[Archery Ranges] Beginning Steps.

by **Ainyi** on January 11th, 2014, 7:29 am

"Your father seems like a very knowledgeable fellow. His method must work well if you are capable of shooting like that consistently."

Ainyi's smile was made smaller at those words. She tried to keep a semblance of one, however. Her eyes lowered to Yasa; The bow was elegantly crafted, with some fine etches along both sides of it, motifs of birds in flight with their wind streams entwining. The glass hewn handle had irridescent blues and greens and whites. She bit down on her tongue, and forced a smirk. She arched her neck at the tall man, and softly responded, "Yes. He was." There was a hint of yearning, of unresolved grief that laid in the short comment, like a stain that no matter how many times washed, would not come out. The Chiet noticed this, clearing her throat as though it would cover up the vulnerability of the moment, straightening her shoulders.

Before any awkward silences could set in, Turrin approached and introduced himself to Wingard. Ainyi jumped a little bit, startled at the Endal's presence. She had not noticed him earlier, and felt dreadful for doing so. He had been so kind to her all those nights ago in the Warrens; it wasn't like her to miss out on others in that manner.

"When I started to learn archery, it took me a three weeks to actually hit the target. I guess that I am not surprised you have a great teacher with Ainyi.”

Ainyi blushed, her smile returning to a beam. She nodded her head in respect to the dark haired Endal. "He has a talent, yes," She timidly admitted, cocking her eyebrow playfully at the tall blond one. "Still, he will miss the target many more times before he hits consistently. It is a first good step." Looking at her own bow, she shrugged her shoulders, adding, "If my caste does not permit me to hunt for my people, I should at least help those who do. We should not fight one another while we starve like this."

As she said that, she remembered something, and looked up at Turrin, eyes taking a slightly harder tone, her voice taking a gentle one. "How goes your...investigation, so far?" There was a strained concern in her tone, but she obviously meant to keep it light as well. However perceptive Wingard was, she hardly felt discussing her father's recent murder was going to be a pleasant icebreaker for any parties involved. But still, she had to know if Turrin made progress. Her nights scouring the warrens hadn't gotten her any further of late.To keep from ignoring her new acquaintance, she flashed her eyes over to Wingard to give him a small, pleasant smile. He would be proud of her, making friends. At least, she hoped so.

by **Edric Wingard** on January 15th, 2014, 1:17 am

Wingard may not have been a people person, but he most certainly could note when he had stuck his foot into his mouth. Watching as the rather genteel features of Ainyi slipped into those of remorse and sadness, twisted something deep within the Kelvic. It was hardly something useless such as contrition, considering that the idea of regretting any action after the fact seemed utterly pointless to him, but it was unfamiliar enough to warrant some self-reflection over it. From his eyes, the eagle saw the unpolished mention of a diseased love one as just another aspect of life. Every person died, and was dying, so it seemed more logical to the Kelvic to celebrate such a passing rather than hold on aimlessly to the dead. They were no longer around to feel and observe your pain, so not only did one not receive any appreciation for such constant grief but it hindered them as well. Thus, it was obvious that he wasn't feeling such empathy for this woman - but what was it?

Frowning to himself, Wingard continued to study the woman as she trailed off into silence; the air around them thick with tension. It was uncomfortable, this feeling, but the man did not see the need to apologize so he held the soundless space between them close to his chest, sealing his lips and censoring the momentary falsities that he contemplated spewing from his mouth. As the tension began to stretch however, the Wind Eagle idly wondered what had happened to this woman's father. She obviously was not at peace with such an incident, so it must have been either recent, or not as cut and dry as death generally was. Hm-ing out loud for a moment, the man continued to study Ainyi unabashedly, his curiosity overriding his tact once again.

Before he could unleash his investigation upon the woman however, the man he had previously observed upon his entry sauntered over. His build was strong and broad, his shoulders easily thicker than Wingard could ever dream of achieving. Again, he seemed to be another human that took pride in his heritage; stating his family's clan with such obvious self-gratification that the Kelvic could only place a hand to his heart and bow his greeting in return. Wingard figured it would be utterly pointless to state that such a mouthful of a name was hardly something worth remembering, so he mentally reminded himself to speak of 'Turrin' by only his first name. These archers were of an obviously higher caliber than himself and it certainly wouldn't do to startle them off with his foul behaviour.

