[Tuvya Sasaran] Enter the Grasshopper (Closed)

[Kailey]

Timestamp: Spring 50, 515 AV Kailey had been well within the Akalak's homeland for some time now, and as such, she had begun to grow used to the place. The novelty of the waterfall in the backdrop had worn off, as did their rules, which she had viewed as strange. She no longer was caught by surprise as those with dark blue skin walked past. Or those with red or green. She no longer questioned where to turn left or right, or where to go on straight ahead. She no longer needed to consult her map, or ask directions to get from one place or another, and finally, could say with some certainty that she now knew how to get around Riverfall, (although, she still got lost from time to time. Although, she'd never admit as much). And with this knowledge, came an even greater knowledge of knowing which structures were houses, and which were public places- meeting grounds, government buildings, areas to get good food and bad. A place even, where she had heard that combat was taught. Well two places- one for unarmed practices, and one for armed, and since it was raining, she decided to give one of those two places its initial visit- the place that taught unarmed combat, as it was raining and she had nothing better to do. Thus, Kailey sped through the city streets until she reached the Tuvya Sasaran, and headed inside. Once within she shook herself out, and pulled off her shoes, putting them in the row beside the others as the scent of incense and sweat filled her nostrils. She smiled weakly as she closed her eyes, and allowed herself to soak it in a moment, until the sound of someone clearing their throat drew her out of her time alone. Kailey opened her eyes only to find herself head to mid-chest with an Akalak. A deep blue-skinned one with dark black hair, left down, although the front, where his bangs were, was thinly braided. He had no facial hair, pale blue eyes, and a large nose. He wore no shoes, and only a simple, loose-fitting pair of trousers. No shirt, so that his abs and his arm muscles were exposed. They bulged as he folded his arms over his chest, and stared down at Kailey. His expression seemingly cold as he asked, "may I help you?" Kailey nodded. "I heard that you can come here and learn how to fight," she said, as she listened to the sound of shouting men. Load thumps and crashes. The Akalak nodded. "Is this true?" she asked, (although she already knew that it was). The Akalak nodded. "Can I be taught here?" the Kelvic inquired. The Akalak nodded. "But it will cost you." Kailey said nothing. Of course, she thought to herself. "But we can discuss that later," the Akalak said. "Depending on how often you come to learn, and for how long," he paused, "do you know that yet?" Kai shook her head. "Very well," the Akalak replied, as he took a moment to consider. "Have you had any formal training, do you know how to fight at all?" The Kelvic shook her head, tousling her long mane of hair. "No training... and minimal experience." She paused. "So not very well." The Akalak said nothing for a moment. "Fine," he continued as he unfolded his arms and waved her along, "follow me," he added, as he turned abruptly upon his heels and began to lead the Kelvic through the building. Through a small hall that ended with another sliding door, the same as the first entrance. "Right this way," he said, as he stopped beside it to open the door, revealing a room with a padded floor. Another Akalak instructor standing in the corner, who looked much the same as the first, and a few Akalak training in the center under his supervision. Four stuffed training dolls in each of the corners, and little other adornment. The Akalak waited at the entrance, so Kailey did the same. Until they were finally acknowledged a few minutes later when she had begun to fidget, hopping lightly back and forth on the balls of her feet. "Yes?" the Akalak asked, as he came to stand in front of them, allowing Kai to realize that his eyes seemed a near white. "I've brought another student for you Soren," the first man said. Soren nodded. "Just test her out for today, see what she can do. Then we can see if we need to place her elsewhere." "Standard," Soren replied, as the first Akalak smiled, and then moved away, closing the door behind him, and leaving Kailey all alone in a room filled with five, large burly Akalak males.

