Flashback A, B, C, Dead [Ayatah]

[Tinnok]

She nearly felt shame for enjoying herself, as if her mother or older sisters would step from the surrounding bushes and shove her over, give her a good kick in the ribs and tell her she was a worthless sack of shyke. That was what every day ended with, did it not? The flat of the blade to the stomach was enough to shake her from her reverie, and she leapt back, watching the girl show her moves.

Her body spoke of an agility of a race much leaner than Myrians. For a moment Tinnok could imagine a beautiful woman, beyond anything she had ever seen before, dressed in fine silks with eyes shaded with make-up and a body soaked in perfumes and brushed with a hint of glitter.

Then Ayatah collapsed upon the ground.

"You're too long for your own good." Not to miss out on an opportunity to strike at a downed opponent Tinnok charged forward, but a smidgen of hubris clouded what could have been an advantageous attack.

If this girl didn't know a thing about acrobatics, Tin would show off her own skills, which were admittedly not much better. Her plan, imagined in full glory in her mind was to cartwheel over the girl, landing upon her feet on the other side of the girl and delivering a kick to her chest. Not hard mind you, but enough to show her who was winning this fight.

So she threw her hands up into the air and lunged to the side, landing one hand as her body arched over itself. The other hand that was needed for completing the circle was holding the dagger, however, and her curled fist was not the appropriate anchor for her body. Her legs twitched, shook, and half way through the event her body fell to the side, crashing atop of Aya's to leave the two girls collapsed from their failed efforts upon the ground.

She heard the laughter and snickers and muffled curses and the half breed glowered. Rolling swiftly off of her opponent she jumped to her feet and brushed herself off. Her humor from before had disappeared, the light in those yellow eyes having been snuffed out like a candle. She placed one foot before the other, bending her knees and allowing Ayatah to recover herself before gesturing with a hand. She made sure to focus on the half breed and not on the glares and stares of their peers. Too much attention had been drawn, too many eyes lay heavily upon her being.

[Ayatah]

”You’re too long for your own good.”

The other half-breed nodded, eyes still closed and breaths irregular from her laughter. The fall had resulted in her left side being bruised and sore, so she did not want to jump to her feet any time soon. In fact, lying right there was perfect…

… Until Tinnok landed on top of her.

She spluttered out a mouthful of air, winded from the collision of body on top of body. But as soon as she had regained air in those lungs, Ayatah could not help but laugh once again. Myri, it felt good to laugh so much. Her breaths were jutted and short as she tried to control herself, and Ayatah did not seem to notice the attention that she and Tinnok had drawn to themselves.

Only after the weight of the other girl had been lifted from Ayatah, did she finally open her eyes. And only then she see the glares, and hear the sniggers. She was no stranger to them, of course. But something was different; it was not just Ayatah that they were staring at, but Tinnok as well. She had never had to share such attention before, and the idea made her uncomfortable. She felt a tug, something close to protectiveness, towards Tinnok. She glanced back to the slightly scaled girl, before snapping those dark eyes back to her classmates.

”Yes, we’re half-breeds.” She snapped, obsidian eyes challenging the seven or so children that stood and stared. ”Well done, you’re all slightly above being completely moronic. But shouldn’t you be showing us how to be ‘real’ Myrians instead of showing us how to stare blankly like fish?”

It was far too easy for Ayatah to be so confrontational, so defensive. Paira of the Scattered Bones had injected into her daughter a confidence that she believed the half-Eypharian would need to survive the cruelty of pureblooded Myrians. As with all children at that age, though, it was all a front.

But it was not just herself that she was defending now: but Tinnok as well. As two outcasts, they were bonded by shared experience, but there was something more. Perhaps Ayatah bonded with people too quickly (or at least with people that did not sniff or spit at her), but she was not about to let her ignorant peers stare and snicker at her -- what? Friend?

She momentarily glanced back to the other half-breed, a fleeting smile on her lips before she looked back to the rest of her classmates, face no hardened and cold.

Piss off the half-breed, and you get the wrath of Myri and the brutality of Eypharian, she told herself. Though it’d be better if had four or six hands to swear at them with…

|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||

[Tinnok]

The other half breed was spunky, and though she must have suffered much of the same as Tinnok, the half-Dhani saw her as more confident and inspired, as if she had taken in what everyone had given her, and delivered it back to them tenfold. Her skin seemed to exude a strange, prideful confidence that Tin had no memory of ever feeling, and she realized almost instantaneously how she admired this girl.

