PM to join [The Proving Grounds] Teaching Eagles To Land (Krieg)

[Kelski]

Timestamp: 23rd of Spring, 518 AV

Darvin had something planned. Kelski knew it by the way he kept glancing at her. It was as if he were deciding something or rather trying too. The Kelvic Jeweler had seen that look off and on his face since he had won the bet he’d placed on her at Tall Johnny’s when that crazy Svefra had dragged her into the ring. The Kelvic didn’t like Darvin looking at her like that… like he could turn a profit or further somehow exploit her Master’s inattention of her to make him some more money.

Kelski saw none of it. She didn’t want to know what he did with the profits. All she wanted to do was to be left alone to work at her forge and create beautiful things. Freedom was a dream she was sure Darvin and Jaren would never let her see.

Darvin didn’t see things that way Kelski did and liked to exploit her like he exploited everything else in his life that he possibly could. After her first and only cage match, he’d seriously thought about getting her more training and making more money off of letting her fight. It turned out pretty girls beating the crap out of each other made cold hard Mizas. The Kelvic had turned out to be vicious, which had delighted Darvin to know end.

Her big hulking guard was a disgraced member of the Sun’s Birth upper echelon who’d rose through the ranks rapidly and discovered hard work really sucked. As a result, Darvin had fallen just as fast, and found a place with Jaren, the Sun’s Birth Warmaster’s son who was so systematically lazy and spoiled he’d lost the gang territory and had been put into a corner running The Barracks where he could screw nothing else up and couldn’t cost the gang money or territory. Darvin fit like a hand and a glove into Jaren’s plan. Darvin made Jaren money, and in return Jaren let Darvin have free reign with his pretty things, even his enslaved Kelvic Jeweler.

Kelski knew she had little choice. She just wondered what Darvin looking at her like that meant. She didn’t, of course, have long to wonder. “Come with me.” He said, the minute her Master had vacated his quarters for a party across the city. Darvin didn’t give her a chance to change out of her worn boy’s clothing with the pant legs rolled up and the waist belted so they didn’t slide off her narrow hips. A worn tank top completed the outfit. She grabbed her boots, slipped them on, and hurried after Darvin as he lead her out of The Barracks and towards The Proving Grounds.

Once they arrived, Darvin looked around, spotted a gentleman waiting in the training area, and walked over to him. “You Krieg? I talked to Tall Johnny and he said he’d send someone over to teach one of my toys a few tricks.” Darvin said, greeting the newcomer. There was a handshake with a bag of coin involved, and Darvin stepped aside and gestured at Kelski. “That’s her. She’s the one that killed the girl last season in the fight. I’m hoping we can get her more up to form, in better shape, and knowing a bit of unarmed combat so I can perhaps start some challenges between girls like her.

Krieg would be able to tell that Kelski’s guardian was a little bit drunk. It wasn’t in his mannerisms, for he acted perfectly sober. But he had that taint about him, the slight smell of wine of his breath as he spoke, that gave it away.

Kelski stood impassively watching both men. She had neither the height of the breadth of either of them, but instead stood at 5’7” and perhaps all of a hundred and twenty pounds. She’d lost weight under Jaren’s care, mainly due to a poor diet and lack of exercise. Her black and white hair was swept up into a messy bun that revealed that the long length of her neck was encased in a slave collar.

She had no idea what was going on, but she was taking advantage of Darvin and Kreig’s discussion to study the new man, noting his features and the way he carried himself. Darvin seemed to be going on about some plans to fight women, something Kelski had no idea about but hoped didn’t involve her. Then… he stepped aside, gestured to her, and both their attention was suddenly on her.

“I’ll be back for her in a bell or so. Teach her something if you can. If she seems unwilling, use force if you need too. If you do a good job, I’ll let you have a little alone time with her if you want it after your done and you promise not to hurt her too much. She’s grown a little too trusting of her safety and needs some of that shaken up.” With that, Darvin turned, winked at Kelski as if they were good friends, and sauntered out of the training area, most likely to make a few rounds of the bars around town.


