Piercing A Dancer's Heart (Xalet)

[Aello]

"Probably not the best idea, since your eyes fight to show you the same thing," Aello commented absently as she studied Xalet. "But the crossbow could be a bit different than the shortbow, so perhaps, we should trust in your superiors in that one case," she went on, as her lips curled into a small smile. As she continued watching, and he asked her more, her eye's caught a far off look. Their edges seemed to become laced with an edge of dread, and general discomfort. True sorrow, but such a thing was likely lost on the Akalak, who had his back turned towards her as he aimed. "No, my father taught me when I was far younger, before I left home to see a bit more of the world," Aello whispered in response, shortly after his question had been posed. "It was a basic enough training. A good start from when I took off, practicing wherever I went, before I became this." The girl fell silent after that, her eyes seemed to be glazing over about the edges as she watched Xalet, the wind rustling her hair as he released another bolt, which shot a lot closer to her grouping than before. The sharp thwack seemed to draw Aello out of her daze, allowing her eyes to regain a bit of their previous glow; their mischievous sparkle. "Much better, now do it again. This time, taking note of how you feel when you shoot. Notice how your aim seems to change based not only on how you are positioned, and the time you take to get your bow in the proper place, but on how you are breathing, and feeling." Aello paused. "Remember how your body itself feels too. How tense your back seems. How your fingers ache with the pull of the weapon. How much your knees and even your feet hurt. Remember the weight on your arms, the strain of your muscles. Try to repeat it, each time you shoot well. It may be rough at first, while you are still learning, but as you grow, you will begin to be able to shoot without truly aiming, for the feel of it all will be enough to meet your mark." Aello paused, "go on try it for a bit. Try to shoot just as well, and perhaps afterwards, we can move onto something a bit more... challenging..." OOCShoot Aello is a horrid professor! And her childhood dream was to be an archery instructor! Epic failure. =(

[Xalet]

Xalet heard the first words about Aello's personal life, and as he requested them and found them answered he wondered to himself what his own intent was. In the Knights he was always trained to gather information so that he could do his duties as a Knight more aptly. His social skills were never exactly up to a Human par comparatively, as he was often ignored or avoided by Humans during his years growing up. So then what was it? Was he simply learning what it was like to interact with a Human not of the squirehood for the first time? As his thoughts became clouded with this introspection his accuracy suffered, noticeably so as one of his shots completely failed to remain near his previous grouping. "Tch..." he vocalized his displeasure, lowering his crossbow and attempting to remove such complications from his head.

Loading and firing with mental clarity provided a much more accurate shot, as he heard the observation from Aello about how much better it was from his previous. She picked up on it quickly as well, the 'feeling' that came from firing a weapon. Emotions could do well to drive someone in a melee fight, enabling them to focus their stamina and strength, unleash their adrenaline, and stave off the pain of injury for sometime. Archery of any type just seemed to require much more inner focus. A certain peace. Disquiet amongst the body was felt all the way through, all the way to the bolt.

"So it is much like muscle memorization then? In squirehood we would learn simple maneuvers in combat, and repeat them thousands of times. I was told the idea was that in combat, when fear or pain takes over the body will do as it was trained. If instinct takes over the body will continue to move instead of freeze. Perhaps everyone's first time when their life is on the line is much like that. Only after many times of applicable situations can one learn to adjust their emotions accordingly in battle." the Akalak's voice was so deep, and yet somehow so quiet. His was not the thunderous mountain voice that carried across the field, but instead the ponderous voice that brought about his thoughts, but did not betray his emotions too greatly.

Xalet tried to duplicate his movements, including the position of his elbow upon his knee, the level of his shoulders, and even the way he cocked his head as he looked down the nose of his crossbow. It was the first time he had focused so intently upon the weapon, but he found the results were coming along, slowly but surely. Perhaps with time the crossbow would become a formidable weapon, even though there were Knights that scoffed at the cumbersome weight and the need for ammunition. To them a lance upon horseback was a much better way to strike from outside of an opponents weapon range. Ammunition was a factor certainly, as Xalet found out when his hand reached into his bolt pouch only to find his last one had been fired down range. They would have to be collected, "That was my last bolt."

