Piercing A Dancer's Heart (Xalet)

[Aello]

Winter 45, 511 AV Location: Unknown Aello's grip tightened around her bow as she trailed behind the Akalak. She supposed they had chosen to stick together for the sole reason that they were safer in numbers more than anything else. After all, they weren't true friends, and although they hated the same group, they weren't truly allies either, being from such different times and places, having cast them leagues apart. The aurist followed a few steps behind the Akalak, unable to keep up with his stride. Not that she minded, it meant that she, as the stronger in the pair, could watch it should anything try to come ambush them. She seemed to have the keener eye anyway, with the aid of her magic, should she bother to use it. The keener set of ears, having spent a much larger portion of her life in the forest than the squire, it seemed. The Akalak, then, appeared more than just a little untrained in a single field. As she moved along in silence, through the streamers of golden light that trickled through the line of trees, the occasional snow flake that fluttered down, and kissed her cheek before melting away in a fit of heat, Aello couldn't help but wonder just how the knights expected any of their kind to survive. Sure, they were an honorable enough group, fit with armor and horses, and weapons. Trained in their use, but they didn't seem a very practical group, a set of people who taught any sort of survival skills for when their numbers made their way out of the city. Or when they were forced to deal with lean times. Sighing, Aello called out, "hey Xalet?" She'd wait a moment for him to stop, to turn to her, to peer over his shoulder, or do something, anything, to make her think he was listening to her. "On your honorable quest to become a knight, you wouldn't happen to have been required to learn how to wield some sort of bow would you?" Aello would pause a moment, waiting to hear the truth. "I'd like to know if you have a decent eye. Good aim... among other skills." OOCMwahahahaha, part two of your lessons commences oh noble squire. *Cackles*

[Xalet]

Xalet seemed to have some idea of where he was going. The confidence in his step suggested this, although realistically his guess was as good as any body's. Marching in a direction that made sense, giving the geography and rising and falling of the sun was often the order of the day for a Knight. If nothing else it bred endurance and determination. A certain resistance to failure. There were plenty of Knights that were at home within the woodlands, one with nature and masters of survival tactics. Xalet was simply not one of them, although he had a few lessons here and there. He always felt at home within the confines of Sylira, but his skills were more appropriate within the streets of Syliras itself.

He stood beside his mount, guiding it with little force. A heavy body like Xalet could only burden the creature for so long. The steed seemed eager enough to continue onward, perhaps having the same semblance of dedication despite it's unease around it's own rider. Xalet's foot falls fell heavily, most notably because Xalet made no intent on masking his presence of hiding his actions. A shield was meant to be seen so that it could effect an opponents actions with it's very appearance. Xalet was the same way. Early in his career the choice had been made for him.

Aello would find the longer she was with Xalet that he didn't seem to speak very much. When he did he didn't sound agitated or reluctant at being social, it just seemed that without any stimuli to react to he was satisfied simply listening to everything around him. Those tapered ears did their best to pick up obscure or dangerous sounds. Simply because Xalet made no attempt to hide himself did not mean he was about to allow someone to catch him unaware. Aello's words were true enough, an opponent without honor would seize any opportunity of complacency, and rather than resort to similar tactics Xalet's Akalak brain felt the only way to compensate was to sharpen those observational skills until they exceeded the stealthful tactics of any opponent. Just like a great many other things the squire wished to accomplish, he had a great distance yet to go.

The squire heard his traveling partner's voice clear enough, he made that clear by indeed turning his head and looking back over his shoulder. "Yes, Aello?" was his short response, the level of his deep voice never seeming to rise or fall too drastically, just enough to differentiate question from statement. Hearing her query, he continued in response, "The heavy crossbow is the weapon I train with. My eyes are decent enough, thought at times they may see things differently than yours. My aim varies depending on the situation, I am still improving the steadiness of my hand, and the compensation for movement and distance."

