OOCThis thread starts in one place, then moves to another. It is being posted in the second location. Timestamp: Fall 30, 512 AV Tal found herself to be alone again, atop the roof of her apartment building, and those that were conjoined to it. The air was largely still, and seemed heavy despite the season, although it blew from time to time, stirring the dark black hair she had left down. It tickled the bare skin around her shoulders, as she stared out into the openness above the rooftops, toward the horizon of the taller, often domed buildings that rested in the distance. She breathed deeply, in through her nose, and out through her mouth, cleansing her soul as much as she could as her hand closed around the hilt of her dagger, and she unsheathed it, before pulling it out and into the open. She closed her eyes a moment, and breathed deeply again, before opening her eyes and preparing herself for the commencement of her training session. She extended her right arm, which held the blade, before her. She tilted the metal upward, so the point faced the sky, while she ran her free hand reverently over the metal as she sank into her starting position. Right foot ahead of the left, right pointed ahead, left to the left, a ninety degree angle. Legs bent at their centers, so that she was crouched. Left dropping from the blade, to be tucked safely behind her back, while the right arm cocked itself, and was held just before the chest. Her body was tilted to the side, presenting less of a target as she slid forward and slashed at the air. Talya slid forward again. She drew her blade up and down, as though she were painting a picture with broad strokes. Then she forced the blade down, before sweeping it back up in a diagonal toward the space where one's right shoulder may be. From there, she drew the blade across to the opposite shoulder, before pulling it directly down toward the hip. She then skipped away a few paces, making some room between herself and her imaginary opponent, before she darted forward again and spun around, allowing her arm to swing with her, as she came out of the twirl, she thought she could hear someone clearing their throat. She blinked a few times, and noticed a man standing in the corner of the roof. He had dark brown hair, left long so that it flowed past his shoulders. He had it tied into a ponytail. He had tanned skin, a beak of a nose, and pale green eyes. He wore a dark shirt, and dark blue pants, with a black cloak over it. He had brown suede boots on. Talya blinked a few times, as though she couldn't believe he was there. She sheathed her dagger. "I thought myself alone," she called to him. "You were," the man replied, his voice both low and deep. "For awhile." Talya's brow furrowed. She found something about this man to be unnerving. "And then?" she asked. "I arrived, and saw you here." Talya nodded. "Why did you come?" she asked. "To train, much as yourself, ironically," the stranger replied. "It's often empty, and provides more space than our rooms." "This is true." "But it has not the room for two," the man began, "and it's a shame, as you need the space far more than me- your form is weak. Off." He paused, "in short, it needs a lot of work. I can help you there, if you'd like." Talya's eyes narrowed. "For free of course, as you'd be helping me train as well. Think of it, as a sort of exchange..." "Ok," Talya said. "But as I mentioned before... there isn't enough room here, so we might be better off in the forest. There is a lot of open space in some areas, we can use, and we wouldn't run the risk of driving each other off the roof." "Fine," Talya replied. The man smirked. "Let us go then-" "Talya." "Martin." "We can be there within the hour." Talya nodded. ______________ Talya had made it in about a bell, and found a clearing within the trees. A space of about thirty feet by thirty, a rough circle, ringed by what looked to be evergreens, and perhaps a few oaks and maples. Their leaves largely fallen, if no orange or red in color. At the center was green grass, their tips dried and browning. A few dead plants scattered throughout that, but they weren't recognizable. The air was cool there, but not as much as it would have been if they were out in the open, and the sun failed to break through the trees. But Martin never came. He would have stood on one end, and Talya at the other. She waited, wondering if his boat across the lake was simply a lot slower. Several minutes passed, but no one came, and she grew impatient, she supposed it was not meant to be so, and shrugged, before determining that she would simply practice on her own, while keeping his image in mind- so that it would be like she were studying with someone all along. |