[Aello]

Aello shrugged, "perhaps it is a bit like that," she commented rather absently as she watched Xalet shoot. She could see him getting a bit steadier, despite the strain on his body. Could see his groupings improving, becoming all the more accurate, although he still had a long way to go before he surpassed her. "I did notice," Aello whispered as she brushed past him and towards the tree. When she reached it, she rested her bow against its side, and placed her left hand close to her arrows. The right enclosed the base, and tugged them away, before slipping them back into her quiver. When that was done, she moved onto Xalet's bolts, and tossed them at her feet. "Come get everything else you shot, and then meet me here," Aello instructed. As she waited, Aello watched Xalet scramble around. She imagined he was struggling to keep up, but would be doing his best not to let it show. She couldn't imagine why he would insist on wearing his armor, among friends. Insist when all it did was weigh him down and lure him into a false sense of security. Sighing, as she waited, she'd only will herself into a smile as he came to stand before her. "Good job," Aello would insist. "You're doing far better, which means we can move onto more challenging things, if you believe yourself to be up to the task," she went on, before pausing a moment. Providing Xalet with a time to stop her, or say that he was done. "We know that you can hit a tree, but where's the true challenge in that? It can't move. So where is the practicality in practicing only in this manner?" Aello asked. "It is time then, for you to try on moving targets, the things you will constantly encounter in combat." "Your new target Xalet, is me," Aello went on, her voice rather neutral, and yet, the Akalak would be more than capable of determining for himself that the aurist was being serious. "Don't worry about hurting me though. I know how you shoot. You shouldn't be all that difficult to dodge, especially, when you're not giving it your all." Aello paused, her eyes sparkling as her lips curled into a small smile. A satisfied smirk. "And if you refuse, you could always be my target. Although I don't need the practice, you need help learning how to dance, don't you? Dodging that which your enemies throw at you, so you don't return to this place?" Aello chuckled. "Don't worry about it hurting too much though. I can't do the damage they did to you. Not when not a single arrow in my quiver is designed to pierce your armor."

[Xalet]

Pressing the palm of his hand down upon his knee, he braced himself and stood up, the various clangs of his articulated plates coming together now and again as he moved. The chain beneath his plates rustled softly, and even beneath all of that the slight puncture he had received from Aello ached a bit from their previous encounter. He would need to get the links repaired in that armor as well, it wasn't a bad puncturing of the metal, but chainmail had to be repaired often, else it end up falling into complete disrepair and not do what it was meant to, which was repulse cutting and slashing blows with a good measure of protection.

Moving over to the various bolts he had shot that littered the ground he made sure their lengths were still sturdy, not having broken or splintered from their previous use. Bolts were shorter, thicker, and more heavy than arrows, so they carried more energy when they fired immediately, but lost that energy more quickly than arrows the further they moved away from their release. A close range shot from a crossbow was incredibly deadly, but it was more difficult to 'rain death from above' than the legendary bow. He knelt and replaced them back into his pouch, revitalizing his stock of projectiles and then moved to join Aello for this next 'lesson' of hers.

"I...trust you, but is such a thing within a persons capabilities?" his voice quaked slightly, clearly he was as uncertain of shooting at Aello as he was of getting shot at. She seemed confident enough, she had already proven herself with her abilities in the dagger and the bow. As far as the Akalak was concerned however, armor and a shield was a first class defense against projectiles. Aello wore none of that. "When squires are young, they train with the heaviest armor and the largest shield. It is said that the more skill one gains, the less they need to rely upon armor and a shield, using less armor and a smaller shield. It's easier to move from the most encumbrance to the least, than to learn with the least and add it from there..."

