A Meager Gift (Lu Gavima)

[Elhaym]

The 88th Day of Winter, 511 AV

The thin and pale bark of the great tree she sat against was scratchy through the cloth of her shirt. She lounged next to it, her Acolyte's uniform suspiciously absent in favor of a pair of flowing black pants cut off midway down her calves and a white tunic that's sleeves had been torn away at the shoulder. Her starched and cleaned Acolyte's sash was present and hanging around her hips, but it was the only hint that she was affiliated with the Shinya. With her uniform absent, her own physique was far more apparent. Thick and muscled arms that few had ever seen mingled with her thick torso and powerful thighs that no longer hid behind layers of clothing. Even the bottoms of her shins were exposed, littered with the scars of a thousand landed blows.

She'd come to this courtyard near the Temple of Time on the Sartu Plaza because it was often quiet, and today was no exception. The great white tree stood alone, standing guard alone and flanked by sculptures of skyglass that almost looked like white marble. It was another one of those places in Lhavit she had found and loved; she seemed to find a new one every week. Elhaym wiggled her toes, the black leather sandals she wore waggling in return. The air was crisp on her exposed skin, but Winter was dying. What cold Lhavit threw at her was no hindrance. It was just one more thing to help cloud her mind and keep her focused on anything other than petty jealousy.

She'd been in the Shinyama Pavilion that morning looking for Guardian Lhutav in an attempt to try to corner him into providing more information on her brother's killer. He knew the woman; he had trained her. While impatiently pacing the hallways in front of the Shinya Elite's gathering room, she had overhead a familiar name, and then again... and again, and again. Lu Gavima. She knew what it meant, or was fairly sure anyway. She had left in a fit of childish anger and retreated to her rooms to remove her uniform. Yet something picked at her conscious as she began to close the door of her room behind her. Lu had been kind to her, and she had even remarked to him herself that he would make a better Shinya than she. On top of that, Elhaym cursed as she reminded herself she had not exactly been a diligent student of the Order over the last few weeks. Since her return, she had spent more time brooding and skirting her duty than actually doing it.

She had pushed a note under the thin crack of the bottom of his quarter's door, and left. A few bells had passed as she waited, but she knew he would come. A thousand insecurities plagued her, and more than a few of those revolved around her training. She couldn't meditate and cleanse her mind like the others could, not truly. Her Projection was pitiful and gave out on her quickly if she tried to do anything more difficult than pick up a few rocks or push a line in sand, and her swordsmanship was laughable. Was Lu so different? Probably not. He would answer her call.

Elhaym curled her fingers into a fist, enjoying the stretching sound the fingerless gloves she wore produced. It took as much self control as she could muster not to jump up and begin a feverish workout, but she stayed her hand. She had little to offer the other Acolytes, but what she did have would be diminished greatly if she wore herself out before giving it. Lu did not know it, but he would be tested soon. Elhaym dared not offend the customs of the Shinya by telling him, but she had resolved to do what she could to prepare her sworn brother for his journey. He had shown her one small bit of kindness, so she would return it now.

Lu,

Haven't seen you since the first day we met. I'm not the best at anything and probably the worst at a few, but there are a few things I can teach you if you'll allow me. I'll be at the Sartu Peak today, by that old white tree just a ways away from the Temple of Time. Come, and think of what it is that you lack that I can provide on your way. Our strength is only a shade when we are alone brother. Take what I can offer, and I will do the same from you.

- Elhaym

[Lu Gavima]

Lu had been meditating in his room when the soft sound of paper against wood caught his attention behind him. He was facing the window, the light of day illuminating his visions. They were mostly chaotic and formless, as his meditation for the morning had been that of no thought. He was only silencing his mind to allow the capacity for thought and feeling to expand in its stead. It was very difficult, as the mind tended to wander and seek any hold to grasp and pull him back into the endless machine of thought and inner dialogue. Each time he would begin to think of something, he would calm himself by trying to imagine his next thought coming from a hole in the wall. No thought could enter without his creation of it, so by harnessing his train in this fashion, it kept him clear and peaceful.

His eyes opened to the swrling wintry clouds above the peaks. He stood and stretched, finding his body's center and bowing. Once the ritual was complete, he turned and found the note on the floor by his door. His head tilted like a bird's as he perused the message, eyebrows raising slightly as he was being summoned by Acolyte Vormav. One thing caught his attention. His eyes read over the words and he appreciated them. He knew of the tree mentioned as well. He knew for sure what he lacked that Vormav did not. Still, something tugged at his attention, peering from the meditated mousehole.

