Completed A Day In The City of Knights

[Tsukiko]

32nd of Spring, 513AV - 10th Bell - Jumping down from her catamaran, landing on damp sand, Tsukiko stretched, muscles still slightly sore. It had taken a while, longer than she would have liked, but she was slowly getting used to the intensive training. For the past days, the Ethaefal had been training in various areas alongside the others who had arrived at the Syliran shore. The races varied, as did looks, cultures and skills. All had come for one purpose, to hunt down the infamous pirate, Braten. There was talk of he and his crew, how he was vicious and cruel. Tsukiko knew that if she didn't learn as much as possible, or improve as quickly as possible, she'd lose even a slight chance of surviving the ordeal ahead. Having had little training before hand in the art of combat, she had much to catch up on. She had muscle from sailing and swimming, but sword play made her sore in places she didn't even think could. Her instructor advised that she not over-work herself, even rest for a day, which led her to wander along the shore. After a while, she grew bored, having spent days on the beach, covering much of it since her arrival. As her gaze fell on the walls surrounding the city, she paused. 'Might as well,' she thought, her feet turning to lead her towards the place of land dwellers, her step turning light. As she reached the walls, her eyes rose, following the stone upwards until she looked to the sky. A faint smile touched her lips, and she entered the city. It was not the first time she had passed through these walls, but being accustomed to life at sea, it had taken her a while to get used to the idea of living in one place for longer than a few days. Perhaps it had something to do with her dual nature. In any case, she found it fascinating, looking around as people went about their daily lives. A few curious glances passed her way, but most, if not everyone, knew of the event about to take place; with all the new arrivals, it was difficult not to notice. The streets were reasonably busy, locals at work, merchants and shopkeepers displaying their wares, attempting to draw the attention of the shoppers passing by.

[Kisetukai]

Click Clack. Click Clack. K had been speeding on his horse, for he had something in mind. "By the gods, I'm gonna be late!" He said as made a sharp whistle warning the horse go faster. "Yah! Come on. I don't want to miss him!" He grunted out as he slowly accelerated. "Maybe next time you should leave early?" Kise said smartly. "I did! It's already early in the morning to me, I'm not even supposed to be up so early." K sighed a disappointed sighed. "I should be getting my beauty sleep right now." 

As he quickly zoomed on the horse the common towns people silently yet instinctively moved out of the way. Forming a clear path for him, he chuckled at the thought, after all who would want to be trampled. He began to get lost in his thoughts as he rode, after all a horse had a mind of it's own, so it was pretty much on auto pilot. He rode the horse valiantly, his newly cleaned white cloak was flapping with the friction of the wind as his snow white gloves gripped the reigns. "Yah!" He said until he looked up and noticed a girl wandering a bit. "Whoa!" He said as his horse came to an almost screeching halt. He sat there with his heart pumping loudly, so loud he felt that if opened his mouth, everyone would hear it.

He quickly jumped off the horse and began to approach the girl. His long black scythe scraping the ground with the sound of a pole being dragged. Metal of course. He couldn't tell if she had the "deer in headlights" thing going on, or if maybe he was just going to fast and she had the right away. Either way he felt as a man, he should at least check if she was ok and apologize. As he finally walked up to he was immediately stunned. Was this the same girl he saw at first? "Excuse me miss...Did you see..." His voice drifted off as he looked around for the imaginary girl. 

"I couldn't have possibly almost ran over this...Beauty." he mumbled to himself. "Had I?" He decided to address her as so, with a slight bow and a charming smile he looked at her. "Excuse me my lady, I am so sorry." He said in a soft voice. "I was in a rush..." He looked at her more, thus causing his voice to fade more. "Kise...Is this the same girl?" K said in his mind. "She is petching-" "Beautiful." Kise said interrupting him. "I know you say that about every girl." "No shut up...This one is different." K said tuning him out. "Excuse me...May I ask for thy name?" he was dangerously interested in this girl now. For he had never seen her around town, and he thought he had met ALL of the beauties. Perhaps not.  "I am Kisetukai Yamehaka, squire of Ser Corben." He said proudly, he looked at her soft looking skin intently as he awaited an answer. 

