Closed Learning How to Shoot like a Inartan (Kovac)

[Iosha]

After hearing him agree to be her instructor, Iosha downs her drink in one long gulp. She realizes she just made a slight error in judgment as she starts to cough into her arm. When the coughing stops she looks at Kovac and says with a smile, “Hopefully the wine doesn't hinder my ability to shot...wait no.. I terrible at shooting when I am sober. I doubt a drink will hurt it too much. It might even help it!” She starts to stand up, but the room starts to spin for just a minute. She puts a hand on the arm of chair to steady herself. Remembering his comment of being more womanly and less fishy, Iosha says with a laugh, “Well thank you Kovi. I am glad you think I am less fishy and more womanly. However, maybe after a few drinks, I will show you the fishier sides of me.” Iosha blushes when she realizes what she just said. She didn't want to give him the wrong idea about her, but she is starting to think the wine is starting to go to her head. Realizing she not representing her people too well. She decides to apologizes to him in a more dignified manner,“OK Kovi. Forget what I just said because I didn't mean to say what I just said...I am not that kind of girl. What I meant to say, maybe during a evening of polite conversation, I will let you see my gills and webbed feet, and let you have a closer look at my scale since these details tend to be more Konti and less human.” Iosha inwardly groans at her foolishness. She isn't normally this flirtatious, but she learned from the festival that wine made her kind of playful at the worst of times. Hopefully he doesn't get the wrong idea of her. She runs a hand through her hair and says with a awkward smile, and says, “OK as you can tell by now. I am a complete light weight, so completely ignore Anything, I might say in the next fifteen minutes. Now lets head to the archery range and shoot pointy sticks at the target thingy! I'll meet you outside the club. I need to retrieve my weapons from the bouncer....Instructor.” After saying what she had to say, Iosha starts making way into the hallway. She sees the now naked couple holding each other by the wall. She decides to give them their privacy, and she just walks past them saying nothing. Iosha notices the crowd has gotten considerably larger since she been talking to Kovac. She gently starts weaving her way through the crowd as she makes her way to the door. At the door, she walks over to the bouncer and says loudly to him, “Hello again sir. Can I get my weapons back?” The large man looks at her, reaches behind him, and holds the bow, quiver, and long sword out to her. He says with a nod, “Come back again girl.” He turns around and starts yelling at the crowd gathering out side the door. Iosha puts the quiver over her shoulder, straps the sword sheaf to her belt, and decides to hold her father bow in her hand as she waits for Kovac outside the door.

[Kovac]

Kovac did not think much about how quickly the Konti had downed the wine until the woman stood, or made a valiant attempt to do so. He moved quickly from his chair to steady her with his arm. Iosha's tongue had certainly been loosened, and he simply laughed lightly as she stumbled over herself to rectify her comments, none of which Kovac judged her by. He certainly would like to learn more about her, even see more of her, in one context or another. But the archer sensed that Io was one to maintain some composure about herself, the alcohol only temporarily lowering those inhibitions. But then again, behind inhibitions was what a person truly was.

"Well, I insist we discuss showing each other our fishiness, or lack thereof, at some point. For now, you need to sober up a bit, so no more drinks until we are done shooting. Our blossoming friendship would end quickly if you put an arrow through my foot or something." Kovac gave her a smile as she moved out through the crowd, and he returned to his seat to retrieve his lute and the wine bottle. He didn't say he couldn't drink. The seasoned wine-bibber suffered only a serene buzz from the alcohol.

Passing through the crowd of indulgent Inarta, Kovac met the pale Konti in the hallway with another smile. "Ready?" He did not wait for an answer, but hooked his arm through hers to steady her and headed down the corridor towards the Commons. Along the way, Kovac pointed out some places the newcomer may not have been acquainted with yet, until they stopped outside of the door to his room. With a flash if a grin and a wink, the hunter slipped into his room, returning moments later without his lute, or the bottle, and carrying a short bow and a quiver of arrows.

