Closed A Day At The Range (Euthisa, Holland, Neris)

[Alori Sai]

Timestamp: 36th of Summer 512 AV Where: Second Quiver (Archery Range) Who: Euthisa, Holland, Neris, Open Aela walked through the corridors in a somewhat quickened pace along with her friend Euthisa as they made their way to the archery ranges. She wore her fiery red hair in a ponytail, decorated with an arrowhead bead to hold it tightly together at the back of her head.The white vinati she wore matched well with the flowing brown Bryda and tall leather boots. The Ranges were a popular spot for the Avora and Aela wanted to get there before it became too crowded and they would have to wait. "When was the last time that you practiced here?" Over time and between meeting, the women had discussed more than a few topics but archery wasn't one of them. When she learned that her friend knew how to use a bow, Aela was happily surprised and asked if she wanted to join her in practice. Normally the little huntress would practice alone, being the only one in her age range put the older hunters off but Aela didn't mind. To her this was just another reason to push harder, and test the limits of her abilities to further them more. "I think you'll like this range. There's more space and the setup is better." Once they reached the archery range, Aela adjusted the straps of her quiver before removing her bow and stepping inside to look for an open spot. "Petch. They are all full, now we have to wait." She sighed as she looked to her friend and waved for her to follow her. Aela moved along the wall and found a spot to stand while they waited. Just in front of them, a small group of hunters were practicing with short and long bows. Looking up, she noticed a rather handsome man with spikey-like hair taking a long glance at the two of them. Aela looked to her friend, a sly smirk curled her lips, before she returned her watchful gaze to the man who then turned and readied himself to fire his bow, and hopefully impress the young Inartans. "I think he likes you.." She leaned over and spoke softly to Euthisa. She really couldn't tell if he was staring at one more than the other, or watching them equally, still she got a giggle out of teasing the librarian. He looked back a final time, and even winked at them before turning and firing his arrow. It was a good shot, although not particularly difficult. It was more than likely that the man thought that the girl's had little to no skill and were at the range to check it out. A poor choice in judgement for the brash Inartan, as Aela quickly became bored with the show off. However, instead of turning away and ignoring him, she had an even better idea. "Watch this.." She winked towards Euthisa as she made her way out onto the range and up to him. Her emerald green eyes poured into him and she flashed him a gentle smile. She brought her hand up and lightly placed it on his bare chest and pushed him aside. The cocky Inartan smiled, giving her very little room as he took his time to carve out her figure with his lustful eyes. Aela didn't waver, as she pulled an arrow from her quiver and pressed it against her bow. She stood ready, and raised her bow, her eyes focused on the tip of the arrowhead and the target ahead. Taking a single deep breath, she fired the arrow and watched as it slipped through the air and jammed into the target, splitting his arrow in two. The once cocky man stood silent, with his mouth bunched into a frown and his pride diminished. Aela lowered her bow and spun around, she glanced towards him, her lips puckered, adding a sting to her victory as she happily sauntered off. With an extra bounce in her step, she walked back to the wall where Euthisa waited, breaking out into a giggling fit. "That was pretty good huh?"

[Sira]

Sira's head was still pounding from the events of the night two days ago. Her hangover had been horrible, though meeting the Konti women seemed to help that, but she was still rather sluggish to get moving in the morning. When she finally did, she really didn't feel like going out in the sun and hunting all day. After some deliberation, Sira decided she would spend the day training instead. Gathering up her bow, an heirloom that supposedly had once belonged to her grandfather, though she had never known him, Sira set out to the archery range. Top Notch, the range built for the Endal. It had the highest quality.. everything, really. Sira made her way there, but was more than a little annoyed to find it completely packed. "What, is today just play with your bow day or something?" Muttering to herself, Sira debated what she should do. She really didn't feel like waiting around for her turn, but at the same time she also didn't want to go out hunting, especially now that she had her heart set on practicing with her bow. After a few chimes of inner debate, Sira left and made her way to the Second Quiver, but once again she was disappointed. The place was just as bad, if not worse, than Top Notch. What was going on!? Did everybody decide they wanted to practice with their bows at the same time? Sira was about to leave when she saw something that stopped her. A flash of green, which triggered a memory. So much about the night at the club two days prior was a blur, but something triggered her memory. Not far away were two women and a man. One of the women had just fired a rather impressive shot with her longbow, splitting an arrow down range, but that wasn't what triggered the memory. It was when the girl turned back around and Sira saw her eyes. Those striking green eyes.. Sira remembered those eyes, though she couldn't remember the girls name. She remembered that she had wanted those eyes, and the girl who came with them, but she couldn't remember if she had struck out or not. ..she probably did strike out, because she woke up with just herself and Aidara in bed the next morning. The woman with her was also familiar, though Sira couldn't remember her name either. It was all so much a haze to her, though she did recall someone.. a man.. saying something about not remembering anything which brought a little chuckle to her lips. Sira considered going over and saying hello, but she wasn't sure if she should or not. She was an Endal, and they were not. At the Inclement Weather that didn't matter, but in public, Endal and Avora usually didn't hang out. Not that Sira had ever cared about that, but it was more the fact that the lower castes were intimidated by Endal. But maybe they didn't know she was an Endal, or maybe they wouldn't care. Finally Sira decided she was going to go over and say hello. If anything, she might have better luck at getting a spot if she had a group. "Um.. hey again," Sira said as she approached, offering a nervous wave. "I didn't expect to see you two here. You must be stalking me. ..well.. if you even remember me," she added with a nervous laugh. The confidence she always had at the club, or when doing endal-type stuff, never seemed to help her when it came to normal everyday social interaction. OOCHope you guys don't mind me popping in again. I'm trying to get Sira more of a social life, heh.