A bell later, he was approaching the tree, its branches reaching skyward as if in a wordless prayer. He had not brought a staff with him, as the barter he had in mind would only make it a hindrance as opposed to a help. He could see her there, standing as a solid statue of toil and toughness. He called out, "Greetings, Vormav. I got your note." Once he had her attention, his bow would run in sync with her own. The thought lingered.

[Elhaym]

Elhaym's posture straightened as the Lu approached, his uniform as immaculate as she had expected. She shook her head and suppressed a grin as he came nearer, matching his bow with her own bastard concoction. A fist went to her heart as she lowered her head to acknowledge him.

"I know you got it. Why else would you have come?" She snapped, but it was a almost a good natured jeer. She didn't really know for sure, but Lu seemed the type to have thick skin. She'd learned to guard her tongue around most of the senior Shinya; they often did not appreciate the brunt of her commentary. Lu was a fellow Acolyte; he was not safe from her quips. "You took your sweet time getting here. Maybe the Shinya should teach their Acolytes how to move instead of having them sit still day and night."

Her words came as if she herself was not an Acolyte, and thus not included in her own taunt. A smoky chuckle escaped her lips as she kicked off her sandals, twisting her hips and thrusting her leg deftly into the air to plant her heel against the bark of the tree. Despite her bulk she moved with some amount of grace, and her leg was elevated level with her face. She leaned into it and began to stretch her muscles, her mind wandering as her body went into a state of automation. Lu's tardiness had given her an idea, though she had originally intended for him to choose the nature of their time spent today. Her eyes lingered upwards, to a stray red ribbon that was caught in the gnarled white branches above. She'd gone about collecting the detritus that human's always leave in their wake from the courtyard as she had waited, but that ribbon alone had escaped her clean sweep.

As Elhaym withdrew her leg back to the ground, she turned to face Lu. "You fought me well before, I admit. I've seen men call themselves warriors with half your instinct and ability. I won't coddle you though, Lu. You only seemed to move when I forced you to, and you let me flutter about as I pleased. A little agility wouldn't kill you. You should be dictating the pace of a fight, not succumbing to it."

Elhaym propped her other leg on the tree as she had before, giving it a good stretch as well. Her hand absently motioned towards the ribbon with her thumb pointing it out. "Can you grab that ribbon? You're just standing there anyhow."

She said it casually, but it was no easy feat. The ribbon was a good fifteen feet in the air, wrapped around a thick branch with several smaller ones sprawling beneath it as if to guard the fabric from his clutches. The bark was rough though, and climbing the massive trunk shouldn't pose much of a challenge to anyone with even the most base physical ability. She gave him another look, and nodded again up to the fabric whipping about the branches.

"What? I want it. Just pretend it's a kitten in a tree or something."

She chuckled to herself again as she moved away from the tree, giving Lu free reign to set to his task. When he retrieved it, the day's events would begin in earnest.

[Lu Gavima]

"I know you got it. Why else would you have come?"

He smiled as he approached her.

"It surely isn't for etiquette lessons." Once their bows were finished, he listened to her heartily, enjoying her company, however brash and coarse as it was."You took your sweet time getting here. Maybe the Shinya should teach their Acolytes how to move instead of having them sit still day and night." Lu chuckled, breaking his usual calm waters. It was surprisingly loud. "You speak as if you are not an Acolyte, Vormav. Meditation has its uses or I am sure it would not be a required skill of the Shinya." She chuckled as well, her body exploding into action, as usual. Lu watched patiently as she moved up the tree like a cat. A large, bulky cat, but a cat nonetheless.

When her feet touched the ground, she had more to say. Lu listened, absorbing the lessons given, should there be any among the gruff tongue lashings. He was pleased to hear the words of recognition as to his abilities. He kept a smile on his face, nodding in agreement with the concept of he being the one to dictate the movements of an opponent. His eyes moved along the length of her leg as she stretched, looking up to see the prize in question as it fluttered in the breezes of the Peaks. He looked back at her, chuckling again as she equated it to a kitten in a tree.

It was clear what her aim was. While he felt he could get up into the tree easily enough, he felt he had a lesson to teach as well, as that was what the two of them were. Light and dark, opposing forces, moving in fluid synchronicity. He folded his hands behind his back, taking care to tuck his thumbs into the top fold of his sash. He feigned the action of walking around the tree, surveying it for a proper foothold. In actuality, his astral arms were already freeing themselves. By the time he returned to her side, his attention was focused on the ribbon, which seemed to also free itself from the branches, invisible arms extended and delicately removing it. It fluttered down, with a little guidance, to land on Vormav's head.