He paused for a moment, thinking about just what type of person Aello was. You didn't learn to wield weaponry to that extent without becoming a warrior. "...but you wear no armor, and carry no shield. You have the confidence to reply completely upon your physical body then? I'm curious and hesitant at the same time. Very well though, I'm interested to see how you move. Some would think heavy armor to reduce the ability to move completely, but when you wear it your entire life your body reacts appropriately to the extra weight. A Knight can run and jump like any other, I will try to demonstrate that afterward then." Xalet took a breath, trying to steady his thoughts, his reservations about this method of training. Thus far Aello knew what she was talking about, and it wasn't as if he hadn't applied practical battle theory before at the training grounds. "Prepare yourself." he warned her as he began to cock his crossbow.

[Aello]

Aello chuckled. "Armor is for the weak, as far as I'm concerned. If a man wants to hide behind a pile of metal in the hopes that it will keep him alive, then so be it. But it the end, it shall do nothing to help him. As I am sure you discovered yesterday, when you were bested in a fight." Aello's smile widened as her gaze crept across Xalet's features, taking note of his face. "It slows you down. Turns your mind to mush, convincing you that you will be safe in that suit, since it takes great things to penetrate it." Again, Aello chuckled. "You forget squire, when to be afraid," Aello insisted, as she took a few steps back and held out her arms in invitation. "I don't need armor to keep me safe. Nor is it necessary when trying to best you in the battle field," Aello went on, as she returned her hands to her sides, slowly, as though trying to give the man more of a target. Her eyes danced over Xalet as she watched him prepare, as he continued speaking, as though she should be afraid. "You can never outrun someone without all of that nonsense weighing them down. Never be as quick on your feet; as agile. In many ways, you have given yourself into defeat already squire," Aello's voice continued. It seemed laced with a laugh, a knowing laugh. Something that seemed to see things the man could not. It didn't seem to mock him, although it seemed to wish he could see things her way too. As Zulrav's breath caressed the girl's cheeks, she couldn't help but smile as her magic came into play. Now, Aello could sense Xalet's disciplined nature. How her task was toying with his mind. Troubling him deeply, and in many ways, countering the notions and ideals he so often upheld. She could sense his apprehension, and yet his determination. His desire to prove his strength and ability, his power, and yet, he seemed to restrain it. As though he didn't want himself to be lost in the glory of it. The intoxicating notion that it cast across the body. The soul. As Aello waited for him to load his bow, and to shoot at her, she couldn't help but think that given his state, the heaviness in his heart, that he wouldn't aim for something vital. He wouldn't go for her heart, or something that would end her swiftly if the bolt struck. He'd instead, try for something that would only slow her. Cause a mild inconvenience. Perhaps her arms. Her shoulders. Her sides. Shrugging, she stood, still, several yards away, in wait. Her breath coming in through her nose, and out through her mouth, evenly. Easily. For despite the gravity of the matter, she felt calm, at peace. At ease. She had been in this situation so many times before, fighting against far more talented archers. Those who could have downed her. Thus, in her mind, Xalet stood no chance. At best, this was merely practice, for them both. Again, the woman waited, as Xalet steadied himself, his shot, and then released it. Aello watched it coming, her muscles rippling beneath her flesh as her eyes sparkled, and she ducked, listening as the bolt whistled over her head, and sank to the ground behind her. He's not really trying, Aello's brain hissed, as she straightened herself out, and swiftly, fetched one of her own arrows from her quiver. One with raven feathers. Hardly having to think, Aello laced the arrow onto her bow, and tugged back on the string as she raised it. She barely altered her stance. She didn't care about presentation right now, leaving her chest open; now was Xalet's time to learn. Instead, she closed her left eye swiftly, drew her bow up higher. Inched the string back, listening to it creak. Hardly watching Xalet as he set about his work. As she drew her arrow's point over him, and let go. As soon as the arrow had left the serving, Aello returned her bow to her side, and watched it soar. If he didn't move a muscle, it would glide alongside his right cheek. Never truly touching, but coming so close, he could feel the air it displaced. Hear its whistle. "Again, and this time at me," Aello roared as her eyes locked on Xalet's. "Remember, this is battle. Each moment I am left alive, each moment you fail to end this, your enemy has a moment to finish you." The woman paused, as her arrow landed in the dirt a few feet past the Akalak, the dark feathers fluttering in the wind. "Don't think, for so much as an instant, that you wouldn't be dead now had I wanted that." As Aello spoke, the edges of her cheeks grew red. Her muscles tensed, it was easy enough to see in the tension that built up around her bow's frame. The rippling flesh about her knuckles, which had long ago gone white. "Now shoot again, and actually make me your target this time," Aello insisted, at this point, so completely unafraid, that she almost felt bad for the Akalak. She could sense his fear, his discomfort, she knew it would be mounting even more quickly if he didn't find a way to calm himself, to satisfy her. For Aello always had a few more tricks up her sleeve. OOCSo... my teaching methods are pretty atypical and not all that kosher. But, I'm an adult, so you can totally trust me.