Left alone with the newcomer, Kelski simply stared at him with her steel grey eyes. There was something in her gaze that was almost feral, as if she were warning him with her eyes that she wasn't human. She didn't look human either. Her lips were black, matching the color of the tear ducts in the corner of her eyes. And if she opened her mouth, he'd see the inside of her mouth was black too. It wasn't an uncommon coloring in dogs and birds, just completely out of place in humans. Her face, neck, ears, and some of her nose were pierced through with rings and gems. It wasn't something the Kelvic wanted, but her hedonistic owner liked his pretty things decorated.

The Kelvic Eagle finally spoke. "Hello. Darvin is drunk. I am not a fighter. I am a jeweler. He needs to realize this sooner or later." She said firmly, as if she were waiting for him to dispute it or laugh. It was not the authoritative tone of a slave. It was the bland indifference of a free woman that hadn't yet realized she had a collar on her neck.

[Kreig Messer]

When Kreig started for working Tall Johnny, he’d been mostly fighting. That was the nature of his employment or so he thought. But apparently one had to do more than entertain an audience of blood hungry spectators and gamblers than simply fight. No, the nature of employment seemed that no matter what job you thought you had there was another layer beneath. The request was ultimately troublesome, mainly because he had to interact with Sun’s Birth. Specifically one made an arrangement with good ol’ Johnny that Kreig had to teach someone there. Kreig was almost press ganged into the Dragoons once upon a time, that made him wary of them. It’s been years since and events had them forget apparently so he was still safe in a way despite it being the fact that it was gang ground. He remembered the way well enough, considering it led to one the two roads that led straight out of Sunberth. Convenient really, if he somehow angered them and somehow escaped their territory then he had a way out of town. A few Dragoons looked at him warily, as they did all outsiders not part of the Sun’s Birth. They had little land left despite retaining significant man power, and so outsiders get extra attention these days. Rolling his eyes as he walked past them and past the small arena, ultimately waiting in the yard with all the training targets and dummies about. The whack whack whacking of training swords and the thump thump thumping of arrows and other projectiles hitting their targets ringing in his ears. In one part he could hear the grunts and shouts of a group of trainees practicing their drills, an instructor yelling at them every time they made a mistake or shouting out another strike to perform. He waited patiently as he watched, memories of Syliras assaulting as he remembered the knights and squires doing the same thing. The difference was the Knight were a moralistic group insisting on doing good even if force involved, here you had only thugs who were interested in money getting military training. The more he thought about it really, the more he realized the training was eerily similar….. Soon his waiting came at an end as two figures approached, breaking his musings. One was a large man in Dragoon wear, this Darvin Johnny told him about. Kreig plastered on a smile that was patently false as he shook the man’s hand. To them he stood at 5’10” and while he stood straight there was a bit of lankiness to him. What muscle he had was scrappy and his short hair looked like it was cut by a sword as unequal short strands strew about his head. His facial hair looked much the same as his head. His clothes were ragged looking, especially the fur coat he wear that looked positively ancient with a couple of holes. He looked like he carried no weapon, but a look at his fists they’d see the studded gauntlets that encased them. Dry blood on the knuckles held no illusions for what they were used for. “Aye, that I am. And that I will, don’t you worry friend” His lips pursed as he looked over the so called toy. Despite her good looks, there was no denying she looked odd. And he was not just talking about how underfed she looked, seriously he wanted her to fight when she didn’t look she had a muscle about her? Kreig hoped that regiment involved proper eating. He took the money pouch that was offered, but for an hour or two it wouldn’t have been quite much. He could feel a jangle of Miz in it and he guessed that the agreed upon amount of 3 gold was given in silver or copper. He withheld a sigh as he placed it in his back pocket. “Don’t you worry my friend, she’ll be in good hands” He said, not missing the fact that the man’s breath held a whiff of alcohol. For a Dragoon this fellow was pretty sloven and Kreig would be glad to be rid him for the next bell or so, in fact he could take that offer of his and shove it up that thing he called a rear end. When he was gone Kreig’s gaze fell upon Kelski once more and now he examined more clearly, more critically. She had a piercing no doubt that, those eyes of gray looked like they were burrowing through him like a hawk. The studs and gems he found not to his taste, but they weren’t what he was focusing. Her lips were black, not pink. Looking at her eyes he saw even more black at her tear ducts. Oh he highly doubts those were ink markings. Oh yes, this was no doubt something troublesome. He stiffened slightly when she talked, his brows raised quickly. His lips quirked upwards in an honest amusement “Well it’s obvious he doesn’t really care” He shrugged, running a hand through his hair “Any case, it is a tall order no doubt. You need meat on your bones girl or what punches I teach you might not be all that useful, but that’s for your petchshyke of a master to worry about.” He moved around her, examining more thoroughly “They said you killed in the Caged Pit at Tall Johnny’s. I can believe that, but if they’re bringing me here to teach you how to fight bare then I’ve got my work cut out for me” He stopped, sighed and scratched the back of his head. He tilted and turned his honey colored eyes looked to her gray ones. “Way I see it girl, it’s obvious you’re getting the short end of the proverbial stick. Right now, your life is not your own. That collar on your neck means you got strings being pulled by your masters. I’ll admit I ain’t liking that, especially since by your own admission you aren’t a fighter. Or at the least, you don’t want to fight” He turned to her fully now, crossing his arms. “But right now you ain’t got a choice. They want to stick you in fights against folk who don’t rightly care about your wants. Win or lose, do or die. So, tell me; other than teaching you how to throw a punch or a kick, how about I teach you how to fight dirty so that you can survive?”

