Closed A Little Game - Round 2 (Orion)

[Ryia Brock]

Timestamp: 7th Day of Winter, 513 AV Windmount Track and Field 10th Bell


The day moved on in the city of Syliras, and the squires on the field were just finishing up their break. It had been a rough morning for them with pain and embarrassment filling their lives. Not one amongst them had bested the quintain, and their patrons saw the hard work they had cut out for them. Ryia had slipped away from the group and found herself a quiet corner inside one of the empty stalls that no longer had a horse. The teen sat back against the wooden wall, long, blonde hair waving gently across her forehead and flowing downward to drag across her small shoulders. The white blouse she wore billowed as did her hair whenever the cool breeze caught it.

Ryia had removed her armor breast and back plates, along with the arm guards, and her boots. The discarded items were placed next to her leg along with the lance and shield that she had borrowed. The young squire could breathe easier now, without the heavy weight holding her down. Her first experience with the quintain had been rough and she wasn't used to feeling that kind of pain. It intimidated her, and she learned to have even more respect for the Knights who'd been through it and come out winners.

She was a teenager, and like most she tended to over think things and put too much emotion beside thoughts when they weren't needed. Still, Ryia wouldn't give up and the next time around, she knew that she would strike true. At the moment, her only thoughts were to relax her mind and allow her body to heal. With her eyes closed, she pushed everything else away, allowed her limbs to go numb and drifted away.

Dimia had been going back and forth, for a short time she had been eavesdropping on Helena and Dinah's conversation. She was sure that she heard her name, Orion's and Ryia's. The Knights were up to something and she could just tell. Helena could be scary enough on her own, but with a high ranking Knight like Dinah with her it was almost suffocating to even think. After overhear them, she marched off to find Ryia, who wasn't that hard to find.

The two were closer it seemed now, and Dimia knew her sister's habits. She knew to look for her in a quiet spot and there she was, half clothed and appeared to be sleeping. "Ryia? What are you doing girl? It's far too cold to be shedding clothing, don't you think?" Opening her eyes, Ryia blinked and shifted against the wall. "I was just relaxing, needed to clear my head. Plus the armor is so heavy. I don't see how you wear it for so long."

[Orion Michaels]

A moment of respite was all they were given, but Orion had welcomed it happily. Their first foray into lance combat hadn't exactly gone well. He'd been deseated by a soulless object, and hadn't made solid contact at all with the quintain. Nothing came easy, Orion had learned that much. Sword, shield, bow, horse. All of them had been a struggle to learn, and the lance would prove no more easy a task. He wasn't the only one that struggled with it. Ryia and Dimia had neither fared well at mounted combat either, so together they had failed before both the observing patrons.

Orion had found himself a spot away from the two knights to simply sit down and rest. Dinah had informed him that they'd be going on a joint patrol throughout the city after the training was completed. It was frustrating news, as for as hard as they were working this morning, he was going to be expected to be fully alert and aware as they walked the corridors of Syliras to keep order within its walls. The squire's nature was to complain, but instead he bit his tongue. Nothing would be changed, so it would be a waste of time.

While Orion was wallowing in self-pity, Dinah and Helena had been discussing their ragtag band's next task. "Their problem isn't just trying to use a lance while riding," Dinah surmised, crossing her arms as glanced over to the blonde knight. "It's doing anything while mounted. I know Orion still struggles with even the use of a sword while riding hard, and I can't imagine it's much different for your youths based on that showing. So let's get them working on riding tasks that don't involve weapons, but do require the use of their hands. Come help me set up."

The two women made their way back into the field to begin preparing for the next stage of the group’s training. They’d have their work cut out for them yet, even if it wasn’t quite as tasking as using a lance. It didn’t take them long to get the track set up for the three squires, especially as they all seemed to be catching a bit of rest after the intense training a bell before.

Consciousness slipped in and out for the blue eyed squire as he struggled to stay awake waiting for the their next event. He’d hardly managed to sleep between training, Liam and Hadyn, and Emily. A moment for a nap didn’t sound all that bad, and he began to succumb to its sweet whisper. Dinah’s voice called him back to the living, however, as he awoke with a start.

”Alright you three, get over here,” Dinah called as the two knights returned near to where their protégé rested. ”You’ll have time to sleep when you’re dead. Let’s get mounted up again and then we’ll explain your next training. Be ready in ten chimes.”