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Post by Kaelan Avallochson on Jan 31, 2014 0:17:03 GMT
The deck of the ship was busy. It was always busy. Tiros and Iduneus trained together; their wooden weapons knocking against each other loudly. Here and there a shout would go up as one youngster or man bested his sparring partner, oftentimes only to be put in his place once more a moment later. The drakes rested lazily up in the masts of the great ship, watching the humans as they practiced their techniques. Kaelan stood at the range, a portion of the deck specifically set aside for those training with distance weapons. His longbow in hand, and the target was a mere distance away, almost impossible to miss. He probably could have shot from twice the distance and still hit the target squarely. Pulling an arrow from the quiver at his side, he put it to the string, ignoring the other archers, swordsmen, and the constant noise. He then brought up the bow, at the same time drawing the string until his fingers were at his ear and the arrow a hair’s breadth away from his cheek. He focused, holding for a second before he let the string slip from between his fingers, and it twanged as he let the arrow fly. The shot was straight and true, slamming into the target at chest height. Even from this distance he knew that the arrow had imbedded itself several inches deep. That’s what he liked about the longbow. It was a powerful weapon that had proven its worth over and over again throughout history. It took a long time to master it, but the results were worth it. A moment later, a second arrow followed the first, hitting the target beside its partner. Kaelan pulled a third arrow from his quiver, knocked it and drew the string, releasing a moment later. This time he had aimed for what would have been the head. He was slightly off, but not by much. ---
Notes: Onward ho! Also I'm just guessing with some of my descriptions, particularly the range.
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Post by Talithe Anyadottir on Feb 1, 2014 4:12:12 GMT
Talithe sat, legs crossed, on a railing overlooking the sparring Drakonrhedi. She seemed unfazed by the commotion of practice combat and looked around interestedly at the individuals busying themselves whacking each other with whatever was convenient.
Looking around, she hopped from the railing as one of the Tiros was knocked down by a particularly brawny Iduneus. She approached the pair, helping the Tiro up. "Anything injured?"
The Tiro looked terrified, but shook his head, "N-no ma'am."
Talithe frowned for an instant. "Don't call me ma'am, please. Makes me feel old." She smiled, dusting the initiate off.
She next turned to the Iduneus, then to the bin of practice weapons. Rummaging in it for a moment, she came up with a wooden practice dagger. She threw it to the Iduneus. He caught it, and stared at it dejectedly.
She nodded vigorously, "Use it! Pretend you've been disarmed. It'll be fun."
Something in the large warrior clicked, and he nodded, gripping the dagger and turning back to the Tiro, who still had a full-size sword. She clapped her hands, "Aaaand... go!"
The two began to spar again in earnest, and she walked over towards the archery range on the deck. One of the archers had just landed three arrows in a target in quick succession using a longbow. She cheered and called over to him as she approached. "Nice shot! Do it again!"
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Post by Kvrai the Silverblooded on Feb 1, 2014 4:31:19 GMT
 Kvrai the Silverblooded |
The deck of the Drakonborg was a babble of humanity.
As a general rule, Kvrai did not like company, even that of her own race. However, such a variety of subjects for her observation was invaluable, especially to one inclined to hiding in the shadows and watching. It was easy to disappear in a crowd.
She perched on the edge of some crates stacked a few feet into the air, swinging her legs as she simply watched the humans interact. Xii, meanwhile, took a careful documentation of her master's thoughts for a message back to the Promethaen mothership and for the Exemplar's own personal records.
This busied the OAI, leaving Kvrai to have more of a monologue than she was usually permitted.
Well, isn't this a grand assembly. Her eyes darted from place to place, taking only a moment to register what was going on in her search for something interesting. Meanwhile, arrows whizzed in front of her from a Tiro practicing his craft, almost entirely unregistered by the impassive Promethaen.
Soon enough, the opportunity presented itself. A woman in black robes appeared to be making her way across the deck in Kvrai's general direction, interacting as she went in a rather amiable manner.
The woman paused to dust off a rather shaken Tiro and hand an Iduneus a rather puny dagger to replace his current sparring weapon. Kvrai could see the woman's mouth move, but didn't pick out the words above the hubbub surrounding her.
