With Insults Comes Combat (Xalet)

[Septimus]

57th Of Winter, 511
OOCI figured out the perfect way she insults the honor of a squire.

Sheesh, if only I was in horse form would some of these people quit shoving me. she thought as a lady pushed passed her in the streets of Sylira. Septimus shook her head along with a deep sigh. She wasn't all that used to people and coming into this city had been a new experience and challenge for her. She looked beside her at Xalet then turned her head ahead once more pondering. How does he want to fight for these people even if they are rude and snobby towards others? She shook her head then looked at the people in the streets.

Women, children, men, oh so many different people that looked different. Then she noticed how the Akalak and herself towered over many of the people in the huffed with a smirk. I guess it comes with being a Tiaden Warhorse. She was lucky to had just recently found out what kind of horse she was. A war horse. And she was even more lucky by fnding a specific person that could get her to where she was headed for.

Septimus sighed as a young child stepped out of her way. She turned her attention to Xalet "Does it ever occur to you that some of these people don't ever even respect you and what you do. I mean your training to go into combat for a bunch of people that don't even appreciate us. Right?" She looked to her side with her eyes full of that specific question waiting to be answered.

[Xalet]

The articulated plates of Xalet's various armaments left an ambient clamoring about him whenever he walked. Though in a silent room the sound of his armor shuffling would be unmistakable, it had been so long since the squire had first put on a suit of armor that he did not even hear the screech of metal on metal, or the rustling of interlinked chains. As far as he knew, both he and Septimus were going to be heading to the tower to the north where they would supposedly be met by a Knight with a message for his Sergeant. The Akalak imagined that the nature of the information wasn't particularly important, if only he and not a true ranking Knight was sent to obtain it.

Xalet didn't need to move much when he walked, in general people did that for him. His huge body nearly made the ground rumble as his plated feet walked across it. Years of constant muscle training had him now weighing close to three hundred pounds without even considering the encumbrance of his equipment, and his body itself was clearly unlike most males his age. Despite that he didn't walk around half closed, exposing himself like some glorious narcissist, as far as he was concerned it was simply the effects of becoming strong enough to wield the title of Knight, one day.

"Different people feel differently about the Knights." his eyes coasted toward Septimus, his head turning slightly as he responded, "Some understand, some do not. Respect or not, everyone understands the importance of the Knights. We fight so they do not have to. However...do not try to think of making all the people proud, instead, improve to make someone important to you proud. The recognition from that one person will outweigh the combined lamentations of any crowd." he suggested. Yes, even Xalet had become a little philosophical over the years, and he indeed had his own person that he fought for. Actually three of them, and oddly they were all women. His mother, his Patron, and his Goddess. "Besides, a time will come when those who do not understand will experience an event, and more appropriately believe in the creed and purpose of the Knights."

[Apola]

Apola walked through town, a deer draped on her shoulders. man, if only i knew where the meat stalls wear, or a butcher shop or, well, anyone who will take this stupid deer. If no one buys it soon then the meat will go bad and the fur will stiffen. in the middle of thought, she bumped into Xalet. Suprised she dropped the deer. "I'm soooooo sorry." she mumbled as she bent to pick up the deer and struggled to get it on her shoulders in suck a congested area.

[Septimus]

OOC1) I'm so sorry for not giving you an update that I was going to be offline a bit due to school and such. Sorry!
2) Not sure if I'm suppsoed to ply along, but I'll just wing it?

Septimus nodded at each word he said and began taking them into consideration and then a smile spread across her face slowly Note to self; do not need to make everyone important. Just one. She smiled as another question popped into er mind "So who is your one person you are trying to impress? Well, that was a foolish question. Of coarse the headknight or someone of that type of importance, am I correct?" Her smile turned into a straight face *facepalm* What a foolish question to ask! You try to sound impressive or something and then you sound like a child more or less!

Her eyes scanned the faces of the crowd, but unfortunately after about twenty or so feet her vision grew blurry and the faces turned into blobs of different tones of skin. She wasn't sure if it was her poor vision or just her eyes playing tricks on her but she could've swore she saw someone bump into Xalet. Her eyes darted at Xalet then towards his side where she expected to see some man or someone running through the crowd. She wasn't 100% sure. It was probably just her eyes playing tricks.