It brought her out of her silent and petulant anger, for when Ayatah gave her a small smile, Tinnok could not help but give one in return. "They're not really worth it." The comment was merely a suggestion, and Tinnok shrugged slightly at its delivery. She rarely even gave her opponents that satisfaction of talking back, though half of it was related to the fact that she rarely had clever or witty things to say. Mostly her anger just resulted in growls and hisses, which only fueled the negative emotions thrown her way. Sometimes taciturn silence got her farther than speaking.

But this girl had a strange race within her. Something foreign and thus hated...but it was something prettier, fancier than a snake. Her skin had scales, her eyes betrayed everything about her, and she was barely ten years old and knew there was no redeeming herself. She wondered if Ayatah's mother was ashamed of her...as her mother was, if Ayatah's mother hit her like hers did....

These morbid thoughts were getting her nowhere and the half-breed snorted to herself.

Tinnok pushed her weight to her far heel, eyes growing a bit more serious before charging forward. She had given Ayatah plenty of time to recover from their strange bout of falling after all, it was back to training.

So she ran. It was a straight attack, almost like a bull charging, and thought she slashed forward with her dagger, it was a clumsy attack, the brunt of her weight flying into an elbow aimed for Aya's gut. It was a clumsy move and easily defensible, for there was no tricky secrets about it, merely a show of brawn that comparatively the half breed didn't possess much of.

[Ayatah]

Their peers turned back to their own spars, and Ayatah nodded in a satisfied manner. Her words would not stop them from staring in the future, or even later that day. But as a Half-breed, such attention was something that she would have to accept, even if she would go down kicking and screaming out insults.

”They’re not really worth it.”

Ayatah also shrugged her shoulders, partly in agreement with Tinnok’s words. They weren’t worth it, no, but simply accepting their insults was something Ayatah could not do. Although she couldn’t argue that she wasn’t half-Eypharian (that much was obvious), she could fight the fact she was a waste of space, an abomination, a hated daughter of Myri… and whatever else they could throw at her.

She glanced back to Tinnok, looking at those scales and how they shimmered in the sun, not unlike Ayatah’s own gilded skin. Paira had bought her half-breed daughter up with the same love and ferocity that a Myrian woman would bring up any child. She had to; mating with an Eypharian had been her choice - even if having a child out of the coupling had not exactly been part of her plan. Ayatah felt a coldness run down her spine following her next thought: no Myrian woman would choose to mate with a Dhani male, and so…

Ayatah frowned, eyes downcast and puzzling. It was thoughts such as these that were not worth it: the half-Eypharian and -Dhani were there, existing as such as any of their peers. Regardless of how they came to be (or indeed, the relationships behind the mating that bought them to this word), they would serve Myri the same as any other individual of their people. Clearly the Godess-Queen had accepted them both into the Myrian people, so what the shyke could anyone say about it?

The pain from her fall had just subsided when she turned back to Tinnok. Her mouth had been open to say something it seemed, but her eyes grew wide and her jaw clamped shut when she saw the other girl rushing towards her.

Their spar was not over yet, apparently.

The blow to Ayatah’s stomach made her double over and stumble backward. She clutched at her stomach, inhaling great breaths to regulate her lungs once again. There was some pain too, of course, but it was that feeling of having the air struck from her lungs that Ayatah did not appreciate.

She recuperated quickly though, and despite the slight light-headedness from her laboured breaths, she was ready to go again within a chime or two. Whereas Tinnok’s last attack had been about speed and strength, Ayatah’s was more patient and slow. Her movements were almost cat-like, stalking around the girl in slow and circling steps. She lunged forward, striking her dagger up and then down in a reverse hold. The first blow was towards Tinnok’s collarbone, and when Ayatah twisted her wrist to incorporate the second blade of her dagger, she struck the other girl’s waistline with the flat side of it.

Not a bad attack, but it left Ayatah’s entire left side completely unprotected, and what was it that her mother was always telling her about protecting your entire body? Surely it didn’t really matter…

|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||

[Tinnok]

Tinnok was surprised her attack had gotten through, and even more surprised at the swift retaliation.