[Xalet]

"Man you sure meet all the crazy bitches. What was the last one trying to beat your ass? Wasn't it some void wielding leech girl? I think this one's battle tactic is trying to annoy someone into committing suicide with her one hundred and eighty degree personality switches. She doesn't have a second soul to blame that crap on. Xalet I'm telling you we need to -- OH SHIT SHE'S SHOOTING AT US!" Xalet's ears were ringing as Xuphim's thoughts pierced all the way through his skull. He felt his body lurch to the side instinctively to create some distance between himself and the arrow, even if it wasn't close enough to harm him.

In a split second Xalet's extraordinary senses reached outward, his Evantia Aura covering a large portion of the area around him. Fueled by the power of Wysar it took no effort to create or maintain, instead the effort came from overloading the brain with an abundance of information. Like a huge globe of water surrounding a hundred foot diameter about Xalet, the slightest movement within that sensory 'water' was felt by the squire, that information useful and somewhat foreign. Slamming the stirrup of his crossbow upon the ground he yanked the cord back in one motion, pushing his muscles a bit harder than he typically did.

Something strange was happening. Years ago when Xalet's emotions rose the surface Xuphim would often take over, but now the situation was very different. Xuphim, for all of his lust for violence, apparently had a massive weakness for females when it came to combat. While his thoughts and speech directed toward them was...less than noble, there was something about the basic instinct for the Akalak's that hit Xuphim more so than it did Xalet, and for that reason women seemed beyond reproach physically. That meant that Xalet could actually display his emotions, without being sucked down. Xuphim and Xalet worked together now, although their partnership was less than perfect.

"That kind of talk is ridiculous! You can't protect anyone with nothing to place between you and danger. If you fight for just yourself, maybe. But I fight for the Knighthood and for the people of Syliras." his voice rose in volume and intensity, something he had not done in any of their previous dealings. Xalet held his crossbow upward putting Aello into his sights. He still wasn't out to harm Aello, but so much of him wished she would understand the value of true protection. With his Evantia Aura he sought to predict her movements, consider her positioning.

He had to maintain his emotional focus as well, even thought Xuphim was not a consideration any more, his accuracy faulted when his feelings became too great. He felt his hands tightening upon the stock of his crossbow, and he struggled to allow them to relax. Deep breaths moved in and out of his lungs, trying to keep his muscles from tightening. Aiming at her center mass he let his crossbow release, the bolt whistling from the groove. He prayed that she was as good as she said she was.

[Aello]