[Euthisa]

Euthisa stood against the wall at Second Quiver and watched as Aela showed off and put down a handsome gentleman practicing. She'd rolled her eyes at her friend when she'd teased her about being liked, and giggled now at her friend's display of superiority over the man. She came bouncing back and Euthisa rolled her eyes at her once more. "That was incredible... Show off." Euthisa teased Aela back. In all honesty, it was rather intimidating, but Euthisa refused to abandon the idea. She was a sight for sore eyes as an Inarta who could barely use a bow. And who knows, maybe Euthisa would have a natural knack for it and she could become a hunter. If she did, she'd rise a tier in the caste system, and life would improve. Or perhaps another Avora could apprentice her and she could rise that way. So many options flooded through Euthisa's head. And it dawned on her that she hadn't answered an earlier posed question about her practices. "Actually Aela, I've never been to any range. I was taught the basics as a child like we all were, and that really was it. I dabbled here and there on my own, but not much. I'm really a newbie at this. I always felt too self conscious about it to come to the ranges." A hotness filled her and flushed her cheeks. Could she really do this? Not only practice as such a newbie in front of so many people, but Avoras nonetheless. Most of them did this for a living. And she was a librarian. A mild panic started encompassing her thoughts and emotions when a woman walked up to greet them. She'd been at the club a couple of nights ago. Euthisa remembered her, though the name was tricky. Something with an "S" came to mind. She bit her lip in agitation and thought before it came to her. Sira. That was her name. She nervously said hello, clearly worried the girls wouldn't recognize her. A welcoming grin spread on Euthisa's lips to reassure her. "Hello Sira. Yeah, Aela and I are expert stalkers in our free time. It appears you've caught us though." She made a silly face to accompany her probably poorly executed joke. It was always nice to run into friends. "What brings you out on this fine day? Deciding to practice today, along with all of Wind Reach?" Euthisa was excited and nervous, all at the same time. She was happy she was here with friends, she was happy she was here at all, and she was terrified of failing in front of everyone. Failure wasn't something Euthisa took very well, and it deeply embarrassed her when it happened in front of witnesses. She particularly hated disappointing anyone of importance, which included her own friends, as understanding as she was sure they'd be. She'd have to suck it up and deal with it though. There was no telling if she'd fail if she didn't even try. And who better to try with than people that already cared? She could do this. She just had to pep talk herself is all. She scanned the people in the range. Everyone of every kind was there. Men, women, older, younger, and this was an Avora range so there probably weren't many there that were Chiet like her or otherwise. She hoped there were others like her here, inconspicuous Chiet in hiding, or at least other friendly Avoras who would like some new friends. She'd feel even more comfortable that way, or least she thought she would. Only time would tell. She'd see how things played out.

[Alori Sai]