"This way..." He insisted, taking hold of her hand and whisking Iosha off again through the corridors. Finally they arrived outside of the Fletcher's Corner. "This is the Yasi's range. I help teach the kids here. Its after hours now though, so we won't be disturbed." Kovac lead Iosa into a long cavern, a stone bridge spannedd a small, clear lake populated with brightly colored fish. As they crossed, Kovac looked at the Konti with an ornery grin. "No swimming." He winked and brought her to the others side, continuing to the end of the cavern, to the last set of lanes. They were individual training lanes, high walls between them gave a teacher and student some privacy as they worked.

Stopping at one of the lanes near the end, Kovac released Iosha and checked her over. "Are you ready, do you feel alright? Lets just fire off a few arrows so I can see what you got!"

[Iosha]

Walking along side Kovac, Iosha smirks over a him when he makes the comment about her shooting him in the foot. Iosha runs a hand through her hair and says to him, “Well Kovi. Our friendship wouldn't have to end after your horrifying injury since I am a healer of Rak'Keli. I'll just pray it up and poof...” She makes a hand gesture at him with both hands animating what a“poof” would look like, and she continues talking, “.. and than your foot would be good as new, and our ever growing friendship can continue on till the end of time.” She pats him on the back and says with a laugh, “Kovac just remember if I ever hurt you in anyway. I can always put you back together afterward since I am a newbie doctor with the power of prayer on my side.” Suddenly, Kovac hooks his arm around her arm and ushers her out the door. She glances over at him and smiles to herself as she is escorted out of the Inclement Weather. During her trip to archery range, Iosha remained mostly silent as Kovac gave her the grand tour of Wind Reach as they made their way to their destination. Iosha was pleasantly surprised at the different things she would have missed if he never gave her the tour. The places she is most intrigued by was the Enclave, the Glass Reverie, and the Stained Glass Gallery. When they make it to the door to his apartment, Iosha gives him a wide grin when he gives her a wink before heading into his apartment. She decides to wait outside and leans up against the wall of his apartment. When he remerges with his bow, she gives him a half grin and says softly, “I love the fact you saved your apartment for the last part of your grand tour, Kovi.” She looks him straight in the eyes and says sternly with a goofy smile across her lips, “Remember mister, I am watching you...” Suddenly, he takes Iosha's hand and leads her to there next destination. When they make it to the hallway of the archery range, Iosha looks up at the sign and squints up at the name of place. However, she can't make the name since it is in Nari. She looks at Kovac when he says the this range is used by yasi the children caster of Wind Reach. She nods to him, looks back up at the sign, and says to him “Kovac, what is the name of place? I don't know how to read or speak Nari.” He leads her down the path, and they cross over a small clear lake with fish of all different color fish. She stops on the walk way, lets go of his hand, walks to the edge of the bridge. The water surface isn't too far from the bridge, so she reaches down, and sticks a finger into the water. Iosha watches a large red koi swim up to her finger, and it starts to suck on her finger tip. She smiles sadly to herself when she realizes she wants to take her daughter to this pond someday. When she hears Kovi say no swimming, she gives him a pout and says with a giggle, “You would deny a fish girl a chance to swim with her people...Your no fun, Kovi.” She stands up, takes his hand, and says softly, “Besides I have all the time in the world to explore the lake. Maybe I will teach you how to swim and you can join me.” When they make it to the private ranges, Iosha can tell the dizziness has passed during their walk. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a piece of twine. She uses to pull back her hair when she works or does anything physical. After tying her bow, she looks at him and smiles, “Yes, I am fine. I think the walk really helped me sober up. OK, I am going to warn you if I hit the target. It will be dumb luck. When I shot off a few, can you show me general maintenance of my bow? The hunters never said anything about it. They just told me to shot.” She walks up to the line, reaches back into her quiver with her right hand, and pulls out a arrow. Holding her bow in the left hand pointing it to the floor, she rests the arrow in the middle of bow string. Once the arrow is firmly on the string, she raises her left hand until the bow is aligned with her face. She draws back the bow string and releases the arrow. The first shot was not to bad. The arrow was definitely going in the right direction, straight, but the arrow started to veer upward above the target. When the arrow reached the target, the arrow glanced off the top of the target, and cartwheels till it hits the ground behind the target. Iosha shakes her head and swears softy out loud to herself in Kontinese, “By all gods and goddesses, if I was using my reimancy that stupid target. It would be in splinters right now...” She blushes, looks behind her, and mouths to him, “I told you..” The second shot was just terrible. This time she did everything correctly, but at the last minute, she thought her shot had too much power on it, so she draws the string back slightly less than the first time and releases the arrow. The arrow flew straight like it was supposed to do, but this time the arrow veered down. When it reached the target the arrow clearly missed and skidded to a stop in the sand under the target. Iosha narrows her eyes and stares down the target like it is a person mocking her. She quickly reaches back and pulls out another arrow from her quiver. She looks at the arrow and swears at it in her says in common with a thick eastern Syliran accent, “You son of a sand crab if you don't find the mark this time. I am using you as kindling.” She brings the arrow into position and pulls back the string until the arrow slightly farther back than the last shot. The arrow flies on target dead in the center, but when the arrow reaches the target, the arrow bounces off the center of the target and lands in the sand right below it. After the shot, Iosha holds her head down in shame. She might be the worst archer in all of Wind Reach.