[Tsukiko]

She had been nodding to a few people she recognized from the beach, when she heard a loud, sharp, and quick clicking sound, approaching in her direction. Turning, she found herself in the path of a horse and it's rider, speeding in her direction. She froze to the spot, unable to move out of the way of the creature barreling towards her. Luckily, the rider noticed her in time to pull the reigns, even jumping down to see to her well-being. He wore both white gloves and cloak, and what appeared to be staff with a curved blade, on his back, which caused a cringe inducing sound, as it was dragged on stone. 'A scythe,' she thought as she winced, the sound of metal on stone ringing in her ears. It was a relief to her when he stopped in front of her, the painful sound halting along with him. When he spoke, it seemed as if he was looking something, or someone, mentioning a girl. He gradually fell silent, and she waited for him to continue, sizing up as she did. She noted that they were the same height or so, causing a faint smile lighting up her blue eyes. It was not something she was accustomed to, for most of the men, though that was to say, the relatively few men she knew were taller than she. Strangely enough, it amused her, though she could not understand why. She missed the words he mumbled, her attention still on the horse, and was caught off guard when he bowed with his charming smile. 'My lady?' she thought, bewildered, nodding to accept his apology. Dressed in loose, simple pants, along with her blue, ramie blouse, Tsukiko did not believe a word such as 'lady' fit. Her long, brown, wavy hair was not tied up as some of the other women she saw, those who wore skirts or dresses, some of whom were glancing in their direction. Curiosity piqued, she looked into his eyes. She could not tell for certain, but it was almost as if she saw a conflict behind his light brown gaze. After considering, she decided to answer. He was interesting. "My name is Tsukiko," she said in reply. Being what she was, she did not posses a last name, though if she thought about it, she could have provided the name of her adoptive pod. "It is nice to meet you Squire Yamehaka." Her eyes caught a movement out of the corner of her vision, and turned to Kisetukai's steed, she smiled openly, taking a curious step towards it. Living on the sea, it was rare to see such creatures. "Well aren't you lovely," she said softly. Even if she didn't have much knowledge of horses, it was indeed a lovely animal. Remembering something the squire had said, her eyes widening slightly. "Ah, you were in a rush! I am so sorry for getting in you're way!" She exclaimed, bowing an apology.

[Kisetukai]

"My name is Tsukiko."

When she first replied it sounded like an angel...Or maybe it was his heart hoping and his eyes hyping. But his ears heard beauty. His emotions became twisted and turned as he lost all...sense? He never had seen such beauty, yes he had met and had his way with a multitude of fine women, but this one was different. He had met his match perhaps? As for he thought he would never find a woman with such beauty that it would shock him and throw him off his feet like this. "Nice to meet you squire Yamehaka." She said with her sweet voice. When his ears heard her...It's like they ate the words out of the sky.

She was..perfect, divine,..Other wordly. Why was she so unique yet dressed in commoner clothes. He noticed her affinity for his horse as she walked to it. He quickly ran over to the horse and jumped on it, no my fair lady please." She said she was sorry for slowing him down or something like that but he was more focused on her. "No..." he muttered as he remembered also. "Eh...It's not that important." As he got situated on the horse, he looked at the girl's clothes once more.

"Tsukiko...No I don't deserve to say your name.." He smiled at her softly. "Are you perhaps a traveler?" "Would you care to join me on a simple ride through town? I will show you around." He tapped the horse a bit telling it to do a fancy trot in place. As the horse trotted a bit for showmanship he looked at her proudly. "Please...Join me?" He said hopefully as he held out a hand to help her up.