[Kailey]

"Come," Soren beckoned, as he led Kailey away from the door, and further into the room. He moved her over to the far corner, and stopped in front of a dummy that seemed as though it were stuffed with some sort of hay or grass, (as a little poked out of the seams), and it smelled faintly of the earth. Soren folded his arms over his chest as he stood beside the dummy. "I have to discern how much you already know in order to place you," he explained, his voice calm, yet it felt cold to Kailey as it washed over her. "Decide what areas you have to work on- what needs tweaking, and what you can build upon." Kailey nodded. "Ok." "So first, I'd like you to hit the target," Soren instructed. "In whatever way feels right and natural to you." Kailey nodded. "Alright," she said as Soren stepped farther aside to give her even more room as she came forward, and turned to face the dummy. She took a deep breath as she eased onto the points of her toes, and hopped lightly between them, as though she were half-heartedly jogging in place. The Kelvic took a deep breath to clear her throat as she rocked between her feet. Her body swaying lightly as she squared her feet, (so that either rested beside the dummy, although a few steps back, with her toes directed toward it). She raised her arms them, cocking them at the elbows, as she held them out in front of her and took another deep breath as she balled her hands into fists. Ok, Kailey thought, as she eyed the dummy, here goes, her mind added as she pulled her right arm back, and then thrust it forward, jabbing at the target's belly. Soren grunted, but said nothing for a moment, as unsure what else to do with herself, Kailey retracted her hand, and repeated the process, but this time, thrust a little harder. Thwack, on the target, but no words as she retracted her hand, and bounced even more nervously on her toes. Fidgety, always fidgety when someone looked at her with their eyes. Staring, always staring so intently, like they wanted to eat her. The Kelvic choked the thought down however, and the urge to flee, as the Akalak finally spoke. "Well enough, but how you do kick?" he asked. "Same request as before- whatever feels right and natural to you." Kailey looked at him out of the corner of her vision as she spoke, unwilling to say anything as she swallowed the clump of saliva that had gathered in the back of her throat. "Ok," she stammered nervously as she took another step back and prepared herself for a kick.

[Kailey]

Kailey continued to rock from one foot to the other, over and over again. She eyed the dummy as she took one final, deep breath, and as she sprang up into the delicate hop of her right foot, swept it off the ground, using the momentum from her steps to propel it forward, through the air. As it did so, it bent slightly at the knee before straightening as it came closer to the target, and the girl's weight shifted as she twisted at the waist, following the natural urges of her hip. Her arms held into her chest, as finally, the flat, upper portion of her foot barreled into the side of the dummy, just about where the top of the hip on a person would end. A second later, Kailey retracted her leg, and stood mute, as she awaited for further instruction from Soren. For a time, he said nothing, simply allowing the various sounds of the training ground to fill the air. "Not bad," the Akalak finally said, appraising her. "Your kicks seem to be better than your punches- more solid, but like anything, they could likely use some work." Kailey nodded, she had expected as much. "But before we can do that- we have to fix one rather important thing: your stance, it's all wrong," Soren explained. "It is?" Kailey asked, intrigued, as she didn't know there was a wrong way and a right way to stand. As far as she was concerned, there was standing, and more standing. Sitting and crouching and kneeling too. But standing was standing, all the same. Or so she had thought. Apparently not. Soren nodded. "Yes," he said, "you present to much of a target to your enemies," he explained. "Oh," Kailey responded, as she blinked a few times. "You want to stand like this," Soren explained, as he began to shift his stance. Placing the right leg before the left, about a foot apart from each other. The right foot pointed ahead of him, the left, toward the left side so that they formed a ninety degree ankle. Once this was done, he sank into his knees, and remained still, not adding the sort of spring to his step that Kailey did, (even when she wasn't stepping). Subtly, the Akalak shifted his upper half, rotating his torso by the waist, so that it faced his left side, but his gaze was still directed ahead of him, toward the dummy. His gaze hardening as he raised his arms, until they were level with his middle, at which point, he bent them at the elbow, so that they were a few inches above his hip bones. Held out a few inches before him, with his hands a little farther up, level with his chin, (or about there). They had been balled into fists, with the thumb tucked against the side of his other, furled fingers. "Do you see the difference?" Soren asked. Kailey nodded, it had been a bit different than her forward facing stance; which made it appear as though she wanted to talk to a person, and give her undivided attention to them. "This way, there's less of you to jab at," he explained. Kailey nodded. "Now you," Soren instructed, spurring Kailey to sink into the same stance as he. Although, he nudged the back of her knees with his foot, causing her to sink more deeply into the stance. "Good, how does that feel?" Soren asked. Kailey shrugged. "To stiff, I want to hop." She paused, "it feels better that way- like I'm ready instead of waiting." Soren considered this for a moment as he came out of his own stance and appraised her. "Alright, ease up on the knees a little, but don't shift your feet as you did as you did before." Kailey obeyed. "Does that seem better?" "Yes," Kailey replied. "Great, now that that's settled, we can work on adjusting your own form of unarmed combat," Soren instructed. "Let us begin with the use of your fists as that is what needs the most work right now." "Ok," Kailey replied.

