Solo the bones of a man.

[Caelum]

PermissionsThe same granted in continuation by Magpie. This is a continuation from the heart of a people. give the love you have until it's gone. - avett. Timestamp: 08 Fall 513 AV The shadows of the Tuvya Sasarin were occupied chattering at Ismail Bahram while his newest student flowed through the motions of his kata. Their muttered Makath was soundless to the ethaefal who stood full in the sunlight at the center of the private training room, and if Ismail himself chose to reply then Caelum was too absorbed in his own internal conversation to notice. The Grand Master slumped as a mountain might against the wall by the door, strong arms folded over his chest and heavy lidded eyes steady on Caelum. The worshipper of Syna was a mystery, an unusual addition to the city and the people that Ismail served and loved. He watched the ethaefal move with unspeakable grace through thrust and parry, deflection and blow. The martial dance was built by someone, Ismail knew, who was well acquainted with the usual reservations and tribulations of a healer's lifestyle. Every step was designed not for aggression, but for defense; and it was not solely crafted around the defense of oneself, but the defense of others. It would be a simple matter to build another body or more into the circle of protection Caelum's kata circumnavigated. The Akalak was observant of people, especially his students, to note that this particular student appeared to be a great deal more invested in his training than anyone, perhaps including himself, would have guessed. It meant to Ismail that the ethaefal knew fear, understood it, and had begun to revolve his life around something else now that he had finally released it. The shadows said a few other things, deeper things, but were tricky creatures and were disinterested in delivering Ismail all of what he wished to learn on a silver platter. "Have you thought about my question?" Ismail raised his voice and rolled out of his slouch to approach his student. When Caelum made as if to stop the motions of his kata, Ismail raised a chopping hand. "No. Proceed. Have you thought about my question?" Ismail had already realized that sometimes Caelum needed questions repeated. It was not because the man was slow witted, but because he would damn well dodge most questions if he could. "Yes, I have thought about it," Caelum replied. Light glanced off of his eyes when he slanted them toward the Akalak and the natural pattern of his kata shifted his hips, placed one foot its own length behind the other. His right hand slanted inward, elbow jutting out, to nearly fold his hand over his heart; but his left hand came up, wrist bent and palm facing outward while his forward leg bent to redistribute his weight in the fluid search for greater balance. It was this moment that Ismail chose to interrupt, whirling into the circle of Caelum's kata so quickly that the end of his braid trailed a little behind him. He caught Caelum's outward wrist and froze, coming to a standstill so fast that Caelum was capable of doing little more than stare with incomprehension. "Up," Ismail instructed. "Hand toward my face, up against the bridge of my nose. Keep turning while you do it, with the intention of landing beside me. It is where your kata leads you." Ismail had been studying its repetition for some time now and, judging it worthy, decided to show Caelum what it was meant to do in real life.

[Caelum]

Caelum complied with the Grand Master’s instruction and swung his hand up. The wrist caught in Ismail’s grip twisted, elbow jolting out in step with his kata to slip it free even as the heel of his palm impacted with Ismail’s nose. He kept turning, stopping only when he stood beside to the left of his teacher. “Reverse the grip,” Ismail prompted. Caelum twisted his arm, envisioning the next three motions of the kata before following through with it. His forearm caught the inside of Ismail’s elbow and his ankle hooked behind his knee; and, to Caelum’s tremendous surprise, Ismail landed on the floor on his rear end. The two men stared at each other for a moment before Ismail grinned. It was a fierce expression and the Akalak rolled swiftly back to his feet, waving off the hand up Caelum automatically offered him. “I sort of feel like I should apologize,” the ethaefal admitted. “Caelum, you did exactly what I wanted you to do,” Ismail replied patiently. “But I’m still sorry.” Caelum blinked golden eyes at him. Ismail sighed and opened his mouth, by appearance preparing to answer him, but ultimately the grand master just shook his head at something and held up both of his hands. “Alright. Can you tell me how you were able to drop me despite the fact that I am highly trained and taller, stronger, and more prepared than you?” “You mean how did I drop you when you could level me with a look?” Caelum’s grin was quick and sardonic. “Balance and leverage?” He hazarded and, at Ismail’s gesture, he fell back into a posture of defense, aligning his bones for enhanced agility and equilibrium. “Yes,” Ismail approved. “Move through the next six steps of your kata, to the balance shift backwards on your right foot when your hands are this position.” The Akalak had a mind like a vault, every detail of Caelum’s kata memorized to the degree that he could mirror it now exactly for visual demonstration. “And answer my question from yesterday. To what do you wish to belong?” Caelum’s eyes swept over Ismail and he mentally set his mind six steps ahead. The gyre of his fist pulled itself straight out from his side, and before it could connect with Ismail the Akalak danced adroitly to the side in what appeared a mirror image of the movements Caelum himself had performed at the beginning of the kata. “Keep going,” Ismail demanded when the ethaefal looked as though he might ask a question. “Observe.” He paused. “And answer my question already.” “Respectfully, Ismail, I don’t know your answer.”

