Closed Learning How to Shoot like a Inartan (Kovac)

[Iosha]

Holding the arrow in her hand, Iosha turns around to face him. Kovac just said they were friends, and she wanted to tell him something before she took her next shot. Iosha never really had too many friends growing up. In Ravok, the other slaves despised her since she was Master's favorite slave. Honestly, the only two people she would consider real friends would be Bjorn and Ayume, but Ayume was more of Iosha's lover, so she would be considered more than just a friend in Iosha's mind. However, both have been dead for a long time now, and Kovac just step up and said they were friends now. Suddenly in a random act of weirdness, Iosha decides to give Kovac a salute with the arrow, and she says to him with a goody smile on her face, “Your in trouble now, Kovi. You'll never have a stranger friend like me!” She knows she could have come up with something more elegant or heartfelt, but she figures if she could make him laugh. It would be just as meaningful to him. She brings the arrow away from her forehead and starts awkwardly spinning it in her fingers. She tilts her head and looks at him. She remembers him mentioning about being a outsider even if he was still half Inartan. She felt sorry for him. It must have been a lonely life for him struggling to be accepted by his own people. She moves a stray piece of hair from her face and says softly, “It is their loss for not giving you a chance, Kovi because I believe you got the best parts of both your mother's and father's people.” After saying what she had to say to him. Iosha whirls around and walks up to the line, and she puts all her focus into landing this arrow in a better spot. Going through the motions one more time, Iosha hears Kovac say a few words of encouragement. She smiles to herself when he says his kind words than she puts the arrow on the string and raises her bow. This time around around she repeats his previous advice, and she relaxes her left shoulder too. She lines up the tip of the arrow with the center of the target, she pulls back the bow string, and releases the arrow. Watching the arrow fly straight towards the target, Iosha sees the arrow strike the left side in the third layer of the target. She thinks to herself with a smile, “Well it a little better than the last shot.” She turns around and says quietly, “I think it will take me some for me to hit the bull's eye. Shall we take a break or do you want to get a few shots in too, Kovi?”

[Kovac]

Kovac gave Iosha a quirky grin as she offered her arrow salute, oddly fitting for the expert archer. He was not sure why he had readily identified himself as the Konti's friend, though they had already shared a rather comfortable interaction for having known each other for only a couple bells...she had even given him a pet name.

“You're in trouble now, Kovi. You'll never have a stranger friend like me!”

The Avora was pretty certain she was right about that. Iosha was strange, from the way she looked to the way she spoke. Forward but not pushy, Kovac enjoyed Io's oddities, her friendliness and her bizarre beauty. Kovac did feel a bit misleading though, especially after her sweet compliment. The mongrel was being especially nice to the foreigner, something he did not afford most people.

Again, Kovac's critical eye examined the platinum-haired visitor as she fired another shot. Iosha landed a decent shot, the best of hers that far. There were things for her to work on, but Iosha had learned some basics. If she wished, he would gladly continue tutoring her.

The archer gave her an encouraging smile. "Not bad at all Konti." His eye drifted down to her bow. "You said that was your father's? And he was Inartan? Let me see it."

Kovac's tone was not demanding, but was not much of a question either, as he gently took the bow from her webbed hands before she could give him permission. Slinging his quiver over his shoulder, the archer stepped up to the firing line. He settled into his stance, rolled his shoulders for a moment, his eyes never leaving the target down range. After a moment, his hand swung back to the quiver, drew an arrow, and in one fluid motion nocked it, drew back the string and raised the bow. Only a breath passed before his fingers released the string, sending the arrow streaking towards the target. It struck just inside the lower edge of the bullseye.

Without hesitation, he drew another arrow while only dipping the bow a bit to nock it, raised and fired the next one. A third arrow followed in quick succession. The three missiles were grouped close together, but they each fell a bit further outside the bullseye. Too bad, he thought, getting all three quickfires bullseyes would have been real impressive. He supposed its what you get when you try to show off. Truth was, he wanted to test the weapon.

Lowering the short bow, Kovac examined the inside upper curve, just above the grip, feeling a small mark with his index finger. Then he examined it from every angle. Finally, with a more sincere look on his face, the hunter walked back to Iosha and handed her the bow.

"My father made that." Was all he said.

Kovac gathered up his own bow and glanced over to the Konti. There was one more thing before they left the cavern.

