Closed Alone in a Crowd (Khara)

[Turrin]

Turrin smirked at his her reaction about his comment as a hunter. The endal smirk widened when the chiet took a shot at all the endals that took trade roots instead of hunting. The half-breed knew that hunting and trading were both important to Wind Reach. Turrin hoped to take up a trade route soon, but also he wanted to become a flight leader, so he might have to postpone his trading days. Khara seemed uncomfortable with the current question, so she quickly changed the subject to her job in the city. When she told him that she was a game scout, Turrin said with a smile, “Really? I should invite you on one of my hunts during the winter. It would be nice to have a extra pair of eyes when I am looking for tracks in the snow.” Turrin nodded to her short bow and said, “As soon as we get you proficient in your archery skills, maybe you should talk to Valintar about becoming a avora hunter, Khara.”

Turrin knew the city needed more active hunters because of the losses to the avora castes during the food riots. Since she was a game scout already, all she had to do was to polish her archery skills to be a decent hunter. The endal watched Khara get into her stance, and it looked OK, but he could tell that she was tense in her legs. As she drew the bowstring back, the endal noticed that she was leaning backward causing the tip of arrow to move away from the bulls-eye. Turrin watched the chiet pull back the bowstring, and he noticed that she tenseness in her muscles were working against her. When she released the bowstring, the arrow soared towards the direction of the target, but it veered off to the side and barely missed the edge of the target. It was a bad shot, but he knew at her skill level. The bad shots will become fewer and fewer until eventually she will consistently hit the target in time.

Suddenly, he heard chuckles from the Avora around them, and Turrin looked at the first group of Avora who made eye contact with hi and said loudly, “Before you laugh at the chiet! Remember, all of you were just like her when you first started to shoot.” The endal turned his attention away from the angry avora, looked at Khara, and said with a nod, “Sorry for making a scene, Khara. Why don't you try shooting again, but this time I want you to try to clear your mind and just focus on the target. You were very tense during your last shot, so try to relax on your next shot...”

[Khara]

.

Her? Petition the Valintar to become an Avora? Even with Turrin's help it seemed a lost cause, even if it was the single thing she wanted more than anything. The famine and the riots had claimed the lives of many of Wind Reach's hunters and new apprentices had been trained in droves to help boost their numbers to bring back food into the city. She had watched as other game scouts had been chosen, especially from the younger of their numbers, each day holding her hopes tightly that they would pick her. But it hadn't happened. When hunters had been needed the most, when it seemed like anyone with the slightest skill was joining there ranks, she just... wasn't chosen, wasn't good enough. It wasn't that the experience had entirely dashed her dreams, it had just hit her with the much needed dose of reality that maybe some things just weren't meant to be.

Still, his offer of letting her accompany him on a hunt in the Winter was heard and while it didn't do much to drive the doubt from her mind, it did bring a small smile and a quiet but very sincere, "I would be honored to go with you. I'm sure there's a lot I could learn."

The way he stood up for her wasn't lost on her either. Nor was the way the Avora he addressed seemed to collectively look as if the Endal had walked over and backhanded each of them individually. Even better was when they all turned from the strange duo, a few mutters passing from their lips as they grumbled to one another. Khara couldn't make out any of the words they said, but she was certain they weren't exactly favorable.

Yet somehow it didn't matter. It didn't matter that they hated her for simply stepping foot on their range, it didn't matter that they probably hated Turrin as well for inviting her. It was a shocking realization that at that exact moment the Avora and all their opinions just weren't important. What was important was that the Endal, no, that Turrin genuinely seemed to want to help her. The fact he had apologized to her for his outburst was shocking and yet somehow eased the tension she felt all the more. Endals didn't apologize to Chiet. So what did it mean that he had to her?

What should have been confusing, even possibly terrifying, instead resulted in the exact opposite. A sudden weight felt like it had been lifted off of her. Khara still wasn't entirely sure what she had done to earn such a thing but she certainly wasn't about to go questioning the gods about it either. She had learned far better than to make assumptions as to the reasons for others kindness in recent times, and it was a lesson she was quite thankful for in that moment if for no other reason than she didn't linger on it. An absence of suspicion left far more of her thoughts capable of other things, like refocusing on the task at hand.

Turrin's advice was listened to, the familiar word relax coming into play again. Could it really be just as simple as that? She retreated to take another arrow from the bundle and to offer a grateful look to Turrin, both for the suggestions on improving her next shot and for the intervention with the Avora. "Clear my mind, right. Well, at least It should be a lot easier to do now thanks to you."

Another shy smile flickered across her features before she turned and walked back to the firing line. The girl rolled her shoulders, trying to work out some of the bunched up feeling that had formed there and closed her eyes as a long breath was drawn in and exhaled slowly. It wasn't exactly meditative, but it did make her feel a little better. The target was locked in her sights when her eyes reopened and a more intense look came upon her, marred only by a quick pulling in of her upper lip to alleviate the sudden dryness felt there. Her nervousness wasn't entirely gone, after all.

Once more the arrow found it's place at the nocking point on the string and once more Khara positioned herself to line up with the target. The small adjustments in her footing and shifts in posture weren't quite entirely without their edgy undertone, but at least she felt more like they were done on purpose than just mindless fidgeting. Once she was satisfied with her stance she raised her bow and slowly drew the arrow and string back. She had always marveled at the experienced archers who seemed to be able to find their target, set, draw, and release all in one seemingly fluid motion but rushing the shot was the last thing she wanted to do - It felt like maybe that had been a big part her problem the previous round.

This time she took the time to focus on the target as Turrin had pointed out, holding the arrow back and ready. She eyed where it sat in relation down the length of the arrow, ending with the point trained towards the center where it wavered with each small breath and movement. The longer she held, the more she focused, the more she could feel the tension growing in her body. Another deep breath was taken and on the exhale she forced herself to relax, muscles loosening in her shoulders. A new sensation formed in its wake, a pull from the muscles in her back as the shoulder of her drawing arm seemed to transfer the weight it was taking to the different set of muscles. It wasn't unpleasant, in fact she felt like it made her far more steady. The rest of her body followed suit, certain muscles being forced to relax allowed others to take the necessary shift, knees slightly bending caused the stability to be focused higher which in turn caused her lower back to straighten.

One last breath was taken, held as she forced her attention away from herself and back to the target. Now or never, sparrow. With far more control she let her fingertips relax away from the arrow, releasing the shot. This time the flight was far more sure, a satisfying sound reaching her ears as the arrow impacted with the target. It wasn't the center by any means, but the shot had found its mark near the upper edge of where one of the inner rings of the target had been painted.

It was hard to keep the broad smile from completely taking over as Khara stepped away from the firing line. It wasn't the best shot the girl had ever made, but it certainly had felt like the one she had been in the most control of. Trying to not grin like an idiot was one thing, but there was no keeping the look of thanks from her eyes as she looked back to Turrin. "I guess that makes it your turn now?"
.

[Estrellir Konrath]

Turrin

Intimidation +1
Shortbow +3
Socialization +3
Rhetoric +1
Teaching +1
Lower castes: Annoying
Khara: Archer with potential
Khara: Nervous around Endal
Shortbow: Lift aim for longer shots
Khara: Game scout

Khara

Shortbow +5
Observation +3
Socialization +1




Turrin: Endal who talks to chiet
Location: The Second Quiver
Being invited by an Endal
Turrin: Good archer
Archery: Relaxed stance
Turrin: Ignores caste differences

Notes

I enjoyed reading this thread! Loved your portrayal of the finer points of archery and relationships between castes. It would’ve been interesting to see their strange friendship develop. PM me with any questions or concerns!