, she wasn't sure that it was good enough. It might be a matter of practice, to just get used to the new instructions and beat them into her muscles, but somehow...

"Is it my aim that's off?" she said slowly, and looked over at Kovac for a possible answer. "I really think I'm aiming right, but even so they still don't hit the center. Might it be that I'm not looking where I should? When I've plied the bow, I use both my eyes and look down along the left side of the arrow, and when it looks like the tip is at the red, I release..." Explaining it, she showed with the bow and took up her stance again, though without using an arrow; careful not to dry-fire the weapon, the girl then slowly let it relax back and returned her gaze to Kovac, her full attention focused on the man and his instructions. She didn't notice the small group of yasi that slowly gathered on the other side of the hall behind their backs, attention decidedly focusing towards their range. Whispers were passed behind hands, eyes gleaming with mirth as they threw glances at the dark-haired pair, mouths twisting into disdainful smirks; bad apples were up to no good again it seemed, as they innocently appeared to be comparing their results and examining the bows, eyes moving back and forth between the pair and each other...

[Kovac]

Kovac waited patiently for the long moment to pass before Rista took the proffered arrow. He wondered at first at the reason for her hesitation, he was giving her an arrow, not a gold crusted tiara. But then he could read, even in the pitch black eyes, that the girl did not know how to accept a gift. Likewise, her youthful, copper-toned face expressed a still wavering mistrust, as if she had yet to determine if Kovac was on her side, or ultimately would join the ranks of those that held her in contempt. The corner of his mouth turned up slightly when he noticed she did not use the arrow he had given her, choosing one of her own for the next volley. As the yasi readied her next shot, Kovac watched, studying not only her technique, but her concentration and poise. There were still a few things she did wrong, but those could wait. He could see the list of corrections going through her mind as the girl awkwardly tried the new techniques. The avora had given her several things to work on, and he did not want to overwhelm her. But Rista's arrow flew true and straight, finding a good place in the target. Kovac gave an approving nod. "Your aim is not off, its the way you are looking at the target." He offered. "You need to look at the target with your dominant eye, not both. Point your finger at the target with both eyes open. First close one eye and then the other. Your finger will be lined up with the target when your dominant eye is open. Use that eye to aim." It was then that the avora had noticed the two half-bloods had attracted an audience. The avora had no doubts what was being whispered behind his and Rista's back, slander that both he and the girl had surely heard before. He would not tolerate such insolence from children and he would not have Rista teased in his presence. Kovac stared the yasi down with a menacing scowl. "Go find something to do," he growled, "or I am sure there are plenty of piles of giant bat crap in the Underground Forest that needs cleaned up. Huh, you pathetic little vermin are about the right size to be carried off by them too." He laughed malevolently. Some of the children returned sour faces, the younger ones grew pale in fear, all slowly began to disperse. Kovac's eyes fell back to Rista, for a moment almost apologetic, and certainly hinting at an understanding that only he could share with her. Then his face returned to its normal sardonic features as he looked down at the target. "With work, you could be a good archer." He stated matter-of-factly. "What, if you had a choice, would you choose as a career?" Kovac spoke as he set another arrow to his bow and almost absent mindedly sent another arrow down the lane to land near his first shot.

[Rista]

Listening and nodding at the explanation, the girl began to follow the instruction and lowered the bow, instead lifting her right hand to point at the target to see which eye was her dominant one. Her attention was divided though as Kovac turned around, a glance at him slipped over to the group of yasi behind them. Unintentionally the girl tensed, shoulders pulling up in defense against the gleaming eyes and the almost hungry expressions. It wasn't that she feared them, not really. It was just instinct, well honed after years of mental and physical abuse; while Rista was good at retorting and knew how to fight back, she never enjoyed the fights and the taunts had a tendency to make her doubt herself and her own worth. That the younger yasi actually feared her for her temper and flying fists didn't help, especially not as that horrified respect gained the attention of those her own age; even those that otherwise wouldn't have cared about her was dragged in by it, annoyed by all the fuzz.

She watched the Avora as he drove the lingering youths away, a tense line around her mouth as she noticed the slow reactions and a few threatening glances that was thrown at her as the kids left. Great, now she would pay for their scolding too. It wasn't that she was ungrateful for the aid, if it wasn't just an outburst of impatience, but it wouldn't really solve anything to have others step in and try to help her. Whatever rumor they had created was sure to spread like a wildfire - the mongrel had gotten herself a mate of her own standards and didn't hold herself higher than to flirt around at the ranges. That the man beside her was Avora wouldn't make it better really, probably the opposite since it meant that she was in a position to climb upwards...