"So...you still want to swim with those fishes?" His sober face shifted into his signature ornery grin.

[Iosha]

Leaning up against the wall, Iosha watches Kovac fire a shots at the target. She was impressed by his fluid archery technique. All the movements seem to come naturally to him like he was born with a bow in his hand. Iosha was amazed at the three shots he made back to back in a row. Inwardly, she cheers for her friend, but she decides to mention to him, “Those shots are the reason, why I am going to stick with you as my archery instructor, Kovi. Not to mention your funny, so you make the lesson much more enjoyable.” She watches him examine her father's bow. He seems to know what he is looking for in the make of the bow. When he hands her the bow, he simply says to her that it was his father who made the bow, and he walks away with a distant look in his eye. Iosha eyes widen when he mentions his father made her bow, but her excitement is quelled when she notices that Kovac's sad distance eyes. She starting to notice whenever he brings up his family his mood tends to sadden. Iosha looks at the bow and says softly to him without looking at him, “My father Kursha told my mother Neia that a friend made this bow for him. She said his friend spent many seasons perfecting the make of the bow for him. My father cherished his friendship, and this was the reason my father gave this bow to my mother. He wanted give my mother a gift to remember him by, but not just any gift, it had to be something special, so he choose this bow since it been with him since became a Endal.” Still looking at the bow, she gives it a warm smile and says to him, “Isn't it funny Kovac that something as simple as bow as the ability to connect two complete strangers from the opposite sides of the world...” Iosha starts tracing her finger along the etching of the shaft of the bow. She smiles to herself and thinks about all the stories her mother told her about her father. Looking up from the bow, Iosha looks at Kovac was about to say something else, but he had to ruin it by asking if she wanted to go swimming in the underground lake. Of course the answer is always, yes! However, if they went swimming, it would mean she would have to get naked in front of him. The mere thought of it made her blush, and she looks at the target in the distance to hide her embarrassment. She was not raised Inartan, so being naked around other people tends to kind of unnerving experience for her. Obviously, women are a different story since she grew up in a all woman society, and she is bound to see a naked women in her lifetime. Kovac was definitely not a woman, and a matter of fact, Iosha is very much attracted to him, but she only met him a couple hours ago. Realizing thinking way to much into the potential situation, Iosha turns her head and says to him playfully, “Are you going to join me swimming, Kovi, or are you just going to stand on the bridge and ogle me like a pervert?”

[Kovac]

Kovac's suggestion was, admittedly, rife with ulterior motive. Of course he knew Io would have to strip to swim. He saw the hesitation in the Konti's features as she averted her eyes, and he realized with a twinge of guilt that women from Mura may not be as immodest as Inartan women. Iosha was very attractive in her own foreign way, but she was sweet as well, and the half-breed did not want to make her feel uncomfortable. Kovac was ready to retract his offer, making some excuse that would let the woman off his hook. But Iosha surprised him, throwing out a challenge that would require him to participate. Standing on the bridge ogling was his plan. But to back down down would surely reveal his more lecherous intent. Besides, how often does one get to swim with a Konti?

"Well of course I am going to swim." He replied innocently, as if it was his plan all along. Taking up his gear, Kovac lead her back across the ranges to the bridge, where he laid down his bow and quiver. He looked at the clear water, illuminated by glowing fungus and veins in the cavern walls. It looked cold. Looking again at Iosha, he offered her a smile. The Avora supposed that he should be the first to go in, to demonstrated his commitment to the endeavor.

He kicked off his ankle boots, then stepped out of his bryda. For perhaps the first time ever, Kovac felt a bit of modesty in front of the stranger. The archer quickly shimmied out of his undergarments, allowing the Konti only a glimpse before he turned to slip into the water. The splash of his entrance echoed off of the rocky walls, as did the sharp 'ahhhh' that Kovac emitted as he immersed himself in the cool water. It definitely was not the warm, soothing water of the Baths. With head and shoulders above the water. Kovac looked back at the violet-eyed Konti.

"Come on in, the water is...wet." He could not lie and say it was not cold.

