[Sanctuary] Earning thy keep (Open)

[Ragnor Matlian]

Timestamp: 90th of Summer, 511 A.V.
Location: The Sanctuary
Purpose: Helping out

For now, in those long stretching bells before dawn graced the horizon, the foyer of the Sanctuary was empty. In the wee hours of twilight it was somewhere he could find the most peace, and collect on his thoughts while he hovered over just beyond the porch, looking out through the open entry way in hopes of catching a glance at the bright orange tendrils of day that dawn announced itself with. If he still breathed, he would have taken a deep and long breath, a habit he had when waiting for such sights during his days at sea. So much had happened since then, so much had changed, and a lot of which that had could not be fixed. His death had been a rather permanent effect after all.

Willing himself forward, he decided to carry himself slightly above the porch, not caring how it might look for he had decided not to materialize yet, and even if someone stirred, and he had felt moved to have himself appear out into the open, it would not be such an easy thing to notice him in the dim light. Somewhere off in the distance, a song bird chortled out a pleasant tune that carried on a breeze that he could never feel. It mellowed him somewhat, the cold needles of depression prickling along his form, but then the first glint of light came across the horizon and he brushed the heavy feeling away. Dawn was reaching the earth and other birds seemingly noticing this chirped a merry tune that echoed all the more powerfully with the reds, golds, and oranges that now slowly painted themselves on the soft blue hue of the night time sky.

To anyone who still had even a ounce of good in them, he felt that their spirits would soar like his always did when seeing something so beautiful, so moving that you almost which you could reach out and touch it as if it was tangible. He savored that very sunrise for the few bells it seemed to last before he turned around, willing his form back into the foyer of the Sanctuary. Soon people would be up and rising and it was past time for him to start seeking them out and helping them like he promised Kavala he would. Here he would wait, meditating on what thoughts still caught his interest while he kept aware enough to know when anyone was stirring. That was when he would show himself, but not a moment sooner for his materialization still had its limits of time and other things, and with no soulmist readily available for him to take to consume, he would have to make do with the energy he had.

[Kavala]

OOC: I suggest the 90th day?

Kavala hadn't been herself for almost an entire season. She'd been ghosting around Sanctuary, quiet and withdrawn, since she'd come to the realization that Hatot and Radris were not going to ever visit their son. She oversaw things, healed, nurtured and generally worked herself to the ground often forgetting to eat until she had problems producing milk for Tasi. Once that had happened, she'd put herself back on the cooking roster and had made sure she ate, though there was no joy in her food.

It was something a lot of new mothers went through, the depression, and the realization that they were indeed just breeder. She'd been a lot more fiesty under her obligations when she had something to fight and a reason to be stubborn. But now, she just seemed tired a great deal. Raiha often took Tasi in the afternoon for a bell or two so Kavala could nap, but it never really cleared the shadows under her eyes nor the shadows on her heart.

Her trip to Endrykas hadn't helped either. Most of the people in Sanctuary had speculated she'd fled for good. But twenty days later, Kavala had ridden back through the gates returning home. The Cerulean had even dropped by a time or two to make sure she'd returned when she finally had. Her rest period was coming to an end, and when the watchtowers flared again, she'd be up for grabs.

To the denizens of Sanctuary, Kavala was more ghost than Ragnor and though she struggled to find joy in things, even working with the horses, it was clear to everyone that she was trying. So at Twilight, when Ragnor was hanging out surveying the surroundings, Kavala slipped from her room, her son strapped to her back, and set off for a light jog down the beach. She had a smooth stride that didn't bother the child much, so Kavala took the path out the side, around the facility, and down the road to the beach. She didn't notice Ragnor there... she only noticed the morning and how promisingly beautiful it seemed even though in her gaze it had all sorts of tints of grey.

[Lakara]