However, the two returned to sparring soon enough with renewed vigor, one with his normal weapon and the other with the dagger.
The woman, meanwhile, continued her way across the deck, managing to arrive at the archery range set-up just as the Tiro scored a particularly good hit. Even Kvrai could admit that it wasn't bad, especially for an apprentice.
"Nice shot! Do it again!"
Rather bouncy for a Drakonrhedi. Curious.
Kvrai nodded her silent agreement, giving a quick eyebrow raise of respect to the kid.
"I second that movement," she spoke out loud. Even though she was still getting the hang of interacting, she wasn't about to let the opportunity for what could possibly be a most interesting case study slip past her.
She was the Eye of the Infinite, and it was her job to succeed.
| Tags: Kaelan Avallochson, Talithe Anyadottir
Inspiration: Military Fashion Show - And One
Notes: OHey didn't know this was open!
Didn't know if I was going to have Kvrai here for a reason, so I sorta just winged it.
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Post by Kaelan Avallochson on Feb 1, 2014 23:24:33 GMT
Kaelan pulled another arrow from his quiver and knocked it. He was about to pull back the string when a voice interrupted his concentration. "Nice shot! Do it again!" It took him several seconds to realize that the person was calling out to him and wasn’t just another voice he could ignore. He nearly sighed. Well, at least the comment had been something good. Glancing around he saw a woman headed his way. She seemed cheerful and bright. It was odd considering all the serious Drakonrhedi on board, but it was nice too, because of all the stone-faced warriors. He nodded to her to show that he had noted her comment. "I second that movement." Kaelan turned to the second voice. It was another woman, sitting on several boxes not far away. Unlike the prior woman, she was far more solemn in her looks. The only times someone actually paid attention to his shooting was when they were giving tips to help him improve his aim, albeit a few of those he chose to ignore because they were downright stupid, and the person didn’t really know what they were talking about. This, all in all, was strange. Two people had actually been watching, noticing him. Well, if they wanted to see him shoot, then fine, they could watch. The Tiro refocused before he brought up the bow and drew, aiming once more for the head. The arrow streaked towards the target a moment later, and, to Kaelan’s satisfaction, it buried itself beside the other shaft. He withdrew a fifth arrow and pulled back the string. Releasing it, the bow twanged, and the arrow struck the target. ---
Notes: Blah
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Post by Talithe Anyadottir on Feb 2, 2014 1:25:56 GMT
"I second that movement,"))
Talithe turned as someone spoke, noting the otherwise-unoccupied Drakonrhedi warrior who was approaching.
Had she been one of the other Vetr, or almost any of the Pryfektus she might have given her a hard time for not doing anything.
Fortunately, she was not one of the other Vetr, and was of the opinion that downtime was just as important of uptime. She nodded to the seconder-of-the-motion, smiling happily and beckoning her closer.
The Tiro had hesitated when she approached, though he regained his focus quickly. Talithe was interested in his use of the longbow -- a hard-to-use weapon, and he was using it well, especially given that he was just a Tiro.
She applauded as he hit the target twice more. "Good job!"
Talithe clapped him on the back, "Where'd you learn to shoot like that?"
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Post by Kvrai the Silverblooded on Feb 2, 2014 6:03:52 GMT
Kvrai the Silverblooded |
After Kvrai spoke, she waited for a response, watching both of her new observational subjects with a well-hidden keenness.
The Tiro only glanced at her with a rather curious, if apathetic, look in his eyes. He didn't seem to care about her observation. Wondrous. That's about as close to a willing subject as I'm about to get.
It was an assumption, but she was willing to take that, as well as his unspoken and probably unintended invitation.
The woman, meanwhile, grinned happily. That was in correspondence with her earlier amiable words and motions, so far as the Silverblooded could observe. Once again, the Promethaen was given an invitation, this one taking a the much more obvious form of a beckon.
And once again, she took it, slipping down from her perch atop the crates and landing with a small thump before stepping more towards the woman. This person had an air of command about her, something that Kvrai knew how to project but did not in this particular guise. Hers was curious in the fact that it didn't seem to demand respect so much as ask politely and nicely for it, with the assumption that respect would be given anyway.