"Projection. Another required skill of the Shinya. It also has its uses."

He tried desperately to stifle a growing grin, his arms working themselves back into place. He hoped her sense of humor was as sharp as her blades, as he would lack the ability to block a blow of retribution.

[Elhaym]

"Projection? I told you to-... hah. Cute."

Despite herself she chuckled as the ribbon draped itself across her face, and the soft fabric tickled her nose badly enough to produce a snort. This only caused the ribbon to flutter about more, and so she laughed. A deft hand snatched the silky cloth from atop her head, and began to tie it around her forehead. Once knotted off, two stray strands hung a good two feet down her back.

"You're right on both accounts, I suppose. Not my strong points, but useful. Still, meditation won't bring a man down and even projection cannot reach endlessly. There's something to be said for relying on your body."

Her body moved with grace that, as he indeed had noticed, did not befit someone with the bulky thigh muscles or hard arms she had. She stretched her torso and reached to her toes, holding herself there for a moment before bouncing back up and repeating the process.

"I used to run along the beaches near Syliras. It was always beautiful... the smell of the sea and the sound of the water splashing everywhere. Sometimes I'd go into the water knee deep and run that way, because it was harder. Lhavit's not like that... but the city does provide a few other possibilities."

She straightened at last, touching the cloth at her forehead and arranging her hair around it. The memories of cruising those rocky shores and splashing around in the water with Tanny were good ones, and it brought a smile to her lips.

"Point being, I'm feeling like a run. If I were forced to chase a man down, I'd want to know I could rely on myself to do it no matter what happened along the way. So, think of it as... an exercise, or training. Think you can snatch this ribbon off my head Lu? Or have you spent too long relying on your mind and your djed to remember you have a real body?"

She kicked her sandals off one by one as she spoke, preparing for a hasty departure. Okay, so she was ten years older than a typical Acolyte. That didn't mean she wasn't up for a bit of mischief every now and again. A chase through the city would net them some attention, sure. Yet she wasn't interested only in her own fun; Lhavit's architecture and layered streets and pathways would provide ample opportunity to test Lu's skill. A trite challenge, really. Yet she had a feeling he may well catch her in the end; he was ever the resourceful young man. A small boost in confidence would do him well for what he was soon to face.

"No matter what happens, you have to get this ribbon, or you lose. Whether or not it's a game or the real thing, failure should never be an option. Catch me, Lu."

She said her last bit and let out a cackle, turning on her heels and coming to life in a blur of movement. She peeled away from the white tree in a dead sprint and in a matter of seconds was closing on the edge of the courtyard while veering around the massive sculptures dotting the yard. She leaned into her run while throwing her arms out and planting them firmly on the low wall that signified the border of the rest area, and let out a grunt as she vaulted right over it's edge...

... and into a ten foot drop. The path below wound around the courtyard and into yet another garden. Elhaym let out a wooping cry as she impacted on all in a crouched position and rolled forward. The fluid motion of her landing denied the fall any injury, and her pace fell back into a dead sprint in moments. The red flapped behind her head, snapping back in forth in the wind her own momentum seemed to generate.

She had yet to run into anyone to be troubled by her game, but that would likely change soon. She careened down the path barefoot, heading for the more populated areas of the Sartu peak. She doubted Lu would catch her by then, but he may wish he had. Her fun and his little exercise were only beginning.

[Lu Gavima]

Fortunately, Vormav shared his sense of humor on the topic. Lu relaxed and stood at ease while his astral arms wormed their way back into place. He watched her tie the ribbon into her hair after a snort was produced by the ribbon. Lu shared in the joy and humor of the moment, though he was still on guard mentally. She had some point to this exercise and he intended to figure it out. She began stretching and touching her toes as she spoke of Syliras, one of the many flat cities of stone he had heard of. This one, if he recalled, at least had multiple vertical levels, though he doubted it aided in its aesthetic appearance. Nothing could compare with the glowing skyglass of Lhavit.

'something to be said about relying on your own body.' A glimmer of understanding passed the young man's features. He looked up in the tree again and looked back at Vormav as she stretched. She meant for him to use his body more. He aped her movements, stretching his own legs and waist as she continued speaking. A part of him was becoming tired of the usual rambling about how the body trumped the mind. It was plain to Lu that while Vormav was clearly an adversary to fear in combat, outside of that, she was just a bully, protecting her fragile heart with threats of violence and fist pumping. None of these opinions crossed his features, however. He simply observed her as she tied the ribbon into her hair.

