Following in her footsteps (Pain)

[Kelpie]

Jun was like a blank slate, scrutinizing her performance, “Amateurish. Sloppy. Unconventional. You are far from a master, and far from the level of Oyama Tye, which means you must practice as much as you can every day henceforth.” His gaze passed over hers, intense and unwavering, “It is simple for even the daftest brute to send a wave of djed to enhance their strength; the skill lies in governing the body’s pathways to increase the fluidity. There is no fluidity within you, Elhaym. The djed you send to your single arm circulates there alone, festering. Fester for too long and you run the risk of losing precious control of the rest of your body. Balance is the staple of the Flux.” The Sanim moved towards the large doors to his quarters where two Viraya awaited, “Make sure to bring this Acolyte food and water as she will be training her for many bells to come.” The Viraya nodded and ran off, just as Jun turned his back to Elhaym, “I will be expecting this statue to be held aloft for ten chimes tomorrow, so you best train well.” In a matter of moments, Elhaym was left alone. --- Two bells had passed and the Acolyte had been given a plate of rice and vegetables and a jug of water. Jun did not return. The light of the glowing pillars washed over the open garden and the young woman in it. After a time, a shadow of a figure emerged from the doorway. An old man, it was, with a hunched bag and a long, thin grey beard. He was dressed in the characteristic robes of a viraya, but his eyes twinkled with hidden wisdom. “It’s refreshing to see the heir to the Furuma line working so diligently,” He said, in a wispy voice. His wrinkled face lifted as he smiled, “At least, the last heir.” He added. Shuffling closer, he moved with surprising grace and mobility, his hands always resting behind his back. “Such a shame that the Sanim would lose one of the last living traces of the Furuma line, and to what? Madness! Yes yes! Madness is what claimed her.” He pointed a finger at her, “So you, miss Acolyte, you must bring back the honor of both your family name and the Shinya. You have a lot on your plate, but can you accomplish it?”

[Elhaym]

Jun's scathing words bit at Elhaym's confidence even though they shouldn't have. In truth the way he had spoken had not been scathing at all, merely presented in as bare and matter of factly manner as Elhaym had ever heard. Perhaps the truth in them that was so painfully obvious made them more scathing than had they been filled with emotion. At least she could have told herself otherwise, in any case.

She nodded, her aching backside sinking into an involuntary bow as he finished speaking. Failure was not foreign to her, but she didn't have to like it. Then again, the man could not have expected perfection from her so quickly. She took from it what she could. "It will be done, Sanim Lhutav."

As he left, her simple acknowledgment floated in the air. He guided her through expectation, a very motivational method when she had something to prove. She did belong here, and she intended to show everyone who doubted it that she was not some silly farm girl with lucky blood. Having something to prove didn't mean she would, and that thought tore her eyes away from the Sanim's departing back and towards her task. Menial and dull, but likely more important than she could grasp. She trudged back to the statue laying on it's side on the ground, and began to center herself once more.

* * * * *

The statue fell to the ground once more, sending a cloud of dust illuminated by the soft glow of the pillars. Elhaym's still outstretched arm quivered as her taut muscles writhed on the inside. It had taken a good half a bell to summon the djed she had hastily managed while under the Sanim's scrutiny. His stare had expedited her progress, but without that icy presence it had taken some searching to find it again. Fumbling by feel, she tried to stave off the imminent burning as the flux ran unchecked through her body. It was simply beyond her, and the Sanim's words rattled in her head once more. If her ability to draw it was not so new and feeble, such a thing could likely kill her. She had managed four chimes that time, but that wasn't near what he had demanded. Elhaym stretched her arms into the air, curling and uncurling her fingers and willing her aching muscles to relax to no avail. Something flickered in her peripheral vision, and Elhaym turned to face the newcomer while massaging her wrist. Sweat dripped from her nose and stung at her eyes, and his initial words were met with a look of confusion.

Her mouth worked wordlessly in a reply that was cut short as he continued, striding towards her as if gliding on ice. Honor to her family's name? Elhaym briefly bit back at her lip, thinking on what the Sanim had told her of Oyama Tye. She couldn't make anything of it, and tilted her head to the side at the man's question. He didn't seem to be of any rank, even wearing the same robes as a Viraya and thus likely did not deserve any manner of respect. Still, Elhaym was no Shinya, a student at best and very unaccustomed to Lhavitian culture. In Syliras, old men were respected if anything for the fact that they had someone managed to become old in this hellish world. She adopted a good posture and clasped her hands in front of her, smiling meekly.

"I do have a lot to accomplish and prove, but this is what I wanted. I've failed many times in my life so far, and I don't intend to fail at this. There's more at stake than I could have known." She said, her words flowing freely to a total stranger and yet hardened in resolve. They were as much for him as they were for her, simply to hear them out loud. She needed to remind herself why she was doing what she was doing at times.

"If I carry the honor of Furuma blood, then I'll honor it through victory. If I can't win, then I'll honor it by bleeding every drop trying."

Her fists had unraveled from the easy mannered clasped position in front of her, now hardened into fists at her side. Her jaw had clenched, and her eyes narrowed. Realizing her determination had spread from her voice to her body, she relaxed once more and assumed her formal position. "I haven't seen you in the Pavilion old man. Do you serve Sanim Lhutav? My name is Elhaym Furuma."

She didn't know the proper way to address someone older than her respectfully in Lhavit, or even if the man's rank earned any sort of respectful title. Instead she had settled on just calling him old man as gingerly as possible and attempting to take any bite out of the words, while offering her own name despite him apparently knowing who she was anyway. Her eyes lingered on his thin form for a moment before flickering back to the statue. A moment's distraction wouldn't hurt, what with her muscles still buzzing so unnaturally.

[Legion]

Thread Award Elhaym Flux +4, Unarmed Combat +3, Observation +2, Meditation +2 Personal Magic: Flux, NPC: Sanim Sooyun Furuma, NPC: Oyama Tye Three (3) Katana of Sooyun Furuma One (1) Robe of Sooyun Furuma Consequence & Commentary Well put as ever. My apologies for the delay in grading. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. If it's about a hat, however, I won't hear.