Perhaps the Silverblooded was making too many assumptions. But perhaps she was right. Only further observation would tell--empirical evidence to either prove or disprove her hypotheses.
"Good job! Where'd you learn to shoot like that?"
Kvrai nodded her agreement. The Tiro certainly had this shooting thing down, as several arrows had already embedded themselves in the target with dull thuds.
Of course, a Promethaen could do better, but that was pointless to theorize about. Promethaen had much more advanced weaponry at their disposal.
"From your relatives or old clan, perhaps?" she queried, a civil politeness in her tone. It was apparent that she didn't mean to offend or the like, instead projecting a desire for more conversation.
While the latter was true, Kvrai wasn't about to care about hurting any particular human's feelings. They were inconsequential, after all.
"Or maybe your mentor."
She spoke again, simply to keep the conversation flowing. While the Tiro didn't seem particularly inclined to speech, the woman certainly could pick up on her small conversational starters and expand from there. Or, at least, that would be consistent with Kvrai's other observations and her hypothesis.
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Post by Kaelan Avallochson on Feb 2, 2014 21:25:32 GMT
In the background Kealan could hear the woman applauding him. "Good job!" she exclaimed before she clapped him on the back. His lips twitched up into a small smile at her praise. "Where'd you learn to shoot like that?"
Kaelan placed the bow tip on the ground, letting the bow lean against his shoulder, and looked over at her. Now that she was asking questions there was no chance of him being able to continue his practicing until she left. Well, he could have; he just thought it rude to do so.
The Tiro was about to speak when the other woman, who had come over while he had let fly his last two shots, asked rather politely, "From your relatives or old clan, perhaps? Or maybe your mentor." He almost quirked a brow at her. Who asked Tiros things politely nowadays? The higher-ups, when not demanding things, did ask, but never that politely.
Her first guess had been correct though. In his village it was practically mandatory for a father to start teaching his son the art of a bow when the boy was several years old, and Kaelan had been no exception. His father had taught him everything from shooting a bow to making the bow itself, to braiding the bowstring, and to fletching arrows. His father had drilled everything he possibly could about the craft into Kaelan’s young mind, and, fortunately for the boy, it had stuck.
He had been one of the best out of his friends and could outshoot them in many of the games they had played. Without their constant challenging, Kaelan didn’t think he would be as good as he was, so he had them to thank for that.
The Tiro nodded at the second woman and said, “My father. Handling a bow was one of the first things he taught me.”
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Post by Talithe Anyadottir on Feb 2, 2014 23:22:00 GMT
Talithe smiled back cheerily as the Tiro smiled in response to her praise. She firmly believed that if people thought they impressed her, as a Vetr, that they would do their best to impress her again, which in turn resulted in happier Drakonrhedi trying as hard as they could.
The harder they tried during training, the less likely it was that any of them would get hurt out on real missions. She was, however indirectly, saving lives; or at least trying to.
“My father. Handling a bow was one of the first things he taught me.”))
She nodded, continuing to smile. "He must have taught you well, then; for you to shoot like that." She folded her hands in front of her and looked around the deck for a moment, pausing. A gust of wind passed through and she took a moment to fix her robes and hair, then looked back to the Tiro. "Where are you from?"
She looked to the other woman, "A father is a particular type of mentor."
--
Note: This is kind of short but~
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Post by Kvrai the Silverblooded on Feb 3, 2014 2:55:51 GMT
Kvrai the Silverblooded |
The Tiro shot her an inquiring look. Don't question my charitable mood, darling. It shall fade, and then your entire puny race will be at risk. Enjoy my polite mannerisms while you can.
However, he replied nonetheless. “My father. Handling a bow was one of the first things he taught me.”
The woman smiled and spoke. "He must have taught you well, then; for you to shoot like that. Where are you from?"
She promptly turned to Kvrai with a knowing look. "A father is a particular type of mentor."
The Exemplar arched a brow. " Well, if you're going to argue that, you might as well proclaim that we are all mentors and pupils to each other. Classification is possible, but you learn things from everyone. Including your enemies, of course."
Heavy duty questions excelled at prying answers out of humans. And answers were what the Eye of the Infinite was here for.
