23rd Summer 516AV
Waisana had managed to get some time to herself in the evening, a request that was gladly fulfilled although it earned her some surprised looks. The Opal teen was a known workaholic and she'd never been known to cut back on her duties for personal time. The notion that she was leaving and wouldn't be going to visit some patient or other was unfathomable for many of her colleagues that knew her. Some had been curious as to what she was doing and judging by some of the careful questioning she underwent, some wondered if she was finally courting someone with the intention of marrying. When she met inquiries with the reply that she was going to practise archery, it led to some very amusing reactions. It was entertaining trying to decide if they were more surprised by the fact that she was showing dedication to a weapon or that she had a life outside of patients and the River Flower.
Now as she moved through the Warstorm Pavilion with her long bow in hand, she felt far more confident than she had when she'd first entered it a number of days ago. She wasn't as concerned by the curious looks, she knew where she was going and while the bow she held wasn't an extension of her hand, she didn't want to hold it at arm's length anymore. She was still somewhat wary of the weapon of course and she had good reason to be given the shadow of a bruise that remained on her forearm from the strikes she'd received from the string. Now at least, the doctor knew how to use it although there was definitely room for improvement and lots of it. After her last session, not only had her bruise ached but also the muscles of her arms, her shoulders and some of those in her back. When the teen had contemplated the drawbacks of using a weapon, she most certainly hadn't factored in the notion that her muscles would scream at her in pain. Considering the necessary exertion, it was unsurprising that it had taken such a toll on her and she really should have had an idea that drawing and firing a bow was going to strain some uncommonly used muscles. Doing some sort of exercises to strengthen the muscles was a possibility she supposed but she didn't know how to go about doing such things and they would be time-consuming. It probably made more sense for her to continue using her bow and allow the muscles to develop accordingly.
As the blonde entered the range, she found it a lot busier than when she'd last been here and that made things a little daunting as she sought for an open lane for her to practise her shooting. The white that she wore made her stick out and so when she heard someone call her name, she wasn't surprised that he'd managed to spot her. Once she'd spotted him, she approached the place where he was shooting.
"Alero!" Greetings. Good to see you again. "So I have come back to make a fool of myself," she explained with a shy smile as her gaze flickered between the man who had taught her how to shoot and a young woman at his elbow. She'd been shooting beside him but now she looked at Waisana appraisingly. This woman was muscular and had a hardness to her face that made her age difficult for the teen to determine as she peered at her. Whoever she was to Alero, she appeared to be a member of the Watch and judging by the confidence with which she held her long bow, she didn't require any tutoring.
"I am glad that you came again. This is Aleanna. Aleanna, this is Waisana. I taught her how to shoot. Now she's back," the man declared with a grin and a chuckle. Aleanna gave her another critical look before she gazed straight into the doctor's face.
"Are you any good?" the woman questioned bluntly.
The teen flushed and shook her head.
Awful. "I'm lucky that I can hold it without dropping it," she responded.
Alero laughed heartily and clapped a hand to her shoulder with such force that she wobbled on the spot.
"She is not as bad as that! She must learn, yes, but she did manage to shoot." You show. Question.
The blonde swallowed hard and looked uncertainly between the man and his companion. He stepped aside to allow her to use the space he'd been using and she stepped forward hesitantly. Aleanna stood with her arms folded and one hip cocked out as she observed Waisana's movements and the girl was glad to have the opportunity to turn her back on the woman because she stood on Waisana's left. The girl stood perpendicular to the target and spaced her feet carefully. This was the only thing that she felt truly confident about as she had made note of the way her feet needed to be shoulders' width apart and she shuffled them away from one another, taking her time to settle into position. Alero smiled encouragingly and handed her an arrow. She found that her hands were beginning to tremble and so she fumbled it and it landed on the ground. She bent to collect it and her face was aflame as she heard a snort from behind her, realising that Aleanna was laughing at her. The girl placed the shaft of the arrow against the string and slipped it into the groove on the bow. Once it was nocked, she twisted the arrow so that one vane faced away from the string while the other two were parallel. Placing one finger above the vanes and two below them, she gripped the arrow tightly as she tugged the string back a little to make it taut.
Focusing on her posture, she ensured that her back and legs were straight as she raised the bow and began the process of drawing the string back to the right position. She got it back to her cheek and continued to cling to the end of the arrow as she tried to aim at the target's centre, hoping to shoot well and not embarrass herself. The tension of it set her arms trembling and afraid that Aleanna would see the shaking in the extended arm that held the bow, Waisana released it. Whether it was the string or the friction created by the passing vanes of the arrow, the doctor's fingers burned and she pulled them back a little fast, hissing in pain as she did so. The arrow managed to cross the distance but her movement to escape pain had affected its flight and so it struck the ground below the target and jutted from the earth at a slanted angle.
"You are right. You are awful," Aleanna commented sneeringly and Waisana saw the glare Alero shot at her over the doctor's shoulder. He smiled sympathetically at the blonde but his body also read apology as if he was somehow accountable for the other woman's behaviour.
"You just need to get into it again. Don't hold the arrow tightly." Be careful. Again. He held another arrow at to her and she took it gingerly in her burning fingers.