[Iosha]

Iosha watched in horror and wide eye fascination as Kovac nonchalantly started to strip off his bryda in front of her. She wasn't inspecting the eagerness in his eyes as he tossed his small cloths to the floor. Iosha would have turned around to give him some privacy, but the hunter was clearly efficient in taking his cloths off quickly. This observation almost made her giggle out loud, but she didn't want to start laughing while he takes off his clothes. Since she knows sometimes men tend to be sensitive about their bodies especially when they are naked in front of a woman. However, this train of thought exacerbated her embarrassment, and Iosha's almost white skin turns a deep shade of red as her eyes lock on his manhood. Suddenly, he whirls around giving her stunning image of his ass as he jumped into the water. Iosha just stares where he jumped into the lake for a moment. She looks around for him and hears him tell her the water is wet. Iosha slowly turned her head and looks at him blankly for a moment and says playfully to him, “Really? I thought is was sandy... Kovi” Gently putting her bow and quiver on the floor, she undoes the pony tail in her hair and starts undoing the front of her shirt, and she said quietly to him with out looking at him still feeling embarrassed about being modest, “Kovi. Next time you show me, so much of yourself... please at least buy me a nice dinner first.” She paused for a moment and said suddenly after, “Also dancing too.. I horrible dancer, but it could be fun...by Rak'Keli love I am starting to ramble now...Shut up Io!” When she made it to the buttons just above her breasts, she slowly looked up at him wide eyed, and suddenly, she spun around, so her back was facing him. Deciding, she needed some privacy of her own. She said to him without turning around, “Kovi can you please give me some privacy? Go play with a koi or something. Till I am done undressing.” Realizing her words might be falling on deaf ears. She undoes the rest of her buttons and slide her shirt from her back. She tosses it in a messy heap on top of her weapon. She reached back, unties her bra, and threw gently on top of the pile. Feeling a cool draft from the ceiling, she quickly unbuttons her white pants and slide them to the floor. She awkwardly kicked them off her foot at the pile. With a deep breath, she slide down her white panty to the floor. She doesn't even make sure his back is turned. Before Iosha quickly turns around and jumps feet first into the water with a small splash. She can't help, but notice the coolness of the water, but her body slowly starts to adjust to the temperature of the water. When she reemerges from the water, she looked at him with a small giggle and starts laughing out loud, “Let me ask you a question, Kovi. While I was observing your great proficiency in taking off your clothes. Made me ask a question to myself. OK here is my question. Since Kovac is fast at taking off his clothes, is he just as fast putting them back on? Or does it depend on the situation.” She finished her question with a wink as reaches back and pulls back her wet hair.

[Kovac]

Kovac could see by the crimson flush that tinted the Konti's pale skin that his unabashed undressing had affected his new friend, which amused him. A small smile crept across his face at the thought. But Iosha was quick, and retorted with her own joke to cover her embarrassment.

“Kovi. Next time you show me, so much of yourself... please at least buy me a nice dinner first.” It was a noble attempt, but then she rambled on, ending up chastising herself. As she spoke, the Konti had begun to unbutton her shirt, and Kovac wondered if she was going to disrobe in front of him without so much as a blink. But the distracted woman realized what she was doing before revealing anything, her blue eyes widening.

“Kovi can you please give me some privacy? Go play with a koi or something. Till I am done undressing.”

Kovac gave her a mock frown of disappointment, then turned around. He was rather looking forward to seeing what a naked Konti looked like. Did she have scales everywhere? Was she like a normal girl...with normal woman things? Curiosity ate at him, and Kovac turned a little, trying to catch a glimpse from the corner of his eye. The natural light in the cavern was dim, but he could make out her shape, finely curved and not appearing to have anything a normal woman didn't have. By the time she was naked and turning to jump in the water, Kovac was fully turned around, catching a generous glimpse of Iosha from behind...and finding it very pleasing.

The Konti disappeared below the surface, gone for some time before emerging again, her platinum hair drenched and clinging to her. She was happy, Kovac noted, giggling and as natural in the water as he was on dry land, her laugh echoing off of the rocky walls.

“Let me ask you a question... since Kovac is fast at taking off his clothes, is he just as fast putting them back on? Or does it depend on the situation.”

Now the chamber echoed with the archer's laughter. He grinned as he tread water, looking up at the ceiling before his gaze fell back to the light-skinned woman. "Definitely depends on the situation, and the urgency with which I may need to leave the premises!" He laughed again. Iosha was clever, and had a subtle sarcasm the snarky man could appreciate. With a sudden wide-eyed grin, he barked out.

"Catch me!"