Aela couldn't stop herself from laughing, so far her luck had been great. Not only was she able to sneak Euthisa into the range without being caught, she also made a impressive shot that even she didn't think was possible. Skill aside, she had only meant to match the guys shot, to prove to him that she was just as good as he was. The result had been complete luck, and she knew that it would never happen again, and would always remember it. "Oh, okay well I get it now." She had been surprised when Euthisa mentioned she could use a bow, but hearing that she had only learned the basics made more sense. Learning the basics as a child wasn't a strong point, as those who didn't practice had all but forgotten what they learned. She could remember her own practice sessions alone for the first time, and the frustration she felt as she missed again and again. It wasn't easy to get back into it, but she eventually did and knew that her friend could do the same. "I was really nervous when I started coming here too. It will pass...IF you keep at it." She teased, and pushed at Euthisa's shoulder. Aela wanted to help her get over her nervous feelings, and she would try and plan out times when they could both come and practice together. She loved the ranges, and knew that with practice she could become so much stronger, possibly even to the point where she could make every shot impressive. "I hope you're not worried about sneaking in here. I'm sure we'll be fine. " She smiled and winked at her. Aela sighed and looked around, she was a bit disappointed. She had hoped to find an open slot and get Euthisa on the range before she lost her nerves. Standing around watching others wasn't what she wanted and started to wonder if her friend was bored already. "Maybe if we tried one of the other ranges? The whole city couldn't be practicing at the same time." She turned to ask Euthisa if she wanted to try another range, but paused when she heard someone speaking to them. Aela turned and instantly found bright golden eyes looking at her, those familiar golden eyes. She couldn't place them, but she knew them from somewhere. Was it a dream, or some place else? Aela blushed and combed her fingers through her hair, mostly to hide her blank stare. She couldn't remember the woman, but the woman seemed to know them. She stood there in silence, which seemed much longer as she tried to think of something to say. She sighed and almost slapped her forehead when Euthisa said the woman's name and brought it all back for her. "Hey Sira. Wow, so I guess everyone had the same idea today." Welcome Sira!Okay, so I guess we can work out a posting order once the others join in.

[Sira]

"Yeah, I guess so," Sira said with a laugh, "I've never seen the ranges this busy. I was hoping this one would be less packed.. I guess you guys aren't having much luck either?" Sira paused, considering her options. Now that she had run into the two women, she wanted to stay with them. She could have returned to the Endal range and waited her turn, but they wouldn't have been allowed. She might have been able to bring one as a guest, but probably not two. It was frowned upon for any non-endal to come to the range, even as a guest, but two was out of the question. Sira did have an alternative though. She glanced over at the man whom Aela had just shown up, a smile coming over her face. "I think I can help though, if you guys want to share a range with me. Wait here." Sira walked over to the Avora with a friendly smile on her face. "Hi, I was wondering if you'd let us use this spot? It's so busy, and we need somewhere to practice." The man grunted and let loose an arrow before muttering, "Hah, fat chance." Sira frowned, but moved in close to the man, striking up a seductive pose. To any watching, she appeared to be using her feminine charms to convince the man, but to him her voice was far from seductive. In a harsh whisper Sira told him, "My name is Sira. I'm an Endal. I'm also the wind eagle kelvic. Yeah, I'm that Sira," she added when he gave her a surprised look. "Now, my friends and I need this spot, so unless you want to be dropped somewhere in the middle of thunder bay, I suggest you clear out." There wasn't much debate after that, and Sira watched the man go giving him a friendly wave. Sira then waved for Aela and Euthisa to come over. "He said he was leaving for the day. We have a spot now!" Sira chuckled inwardly. Being an endal did have its perks.

[Euthisa]

Aela playfully tried to ease Euthisa's nerves, and to an extent, it actually worked. She knew everything Aela said was true. Practice made perfect, it's always going to be awkward and she'll always be self conscious and nervous at first, and if she kept at it, it all would go away. Plus she did want to rise in the caste system in Wind Reach and becoming an Avora hunter was by all technical means, an option. Not to mention she pretty much disgraced her people if she didn't learn how to adequately use a bow. She sent an awkward smile Aela's way, and then sighed to herself, steadily breathing in through her nose and exhaling through her mouth to calm the butterflies. She had to pull herself together. If she was this nervous now, she'd end up killing someone on the range. Sira suddenly struck an idea of some sort on how to get them a range, and she told the girls to stay put while she went and talked to the man whose dignity Aela had stolen only moments ago. A puzzled look crossed Euthisa's face as she watched and tried to listen, but Sira was out of earshot and her words remained a mystery. Unknown or not though, a few words later and the man left his spot on the range and Sira waved the girls over to them. Euthisa approached her, clearly impressed by the situation. "I don't know what you said to him, but thanks for getting the spot Sira!" Euthisa's nervousness began to mix with excitement and hope, the emotions swirling around inside her, entertaining the thought of making her nauseous. She fought it off though and stood in their spot, eying the range and taking in the sights and sounds of it. It truly was remarkable. The far wall was lined with bulls eye targets, dabbled here and there with animal shaped targets to spice things up a bit. Walls protected each individual range from the next, allowing archers to gather their arrows without the fear and threat of becoming a target. First off now, Euthisa needed to go to the stock and get a bow and arrows to borrow for the day. However, she had no idea what to choose, knowing there were many different bows and arrows to pick from. She knew she'd need one of the girl's help to pick one out that would suit her. "Alright. We've got our spot. Time to get this going I guess. I'm still very nervous, but you guys being here with me makes me feel a lot better. I need help picking out a bow to use though. I know there's different types, but besides that, I have no idea what would work for me or suit me best. I feel like a newborn baby, haha." She sheepishly smiled at her two friends, hoping she wouldn't be too much of a burden for either of them while they were here.