[Kovac]

Iosha did seem to have sobered up some. As Kovac watched the strange Konti woman ready her bow, he decided he would not only allow her to swim in the small cavern lake, he would encourage it. How often does a mongrel from Wind Reach get to see a Konti swim?

"OK, I am going to warn you if I hit the target. It will be dumb luck. When I shoot off a few, can you show me general maintenance of my bow? "

Kovac gave her a good-humored laugh, leaning on his own bow, one leg crossed over the other. "Just show me what you got first, Io, and yes...I can show you how to take care of your bow too." Th archer was, in fact, very interested in looking at her bow, wondering if his father had made it, but that inspection would come later. The Avora watched as Iosha bound her silvery hair and strung her bow.

What followed next was horror in the eyes of the half-bred Inartan. Though it was apparent Iosha had had some training in archery, in practice she was bad...very bad. Kovac cringed as her arrows avoided the target like it was a plague. By the time the woman's last arrow feebly bounced off the target, his head was bowed, his face covered by a hand.

Kovac's head raised as the shamed Konti lifted hers, disappointment splashed across her ivory face. "Shyke Io... that was..." A barrage of unkind descriptions lined up on his tongue, ready to express just how badly the woman had shot... terrible, horrible, pathetic, nauseating. They were fitting but unkind, so the archer let them fade, attempting to be somewhat diplomatic to protect the white girl's feeling. "...That was really...just...bad." Kovac managed to paint a smile on his face to help ease the criticism. "But we can fix, it...don't worry!"

The half-breed slipped into instructor mode. "First...you are rushing way too much." Kovac took his own bow, easily drawing an arrow and laying it to the string. With an even, fluid motion the hunter raised the bow and drew back the string. He paused a moment, settling into his stance and taking careful aim. "Take your time to make sure you are ready." He added, then let the arrow fly. It streaked to the target, making impact just a tick above the bulls eye.

Turning back to Io, he motioned her to the line. "Now, don't use an arrow, just raise the bow and draw as if you were going to shoot, so I can see your stance." It was a common exercise he went through with all new students, so he knew what he was working with.

