[Flashback] Difficult Lessons at the Pavilion (Satu)

[Avari]

Too wrapped up in her turmoil of emotions, Avari didn't even hear Satu running after her or calling for her to wait. She hurried blindly toward the door of the pavilion, wanting only to escape that dreadful place of humiliation and disgrace. The door slammed closed behind her, and still she ran on, dashing the tears from her eyes, until she could no longer hear the sounds of twin suvai clacking crisply against each other or the chatter of excited or astonished Konti girls watching her flee. Only when she reached the edge of the coral reef behind the Suvai Pavilion did Avari finally come to a stop, sagging and breathing heavily from her headlong flight.

When she caught her breath, the Konti turned her head and glared defiantly at the majestic red-and-blue structure rising behind her. Even though she was completely alone and there was no one around to see, she balled her hands into fists and shook them fiercely at the pavilion. Somehow, it made her feel better.

"Never again," she swore. "Never again is anyone dragging me back there. And…and…"

Avari searched her memory for Kontinese expletives strong enough for her situation, but couldn't think of any. But then, most of its pale and peaceful speakers probably rarely had any occasion to swear and curse, she thought sourly. She tried her best.

"And…pish and likewise tush on ever getting thrown on my rump like that again," she attempted. Avari grimaced at the hopelessly saccharine sound of her own statement. She really needed to learn to swear better than this. Thinking back on all the time she'd spent at the harbor, Avari mentally rummaged her memories for better swears than the childish-sounding "pish" or "tush."

In the silence, she became aware of a quiet thwacking sound in the distance, followed by clapping and then more thwacks. Avari looked around fearfully, wondering if she had stumbled upon a group of Konti practicing the dance of the suvai beside the coral reef. Her anxiety turned into curiosity when she saw no one around nearby but continued to hear the sounds of distant thwacking nevertheless. The sound reminded her of nothing so much as rocks being bounced against a wall. When she heard the sound of laughter, Avari's curiosity overwhelmed her and she meandered around the pavilion, wondering who or what was making all these unusual noises.

After circling around the pavilion, she finally came upon a group of Konti gathered under the shade of a leafy green tree, standing around a wooden bull's-eye target. As Avari watched from a prudent distance, a short, slender Konti with wavy white hair stood at least twenty or thirty feet from the target, took aim with both hands, and threw a pair of daggers straight toward the target. She heard the thwack as both landed quivering right in the middle of the bull's-eye, and the Konti around the short, slender woman applauded her fine throw enthusiastically.

Drawing closer, Avari watched as other girls lined up to take their throws with slim little daggers, all of them standing much closer than the first woman had. Some of them hit the target, while others missed and just flung their daggers into the grass. The short, slender Konti cheerfully encouraged them, though, and patiently corrected their throwing posture and the angle of the girls' arms. Avari watched with wide eyes, marveling at the woman's friendly, open demeanor, so different from the stern coldness of Suvai Mistress Nitvin. She tiptoed forward a little closer, intrigued by the throwing weapons and the teacher's lively personality.

One of the younger students happened to glance Avari's way and spotted her immediately with bright blue eyes. "Hey! You there!" she cried, her high, clear voice revealing her to be even younger than she looked. "I see you! Are you spying on us?"

The rest of the girls swiveled to face Avari, who instinctively backed away from their collective regard. The short, slender teacher with the white hair pushed toward the front. When Avari looked into her light green eyes and saw the merriment dancing in them, as well as the warm smile that curved her lips, she found herself relaxing despite herself.

"I'm not spying," Avari answered, raising her hands defensively. "I was just...I was just...well," she said, in perfect honesty, "interested in what you were doing."

The smile on the teacher's face broadened even further. "Is that so? Well, would you like to try it out yourself? I can assure you it's a great deal more fun than just watching," the short, slender Konti said cheerfully, proffering a throwing dagger. She swept her arm to indicate the girls around her and then pointed at herself. "These are my students for the beginners' throwing daggers class, and I'm Mistress Lenn Zerqian. Come on, join us and take a throw or two yourself. You might find that you enjoy it!"

Feeling strangely shy, Avari slowly came forward and accepted the dagger. The slight weight and even balance of it felt peculiar after handling the wooden training suvai, but not uncomfortable. She looked into Mistress Lenn's open, pleasant face and felt herself smiling in response.

"I'd like to learn," she said hesitantly. "If you don't mind."

And before she knew it, she was part of Mistress Lenn's throwing dagger class and not Mistress Nitvin's suvai practice session, happily throwing daggers at the bulls'-eye and into the dirt alike, and feeling free and light-hearted for the first time since she'd stepped foot in the Suvai Pavilion.