As he rose from his bow, the blonde's golden eyes caught sight of a familiar handle resting upon his newest companion's waist. Easily recognizing it as a Talon Sword, Wingard slowly began to smile inwardly. A fellow swordsman was always a welcome sight, especially in a city that focused primarily on wielding a bow. Making a private note to inquire about sparring on a later date as any practice was good practice, the man returned his attention back to Turrin. The Endal, as the eagle recognized him from the aeries, was praising his capabilities as a marksmen, causing him to inwardly preen over such a compliment. Outwardly however, he continued to hold a blank stare, his features soft - or as soft as they could be - and relaxed. The Kelvic was not an arrogant man, seeing himself as better than most, but he also recognized the fact that humility could carry you far longer than egoism would. Thus, the man nodded his acceptance of such a high compliment graciously by stating, "The name is Wingard. Your praise is far too high for merely a lucky shot."

Releasing a quick smile in his direction, he watched as Turrin reacquainted himself with Ainyi, the two of them talking amicably after he complimented her. It was obvious that they were friendly, Wingard noticed, his eyes taking in their posture and closeness as they spoke. Both seemed to think highly of one another if their comments were any indication and the Kelvic was suddenly aware of the fact that he was the outsider on their conversation. Now, this was a normal occurrence as he generally perceived all Inartan drama as pointless and a waste of his time. It was also because of his impartiality that Wingard was also well-aware of many things that others were not. His capability to be a subtle observer allowed him moments like these to study situations and mannerisms from the sidelines to create his own conclusions.

Cocking his head to the side slightly, he tried to minimize his presence between Turrin and Ainyi, noting with interest that Ainyi seemed to have a lot invested in this 'investigation.' He did not want to allow his imagination to run rampant, but his active mind quivered with anticipation of clues. Currently, he did not know enough about either of his companions to hypothesize a situation, but hopefully after this meeting, he would be able to soon. After all, who didn't like a good mystery?

by **Turrin** on January 26th, 2014, 12:23 am

Turrin listened to Ainya praise and criticize her student who introduced himself as Wingard. Turrin smiled at the man and bowed his head in respect. He hadn't known many Inarta to be polite, but Wingard seemed to have some clue of social etiquette. The Endal could tell by his statement that he didn't have confidence in himself that his next shot would hit the target. This lack of confidence, could get him killed on the batter field. Growing up in Taloba, Myrian children were highly competitive to gain favor by the Goddess-Queen, so they did their best to perfect their martial skills. Incompetence and laziness was quickly stamped out of Myrian warrior at a lazy age, so instructors needed to build up the confidence of their students, so they could get to the next level of training. In truth, Turrin had a much harder time proving himself to his instructors because he was a half-breed. The Endal looked at Wingard and simply, “Training the body to do something is much easier than training the mind to do something.” Pulling a arrow out of quiver, he walked to the firing line, placed it on the bowstring, and said without looking at them, “Confidence in your abilities is the foundation in training the mind...”

Trailing off, Turrin decided to speed up his movement to demonstrate confidence to the foriegner. The Endal got into his stance with his right foot out slightly and his left foot back. He made sure the heels of his boots lined up with the target. Bending his knees slightly, Turrin pulled a arrow from his quiver and placed onto the bowstring. Holding the arrow in between his pointer and middle finger, Turrin lifted the short bow, so the metal tip lined up with the center of the target. Drawing back the bowstring to his cheek, Turrin readjusted his arrow alignment with the target as he held the bowstring to his cheek. Taking a deep breath, Turrin released the arrow on the exhale. Turrin kept the short bow raised till the arrow struck the target. With a loud thud, the arrow struck in between the second and third ring of the target. It was a decent shot, and the Endal was satisfied with it's location. Turning around, Turrin walked back to the both of them and said to Wingard, “When you build a foundation in any training than the training will never falter on it's own.”