Lakara had awoken well before the dawn, something that had not happened very frequently since her arrival at the Sanctuary. She used to wake with the sun each day back in Mura, and she had missed it. When her eyes had fluttered open earlier, the sky outside had still been an inky blue, dotted with shining silver stars. She had decided that trying to sleep again would be futile, and so had risen and headed outside. She had leaned on a fence near the stables for a long while, listening to the rhythmic breathing coming from within the individual stalls. Her own horse, Xypher was in one of them, and the Konti suspected he was sleeping. She hadn’t ridden him for a while, not properly. Perhaps if she worked hard today and finished in good time she would take him out for a few long bells. They sky had lightened a great deal as she had stood there. Patting the fence once, she turned away and made a snap decision to head down to the beach. As she neared it, the sun began to peek its head over the horizon, painting the sky with a myriad of colour. Beautiful reds and oranges shimmered with golden tints, and a wide smile spread over Lakara’s face. She stood for a few chimes, simply drinking in the spectacle and breathing the clean, cool air. Blinking once, she made to turn back to the Sanctuary to start up the mornings work when she spotted a figure nearby. It was Kavala. Lakara had not seen much of the other Konti since her return from Endrykas, so she started to walk over. If and when she was noticed, Lakara would raise a hand in a greeting. “Good morning Kavala.” She smiled and flicked her gaze to the Konti’s little son. “And Tasival.”

[Raiha]

oocSo sorry for the delay. Thank you for your patience.

It wasn’t unusual for Raiha to be up at all hours of the day and night. One never knew when they were going to find her awake, or if she would be tucked in the mews somewhere taking a catnap. She worked far better at random hours - she kept to a daytime routine, but once that routine was taken care of in the morning, everything else was up in the open. This was part of her morning. She cleaned her flights, got the food and water changed, and looked after the Deerstalkers and the watchers and feed and water any other dogs she could find. Then she made notes on all of it. The notes were important. If you weren’t organized in an environment such as this, you were in over your head.

She headed out of the mews, Diallo in tow, as always, and headed for Sanctuary’s kitchen for an apple. She was hungry, and she wanted a treat for Yakini. Apples were a little early, but as far as she was concerned, they were still good. She was crunching on one, and had another in her hand. She bit a chunk off and passed it to the white and grey Akinva that followed her most everywhere as she headed for the stables. She was passing through the foyer, though, when she noticed she was not alone. She could feel it in here, but on instinct, after her first real interaction with a ghost, Raiha focused on Auristics, forcing the Djed to her eyes to see what and where it was.

Aha.

“You’re up early,” the usually quiet Akontak greeted Ragnor as she paused, the dog sniffing at his edges. He wasn’t from ghost-dog stock, much as it might have come in handy, but she always felt animals had a sense about the ethereal, with their senses being so much better. But Diallo backed up and shook himself off before eying the rest of Raiha’s breakfast. She let him have it, and the dog sat down beside her, beginning to crunch the fruit in his large maw, the sound unusually loud in the morning light. She could see him now, see the ghost’s aura properly. She didn’t browse it, not now that she could see him, which was probably enough of an invasion of privacy as it was, but all she wanted to do was make sure she could see him.

[Kavala]

Kavala nodded to Lakara. She truthfully didn't know the healer well since they'd never really talked much. That the girl was up and about this early was a surprise to Kavala. She usually had this part of the morning all to herself to make her usual beach run. Tasi seemed to enjoy the trips as well, though one would think a run down the beach would be hard on an infant. I wasn't. He enjoyed it, bound securely in his pack with Kavala's steps light and smooth.

"Morning Lakara. Everything alright?" The Konti asked, concerned.

"I'm surprised to see anyone up. Is everything okay? I usually never see anyone until I'm on my way back." Kavala said, smiling silghtly. She'd paused near Lakara on her way to the road that swept downward onto the beach. the Konti healer was dressed for running and ready to start her day.

[Ragnor Matlian]

His eyes settled on the exotic woman that walked in, a dog pacing just behind her. He couldn't help but look down at the stout animal, his eye combing its form and hesitantly he moved just a bit away from it's inquiring nose, plainly none to fond of the attention. The woman stopped in the foyer, the light of the new morning that spilled through alighting on her light blue skin, and taking a step forward, Ragnor concentrated on the weathered look of his old sailor's garb, and around him the air carried a hint of salty brine. "What of you, I can go without sleep but yourself up at this hour might speak of estranged sleep." Ragnor said concerned, his voice soft, and rumbling.

[Kavala]

OOCI understand people are busy but I'm kinda getting tired of people posting and then not replying so I'm going to move threads along.

Kavala waited for Lakara's reply then simply nodded. She excused herself and continued on her way down to the beach with Tasifal held snug against her back. She set off at a brisk run once she hit the bottom of the road where it turned out onto the packed sand. The ocean breeze was good for the Konti and she was definitely going to work on her running again now that her body was able and willing to move. Kavala wanted her body back. One of the major points of running is that there is a close response to exercise; that is, the more you do, or the harder you do it, the more benefit you accrue. She wanted to be toned again, firm again, and loose the fat she'd gained carrying a child. Now she still carried a child, but he was more company than anything else, and securely fastened into his protective cradle board, he was as snug as he could be sheathed on her back.