[Iosha]

Turning around to face him, Iosha looks up with a look frustration across her face. She was not at all surprised at his reaction because her first three shot were horrible, and if she had any sense she would stop archery all together, but when says he could fix it. Iosha mood starts to improve, and she gives him a wary smile, “Thank you for being honest Kovi, but you are right those shots were very bad. I would call them abysmal. Luckily, I heard the truth from a friend than a lie from a complete stranger.” Iosha decides to lean against the wall, and she watches how his body forms a archery stance. When Kovac comes to the line, he starts demonstrating the basics of the shot for her. He mentions that she is rushing her shot too much. She frowns to herself realizing her stance was too loose. Her arms weren't has straight as his were. When he was shooting, she notices the bowstring is draw 7/8th of the way. However, she did line up her eye with the tip of her arrow. She smiles to herself knowing she did something right when he tells her to try it, she gives him the respect he deserves and says softly, “Yes, Instructor Kovac.” Walking up to the line, Iosha holds the bow in her left hand. She not sure how to stand, but she tries to mimic his stance. She saw earlier moments ago. She lines her eye with the top of her hand, and she draws back the bow string till it about the distance. He just demonstrated earlier, and she says to Kovac, “Kovac why do I feel like I am going to fall over right now? Is it the way I am standing? How tightly am I supposed to hold this bow?” She holds the stance for him to get a good look at her. Honestly, the hunters when they were showing her the bow had no intention of teaching her anything. They were just looking for a opportunity to make a move on her during practice. She is grateful that Kovac is teaching her because he is honest with his criticism, and he is acting professional while he is teaching her. She wants to learn how to shoot a bow because from what her mother told her, her father was a great shot. Archery and hunting was a passion for her father. Her mother cared nothing for hunting, but she humored him because he loved it. Watching Kovac out of the corner of her eye, she starts to feel her arm ache, and she hopes he figures out what wrong with her stance soon. Otherwise, she might fall over.

[Kovac]

Kovac made a quick study of the Konti's stance from a few steps back. She was so....white. clad in white pants and a white blouse, her silvery hair and pale, almost iridescent skin made her seem to almost glow. His eyes dropped to her black booted feet. The archer stepped forward and nudged her right foot further back. "Your stance is not wide enough to get you a good base to stand on."

Next, in his typical fashion, he ran his fingers along the back and top of her shoulders, feeling through the thin cotton for the condition of the muscles just beneath her skin. Iosha was lean but not muscled. His hand trailed over her shoulder and down the outstretched arm holding the bow, until his hand rested over top her hand holding the grip. "You are holding it too tight. Loosen your fingers and let the bow rest here, against the crook between your fore finger and thumb, and rotate the grip just a bit at an angle." Kovac helped move her hand to a better position. His fingers then brushed against her elbow. "See how that turned your elbow out? That will also keep the string from snapping against your arm when you release." Closer than he had been to Iosha yet, Kovac looked up at her. He could see the subtle pattern of scales on her forehead, and resisted the urge to reach up and touch them.

The half-breed could now see the muscles of the woman beginning to tremble. "Keep it drawn, almost finished Io." It was also a test of determination. Would the student fold as her muscles began to ache? Looking again down to her legs, The archer laid his hand against the Konti's thigh. "Your legs and knees are too straight. Bend them slightly, settle into your stance more comfortably."

Stepping back again, Kovac finally released her. "Alright, now lower your bow and shake out your arms. When you are ready...shoot another arrow."

[Iosha]