Aello chuckled, "if you say so love," she responded, as she once again, waited for the Akalak to shoot her. Her knees bending all the more, her boots creaking as she lowered herself into a further crouch. Coiling like a snake waiting to spring. She watched Xalet's large, dark hands at work. Guessing how much longer it would take him to finishing preparing his bow, and finally take aim. Inwardly, the girl sighed, as her eyes danced over him, and then finally, came to a stop as Xalet quit adjusting. Aello's eyes locked onto the end of his bolt, as he guided its point over her middle. Aello stared down at it, her chin turned in a little, her stance defiant and ready, as she took note of how the squire attempted to calm himself, just before letting go, and releasing his weapon. The bolt shot towards her, at a striking speed, causing the aurist's mind to go blank as she shot out, and to her side, springing for safety. Even so, she was hardly fast enough, the bolt whistling past her side rather gracefully. Tugging at the outer edges of her clothes. The girl's breath caught in her throat as it severed a few strings, lifting them away from the main portion of the cloth. There was a run now, in her dress. Not that it mattered. The bolt hadn't broken skin, that was all that would have. "Much better," Aello called, "now do it again," she insisted, as she pulled another raven-fletched feather from her quiver and laced it onto the serving of her bow. She knew, even though she didn't look, that Xalet had to be reloading, and that she was faster. Within an instant, her fingers were hugging the arrow as she lifted the bow, and pulled the string back, sighting down the arrow's length for but a heartbeat before she loosed the string, and sent her arrow flying. The projectile cut through the air in a rush, gliding over its length towards Xalet's hands. She hoped to knock them away, perhaps frightening them, or causing him to loose his bolt prematurely. As Aello watched, she lowered her bow, and then, darted to the nearest tree for cover. "Remember Xalet," Aello called, as she forced her back against the rough bark, "each moment spent in combat is another moment in which they can disable you. Take advantage of the time it takes for you to load your weapon. Perhaps it would be best then, if you had chosen a better bed of ground from whence to shoot. A place where you could also hide." Aello paused, "but don't linger too long, the enemy could always exploit that place," Aello went on as she peered around the tree. The girl's eyes sparkled as her smile widened, and she stared head-on at Xalet. "Shoot me if you can," Aello called, as she ducked back around the tree, waiting to see whatever it was that Xalet would do.

[Xalet]

Xalet noted just how close his weapon had come from piercing Aello, this type of training was incredibly dangerous. How would he continue? His judgement told him to stop, but his desire to compete as an Akalak drove him forward. He knew someone could get hurt, himself or worse yet Aello. Despite her negative talk about the Knights and the way they trained Xalet never had any desire to injure an innocent person. Sparring was different, done with full armor and blunted weapons, but these were battle ready projectiles and Aello was without armor of any kind. Could her speed keep her skin from shedding the slick blood beneath? A mistake without armor had a deadly cost attached to it.

Even as he prepared his next bolt he could feel it. That extra sensory itch nudging at the back of his mind. It was so much more certain than instinct, it was as if he was seeing it with his own eyes, she was preparing another arrow. The stirrup loading method upon the crossbow was not the slow, cumbersome method as a winch, but it was still twice as long as any similarly skilled preparation of a regular bow. The most prominent of a disadvantage was him being forced to remain in place in order to load, while a bow could be drawn while in motion by a skilled wielder. As the cord rested upon the nut his hands reflexively released his crossbow, causing him to jump back and away from the weapon as an arrow passed near that same space, nicking the stock of his crossbow and turning it a half circle.

Lifting up the loaded weapon Xalet glanced in Aello's direction and then took off in a full run, sliding down behind a tree of his own, trying his best to keep the girl within the distance of his aura. Not only would a further distance keep her out of his reactionary range, but it also meant that his own accuracy would suffer exponentially. The plating on his knee drug across the ground, unearthing some of the frozen soil that sat beneath the snow. Placing his crossbow upon the ground Xalet shrugged his heater shield from his back and glanced around the side of his tree. With nothing coming at his head, he jammed the lower point of his heater into the snow and soil with his great strength, keeping it standing upright.

Retrieving his weapon he slid a bolt from his pouch and slid it into the groove before moving out behind the shield, kneeling while wielding it as a sort of half cover. The edge of his crossbow rested upon the top, flat portion of the shield, enabling him with a superior method of steadying his shot compared to relying upon his own hands for support. "These are dangerous lessons, Aello! You realize one mistake could result in a serious injury!" he called out to her, his fingers wrapping around the lower portion of his crossbow, readjusting his grip as he prepared for her to show herself. When she did he would release his prepared bolt. Slower, heavier, and more restrictive than the bow, the crossbow excelled when it was cocked and prepared, allowing the wielder to await the target without stressing their own muscles. With a hastily made bunker from his own shield, Xalet felt quite confident.