[Kelski]

He had called Darvin his friend. Kelski’s eyes narrowed at that, uncertain if it was another human saying or if it was an expression of sincerity and the two were friends. Kelski didn’t seem to think so because Darvin had to ask if he was Kreig, indicating the two didn’t know each other. The Kelvic had been trying to pay more attention to how people interacted with each other but the learning curve was slow for her. Unsocialized, she was a loner and one that hadn’t had much contact outside of her profession.

Good hands? She glanced at Kriegs hands and found them strong looking with his knuckles scared. She adjusted her vison briefly and looked closer, seeing more signs of damage. Blinking her eyes back to her normal scale, she glanced at his face and found him watching her, Darvin having departed.

She let him look. And she did the same thing, sizing him up. He wasn’t a huge man, but he had an air about him and a way of moving that told her this man was very dangerous. He looked like he used his body well and moved incredibly skillfully within it. The Kelvic noted the man’s eyes roaming across her piercings and she closed her eyes a moment, hating them all over again. Then her eyes snapped back open when he spoke.

“No, he doesn’t care. He cares about things like coin and liquor. He makes drugs and makes sure people take them and come back to him over and over again for more of them because it makes him feel powerful. Then he gets aroused because he can say no to them and destroy their world… but he never says no if they offer him enough coin.” She said plainly, meeting the man’s gaze without challenging him. “He doesn’t pay attention to what I eat because he feeds me what he thinks a human should eat. I don’t eat that. I eat meat, and it is something expensive and something they don’t waste on slaves. I’ve recently discovered that The Barracks are full of very large rats that are fatter than the humans that live there. I’ve started hunting them because their flesh feeds me better than the thin soup and bread crusts they think suit me. Tell me how much more I should hunt and I will. I want to be stronger. I want to be strong enough to stand up to him and his kind.” She said simply, her eyes meeting his honestly. She didn’t seem ashamed of the rats. In fact, the way she said the term rat was as if it were something utterly delicious.

“I killed there, yes, but not because I wanted too. The woman was a fool. She took his drugs. She would come back for more sooner than later. She had already thrown her life away. She’d already gifted him her freedom and her precious blue eyes that let her people accept her. It was a kindness to kill her. She didn’t know it. But I did. I already wore his collar and could see it clearly enough.” Kelski explained, tilting her head sideways, birdlike, and watched him again as if she were studying him beneath a lens or trying to see past his skin and into his bones.

“I know nothing. It is true. But I will listen to you and work hard to do what you ask. You don’t move like Darvin. You move stronger, more into your skin, while he moves lazily, almost sloppily. I smell no drink on you and your eyes are clear and bright. I see intelligence in them. I will listen hard and learn what I can. I am not a natural fighter. I am a natural hunter, but if it makes me stronger, I will do what you wish.” She said again, not for the first time.

