Solo Cousinly Love: Part I [Flashback]

[Ayatah]

|| 12th Summer, 504 || The Scattered Bones’ family home || 11th Bell.

”Again.”

Sighing, Ayatah stepped forward.

“Don’t sigh and roll your eyes. Now: again.”

Her cousin was ruthless, that was sure. They had been training for bells, with Roseane barking orders to Ayatah every chime or so. They barely stopped for breath or water

“If you want to be moulded into a true warrior - not some idiot flinging a dagger around - then you need to listen to me.” It was the fifth or so time Roseane had said such a thing, and Ayatah reacted in much of the same way that she did the previous times; nodding silently. Ayatah had longed discovered that it was the best way of dealing with her elder cousin. Roseane was a fierce warrior herself, but her ferociousness was incorporated into her personality, meaning that she tackled even every day mundane tasks with equal amounts of aggression.

When Ayatah had considered which of her clan members to give her extra training, Roseane seemed like the only choice. Now, though, Ayatah wished she had gone with her own mother, or another cousin.

“Run, then!” So she began running, slow at first, but building up her speed. Roseane kept up with her, not looking forward but watching Ayatah. She was looking for signs of weakness, for signs of distraction.

If I look away, she’ll try to set me off ta-

The ground interrupted Ayatah’s thoughts. She was sprawled in the mud, long arms and legs spread out from under her. Rolling onto her back, she gave her cousin a quizzical look.

“Looking like you’re concentrating isn’t enough.” Roseanne said bluntly, her expression remaining blank and unimpressed, “again.” A clammy sweat had built up on Ayatah’s skin, and she wiped her brow before moving once again. This time, she let her mind go blank - or as blank as possible - and thought of nothing more but keeping her footsteps in the same rhythm asher cousin’s.

Roseane sped up, taking little fast and furious steps that did not compliment Ayatah’s longer legs. She glanced down to her cousin’s feet, trying to match her footsteps with that of Roseane’s.

What she did not see was the arm from her dear cousin as the other woman hit Ayatah square in the chest. This time she didn’t fall to the floor, but was absolutely winded.

“That was just stupid. Does it really matter if I run differently to you?” This time her expression changed just slightly - with a sprinkling of disgust.

”I thought that was the point of you changing how you were running.”

Roseane scoffed, “Are you going to dance with your enemies, or try to kill them? Focus on the important things.” She allowed Ayatah to catch her breath, quench her thirst, and nurse her hurt pride. Roseane had absolutely no patience and high expectations. The combination resulted in the hardest training session that Ayatah had never undergone as a young Myrian - the desire to quit and give up was only just outweighed by the desire to succeed the challenges bought forth by her cousin. How long this balance would last, however, was certainly in question.

“Let’s do some dagger work, and then we’ll finish with more running.”

|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||

[Ayatah]

Roseane threw something to Ayatah, who instinctively caught it. Impressed with her quick reflexes, she glanced up to her cousin, who watched her with that same old blank expression. Why would I even think that would impress her? She thought, dejected. Her older cousin had always somehow made Ayatah feel like a child, who craved attention from their uninterested parents.

“The wooden daggers are obviously not as heavy as yours, but you’ll get the idea. Now, position yourself.”

Ayatah toyed with the wooden dagger in her hand. Apart from being made out of a completely different material, it was a pretty close resemblance to her own weapon; the daggers were similarly long and thin and the central hilt, the same width.

“Now!” The warning caught Ayatah’s ears just in time. She saw her cousin coming towards her, and leapt backwards quickly. As Roseane bought her wooden dagger down to Ayatah’s left side, her right arm came up.

But Roseanne countered her defence, and Ayatah felt a fist collide with her revealed waistline. The blow made her stagger backwards, gasping for air.

It was all too easy for Roseanne, who pointed the tip of her wooden blade at Ayatah’s soft stomach. “I think not.” She backed away and allowed Ayatah to stand up straight. “You probably want to catch your breath, but do you think your enemies will allow you to? You’ll have to fight with broken limbs, slashes to your stomach and Myri knows what else.”

”I don’t want a break.” Ayatah lied through gritted teeth. Gods, her muscles ached.

If Roseane was impressed with her cousin’s apparent dedication, she didn’t show it. She simply shrugged her shoulders and nodded, “again.” This time, her cousin did not descend on Ayatah so quickly. She kept her distance, stalking Ayatah like a tiger does its prey. She’s waiting for me to make my move. Ayatah realised.

As she stepped forwards, Roseane matched the movement, but going backwards. Ayatah almost paused to think and consider her next move, but stopped herself from doing it. Listen to your instincts, she thought, repeated an old saying of her mother’s.

