Clangs of Metal (Eliro)

[Talya]

Timestamp: Summer 51, 515 AV The day was young; the sky painted a soft blue, with wisps of white marring its otherwise clear face. Slender clouds intermingling with smaller white, fluffy ones, while the sun poked out from behind their bodies now and again, as the wind blew them on by. Or perhaps, the world's rotation urged them farther onwards, across the northern canvas. The sun's rays filtered down through the air. They were warm, but not to warm. A pale yellow in shade, that countered the cool breeze that blew in from the bay, and cooled the air as much as it added moisture to it. Making the summer weather sticky and humid, Talya felt, as she hadn't encountered as much back at home, from what she could recall. But it didn't really matter, for the day was perfect for her purposes. Perfect for being out, and practicing one of the few arts she knew and wanted to improve in, so as to be all the more capable of holding her own when out in the world. It was thus that Talya had ventured to the front of Zeltiva's University again. With its mass as her backdrop, she stood upon the lawns with her back turned toward it. Ignoring the shadows of those who passed over her as they made their way past, giggling and chittering amongst themselves. Others sitting in the grass eating breakfast or a snack, while others did homework or dozed off. Talya wasn't one of these people though, instead, she stood on her own toward the center of the field, with her back directed toward the building. She had just fished her dagger out of its scabbard, and she held it tightly in her right hand. She had taken a deep breath, in through her nose and out through her mouth, and just begun to settle into her starting position for the first of her private training. Her right foot had been urged in front of the left, so that they were urged about a foot apart. The toes of her right foot were directed ahead of her, while those of the left were turned toward the left. Her hip had been rotated to the left, so that her entire body twisted to the side, and she presented less of a target to potential attackers. Her gaze was set ahead, while her left hand was tucked behind her back, and her right held the dagger in a reverse grip. She had the arm cocked at the elbow, and held it folded across her front in a more defensive position. Talya took another deep breath, and then leaned into her lead foot, applying more weight to it before taking another deep breath and stepping forward. Snapping her right arm outward, so that she jabbed at the air with her blade, before easing forward again and forcing her right arm out to the side, so that it continued the line of her collarbone. As she followed up with her left foot, she swept it inward, toward her opposing shoulder, and then as she stepped forward again with the right foot, swung it back out, in a wide arc, which led out to her side before stopping, at which point she lured it back into her starting position. Talya breathed deep. She was determined not to let anything to disturb her this day. At least, not until she had finished her dagger training.

[Eliro Darkcrest]

She had gotten lost. The Svefra knew the docks well and she understood the layout out of East Street, but any further into the city and Eliro was lost. So of course when she ventured into a particularly old looking part of town, she found herself walking in circles, following the crowd. It was clear she didn't belong. Wearing her ink loud and proud, with salt water washed shorts that were cut farther up on her thigh than any self-respecting lady's skirt would be. So the Svefra kept her head down and kept walking. There were only so many street sin the city that she could walk down before she recognized one.

The blonde Svefra glanced up in the welcoming sky, squinting through the sunlight that surrounded the fluffy clouds. It took her a moment, but Eliro caught sight of her beloved Avikki birds, circling above her. Probably worried why I am so far inland. She mused, dropping her hand from her brown and glancing around to realize she was no longer weaving through crumbly stone buildings, but there was a large expanse of grass to her left. Slowing, Eliro glanced through the lounging people to let her eyes wander to the large building looming over them. The University. She guessed.

Having a little more sense on what side of town she was on, Eliro was prepared to turn around when the gleam of metal caught her eye. Among the lounging students who were enjoying the midday sun between studies, one woman was standing, by her self. Odd. Eliro slowed to a stop, watching the woman lunge out with her dagger for a second. But Eliro found no victim to her attack.

