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Post by Kaelan Avallochson on Feb 12, 2014 17:58:30 GMT
Kaelan was sitting on the railing of the deck by the range, ignoring arrows, throwing knives, and the like as they whizzed by. His unstrung bow and quiver full of arrows rested beside him (he’d been practicing earlier), a small book lay open on his knee, and a pen was in his left hand. His neat penmanship ran half-way down the page in black lines that smudged slightly as he scrawled. He’d long since given up on keeping his hand clean as he wrote; it was inevitable and there was nothing he could do about it. A sudden curse rose above the familiar din of the fighting warriors making Kaelan glance up. He then lifted his head and watched the scene in front of him. A group of Tiros were practicing the bow skills that they obviously lacked. One of them was barely hitting the target; his stance was wrong and it was apparent that he wasn’t used to the weight of the bow he was using. The kid was having a hard time pulling back the string and when he finally released the arrow, he let out a yelp. The string had lashed his arm and Kaelan knew it stung; he couldn’t help but let out a snicker of amusement. Stupid kid should wear a bracer, or at least learn how to shoot properly. Another one, the one who had sworn, couldn’t even string the short bow in his hands. One loop of the string was fitted into the bow nock, but the kid couldn’t get the other loop to slide into place. He was frustrated, and it wasn’t hard to tell with his face red from anger and the way his lips moved as a string of expletives escaped his mouth. He placed the tip of the bow against the deck and leaned on it, managing to get the other loop into the bow nock. Kaelan shook his head at him before he called out, “You know you’re going to break your bow if you string it that way.” The kid stood up, glaring at Kaelan. “What?” he asked, anger filling his voice. His friends stopped what they were doing and looked over. “You’re going to break that bow,” Kaelan repeated as he closed the book in his lap. He knew how the Tiro was going to react and wasn’t surprised when the kid started heading his way. Kaelan jumped lightly down from the rail and pocketed his book, at the same time dropping the pen into his quiver for safe keeping. If the kid wanted to give him a piece of his mind, then so be it, but he had better be prepared for retaliation if he attacked the much smaller Tiro. The Tiro stopped in front of Kaelan, towering over him by a number of inches. He leered at the green-haired young man in front of him and asked, “What did you say?” “You heard me. I was going to offer you advice, but obviously you have it all under control.” The Tiro’s blue eyes narrowed, not quite sure if Kaelan had insulted him. Kaelan noticed his muscles tighten as the kid prepared to swing and muttered to himself, “Apparently not.” ---
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Post by Anton Nystrom on Feb 13, 2014 5:04:00 GMT
Anton sat on the deck, his legs pulled up to his chest as he carefully watched what was going on. Tiros, seemingly learning how to fire a bow -- most of them for the first time without even the thought of asking someone. It brought a smile to Anton's face. He had learned how to fire a bow before he joined the Drakonrhedi, but he was never a skilled archer. Still, learning was a pain. Though these Tiros are having more pain -- owing to their own stupidity. Bracers were not only recommended, but required for new archers to save themselves quite a bit of pain.
A portion of him wanted to help these Tiros, but all of them were young -- sixteen, one or two maybe seventeen. He didn't deal with young people well. He rarely dealt with people well at all, but that was part of his charm. "My charm?" he quietly said to himself as he stretched his body out, lying down, "Mm, I think it's more of my curse." A curse that was well deserved. A curse that was something he enjoyed. A curse that was, to him, his charm. "But perhaps, I'm charming to some. The ones that clean up, perhaps? Or the ones that suffer?"
Anton's musings were interrupted by something far more fascinating: two young Tiros fighting each other. Young was relative, though, as Anton himself was only a few years older than either of them. He sat himself up, a smile beginning to form on his face. He knew this was going to be fun, and he most certainly would enjoy it. The younger one was apparently the victim, he was hotheaded and rash. The older one was more subtle in his arrogance, but he was certainly just as arrogant. The older one was also the instigator, from what Anton could tell, as the younger one was beginning to swing at him.
Instead of calling out in a (probably vain) attempt to quell the fight, he walked forward, a flash of light appearing between the two for a split second. The younger Tiro's fist smashed through the wall and he yelped out in pain, Anton smiling devilishly. "Should really think about being a bit nicer to your comrades, eh?" he began, his eyes bearing a glint of young bloodlust. A second flash of light appeared by the Tiro's face, slicing into his cheek. Its burn was far from strong enough to scar, but it was certainly strong enough to sting.
Anton turned to the other Tiro and let his head hang to the side. "Mm, dare I ask what you were doing there, being such a--" A blow was firmly applied to his back, and he whipped around, his left hand grabbing the boy's arm and a intensely bright strand of light had shooed the other arm away. He gripped his throat and pulled him close, so his mouth was an inch away from the boy's ear. A whisper came from his mouth, too quiet for anyone but the boy to hear. He shoved the boy onto the deck and, as a final insult, let a final strand of light slice into the boy's cheek.
