Friends in Snowy Places. (Zisien)

by **Etori Whitevine** on October 3rd, 2013, 4:43 am

71st of Fall, 513

Etori awoke that morning yet again to the sound of Sana scratching and barking at her bedroom door. The vantha tossed the blankets from her being and sat up before yelling with a grumble in her tone. “Alright! I’m awake, I’m awake!” With a long sigh she got out of bed and walked over to the little grey puppy. Sana turned around and barked playfully at her. Etori kneeled down in front of the pup and gently stroked her face. A smile played on her lips as she acknowledged Sana didn’t bite her in the moment of contact. The bandages wrapped around her hand caught her attention as she stroked the puppy. She recalled that the bites Sana had unleashed upon her were more emotionally painful than physically. Etori had a pretty high pain tolerance when it came to physical pain. But, emotional pain was a whole other story. Her emotions hit her hard to say the least. Despite Sana’s first impressions of Etori, she was determined to change her mind.
Things between them were certainly beginning to change. The little pup had awakened Etori at the crack of dawn for the past few days and she defiantly wasn’t used to getting up this early. She had a feeling it would become a habit pretty soon whether she wanted it too or not. But Etori found herself enjoying the time she spent with Sana on her excitable morning walks. Something about the puppy’s enthusiasm soothed her.
Sana barked suddenly and startled Etori which caused her to jump back. The puppy looked up at her with an innocent expression. Etori blinked back before a chuckle escaped her lips. She lifted herself from the floor and placed her hands on her hips.
“Don’t worry. I know. You want to go for walk don’t you, girl.”
Sana barked before she ran around in a little circle and looked back up at Etori expectantly.
The vantha let out another sigh before she went over to her chest to gather her cloak and short sword. Finally having equipped the items Etori quickly ran over to the door and opened it letting the excited puppy run down the hall of Arvinta barking mad. "I guess it is another late breakfast for us." Etori mumbled to herself before chasing after Sana.

It snowed that morning and Etori couldn't have wished for more perfect weather. The snow was truly beautiful to her. She strolled casually through the snowy streets of Avanthal keeping a close eye on the scampering puppy a few feet ahead of her. Sana really liked going for walks which Etori didn’t mind. It got her out of her bedroom, away from her studies and tossed her into the real world. It also gave Etori a chance to stop by The Tundra Training Stadium to practice wielding her short sword. Within a few minutes the large stadium came into sight. The ice encased arena was almost breath taking. It had always been one of Etori's favourite places in Avanthal. Her and her brother would come here in secret to practice wielding swords. It was a place that held a lot of memories of him.

As Etori watched Sana run ahead to The Tundra Training Stadium’s entrance she smiled to herself. It was so strange. She only had the puppy for about 11 days now and it didn’t take very kindly to her at first, yet she had made such an impact on Etori’s life already. She really enjoyed the little canines company. It was much better than being alone...she had been completely alone since her brother’s death and it had been hard for her to accept he was gone. She almost felt that she had died with her brother, she had changed at lot since his death. She couldn't really remember the last time she had fun or even smiled. At least now...the little puppy could bring a smile to her face.

As Etori made her way over to the entrance something caught her attention and caused her to halt. An image of her brother Saon stood at the front of the entrance with smile on his face he waved at her. Devotion and persistence pouring from his being. Etori couldn’t help but smile and wave back, even though it was just a memory, or maybe a figment of her imagination. Watching as the memory of her brother walked into the stadium Etori was reminded of why she was here. In that moment she became more determined than ever to join The Icewatch. It had been a little over two years since her older brother died and she felt as if she hadn’t made any progress at all. After returning to Avanthal her mind had become so focused on her medical studies she lost sight of her main goal. This frustrated Etori to no end. How could she be so selfish as to neglect her promise? It was more than a promise to herself, it was a promise to her brother. One that meant a lot to her. She was willing to do whatever it took to be accepted into The Icewatch. She had to take her training more seriously…but it was hard on her own. Perhaps she could find a mentor? But she was too ashamed to ask anyone for a favor and there was no one she could trust. Etori shrugged, she had to try and who knew what was waiting for her around the next corner.
“I’ll give it my best shot, for you brother.” She said with a smile in her voice before she ran off into the Stadium to catch up with Sana.

by **Zisien** on October 3rd, 2013, 5:41 am

Zisien sat on the floor of the Tundra Stadium with a small white towel wrapped around the back of her neck. She had just spent the last bell practicing the basic and intermediate katas, especially the latter, of her fighting form. As of late the silver hair woman has had the stadium to herself so she brought along Kaneli. The kelvic had managed to work up a nice sweat and was taking a small break but not for herself but for her puppy.