Attempting to dodge Ayatah's incoming attack the half breed twisted her body, but did not account for trajectory of the attack. Instead of hitting her collar bone the dagger struck her full in the throat, causing the air to catch in her lungs and Tinnok to heave like a fish. She stumbled backwards, pain lancing through her as the secondary attack struck her hip bone, jarring and blunt.

She was so close to elegant, Tinnok wondered what kind of fearless warrior she would become when she was an adult. She reminded Tinnok of a jungle cat, patient and deadly, and she smiled at the thought of a tiger or leopard fighting a snake. Losing battle really.

She gasped a few more times, air slowly getting through to her lungs after the blow and rubbed her neck, sidling around Ayatah with a more measured and observant pace, sizing up the fellow half breed anew. Her peripheral vision could see her classmates, here the shouts and insults of her teacher. Surely the day was nearly over, it wasn't like the Myrians had so formal and rigid schooling that it lasted more than a few bells every day, yet time had seemed to pass quicker during their sparring bout.

She came in fast, but cautious. Only the balls of her feet brushed the ground as she dashed forward, deciding a more tempered display was in order. She twirled her body, not as graceful as Ayatah's dancing steps...but it was something. Her dagger was held in her right arm at a fake slash for the neck, but as she moved she attempted a technique she had seen her sister's use. She dropped the dagger, attempting to catch it in her opposite hand and deliver a true blow to Ayatah's gut again. The move would have gone splendidly if she hadn't failed to catch the dagger, wooden blade clattering to the ground. Instead Tinnok merely had to make due with her fist, and she heaved it toward her opponent's hip, grimacing at the shoddy display.

She felt leering eyes upon her from the back, and turned to see their mountain of an instructor, who spat upon the ground. "You attempt moves too advanced for your skill snake brain. Learn how to hold a knife before you go throwing it around. And you." Her gaze turned to the half-Eypharian. "Taking a blow then delivering it is no way to fight. Accepting a hit means you die, adapt to your opponent and respond in kind, don't take turns handing out blows, both of you."

She lurched off and Tinnok was surprised at how useful the information had been. Mayhaps the woman was just too tired taking care of younglings to insult them any more. One had to raise warriors no matter their blood, right?

[Ayatah]

oocOnce again I’m so sorry about this delay…Things are pretty hectic right now in life but things should calm down soon.

The sound of the other half-breed gasping and wheezing for breath made Aya stop in her tracks. She felt… what, guilt? But they were training; the point was to battle against your opponent and come out tops. But it was unusual for the half-Eypharian to be equal to her foe (in all aspects of the word).

But it seemed Tinnok recuperated well, so Ayatah pushed her concerns out of her mind, a smirk on her lips. Are you softening, Aya of the Scattered Bones? She asked herself, head tilted to one side as her dark eyes met those slitted yellow ones. The girl came forward fast, and Ayatah’s eyebrows jumped up in surprise at the sudden movement.

The dagger was coming in for her neck, and she tried to dodge down and left to avoid the blow. But as she dipped her head, Ayatah noticed the distinct lack of dagger in the half-breed’s hand. Now that was puzzling…

She did not, however, have time to consider what had happened. A hard punch slammed into her hipbone, knocking her backwards and once again onto the floor. After landing on her back, she struggled back up to her feet just before their teacher spoke. After the huge woman was out of earshot, Ayatah brushed herself down and muttered something out of the corner of her mouth: ”It’s all well and good her teaching us, but how long do you think it’s been since she’s done any physical activity?” Her words were accompanied by a smirk and a glint in those dark eyes. It was certainly uncommon for an individual to be so gruesomely large in Taloba.

The day was wearing on, and the other children surrounding them were beginning to pant and complain of muscle ache. There would be new bruises spattered around Ayatah’s skin, she knew, and cuts and scraps from her meetings with the ground. But still…

”This has been fun,” she admitted, eyes downcast and looking at the training double-bladed dagger in her hands, ”but how about we show these damn pure-bloods why we’re more than their equals?” And that grin was on her face once more. Ayatah stepped backwards quickly to open up a gap between the two girls. ”Loser of this round has to do something for the winner, how about that?”