Finally, he was able to turn to the one who instigated the fight. "As I was attempting to say earlier, what would cause one like you to pick a fight with such a... Hot-headed kid like him, hm?" Anton asked, the question both accusative and carelessly approving. Anton was fairly well known for picking petty fights with people who couldn't fight back, but as they were rare enough, he was rarely punished. Not to mention he was often not the one who actually instigated the fight (though that was often hard to decipher, with his magic).
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Post by Kaelan Avallochson on Feb 13, 2014 18:30:06 GMT
The kid moved, his fist just starting to fly towards Kaelan. He’s going to overextend himself, and when he does, he’ll be off-balance. It’d be easy to get him off his feet and onto the deck. Just one simple blow is all I need. Kaelan tensed, ready to dodge at the last possible moment and ready to knock the kid off his feet. But the last possible moment never came. A figure walked into Kaelan’s peripheral and a sudden flash of light came in between him and the other Tiro. Kaelan ducked, turning his face away from the light. The yelp that came from above told him that the kid had hurt himself, but Kaelan couldn’t feel bad. It was his own fault after all. Kaelan stood, looking over at the older Tiro. He was a Cepheid Variable magic user like Larael. Interesting. Here to save the day? Not like I need to be saved though. "Should really think about being a bit nicer to your comrades, eh?" The comment wasn’t aimed him but rather at the Tiro as he cradled his hand. Kaelan tilted his head slightly as he watched the newcomer smile maliciously. The glint in his eyes made Kaelan wary. It was savage, unappealing; it told of an anger that could explode, and it told of a person who let himself give in to these fits of anger. A streak of light came from the older Tiro, marring the other’s cheek. The Tiro then turned to Kaelan and let his head hang. "Mm, dare I ask what you were doing there, being such a--" He whipped around, gabbing onto the kid who had the audacity to attack him and within moments he had shoved the Tiro onto the deck. The kid scrambled away (obviously he had had enough, but there was still a gleam of anger in his eyes. Kaelan would have to watch out for him.) as the older Tiro turned back to Kaelan. "As I was attempting to say earlier, what would cause one like you to pick a fight with such a... Hot-headed kid like him, hm?" It was an indictment, but there was… approval in his voice too. Why? Kaelan lifted a brow. “Picking a fight? I was going to give him advice, but he decided he didn’t want any. Apparently he likes seemingly one-sided fights better.” He then turned to picked up his quiver so he could fish out his pen. His fingers closed around it and he pulled it out. Looking over at the older Tiro, he examined him for a moment before he put down the quiver and stuck out a hand. “Kaelan,” he said, deciding to introduce himself. He needed more friends. Now was a good time to start making some, right? It wasn’t like that other Tiro was going to welcome him with open arms.
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Post by Anton Nystrom on Feb 14, 2014 6:14:17 GMT
Anton smiled at the man -- Kaelan -- sitting in front of him. He kept his cool, despite the flashy and overzealous magic, and beyond all that, he even introduced himself. "Anton here. Anton Nystrom, to be precise. It's a pleasure to meet you, Kaelan," he said as he held out a polite hand. With his bracers that were obviously worn, the supposed advice he was going to be giving, and the bow that he was wielding, Anton surmised that Kaelen was probably an archer of some type. "So, I take it you're good with a bow? I'm jealous of you, to an extent. I'm better than... Well, I've learned how to use a bow in my life, but I never had a good teacher." Anton smiled at the man in front of him, but the smile was odd for him. It took Anton a second, but he figured it out: it was because Kaelen was so damn short. He felt like he was talking to a kid. Height didn't bother him, but maturity did. He preferred the people he spoke to have a point in what they were saying, not just meaningless ramble. Irony. Anton was pretty good at being ironic, and this was a brilliant example of it. A small part of his mind grasped at the irony of his hatred of meaningless rambles, but he let it go, not daring to dwell further on that subject and lose the conversation at hand. The conversation which was, for all intents and purposes, meaningless. He sat down on the deck, his back to the railing, not necessarily enjoying the prospect of sitting on the railing proper. "So, advice, hm? I might be just in need of that advice as he was," Anton said as he patted the ground next to him. He could most certainly enjoy someone properly teaching him how to use a bow. It might come in handy some day, not to mention that he enjoy having a small knowledge of all weapons, if only to understand how to fight against it. Perhaps it was pointless in this case, as a bow is fairly useless in short range combat, but there was something else nagging at Anton. Maybe he actually wanted to talk to Kaelan, simply because he enjoyed the prospect of him? He was someone to keep his cool when an immature Tiro was coming at him, and he was someone willing to fight back. Anton assumed that Kaelan knew how to fight properly, as he didn't show any stress when he was about to be struck. But his attitude made him seem like he wasn't going to go around throwing punches at whomever stepped in his way. Anton had trouble understanding. A part of him could feel the shame of not knowing what it was like to show self-restraint, but the conscious part of him was simply curious. And he hoped to get this curiosity sated. Notes: your posts look like gold compared to mine
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Post by Kaelan Avallochson on Feb 14, 2014 17:57:02 GMT