Out of the corner of her eye, Iosha watches Kovac look over her stance. She knows it must of screamed novice archer to him. Feeling her arm muscles start to fatigue, Iosha starts to hopes he finishes his inspection soon. When he moves her foot back, she smiles to herself because her balance starts to come back. However, Iosha can't help shiver slightly at his touch as he starts running his finger down the back of her shoulder, across her arm, and finally his hand rests on top of her hand. She glances over at him as he starts to adjust her hand to the correct position on the shaft of the bow. She says to him without looking at him, “I never knew the grip made a deference when shooting a bow. Well I would have if the hunters actually taught me something...” Iosha shuts up and lets him finish his inspection. Kovac's fingers up brush against her elbow and moves it farther from her. When he asks her about her elbow, Iosha looks at it and says to him, “Yes, I see it now. That would explain the reason when I practiced on my own. Why the bow string occasionally struck me. I guess now I know now. Yay me!” Seeing her muscles start to tremble, Kovac reassures her that the inspection was almost over. Suddenly he lays a hand on her thigh, and she can't help blushing. She inwardly chastises herself for being bashful. She decides to keep her eyes on the target. Hoping her blush goes away before he notices it. When he gives his advice, she adjusts her legs accordingly to his instructions. She smiles to herself when she realizes Kovac's stance seems more natural to her. When he tells her to lower her bow, she leans the bow against the wall of the lane, and she starts rubbing her arm muscles to stop them from aching. She looks at him and says to him, “Your teaching technique is definitely hands on Kovac...I noticed when you touch my shoulder. You almost made me drop my bow.” She decides to do a quick stretch to loosen up her muscles even more. While she is stretching, she says to Kovac, “Honestly, I feel much more comfortable in your stance. It seems more natural and less awkward. I will have to practice the stance in my apartment some more to get it right though.” When she is done with her stretching, she walks over to the wall, and she picks up her bow. When Iosha has her bow, she walks up to the line. She decides to do it slowly, so he can watch her progression of movements. When she picks up the bow, she places her hand on the area that Kovac wanted her hand to rest on the shaft of the bow. Instinctively, she grabs it tight, but she realizes she holding it wrong. She loosens her grip on the shaft. Before raising her bow, she adjusts her feet to the position Kovac just showed her. She bends her knees slightly, and she reaches back and grabs a arrow from the quiver. She rests the butt of the arrow on the string. She slowly raises the bow and lets her eye align with the tip of the arrow. When the head of the arrow is at the center of the target, she pulls back the bow string. She moves her elbow out to where Kovac wanted it to be. She takes a deep breath as she aligns the tip of arrow with the center of the target, and she lets go of the bow string. When the arrow releases, the momentum of the arrow causes her bow to naturally move away from her body because of her loose grip. Iosha watches the arrow streak towards the target. For a moment, she thought the arrow would hit the center of the target, but the arrow veered up and sunk deeply into the very top of the target. Iosha gives herself a grin of satisfaction that she finally hit the target. It wasn't on the center of it, but at least the arrow hit the target. She whirls around to face her teacher and says to him with a big proud grin on her face, “You see that Kovac! I hit the stupid thing! It took me five years to actually hit the target, and finally, I hit wood with out it being a nearby tree.” She decides to do a small victory dance for this momentous accusation in her life.

[Kovac]

“Your teaching technique is definitely hands on Kovac...I noticed when you touch my shoulder. You almost made me drop my bow.”

Kovac gave Iosha a wry grin. "It helps to understand your student," he explained. Some sessions were more hands on than others. The lovely Konti inspired more physical contact during hers.

Kovac watched with interest as the white-clad Konti readied herself for another shot. Iosha took her time, something Kovac's younger students had a hard time managing. Her eased pace allowed him to study not only how she prepared her stance, but the woman overall. She was a bit taller than most Inartan women, and very slender. As certain kinds of light were cast upon her skin, the half-breed could see the greenish-blue tint where the fine scales were visible on her head and neck. Of all the unusual traits Iosha exhibited, the one Kovac found himself repeatedly looking at was her deep violet eyes. The color appeared so brilliant set against her ivory features, framed by silvery hair.

Kovac allowed his attention to focus again on the task at hand, observing Iosha lift the bow and draw back the string. The Konti applied the things he had taught her pretty well, though there was still a bit of awkwardness. But when she released her arrow, it maintained enough of a steady course to hit the target, even after a slight lift in its travel. It was not a great shot, but the girl didn't care. Iosha's vibrant celebration forced a smile to Kovac's face and he laughed as the Konti did a victory jig.

"Very good! See, you are already improving!" Kovac put his arm around her shoulders. "Now, I think you can correct that lift in your arrow if you keep the bow up until you see the arrow make impact. Hold it just a little tighter, so there is not so much wobble after the shot. And your stance looked good. Now, begin to settle into it and find a comfortable place." His hand moved to rest on her shoulders, lightly massaging them. "And relax. Tension will pull your shot off course too. Do you want to try again?"