[Aello]

Aello sighed. "I should have known, given how you fight. Hiding behind a mask and a multitude of armor. Fighting with a sword. It's no wonder you chose a crossbow, and a heavy one at that... it suits your personality just fine." Aello's eyes sparkled. "Hiding behind that which gives you the most powerful appearance, so as to keep your enemies at bay. Not a bad tactic, I suppose, if you could back it up with something." The girl chuckled a little, "you still have so much to learn Akalak, before you become a truly great warrior. As disciplined as you are, it's surprising how slowly you seem to come to know things. It makes one wonder just how much you slack off, or even hold back in the heat of battle. In the midst of war and blood." The aurist paused for a moment, as her lips curled into a satisfied smile. "Which reminds me, it's about time for your second lesson, don't you think?" Aello asked. "After all, you're not the only one who fights with more than a single weapon. You're not the only one who can fight at both a close range, and from afar." Aello chuckled. "So why don't you show me what you can do, and we'll go from there? Surely, even though the bows we use have their differences, you could be given a few pointers, considering the basic principle is the same. One's stance when they aim, taking aim, and then, of course, taking a shot." Aello paused, allowing her words to sink in. "Once your skill level is assessed, we could always move on. Play a few games to get you sharper, before moving on to more pressing matters. Not to drudge up the dead Xalet, or the ghosts of your past, but... you should probably work on your evasive maneuvers so you don't wind up in this place again. With little more than a young escapee to help show you the way. Shed some light, and keep your sorry arse alive until we find someone else to take over." Aello chuckled. "Because no offense love, but you really don't seem the wilderness type. You're more the sort to stick around in their big comfy castle, lounging on velvet cushions and eating bonbons." The aurist's eyes sparkled. "Of course that fact probably makes you a bit uncomfortable and generally insecure. You probably don't want to mention it, hence my helping out by doing it for you... and then helping to find a way to mend it. Us being allies and all... uneasy allies." Aello's muscles rippled beneath her flesh as she continued to taunt and tease. She was waiting for the dark half of the brother to flare. To come out and strike her. It was surprising to her that she hadn't seen much of him yet. Causing her to think that it was only a matter of time, that he had to show himself soon. Aello shrugged her shoulders as she stared at Xalet. "So what do you say? Feel like having your sorry blue arse saved?" OOCOh goodness, sometimes, I just love this pc, and her generally backhanded nature.

[Xalet]

"It was chosen for me." Xalet clarified, although clarification with Aello seemed somehow trivial. This girl was worse doling out criticism than his other hafl! "My Patron wished for me to learn the short sword, so I learned it. My Patron wished for me to learn the heavy crossbow, so I learned it. But you may be misunderstanding the purpose of armor. It is not to hide behind, but to be seen. Though I carry a shield and wear armor, they are not my own. They're meant to help protect my brothers and sisters, and my city and it's people." Virtue was an interesting thing. Aello certainly wasn't the first one to question such armaments. In fact Xalet could remember a similar man raising his own suspicious of their value. A man that made Aello appear tall, in comparison. What ever happened to that man?

"I've little natural talent, this I understand. If it is my destiny to work twice as hard and gain half the benefit, then I shall modify my training accordingly to overcome my frailties." came the addition of those words. Shortly thereafter, Xalet brought his mount to a halt, pulling the beast over toward a tree. Affixing it to the tree, the squire retrieved a feed bag so that the creature could gain some sustenance. With some hesitance, the horse sniffed at the bag, waiting until Xalet had moved away before dipping it's long neck down to retrieve the oats and feed from it.

Un-shouldering the large pack he carried the Akalak rummaged for a moment before retrieving the crossbow within. Though such a weapon would have been difficult to keep securely inside of the typical satchel, it appeared Xalet's was suitably larger considering the size of his frame. It seemed to be of no particularly interesting make, although the parts seemed functional at least. The nose of the crossbow held a large stirrup, the means for cocking the contraption made of metal and wood. Pushing that stirrup upon the ground, Xalet slid his foot into place and gripped the cord, slowly drawing it backward to sit upon the nut, which rolled into place when the pressure was exerted, the tension bending the bow itself rearward.