Kaelan nodded his acknowledgement before he took Anton’s hand. The look he had seen earlier in the young man’s eyes was gone, replaced by a smile on his lips. Was he like his magic then? Bright, powerful, volatile, unpredictable, but his anger dissipates just as quickly? Whatever you do, Kaelan, don’t get on his bad side. He’d not be an enemy you want to deal with. Though, by the politeness of the past moment or two, Kaelan doubted that he was on this young man’s bad side, but he was sure that his position could change within a moment’s notice. "So, I take it you're good with a bow?” He would say he was. Very good, at that. “I'm jealous of you, to an extent. I'm better than…” that Tiro you sent packing and his friends? A lot of people, beginners included, would be better than them. “Well, I've learned how to use a bow in my life, but I never had a good teacher." That’s good. Wait a second… He watched as Anton sat with his back up against the railing. "So, advice, hm? I might be just in need of that advice as he was.” Had Anton actually asked him to teach him without asking him? I think he did. Not that Kaelan would be opposed to teaching Anton. Better he learn from someone who had been shooting practically their entire life rather than trying to do it on his own like those other Tiros. Look at how well it had gone for them: lashed arms, marred cheeks, and bruised pride. It had gone so well. “Oh?” Kaelan asked as he sat down beside him. Once firmly planted on the deck, he reached into his pocket, pulled out the book, and flipped it open. Leafing through the pages, he stopped when he reached the half-filled page he had been writing on earlier. He had been partway through a sentence when the whole fiasco pulled him away from writing, and now he wanted to finish it before he completely forgot about it. His pen scratched across the rough paper for several seconds before he dotted the period. He blew on it gently to make sure the ink was dry before he closed the book and pocketed it once more. Writing that sentence had a dual purpose; it had given him a few extra seconds to think. With it done and over with though, Kaelan glanced over at Anton. “Are you asking me to teach you?” No sense in beating around the bush. That oftentimes got nowhere and was as pointless as could be. Better to get to the heart of things quickly. --- Tag: Anton Nystrom Notes: Poor Kaelan, being judged for his shortness. Well, we are our own worst critics.
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Post by Anton Nystrom on Feb 15, 2014 1:35:56 GMT
The silence was leaving Anton a bit uneasy. He was unsure of himself suddenly, not sure if Kaelan was more reserved than he thought. If Kaelan found Anton unappealing, then this would be... significantly more awkward than Anton had hoped for. Perhaps he was upset by what I had done? I was simply trying to help him; I meant no harm. The sound of wind almost masked the crinkling of pages, but not quite. He would have to wait to see if Kaelan planned to continue speaking with him at all, or if he was absorbed in his writing. As the book was closed, Anton seemed to ease up quite a bit. He felt a bit more sure of himself, not as if he was simply being blown off for another idiotic viking. Kaelan turned to him, and a question escaped his mouth: “Are you asking me to teach you?” Anton wasn't sure how to react to the question. On one hand, it was a direct question at him, and one that was easily answerable. But it could have a lot more meaning than just that. There was a lot to show in that answer, from Anton's perspective, and he fully planned to be as honest as he could. He smiled briefly at the younger, shorter Tiro and offered a small nod. "I was trying to see if you were willing to teach me, but yeah. Lessons would be nice. Finally would get someone proficient to show me, instead of my father. He's a pretty good guy, but not the best marksman out there." Anton had an awkward relationship with honesty. He most certainly appreciated it from others, and felt no need to hide things from people, yet he had a desire to keep things locked away until people tried to pry them away. He was proficient at lying as well, and at the end of the day, it was an awkward spot to be in. Where truth is expected, but your body resists it. Where lying was forbidden, but you wish you could. Anton never considered any detrimental aspects of this. Often he lied to those he never planned on seeing again, but whether or not it was right... That was hard to say. However, he was being honest now. An honesty that left a knot in his stomach, speaking so freely and honestly of his past, but he thought he might as well make a good impression. Why was he making a good impression? Anton wasn't quite sure. Kaelan may hate Anton, simply trying to find a decent way to get rid of him, and any truths Anton gave could be weapons. But Anton was not a man of such thoughts; no, he was concerned of the moment, of having this friendly guy appreciate him, of being liked. Such selfish and immature desires, but Anton was playing into his own urges. "Of course, I do suppose it was a bit rude of me to assume you were giving lessons out to anyone who was asking." Anton let a small chuckle at his rudeness, not really realizing how inconsiderate it was at first. “I'm more than willing to help you with anything you might need help with. Assuming I can help you, but we'll worry about that when it comes to it." A small act of kindness can go a long way, many people had told him as a child. But he was never sure if people were being honestly kind, or if they were simply out for their own desires. It was still a question that teased the back of his mind, but for now, he wasn't thinking about it. Notes: Short people are the best! Kaelan better enjoy it. (well except for when he gets used as an arm rest, but let's avoid mentioning that)
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Post by Kaelan Avallochson on Feb 16, 2014 2:04:43 GMT
