The tiger and the tempest. ( saph )

[Ximal]

9th Fall 512AV

A simple day, calm quiet, adn the training field empty for a change, thank whatever gods were smiling upon him he may actually get some training done today but not training of the physical but mental sense, today he'd be able to train his mind and his special talents. Sitting cross legged on the ground using his cloak as a mat, he closed his eyes and sank into deep thought just now beginning to quiet the torrent of thoughts that was his mind and focus on his djed, holding it within and not letting it burst, arcing the flux-djed over and down his limbs right to the tips of his extremities before pulling it back to his core. Harnessing the flow of energy within like a water motion. Almost as if the wind it'self was flowing through him, though he could only think likem this with calm head he couldn't focus enough unless it was dead quiet, he needed utter silence to feel every muscle of his body move with the slow soothing buzz of his djed. His breath slow and steady harnessing the feel fo that buzz in then very core of his person right over his heart. then letting the pure buzz of power disperse and feeling the filtration of it back into his body the slow trickle feeling like every point on his body was sweating. But not sweating water, weeping pure power, he didn't want to loose his focus or that might mean his body would react of it's own accord. Bringing his arms up and over each other he placed his hands together but with palms in opposite directions. He was just trying to focus on how to get power flowing through him without leaving him. Still lowing his energy into his arms only the djed built up until he let it dissipate back into himself. As he sit there now holding his mind empty he wondered what would be next for him to try out. Could he clear his mind or should he try to train his fighting more ? Or should he try and make something to condition his body ? Given the fact that others may turn up soon...Training his mind would be the better option so he jsut sat there. Still as rock, and almost as if made of stone.

[Sapphire]

What's he doing? Sapphire found herself asking herself this question far too often. He's just sitting there with his eyes closed, not doing anything. Once he called it, meh deeh tate, or something like that, but how can he just sit there and do absolutely nothing? If he was clearing his mind like he talked about, then why would he do it by sitting with his legs crossed and sitting quietly. The only good way to get your mind off of something is to hunt, it's only logical. Besides, his attention should be focused on her, not sitting on the hard ground doing that weird thing with his arms. It shouldn't be that hard for her to get Ximal to realize his mistake, all she would have to do is get his attention.

Quickly, the graceful beast prodded over to her master. To avoid startling him, Sapphire gently licked his cheek before laying down in his lap. Surely now he would understand that this silly practice shouldn't be his main focus, and would correct himself by giving his favorite little kitty cat a little scratch behind the ears, gently stroking her back. As she waited for her grooming to begin, Saph began licking her paw and rubbing her head against Xi's chest.

[Ximal]

As Xi sat there in the still quiet silence of his meditation he'd failed to keep his senses open to th air around him and quiet as a ghost even for a big cat. Saph ad crept up on him alerting her presence by a lick across his cheek. the sudden impact of that lage tongue made him jump and almost earned her a blow to the head, but being more controlled than that. Lifting his hands he placed one on the back of her neck and scratched lightly. His other hand strokeing along her back slowlty. "Sapphire, i'm trying to meditate, i need to clear my head.Otherwise i might do something i regret. I know your only trying to help. So please try and help me in a different way, try to do what i'm doing." Above the sky began to roll and roar. Rain was coming. Xi took a calm approach. sitting in his meditative stance almost annoyingly still bar his arms and which continued petting sapphire unless she wanted to at least give this a go. Soon the heavens cracked and the down pour began. "Alright sapphire you win. Lets head back to the tavern. " Xi sighed as he rose from his seated position, and begun to walk back to the tavern with sapphire hopefully following him. Once they reached the tavern Xi began to speak again. "Saph could you please use your human form? it's like i'm talking to nothing when your in animal form as i cant tell weather your listening or not." Xi draped his cloak over a peg and swept his hair back over his head and out of his face. He was utterly soaked from that down pour. Taking off his vambraces he tossed them, on top of the desk. Then reached into the backpack next to him. He's not gotten another idea he wanted to draw. Placing a scroll of parchment, a quill and a vial of ink onto the desk, he stretched out and then took a seat before beginning he began to draw.

[Sapphire]

Storm. Sapphire could tell it was coming. She didn't have to look up, or listen for rain and thunder, her instincts instantly alerted her of the presence of high such things. It seemed Xi noticed though, the large man headed back to the large wooden building, his loyal companion prodding alog behind him. Upon his request that she take shape of his own species, she did so. "Xi, I'm always listening to you." The woman smiled, still on all fours. Her long orange hair ran down around her hands on the floor. Cautiously Sapphire stood, still a little dizzy from the transformation, and put a hand on either of her master's shoulders. "So, what are going to do today? Hunting, training... pampering?" Just the thought of spending an entire day laying on the soft bed, being stroked endlessly by Xi, it was bliss. Awaiting his response Sapph spun and fell back on to the bed, she bounced a bit after she fell before settling in a comfortable position.