[Satu]

Impulsively Satu hurried after the girl she had just met, but the embarrassed Konti already had such a lead. And for the HeartSeer, it was difficult to pick her way through the small crowd of curious, chattering girls. They slowed her progress with questions. “Satu! What happened?” and “What was wrong with that girl?” or “Do you know her?” The suvai dancer could only reply honestly, “I don’t know… I don’t know…” Hands light upon their arms, Satu pushed through them, urging, “I must go!” But Avari passed through the door and it slammed closed behind her. Satu was too slow. Bursting through the door, but there was no sign of Avari - only a sea of bobbing, white blonde hair. Somewhere out among them was the girl she sought… It would be easier to turn around and resume her studies - but her opponent’s wild emotions had saddened and concerned her. Satu didn’t want Avari to leave their partnering thinking badly of her. Even after the girls’ disastrous attempt to spar with the suvai, Satu still wanted to help. Or at least to offer assistance. Even just to lend a shoulder to cry on. For somehow Satu felt responsible, maybe she had tried to hard, or pushed the girl more than she should have… when all she really wished to do was share her love of the suvai. Rounding the Pavilion, Satu walked lightly, but rapidly looking for the shorter girl. Maybe she had gone to the coral reef… it was a lovely spot to… to… feel emotions in. But there was no sign of Avari there - though she did see Mistress Zorgron’s Daggers Class and Satu waved to them. She had met them once with Mistress Nitvin, though she had never taken one of the teachers classes, having spent all her focus upon the betterment of her suvai stances. And oh! And there was Avari throwing daggers! Satu clapped along with the other girls as each weapon was thrown. Thankfully, the girl and her Heart looked much happier… the colors had soothed and calmed, they were lighter now. And even Avari’s head seemed to be held higher, more confidently. It was a relief to see! “Looks as if this is the day for newcomers, we normally don’t see you here,” Mistress Zorgron said brightly to Satu. “You may throw next if you like.” Always eager, Satu nodded in agreement and gladly took the offered daggers. She took the couple steps forward, to where Avari had just been, and focused on the target. The epitome of peace, and inner calmness, Satu took a deep breath in and threw the dagger. It was apparent, she knew less than most of the other beginners, for Satu instinctually wielded the weapon as she would the suvai. It didn’t work – and the dagger spun crazily off to the side to land toppling in the grass. Her next throw, the weapon whipped high in the air past the target. Good-natured Satu was the first to laugh at herself, and loudly at that. Stepping aside to let another girl have a turn, Satu slid to stand next to Avari. “This is fun!” she giggled. “I had no idea! Though, really I much prefer the suvai...” An edge of concern slipped over her features, “Are you okay? We were… we were… concerned for you – the way you left the Pavilion… in such a rush.” She stopped speaking to clap for one of the girls, then continued in her sweet voice. “I could tutor you. Show you the stances and the techniques… If you wanted more help?”

[Avari]

Avari had just started to relax and enjoy herself in Mistress Lenn's class, finding the precision, flexibility, and, above all, ranged style of the throwing daggers much more to her liking. At last, she thought she had finally found a weapon style that suited her. The dance of the suvai was just maddening to her in what she viewed as its unnecessary and overly convoluted intricacy, and she doubted her small frame would ever be muscular enough to heft around a big sword or a cumbersome bow and quiver of arrows. Besides, she hated getting sweaty and sticky every time she visited the Suvai Pavilion.

But throwing a slim little dagger or carrying a few of them strapped to her hip? That much, Avari could handle.

The fact that throwing a dagger accurately was more complicated than it looked didn't discourage her, either; in fact, it rather pleased Avari to know that her chosen weapon style wasn't so easy and obvious that everyone could do it. Watching Mistress Lenn demonstrate the initial stance and throwing motion, she paid close attention to the way she lined up her feet with one foot in front and the other about two foot-lengths behind it, carrying most of her weight. When she threw, she stepped forward and shifted her weight to her front foot, putting the force of her body into her throw.

Instead of simply flinging the dagger, the Konti teacher instructed them to lift up their throwing arm and swing it downward instead, letting go of the knife when it pointed directly at the target and following through with the swing until the arm rested against the body again. The dagger didn't sail straight at the target; it flashed end over end toward the bulls-eye. Avari tried her best to count the number of times it rotated, but couldn't keep track of the spinning blade as it sped toward the center and stuck, hard. If the target were a real person, Avari imagined she would be bleeding profusely and screaming after Mistress Lenn's throw.

There were a number of other grips and motions that the throwing daggers students could learn in the future, Mistress Lenn promised them. For now, though, she wanted them to memorize these motions with their minds and muscles until they could perform them effortlessly. Avari listened to her every word intently and happily. She loved the image of skewering an attacker with a multitude of blades and forcing her to yield without Avari ever laying a finger on them.

Mistress Lenn's open and cheerful demeanor helped, too. Though she still felt self-conscious around the lovely teacher, Avari warmed to her smiles and friendly flow of words. To be sure, Mistress Lenn didn't always explain everything clearly and tended to stray from her subject, but she was a far cry from Old Icy-Eyes Mistress Nitvin.

She had just started to think optimistically about how she would make payment to Mistress Lenn for further lessons, when suddenly a very familiar face appeared at the edge of the class and made Avari's smile darken like a guttering candle flame. Satu, her sparring partner, had actually followed her out of the Pavilion. Now she was joining the class, and Avari was the only one not smiling or chuckling along with her as she practiced a few throws and laughed charmingly at her own misses.