[Alori Sai]

"The others are busy too?" She couldn't believe it, Aela wasn't sure of which ranges Sira had checked, but she could only assume that she had checked at least two others. She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and looked around. From the look of things, it could be a while before they could get a turn. She knew that her friend was nervous, and standing around watching others more skilled then herself practice wasn't going to help much. Aela wasn't sure what to do, and she didn't imagine that Sira would wait around for long either. Then. just as she had the thought, Sira spoke up about an idea that she had, and walked out to the guy that she had just played around with. A quizzical look dawn upon her face, as she looked to Euthisa and back to where Sira stood. "What is she doing?" From where she stood, Aela couldn't make out what they were talking about, but it looked playful. "Is she taunting him?" Aela wanted to get closer but decided against it, whatever the woman was up too, she had wanted to do it alone. Aela moved against the wall again and waited to see what would happen. "Maybe...she's challenging him, and whoever wins gets to use the spot?" A challenge would have been fine with her. Aela enjoyed a good challenge, and a chance to show up the cocky guy again would have been too good to pass up. "What did you say to him?" Aela giggled a bit looking between the two women. Suddenly and within moments, they now had a spot to practice, and all thanks to Sira. She still couldn't remember much about the woman, but she was definitely someone to keep around. The girl knew how to get things now and Aela admired that. She looked to Euthisa and smiled when she spoke of how nervous she was. It was cute in a way, but she hoped to rid the woman of that feeling and possibly return to the range with her often. Since Euthisa wasn't really supposed to be there, Aela took the initiative and went over and collected a long bow and a set of arrows for her to use. The sneaky little Avora slipped the arrows into a quiver, and headed back to give the equipment to her friend. "Alright, lets get you set up. I picked a long bow, because it's better for distance and I can help you with it at least."

[Holland]

Holland stared at the rock that led her to another destination she was merely accustomed to. In the back of her head, it was both a death trap and stress reliever. Her Mother had spent countless nights ranting onto her about the death of her Father. Something she could never let go of, she had chosen to make Holland's life a miserable one. Since it was the only thing that kept her going, somehow the Avora learned to endure it. Despite the fact of the sleepless nights, and the early mornings... Life was complicated, you could say. Sometimes Holland did wonder why she never left in the first place. Even if her parents had chosen to keep her, why didn't her will lead her away from this. A question she pondered on for countless nights, getting no where in the process. The next thing she knew was waking up to the crack of dawn to only know what lied ahead. Facing the day wasn't one of the things she looked forward to. Her life was one that she had to live over and over again until she got it right. The question was, when was the day going to come where she knew she was good enough to meet the expectations. Those expectations that were set for her since birth, the ones she carried as a burden. From birth to death. Somehow, she had roped herself in this mess willingly and had only that to guide her. Quietly, she gathered all of her things and made her way to the Ranges. Holland was common in the area, everyone knew who she was due to her Mother. But Holland didn't know a single face. The fact was, she never payed attention to having a social life or a love life. She was too busy trying to please her Father, deep down inside she knew he looked down on her. With a large smile on his face, although she couldn't bring herself to think that he was pleased. Everyday Holland would train, a way of suppressing her emotions that she had bottled up for so many years. Archery was her distraction, another stress reliever. The only talent she excelled in, herbalism seemed like another great place to study in. But it was always archery that called her name, beckoning her to try it, to engross herself in it, to live life as an archer. Again, her Mother taunted her about how if she just became a herbalist life would be fine and we wouldn't be in this mess. The Avora at least owed it to herself to follow her heart rather than the silly voices that haunted her ears. Making her way down the never ending halls, her boots echoed against the cave walls. The buckles softly clanking against the rough leather. Holland first flashback of the day consisted of many happy thoughts: When her Father had given her a bow and arrow at the age of about nine, she couldn't remember. The first time she became a Yasi, and followed in the footsteps of her Father. A single tear fell down her cheek as she found herself in an open area, the ranges for sure. Making herself look presentable she slowly made her way into the area, realizing how busy it was today. A sigh escaped her lips as she searched for a quiet, secluded area where no one would find her. Passing many unknown faces she finally found the perfect place, in a corner where she could be seen. But no one would bother her thankfully. The Avora drew her arrow, resting it onto her bow. Before she knew it, she pulled back the arrow only to find that it had missed the eye by an inch. Holland had let out a grunt before she tried again, failing to get her target. Being off her game was unusual for her, but her determination never had stopped her from achieving her goal. In the background she heard the sound of whispers not to far ahead of her section. Raising an eyebrow she gave the group a small look before she returned to her business. With every bow she drew, she could feel herself becoming more relaxed. It was if she had nothing to do with anything in her life, the many complications she had to face. Tears were flowing before she could even try and stop them. The more she tried to prevent them, they burnt her lids therefore letting herself free. It became harder for her to concentrate so she cooly leaned against a rock. Her breathing was oddly uneven as she tried to collect herself. Many flashbacks ran through her head as she thought about her Mother's taunting words. Never being good enough was her flaw, and somehow her Mother knew just the way to make her feel better about herself. By torturing her day by day, making her life a living hell. Things didn't seem to be looking up for Holland, she had nobody. All she was concerned about was making her Father proud. OOCSorry guys I've been gone for a while, so it doesn't seem to weird for me to pop in so suddenly... Right?

