84th Fall 510AV
Self defence. It was something that Azira needed to be able to grasp if she wanted to remain safe in the future. She didnt’ want to be vulnerable, didn’t want to be open to an attack. Not again. So she was choosing to do something about it.
The girl had been to the Fighting Pits in the past but had never before taken part in the violence of the place. Sure she’d been to watch a fight or two on occasion but she’d never sparred or wrestled or done anything of that sort but she had seen the giant who frequented the place. He was rumoured to live in the place but she doubted it; the Pits weren’t exactly ideal living quarters. The giant could help her though, he could fight and he would teach, or so the young huntress had heard. So she sought him now on the overhang that was so open to the skies, a spot that gloried in Syna’s early presence.
There were few others around the place: a pair of Chiet who were sparring with talon swords and a Dek fighting imaginary opponents. There would be few witnesses to her making a fool of herself. She approached the man who had positioned himself near the edge of the overhang to watch the proceedings. It was cold up here, Morwen coming on an early visit to their mountainous home. The teen had to wrap her katinu tightly around her, shivering even in spite of it but the man who stood as if waiting for her could brave the chill. His chest was bare, puffed out as if in defiance of such temperatures. If that wasn’t enough for the girl to be awed by him, his size certainly was. He was simply huge! His head was high above her –close to two feet above her, she was sure–mounted upon a thick neck, broad shoulders and a solid, if not quite muscular, chest. The only thing small about him seemed to be his legs, skinny and seeming malformed on such a large man. The fact that they held him at all seemed a small miracle.
As she drew nearer she realised that the man was even closer to the edge than she’d first thought, a scant foot from a drop to his death. The teen wondered how he could stomach it, standing in imminent danger and with the threat hanging over him if he should misstep or lose his balance. If the mountain was to tremor then how sure would his footing be? Azira was sure that she couldn’t have stood in his place; she liked being alive and wanted to keep it that way. Despite being a non-Inarta, it seemed that he liked the threat to his life. The girl had never been one for putting herself in needless danger, hence why she had survived when many of her peers had not.
She brought herself to a stop a few feet from him. ”I want to learn how to fight,” she told him, eyes flickering to the precipice before finding his face. He must have caught her sideways look because he looked amused, a corner of his mouth twitching upwards as he gestured for her to come closer to him, closer to the edge. She hesitated. ”You frightened, chick?” His words made her flush, shaking her head in denial to his shaky Nari. She took a step towards him then another, bringing the gap between them to two feet. To her horror he stepped backwards. His eyes remained upon her. He never looked around, never flinched as his feet came to rest at the edge itself. His heels were hanging over empty air but he remained unperturbed as he beckoned her closer again. Their eyes locked, the man’s offering a challenge that her body accepted, bringing her closer to him as she kept her gaze fixed on hers. As the distance between them closed, he looked down so as to maintain the contact until she was only inches from him, near to encroaching on his personal space. She’d come closer to the edge than she would have otherwise dared and this seemed to gain the man’s approval.
He chuckled. ”I teach. You brave even though much afraid. I like.” His grasp of the language made her wince slightly. Hopefully he wouldn’t need to speak too much in order to teach her anything. If he did then she’d have to try to switch to Common and hope that he knew it.
He stepped around her and headed to the centre of the pit and she followed him gratefully, a single glance given to the edge that she’d come close to before she turned away with a shudder. ”I, Jhinapar. You?” He touched his chest as he spoke, perhaps worried that the message wouldn’t come across very well. ”Azira.” He nodded, his face growing thoughtful. She could almost see the words forming behind his eyes, lips moving soundlessly before his thoughts were voiced. The words came at last, slow and cautious, each one an effort to string together. ”You know how fight at all?” The girl shook her head and he grinned. ”Good! You no have bad fight ways.”
Although his speech made her wince, she managed a slight smile at his enthusiasm. Hopefully he could teach her what she needed to know and she definitely needed to try him on Common.