Rista couldn't help but sigh a bit, and accidentally caught the dark-haired instructors gaze as she turned back to finish her task. The girl almost recoiled in surprise at the apologizing look to his eyes; was he sympathizing with her? For a moment she wasn't sure whether to be grateful or insulted by the thought of her needing his pity, but then her mind calmed down and tried to look at the situation from a different perspective.
Of course. He had probably been in the same situation as her when he was yasi; he might actually have to deal with it still, from those around him. No wonder he took the time to drive the kids off; he probably needed the tattling as little as she did, probably less since he'd be negatively associated with a young girl that wasn't even old enough to move from the youth section. The lines around her mouth smoothed out again, even formed a little smile as Rista nodded, a silent display of gratitude; it was such a shame that his actions wouldn't help in the long run.

Turning back to the target and her practice, the girl quickly decided that the right eye was her dominant one; not a huge surprise, really. She was way better with the right hand in most things she did, it was stronger and more nimble; always right handed, she had more than once feared ever breaking that arm, since it would more or less incapacitate her completely. Picking out a new arrow to try out the aim again, she forced the shoulders to relax again and kept her eyes on the red dot before her, listening with half an ear to what Kovac said. The matter-of-fact statement made a slight tint of color wash over her face from happiness and reluctant pride over the recognition; feeling silly she pushed the feelings back, and tried to reply while aiming the weapon at the target once more.

"If I could choose" she said and watched the man shoot, "and it was all up to me... I'd be an Endal. But since it's not and the chances of that ever happening are slim..." Waiting until it was clear that he wouldn't shoot anymore, the girl then raised her bow, went through the corrections and loosed; the arrow struck above the red dot, but had been centered a bit better this time. Oh right, she messed up the shoulder, still a bit tense from the unpleasant encounter with the yasi.

"My next best alternative is a hunter. I like being outdoors, and I'm not too good with small detailed things; my fingers are too clumsy for anything else. I could decide more over my own hours, and it seems to me that a life like that isn't half bad. If that's not possible either, then maybe falconeering, or at least something that has to do with animals. It all depends on what I can get, whether I can get accepted anywhere. I'd even be at the nursery if it kept me from going dek..."

Firing off a few shots more, Rista eventually sighed and lowered the bow. Some shots had been good, some bad, but it was a lot of things to keep in mind, and while she wasn't tiring yet, her bare fingers were beginning to feel sore from the string. The target were scattered with her attempts; it seemed her focus had been dispersed a bit, the thoughts wavering more now than before. The face looked calm, but now and then she threw a glance over the shoulder, wary of any more people stopping to stare at her; she wasn't really aware of it herself, the guarded mentality seemed to have been habituated to a fault.

[Kovac]

Making a quick assessment of his own shot, Kovac listened as Rista answered his question. He surprised himself in asking the rather personal question. But for the first time in a while, he felt a rather professional interest in somebody. Of course, overtly, he was Shayth's private archery instructor, but by now even the lowliest Dek knew that the two of them were together, in a non-professional way. Rista struck a harmony in the snarky avora. He felt a kinship with the youth, and saw traits of familiar discrimination and maybe even persecution in her history. Usually apathetic towards the woes of others, the archer felt hints of care regarding the half-bred girl. He blamed feeling things on Shayth and Chemar, who managed to crack open his crusty heart. If he could make a difference in Rista's life, well, it would be at least one thing good he would have done in his life. The avora cringed ever so slightly when the yasi stated she would prefer to be an endal. It was not a surprise, every little girl and boy wanted to grow up and ride an eagle and live in the Aeries and have their own bath and get to push everyone else around. Very few ever find their way there. Rista did, however, show promise as a hunter. Talented with a bow, and appearing sturdier than her full inarta fellows, she very well could adapt to that life. As far as falconer, well, he had no way of judging that, Kovac did not seem to possess the affinity for avians that his full-blooded inarta neighbors did. Regardless, Rista was worth something. In a silent vow, Kovac told himself he would not allow this mongrel to wind up a Drudge, if he could help it. There was a lag in the conversation as Rista fired off a few more arrows, Kovac studying her technique. He gave her an approving nod. She had learned some things, improving even as he watched her. It was enough for her to work on for now, but he would continue to teach her. The black-eyed girl's furtive glances around her betrayed her concern over the attention she was drawing, and Kovac decided that they had covered enough for the day. Gathering his bow and quiver, he placed his hand on Rista's back and guided her away from the lane. "We must let our full-blood brethren practice, or they shall all turn green envying our stellar skills." He looked down at the girl, flashing a roguish grin. As they walked away from the lane, his hand fell from her shoulder. "I want you to practice what I have taught you, regularly. I will be back to see your progress, and to show you more things to work on." It was his subtle way to display his appreciation for her potential, and a promise that he would not abandon her to the system. He did not want to come right out with it, not yet. But if it meant taking her as an apprentice to save her from the Dek, it was worth considering. The man looked down into the black wells of the teen's eyes. "And if you need anything, come find me." Kovac realized he was putting her in a position to actually be taunted even more, giving her so much attention. But the others were giving her a hard time anyway, he knew, and she needed to know someone was on her side.