"You are a strange social partner, Aello." Xalet's brow furrowed, and for the first time it appeared he was genuinely confused. "You seem to care, but you also seem to display disapproval. About nearly everything." with little effort the Akalak brought his crossbow upward and settled it perpendicular to the ground, the bottom of the stock resting against the top of his forearm while he retrieved a bolt from inside a small pouch upon his belt. Dropping the bolt into the groove, he lifted the crossbow up and, should Aello depict a target of interest, shot it in the appropriate direction. Like everything else, Xalet's knowledge of crossbowmanship was basic, but learned enough to wield the device. "I will mention that I do not know what bonbon's are, and my color has been described as purple. This is not a Human cultural behavior involving the development of a relationship, is it?"

[Aello]

Aello chuckled, "suppose Ravok rubbed off on me a bit?" she inquired as she watched Xalet ready his weapon. It seemed to take him far longer to ready his bow for a shot, than it took her. It frustrated her a little, but Aello didn't let it show, instead, when he was finished, she pointed to a nearby tree, and asked him to shoot. For once, he didn't seem to give her any trouble, and did as he was asked. The shot wound up being a bit high, causing the girl to shrug. "Not too bad, but, it'd be best to see you go at it again, just to make sure you didn't simply get lucky that time." Aello's eyes sparkled as she watched the Akalak work, as her lips curled into a playful grin. She couldn't believe she was trying to teach him again, and he didn't seem to know what she was talking about. The aurist shook her head lightly as her grip tightened around her father's old bow. Her long brown hair splayed across her face as a sense of pure joy and amusement made its way into her deep brown irises. "No, that's not it at all. A bonbon is a sort of treat, like a sweet or candy," Aello explained, still chuckling as he finally reloaded. "This time, you're going to have more of a target," she explained. "One that is set by me. Your job then, will be to shoot one of your bolts through my arrows if you can, or to, at the very least, form a similar grouping." With that, Aello reached over her shoulder and plucked a single raven feather fletched arrow from her quiver. She brought it forward, and deftly laced it onto the serving of her bow. When she heard a click, she knew the nock had taken to the string, and wrapped the three middle fingers of her right hand around the arrow. Two on top, one below. She eased it back slowly as she closed her left eye, and began to take aim at a tree about twenty yards away from where she stood. She was aiming to shoot at about her eye level, towards the tree's center. When she felt as though the point of her arrow was directed at such a place, she inched the bowstring back a little further, just past her right ear before letting go. Sending the arrow flying as the string buzzed with its release. The arrow soared through the air, in a relatively straight line, but it dipped towards the end of its flight. Until, it finally imbedded itself in Aello's tree, towards its center, only a bit over her eye level. Within a matter of seconds, Aello had reloaded her bow, and drawn the string back. She moved her arrow's point over the trembling black feathers of her previous arrow as she eased the string back, causing it to creak. After another fraction of a second spent with her fingers aching with the pressure she was exerting upon them, Aello released her second arrow, sending it directly towards the first. But instead of piercing the original, the second landed a mere fraction of an inch to the northeast of the first. With a satisfied smile upon her face, Aello turned to Xalet, "alright. Now, that you don't question my ability to do the things I ask of you, I ask that you either pierce my arrows with your bolts, or continue the ring I have begun. Your call." The girl's eyes sparkled as she placed the end of her shortbow down on the ground, and leaned up against it lightly. Casually. So as not to harm it in any way. "The target's not too far away, so it shouldn't be too difficult." Aello chuckled. "When you're done, we'll move onto something far more exciting though, don't you worry," she added, as she picked up her bow and waited.

[Xalet]

"Oh, candy." Xalet seemed to recognize the idea of a sweet at the very least, although a bonbon was still outside of his sphere of candy related knowledge. "I can't seem to enjoy those well enough, sweets cause a strange painful sensation upon my tongue. I've been told the foods I enjoy the most are very 'spicy'." it felt almost like being back inside of the city in the training grounds. Small segments of positive commentary surrounded by a whole host of negative extras. Regardless, Xalet patiently waited for Aello's explanation and observed her taking her archery stance, nocking her arrows and firing into her target, making a pattern with the skill of her bow related techniques.