The rambunctious ball of red fur quickly had grown bored while Zisien practiced and created all kinds of mischief throughout the stadium. In an attempt to appease the pup, the silver hair woman was playing a game of tug-of-war with her with a spare towel. Despite Kaneli's small stature, she was amazingly strong with a firm bite.

Since buying Kaneli, the two have grown close and the puppy officially trusted and was use to Zisien's polar bear form. They were practically inseparable except when the polar bear had to attend to her Icewatch duties, where Kaneli would stay in their room.

Zisien let Kaneli win a few times before scratching her under her chin and getting up. "Ok you little bugger, I need to finish practicing before I cool down completely and have to start all over again."

Kaneli understood Zisien for the most part and seemed to give her a look of 'Aw I still want to play.' Chuckling at the cute face, Zisien made her way to a practice dummy, trusting the pup enough to leave her to her own devices. The dummy was old, worn and barely recognizable for what it was. It had deep cuts and partially chunks taken out of it in random spots from holding up against various assaults from practitioners pummeling it.

Zisien squared off before the battered dummy and started with her punching and elbow strike combinations. Her cold steel gauntlets easily absorb the blows allowing the kelvic to smoothly flow from one move to the next, increasing the difficulty of the combos.

She was deeply engrossed in practicing and wasn't really expecting anyone to join her, Zisien didnt hear the footsteps of another entering.

by **Etori Whitevine** on October 18th, 2013, 9:16 am

OOC :

Sana scampered into the stadium before Etori had a chance to catch up with her. The little pup stopped in her tracks upon entering and caught a scent she immediately recognized. With eager eyes Sana scanned the stadium were the figure of a little spice coat puppy caught her eye. Sana's high pitched bark echoed throughout the stadium before the little canine bolted towards the other puppy at full speed. Sana tackled the spice coat and all that could be seen was a ball of grey and red fur rolling around on the ground with the occasional sound of excited yelps. The two sisters were united in that moment.

“I want…I want to be strong. I want to be able to protect people…at all costs.” Etori thought to herself as she walked through the dark entrance.

Etori entered the stadium moments after Sana. It appeared empty, or so she thought. The nostalgia of the environment caught her off guard and she found herself recalling memories of Saon once again. Images were beginning to form in her mind when playful barks interrupted the process and brought her crashing back to the present. A little panic fluttered in her chest as she looked around the stadium for the sight of Sana worried about the puppy’s whereabouts. A sign of relief was quickly replaced by a look of concern once Etori spotted the grey pup with another little puppy. But that wasn't what concerned her. A tall silver haired woman stood a few feet away from them and looked in deep concentration as she practiced her techniques on an old battered looking dummy.
Etori couldn’t help but find her appearance a little intimidating. She looked quite strong and well-built compared to Etori’s skinny frame. The woman would easily beat her in a fight by the looks of it. She found herself watching the young woman as she punched and elbowed the battered dummy before her. There was something inspirational about the way she fought and handled herself. Her fighting techniques put Etori in a trance as she spectated with an expression of admiration on her face.

Etori’s concern had withered away and she realised the woman must be the guardian of the red pup and that Sana was most likely disturbing their time in the stadium. Etori didn’t want Sana to be such a nuisance as to distract the woman from her training that she appeared to be engrossed in. Etori had to shake her head so she could tear her eyes away from the determined kelvic before she dashed over to Sana. The pups appeared to be playing when Etori sneaked up behind Sana and took her into her arms. Sana excitedly struggled a little in Etori grasp but Etori was determined to get the distracting pup away from the pair. Etori wasn’t sure if the woman was even aware of her presence but she felt she had to apologise for Sana’s behavior.

“I’m sorry to have disturbed you.” Etori muttered under her breath while she stared down at the ground, afraid she would be entranced by the woman again. She went to turn away but Sana leaped out of her arms which caused Etori to lose her balance. Etori fell back onto her bottom and watched with an annoyed expression as Sana scampered back over to the spice coat. The two puppies barked playfully once again. Etori sighed as she stood up and patted her bottom. If the woman wasn’t disturbed before, she most defiantly would be now.

by **Zisien** on October 29th, 2013, 2:53 am

xx
Zisien had switched to cross jabs to practice a quick offense and then in a defensive position to block a possible counterattack.
The kelvic definitely was deeply engrossed in punching the poor dummy. In the back of her mind she registered Kaneli, barking and obviously playing but nothing more. She should have realized that the barking was not coming from Kaneli alone.

