Closed Three if by Sea of Grass

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

He wasn't sure he had been clear when he heard her response; his agreement had been conditional to her learning those skills that were necessary for a woman of the Watch. He had been eager to be initiated in the Web because he wished to be the Sunsinger Ankal when it had either been him, the Ethaefal Kasb'el, or nobody, not because he wanted to be a Watchman. He had to wonder about her life in her pavilion if she was so focused on the Mystery, and so seemingly out of nowhere, too. But if she prepared herself with his guidance, he would attempt her initiation too. Some took to it like a fish as Sama'el had done, but others never really mastered it. He couldn't know which sort Mealla would be. But he smiled, ever hopeful. "The Akalak always take their time with their responses," he said. "We should have time to spar and ride and such." There, at least, he could help the both of them develop their skills, and even his own as Ronan was better with a dagger than he, and Mealla the better hunter from what he had heard.

[Mealla Stormsong]

There wasn’t really anything else to be said, and, if Mealla had to be completely honest, she just wanted the break to end though it had barely begun. She wasn’t good at being denied anything, even with a promise of a 'maybe later'; didn’t know how to react, and so the focus of travelling once again would be a good distraction, and it would also distract from the fact that she still didn’t feel entirely comfortable in their presence. They knew each other so well, and she felt a bit like an outsider. An eavesdropper. And again she had to bite down on a retort about learning skills. She had had enough of learning those things, because they weren’t things she was completely new at – like she would be with Webbing – and her frustration inevitably rose at being corrected and at being found not to be as worthy as she thought or hoped. Oh, her frustration was usually directed at herself, but she always had a way of lashing outward to make herself feel better. It was a habit that needed to be stopped, but she didn’t know how. She finally pulled her gaze away from Andraste and looked at Sama’el, smiling sweetly, going back to their first meeting where things hadn’t initially started out too badly (until she’d thrown a tantrum and thrown down her sword), “Does this mean I’ll finally have a chance to put you on your back, if we are to spar? You haven’t given me the chance yet, and you did promise, and I think you’d look so good on your back. Such a nice position.” He hadn’t promised, of course, but she could only hope that he had a crappy memory. "Don't you think he should allow it, Ronan?"

[Ronan]

Despite his promises, Mealla still looked somewhat disappointed. Ronan wouldn't push any further. Negotiation was all about give and take. One person couldn't come out with all they had wanted. When she spoke again, it came as a surprise to see her gleaming smile. So gleaming he had reason to doubt its integrity. She turned, involving him in the question, but Ronan completely misconstrued her meaning. "On his back?" he said with a crippling laugh, "easy strider!" At once, he knew she would react in one of two ways. With that biting anger that she seemed to be confused by, or perhaps with embarrassment. He straightened, and finally nodded. "I have sparred with you before, brother, dagger to dagger. Perhaps you should test her mettle." He wondered with his breath though, if the Ankal was prepared to fight a woman. Especially after everything. But Mealla really wasn't a typical Drykas woman. Skin and bone belied inner fire, and a will to fight and learn. It was strangely resonant with Ronan, as if he had known someone just like her so long ago. He returned his words, deciding he would not overstep the mark, and he turned to Mealla. "But remember he is our master, and so it is up to him what we learn, and the pace with which we learn it. Sama'el does everything for a reason. Even when you think he is being unjust, there is a method to his seeming madness." He smiled softly. "I promise."

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"Ugh, don't say master," he said, trying to smile through the fact that it reminded of his days of true slavery. An Ankal was not a slavemaster, or oughtn't be. But it was good that she wanted to spar again; so far he hadn't been able to coax her into it since their first meeting, when her lack of training had made her mad at him for some reason. He smiled. "We will all spar when we get to Riverfall. We will certainly have the time for it, and the sharper the blades of Endrykas are, the better they can defend. And if you can get me on my back, that'll be proof you're on the right track." He laughed, then stood up. "Come, let's ride."

OOCI'm gonna turn this one in for grading so we can maybe start some more current threads now it's Winter. There'll probably be time for a response, though, if you wanna.

[Jackalope]

Sam

Award

Skill	XP Earned	Lore Earned
Reimancy	+1	Three Travelers, Three Marks
Socialization	+5	Being Too Dense To See The Obvious
Teaching	+1	Resisting the Urge to Strike
Observation	+1	Wondering What Mealla's Problem Is
		A Lesson in Patience

Mealla

Award

Skill	XP Earned	Lore Earned
Socialization	+5	Sam Would Look Good in Pink
Observation	+2	Saying Too Much
		Keeping To Yourself, Or Wishing You Had
		Pleading to Learn

Ronan

Award

Skill	XP Earned	Lore Earned
Socialization	+5	The Importance of a Good Laugh
Observation	+3	Calling Out a Grouch
Interrogation	+1	Finding Humor
		Offering Your Ear To a Troubled Girl
		Sama'el is Mealla's Master; She Needs to Learn That

Witty Remark Here

Great social, guys. I think it brilliantly showed everyone's personality, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of this stuff. Don't stay in RF too long, though. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.