Had he put Anton on edge? The young man’s sudden relaxation had not gone unnoticed by Kaelan when he had closed the book. Had he not liked the silence Kaelan had deliberately caused? Must not have. Whoops. Too late to do anything about it now, though it was something to keep in mind for later on. Anton seemed unsure momentarily before he smiled and nodded. "I was trying to see if you were willing to teach me, but yeah. Lessons would be nice. Finally would get someone proficient to show me, instead of my father. He's a pretty good guy, but not the best marksman out there." Kaelan smiled back, letting out a soft laugh. “Of course, Anton, I am willing to teach you. And I understand. My father couldn’t really be considered a swordsman. He knew how to wield one, but not that well.” And that was probably the reason Kaelan’s swordsmanship was seriously lacking. His father had taught him what he knew: archery; he had tried with the sword as well, but that hadn’t gone particularly well. Granted Kaelan had become better with a sword since joining the Drakonrhedi, but still, he wasn’t that talented. It just didn’t stick in his head like archery had. He wished it did, but everyone had their particular skills and that just wasn’t one of his. "Of course, I do suppose it was a bit rude of me to assume you were giving lessons out to anyone who was asking. I'm more than willing to help you with anything you might need help with. Assuming I can help you, but we'll worry about that when it comes to it." The younger Tiro waved away his comment. “Don’t worry about it.” Kaelan stood and motioned to the range with a jerk of his head. “Might as well start now, yeah?” He picked up his quiver, slinging it over his shoulder, before he took hold of his longbow. How had his father felt when he first began to teach his son the craft he had mastered long ago? How proud had he been when Kaelan had first hit the target, and when he had taken down his first deer? Kaelan could still feel the gentle hands over his own as his father guided his unsteady arms. He could still hear the shout of acclamation that came from his father’s lips as he fired near perfect shots for the first time. He could still see the love and pride in the big man’s eyes and the smile that reached his face as he was chosen to join the Drakonrhedi. An unconscious smile reached Kaelan’s lips and it took him a moment to realize it had. He let it slip away as he headed over to the range. “You’re right-handed, Anton?” he asked, looking over his shoulder at the older Tiro. Most of the practice bows were for right-handed people, but there were a few for the rare left-handed people like himself. He’d also have to make sure that Anton could properly draw the bow without having difficulties or over draw it. And then they could start on the basics. --- Tag: Anton Nystrom Notes: And when he can't reach things other people can. xD
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Post by Anton Nystrom on Feb 17, 2014 4:48:23 GMT
"Might as well start now, yeah?" Kaelan asked, shouldering his quiver and grabbing his longbow. Now? Here? Anton felt a pang of anxiety -- he wanted to learn, yes, but he didn't want to be embarrassed by his rather ridiculous lack of skills when it came to archery. He might have been exaggerating a slight bit, if only to keep himself from being such a failure. It was true, his father had shown him how to use a bow, but that doesn't mean that he had ever really used one. He was only shown it briefly, as his family was very keen about protecting Midgardborg. And a bow would not stop some type of a behemoth or invader from reaching the city. Then again, this was the best time. The area was set up for practicing archery, there were a plethora of bows to choose from, and there were definitely people worse than him around (the kid before was proof of just that). So why was Anton scared? He shook his head and tried to brush it off as best as he could. Clearly, he didn't have the foresight that he believed he did. He got himself into a situation where he was screwed no matter how he tried to go about it. Anton found himself staring at the ground, his hair dangling down like it was prone to do so. But he soon realized something: he wasn't getting out of this. In realizing that, a small smile was drawn on his face. Kaelan called out to him again, asking about his handedness, and that was all it took to get Anton back into it. He looked up, brushed the hair out of his eyes, and ran forward a tiny bit to catch up. As much as he was scared of being terribly embarrassed by him, he didn't think that Kaelan was the kind of person to embarrass someone. He might joke about strangers, but Anton didn't think that he would hurt him. Or, at least, he hoped. He so desperately hoped. "I'm right-handed," he said, though a brow was raised all the same. "Why, what's the difference in the practice bows? And do any of these differences show up in other bows?" Where Anton didn't have skill, at least he could claim he had genuine curiosity. Learning archery wasn't simply about being able to do it, it was about being able to understand it. That was what attracted him to so many different things -- primarily magic. And that was what fueled his drive. "And, I hope you don't mind be asking, but how old are you? You can't be older than me -- I won't allow it." Anton smiled and ruffled shorter Tiro's hair, taking advantage of the fact that Kaelan wasn't facing towards him, so couldn't react to it. He was, of course, making a jab towards the man's height, but all in good manner. As was customary for Anton, size and physical power meant nothing to him. He couldn't care less if you weren't skilled in combat, so long as you were skilled in something. Something that he could benefit from, to be precise. It was definitely greedy of him, but Anton had already accepted that. He was both greedy and selfish, and he knew how to survive like that. In his own ways, he imagined everyone was. He knew what kindness was, and he was no stranger to it, whether he was receiving or giving, but there was a time and a place for kindness, and sometimes you simply could not afford it. Now, however, was most certainly a time for it. There was nothing to gain besides a potential friend, and he was only to gain that through being honest and sincere. It wasn't something that Anton was great at, but he certainly could do his best to work on. Notes: All right, well. Maybe being short isn't so great after all. It's still pretty awesome, and I still love short people. ;~; Then again, I've always been somewhat tall (mostly average, but still), so I suppose I don't know how bad it can get. This is becoming really long, so I'm gonna. Stop.