[Rista]

Sensing that the lesson was coming to an end, Rista followed the example of her unexpected teacher and gathered up her equipment, bringing back the arrows from the target and into the quiver. She carefully took note of the single arrow that was different from her usual ones and made sure to to risk damaging it; even she wasn't sure why she was so careful with it. There was something decidedly different with this arrow, as if it carried more than the head and the feathers on the polished shaft; the short yasi couldn't put words on the feeling, it just felt important and precious, somehow.

The pat on the back as they began to move away from the range was unexpected. She tried to avoid showing how odd she experienced it to be, but the quick glance up at the dark-haired man said quite a lot. The light touch to her body tickled a little, the hand felt foreign, but also rather warm and a bit reassuring. Without even thinking about it Rista returned the smile with one of her own; unguarded as it was and unexpected, it was as if the face of the girl softened and warmed up. She listened quietly as he spoke and felt how her stomach made a churn from excitement; this had gone well. Really well even, if the Avora was willing to continue keeping an eye on her. The girl's smile widened even more, and for a moment she almost managed to forget about the noise and the people around them...

Then someone chuckled close by, and she became aware of how she must look, staring up at Kovac like she was with a wide and silly smile on the face. It was like blowing out a candle; the light and the warmth disappeared, and when Rista turned her head back to look forward the face was closed and hard again, a scowl growing on the forehead. Black eyes peered around suspiciously at the people around her, but no one met her gaze; it was all normal, everything was like it used to be.. She barely even heard the final comment Kovac gave her and it took even longer before the meaning of the words began to sink in. When they did, she halted and stared at him for a while, mixed emotions working within and battling over dominion of her features.

Could she trust him? Saying it like that sounded good, but if she actually tried to confide in him over something, would she find herself being made a fool of instead? It was something she would have to think through. Just the offer in itself was something worth mulling over; why was he interested in helping her? Despite the thoughts, Rista smiled and nodded.

"Thank you, Kovac Avora" she said almost distantly as the thoughts rushed through her mind, making a slight dare with calling him by name. "I appreciate it, and I'll practice as much as I can. I won't make you disappointed.."

At the very least she would try not doing it; she could only hope that her best was good enough. And she would consider it; to trust him, and perhaps even rely on him a bit... She had time to settle things for herself first, and give it some thought. For now though, her muscles ached and the stomach growled for food; the range was way too noisy for comfort too, and nothing aside from the targets held any allure to her. After making sure that the hunter didn't have anything more to say, she politely excused herself and set off through the busy halls with quick, purposeful strides, the bow slung over the shoulder; ignoring the people around her she set her course for the kitchens, hoping to find something edible..

End.

[Phoenix]

Character: Rista Experience:Archery- 5, Socialization- 5, Observation- 5, Stretching- 2 Lores:Being proud of owning a bow, Stretching to ready for practice, Being constantly asked “What are you” instead of a proper introduction, Meeting the other Wind Reach Mongrel, Telling her life story from an Eagle Perspective, Knowing how to properly handle a bow, Disobeying Kovac, Being teased by other Yasi, Character: Kovac Experience: Archery- 5, Socialization- 5, Teaching- 5, Observation- 5 Lores:I would have some peace and quiet if it wasn’t for you meddling kids!, Unoriginally commenting on Rista’s eyes, Meeting the other Wind Reach Mongrel, Giving Rista a few pointers, Feeling a connection towards Rista, Sticking up for Rista The Method, The Fire: I was very excited to see that the two halfbreeds finally met, and I wasn't disappointed! Good job you two! Any questions or concerns, please send me a PM and I'll be happy to help!