“I did not ask for this life. But things in life are temporary. I am hoping this collar is one of those. I feel like slaves stay slaves because they give up on their lives and are broken. I have not given up. I am just quietly waiting, patiently waiting, planning…. there is more out there. I don’t want to wear metal in my flesh. I don’t want this collar around my neck. But I’m not strong enough yet to be on my own without their protection. I’ll do many things to get stronger… I’ll listen well. I’ll watch carefully. If his coin is not enough, I’ll find you more.” She said softly, her voice pitched for his ears only.

Then she spread her legs, bent her knees, and looked like she was ready to attack him only she didn’t. She was watching him with a keen listening look on her face. “It’s only dirty by human ethics. I am not human. I want to survive. I want to live to get past this and if you can teach me dirty, then I am more than fine with that.” She said intensely. There was something bright and alive in her eyes, as if she were eager for his lessons.

It was like with Darvin’s departure, the indifferent bored creature he’d brought with him in his wake had vanished as well. Standing before Krieg was an apex predator that really wanted to earn that spot by her own merits.

[Kreig Messer]

Kreig listened, he listened well. Oh this girl was going to be a lot more amusing than he ever even realized. They may have put a collar on her, but oh they had hardly broken her spirit and he liked that. Oh he doubted even the folks up at Kenash could tame a spirit like hers. She wasn’t human. That much had been established fairly obviously with her rat comments. Mind, folks in Sunberth have actually eaten rat often enough, but not with the enthusiasm this girl had. Her disdain for her masters were loud and clear and if she hadn’t spoken in a low enough pitch they’d have had the entire Dragoons upon their hindquarters. He felt the corner of his lips tug upwards, going wider and wider until his own face threatened to split into two. She saw chains where people would happily ignore, she valued freedom more than even a Sunberther would. She was brutally honest, with herself and with what she thought her masters and those she thought about those who’d given up on their freedoms far too easily. The self-proclaimed huntress’s tacit admission about eventually waiting for the right moment to break her chains and being strong enough to keep it that way added more excitement to the situation. She didn’t care about the human standards for combat ethics, she just wanted to survive. They were her eyes shone with so much light made him briefly forget that she was a slave at the chance to learn all that he could teach. Oh he couldn’t teach much he felt, but what he could would be in good hands he felt. Looking at her battle stance an idea occurred to him; He took off his coat to reveal the ragged shirt beneath, but he did not simply let the coat drop to the ground. No, as quick as he took it off he quickly tossed it like a blanket at the lass, hoping it would land upon her or force her to move in his pace and off her guard. Whichever way she decided to go, he would simply close the distance between them and rest the knuckles of his fists against her face with no force. It was time she learned the first lesson about fighting.

[Kelski]

Kelski watched the play of emotions across his face. He was a thinker, she could tell, because he got that slightly internal thoughtful look about him when he was trying to decide something. She assumed it was the best way to kill her, based on how the other gang members had treated her. Kelski couldn’t see any gang affiliations with him though. Normally people kept tattoos visible or wore other things that indicated who they belonged with. Kreig seemingly had none. It made her wonder if he had any at all.

When he almost smiled, it confused her because she couldn’t quite decide what she’d said or had done to make him almost grin. It was a slow transition to his face, not a reactionary one, which made her think maybe all her words contributed. He didn’t say anything though, which would have normally bothered her because humans liked to talk.

Most humans talked and talked and talked and never said anything at all.

Kreig was different though. His body spoke volumes to the Kelvic even though his lips didn’t move. Pensive, thoughtful, and suddenly decisive, she watched him remove his jacket and half expected him to fold it up and set it over one of the numerous training dummies scattered about. He did neither.

She kept her eyes on his, expecting his gaze to give his intentions away but his eyes never left hers. She missed his toss in the expectation of what she thought he would do and, in the assumption, that he’d glance at where he was going to move towards to set it down. One moment he was wearing a jacket, and the next chime it was airborne straight at her.

Kelski made a high-pitched noise, darted sideways, and straight into where he must have anticipated her to bolt to because he closed at speed and had his fists against her face before she could blink. The Kelvic held very still, expecting him to cock back and strike hard, knowing that was how humans taught lessons. Pain caused fast learning and she’d been hit more than enough times to know the lessons stuck. Inhaling in a controlled way, her whole body tense, Kreig could tell she was ready to explode out from beneath his touch when he did finally move.