Turrin's mother and father always taught about the importance of confidence in oneself whenever they taught their children a lesson. He just hoped Wingard wasn't offended by his directness. Turrin gave him a nod of respect to a fellow warrior. The Myrian turned his attention to Ainya and said with a shake of his head, “Unfortunately, I am to busy looking apprehending food thieves and dealing with assaults to be looking for the Despised.” Turrin said with a hallow laugh, “I starting to think that I drew the short reed on the patrol routes.” The Endal remembered Ainya mentioned her not being allowed to hunt since she was a Chiet. The Myrian thought it was stupid rule especially in a famine. Turrin crossed his arms and eyed the red haired woman and said softly, “Since I am a Endal, I can allow you to apprentice under me as a second rider. It could be a good way for a wind eagle to notice you too. Unfortunately, I think Inarta have tendency to be short sighted in this regard because they tend not to notice the hidden talent in their own citizens. It sad, but it the reality in Wind Reach. I want you to think about it, Ainya. If you are my apprentice, it will not be easy for you.”

by **Ainyi** on January 27th, 2014, 9:11 am

“Training the body to do something is much easier than training the mind to do something.”

Ainyi nodded with the sage advice, stepping back to analyze his form as he put on his own demonstration. Though, his statements of confidence wrinkled her lips slightly. One should not have confidence in an ability they do not have yet. Confidence can only come after success; it is it's byproduct. To possess confidence before one possesses success seemed..foolish, to her. Like a child who claimed to be a great eagle rider, only to become a Dek later in life.

Still, his shot landed on a decent place in the target, and if his words helped him improve, so they were. She nodded to him respectfully, adding quietly, "A good shot." As she asked her questions, she crossed her arms concertedly in front of her, and awaited his response eagerly. With a glance, she noticed Edric simultaneously making himself scarce and keeping an ear open. She supposed that was natural. Rumors and gossip were the lifeblood of Wind Reach, and she hinted at a juicy one. Her eyes grew large, her lower lip clasped by her teeth in anticipation.

“Unfortunately, I am to busy looking apprehending food thieves and dealing with assaults to be looking for the Despised. I'm starting to think that I drew the short reed on the patrol routes.”

Ainyi sighed, almost successfully masking the disappointment in her eyes. "Yes, of course. As is to be expected as things stand right now. Keeping our people alive takes priority." She flicked her eyes around nervously, before clearing her throat with a flat expression. "Still, I appreciate the effort. I trust you to let me know, should anything develop."

Assuming that was the end of things, she stepped forward to draw another arrow. She drew quickly, set the arrow efficiently. Her hair whipped over her shoulder, revealing the traditional open back of the Vinati. Her shoulder blades were like two pale cliffs softly contouring while still possessing strength. However, that strength wavered in disbelief at the dark haired Endal's next words.

“Since I am a Endal, I can allow you to apprentice under me as a second rider. It could be a good way for a wind eagle to notice you too. Unfortunately, I think Inarta have tendency to be short sighted in this regard because they tend not to notice the hidden talent in their own citizens. It sad, but it the reality in Wind Reach. I want you to think about it, Ainya. If you are my apprentice, it will not be easy for you.”

She turned around so fast, she hadn't let go of the arrow yet. It hit a target...the next one over on the range, in a rather haphazard location. Her face dyed itself the color of her hair, as her shocked expression made itself fully available to Turrin. "I - yes, my answer is yes. I've wanted to now, for many years. I -" She didn't even seem to believe him fully. The Inarta woman glanced over to Wingard, eyes full, expression a mix of disbelief and joy.

"I -, " Ainyi tried to begin again. Clearing her throat, she hoped the third time was indeed the charm. "I know it will not be easy. But yet, it is what -," she paused, hands staring at Yasa wistfully and lovingly. "It would honor me, and my father's memory greatly." She paused a moment, closing her eyes in the moment, before looking at the kind stranger she'd just met almost apologetically. "Forgive me, friend. I hardly expected such a life changing gift today. You'll have to excuse my last, rather poor shot."

Breathing deep, she looked back at Turrin, putting on an air of contentedness, fiery eyebrows cocked. "So, then. What will you have of me, as your apprentice?"

by **Edric Wingard** on January 27th, 2014, 7:23 pm

Turrin’s lecture was something the Wingard needed to contemplate heavily. In many ways, he disagreed with what the warrior had stated. Confidence was a positive emotion that revealed itself when one held pride over their skills or being. It was incredibly useful when one was attempting to coerce or persuade others to do their bidding; after all, one would follow another more easily if they felt like the leader believed in their skills, but it was also a horrible characteristic when it crossed the line into arrogance. Turrin mistook the Kelvic’s sign of humility as insecurity and it was a concept that the man found nearly laughable. Wingard understood his abilities – or in this case, his lack thereof. He was hardly an accomplished archer and to assume that his third shot was purely skill and talent rather than it mingled with luck, would be stupid of him. He held no reservation in admitting his weakness and although he stated it openly, it didn’t mean that he felt like he would never get better either.