There were techniques to running too. Kavala remembered Tamar talking about them shortly after she married Vanator and how she encouraged Kavala to take up running even though everyone in the horseclan's rode.
Tamar was smart... Kavala still missed her even though the Drykas was long sent back to the web.

Her head needed to be looking forward towards the horizon. Kavala knew that much. To do that, she needed to align her head with the top of her spine, keep her body straight and do not bend forward or look at her feet.
Body erect. Kavala knew there was an emphasis on that as well. She kept her face and jaw relaxed, but let her hair and jaw bounce and flap slightly as she ran. It felt good.

Her shoulders were not supposed to be as upright as her head. She kept them relaxed and loose. Tamar had a saying... "Loose as a goose..." Kavala grinned as she remembered it, quietly jogging down the beach, leaving a single trail of footprints in her wake.

"Run tall, your torso is only along for the ride"... Tamar would say so Kavala kept her chest upright, stretching up to her full height with no strain from her torso. This allowed her to breathe maximally and put her body in the optimal position for moving forward.

Her hips were a different story. They were her center of gravity and came into alignment easily as soon as she had her head and torso adjusted. It smoothed her stride out even more and eased the way she ran giving her extra energy and smoothness so as to not jar the baby. She knew if she leaned forward, her hips would tip forward and strain her back as well as jostle Tasi's precarious position... so she kept them nice and straight and kept running.

"Sprinters lift their knees very high when they run, but for distance running, and even shorter distances, keep your knees low. It takes a lot of energy to lift your knees, and even running a mile will be tough if you do so. Instead, quicker ankle action will help you increase your speed." Tamar had told her time and time again. She listened, following the advice carefully in her mind.

Kavala kept her ankles taught, levering her gait along and then made sure her calf muscles worked with her ankles and used them to push her off on each step. Running to her felt more like flying with only her feet periodically touching the ground. Tasi would be asleep in no time if she kept her even pace and made the ride smooth for him. Her ankles did that for her, carefully balancing her entire body.

Kavala kept her arms close to her body and swung them forward and back each step, careful not to move them across her body to minimize torso rotation. She knew the rule. Your hands should not cross the midline of your body (imagine a line drawn right down the center of your chest). The swing should be held low, elbows bent at a 90-degree angle and relaxed. She did most of the work, the pumping of her arms, with her lower arms keeping her upper arms almost still.

In running, even the hands were important. You cupped your hands gently by touching your thumb to the top half of your index fingers. It was as if Kavala was holding a small animal that you don't want to get away but you don't want to squeeze too tight either. She laughed at herself, remembering Tamar's advice and going over it in her head. She looked around, saw how beautiful the morning was, and concentrated on getting her body in the right positions... once achieved she allowed her mind to drift back to the past again and what else Tamar had told her about running.

Breathing was important. One needed to lift ones chest up and out while running to be able to breathe deeply. Also exhale fully; this would increase ones inhalation and over the long run give one more lung capacity and the ability to breath better in all things. Tamar had told her to keep some focus on her torso, neck, and shoulders, to remember to keep them relaxed but in the right position Tight muscles would constrict breathing, so she had to work on maintaining a relaxed posture when she ran. And when she ran uphill she had to maintain her rhythm and the same level of effort but shorten her stride and slow down as she climbed. Running downhill required changes too. She let the weight of the world work so the hill pulls her down, all the while she stayed in control. Her stride would have to lengthen, but she didn't let it lengthen too much because the pounding would fatigue her legs. Fortunately the beach was mostly flat so the going was easy, but there were hills and valleys, even in the sandscape.

So Kavala ran with her son, loving the morning and the twilight easing into sunrise as she crossed the hard packed earth.

[Raiha]

“I sleep at odd hours,” Raiha admitted. “As interesting as the day is... sometimes the night is far more so. But the twilight times, dusk and dawn, are my favourite... that’s when everyone comes out to play.” Strange girl, this one, or woman. It was hard to know how old she was, considering how differently the Akalak aged from humans, and this female was definitely not Akalak. Akalak-spawned, like Kavala’s son, but not Akalak. “The birds are out, and that makes sleeping impossible,” she added by way of explanation. Well, she was the falconer at Sanctuary, so that would explain it, surely...