It also told him a lot about her. Kelski wasn’t used to violence, at least not in the hand to hand or unarmed combat sort of way. She wasn’t afraid of it either. The girl froze when she wasn’t certain what she was supposed to do which was something of an animalistic reaction. And she thought carefully about things which meant her body wasn’t trained to react automatically to situations it might find itself in where it needed to get her out of trouble in the space of heartbeats where there was no time to think.

Basically, she was a blank slate. She knew nothing and it was easy for him to see it was so. But that also meant she didn’t have any bad habits he’d have to work around or break in her.

[Kreig Messer]

She acted the way he thought she would. Oh she reacted fast that he would give her, but it was clear that the huntress didn’t know how to act when she became the hunted. She froze, which was a death sentence. And while in fairness catch off guard, it was how quick one shook off the surprise that determined the seconds one had before potentially being turned to pummeled paste. He pulled back his fist from her face. And then he simply stepped back with that grin on his face as he lowered his arms. His posture turned relaxed or so it probably seemed as he set some distance between them. “So, I just killed you once you know?” He said conversationally, as if he hadn’t nearly knocked the light of her eyes and ended the lesson far too early. “Oh its easy to call yourself a natural hunter lass, but the thing about hunters? They ain’t all that different to fighters. You could be patient, you could be quite and seize a nice little chance to get that tasty morsel…. But they also gotta be fast, they gotta react good when things change. If they can no longer pounce then they gotta go catchin’ an’ that takes a lot o’ thinkin’ in jus’ ticks ya get me?” He brought up the palm of his hand beneath his chin, pushing it suddenly as his neck tilted to let out a cracking of joints and then again when he pushed the opposite direction. The sound was distracting in its own way, and it was an intimidation factor. His natural Sunberth went up another few notches, a change from the more clear tones he used earlier. Another distraction factor. He seemed to take this all so casually suddenly when it was anything. As he cracked his neck and talked his movement shifted, if her gaze was focused head than she probably didn’t notice him slipping his boots off then flipping one over his foot. In an instant he kicked it forward, attempting to make it enter her view and lock her gaze onto it. In those precious few moments he would try to close that distance again. Taking one step forward, he bent his leg as pulled back his shoulder, fist close to his chest before launching forward in a straight line, rotating before stopping midway again where he aimed at her chest. “By the way, the first lesson is… everything can be used in a fight” He said all too calmly, the words undertoned by heavy amusement.

[Kelski]

Kelski blinked, tilted her head, and nodded as the understanding of what he did dawned on her. When he stepped back she unfroze, retrieved his jacket, dusted it off, and laid it over a pommel horse that wasn’t being used. She took care of the garment, not having such fine things of her own and hating to see him leave his lay in the dust on the floor.

“I understand. That was stupid of me.” She didn’t say it the words in a self-depreciating way, instead, she said it as if she understood and was stating a fact and was slightly disgusted that she’d fallen for that. She listened after that, saying nothing more as she returned to face him. He spoke of things she could relate too, helping her to easily draw the line between what she was and what she sought to be. She’d never considered that those that liked to fight were no different than hunters or that they would have the patience of hunters.

“I do understand you. I am naturally lazy about food. I take it, kill I mean, when it is easy and there is no risk for me. But this is different. There is risk all around and… “ She struggled with her wording, trying to make him understand. “Mice and rats…. they have no defense for us. For my kind. For eagles. We eat them like you humans pluck berries from bushes and nibble. They can run, but often with our sight, we can anticipate and pluck them as if they are your berries.” She said finally, trying to work around her lack of vocabulary.

“This is different. This is dangerous for me. It is not something I am used too… being on guard against something bigger and stronger that can tear me down like I can tear down a rat.” She admitted, swallowing and thinking hard. She realized then and there that staring at Kreig was a lot like what a mouse must feel staring at her as an eagle. A fleeting smile crossed her face at the thought.

“I don’t like being a mouse to your eagle.” She said abruptly.