She took half a step forwards, twisting her body away from Roseane, and bringing her other leg upwards. It struck with her cousin’s kneecap, and for a second the other woman stumbled. But Roseane would not go down so easily, and she fell into the stagger, her body dropping and twisting on the ground nimbly. She was going to up again almost as quickly as she had fallen, but Ayatah had closed the distance between them. Just as she was planning on elbowing her cousin’s shoulder to keep her to the floor, Roseane head-butted her in the stomach, knocking Ayatah backwards.

With the distance between the two cousins once again widened, Ayatah had a few chimes to regulate her breathing once again before Roseane attacked

Her cousin’s fist struck her in the arm, just below her elbow. The dagger fell from her fingers, and Ayatah yelped.

Skurak

But Ayatah’s body would not let her lose so quickly this time, nor would her stubborn nature. She had not even given Roseane so much as a bruise yet - just a slight stumble, that her nimble cousin had managed to use to her advantage.

The other woman came quickly this time, making great swishing gestures with her dagger hand. Ayatah managed to dodge a couple, and even countered one attack by colliding her own arm with her cousin’s. But Roseane was so strong, she pushed Ayatah’s arm away as if it were a child’s. As the two woman stepped away from each other, Roseane spoke:

“Your strength is in your speed, not your strength. If you’re ever up against a Myrian when in military training, you won’t stand a chance unless your enemy is a runt. You’re not fully Myrian, remember? You don’t have our core strength.”

|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||

[Ayatah]

That hurt more than the bruise

Roseanne saw the hurt flash across her cousin’s face, and the older woman shook her head, “I don’t mean it as an insult, cousin. It’s fact. You’ll be faster than most of your comrades when you join, so you must play that to your strength.”

She could be harsh, Ayatah’s cousin, but more often than not, what she was saying so harshly was true. Gritting her teeth, Ayatah nodded and pointed her wooden dagger to Roseane. ”You’re right. Let’s restart.”

Make the most of your speed, Ayatah. the inner voice sounded much like her mother’s, and Ayatah gave a small nod to acknowledge it.

Roseane came forward; dagger in hand and a thunderous look on her face (her war-face, Ayatah mused). The other woman swung her dagger inwards, towards Ayatah’s waist. Speed! The voice shouted in Ayatah’s mind.

She bought her own dagger forwards, jabbing it into her cousin’s thigh. At the same time, she stepped to the side, avoiding Roseane’s dagger by mere inches.

Both women seemed as shocked as each other that Ayatah had got a hit.

But Roseane’s wonder was short lived, and she pushed her own dagger to Ayatah’s chest, dragging it down between her breasts to her stomach.

“Your enemy has a stabbed leg, and you’re wearing your entrails on the outside. Who wins?”

”You.” Ayatah muttered, folding her arms as if to stop her invisible innards becoming out-ards. It was gruesome thought that her cousin could have killed her two or three times, without even trying.

“Not bad,” Roseane said, shrugging. It was the closest thing to a compliment her cousin would give to anything short of perfection - and Ayatah’s lesson had been far from that. “Let’s get running.” The daggers were put away, and Ayatah joined her cousin in a jog. The Myrian woman sped up, and Ayatah matched her cousin’s speed easily - though made a point to run in a way that came natural to her, she wasn’t going to mess up in the same way as before.

But this time, Roseane did not try to trip her cousin up. Instead, she bolted off, her short legs beating the ground fast and frequently as she made headway. “I’m a Dhani you’ve got to catch!” She called over her shoulder.

This I can do. Ayatah thought, smiling. She increased her speed, taking long strides where her cousin made short furious steps. Roseane changed directions suddenly and at harsh angles, but Ayatah mimicked them easily, jumping over obstacles without bother. She could feel the blood thudding in her ears, and the air rushing into her lungs. It was exhilarating.

She caught her cousin easily, but Roseane was no more impressed.

“I expected you to get me at least three chimes ago.”

||END||

|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||

[Jackalope]

Ayatah

Award

Skill	XP Earned	Lore Earned
Running	+2	Roseane is Very Agressive
Unarmed Combat	+2	Keeping Focus is Vital in Combat
Dagger	+1	Being Surprised That You Hit
Observation	+1

Witty Remark Here

This was a nice little training thread. I enjoy the personality you put into your NPC. I do need to make one request though. If you're going to continue using the NPCs you put in your CS, I need you to put an HD request in for them detailing their skills as well as what you've said about them so far. Thanks! If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.