The young pup didnt sound like it was in immediate danger so Zisien brushed it off. It wasn't until she heard someone apologized did she stop and turn around. The source of the voice belong to a Vantha woman. She was close to her height a little shorter though. She seemed to be the exact opposite of Zisien, apparence wise. Jet black hair with green highlights, lanky build, and pale skin. While Zisien's eyes were dark emeralds her's were vibrant green for now at least.

Looking down at Kaneli, she noticed another ball of destruction but grey in color instead. Must be from the same litter Zisien thought to herself. The polar bear redirected her attention back the Vantha."It's no problem. I'm actually glad your pup distracted Kaneli or she is subject to be chewing on the equipment again." Zisien said as she squatted in front of her ward, scratching her belly.

Giving her an authentic Zisien smile, she offered a hand out. "I'm Zisien by the way and as I said before this little tornado of annilation is Kaneli. I'm guessing yours is from the same litter?" Normally she would have bombared the girl with questions by now but she seemed so timid, best not to scare off so soon.
x

by **Etori Whitevine** on October 29th, 2013, 6:05 am

Etori eyed the two pups as they played with an expression of annoyance across her features. Sana licked the pup before she nudged it and pounced around it playfully. Etori couldn’t help but feel jealous, as Sana was giving the other puppy more affection than she had ever given her in the time they had spent together. She wondered what it would take for Sana to behave that way towards her. Affection had always been a foreign topic for Etori, she never received affections from animals or other people for that matter. At least, not since she lost her family… Her brother had been the main source for her affections, a few times she had become spontaneous and surprised him in some way or another with a kind gesture. And occasionally he would return them to her with a song or some swordplay practise. But what about now…who showed her affection now? Sometimes her patients would thank her, she supposed that was as close to any type of affection she would receive. She just had to accept that she was alone now. Even with Sana by her side…she still felt alone. Surely the pup had filled a place in her heart. Though there was still a majority of vacant emptiness that remained unfilled.

Etori was pulled out of her thoughts by a friendly voice that sounded as if it were addressing her. That was when she saw the silver haired woman squat down towards the puppy’s and scratch the belly of her own pup. Etori stared at her in awe. The woman appeared quite different up close, especially as she treated her puppy with fondness. It was almost as if she had become a completely different person from the intimidating woman she watched almost beat the stuffing out of the practise dummy with her powerful strikes and combos. Etori noticed she was very beautiful, in an athletic way. Her dark emerald eyes met Etori’s vibrant green when the woman had stretched out her hand and introduced herself as Zisien and her puppy as Kaneli.
All Etori could bring herself to do was stare at Zisien’s hand. Her socially awkward side always seemed to get the better of her whenever she was confronted by another person. She seemed to think it was easier to just walk away or be rude so that she was left in solitude. Anything to her was easier than interacting with another being. It was harder not to walk away, it was harder to try and be sociable, it was harder to try and be ‘normal’. All these things frightened her in a sense, simply because she hadn’t had much experience. She didn’t have anyone she could call a friend. And people tended to avoid her due to her rumoured misfortune…

“Just walk way, just walk away...” Etori thought to herself. But moments passed and she couldn’t bring herself to do it. There was just something in the woman’s eyes that told her she wasn’t like most people…At least, she wasn’t a Vantha. “So she could be different…” She thought with reassurance. The least Etori could do was return her kindness by exchanging her name with a shake of her hand. With a sense of uneasiness Etori extended her hand to meet Zisien’s with a gentle grip. She held her hand in a rather awkward fashion instead of shaking it. Some time had passed before Etori was able to find her voice.

“I’m Etori, and that little creature down there goes by the name of Sana.” She half smirked before she added “They seem to know each other. I am betting they are from the same litter...A coincidence really...” the words that came from her mouth sounded so odd to her own ears, surely the woman would think so too. She almost wished she hadn’t spoken at all.

It had been so long since she had last shaken hands with another person so she had forgotten about the letting go part. A timid flush met her cheeks as she stood and held the young woman’s hand. Unsure of what to do or say next. She awaited Zisien’s response. The feeling of wanting to walk away remained but began to fleet away with each second that passed in the presence of her new company.

by **Ablation** on January 24th, 2014, 9:48 pm

Etori :

Please don't be afraid to PM me with any questions ^-^ and please don't forget to remove your grading request from the list to keep Lullz Office spick and span.

Closed Friends in Snowy Places. (Zisien)