He knew that with more practice and training, he’d be fully capable of continuously hitting the target without trepidation. But he was not there yet. In fact, he’d most likely not be there for a while so to state otherwise would only be a show of bluster and overconfidence. That arrogance would later come back to him if he carried it close to his chest and flaunted it like a peacock to his fellow Avora then failed miserably when he tried to prove it. Thus, humility would be his best weapon as it was always better to exceed others expectations rather than fall short of them. For a moment, the rapture contemplated correcting the Endal but discarded the idea. His opinion would hardly be welcomed to a man that Wingard could already note was prideful, but Wingard couldn’t help but state, “Confidence in false talents is worth as much as a stone uncut.”

Tilting his head upwards as he spoke, the rapture eyed the man before turning his gaze back to the targets. Taking position, he reached back once again to draw an arrow from his quiver. It still felt foreign in his hands, but he nocked it easily enough. Drawing the string back as he rose the bow up to shoot, he breathed in deeply, tuning out his new companions as he replayed each shot that they had taken. His hand settled lightly against his cheek; fingers fluttering as they felt the tension of the string beneath them. It was a rather empowering emotion it initiated, this feeling of superiority as something as strong as wood bent to his will. His eyes focused on the target, peering over the head of the arrow with such precision that he knew that with time, he could easily be a sharp shooter.

He aimed for the middle of course, letting go of the feathered arm so quickly that his breath left with it. Again, the arrow soared beautifully through the air, spinning easily as it cut through gravity and headed for the target. It imbedded itself in the empty white space around the rings and Wingard was satisfied. Drawing another arrow, he shifted his stance slightly, turning his front foot a mere millimeter more towards the target before releasing again. It missed the target entirely, so the Eagle repositioned its foot. As the two companions spoke, he kept an open ear to listen, but he continued shooting, his arrows falling on the white area of the target often, but not always, until he jolted himself upwards at Ainyi’s crap shot.

Blinking rather owlishly at such a poor display, he turned his head back towards the two speakers and listened intently as Turrin offered her an apprenticeship. It was rather charitable of the Endal considering that such a thing hardly ever happened and Wingard filed away such information for later. Obviously the Chiet was excited at such an opportunity – only a fool would not be – but the Eagle silently wondered if there was any ulterior motive. He hardly knew Turrin, but wouldn’t such an offer as gracious as that be followed by a favour or condition? It would be stupid to sacrifice that amount of time without gaining something in return. Frowning inwardly, the young hunter turned his eyes back to the target and took another shot. It hit the white area again, and he silently decided that maybe he needed to lower his elbow more.

Before he could give it a go, Ainyi called to him so Wingard once again drew his attention back to the woman, quirking his head to the side to indicate he was listening. When she apologized, he merely shrugged his shoulders not really caring as such a fault was her own problem and not his own. As they continued to chat, he turned back to the targets and took another shot – this time, with his elbow lowered. When it nearly hit the thick black outline of the first ring, Wingard smiled. He was getting close.

by **Turrin** on February 4th, 2014, 4:44 am

Turrin could tell the pair of them didn't understand what he meant by having confidence in their abilities. Wingard bluntly told him that having confidence without the skill was worthless, and Ainyi just stayed silent. The Endal wondered if she was nervous to him a honest answer since he was a Endal. Turrin sighed and decided to clarify what he meant by having confidence, “Yes, you are right. Having confidence in abilities that you don't possess is kind of foolish, but when you start to learn anything new, you still can still have confidence in your ability to learn. Also, you have your past victories and failures for your fall back on, and the experience that you learned from these trials in your life can help your confidence when you learn something new.”

Turrin looked at Wingard and said simply, “I hope that clarifies my explanation, Wingard.” Turrin watched in silence as Wingard took his next shot. The first one hit white around the last ring from the center. It was a decent shot. The second shot missed the target entirely. He wasn't quite sure what he did wrong, so he turned his attention to Ainyi.