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Post by Kaelan Avallochson on Feb 17, 2014 15:35:12 GMT
“The difference?” Kaelan glanced back at him before he paused in his walking and held up his longbow, pointing to just above the handle. “You see that L-like shelf, yeah? It’s called an arrow rest. I’m left-handed, and because I am, my arrow rest is on the right side of the bow. For someone who’s right-handed, like you, it’ll be on the left.” He started walking again. “Most bows will have an arrow rest,” he explained, “but you can still find longbows without them, and horsebows, bows you use when riding a horse, usually will not have them.” "And, I hope you don't mind be asking, but how old are you? You can't be older than me -- I won't allow it." Kaelan quirked a brow and laughed. “You won’t allo-“ Anton’s hand was suddenly messing up his hair, causing him to break off midsentence and duck his head. He took several quick steps away from Anton, glaring up at him. “Oh hell no. You do that again, and I’ll make sure you have one less hand.” Yes, he was short. Yes, he knew he was short, and there was no need to go around patting his head to remind him of that, even if it was just for fun. Yeah, fun on their part, not his. And not like he’d need reminding when he had to look up at practically everyone anyway. He grumbled to himself as he ran a hand through his green hair to get it back to the way it was, making sure to stay several steps away from Anton lest the older Tiro did it again. Kaelan was tempted to say that he was nearly twenty-one just to spite Anton, and he nearly did too, but he decided against it at the last second. “I’m seventeen, and yes, I’m short. I know.” He gave an annoyed smile before he let it fall away. There was no reason to stay angry for long. Anton had probably done it jokingly and meant no harm. He let out a sigh and stopped before the rack that held the practice bows. His eyes roamed over the different sized bows for a moment before they settled on one. Glancing back at Anton he thought for a moment. It may work. Letting his own bow lean against the rack, he plucked the bow from its resting spot. Kaelan took its string, slid a loop onto the upper limb put the other loop in the lower limb’s bow nock. He then put his leg between the string and the bow, putting the tip against his right foot. Placing a hand against other tip, he pulled the limb back toward himself, at the same time sliding the string into place with his other hand. Stepping out from the bow, Kaelan twanged the taut string and smiled. Looking over at Anton, he lightly tossed the bow to him. “See if you can pull that back. If it’s too difficult, or you overdraw, I’ll find one you can draw, okay? And, whatever you do, don't let that string go when there's no arrow. You can break the bow and hurt yourself. Neither of which would be good.” He then picked up his longbow and watched Anton to make sure that bow would be fine for him. --- Tag: Anton Nystrom Notes: It can be really annoying sometimes. Also, vid for stringing bow: link
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Post by Anton Nystrom on Feb 19, 2014 1:12:35 GMT
“Oh, hell no. You do that again, and I'll make sure you have one less hand.”
The little joke that Anton meant was clearly more frustrating to Kaelan than it was funny to Anton. Kaelan had stepped back and looked at him with a glare that showed to Anton he was far from the first one that had done this. The look in his eyes was just as furious, despite the fact that Anton was looking down on him. In a rather horrifying way, Anton found this amusing; Kaelan could be a threat and Anton had not respected him as such. And if Anton did it again, he would certainly pay for it. It was something that, at the end of the day, would make Anton respect Kaelan more. He was short, he was small, and he would not win in a straight up fight, but he was still deadly. The power in that small body had to be respected and any type of mockery could certainly get someone killed. Of course, in the real world, it wasn't too likely that Kaelan would be killing an ally for a simple insult, but in Anton's mind it was very possible. “I'm seventeen, and, yes, I'm short. I know.” Seventeen? Younger than Anton, and there was a small pause as Anton's mind continued to tick, figuring out what to say. He wanted to convey respect and sincerity, while also apologizing, and not unintentionally condescending him. He took a breath and looked at Kaelan, saying, “I apologize. I'm not the first one to do that, and I hadn't realized how frustrating it would be... I hope you forgive me, and I sincerely hope I don't have to experience your archery skills first hand.”
A small smile formed on Anton's face, but it was cautious all the same. He didn't want to come off as making jokes just after one had gone wrong, but he wanted to ease the tension, while also showing respect. He silently cursed himself for being so bad with words, but it seemed to go all right, thus far. There was still time for Anton to screw up (there always was). Kaelan looked at the different bows for a moment and finally selected one. He did a series of motions that Anton had seen before a handful of times, but never paid attention to. This time, however, he was paying very close attention. There were things he was bound to miss, of course, but that was all right, so long as he absorbed as much as he could. After a few motions, the bow was strung and Kaelan tossed the bow to Anton. Now, Anton didn't quite expect the toss, so he had a moment of panic, but he did manage to catch it. If he wasn't able to, he would probably have excused himself from the lesson and never have touched a bow again. Oh, the embarrassment that would ensue. Luckily, though, that was not something that had to be worried about. Anton took a breath and pulled the string back. It wasn't too difficult to pull, but it had just a bit of tightness in it. Raising an eyebrow, he looked at Kaelan. “So, uh, how do I know what's too hard or easy for a bow?” He wasn't too sure if the bow was too easy or hard for him to pull, and he had no idea if the bow was even proper for him. Or if he was holding it correctly at all. There was a lot that Anton didn't know. Notes: this time for real. also poor kaelan.