Kelski’s gaze was sharp and she saw him slipping off his boot despite him cracking his neck. It was an annoying sound though, one that Darvin did with his hands and she was used to the action and it took the hair on the back of her neck up a bit, not for fear but for sheer irritation. It was that irritation that distracted her this time rather than the boot flying. She caught the boot neatly in her hand, not expecting him to move so fast so quickly once more. Still gripping it by the upper portion of its toe, she inverted it in her hand so the heel was pointed outward and when he stopped his fist just shy of her chest, she tapped the heel - because his big boot gave her the extra foot of reach -with feathersoft gentleness against his groin.

“I understood that with the coat.” She said, her wide steel grey eyes hard and flickering with uncertainty but growing understanding. The Kelvic’s gaze was like an open book even though her face was impassive and schooled to a stoic blankness. Between the uncertainty he saw there was a burst of sheer fear which moved into the uncertainty that read clearly.

She was terrified of him but very respectful as well. He was a wildcard and she was slowly realizing she was just a little mouse. Slowly, she shifted, relaxing a bit, and then drawing a breath, a question in her eyes then.

“How do you decide what is a feint and what is the real attack? I know so little of your kind it is very hard for me to see anything as just a diversion. Everything looks like an attack.” She didn’t say it as if it were an excuse for her falling for the distractions he’d offered her twice. But rather it did seem like a genuine question on her part.

The Kelvic offered his boot back to him.

[Kreig Messer]

Kreig snickered in amusement, oh he was sure that if he went through with his attack she wouldn’t have had the opportunity of even touching his groin with that boot of his. He registered her words, the fear she held lookin’ at him as if about to bite her head off without her even realizing it. “Oh I understood you got that lil’ Mouse” Kreig said, pulling back his fist and smiling at her “Otherwise you wouldn’t have used me own boot against me” Which pleased the brawler immensely, it radiated off him like the sun really. So few got that quickly and usually needed an actual kickin’ for it to register, she fell for it a second time so shame on her…. But she reacted appropriately enough. When she calmed, he calmed. Listening to her question yet still keeping his own guard up as he took in the words. It was a good question really and he paused for a moment, trying to find the wording. “Well, I suppose you could say that’s a hurdle you’ll have trouble dealing with. Thing about a feint and a real attack is that they’re a lot like telling lie or telling the truth respectively” He began, taking the proffered boot and tossing it back so it landed near the other one. He scratched the back of his head, looking away as if he spotted something interesting. “Ya see, lil’ Mouse. When a person lies their body tends to give ‘em away if you know where to look for it. They could be blinking their eyes, their breathing changes, their tone shifts, they move their arms or tap their fingers, stumble over their words. Basically there is a number of ways of tellin’ when someone is pullin’ the wool over their eyes. ‘Course the better the liar, the less the tells they got. And it’s not always reliable, people are strange after all” He looked back at her then, face looking bored but his eyes were anything but “Really, its all a bit of a gamble in the end. So is catching feints; just like the mouth can lie, so can the body. And the body can just as easily betray itself. They could throw a punch but the speed is too slow, they could make to look like they’re moving but a sudden pause would show they’re likely gonna stay put” He smiled at lil’ Mouse then “ ‘Course, spotting those an’ acting on ‘em is a gamble too. It could be actually a feint in a feint you know? Makin’ it all the more confusing”

[Kelski]

He knew it. She knew it. But it still made her feel better to tap him gently. And he let her get away with it without saying much, which made him seem taller and stronger somehow in her estimation. That he wasn’t critical was a surprise, and that he double downed on the lesson without being mean was also shocking. She wasn’t sure if this was some sort of game or some sort of test, but it was looking more and more like it. They’d been together five chimes or more and he hadn’t hit her or hurt her… only taught her. Kreig struck her as someone she might have met in Lhavit, where things were clearer cut and not layers upon layers deceit like they were in Sunberth.

What she didn’t understand was why he kept his guard up while she asked him her question. Was he expecting her to attack? Was he ready for something else? It wasn’t as if she could hurt him. He was a superior fighter, by all accounts, or else Darvin wouldn’t have had him teaching her. It was just that he didn’t seem…. mean.