When Ainyi took her shot, Turrin couldn't help himself from smiling when she completely missed her target. The Endal laughed out loud at his friend when her arrow hit the target in the next target over. He wasn't surprised that she completely missed the target since he just gave her a life changing proposition. He just stood there with a silly grin on his face and pointed to the target and said with laugh, “If it hit was the right target, it would be a great shot!” Turrin smile widen when the Chiet eagerly accepted being his apprentice. He listened to her try to get through her statement of gratitude. Turrin knew it was a important time for a Inarta, so he gave her time to get through it. When Ainyi asked about her duties as his apprentice, he hadn't really thought about it. Turrin rubbed the stubble on his chin and said, “Hopefully, I can go back to my normal duties as a hunter in the spring, but you will help will help me saddle Aponivi. It is a two person job putting on a wind eagle saddle.You will assist me setting up our base camp when we get into the field. Lastly, you will help me hunting, so I will help you with tracking and processing our kills.” Turrin rubbed the pommel of his talon sword and said. “Since I am a part of the War Hawk Flight, I will be teaching you combat skills with a talon sword and unarmed combat. The Unforgiving is a dangerous place, and I believe a person is foolish to go out there armed with just a bow.”

Turrin wanted to shot, but he figured that he should finish talking to Ainyi first. The Endal had a good feeling about his decision about making her his apprentice. He was going to work her hard, but he knew the skills that she would learn would help her out in the Unforgiving. Turrin needed to work on a few skills of his own like climbing and mountaineering. Honestly, it would be nice to just talk to someone in the bush too. The Endal could only talk to Aponivi for so long until he realizes that the wind eagle was a Wind Eagle, and he didn't understand the mortal minds as much as he claims. Turrin looked at her and said with a smile, “Honestly, I would start taking wilderness survival classes at the Enclave this season. You can tell them that I am your sponsor, and you shouldn't have any problems getting into the class. Also, I will be your sponsor at the Second Quiver, so you don't have to worry about getting kicked out of this range either, Ainyi.”

by **Ainyi** on February 5th, 2014, 11:52 pm

spoiler :

"If it hit was the right target, it would be a great shot!”

Ainyi turned to re-examine her shot, and shook her head in a little extra disbelief. She knew that was what happened, it registered in her mind...but she only realized how ridiculous the shot was until after the initial shock of a life changing offer began to settle. She laughed at it, and made a note that one of her arrows was in another target. But in this moment, very little mattered. Second Riders always became hunters. Nine years of sneaking into the Quiver after hours, of her father's secret lessons in the Warrens - all of it paid off.

Ainyi pulled her bottom lip thin, and spent a moment with her head hung, feeling water in her eyes. Even if she could not find justice for Braghna...it felt strange, these emotions. She clung to them as though they would leave her in a moment's notice.

Carefully, she wiped the tears from her eyes before she raised them, though the tender pink color still filled the whites. She compressed the joy in her face, and began listening intently to her newfound duties and responsibilities. Her head cocked at the idea of sword and unarmed combat training. It was something she never considered before, but she couldn't argue the logic of the Endal.

She smiled gratefully at his permission to freely enter the Quiver...and was glad he didn't question how she got in here in the first place. While Avira sponsored her before this, she still wasn't sure how shaky their relationship was, and to accept the title of Second Rider, there would be no question in any minds about whether she belonged.

"Yes, I - ," Ainyi began, before closing her eyes and rephrasing. "I have never considered learning the ways of the sword, or fighting unarmed. However, I will learn. This - you honor me, Turrin. I promise to repay you in hard work and dedication, for that is all I can repay you in."

Ainyi smiled, before holding up another arrow to be shot. "If you ever need to find me, my place in the Commonrooms is down the first hall, at the very end on the right. I work five bells in the day in the Processing Center. It's usually eight, but with the Famine - ". Ainyi shook her head, and let that thought finish itself. "We can sort out times and training hours before you leave...but for now, I need to practice with Yasa. I feel...I must honor my father's sacrifices. He would be very proud."

She bowed her head to him humbly, before setting up to fire another shot. Ainyi let the feathers on her arrow glide down Yasa's string, until the arrow stopped at the glass handle. Straightening her back, her eyes, still moist from the emotional upheaval she'd just experience, locked on the center of the target. She drew back with a slow methodical grace, and released the arrow as though unleashing the wind.

It hit. She smiled.

by **Una Tanta** on April 7th, 2014, 5:30 pm

Edric :

Ainyi :

Turrin :

Please don't be afraid to PM me with any questions ^-^ and please don't forget to remove your grading request from the list to keep My office spick and span.

Completed [Archery Ranges] Beginning Steps.