It seemed she wasn't just skilled in dagger use, but also a crack shot with a bow. In fact, although Xalet's eyes were only somewhat trained it almost appeared as if she was even more at home with her bow than she was with a dagger. "Mastery over the dagger and the bow, where could you have even found the time?" Xalet's voice echoed the substantial surprise he had now. No matter how one might think of to insult the training of the Knights, it was impossibly difficult and almost never ending. Was this the different between someone with innate talent, and someone without? A slight feeling of depression came across the squire, as if he was misrepresenting the Akalak race. He'd never slacked on his training, not for a day. He never took the easy route, and his diligence kept him in the squirehood where many had quit.

No, that wouldn't do. He couldn't allow himself to be even the slightest bit deterred. Hard work and determination had it's own benefits. Did she just say shoot through her arrows? "Through...your arrows?" Indeed, she clarified and had said through her arrows. Xalet couldn't even imagine him managing such a thing, outside of having a stroke of neigh unbelievable luck. He'd watched every movement Aello made when utilizing her bow, but the movements were so fluid they didn't even seem to resemble his own in the slightest. His crossbow skill was leagues away, but he wasn't about to remove the idea completely from the realm of possibility. He had to try, he would have done so for his patron.

With a deep breath Xalet tried to steady his breathing. His body needed ample oxygen to keep his arms steady, to keep his fingers from trembling. Pushing his crossbow down against the ground he yanked back upon the cord after readying the stirrup with his foot. As the line clicked into place across the nut he readied his bolt. "Very well, I shall strike it." he decided, sounding prepared enough. Thrusting the butt of the stock against his shoulder and leveling out his crossbow, he aimed and slipped his finger up and back against the trigger. If the margin of error for Aello was measured in fractions of an inch, then Xalet was not even close.

Clearing his throat slightly he attempted with a second bolt, the muscles in his arms squeezing against the chainmail shirt that lie beneath his plate. His thumbs steadied the cord as three fingers on each hand spanned the crossbow rearward. A second try seemed closer, but still not upon the mark. To Xalet's luck, while the crossbow was slower to load it had the advantage of not requiring the constant tension of a typical bow. He could take his time, ready his shot, and prepare for the perfect moment of release. The third bolt seemed no closer to striking an arrow, though it did seem as if though he was unintentionally continuing the circle, although it appeared more like an oval...drawn by a child with their toes. Xalet seemed prepared to continue until Aello sought it necessary to stop him.

[Aello]

Aello simply nodded, "if you can manage," she replied, as her grip tightened around her bow. Her eyes danced over Xalet's form as she watched him load his crossbow, and shoot, coming no where close to her special target. "Again," Aello insisted, as she watched him again, only for him to yield the same result. "And again," Aello insisted, to find that the Akalak, still was having trouble with something which seemed so painfully simple to her. Sighing, the girl strode over to the Akalak, and stood behind him. "Load your bow again, and let me see what you're doing," she insisted, waiting for him to obey. When he had, she'd press her right hand into the center of his back. Taking note of how cool his metal armor felt beneath her touch. Taking note of how rigid it made his movements seem to her. It was as though he had chosen to constrict himself. Like a turtle within a shell, not at all coming to realize just how much it weakened him to stay inside. Even though in a way, it kept him safer from worldly dangers. "Pull your right leg back another inch or two to help you brace," Aello instructed, and push the left forward an inch." The girl eyed the back of Xalet's neck, and then his bow, her target. "Prepare for a shot," the girl insisted, as she studied his feet, and the way he held his weapon. It was so unlike hers. Like the bow was on its side; as though it had fallen down and died. She thought it pitiful to see a weapon in such a state- in a condition where it wasn't standing tall and proud. But what was she to do? If that was how a weapon was meant to be wielded, she would not argue the point. With the Akalak being so much taller than she, Aello had trouble seeing where he was aiming. "Don't shoot just yet," Aello whispered, as she eased herself onto her tippy-toes, and did her best to determine just where his bolt was directed. Still, she struggled, but once she considered how the rest of his bolts had shot, she thought she had some idea as to why he was missing quite as much as he had been. "As far as I can tell love, your problem is your size. You see, you are far taller than the average human. Far taller than most other races as well. Although that in itself isn't a bad thing, it can be when you're trying to shoot." Aello paused for a moment, considering how best to explain. "You see, most ranges, as I am sure you have already figured out, are built for humans. For people of that size. The targets are set at their eye level, just as this target is designed for someone as small as myself." Aello chuckled. "You then, being taller than most, have to accommodate us. Adjust your shot for us. You see," Aello went on as she pulled her hand away from Xalet's back and pointed to her target. "That arrow is about as high as my head isn't it? Which is at least a good foot and a half shorter than you. So instead of shooting at your eye level to hit it, you're going to have to shoot at mine. Right?" Aello wasn't sure what she was waiting for, a nod, or some sort of statement of agreement or approval. When she had acquired it, whatever it was, or the silence between them had dragged along long enough, the girl would speak again. "So, you are going to aim down. Alright?" Aello asked. "If you want to come close to that, sight down, shoot down, and probably a bit to the left, you keep shooting too far to the right. Be mindful of that." Aello paused, "and if that doesn't work, perhaps it would be best for you to shoot in another position. Perhaps from a sort of crouch, or even flat on your stomach, although that would be difficult to pull yourself back up from." Aello shrugged, as she retracted her hand. "It may help you to practice that too. Get you used to other things. Stealth battles... surely you could see the value of shooting like that in the field? In the midst of blood and war?" Aello asked, as she took a step back, so as to provide the squire with more room to shoot.