What in Avalis' name was she doing here? Avari wondered in dismay. Goddess help her, couldn't the girl just find someone else to spar with? Why couldn't she leave Avari alone?

When Satu slid next to her and started talking, Avari twitched and fidgeted spasmodically with irritation. "I'm fine!" she snapped, as soon as the other girl was done giggling and acting patronizing. "I just don't like the suvai, all right? There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

She edged away from Satu. "So, I don't need your help. I don't want it. You can keep your stances and your concern, too. I know you're all..."

The sound of clapping drew her attention for a moment, and Avari clapped at another fine throw from an older Konti. Then she continued in the same vehement tone, almost hissing at Satu, "I know you're all artistic and astonishing with the suvai, but that's just not me. I'm not like you, all right?"

Bitterly, she stared at Satu, with her marvelous curly white hair, statuesque dancer's muscles, and sweet smile that was starting to fade and droop like a withering vian blossom. Avari knew that she could never be like that, never be the sort that gave as well as took. She felt prickly and crude beside this pearl of a Konti. It made her ball her fists at her sides as the longing to run away again welled up inside her.

"I just want to be left alone!" she burst out shrilly, like a child in a temper.

Her anger gave her strength, and she pushed Satu's shoulder aside and stalked past her. Avari's abrupt gesture and sharp outburst drew the attention of Mistress Lenn, who strode toward them and put her hands on her hips. The friendliness was gone from her face, and she gazed at them both sternly, looking a little more like the Mistress of the Suvai Pavilion that she was supposed to be. Just like inside the Suvai Pavilion, the other students went silent and watched them curiously.

"What is going on here?" Mistress Lenn asked, looking from the angry Avari to the wide-eyed Satu with clear green eyes.

[Satu]

Satu watched and listened as the Dagger Mistress lectured and the other girls took their turns. The weapons spun end over end, some wildly, others on target. Her own throws by far were some of the worst, but the gentle Konti did not mind. She missed the connection with the suvai, as she moved through the stances and forms, a continuation of her body – of her inner-self… Once a dagger left her hand, it was… just over. The connection gone and the dance ended. It was a sad feeling and Satu was left unfulfilled. It made her feel empty and strangely sad, though the other Konti around her did not seem to feel the same. But there was one Heart that stood out from the rest. Avari. Satu’s head turned slowly. Avari’s Heart pressed upon her, insistent in its irritation. Satu thought the poor vessel would melt as it dripped in annoyance! The young heart seer was visibly startled by the magnitude of it, and she simply stared, looking impolitely into the other girl. The HeartSeer had no idea Avari carried such feelings within… Naively she believed Avari would welcome her company, especially after the blunders in the pavilion. But- the girl did not! Satu swallowed, unsettled and unprepared for the verbal onslaught now directed at her. Her eyes widened; all sense of graceful composure gone as her hands fluttered and lifted nervously in defense. “No... no…! There’s nothing wrong… with…” the Konti stuttered. “I just wanted to make sure you were... I didn’t mean to imply that…” she whispered forcefully, but her head turned to look as Avari clapped for one of the girls. Though the hiss that followed did not go with the polite clapping, and the assault resumed. “I’m not-t-t... I didn’t say…” but the suvai fighter could not seem to finish a sentence between Avari’s hot words. Her face fell further under the onslaught of the shorter Konti, and glassy tears began to build within her gaze. “But you could be….” Satu couldn’t help the words that came next, “If you… if you… didn’t desire the things others had…” Her eyes widened, her hand covered her mouth; she had overstepped. Satu had said too much! Anger burst in a dozen colors from Avari’s heart, and the girl’s shrill words followed. “I’ll… I’ll just go… and…” her hands flew up again to ward off the anger. For a moment Satu worried that Avari might strike her… but the onslaught of emotions hurt her worse and weakened the HeartSeer. She stood in place, as her shoulder was bumped roughly as Avari stormed by. Silent tears began to run down her face and Satu’s gaze dropped under the disapproving gaze of the instructor. Even now, Satu did not wish trouble, and it was beyond her, to lay the blame on Avari. The suvai student shook her head slowly, taking a deep breath. “We just… we were just discussing the…” she swallowed; lying did not come naturally the HeartSeer. “The… the differences between daggers and suvai!” She blurted out, looking for the way out of this mess. “I’m sorry we… I disturbed everyone. I… I was just going anyway… and and I’m due back… at the Pavilion!” And Satu certainly looked contrite and apologetic, and more than a bit nervous, as she took one last look at Avari. Then muttered, “I’m so sorry!” as she spun away and her long legs took her back to the pavilion.

[Cachet]

Avari : Avari SKILLS Suvai:4 Observation:2 Socialization:2 Rhetoric:1 LORE Suvai:Defensive postures Stances are important I'm not a spy! Misc Notes: Interesting read, not what I was expecting. Which made it interesting and insightful to read. Anything seem out of place? Any questions please feel free to contact me ASAP.