[Xalet]

The Squire thought about that for a moment. Just who was it that he fought for? Beyond the people and beyond his Sergeant there was another whose expectations he strove to meet. "My mother. She is the reason I'm here, after all." he said plainly, but to him his mother was anything but plain. She was tall for a woman, much like Septimus and unusually strong, just like Xalet had grown to be. His mother was always concerned with his choices, and unbeknownst even to him fled to Syliras for a more structured life where he could grasp his own emotional inconsistency, and form the willpower to combat his other half. Through experience and struggle he found that fighting against his other half wasn't appropriate, instead trying to exist in harmony brought greater peace and understanding.

"Of course..." he had to add, noting another woman that played an important part in his future as a Knight, "There is my Goddess as well, the lady Priskil. It is she who--" the young Akalak always enjoyed speaking of the Goddess of the Sun. Were he a more persuasive man he would be content to increase her followers, and eventually complete the grand quest to renew her lover. Those words had to wait, stalled by something impacting his frame. His body jarred slightly from it's forward motion, but the placement of his feet upon the ground wasn't even slightly altered.

When you bumped into Xalet, you knew it. At over seven feet tall, and over four hundred pounds in all of his armor and equipment, it took the kick of a mule to even set the Akalak backwards. He turned his head slightly to see what had struck him. It was a deer!? No, it was someone carrying a deer, that made more sense. Xalet had to arc his neck far down to observe the red head, standing over a foot and a half above her. With a gloved hand he reached and assisted the woman with her deer, the weight substantially less cumbersome upon her when he put his muscular frame to work. "Not a problem. That's a fine deer, the butcher should be happy to purchase it." The Squire wasn't much of a hunter himself. All the things he ate were gathered and prepared by the Order.

[Septimus]

Septimus listened thoughtfully with a smile then her face turned grave at the mentioning of his mother. "Your lucky, you know. To even have a mother." She blew a strand of hair out of her face "My mom was kidnapped by slavers along with my dad." She sighed "But that much is in the past." She forced a smile on her face although anyone who looked carefully could see it wasn't real. She always just liked to reminisce then move on. That could be the reason she always traveled so. But now she was sure she'd found her place. She'd found a purpose.

She watched as he stopped to help the little red headed woman with the deer. Hm hmm. A size like that and I'd turn around and apologize as well. She directed her attention back to this Goddess he spoke of. He spoke of her with enthusiasm so Septimus assumed she was a Goddess of importance to him.

The name sounded somewhat familiar, like when you hear a name from the past but you just can't recall it. No matter how hard you try. Priskil... familiar name... "As you were saying?" she said as she tried to keep the conversation going. As she passed under a sign with a sword on it, she got an idea That would be interesting, even though I may get creamed... The thought of a sword challenge made her grin with a smirk. She felt the broad sword at her waist, then fingered the hilt. She waited for the rest of his answer, but she might as well not hear it at all since she was in such thought of the little "challenge".

[Xalet]

"Oh..." Xalet managed to get out, unsure of exactly what to say. Of course he had lost his own father, although not for the reason he had been told his whole life. His mother was still very much a part of his existence within Syliras, and truthfully his only immediate family, at least related by blood. Ever since he had joined the Order, he had gained several other bounds between the Squires, Knights, and Patrons that made him feel as if though there was more than just his mother there for him. "Though they can never be a replacement for a true family, the people within the Syliran Knights can become excellent friends."

As the two walked along at a relaxed pace, Xalet moved back into the talk of Priskil, a topic which seemed to hold more feeling behind him then his typical monotone speech. "It was Priskil who helped me continue upon the path of the Knights. When I was young things were...difficult. I did not look like the Humans...I was not Human. Many people, both children and adults feared the rumors of the Akalaks, that we are constantly wrestling between calm and chaotic. I suppose this is true for many of my kind. When I was feeling unsure of my path, I met the Lady. She is the Goddess of Light and Hope, and when there is doubt, it is she who can illuminate the path to righteousness with her luminance. She is not simply a goddess though, she acts much like one would think any good woman would act. She is modest, thoughtful, and has great temperance. Many do not know, but she also carries incredible power inside of her to vanquish evil, far beyond that of many others. It is said that when one becomes extremely close to the Lady, they are given the power to wield her purest Light. A Light which takes solid form, and burns away evil like fire."