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Post by Kaelan Avallochson on Feb 20, 2014 3:11:27 GMT
“I apologize. I'm not the first one to do that,” nope, “and I hadn't realized how frustrating it would be...” Extremely so. “I hope you forgive me, and I sincerely hope I don't have to experience your archery skills first hand.” Ha. Like I’d shoot someone just because they insult me. Well… No, probably not. Well, at least Anton realized that Kaelan could follow through with a threat—he was a part of the Drakonrhedi for a reason. Most people underestimated him just because of his size. He knew he couldn’t compare to others brute strength, they could probably pulverize him without breaking a sweat, but he was lighter on his feet, he could move faster, he could outwit them, and it did help that a few sharp jabs in the right places could force a man to his knees. Yes, Kaelan would fight dirty if the need arose, but usually he didn’t need to; outwitting them suited him just fine. “So long as you don’t do it again, you won’t have to worry about that,” Kaelan responded, implying that Anton was forgiven. The other Tiro was unprepared when Kaelan tossed the bow to him, but he managed to catch it. Kaelan suppressed a smile even though he realized he probably should have given Anton a warning, but one always had to be prepared for the unexpected so… Just keeping him prepared. Anton tested the string and Kaelan raised a brow. The Tiro didn’t seem too sure about what he was doing. Perhaps it’s been so long since he’s handled a bow? He did say his father was a poor teacher. But it was kind of hard to forget something like that even if it had been years. Maybe he’s never handled one before. Anton’s question and arched brow only fueled Kaelan’s newly formed suspicions. “Too hard is if you can’t pull it back or it’s too difficult for you to do so," he replied. "Too easy is if you pull the string back way too much, that’s easier to tell though if there’s an arrow on the string. But it didn’t seem too hard for you, and as far as I could tell you weren’t over drawing it, so,” he shrugged, “it should be fine.” He cocked his head, unsure if he should ask if Anton had actually held a bow before. Maybe later he would. “Here, you’re not holding it quite right.” Kaelan walked over and let his bow lean against his shoulder. He then readjusted Anton’s grip on the handle. “The handle shouldn’t be in you palm, rather it should be to the side of the ball of your thumb. Right here.” He held up a hand and traced where Anton should be holding it. Kaelan turned and picked up one of the many quivers before he headed over to stand a number of yards from a target. He motioned with his head for Anton to join him. Plucking an arrow from the quiver, he held it out for Anton to take. “When you shoot, stand with your feet shoulder width apart, left shoulder facing the target. You want to have your left arm straight, but don’t lock your elbow. If you do, the string can catch your arm and that’s never pleasant. When you pull back the string you want an anchor point, this is where you should always draw the string to. A few examples would be the corner of your mouth, your cheek, your ear. I suggest drawing to the corner of your mouth because that tends to be easier, but that’s up to you. I’m just going to assume that you know how to nock an arrow and how to hold the string.” That’s the bare bones yeah? Yeah. “So, go ahead and shoot. I’ll correct you as you go along.” He stepped out of the way of the target and stood off to the side and slightly behind Anton to watch. --- Tag: Anton Nystrom Notes: Even Anton thought he wasn't a threat because of his size. Poor Kaelan.
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Post by Anton Nystrom on Feb 21, 2014 10:19:30 GMT
Anton knew he was going to be bad at holding a bow, firing it, and following everything up, but he didn't quite realize how obvious it would be. That being said, hindsight was always so much clearer. Of course it would be obvious to Kaelan, who had devoted his life much the same way Anton had devoted his to magic. The devotion wasn't absolute, but it was a definition of them. Without it, they would be crippled. But, without it, they also would had things to fall back on.
Archery was, as Anton was quickly finding out, something that he couldn't fall back on quite yet. Thankfully, Kaelan was quick to help him out. He answered the question with a surprising amount of ease (which told Anton is was a silly question indeed), as well as helping him out with his grip. It felt somewhat strange, holding the bow like Kaelan told him, but he assumed that was simply because he wasn't holding it perfectly, simply acceptably.
The bow itself was somewhat intuitive to Anton, though intuition never meant knowledge. For everything that he assumed and didn't ask was something that he could be horribly, horribly wrong about. And to be frank, that actually amused Anton. He was afraid of being wrong and being judged for being wrong, but when he knew he was going to be wrong without a single doubt in his mind, he found it so much easier to simply accept being wrong and learn from nothing, rather than holding onto whatever you were right about.
“When you shoot, stand with your feet shoulder width apart, left shoulder facing the target. You want to have your left arm straight, but don’t lock your elbow. If you do, the string can catch your arm and that’s never pleasant. When you pull back the string you want an anchor point, this is where you should always draw the string to. A few examples would be the corner of your mouth, your cheek, your ear. I suggest drawing to the corner of your mouth because that tends to be easier, but that’s up to you. I’m just going to assume that you know how to nock an arrow and how to hold the string. So, go ahead and shoot. I’ll correct you as you go along.”