[Iosha]

Feeling his arm around her shoulders, Iosha look up into his green eyes and smiles softly as Kovac starts to explain the reason why her arrow hit the top instead of closer towards the center of the target. Listening to Kovac talk about her next shot, Iosha can't help notice how his personality seems to fit his boyish good looks. At first impression, he did fit the description of a playboy, but when she started to talk to him. He seem less sure of himself and almost awkward around her. She enjoyed the witty banter between him and her. It was relaxing to know she didn't have to choose her words carefully around him. He was kind and accepting of her unlike most Inartan in Wind Reach. Most Inartan just ignore her accept for the hand full of people. She has gotten to know as either as friends or acquaintances. Kovac is a intriguing and charming man. Not thinking, she leans back into his chest and listens to him talk. When he is finished talking, she says playfully to him still looking at the target, “Instructor Kovi... didn't you just tell me to keep my grip loose on the bow? I strictly remember you telling me! Iosha your holding it too tight, so as a good student I loosened my grip. Now your telling me to hold it tighter. Kovi for the sake of my sanity make up your mind...” Suddenly, Kovac starts massaging her shoulders and telling her she is way to tense. She closes her eyes as she feels his warm hands work out the knots in her shoulders. She starting to think maybe holding the bow in the awkward stance must of did something to her shoulder. She smiles to herself and says without opening her eyes, “Sorry, it been kind of stressful for me in Wind Reach lately. I am just starting out in the city, so most of the Inartans think I am not worth their time. I try talking to them, but most of them would refuse to talk to me in common when I tell them I don't understand Nari. They respond to me in a equally disparaging tone of voice in Nari. If they do speak in common, they tell me to learn Nari quickly or leave Wind Reach. It frustrating being a outsider in the city.” She sighs heavily, but she doesn't move away from his hands, “I think I am trying too hard to get to know people, and I must seem desperate right now, but it get so boring sitting on my bed staring at the holes in my ceiling.” She can feel the knots start to melt away from his touch. Life was hard in Wind Reach, and she was lonely, but she figures over time the loneliness will melt away like the knots in her shoulders. Iosha slowly pulls away from his touch and turns to faces him. She gives him a warm smile and says softly, “Thank you for the massage and listening to me whine about my problems, Kovac. I think I just needed someone to talk too. Well I think I am going to try shooting again than we can take a break if you like.” She walks up the line, and she does everything Kovac show her earlier about shooting a bow. However, this time, she tightens her grip on the shaft a little harder, and when sheraises the arrow tip to the center of the target. She takes a deep breath and tries to clear her mind from any distraction. She lets loose the bowstring leaving her bow up until the arrow hits the target. She watches the arrow streak towards the target. This time it doesn't veer up or down like the previous shots, but it strikes the target on the right side of the bull-eye in the fourth layer out from the center of the target. It wasn't a great shot, but she is starting to make improvement. She takes out another arrow decides to shoot one more time. Maybe she can get closer this time.

[Kovac]

Iosha didn't recoil at Kovac's more intimate caressing of her shoulders, though he massaged her shoulders under the guise of improving her archery skills. His fingertips did find some knots and he focused attention on working them out with firm but gentle pressure. The archer stole a whiff of her aroma as he worked behind her, listening to the Konti's confession about her trials since reaching Wind Reach.

"I understand a little of what you mean. I was born and raised here, but I am only half Inartan, so even I was not accepted by most residents as true Inarta. These people do not accept outsiders well, they are a bit of a snobbish people." He smiled as she steps away and looks at him. "But you already have some friends, Aidara and me!"

Kovac allowed Iosha to ready her shot without comment, watching with a critical eye how she performed. The arrow made an improved mark. Repetition and fine tuning would start to steadily improve her aim, in addition to a few adjustments from Kovac as she progressed.

"Good shot, you are getting the hang of it! Remember to keep that left shoulder down, relax." Kovac instructed as she readied her last shot.