[Ximal]

Xi sighed , working with the quill and the paper infront of him, scribbling down some mental images for designs of items. crude half baked ideas and thoughts,ideas for his armour, some patterns for a new set, just some simple ideas but then again everything he did lead him around in a circle. Nothing was working none of his ideas were coherent none were mixing and jelling or heck even working. Damn it. Why was nothing working for him. He lent forwards in his chair the quill back in the ink pot sn his head in his hand, the fingers massaging the temples slowly, what was going wrong with him. Behind him he could hear that saph had changed into human form by just her speaking. Xi sighed, and pressed the quill into the parchment again, trying to think of a pattern, a design for his next set of vambraces that would work, after all his current ones were pretty old and soon in need of an upgrade. heck all of his gear in the armour department could do with an upgrade, it was even starting to get too tight for him. Xi sighed and unbuckled the steel upon his forearms and the steel upon his legs before tossing them aside, into the corner along with both his small axed and the large axe from his back. Even taking his body pack off as a direct result. He didn't need to wear it and he was soaked through. Sliding off his shirt he let out his frustration by messing up his long hair. Xi's gaze changed as saph spoke. what was he going to do with her ? It's not like he could do much, any thing he did would be lacking the impact he wanted. "well it depends on what you want to do? I mean i could teach you, i could train you but then again outside it's hammering down with rain so it's kind of difficult to go hunting. So it's kind of pointless to do that. So i leave what we do up to you. because my mind isn't exactly working to it's fullest right now. and my designs aren't flowing well."

[Sapphire]

Xi looked upset, Sapphire didn't need her sixth sense to figure that out. His hands scrabbled along the parchment before him, trying to draw what looked like armor for his arms. Sapphire didn't know a whole lot about armor but it seemed like all people ever used for their armor today was metals, now obviously metal was harder and stronger than hides, but it seemed like some of the monsters she had seen wandering around were a lot stronger than steel. When man stabbed them with his spears some of these beasts would not bleed, sometimes they wouldn't even acknowledge the blow and merely knock the man aside. Moment by moment her master seemed to get more frustrated at the paper in front of him, he messed up his hair and threw his gear and shirt in the corner. Finally he asked a question, what did she want to do? He made himself clear in that doing anything outside was very likely out of question.

Silently laying on the bed, Sapphire thought about what she did want to do, but all she could think about was trying to help her friend with the paper he was struggling with. Ignoring his earlier question she asked her own. "Xi? I know that metal is probably easier to obtain, but have you ever thought of using the hides of creatures for your armor? Just because it isn't metal doesn't mean it wont be effective. Once I saw a lizard like thing with blades stuck in to all parts of it's body! I tried to ask it what happened, but it didn't understand my language so it must have been a monster. Point being, if we can kill something like that, you wouldn't have to sit here and get so frustrated at yourself. Maybe you could even make a saddle for me so it's not so bumpy when you ride me." Sapphire's over active imagination was once again getting the better of her, but perhaps it would lead to a good idea for once. She sat up on the bed and looked to him waiting to see what he thought of her idea.

[Ximal]

Xi leant over leaning his head on in his hands his finger tips massaging his temples. What exactly was she playing at? Take down one of those monsteres ? The hides ? Xi shook his head before sitting on the edge of the bed further and then speaking out, in a semi loud and frustrated voice. "Saph the issue there is, not that their hides are tough but that the monsters themselves are tough, humans are squishy in comparison, it's not that metal is easier to obtain, and it's not that it's cheap because it isn't . It's the fact that metsl provides the same protection as the monsters themselves would. Your fangs as a tiger cant pierce it, nor can you bend it. Metal is especially good for armour as weapons, just because my body is my weapon does not mean that another creatures hide will be suited to be the shield. Hides work well. But metal surpasses it in every single way. But there has to be a much lighter metal out there, one that wont hinder my movement as much. " Xi gritted his teeth and really pressed upon his temples. "You want to go hunting a monster ? Well not in this rain and not with me as i am, both of us would die. And that's a dead certainty" Xi fell back onto the bed falling his head where saph's legs had been previously and then looked up into her eyes with his deep black blue ones. "What exactly do you want to do, because you didnt answer that , and i'll manage the problems ...as always."

[Sapphire]

While his response was a tad disappointing, he held a good point. The Kelvic bent over pressing her forehead against his, meeting his eyes. Xi's question still lingered in her mind. What DID she want to do? "Well, what do humans normally do on rainy days? I've never really been with people before I met you, so I'm quite new to all of this. Perhaps we could work on bonding?" Another term that she was a bit unfamiliar with, however she had heard it used loosely around sunberth. It was some kind of relationship between a Kelvic and their master. There was a lot that Sapphire didn't understand about humans, but it was never too late for her to learn. "But um... could you explain to me exactly what that means though?"

Taking her head off of Ximal's, Sapphire got off the bed and looked out the window. The rain was wreaking havoc outside. Wind was picking up, branches were breaking, and rain was beating down. It was definitely a major storm, and would definitely be a very difficult obstacle to overcome if they wanted to do anything outside. Lazily she layed back on the bed and stretched out her body, letting out a soft cat like yawn. "I don't understand all of your fancy human terms." Saph gave a somewhat confused look, then closed her light blue eyes.