[Sira]

Both Aela and Euthisa had chosen longbows, but Sira favored the short bow. There was no particular reason behind it, really, it had simply been her grandfather’s bow and it was the one she was used to using. The intricately carved, finely made weapon was perhaps a bit more fancy that what one would normally see at the Avora range, but Sira didn't even think about that as she strung it and tested the tension of the string. By the time she was ready, the two women had returned with their bows. Sira herself was no master, but she wondered how experienced either of them were with the weapons. "So, do you guys come here often? I haven't been here myself in a long time, I usually practice on the hunt." In truth, Sira didn't even use her bow all that much now that she had Aidara. She spent most of her time on hunts in her wind eagle form, and let Addy do the shooting, though it was becoming more and more difficult for the Rak'keli marked healer to come on hunts with her. Each time she killed an animal it weighed heavily on her, and so until they figured out how to hunt without killing, Sira had taken to going out on her own or with Natalie. If she brought her daughter, they hunted by sky because Sira didn't want to put the girl in danger on the ground, though sometimes Sira still hunted by foot with her bow. Sira pulled an arrow out of her quiver, quickly nocking it and sighting down the shaft. Even though her eagle form had its own natural weapons, Sira had always enjoyed training with her bow and sword in human form. There was something satisfying about it. Letting out a slow breath she lined the tip of the arrow up with the bullseye, then let loose. The string sprung forward, pushing the arrow and sending it streaking through the air. Sira watched as it thudded into the target, not on the bullseye, but not far from the center either. She wasn't an expert, it was rare that she hit dead center, but the shot was a good one considering it was her first for the day. OOCSorry for taking so long to post. Life has been a bit hectic for me.

[Euthisa]

Aela brought equipment to Euthisa and explained that she picked a longbow and why. Euthisa took a deep breath and tried to force herself to relax. She could do this. She knew she could. She watched as Sira shot a with a shortbow, hitting her target even if it was in the center. She made it look so simple and easy. Euthisa picked up the longbow and grabbed an arrow. Replaying Sira's shot in her head, she knocked the arrow and drew it back, trying to stand as still as she could. Looking down the arrow at the other end of the field, Euthisa's own breathing would waver her sights. She exhaled and then drew in a deep breath and held it. The world dissipated for a little while between taking her breath and letting go of the arrow. Her vision narrowed and the target ahead of her was the only thing she saw. Her heart racing and pounding away inside her was the only sound her ears heard. Her focus was on the bullseye, even though she knew it was extremely unlikely that she would hit it first shot. She probably wouldn't hit it until much later, and she knew large amounts of frustration were likely to befall her until then. Practice makes perfect, she told herself, and then she let go of her arrow. It soared through the air towards her target, and even before it hit, Euthisa could see Aela's point about longbows and distance. Her arrow missed her target completely, sticking into the ground a couple feet behind the target, and off to the side a little bit. She'd aimed too high and apparently had moved between her decision to let go of the arrow and her body's actual response in doing so. There was certainly more to this than she thought, or remembered from her childhood for that matter. It was time to let Aela teach her. Turning to the woman beside her, she let her take the lead. "Alright Aela, show me how this is really done, haha. I'm not so nervous now that I made one shot." She was still a little off about it all, but it would quickly pass being here with her friends. She knew they'd make her feel better about it. She had faith in them that they would. Euthisa refused to let this experience be a sour one. In the meantime, she chastised herself mentally and told herself to remain positive.