[Xalet]

Things seemed to change, little by little. Xalet was listening to true, genuine instructions now. The kind of instructions he could see coming from the mouths of one of the Knights back within the city, or even from his own Patron himself. The big man did as he was told, moving his feet slightly, sliding them from their previous positions, leaving large scrapings of snow where they moved. The bladed stance was always one of the best for firing the crossbow, as it presented a smaller profile of ones body to the enemy, and allowed for the butt of the crossbow to rest upon the shoulder in order to stabilize the shot.

As with most beginners of course, there were inconsistency with each of the bolts Xalet fired. The crossbow itself was not a difficult weapon to learn, in fact it was one of the most simplistic. However small things, such as pulling the weapon slightly when he squeezed the trigger, or his body shifting from the force and forward motion of the cord when the nut was released all accumulated together. Their accumulation didn't lead to missing the target entirely or causing a wayward shot to endanger the lives of Aello or Xalet himself, but hey did will to keep him from being able to place shots so simply as Aello could.

His loaded crossbow was brought up to his eyes, and fired once more at Aello's command, the wood of the tree trunk peeling away slightly from the impact. His grouping was decent, but striking an arrow was going to take a stroke of nigh impossible luck for someone of his caliber. Lowering the large projectile machine from his shoulder, he listened to her explanation of height compared to the distance of the target. True enough most of the weapons and armor he dealt with had to be modified slightly given his unnatural size, compared to a society comprised primarily of Humans and their subcultures.

"Shooting from the knee is a technique used in crossbowmanship. It was mean to present a smaller target, or enable firing from behind cover on the field. That is a good assessment, I will try it." he said, and although he had learned about it verbally, the Akalak thought back and found himself not having practiced the technique all that much. Cocking his crossbow back yet again he prepared to shift positions. As was appropriate, he bent his left knee downward, and propped his right knee up toward his chest. The stance was slightly different. The elbow from his right arm rested against the right knee for further stabilization, while his left arm prepared another bolt. Sliding the heavy projectile into the groove he prepared his crossbow in a similar fashion. Head tilting slightly to the side to view down the length of the frame, he pulled back on the trigger and released yet another bolt.