It was a child-like dare in truth, but more importantly for Ayatah, it promised socialisation after their training. I am fed up with having to share my company with moronic full-bloods she decided, nodding to cement her own thoughts. But she did not want the promise of friendship to dampen her sparring prowess, so Aya didn’t wait long before rushing towards Tinnok, dagger in her right hand and in a reverse grip.

If the half-woman, half-mountain wanted a proper spar, Ayatah was more than happy to deliver it.

|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||

[Tinnok]

Tinnok certainly couldn't begrudge the whiners their act. She was growing weary. Children's muscles and bones were strong, just not meant for extended periods of great energy loss it would seem.

But despite her weariness, Tinnok's body sang with fulfillment. No getting kicked to the dirt because she was a snake, only because she had failed or truly deserved it against this Ayatah. It felt nice really, and the half breed tried to enjoy this pain as much as she could, for it's origins sat well with her.

She chuckled at Ayatah's insult and shrugged, voice hushed. "She probably just eats the students that don't listen to her."

She cocked her head to the side curiously when Ayatah spoke. Truth be told she was enjoying this as well. She liked the other girl's attitude, this pride that Tinnok simply didn't carry in herself seeming to exude from the girl's gilded pores. Show the others that they were more than equals? She liked the sound of that...and that competitive edge filled her with Ayatah's next words. "Deal." The half breed agreed.

And then they were at it again. Tinnok paid close attention to the way the girl gripped the dagger, swiping at her furiously. The distinct clacking noise of wood striking wood echoed throughout the clearing as two daggers slammed together. Tinnok's eyes widened as Ayatah brought the other blade of the dagger down and around, forcing the half breed to leap back and doge the blow, only for Tinnok to lunge back in with a swipe at her stomach.

To the children's credit they listened to the instructor's advice. Tinnok tried to think of her moves as a direct response to Ayatah's, fluid like water instead of back and forth like a game of ball. She remembered a game some of the elders played with strange wooden carvings. Tinnok didn't like it too much for their were too many rules, but she recalled them saying the key was to always be thinking of many possibilities for just one would lose you the game.

And so the children danced their upon the ground, trampled by hundreds of feet long before their time. Tinnok's breaths came in heaving gasps, but if she were to lose this duel it wasn't going to be without a fight. She stepped and rotated, arms and chest getting smacked by the dagger, but giving back just as good as she got.

Until one end of the double bladed dagger lay against her throat and she saw a triumphant glow in Ayatah's eyes.

Tinnok smiled. You win...this time. So what will it be?"

For a moment she was struck with the horror that this all might be a ruse, that her friendly manners and fierce contrary attitude might all be a ploy to lure the half breed in. She was a bit young to be this paranoid, but then again...her life had begun harsh and only continued to be so. Expecting the best in people was something she simply couldn't do. The thought horrified her, and she dreaded the words that the half breed would say next, hoping it wouldn't end in her own humiliation.

[Ayatah]

The game certainly seemed to have changed. Following the orders of their teacher, the two girls set about not simply striking-and-stopping, but full on competing. Some blows were blocked, some other hits their target, but the match was a pretty equal one. Despite the raps that landed on her bare skin, Ayatah did not give in, and she was pleased that her foe didn’t either.

Their feet shuffled backwards and forwards, sometimes in elaborate circles or arcs to dodge a swing. Ayatah had always been told that moving ones feet was crucial in battle, but it was a challenge to unite her swift hands with equally swift feet. More than once she stumbled, but managed to straighten herself back up before falling.

The other half-breed had a single-bladed dagger, which Ayatah would have assumed to be a disadvantage: two blades are better than one, right? Well, apparently not necessarily. She watched Tinnok’s hands, paying close attention to how her fingers were positioned differently for various holds. The other girl could even wrap her hand around the pummel of the handle to drive Ayatah away with a forceful bladed punch. There is a lesson to be learnt here, the half-Eypharian reflected, glancing down to her own dagger, double the blades means half the dexterity.

She would have to accommodate.

Wood clattered against wood, and the girls jumped backwards away from each other, only to come forwards once again almost instantly. There were no smiles or laughter now, but neither was there animosity. Both girls wanted to be victorious of course, but there was no hatred between like there would be should one be pureblooded.