During their short time together, Septimus may have found that Xalet didn't enjoy talking at length. Typically his sentences were short and too the point, but it seemed when he spoke of Priskil his words flowed much more easily, and were quite plentiful. Pausing for a moment he looked over toward Septimus, and then upward toward the sign. "Hm? Something catch your eye? I've seen that you carry a sword with you, but are you interested in the intricacies of weapon based combat?"

[Septimus]

Septimus listened for a while as he spoke of Syliran Knights then replied with a slight smile "Yes, I can already tell." It reminded her of what she was getting herself into. Becoming Knight's horse an all, it made her get all fluttery inside despite her knowing what she might see.

The information about Priskil made her think. "She sounds like a nice woman." she smiled nicely "Especially to help you continue on your path. I don't know many that would do that for someone else."

When Xalet saw what she was looking at she shrugged her shoulders "I just thought it would look a bit more formal than showing up with a sword. And I also assumed that after we receive the message for your Sergeant we could maybe do a sparring match or something of the sort. Might come in handy later on as well. But then again, it's just a thought."

She pictured herself sword fighting with Xalet. 300 pounds of muscle plus armor and then there was just her 150 pound self. She chuckled at the thought "Although you may have to go easy on me." She imagined herself getting knocked on the ground by Xalet It's more than likely to happen.

[Xalet]

They hadn't known each other very long, the squire and the Kelvic. Xalet took a moment to look the woman over, speculating on the most obvious of things. She was larger than many females, which could be to her advantage, and she appeared to be relatively fit with no physical disabilities. Other than casual conversation however, the Akalak had never actually seen Septimus in combat. As a Tiaden Warhorse, certainly she had to have some fighting skills, whether self or professionally trained. "I'm not sure I ever asked, but do you have any ways of defending yourself?" he cocked his head slightly, thinking over her request.

"I don't mind training with someone of the order, it's just best to understand how many of the basic fundamentals of fighting you've experienced. A majority of my time with the Knights has put me with a Konti Patron. Patron's often mold their squires after themselves, so I've been told. Thus, she has trained me in the short blade and crossbow. As well I've taken it upon myself to become familiar with the shield, as well as unarmed combat techniques." he continued onward with the equine Kelvic. If they wanted to get to the training grounds, they had to first complete the simple task given to them. The chambers of the Knights weren't far from the rooftop of the Antonious Training Grounds, the place where only those of the Order, or those given permission could enter.

"It will be good for you to see the training grounds regardless, so as to become familiar with the different places of importance within Syliras." he decided as the sun began to move through the sky, the day passing by slowly. The rest of Syliras went about their day, moving back and forth from home and work. Shopping in the Bazaar when they could, and otherwise having little to fear of the outside world. The Knights and the walls would always be there to protect them.

[Septimus]

oocSorry for the break. School's a pain in the butt.

Septimus shrugged "Well, I have my knife and my sword although I've never realy used them except for my knife when I cut down vegetation to eat." Wow. When he brouhgt it up, she really had to think about it for a while. She pondered the thought more deeply. She lowered her voice to keep from someone overhearing and then thinking she was crazy "And when I'm in horse form I have hooves, weight, speed and strength so I can either fight back or easily outrun them or charge over them. To be honest I really hate running from a fight." She chuckled a bit.

Septimus watched as a young girl and boy ran past laughing. She assumed they were siblings. She had always wanted siblings, but her mom being afraid of what they may turn into or what they may say about Septimus to strangers, her mom said no. Thus she grew up with no neighbors, no kids to play with, just horses and nature. But she wasn't ashamed of it. She was actually glad the way she turned out. Her expression changed on her face from happy and carefree to serious and thoughtful. "So like you were saying, Patrons model their squires after them. But, what exactly is a squire? I mean, I've read up on them and stuff but I'm still a bit confused. Aren't you guys like knights in training?"

When he suggested seeing the training grounds she had to try and picture them in her mind. When someone said training grounds she thought of a bunch of humans doing one on one sword practice. "I would love to see the training grounds." she said forcing a pleasant smile across her face. Septimus looked up at the large building they were approaching "I do believe this is it." She stumbled and caught herself from falling. A cobbled street meant imperfect bricks. "I'm assuming you get used to that?" she laughed halfheartedly.