[Kailey]

"Lets work on your basic jab today," the Akalak continued. "We'll begin by settling into our starting stance, and then, start with the right hand." Kailey nodded. "Just pull the arm back a bit," the instructor continued as he drew his arm away from Kailey, moving it until his fist rested against his side, and his arm was curled; tucked neatly below his armpit. His elbow hovering in the air about a foot behind the rest of his body; cocked, ready to move. Kailey mimicked what she was shown; and the Akalak appraised her silently, offering a weak smile before nudging her to turn her fingers a bit here; move them over a bit there to form a better fist. "Good," Soren said, "now when you punch, push your entire arm forward. Don't roll it, although some twist the arm at the end of the punch. Just, direct it ahead of you, at the target for this one." Kailey nodded. "Ok." Kailey took a deep breath as she rocked forward, and then back on her feet. Ok, she told herself as she took one last breath, before allowing her arm to spring forward. It seemed to move awkwardly, or at least it felt awkward, as though the back of her arm wanted to come forward before it should have. "Again," Soren instructed, causing Kailey to retract her arm, before throwing the punch again. "Again," Soren said again, forcing Kailey to repeat the process, and then try it with her other arm. Moving the right forward when the left crept back, and vice versa. Punching the air over and over, until sweat appeared on her brow as her face reddened. "Good," he said, after what felt to the Kelvic like an eternity. "Now I want you to punch me." "Mr. Soren?" Kailey asked as she turned to him confusedly. "Punch me," Soren said again. Leaving the if you can, bit out. "I need to see how strong you are for myself." Kailey nodded. She must have seemed nervous; and she was. She wasn't sure it was wise to go around punching your teachers, even if they told you that's what they wanted.

[Kailey]

Kailey gulped. Alright, she thought, as she wound her fists up, and punched at Soren with her right fist, aiming for his pectoral. She made contact a moment later, and a loud crack sounded. His flesh pushed back as she retracted her arm, and he grunted, as though he hadn't felt a thing. "Again," he barked, as she waited. And again Kailey did, but with the other arm. Hitting him to the right of his belly button. Soren didn't so much as wince, as he nodded ever so slightly, and Kailey repeated the process over and over again. Snapping her arms forward, thrusting her fist into the Akalak's body repeatedly as though he were the punching bag, and not the dummy sagging beside them. Finally, after sweat began to pore down the Kelvic's forehead more freely, she was instructed to stop. So Kailey pulled back and looked up at her teacher expectantly, while wiping sweat off her brow with the back of her hand. "That's good for today- I know your strength now," Soren commented. "Come back soon and we shall continue- or another teacher will if I am not available." Kailey nodded, and offered a little bow of her head. "Thank you," she said, before hopping away to retrieve her things, and grab a bite to eat.

[Aoren]

Kailey

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Socialization	+2 EXP
Negotiation	+1 EXP
Tactics	+2 EXP
Unarmed Combat	+4 EXP
Meditation	+1 EXP
Observation	+2 EXP
Endurance	+2 EXP

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	Tactics: Points Of Interest On Abdomen
•	Unarmed Combat: Proper Offensive Stance
•	Unarmed Combat: Proper Jab

Notes :

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