Kelski listened as Krieg talked. He did answer her question thoroughly, admitting that it would be a problem for her without an easy solution. That was reassuring in a way because it was something she’d thought about when she was taking lessons from Darvin on fighting with her dagger. It was about deeper things though, which Krieg pointed out. It was more about truth and lies. That she completely agreed with. What surprised her was that Kreig gave her a slight rundown on what a tell was.

She thought about the concept as he spoke. A tell. It was an important concept and one Kelski hadn’t remotely even thought about. Animals didn’t lie. She didn’t even think they really had tells or else hunters couldn’t snare rabbits or shoot deer with arrows. Animals were far more honest with their reactions. People though… people could drive a dagger through your heart while still drinking an ale and laughing over a bawdy joke – all without batting an eye. So tells were shifts in body position. Blinks of the eyes. Breathing. And liars had very few tells if they were good liars.

That she could see being a factor too.

“Your tells are not so straight forward. You stare at me while moving with your body. Your face looks bored but your eyes are alive. Your lips don’t move but your gaze speaks. Your lips move and say something but your eyes say something else. You are confusing. Most humans are not if you watch them long enough. Do you actively mix up your… tells?” She asked, genuinely wanting to know.

Kelski reached up and dragged a hand through her black and white hair, pulling some of it free from the ponytail. Frustration was clear across her face. She liked the world in shades of black and white, not painted all up in color like Kreig was portraying it.

“This is where my head will get in the way. Thinking sometimes hurts me when I fight. If I think things through I might lose time or give someone an opening. It creates a distraction, I think. Do you go with your instinct? With what your…..”

The Kelvic pressed her stomach, as if she were saying her gut or her body was telling her too.

“With that? Instead of taking time to think, acting… not reacting per say because I know that is sometimes wrong too… but using what feels right inside to help you guess?” She speculated, wondering how much of his fighting was this and how much of it was pure skill and observation.

The Sea Eagle hoped she wasn’t asking too many questions or distracting him. Then again, if it meant he wasn’t going to hit her for longer, she was willing to think up a few more. The anticipation for what she expected to be violence to come was driving her a little crazy. It would be better if Kreig got it over with sooner than later.

[Kreig Messer]

Kreig chuckled a bit at her noticing his tells. He nodded to her in acknowledgement that he indeed mix up his tells, variety is the spice of life after all and he does like keeping his foes on their toes “Well yeah, if I don’t then someone who gets the gist of how I fight or learned it some other way will have the advantage over me. I can handle that in something’ casual but somethin’ like a fight?” He waved his hand in front of him, the meaning clear or at least easy to interpret. Kreig dropped his little tell mixer as he looked at her frustration, if it weren’t so clear then her dragging her hand through her hair would’ve been a tell as well. While hiding one’s emotions didn’t have to do anything with combat or lying in a sense that too was a way to read a person. He blew out a breath once she asked her next question. He wasn’t quite sure how to word the words this time… not really. In its own way it was quite simple, but what was simple could be made complex and that was a tosser all in its own way to be quite honest. “Honestly? I go with both my guts and my mind” Oh Kreig had a good instinct for fighting, he knew that. It was something refined growing up in the Berth by being one of the little shykes that actually had a mind for carnage. But once he got older and wiser, he realized innate instinct could also benefit from other stuff such as his sight. He would hone that to a razors edge, make it as instinctual as what the instinct his ma an’ pa gave him. He then looked at her and gave her a friendly little grin, not like the amused or manicale ones of before “For you, I think you can train your instinct. Animals can be trained, ya know? And unlike most wild ones you youself got a brain. I reckon’ you can do as I did” He said sincerely. He adjusted himself to face her, body still without all of those confounding movements. Hands on his hips “But you also need to make flexible. A moment’s pause can get you killed after all” He didn’t need to bring up the coat incident though it was implied as his eyes fell upon his coat. “The only way you can that I’m supposin’ is by trainin’ and fightin’ “ Both of course not being mutually exclusive. “Speakin’ of which” The corner of his mouth turned wide impishly, as if he was about to have fun with this. “ While I do have meself a good idea now about who I’m training. How ‘bouts I get to know more?” He raised a hand, the back of it facing Kelski. He then moved the fingers in a ‘come to me motion’. “How about you attack me with all you got?”