Some of the students around her looked a the woman if she was insane. Eliro smirked, turning onto the grass. It took her a few ticks of watching to realise that the woman was simply practicing with her weapon. At the realization, Eliro begun to slide her Atani from her neck. The durable fabric had been loosely slung over her shoulders to act as a scarf. It was the perfect concealed weapon, because it didn't seem to be a weapon at all, especially in Eliro's novice hands.

"Handy with'a knife." Eliro observed it broken common, keeping to the side of the swinging woman. She wrapped one end of her Atani around her right hand, "S'pose ya want sumun ta... play with?" Eliro tried to fill in for the word she didn't know. Might as well make my time on land useful. She offered an appealing grin to the land-dweller. The Svefra seemed unarmed, simply fingering an unnecessary scarf on a hot summer day, but she was ready to show this stranger her unique weapon.

[Talya]

Talya breathed deeply, in through her nose, and out through her mouth. She stepped forward, tentatively, drawing her blade across her chest, and over to her right. It sailed silently past her hip as she pushed her right foot toward her, allowing it to slide across the ground; flatten the grass. In her next movement, she let her left hand slip into a protected position by her side while she pushed her lead foot out again, into its previous position, and thrust her right hand ahead of her. Extending it in an awkward, down-turned punch. The blade twisting outward to slide at the air as she breathed in again, and moved back; letting her arm remain a moment as she breathed out, and then swept it around to the outside in a small arc, so that the metal cut to the side, and then behind her. She shuffled forward two paces as she brought her blade around in an upward diagonal, which swung it toward the left, and inward slightly, toward her shoulder. She drew her lead foot back half an inch, and then surged on ahead, jabbing the dagger outward, before swirling around, causing her hair to fly off her shoulders as she moved the dagger in a wide circle. The Ethaefal took another deep breath as she came out of her spin, and jabbed lazily at the air again. Left. Right. Up and Down. Left. Right, and all around. She took another breath and stepped forward, slashing diagonally at the air, when a voice broke her concentration. The low sound of a female. As she blinked a few times, shaking off her trance, she fell into her starting position, (although her legs were far more relaxed than usual), and appraised Eliro. She seemed short to her, and pale. Her features fairer- both in her flaxen hair; but most things were when compared to the darker, exotic desert features of her mortal seeming, the Chaktawe. "Dagger. Dagger," she muttered irritably, (more at having been interrupted when she was trying to concentrate than anything else. "Not a knife. Slight difference," she added as her gaze hardened and she shook her head lightly as she considered the rest of what the Svefra had said to her. Talya's brow furrowed; her forehead wrinkled. Beads of sweat getting trapped in the small crevices and defiles until the skin straightened out again. "You mean to train?" she asked, with a delicate shrug of her shoulders. "Perhaps." She paused, as her eyes sailed over the woman's body again, looking for any place where she might have concealed a weapon. "Although," she began as her eyes settled on the lighter, "you don't seem to have anything with you." She fell silent again. "Do you?" she'd ask, before quieting down to await a response. When she had received one, or perhaps, was shown a blade she might of missed, she'd smirk. "Very well," Talya would say calmly. "We may train together... for awhile." Her eyes would glimmer. "At the ready," she would call, before surging forward, and beginning with one of her more basic strikes. As she neared a closing distance, she'd swing her right arm out to the side, so that it was an extension of her shoulder. When within a pace or so, (when it would be easy enough for them to make contact), Talya would draw her dagger back in, in a wide arc that would rake across Eliro's collarbone lines if it met. The blade would spin out from against her skin, and flash dangerously in the sun. As, when the strike was complete, she'd step back a little, in part to create room and help dodge any sort of backlash there might be, and in part to move her arm back in the opposite direction, to the starting point, before awaiting her opponent's move. She had no problem being on the defensive, at least, not for a short while. OOCI had some trouble finding out specifically what an atani was online, so if I could get a short description of what Eliro has, that would be lovely. Also- sorry for the slightly awkward wording at the end. Just wanted to avoid assumptions. ^^