[Tsukiko]

Though the squire did not know, he had hit the bull's-eye, for she was in fact a non-mortal. However, Tsukiko in seafaring, earthbound form, in her own opinion, was not that remarkable. Her Svefran form was that of a mortal's, and though perhaps pretty, did not contain the same beauty as her form by moonlight. She was perplexed by his reactions, and they made her nervous. Though it was nice that he was so focused on her, she wasn't sure if he was actually paying attention to her words. Unaware of her new acquaintance's revelations, Tsukiko was beginning to become discomforted when Kisetukai continued to call her 'lady', even adding 'fair'. She had been, at one point, nameless, without a single memory of who she was, what she was, or where she even came from. It had taken the Lia of her adoptive pod to explain for her the story of Leth and Syna's children, to realize what she was, and then she had had to name herself. It was perhaps one of her pet peeves, but she disliked it when people disregarded names, for it was a way for one to identify themselves, and she was uncomfortable with thought of not knowing who she was. The Ethaefal was proud of her name, and tended to prefer that people use it, and told them so. "I will not go anywhere with a person who will not even use the names of those who give them," she said, standing her ground as she immediately regretted her words. Her tone was calm, her stance non-aggressive, but stubborn and unyielding instead. The corners of her mouth down turned down into a slight frown as she waited for an answer. A bit selfishly, she hoped that he would still agree to take her for the tour, since it was far better to be informed by someone who knew the city, and it was also much faster by horse. Not to mention, she was rather taken to the animal. Then her stance weakened slightly, when Tsukiko noticed the nudge, and watched in bemusement as the horse began to trot in place. 'What a silly creature,' she thought, having no knowledge of riding etiquette. Despite her thoughts, she caught the showmanship in the display, and clapped. She knew she was faltering, and by that point, she didn't mind much.

[Kisetukai]

The girl was beautiful, but clueless. As she looked amazed at the horse. But then, as if protesting and rejecting his offer, she demanded that she wouldn't go with him...If he didn't say her name. Call her by her name that is. K smiled a bit as he slid off the horse with ease, landing in front of her, waiting for his flowing cloak to catch up with him. He then looked into her eyes as a gentle wind blew, somehow lightly grabbing her hand palm in palm. With a serious look on his face he kept the essence of a smile in his lips. For K had confidence, but he knew how to be a gentlemen when it was necessary. 

"My...No. Tsukiko." He smiled at the name finally shooting from his mouth as he slowly raised her right hand to eye level. "I'm sorry, Tsukiko, would you care to take a tour with me of my beautiful city?" He said as he planted a gentle kiss upon the skin of her hand. Walking over to his horse he stood, cupped his hands together to get her up on the horse, looking at her like a valiant knight. "So?..." As the calm winds blew his soft cloak. "You in?" 

 

[Tsukiko]

She inclined her head slightly, as her lips curved into a smile, despite her nervousness at his actions. "I'm in," she said, her smile spreading into a grin. Tsukiko could tell he was attempting to get something from her, what, she did not know yet, but she could wait. Her Svefran side was amused by such acts of courtship. Carefully placing her foot into his cupped hands, and her hands on the horse, she jumped as she pulled herself up with her hands, using the squire's hands as little as possible. As she was inexperienced in such things, she landed awkwardly in the saddle, almost losing her balance as she overcompensated, but caught herself before she slipped off the other side. Slowly, she adjusted her position and posture, placing on leg on each side, back straight, and tried to keep still, making sure to not put any pressure on the horse's sides. She was lucky she was able to transfer some of her balance from her life at sea. Letting out a faint sigh of relief, she waited for Kisetukai to mount. As she waited, Tsukiko asked absently, "Do you make such offers often?" merely curious, her eyes lighting up with excitement as she trailed her hands along the steeds sides. It was an interesting experience, for she could feel the horses breaths underneath her legs, leaving an odd sensation. She watched as its ears flicked back and forth, aware that it bore a new rider. "What is it's name?" she asked, not wanting to keep thinking of this living creature as an 'it'. If she disliked being called something other than her name, she did not wish it on anything else. Patting the it's flank, the Ethaefal had a strange notion, that the creature beneath her could sense her emotions; picking up on her excitement and nervousness, as the horse shifted slightly underneath her.