Then Kovac ducked into the water, diving down, his rear and legs arching to the surface before vanishing beneath the lake surface. He swam deep, testing how willing she was to chase him...and how well a Konti really could swim.

[Iosha]

Iosha watched him and smirked to herself in satisfaction as Kovac let out a echoing fit of laughter. When he responded to her cleverness, she rolled her eyes and giggled to herself, but she said nothing and just listened to him talk. When Iosha met him earlier tonight, Iosha was honestly inspecting to meet a grizzled old hunter with a snarky attitude, and the bartender at the Inclement Weather painted a colorful picture of him in her mind of a notorious flirt with a snarky attitude. Even if he was a notorious flirt, Iosha doesn't believe he would hurt her intentionally. Maybe she was being paranoid, but she been hurt by charming men in the past. She wished she could get past her trust issues with men, but because of her past, Iosha felt like she had to be on guard all the time. Watching the water drip from his chin, Iosha looked into his green eyes hoping this is real Kovac and not just a suave persona used to get laid. Suddenly in the back of her head, she heard a hallow woman's voice whisper, “Iosha...you know he will hurt you in the end. He is a distraction..nothing more.” When she heard the strange woman voice in her mind, Iosha tilted her head slightly to the side, started to stare into the water, and getting hypnotized by a orange koi swimming circles between them. Still treading water, she was jolted out of her trance by the sound of Kovac voice yelling at her to catch him. Iosha's eyes darted from the fish and back to Kovac as he dove into the water. She looked back at the Koi, shook her head in confusion, and dove into the water after him. Diving under the water, she opened her eyes underwater and saw him slowly, but steadily swimming away from her. Iosha learned how to swim from her mother, but she was nowhere near as skilled at swimming at her. As a child Iosha swam mostly in the lagoon and occasionally unsupervised trips to the reefs, but she wouldn't call herself a graceful swimmer. Watching Kovac swim away from her, she smiled at the advantages her konti nature gave her over him. She starts kicking her webbed feet to propel her forward, and she used her webbed hands to add momentum to thrust herself through the water after him. As she chased the man through the water, she was surprised he was able to keep a safe distance from her, but she looked at him closer, and she noticed the muscles were well defined throughout his body. She quickened her pace after him. Figuring he will start to tire or need to come up for air eventually. Minutes later, he started slow his pace, and she swam behind him waiting for the perfect opportunity to pounce. Still submerged under water, she stayed a safe difference behind him, so she would be undetected by him. When he stopped for air, she waits a moment for him to catch his breath. Once Kovac has his breath, she sprung to action. Swimming quickly out of the water, she jumped onto his back wrapping her small arms around his shoulders. Using her weight to her advantage, Iosha fell backwards hopefully bringing him down with her.

[Kovac]

Kovac turned his head frequently as he kicked his arms and legs beneath the surface of the water. Dim light and human eyes found it hard to detect the konti, and when he did spot Iosha, she was speeding towards him, propelled by webbed hands and feet and a body tuned to aquatic movement. Doubling his effort, the man's held air expired quickly, and he knew he would have to slow and surface for a breath. Turning upwards, Kovac pushed himself through the water until he broke the surface, gasping for air and filling his aching lungs.

Looking around, the archer could not find the Konti, even in the clear water. A moment of quiet seized the room, only the sound of the water droplets falling from his drenched hair to return to the lake. Then the sound of splashing water erupted behind him, and lean, ivory arms suddenly wrapped around him. Filling his lungs again with air, Kovac felt the weight of the girl pull him backward, catching him off guard as she dragged him beneath the water again. Her grasp was firm, the press of her body against his back exciting, the fact that he was being held underwater, slightly frightening.

Unable to break her grasp, Kovac leaned on dirty tricks, and hitting below the belt, literally. Reaching around, he pinched Iosha on her rear, hoping to coax a release, and to gauge the firmness of her hindquarters at the same time.