[Caelum]

The Grand Master did not appear to notice that Caelum used his given name. It was a minor breech of etiquette that nonetheless sounded natural. The Akalak found himself at ease in the presence of his newest pupil and his desire for Caelum to succeed in his goal to become a full-fledged citizen of Ismail’s beloved city increased exponentially. As of yet unaware that his desires and needs were being translated by divine power into the core of his pupil, Ismail accidentally created an incredibly balanced instructional cycle. He wanted Caelum to improve. Caelum proceeded to focus better, to channel more effort into every aspect of his lesson, and Ismail’s approval flowered to waft even larger amounts of desirable pollen. Caelum, of course, knew very well what was going on. He approved of it and was even relieved having acquired the sought after plateau. It made everything easier. He did not have to struggle with or against the constant murmur of ranuri beneath physical contact. Instead he was freed to follow it, immeasurably grateful to have an instructor so genuinely dedicated to his student’s success. Caelum he laughed when he landed on his behind, slapping his hands down and rolling as taught to quickly regain his feet. “Show me again,” he requested and set his feet to the pattern, repeating for what felt like the thousandth time a warding deflect with his right hand while swinging up with his left, adjusting the curvature for the difference in height. Ismail, smirking, caught Caelum’s wrist in a motion that was slowed down from how fast he was capable of moving. Using his momentum against him, the ethaefal was spun around and tripped by the hook of the Akalak’s ankle to land again on the floor. “What would you do once here?” Caelum said, catching his breath. Sweat sheened his skin. “Get to my feet quick as I could,” Ismail replied blandly. Caelum’s chuckle was a little breathless. “I mean if I was a real threat. Once I’m on the ground, what do you do?” “Answer my question, sunlord. And I’ll answer yours.” Something akin to humor sparked in the Akalak’s typically sober regard and he waited patiently for Caelum to climb to his feet.

[Caelum]

“I wish to belong to a people,” Caelum supplied. It with a narrow look from deep set eyes even as long fingers arched against the floor, pushing up as he rolled neatly to his feet. Before he could complete standing, however, Ismail pivoted dangerously fast and pummeled a kick to the back of his pupil’s knee that sent Caelum crashing right back to the floor again. “Ow, petch,” the ethaefal swore. “You’re lying,” Ismail replied calmly, his shadow pooling over. “But not to me. To yourself.” “To belong to a person,” Caelum volleyed capriciously. “I would kill you,” Ismail pointed out, the sweep of one foot knocking Caelum’s elbow out from beneath him and jolting him backwards full on the floor. A breath escape the ethaefal and as he moved to sit up, muscles tightening, Ismail’s foot came to settle light but firm upon his throat. Caelum froze. “I would kill you when you were down if you were an actual threat,” the Grand Master informed me. “Either by crushing your windpipe hear, or by driving the splintered bones of your nose deep into your brains. I would do it fast, not because I am merciful, but because I am practical. Do you understand?” “Yes, Ismail,” Caelum murmured, eyes intent. “I understand.” “Good, now get up.” The Akalak stepped away and Caelum rolled a little more slowly to his feet, every joint in his body aching with use and strain. “Perform a full revolution of your kata. You need to loosen back up.” Caelum nodded and brought up his hands, the motion almost supplicant in the winnowing daylight from the windows. He concentrated on holding his muscles tight while counting through the blow deflecting steps, recognizing them now as the stepping stones they were toward an ultimate conclusion. “A healer must work fast,” Ismail’s voice followed him. “One marked by Rak’keli needs to have the reflexes of a cat. If you are attacked, you must go for the kill every time. You cannot hesitate.” “If I fail to, then it is distinctly possible I’ll be compelled to heal the very injuries I’ve given,” Caelum agreed. He pulled his fists in and then dropped them down, angling his body toward an imagined hole in the enemy’s defense. “Or worse,” Ismail said plainly. Caelum looked over, and smiled. The Grand Master understood plenty.