He found it odd to watch her kick her snadals off, but that was what made her run better, he supposed. He would not mimic this action, leaving his sandals on. He did loosebn his sash slightly, however and chuck his pants down slightly so they were a little more loose in the crotch.

"No matter what happens, you have to get this ribbon, or you lose. Whether or not it's a game or the real thing, failure should never be an option. Catch me, Lu."

He watched her turn and tear off like some kind of mad Zith, howling and screeching as she flew away. Failure was not an option. Nor was playing her game by her rules. He picked up into his own run, though not as obviously explosive, he managed to keep her in sight. His attention remained several feet ahead of her, moving through the statues in a more direct line. It gave him an extra step to close the gap slightly. Her gait was low and crouched at once and she seemed to leap over a wall and disappear. Lu modified his direction to find where the other wall met it at the corner, some twenty feet off course. He leapt at an angle toward the opposite wall, taking the force of impact in his shoulder as he bounced off. When he landed, it was much more awkward and staggered, but his injuries were not game ending. He shook it off and continued his pursuit. The statues opened up into a less populated area briefly, giving him the indication of her presence, much further ahead now and still pushing forward. He would play by her rules until it seemed foolish.

[Elhaym]

Her body was churning and it felt fantastic. The feeling of her bare feet pounding over stone and grass as air evacuated her lungs and was drawn in just as rapidly enthralled her. If only Shinya training was more like this, she would already have risen through the ranks like a seasoned mountaineer. Grays and blues flashed by her as she began to run past people milling about in their daily lives, and she slowed just a bit as to not frighten them as she did the first few. Winding down the narrow pathway, she would soon spill into one of the main plazas of the peak and have to wade her way through a crowd. That simply would not do.

The path the two Acolytes careened down was like a gash in the city with high walls on either side, each leading to their own networks of small alleys and pathways among the buildings there. If she could get up there… but the distance was the same she had dropped, and she didn't want to stop and scale it. Slowing that much would allow Lu to close the gap, and that also simply would not do. Her thighs burned and her calves sang out as if they too could remember the times she had while running around the city walls of Syliras, but she was more a casual runner than anything else. Her breathing was harsh; she needed to give herself a small moment to catch her breath while at the same time imposing some sort of obstacle on Lu.

There. A large wheelbarrow was propped against the wall, it's burden being several bags of foodstuffs tied in sackcloth. She veered to the side, giving herself as wide an arc as she could, and sprinted straight for it. She let out a whooping cry as she came upon it, pushing with all her strength and launching herself upwards. One foot came to rest on a sack while the other was suspended in air, and again she pushed. Her leap impressed even her; she cleared the top of the wall and managed to stick her landing with only a bit of a stumble forward. Now she turned to see Lu's form coming around the bend, but a massive crack brought her attention to the cart she had just vaulted from. The sudden strain of her weight along with the rest of it's burden had apparently been too much for the old wheelbarrow. One wheel collapsed completely and sent it crashing to the ground as the bags fell and opened. Fruits rolled onto the pathway and bags of grain burst into a cloud of white. So there was his obstacle.

Too bad about the fruit, but it was probably still good. Just rub it off on your sleeve and take a bite, that's what she would have done. Content that she had delayed him a bit, Elhaym turned and jogged along the edge of the wall that looked down on her former track before darting into a corridor to her right. It was long and narrow with high walls of rough stone hemmed with skyglass. The sound of her footfalls echoed as she sent out a silent prayer to Zintila to help Lu get to her.

She didn't want him to fail, but she didn't want to make it easy for him either. Lu was talented, and proud to a fault. She thought he might even be a bit cocky. Still, she wanted to show him something today that would perhaps stick with him for a while. Meditation and Projection were both powerful tools, but they were not all one needed. Just because the Shinya did not teach something did not make it unworthy of attention.

The body was the most powerful weapon a man had. Magic was a cheat, and without it your mind was a useless sack of jelly. She wanted him to struggle, if only to realize that.

[Lu Gavima]

He could hear Vormav's howls and coos as she bounded ahead. He knew she really loved getting one over on him, especially in a 'fair' competition. Somehow being physically fit and acrobatic was superior to the use of Projection. Probably as fair as his own Projection competition would be. While meditation had no forms or punches, it did control one thing which he needed in this contest.