[Iosha]

Suddenly Iosha eyes widen and she let out yelp underwater. The sound was muffled by the water, but the yelp must have been loud since she was almost blinded by the amount of bubbles coming from her mouth. She decided Kovac won this round, and she let go of him before swimming to the surface. She brushed the hair from her eyes and waited for him to reemerge from the water. As she started to tread water and waited for Kovac to reemerge from the water, she noticed a curious koi was attracted by her silvery blond hair. It swam up to her hair floating in the water, and it started to suck in the blond tendrils. She smiled at the curious fish and remembered the time when her mother brought her out to the deep part of the lagoon with a covered basket of blue berries in hand. Before heading into the water, Iosha's mother Neia tied the basket up with rope, so it wouldn't open under water. Hand and hand, her mother Neia and Iosha swam to the edge of the lagoon where the first reef located. She has always been captivated at the colorful formations of coral. Her mother always told her the sea fairies painted the coral every full moon. She believed her story until she was ten years old when he Grandmother told her truth about the sea fairies. She was devastated because the story meant more to her than just silly fairies. Once they found the perfect spot. She told her daughter to look up towards the surface, and she released the blueberries from captivity. As the blueberries floated the surface, the fish from the reef would race up to grab a easy meal. Iosha was amazed by the beauty as the colorful fish raced upwards the berries. To Iosha growing up, the story was a symbol of a bond once shared by a mother and daughter, and the memory between her and her mother will be cherished forever. Sadly, she angrily wiped a tear from her eyes realizing she will never have these experience with her own daughter. Forgetting about Kovac's whereabouts, Iosha eyes glaze over for moment as her mind was still lost in a the memories of her past. Without realizing what she is doing. Her arms encircled the fearless fish, and with the same empty eyes still staring at the fish, she starts murmuring incoherent words in Kontiese. Suddenly, a nearly invisible orb of shimmering liquid appeared around around the fish. Iosha says one word in Kontiese“Now.” Suddenly, the orb roughly the size the circle created by her arm steadily starts filling up with water. Once the orb was completely filled with water, Iosha's willed the large orb to lift from the water. As the orb slowly ascended from the water with the fish still inside, the orb started to wobble uncontrollably. Still in a daze, Iosha looks up at the orb and with a commanding tone of voice in Kontiese. She commanded the orb to hold it shape. Quickly order was brought to the chaotic orb of water, and the wobbly old orb suddenly snapped into shape in the air. It wasn't a perfect sphere, but the liquid was definitely holding a solid shape. Suddenly, the orb started to change color as the blood from the crushed fish filled the sphere, and the corpse of the fish slowly floated to the top of the sphere. Iosha still in her trance hears a unfamiliar uncaring voice in the back of her head, “Darn, it looks like I over did it again...Oh well.”

[Kovac]

Konti and mongrel sank beneath the surface, when suddenly Iosha voiced something muffled, and Kovac felt her arms release him and she shot upwards through the water. It took the man longer to swim to the surface than the woman who's body was designed for it. When Kovac finally broke the surface and wiped the water from his eyes, the Konti was intent on something he could not see clearly, her arms held out curiously.

The Avora was about to say something, some sarcastic quip, when he heard the muttering come from Iosha. It was no language he recognized, but something about the way she spoke compelled the half-breed to remain silent, watching as he tread water. It took a moment before Kovac could see the liquid globe, so clear in the dim cavern light. As Iosha willed the sphere to fill with water, Vanator saw the fish swimming within it. Reimancy? She was a mage? Kovac had always assumed Konti knew magic, though Iosha seemed so normal and innocent that he never considered that she may know arcana.

There were mages in Wind Reach, and those that employed magic. Reimancers help create new tunnels and repair old ones, though the archer didn't know any. All he knew was Aidara, who used the magic of Rek'Keli to heal him. Overall, magic was something Kovac knew little of, and trusted about as much.

Iosha caused the water globe to rise from the water, the fish still swimming inside. The woman seemed unaware of her companion now, concentration focused on maintaining the fish globe. Control of the sphere was unsteady, and it quivered and wobbled as she strove to keep it together. with a slosh and sharp correction, the globe took on an almost perfect circle, but the gory taint of blood and the floating fish indicated her intent had failed.

Silence filled the stony chamber as Iosha continued to ingore Kovac, focused on the amorphous bag of bloody water. Kovac did not know what to say. The light-hearted swim had become a bit frightening, the shy konti proving to harbor powers beyond his own understanding. Finally, Kovac swam back towards the edge of the bridge.

"We should go."

Pulling himself out of the water, the Avora shook himself off, sitting on the edge to tug on his bryda, his eyes fixed on the Konti that had become all the more curious to him. "It will be a neat trick, when you get it down." He spoke, feeling the need to break the awkward silence.