Self defence. It was something that Azira needed to be able to grasp if she wanted to remain safe in the future. She didnt’ want to be vulnerable, didn’t want to be open to an attack. Not again. So she was choosing to do something about it.
The girl had been to the Fighting Pits in the past but had never before taken part in the violence of the place. Sure she’d been to watch a fight or two on occasion but she’d never sparred or wrestled or done anything of that sort but she had seen the giant who frequented the place. He was rumoured to live in the place but she doubted it; the Pits weren’t exactly ideal living quarters. The giant could help her though, he could fight and he would teach, or so the young huntress had heard. So she sought him now on the overhang that was so open to the skies, a spot that gloried in Syna’s early presence.
There were few others around the place: a pair of Chiet who were sparring with talon swords and a Dek fighting imaginary opponents. There would be few witnesses to her making a fool of herself. She approached the man who had positioned himself near the edge of the overhang to watch the proceedings. It was cold up here, Morwen coming on an early visit to their mountainous home. The teen had to wrap her katinu tightly around her, shivering even in spite of it but the man who stood as if waiting for her could brave the chill. His chest was bare, puffed out as if in defiance of such temperatures. If that wasn’t enough for the girl to be awed by him, his size certainly was. He was simply huge! His head was high above her –close to two feet above her, she was sure–mounted upon a thick neck, broad shoulders and a solid, if not quite muscular, chest. The only thing small about him seemed to be his legs, skinny and seeming malformed on such a large man. The fact that they held him at all seemed a small miracle.
As she drew nearer she realised that the man was even closer to the edge than she’d first thought, a scant foot from a drop to his death. The teen wondered how he could stomach it, standing in imminent danger and with the threat hanging over him if he should misstep or lose his balance. If the mountain was to tremor then how sure would his footing be? Azira was sure that she couldn’t have stood in his place; she liked being alive and wanted to keep it that way. Despite being a non-Inarta, it seemed that he liked the threat to his life. The girl had never been one for putting herself in needless danger, hence why she had survived when many of her peers had not.
She brought herself to a stop a few feet from him. ”I want to learn how to fight,” she told him, eyes flickering to the precipice before finding his face. He must have caught her sideways look because he looked amused, a corner of his mouth twitching upwards as he gestured for her to come closer to him, closer to the edge. She hesitated. ”You frightened, chick?” His words made her flush, shaking her head in denial to his shaky Nari. She took a step towards him then another, bringing the gap between them to two feet. To her horror he stepped backwards. His eyes remained upon her. He never looked around, never flinched as his feet came to rest at the edge itself. His heels were hanging over empty air but he remained unperturbed as he beckoned her closer again. Their eyes locked, the man’s offering a challenge that her body accepted, bringing her closer to him as she kept her gaze fixed on hers. As the distance between them closed, he looked down so as to maintain the contact until she was only inches from him, near to encroaching on his personal space. She’d come closer to the edge than she would have otherwise dared and this seemed to gain the man’s approval.
He chuckled. ”I teach. You brave even though much afraid. I like.” His grasp of the language made her wince slightly. Hopefully he wouldn’t need to speak too much in order to teach her anything. If he did then she’d have to try to switch to Common and hope that he knew it.
He stepped around her and headed to the centre of the pit and she followed him gratefully, a single glance given to the edge that she’d come close to before she turned away with a shudder. ”I, Jhinapar. You?” He touched his chest as he spoke, perhaps worried that the message wouldn’t come across very well. ”Azira.” He nodded, his face growing thoughtful. She could almost see the words forming behind his eyes, lips moving soundlessly before his thoughts were voiced. The words came at last, slow and cautious, each one an effort to string together. ”You know how fight at all?” The girl shook her head and he grinned. ”Good! You no have bad fight ways.”
Although his speech made her wince, she managed a slight smile at his enthusiasm. Hopefully he could teach her what she needed to know and she definitely needed to try him on Common.
x