[Kisetukai]

 K watched as the girl awkwardly climbed up and scaled the horse. It was an odd sight indeed but he knew that nobody would laugh at her struggles, not even him, for he was still a bit infatuated. As she finally made it atop of the horse he noticed she almost overdid it, she could've fell of on the other side...."Hehe...Gravity." K mumbled under his breath after seeing she was ok. His thoughts were interrupted as he heard her soft voice once more. 

 "Do you make such offers often?"

It had seemed that she had been gotten herself situated as was now a bit ready to do what any girl would....Question. He looked at her with a bit of a confident grin, as he walked up to the horse. "Neigh...Well just with the pretty ones...." He chuckled as if teasing her, but he was dead serious, he really did. Except the horse part, that was a first. 

He was just about to mount when she spoke another question. His name? She wanted to know the horses name. He chuckled once more, loving her attitude. "You would expect me to know such a thing huh..." He sighed a bit, relaxing his cheeks from the laughs and smiles. "But I don't...He's not my horse. Just one I occasionally borrow because of his speed and reliability." He noticed the horse begin to stir up a bit under her. "Hey hey hey!" He said in a firm voice as he rubbed the horses sides. "His name..." He quickly kept up on the horse landing right behind her. "Is speed..." He had whispered in her left ear, quickly backing up, leaving her with his sweet words. "So...You ever ridden a horse?" He made sure to give her a bit of room, just to be sure se was comfortable, something his normal cocky self wouldn't do. But ever since he turned seventeen...A lot of things had been changing, this was one. 

He lightly grabbed her hands with his, guiding her to hold the reigns with him. "Are you uncomfortable?..." That was his way to help keep her mood up and ask if she was ok with the order, perhaps she wanted the back. He felt a wind breeze pass by, speed began to clot his feet on the floor as if saying hurry up. "Well...Where should we start off?" He said with a cute yet soft tone. "Or as the tour guide...Is that my choice?" He had never given a tour...But was always a lover of teaching things he loved. Fighting, war stories, ect.

[Tsukiko]

His tone had a light, teasing quality to it, but Tsukiko had the notion that his words were perfectly honest, for as far as she could see, he was quite the flirt. He was handsome enough, though why he wore mostly white clothes, she could not fathom. The Ethaefal herself, preferred colors related to the sea and sky, though that could mean almost any color imaginable, she tended to lean mostly towards the blues, greys, black, aquas, and greens. Tsukiko smiled in return, her cheeks coloring slightly at the compliment, taking his comment as such. She was the type of person who went hand in hand with curiosity, perhaps that had to do with her origins, having missed years, perhaps even centuries, and so she was bound to ask questions. It was one of the quickest was to learn about the world she had, quite literally, landed in. Then again, her questions could have stemmed from what the squire had been thinking; that it was the typical female questioning. However, she was not thinking of this, instead, her focus was on the man offering her a tour, and she returned the grin, not minding if he interpreted it was he liked. When Kise mounted up behind her, she shifted to accommodate him, moving forward in the saddle to keep her vantage point of their surroundings. Tsukiko vaguely noted that they were about the same height, before he whispered her, sending a small shiver through her at the sudden nearness. To cover this, she twisted slightly to see him, "Speed is truly his name?" and considered it for a moment. "What a simple name... I would have thought that it was something along the lines of 'Windrunner' or even 'Swift'." Turning back to face forward, and leaned to whisper in the horse's ear, her voice barely audible, "I wonder who named you... little imagination put into it, but I suppose it suits you," a smile making it's way into her voice. "Never," she replied, excitement coloring her tone, straightening as she spoke. It wasn't so surprising that it was her first time in the saddle, since it was difficult to find such a chance when one lived on the sea, and even more so when one had only been in the world for three years. Tsukiko felt Kise move to give her more space, and though she didn't exactly mind his original closeness, she was grateful at this small, but appreciated, gesture. She was slightly startled when he grabbed her hands, but relaxed when he showed her how to hold the reigns. Of course, this meant that the squire had to lean forwards. She tried not to think of this, and shook her head in answer to his question, adding "I am alright," for good measure. Tsukiko felt a smile spread across her face, her feelings mirroring Speed's; she couldn't wait to get started. His cute tone brought a slight grin to her face. "I don't know much, if anything, about this place, let alone most land dwellings. Your choice," she replied. "Surprise me." The Ethaefal loved anything she could learn, which reminded her of her desperate need to improve her combative skills. "Ah... umm... by any chance... you wouldn't happen to mind..." she began, pausing. 'Why am I asking this of someone I just met?' she thought. 'He would know more of the arts of war as a squire, would he not?' answering her own internal dialogue with another question. More determined, her voice firming slightly, she continued, "Well, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind helping me out with something... I am in need of some training with my blade..." she said trailing off. "Ah forget it, you must be busy..."