Then the fighting stopped. Ayatah’s dagger was pointed straight at Tinnok’s pulsating throat, but it appeared to take the young girl a chime or two to realise she had won. ”Good fight… half-breed.” The dagger was retracted away, and Ayatah wore an easy grin. That final word she had spoken was not an insult, but something close to a compliment, ”I might by shiny you’re damn quick.”

Then her smile faded, and a frown furrowed across that fine brow. Ayatah pursed her lips, her head tilted to one side. She did not want to lose this promise of friendship, that much she knew. Despite her cool and witty psyche, Aya was the same as any child outcast; a little lonely and suspicious. ”You have to spar with me again. Another time.” She nodded to cement the dare (though it was decidedly less disgusting and scary than any other challenge she had set a person before). But it guaranteed a second meeting, and for Ayatah that was good enough.

|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||

[Tinnok]

The half Eypharian kept her in suspense for a few moments, puzzling out the reward she sought. Eyes widened, then returned to their normal size with a sigh of relief as Ayatah spoke. So it was not all a facade after all.

Her body relaxed and she took a step back from her opponent in order to give them the space to hold a normal conversation, turning the wooden weapon around in her hand as she saw tired and bruised children return their weapons to the rack and return home. For them it would be chores and duties until supper, where they would eat with their clan at the long tables. As they sent hated glances their way, Tinnok sent envious ones back. To live such a life that was normal and functioning as getting beaten when you did something wrong...it was a lifestyle she simply couldn't imagine. After all, how did a child function properly when her clan always saw her as wrong?

But that was neither here nor there. The terms of the deal had been offered and as Ayatah nodded to complete the transaction, so too did Tinnok. She had made a friend this day, and not one that crawled upon leaves or slithered through the grass. A friend just as strange as she, if not so disgusting. "Deal." She paused a moment then. It was not often that she had any need to be polite or friendly to individuals that would not give her the same courtesy, and so it took the work of a few ticks for her to summon a competent farewell. She gave a little bow, the last gesture as a loser to the victor, and placed her dagger to her chest, as she had seen her own clan members do with their favored weapons. It was generally used as a sign of respect. "It was an honor, Ayatah of the Scattered Bones."

The half breed gave a wane smile and went to put her wooden weapon back. She had a long trek out of the city and back to the Tempered Steel Longhouses. It was best she get moving. But this...this would keep her for some time. After all, the other half breed had made a promise, and Myrians (half or no) didn't break those.

[Limey]

Tinnok Skill and Lore Rewards Skills Lore Observation 2 Make 'Em Think You're Crazy Intimidation 1 Wary Of New People Dagger 2 Don't Take It Easy On Anyone Tactics 2 Battles Are Not Just Physical Brawling 3 Avoiding Your Opponent's Reach Acrobatics 3 Keeping Your Head In The Game Ayatah: Too Long For Her Own Good The Fear Of Lies Craving A Normal Life Ayatah Skill and Lore Rewards Skills Lore Observation 5 Rather Stupid Than Shiny Acrobatics 3 A Familiar Perspective Dagger 4 A Proper Stance For Knife-Fighting Tactics 2 Dancing And Dodging: Close Enough Unarmed Combat 1 Don't Leave Yourself Open Double-Bladed Dagger: Half The Dexterity Honor In Victory Shared Lore: The Lonely Childhood Of Half-Breeds Words Can Hurt More Half-Breeds United Sparring And Speaking Simultaneously The Upper Hand (Or The Hand Left Standing) Deception: Tricksy, But Very Effective... Pain And Laughter: Myrian Bonding Myrians: Raising Warriors Regardless Don't Overstep Your Skills Fight Is Hardest At The End New Bonds Additional Notes : Wow, great work as usual, guys. I always hate grading these threads, because I get so caught up in the great storytelling that I forget to dole out lores and XP! You both crafted a beautiful meeting here. Tinnok, I loved the opening paragraphs with Rarik. Just... awesomely cute. But you succeeded in evoking the heartbreaking loneliness of a half-Dhani in Taloba very well, which would probably be like growing up half-7th Cavalry in a Sioux tribe. Ayatah, as always your characterizations were impressive, and your combat writing is improving nicely. I like the contrast, too, between your own half-breed status, which is not nearly as viciously persecuted as Tinnok's is, but still results in her feeling lonely and cast out. Any questions or queries, please PM me.