Waisana had managed to get some time to herself in the evening, a request that was gladly fulfilled although it earned her some surprised looks. The Opal teen was a known workaholic and she'd never been known to cut back on her duties for personal time. The notion that she was leaving and wouldn't be going to visit some patient or other was unfathomable for many of her colleagues that knew her. Some had been curious as to what she was doing and judging by some of the careful questioning she underwent, some wondered if she was finally courting someone with the intention of marrying. When she met inquiries with the reply that she was going to practise archery, it led to some very amusing reactions. It was entertaining trying to decide if they were more surprised by the fact that she was showing dedication to a weapon or that she had a life outside of patients and the River Flower.
Now as she moved through the Warstorm Pavilion with her long bow in hand, she felt far more confident than she had when she'd first entered it a number of days ago. She wasn't as concerned by the curious looks, she knew where she was going and while the bow she held wasn't an extension of her hand, she didn't want to hold it at arm's length anymore. She was still somewhat wary of the weapon of course and she had good reason to be given the shadow of a bruise that remained on her forearm from the strikes she'd received from the string. Now at least, the doctor knew how to use it although there was definitely room for improvement and lots of it. After her last session, not only had her bruise ached but also the muscles of her arms, her shoulders and some of those in her back. When the teen had contemplated the drawbacks of using a weapon, she most certainly hadn't factored in the notion that her muscles would scream at her in pain. Considering the necessary exertion, it was unsurprising that it had taken such a toll on her and she really should have had an idea that drawing and firing a bow was going to strain some uncommonly used muscles. Doing some sort of exercises to strengthen the muscles was a possibility she supposed but she didn't know how to go about doing such things and they would be time-consuming. It probably made more sense for her to continue using her bow and allow the muscles to develop accordingly.
As the blonde entered the range, she found it a lot busier than when she'd last been here and that made things a little daunting as she sought for an open lane for her to practise her shooting. The white that she wore made her stick out and so when she heard someone call her name, she wasn't surprised that he'd managed to spot her. Once she'd spotted him, she approached the place where he was shooting.
"Alero!" Greetings. Good to see you again. "So I have come back to make a fool of myself," she explained with a shy smile as her gaze flickered between the man who had taught her how to shoot and a young woman at his elbow. She'd been shooting beside him but now she looked at Waisana appraisingly. This woman was muscular and had a hardness to her face that made her age difficult for the teen to determine as she peered at her. Whoever she was to Alero, she appeared to be a member of the Watch and judging by the confidence with which she held her long bow, she didn't require any tutoring.
"I am glad that you came again. This is Aleanna. Aleanna, this is Waisana. I taught her how to shoot. Now she's back," the man declared with a grin and a chuckle. Aleanna gave her another critical look before she gazed straight into the doctor's face.
"Are you any good?" the woman questioned bluntly.
The teen flushed and shook her head.
Awful. "I'm lucky that I can hold it without dropping it," she responded.
Alero laughed heartily and clapped a hand to her shoulder with such force that she wobbled on the spot.
"She is not as bad as that! She must learn, yes, but she did manage to shoot." You show. Question.
The blonde swallowed hard and looked uncertainly between the man and his companion. He stepped aside to allow her to use the space he'd been using and she stepped forward hesitantly. Aleanna stood with her arms folded and one hip cocked out as she observed Waisana's movements and the girl was glad to have the opportunity to turn her back on the woman because she stood on Waisana's left. The girl stood perpendicular to the target and spaced her feet carefully. This was the only thing that she felt truly confident about as she had made note of the way her feet needed to be shoulders' width apart and she shuffled them away from one another, taking her time to settle into position. Alero smiled encouragingly and handed her an arrow. She found that her hands were beginning to tremble and so she fumbled it and it landed on the ground. She bent to collect it and her face was aflame as she heard a snort from behind her, realising that Aleanna was laughing at her. The girl placed the shaft of the arrow against the string and slipped it into the groove on the bow. Once it was nocked, she twisted the arrow so that one vane faced away from the string while the other two were parallel. Placing one finger above the vanes and two below them, she gripped the arrow tightly as she tugged the string back a little to make it taut.
Focusing on her posture, she ensured that her back and legs were straight as she raised the bow and began the process of drawing the string back to the right position. She got it back to her cheek and continued to cling to the end of the arrow as she tried to aim at the target's centre, hoping to shoot well and not embarrass herself. The tension of it set her arms trembling and afraid that Aleanna would see the shaking in the extended arm that held the bow, Waisana released it. Whether it was the string or the friction created by the passing vanes of the arrow, the doctor's fingers burned and she pulled them back a little fast, hissing in pain as she did so. The arrow managed to cross the distance but her movement to escape pain had affected its flight and so it struck the ground below the target and jutted from the earth at a slanted angle.
"You are right. You are awful," Aleanna commented sneeringly and Waisana saw the glare Alero shot at her over the doctor's shoulder. He smiled sympathetically at the blonde but his body also read apology as if he was somehow accountable for the other woman's behaviour.
"You just need to get into it again. Don't hold the arrow tightly." Be careful. Again. He held another arrow at to her and she took it gingerly in her burning fingers.