[Aello]

Aello remained silent as Xalet changed positions. As he reloaded and shot another bolt, which seemed only to dip from its initial release into the cool winter air. She watched it sink, alongside him, diving into the terrain, and skidding across the hard earth for a time, collecting bits of brown before coming to a halt. "Again," she insisted, as she waited for him to reload, before coming closer again, standing just over his right shoulder, minding his legs, so as not to inflict any more pain than she had the day before. "Is your left eye closed?" Aello asked, unable to see his face, "or your right, if your left is dominant?" Aello added, before pausing a moment, awaiting an answer before she lowered her face, so her chin essentially, hovered just behind the Akalak's armored shoulder. She closed her left eye, and simply stared at where the bolt was directed a moment, before easing herself back up. "Sight down your bolt. If this thing is anything like a shortbow, which it should be as far as aiming is concerned, then you need to look at where its end is directed." She paused, "depending on the elements- if it's windy perhaps, or snowing or something, you may have to adjust a bit, but with a day like today you probably won't have to. Or at least, not too much anyway. So, what you are going to do is direct your bolt's point over the arrows. Or next to them, depending on what you're hoping to hit." Aello fell silent, waiting for Xalet to make a few minor adjustments before she leaned in again, closed her left eye, and sighted down the bolt with him. After seeing the work he had done, Aello nudged his crossbow to the left a bit, before pulling her face away. "That should do as far as that goes," Aello said, as she placed her right hand on his back, and pushed against his left shoulder lightly, hoping he would get the message to bring it forward a bit. He was kneeling a bit too straight, not at all good when trying to aim, or present a smaller target. "And now, you're ready with the rest of it," she added, as she pulled her hand away and took another few steps back. "Fire whenever you're ready," Aello insisted, "and then another few times for good measure."

[Xalet]

Xalet prepared the crossbow each time he was expected to, but it wasn't without some burn upon his expansive musculature. His crossbow was somewhat unlike other crossbows in that it's tension was higher than the average Human could pull. With Xalet's natural inborn strength along side of the dedicated training he had done to enhance his muscle mass it seemed appropriate that his heavy crossbow be altered to compensate. Not only did this make for a more penetrative shot, but it also meant that a typical opponent could not retrieve the squire's crossbow from the ground and use it against him.

The Akalak stared down the stock of the crossbow for a moment before Aello asked him for clarification about his visual acuity. His left eye, or his right eye? He hadn't thought much of it, as he did not find himself closing his eyes one way or the other as he prepared to fire his weapon. Taking the time to actually go through the faux motion of preparing to fire, Xalet finally responded, "My right eye. I leave them open." His words were steady and simple. They brought information forward, but to dig deeper into the emotion behind them was so difficult, at least compared to the vocal statements made by the average Human. "You simply learned all this from trial and error, or you had a skilled teacher?" he asked as she went about adjusting his body. His left leg moved back slightly from it's knelt position, his back rounded just a bit, and his left forward advanced to more squarely meet the butt of the crossbow stock.

During his training with the crossbow he had also found a great deal of accuracy reflected in a person's mental state when they fired their weapon. Even if two stances and levels of skill be the same, if one student was troubled and the other retained the clarity of his mind the second would always out shoot the first. It was a chore, clearing the mind, thinking of nothing. Allowing the focus to simply rest on the basics of the art. Look down the bolt, compensate for the wind, and then become one with the crossbow. Feel the trigger, do not fight with it. Let your finger brush slowly against it's weight until it released, and not too hard. Too much force would jostle the crossbow slightly to the left as the wrist curled to follow the finger. Don't anticipate the snap of the cord, that would cause the shoulders to tighten and the nose of the crossbow would drop. Simply allow the bolt to release and believe in it's path.

Xalet took a moment to steady his breaths, ensuring he did not hold his air for long. Take in oxygen steadily, allow the eyes to focus on the end of the bolt, but only for a moment, then allow the bolt to blur and look past to the target. Focus there, and fire. There was a definite improvement. Significant to the point that even Xalet was surprised at the straightness of his bolt, only the slightest anticipatory jerking of his body kept the bolt from striking true against one of Aello's arrows. Considering the tightness of his most recent release, he prepared a second bolt, trying to regain that feeling, that moment of clarity. What of battle though? What of when confusion and chaos happened? It was better to understand that feeling first, and regain it over and over again. Concentrate. Fire.