It was quite a lot to be told to someone all at once, but Anton believed he got most of it. He started with his feet first, making sure they were placed correctly, then moved his body so it was in the proper position. After that, he worked on the more fine parts: holding the bow with your arm locked and holding the string. To someone like Kaelan, they would most certainly be second nature at this point, but to someone like Anton, they seemed like an alien nature.
He remembered how to knock the arrow from when he was shown, so long ago, but it took him a bit. As for holding the string, that was never something he knew too well, but he decided to go with what he did remember. Holding the arrow between his index and middle finger, he slowly drew the bow back to whatever felt natural. At the moment, he wasn't too concerned with where he was pulling from and more of "How do I aim this thing?"
And finally, after sitting there for a few moments, awkwardly trying to understand how anyone knew where the arrow was even going to go, he let go. The letting go part was quite awkward for Anton, as at first he tried to "slip" his fingers off slightly, until realizing that wouldn't quite work and simply decided to let go of the string. But that felt natural to him, so after he finally did it, he realized how ridiculous his fears were.
The arrow released itself from the bow and flew off in the general direction of the target. It didn't hit the target, which was something that Anton was less than proud of, but it showed that Anton could actually fire a bow. There was a first time for everything, a quiet voice in his head said. You did something for the first time, and you didn't let your fears force you into something you could regret. And it was true: he hadn't gotten angry or embarrassed; he hadn't been irritated when Kaelan (rightfully) treated him like he had never touched a bow before.
There was something awfully metaphorical about the entirety of this lesson, and it was unsettling Anton slightly. There was a lesson to be learned that wasn't archery, but Kaelan wasn't even teaching that lesson. Anton was teaching himself. It wasn't something that he would share with anyone; no, he would keep his revelations to himself. And he would explain the smile that was beginning to form on lips.
"So, it may have been the worst shot you've seen in your life, but go easy on me. How'd I do?" Anton relaxed from his position and looked at Kaelan, happy that there was something to distract him from his always thinking mind.
"And, just to appease my curiosity, think I could see you shoot as well? It might be just as helpful as the practice itself. After all, it's pointless to practice something that doesn't work."
Tags: Kaelan AvallochsonInspiration: The black little tendril thingies! Notes: OPAL MADE ME A TABLE I LOVE YOU OPAL i'm getting inspired because i want to show off my fancy table so this post is dedicated to Rydia, who is being wonderful and teaching me about archery while RPing with me, and Opal, who is generally awesome and made me this table
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Post by Kaelan Avallochson on Feb 25, 2014 1:55:29 GMT
Aha! So Kaelan had been right to assume that Anton probably hadn’t touched a bow before. (Maybe he should have given Anton the information more slowly, but it seemed that he had picked up everything, so Kaelan guessed it would be fine. Not to mention that he’d be fine repeating stuff.) It was obvious in the slow way he positioned himself and the “What do I do now?” look in his eyes. It took him several seconds to put the arrow to the string. Maybe he should have given Anton the information more slowly, but it seemed that he had picked up everything, so Kaelan guessed it would be fine. he knew which end went where and didn’t need to ask how to nock the arrow. Some poor kid several years ago had actually asked him that question, and Kaelan wanted to face-palm. It was easy enough; just make sure that the string was in the notch of the arrow. Simple, right? Apparently not. Anton gripped the string and pulled it back. Kaelan cocked his head, mentally judging Anton’s form. His right elbow needed to go down slightly; his left arm was too tense; his grip on the belly of the bow too tight; he needed to use his back muscles to pull the string, not his arm. Stop nit-picking, Kaelan. This is his first shot. It took him a while to release the arrow (probably figuring out what was the best way) and even before the arrow had left the bow Kaelan knew it wasn’t going to hit the mark. True to form, the arrow shot past the target and sped onward. Kaelan mentally winced as an image of a shaft accidently hitting someone popped into his head. Over all it wasn’t a horrible shot for a first try, but it wasn’t spectacular either. Anton would have to practice if he wanted to become good. "So, it may have been the worst shot you've seen in your life, but go easy on me. How'd I do?” Kaelan smiled. Anton probably thought he that he made a terrible archer, but, in Kaelan’s eyes, he had potential if he actually wanted to have more than one lesson. “Actually not that bad. Need to loosen your left elbow and your grip on the bow. You’re tensing too much and that throws off your accuracy.” "And, just to appease my curiosity, think I could see you shoot as well? It might be just as helpful as the practice itself. After all, it's pointless to practice something that doesn't work." This time he laughed before he asked lightly, “If archery didn’t work, do you honestly think that I’d have dedicated practically my life to it? But of course, Anton, I will. Seeing it might help just as much.” Looks like he’d have to get Anton into the proper position and fix his stance slightly, along with explaining a few more things after he gave a demonstration. Kaelan had his longbow strung in a matter of seconds. Taking the quiver from his shoulder, he hooked it around his waist, the nocks of the arrows at his left hand. Practicing was the only time he used this quiver. He had another one, a back quiver, in his room. That one he used for hunting; his hip quiver wasn’t suitable for it, or at least he didn’t like using it for that purpose, because it could easily get caught on undergrowth and would just be in the way generally. Kaelan stepped over to the target, waving Anton to move off to the side. After all, safety first. It wasn’t likely that something would go wrong, but there was still that off-chance that something may. He stepped back several paces before he got into position. He held the bow lightly, just enough to keep it from falling out of his grasp when he shot, and pulled an arrow from the quiver. It was noticeably longer than the arrow Anton had used, but then again, his bow was 70” and the one Anton was using was much shorter. Notching the arrow, Kaelan brought up the bow, holding the string with his fingertips. He pulled the string back to his ear using his back muscles and aimed for a fraction of a second before he released it. The arrow sliced through the air, swooshing as it went. It struck the target dead on and imbedded itself several inches. Only then did Kaelan move from his position and glanced over at Anton. “See? It works just fine,” he said with a smile. --- Tag: Anton Nystrom Notes: D'awww. Also, Kaelan's bow is a little over four inches taller than him.