[Caelum]

Caelum’s limbs were growing heavy. It slowed the motions of his kata, muscles pulling in faint protest; but he set his jaw and moved through it. Endurance was not an unknown to him and the almost pulse like beat of Ismail’s desire for Caelum to rise to his potential urged him on. His arms flowed out, weight shifted to his rear foot as he mentally considered the line of his shoulders and hips and prepared to pivot to his right. A second after he began, Ismail’s fist flew for his jaw and he instinctively swept up his arm to catch his instructor’s wrist with his forearm and knock it aside. Recalling Ismail’s earlier instructions, he continued with the next step of his kata and kept pivoting, finding himself in near perfect position for a groin shot that he began to deliver only to watch as Ismail bounced out of the way to catch him from behind. “Try again,” Ismail suggested, releasing him from the crush of his arms. “This time, go up from under rather than straight on. Left knee toward the floor. The intention is to throw me over your shoulder.” Catching his breath, Caelum nodded mutely and took a moment to rewind the necessary steps in his mind before falling into the stance with his arms wide out and his weight backwards. “You’re not weak. Your bones are strong. You work hard up at the Sanctuary and your goddess strengthens you. It isn’t going to break your arm to throw me.” Ismail smirk was meant to encourage, having discovered his pupil worked best with sharp humor and camaraderie versus being quelled and commandeered. It told the nightstalker a few more things about the ethaefal’s past, such as how he had learned the hardest way of all about the worst of what a man’s fists and cruelty could do. The ethaefal nodded and found his center, letting his mind lazily slip apart into three pieces – one for the kata, another for Ismail, a third for his ranuri. He moved, shifting this time counter-clockwise. Ismail’s fist grazed his cheek, leaving behind sparklers of need dimmed by bruising; but these remarks echoed into their pieces and Caelum dropped down, pointed his left knee to the floor and keeping his toes beneath him. His right hand rose, catching Ismail’s wrist in the next blow, and when he pulled there and shoved at Ismail’s ankle, he suspected the Akalak helped himself over Caelum’s shoulder and onto the floor beyond more than Caelum himself actually succeeded.

[Caelum]

“This time,” Ismail said while rolling from his back to his feet, unwinding tall and adept. “Boost me over with a hand to the knee. It’ll add momentum, and impact. Put all the strength behind it you can muster. My own weight and momentum will let me fall, but your strength will cause me to fall hard.” Caelum nodded and eased back into the wide armed stance, but Ismail shook his head. “We’re going to try it from the fourth tier of your kata.” He proceeded to demonstrate by pulling in one arm and drawing out the other, placing himself in profile to Caelum as his weight gathered on his leading foot. The grand master waited until Caelum had regathered himself. The ethaefal pulled his left arm in slowly, elbow low and weight rolling to rest on his right foot that was in front. He swung out his left arm and then performed a swift reverse that resulted in his right first flying out. He missed Ismail, but that was not the point, as he was beginning to realize. The point was that his balance bounced him right down, allowing his leg to sweep around in the fifth tier. He brought up his hand to catch Ismail’s knee as instructed, and this time he could feel the difference. The Akalak landed with a loud grunt, having allowed himself to be thrown again for instructional purposes. Caelum swiveled around, half crouched, to grin at him. It was a shocking expression in the afternoon light. “Well, you didn’t break your arm,” Ismail sighed. Caelum chuckled and stood again, this time offering his teacher a hand up. Ismail accepted and tilted his head toward the door. “Go home, sunlord. Do at least thirty repetitions of your kata tonight and thing on how you’re going to my answer my question.” Caelum nodded his assent, mopping sweat from his face with the tail of his shirt. He angled for the door, hollowed out by the blessedly silent ranuri.

[Taylani]

Caelum

Skills :

+5 Unarmed Combat
+2 Deduction

Lores :

Unarmed Combat: Kata more than simply a dance
Deduction: Balance and leverage can be greater than skill and brawn.
Unarmed Combat: The practicality of killing a threat.

Notes :

PM me with any concerns about your grade, and don’t forget to delete/edit the grade request