As for the question the woman had asked the Tiro, Kvrai suppressed a smile. She was glad that it wasn't directed towards her--she had a backstory, of course, but such inquiries always made her come too close to outright laughing. Where am I from? From a world beyond the stars you see, little human. A world so alien and vast that your mind cannot comprehend its magnitude.
But to blow her cover would be to break form, and thus she kept her face as stony as possible, instead only showing her curiosity with a half-quirked brow as she waited to see their reactions.
Perhaps I'll finally get the Tiro to speak. It's rather doubtful. The woman will probably have something to say, although how deep her comment will allow me to peer, I'm not sure. I don't believe it will be much.
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Post by Kaelan Avallochson on Feb 3, 2014 14:17:32 GMT
The first woman smiled back at Kaelan. "He must have taught you well, then; for you to shoot like that. Where are you from?" She then turned to the other woman. "A father is a particular type of mentor."
The Iduneus in turn raised a brow and said, "Well, if you're going to argue that, you might as well proclaim that we are all mentors and pupils to each other. Classification is possible, but you learn things from everyone. Including your enemies, of course."
Kaelan canted his head as he listened. It was true. You could learn from anyone, particularly enemies. So, in a way, they all were indeed mentors and pupils. Most of the time people just didn’t think about it like that. Just like most people didn’t realize they were learning all the time, taking in information to better themselves and their situations. Any original thoughts they believed was their own most likely wasn’t. Original thoughts were tidbits of information gleaned from other people and put together to make something ‘new’.
This Iduneus was a thinker, and he liked that. Most he knew weren’t. They were just people who enjoyed fighting their way through everything, and strength was always the answer. There were a few like her who actually did have minds, and they were the ones who got far.
Well, Iduneus think the same of Tiros. A lot of them like to power through things too. I suppose it’s just an inherent trait among the people and Drakonrhedi today. Perhaps in the future that'll change. Maybe not though. Maybe it's just a part of human nature.
“Brevis,” Kaelan answered the first woman’s question. “It’s a small village a ways away from the coast.”
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Post by Talithe Anyadottir on Feb 3, 2014 16:13:43 GMT
"Well, if you're going to argue that, you might as well proclaim that we are all mentors and pupils to each other. Classification is possible, but you learn things from everyone. Including your enemies, of course."
Turning back to the Iduneus Talithe nodded, her smile returning. She liked people who gave some actual thought to things, since usually they were the ones who got things done best. Her first impression of both the Tiro and the un-busy Iduneus was positive, and she contemplated saying something to the effect of, "I really hope you guys don't get mauled by a titanothain!"
Choosing instead to return her attention to the Tiro, she listened as he spoke again.
“Brevis. It’s a small village a ways away from the coast.”))
She had been to Brevis a couple times, though the times she had been wasn't on important business. She nodded. "Ahh! Brevis. It's a nice place. Give them regards from Vetr Talithe if, or perhaps when, you go back."
--
Note: Talithe's nonchalance about death though
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Post by Kvrai the Silverblooded on Feb 4, 2014 3:46:42 GMT
Kvrai the Silverblooded |
“Brevis. It’s a small village a ways away from the coast.”
No response to my deep psychological commentary? Oh, excrement and refuse. You two are no fun.
The Promethaen almost pouted, but instead chose the slightly more sensible route of simply raising both eyebrows. The Tiro only gave her a slight inclination and rotation of his head to show his agreement, whereas the woman started bobbing her head about again.
So incredibly agreeable. I do wonder if she can hold her own when she desires.
"Ahh! Brevis. It's a nice place. Give them regards from Vetr Talithe if, or perhaps when, you go back."
Kvrai's first thought was, "Unless you get eaten by a behemoth, weakling human," but it seemed a little dark for the situation. Instead, the Silverblooded took a moment to digest the fact that the woman had inadvertently revealed her status and personality to one of the most powerful beings on the planet, one whose ancestors had been heralded as the gods themselves.
"Xii, you had best be taking excellent notes."
"Of course, Mistress. I am already well beyond the required level of notation for the Infinite. In fact, continue this conversation if you please, Silverblooded. I believe it may become one of the most oft-cited interactions in regards to humanity."