Breath.

His own traveled through his nose and out of his mouth in short blasts, as if they were what pushed him down the pathway.His ears caught the sound of a sharp crunch ahead of him, its sound echoing down the high walled corridor. Sweat stung the corners of his eyes as he pushed himself, trying to be ready for what was coming. The field of view expanded and he could see Vormav above him now, a shattered wheelbarrow and its load of fruit the victim of her ox-like frame. Her disregard for others was astounding and his eyebrows scrunched up. His body wanted to hesitate, to stop his forward momentum, but he denied its application. Unsure of whether he would make it but angry enough with her to find out, he ran straight for the wheelbarrow, jumping and catching the uppermost tilted handle with his foot and pushing further, his arm catching the upper wall at the shoulder. More scraping ensued as his legs continued to swing. He let them carry his body up until he was flat on the next tier, rolling up and into his feet and pushing him forward.

He saw the back of her meaty calf as it veered into a corridor. His scraped and bruised body was now a conduit of his anger, misplaced or not. As he rounded the corridor, his words rang out.

"You'll destroy anyone to win! I'll beat you at your own game!"

[Elhaym]

Her own soft footfalls mingled with his distant shout and competed with her own heavy breath for attention. That cart's destruction had been unfortunate, but it was hardly severe enough to be equated with hurting a person. Frustration was evident in his voice; good. Lu maintained a stoic persona, but she would soon see what truly lay beneath. The corridor stretched before her and began to grow narrower until it was barely wide enough for two grown men to pass by, and they would have been scraping the walls with their shoulders. A plan formulated.

Both arms extended, each palm pressing against the skyglass on either side of her. It was weathered but still slick, and Elhaym had to stop and rub her hands off on her pant legs to get them dry enough to grip. Again she stretched them out, and this time she hopped up and extended her legs as well. When she caught herself, she was suspended in the air a foot or so off the ground, her arms and legs pressing against the narrowly spaced walls. The muscles in her core began to strain as she pushed herself straight up, spider walking straight up with tandem pushes from her arms and legs.

It was slow going. It was only half a chime before she was suspended almost thirty feet in the air, but the glass was smooth and her body yearned for an end to this sudden strain. Air churned from her lungs and out into the air rapidly. The idea of drawing upon the Flux to force a second wind danced around her mind, but she resisted. Magic was a cheat; denying its use and forcing her body to do the work on its own had been the point. It was then that her hands felt the rough edge of the top of these small residential buildings stacked so closely together. With a grunt she swept her right arm over and grabbed the same ledge as the left, and muscled her way over the top of the ledge by wedging her armpit over it and bucking her legs until she rolled onto the rooftop.

Elhaym crouched and shook her hands as if to release some of the strain that had built up in them. The rooftop was flat save for a small circular protrusion that continuously billowed with smoke. There were several adjoining rooftops with only a similar gap as the one she had traversed between them…

Off she went, jogging along the edge of the roofs and looking down at the paths below. Mostly, it was to let the flowing strands of red cloth flap about and remain visible.

[Lu Gavima]

Putting his mind in a place other than where his side and legs burned and throbbed, Lu caught his breath and steeled himself for a moment. He knew Vormav was too haughty to slip away, preferring to mock him further, more than likely. As he turned the corner into the corridor, he watched her climbing, pushing herself up to the rooftops. She would be nearly impossible to catch this way, so he sprinted beneath her and on through the narrow alley.

Once in the street, he quickly oriented himself. They were in a poorer section of Lhavit, where the illustrious domes gave way to more practical rows of living tenements. Not that any of the Autava were kinaless, considering that everyone worked in some fashion. His eyes turned up to see the edge of the roof she would be no doubt heaving her massive carcass on. His eyes then followed down, seeing a natural progression before him.

His muscles exploded again, but this time it was not for speed but accuracy. He leaped to a cart full of hay, apologizing to the startled driver as he balanced himself on the edge of the box. His body wet with sweat and covered in scratches and bruises, he ignored further injury, jumping again to the top of a porch. Not wishing to scrape himself, he landed hard but compact, rolling up and scaling the remaining story with cracks and window ledges until he was also scrambling on the rooftop.

He could see the fluttering red ribbon and the leisurely jog its bearer carried. He wiped his brow and pushed himself harder, leaping the small gap between the first set of buildings. His one claim shouted below was all he would say now. His breath would be saved for closing the gap.