[Aello]

Aello smiled as she took note of the tree Xalet had chosen. It wasn't a particularly tall tree, but it was a chubbier one, whose basal limbs seemed to tie into those of the neighboring tree. Thus, providing him with several places to crouch and lie behind as he loaded his crossbow up once more, and prepared to take aim as soon as she bothered to show herself to him. So he can learn something quickly, the girl thought, as she leaned over, and inched her head out to the right side, just to see how far his weapon jutted, before retracting her gaze quickly. As though she were a prairie dog in a burrow. "They are indeed squire!" Aello called. "But they're completely necessary! You need them so that you may understand how not to get killed in a fight." Aello paused, as she pushed her back off the tree, and pulled another arrow from her quiver. She brought it forward, and twirled it between her fingertips, as she concentrated on her breathing. Forcing it to come in and out evenly, in through the nose, and out through the mouth. She imagined herself calming, her aura becoming a soft blue, like a clear sky. She imagined it shrinking. She imagined it being drawn into her, until it was nothing. A face that no one could read, save for herself. When she had calmed herself, and drawn her own aura away, Aello laced the arrow onto her bow's serving, and then, thinking better of it, she pulled it off and tucked it back into her quiver. She'd have to keep both of her hands free, for what she intended to do. "And with all the cover the trees provide, we should be safe... enough," the girl added with a small chuckle, as she took note of how he had put his crossbow to rest, with a bolt tucked safely into its bed. The colors dancing, swaying, as though in a breeze as the girl stood, looking from left to right, wondering where best to turn. Where there was the most cover to achieve her needs. Finally determining that it was about even either way, assuming she stayed along the same line of forest, Aello darted forward, moving farther away from where she knew Xalet lay in wait. As she reached the next tree, she darted behind it, waiting a moment to check that the coast was clear, before moving more deeply into the woods.

[Xalet]

What recklessness. There Xalet was, kneeling behind his hastily crafted bunker, waiting for the perfect opportunity to put one down range. Perhaps if he had gotten close enough Aello would call the whole thing off? That thought lost it's validity when he thought of most recent bolt, taking a piece of Aello's fabric with it. He found himself holding his breath, waiting. It wasn't a good idea and so the squire forced his inhalation and exhalation if for no other reason than to make sure he had an amble amount of oxygen to work with. His crossbow continued to rest upon it's small mount the shield had created when suddenly he felt a twinge in his aura. It was so slight, just the barest of an opportunity for a shot.

His palm, sweating beneath the leather pad of the gauntlet that covered the underside of his hand squeezed against the stock of his crossbow before releasing a bolt at the form of Aello, taking just a moment to peak around the tree. The bolt passed near where her head had previously been, skipping off a trunk somewhere in the distance and traveling end over end until it found a new home in the smoke, creating a small indentation into the powder where it landed.

Even as he moved to reload his crossbow he suddenly felt it, or rather, he suddenly felt nothing. Where had it gone? The security of the understanding he had within his Evantia Aura had dissipated. Had she gone outside of his perceivable range? "Damn, it's gone, all gone." he cursed to himself, preparing his crossbow and stuffing the length of a bolts shaft between his teeth. Propping the crossbow over his shoulder he pulled his shield from the snow and took off in the direction that Aello had been shielding herself.

He couldn't move quietly with all that armor and equipment, not that he was even attempting to. Instead he hustled his body as quickly as it would move, the clanging of the shield rapping against his outer thigh as he ran with it dragging partly onto the ground. As his eyes closed they reopened with a different view. Without his Evantia Aura to point the way, he had to rely upon the infra red vision of the Akalak. Amongst his field of vision was a plethora of blues and whites, the cold radiating from the atmosphere in the winter. He just needed to find the one warm thing. Moving toward the direction his 'trainer' had darted, his eyes scanned over the vast legion of trees, trying to find her hiding place.