“It’s a wonderful time for hunting. But a bit of horsework first - they need to be fed, and while they're eating, I can go over the pastures. That’s where I’m going now,” she held up the apple that she had yet to mar with her teeth. “For my mare, Yakini. I spoil her too much.” She sounded a bit sheepish. “What will you do today? Why don't you come along? It's always good to have company," she added by way of suggestion. She wouldn't mind getting to know a bit more about this fellow, and why he lingered. "My name, by the by, is Raiha."

[Ragnor Matlian]

He nodded his head as he watched the woman, seeming to except her response for what it was. Ragnor didn't anything about birds, or why they were important enough to lose sleep over, but he figured they must have some good uses for this woman to care about them so. At least the nightmares didn't affect the woman like they had his wife, those terrible moments of screaming at the break of day still fresh on his mind as if it had happened the previous day. It was odd how the painful memories where so much easier to remember than the fond ones, but perhaps that was only so for those gone from the realm of the living. Maybe in losing touch with the world, he'd slowly lose any good memory of the life he had leaving just pain and misery in its wake.

"Birds huh? I could do with some company." Slowly he drifted to hover beside her, his eyes glancing from her dog to her slowly. "I'm Ragnor, pleased to meet you"

[Kavala]

OOCSorry 'Im off in my own little world here. I'll get back with the group after Kavala's run.

Running was important to the Konti. It was the one reason she'd gotten back into shape so fast after Tasival's birth. Kavala also did it to be close to Tamar, whom she'd always loved and missed a great deal even though her brother had moved on. Kavala kept up her pace, wondering if there was a way she could ask Ragnor if Tamar was a ghost somewhere and if he'd know. Odds are she wasn't, tied intimately to the web and drawn back into it time and time again. Vanator had already claimed she'd come back as Backlash, his buckskin mare, and maybe she had. Kavala wondered if she'd witnessed the trainwreck of Vanator's life or if she'd subtly been there to help him through it. That would be like her, Kavala thought, smiling slightly before she refocused on her running.

Tamar had always told her there were secrets to a highly successful runner. She'd shared some of them with her, but not all. Her sister in law had said that there were always things left for Kavala to discover for herself. And some she had, partially through Tamar and partially through working out. So far, Kavala knew six of them. The first she knew was to warm up, even when running. Attempting a fast pace on cold muscles puts you at risk of injury, especially if you've just gotten out of bed. Before any speed session or tempo run, jog for a minimum of 10 chimes lightly, then pick up the pace for two to three chimes to prepare your body for the upcoming speed. After that you ran your heart out at the pace you desired. Kavala did that, taking Tasival along with her, careful that her stride kept the infant fairly well balanced.

The next secret was even more obvious. When she was doing intervals, Kavala set a conservative pace that she could maintain throughout the workout. It was better to be consistent than to start too fast, flame out, and not be able to finish. If one felt like one got a lot of energy left toward the end of their workout, then one needed to run their last interval or two slightly faster. It helped to keep changing up things, never letting your body get used to one pace, one rhythm, and then feel lazy when one broke out of it.

The next secret Kavala learned was to always adjust the plan. Some days she felt great, other days not so much. If her legs feel leaden or she was way off her expected splits, Kavala adjusted the workout. The point is to make the workout a positive—not demoralizing—experience. So if she wasn't doing so well in her running, she cut it short or lengthened her stride, slowed or sped up her pace... whatever worked to help herself out. There was no shame in it, either. One adjusted. Some days Tasival was heavier than others. Some days she left him at home.

One of the next secrets Tamar taught her was to compare notes. Keep track of how many chimes or bells it took her to do her lengthy beach runs... making notes on weather, wind, and general conditions. If she kept running and improved her times it really helped her in making decisions on how to adjust her training. It also helped her to see how much she'd improved from when she'd first started to how she was presently. Improvement was always important to Kavala. She didn't thrive on stagnation.

Tamar used to always say..."You may head out on an easy day and feel so good that you want to pick up the pace. Resist. Going harder may drain you for the workouts that count." So rest... on rest days. Rest days were a secret as well. Going too far or too fast between hard workouts doesn't allow for adequate muscle repair or sufficient time to restock energy stores. Rest days didn't mean no exercise or no running. Instead they meant an easy day. Short runs and that sort of thing with a lot of rest and good food always helped her continue her schedule.

By this time, Kavala had reached her halfway point and turned, her and Tasival heading for home.