[Kisetukai]

 "I don't know much, if anything, about this place, let alone most land dwellings. Your choice," she replied. "Surprise me." Bye the gods, this girl was amazing, she was so simple yet she was simply beautiful. Words to describe her? There may have been many, there may have been few but K knew not of any, instead he just decided to be himself. After all she seemed modest and nice, why not his her the respect she wanted and just be nice back? As he helped her hold the reigns he felt the softness of her hands, of course his were also soft with him always wearing gloves but her's were soft. There was no competition, none that he had ever met, none that he thought existed. As he leaned back up a bit against her, he could feel the lack of experience in her body, in many ways. He began to turn the horse around, no longer going to his destination, he had no reason to go that way. And deciding to be the best tour guide ever, he wanted to get a head start, just like the girl and horse dying of excitement. 

"I don't know much, if anything, about this place, let alone most land dwellings. Your choice," she replied. "Surprise me."  K let loose a quick dash of confusion throughout his body as she spoke, the word land dwellings doing him in. "Oh she is one of those sea girls, that makes a lot of sense, no wonder she is dressed so commonly. She's gorgeous yet chooses to wear normal non elegant clothes...Now that is humbling." He thought to himself, as the horse began to slowly clot. He liked the feeling of thinking he had things figured out. " "Ah... umm... by any chance... you wouldn't happen to mind..." she began, pausing.  More determined, her voice firming slightly, she continued, "Well, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind helping me out with something... I am in need of some training with my blade..." she said trailing off. "Ah forget it, you must be busy..." 

She is a fighter? K found himself to be almost falling, although he himself could never admit love, he was pretty impressed. Feeling her drift of he could tell she was very nice, not rude possibly impatient or was it eagerness? He stopped the horses power walk speed and slowed down to a normal slow walking, hearing the clots count of by fours like a metronome. "Tsukiko...You want to learn how to use your weapon better, there is nothing to be ashamed of there. And also, you should be more affirmative about it, establish yourself. A weapon is only as strong as the wielder, of course this is why you wish for training." He gave her a small chuckle as he yank her hands up and down quickly, still holding them softly, his cloak began to flow a bit as the horse moved to a simple gallop. Bouncing heavily the horse began to hurt him a bit, especially down there, but she told him to suprise her. So he had to keep it spontaneous, for that was just his personality. "Besides.." He said softly as he galloped away behind her, trying to avoid the inevitable girly hair flying. "As a future knight and warrior I would be obliged and honored to help a woman of your caliber train." He sped it up just a bit, trying to hopefully get rid of the pain of bouncing on the horse, hoping it wasn't to bad for her. If anything it was extremely bumpy, not to the point where you jumped but more like several small bounces in every second. 

Pretty soon they would make it to the pit, the place where commoners can gather and train, a simple man's place. This was not somewhere he wanted to find himself, but because she wasn't a squire, he had no choice. It was either here or the woods, and because of all the crazy encounters he had experienced there, it was off limits. "We will be there soon...Just try...To be ...Patient." K uttered out, almost unable to bear the pain, perhaps the saddle just wasn't enough.