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Post by Anton Nystrom on Feb 26, 2014 17:23:08 GMT
Anton had a certain fascination with watching Kaelan fire the arrow. Of course, he had this fascination with anyone who was passionate about something. The passion was plastered across their body as they did that which they were passionate about, and Kaelan was no different. He was very precise, very accurate, and very quick.
Anton was not able to appreciate the amazing skill of Kaelan as an archer would be able to; he wasn't able to see the plethora of tiny things that Kaelan did with such ease and accuracy. But he could see the drive behind it all. And that was what excited Anton. Passion was a powerful thing.
Within a few swift motions, the arrow had left the bow it wasn't even in a second ago. Kaelan turned to him, a smile on his face, and said, "See? It works just fine." Indeed, it did just work fine, but it certainly was not going to work just fine for Anton here in a moment. To get it even close to how Kaelan shot would take quite a bit of practice.
"Perhaps for you," Anton began, finally dragging his eyes away from the bow that Kaelan was carrying, "But I doubt it will work as well for me. I'd rather practice proper form and doing it correctly than practice something that will only teach me failure."
He took a look at his bow and smiled. Anton hoped to continue practicing it, even if Kaelan wanted to only do this one time. There were many things he had to study, but he could always find time to learn something new. "So, yeah. You're here to make sure I don't screw up and think that I'm doing it right."
That was how Anton figured out if people wanted to continue things. The occasional person was too dense to figure it out with the hints that he dropped, but more often than not he could figure out what the other person hoped by seeing how they took that assumption. Of course, if Kaelan didn't mention anything of the sort, that would make it a bit more awkward. Or if he simply didn't understand what Anton meant. But there was always a way out. Most of the time.
There were three kinds of people that Anton generally liked: those who he be himself around, those who he enjoyed despite not being to be himself, and those who he danced around with in a careless attempt to be himself while also trying to be someone else entirely. Kaelan happened to be the second one, though there was always time for a relationship to develop. Whether or not he turned into a friend or simply an acquaintance would be told only by time, and for now, Anton simply was happy with the situation.
The older Tiro grabbed the bow that he was given and smiled. "All right, show me what I was doing wrong with my bow before since you said that would help me with my accuracy."
Tags: Kaelan AvallochsonInspiration: Anton's Playlist Notes: Tiny Kaelan is tiny! And my post is quite late. But have one anyway!
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Post by Kaelan Avallochson on Mar 1, 2014 3:42:48 GMT
Anton’s eyes were glued to Kaelan’s bow. He was impressed, or maybe it was because his bow was taller than him. Kaelan hoped that it was the former and not the latter. He was tired of being on the brunt end of short jokes and comments. Anton finally tore his eyes away and said, "Perhaps for you, but I doubt it will work as well for me.” It will if you decide to keep working at it. “I'd rather practice proper form and doing it correctly than practice something that will only teach me failure.” Very true. Very true. Anton looked down at the bow he was holding and smiled at it. It wasn’t hard to tell that he wanted to continue to practice with a bow, and Kaelan was sure that he’d be the one to continue teaching him. Not like anyone else would volunteer for the job. They were too busy or just wouldn’t care. “So, yeah. You're here to make sure I don't screw up and think that I'm doing it right." Kaelan unstrung his bow as Anton continued on. Glancing up at him, Kaelan laughed before he corrected the man, “I’m here to make sure you don’t screw up so you can say that you’re doing it right.” Speaking of which, he needed to get Anton back into his shooting position to correct a few things that could turn into bad habits if not attended to. He was about to open his mouth to say so, but Anton beat him to it. "All right, show me what I was doing wrong with my bow before since you said that would help me with my accuracy." ”Of course. Get back into your shooting position, but don’t pull the string back just yet. " When he was little it took him a while to pick up the proper ways of shooting a bow. His father made him practice for an hour or more before he found the pleasure in shooting and began to practice whenever he could under his father’s careful tutelage. After that, he found it easier to do what he was instructed. It still amazed him how quickly one learned things when one was interested in the matters they pertained to. Once Anton was in position again, he went ahead and began to explain a few things. “First off, when you hold the bow, hold it lightly, just enough to prevent it from falling from your grasp it when you shoot. Secondly, use your back muscles to pull back the string, not your arm. If you use your arm, you tire more quickly and can’t let off as many shots.”
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