Kvrai wasn't about to stop, anyway. This was just getting interesting.
Instead, she addressed the Tiro directly.
"How far are you in training? Any plans for a particular wing yet?"
From there, she could extrapolate how close to obtaining his drake the lad was. This was considered a major milestone in one's career, she'd come to understand. Afterwards, they were given a bit of time to go and see their families before they were called to the front again.
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Post by Kaelan Avallochson on Feb 8, 2014 1:55:31 GMT
"Ahh! Brevis. It's a nice place. Give them regards from Vetr Talithe if, or perhaps when, you go back." Well this was new. She was a Vetr, Vetr Talithe to be exact. She was in charge of the medics. For some reason, this woman standing in front of him being a Vetr didn’t surprise Kaelan. What did was the fact that she had been to Brevis. Hardly anyone knew of the little village he had called home for so long. They just smiled and nodded forgetting a moment later. Kaelan acknowledged her last sentence with a nod. “Of course, Vetr.” The Iduneus then asked, "How far are you in training? Any plans for a particular wing yet?" “I’ve been here over a year, no more than two.” Had it been that long already? His birthday was coming up soon then. He’d probably not celebrate it though; he ever rarely did. Most of the time Kaelan forgot about it until the day of or the day after when someone reminded him. Sometime he felt as if he had lived forever, but the next moment only to feel as if he had been living for no more than a few hours. It was odd the way his mind worked, but it always made sense to him. Kaelan shifted feet, letting his right foot take most of his weight. “I’m not quite sure yet. The Stalkers perhaps or maybe the Seekers.” Kaelan shrugged. “Wherever I fit best, I suppose.” ---
Notes: Here, have a crappy post.
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Post by Talithe Anyadottir on Feb 8, 2014 15:03:39 GMT
"Of course, Vetr."))
Talithe smiled as he recognized her to be the leader of the Medics.
The Iduneus had asked about his plans, saving Talithe the effort of doing so. She listened as the Tiro spoke again.
“I’ve been here over a year, no more than two.” ))
Ahhh. He's young. Talented with a longbow for one so young, too. I'll have to keep an eye on this one.
Not that it was any of her business to keep an eye on anyone armed with a longbow. Her guest, the Iduneus, spoke again, and Talithe continued to observe.
“I’m not quite sure yet. The Stalkers perhaps or maybe the Seekers. Wherever I fit best, I suppose."))
Talithe spoke up at that. "Not the medics, hmm? You wound me, dear." She placed a hand over her heart jokingly.
She grinned. She was giving the Tiro a hard time, no doubt, and hoped he could keep up with it.
--
here have a reply i'm sorry it took me forever
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Post by Kvrai the Silverblooded on Feb 8, 2014 20:13:49 GMT
Kvrai the Silverblooded |
“I’ve been here over a year, no more than two.”
Kvrai's eyebrows raised. That was a fairly talented human, then. She didn't bother comparing him to the talents of a Promethaen, the scale would have to be much too large for the poor little Tiro, or for any human. This she had learned but a few days into her little internship here.
“I’m not quite sure yet. The Stalkers perhaps or maybe the Seekers. Wherever I fit best, I suppose."
The Silverblooded considered replying to that with something along the lines of, "So are you apathetic or efficient, then?" but, before she had the chance, the Vetr spoke up.
"Not the medics, hmm? You wound me, dear."
She had confirmed her identity, then, as Vetr Talithe. Curious. Kvrai had heard that the woman had some psychosensitivity--perhaps putting that to the test would be an interesting little experiment for the Infinite?
"Mistress, I have your mind sealed in preparation. I doubt, however, that even if she should probe, she would fill her mind before she could understand any secrets of our race. The brains of the humans are limited in use and size."
"Excellent." Kvrai reached out with her mind, brushing against that of the Vetr with the easy mastery of someone who has practiced magic for a very long time.
The contact was brief and subtle, only enough to draw attention to the fact that it was made and perhaps set the poor woman wondering where it came from. Meanwhile, Kvrai maintained an iron facade on her human face, betraying none of the mischievous curiosity that lurked inside her.
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