Flashback [open] The boy's first shot

[Valo]

21st Spring 502AV Noon Archery range, Yasi space Valo had always been the more philosophical of children. Straying from the expected stereotype of any other Inarta child, he had much preferred reading or drawing to demanding, muscular exercise. And perhaps this was the reason his younger sisters frequently teased him with names like "Spider arms" or "Twiggy". Those were names he hated and upon such a sibling brawl, he had left the house in a fury that afternoon, taking the bow which belonged to his mother - which he had never used before - and made for the archery ranges. That bow would one day become the boy's very own possession. A symbol to remember his roots and those petty sibling quarrels. Many times did Valo come here to observe those older and more skilled than he. He loved the shape of their silhouettes as the bowstring was pulled back, the specific angle at which the elbow was bent when going so, the stable straightness of the other arm against the anchor point. There was something infinitely elegant about archers. Perhaps it was the posture or perhaps something more mysterious to the youth's eyes, but Valo now wished to become one. There was so much childish determination within him back in those days when he was merely 12 years old. His green eyes sparked with stubbornness and his hunger for knowledge remained his most identifying feature, even in his adult life.Valo,the boy who's name means light. Gritting his teeth in an elaborate frown, he had stood at a distance before the target and eyes it as if the object it self was a great enemy. The short bow was grasped firmly in one hand, an arrow in the other; and expelling air though his nose Valo held the bow before his eyes, arrow notched on the bowstring, magnificent bolt about to be expelled. This posture stabilising, back straight and a predatory anger building up within him. How dare they make fun of him? Siblings were truly the worst. He would show them. He would show them all and he'd be so good at this that no one would dare cross his path again! Beside him was a boy with long red hair, just like his own. He had a good 4 or 5 years on Valo, but age was not the only advantage for the boy seemed a fairly good archer. A wide base, perfect posture, the stranger pulled the bowstring back and expelled the arrow which at once came in contact with the bull's eye. It's impact cause a muffled thud within the target, burring deep into the red spot. From the corner of his eye, Valo had observed this and took note of every movement. It really did not seem that difficult. Now was Valo's turn. He would be better than the boy. Better than everyone. Inhaling deeply he dug his heels into the ground, a firm straight arm on the anchor point of the short bow's body. Smooth dark wood beneath his fingers. The other skinny arm of his notched the arrow onto the string, balancing it between two fingers. One upon which the arrow rested and the other slightly above to aid with the retraction of the string. It seemed to him that whenever he saw an archer shoot, they always had two fingers, pulling back the string. Now was time for the deed. His arm began pulling onto the string with a degree of successfulness and an arrogant smirk appeared on Valo's face. This really wan't that difficult. But suddenly it seemed, that no matter how hard he would pull, the string would not move any further back and his arm wasn't nearly as far back as those of the hunters and archers. The other boy to his side smiled at him mockingly which had only angered Valo more. Finally, with an enormous effort the skinny youth managed to pull the bowstring a freezable amount, before releasing it with shaking hands. He had not realised how much strength went into this. and naturally the arrow sliced though the air before lodging it self in the very peripheral corner of the target. It was only by a stroke of luck that Valo had not missed all together, for his arms were shaking so much.

[Cin-Cin]

Auntie was sick, so mother was taking care of her while papa was at work. Marco was watching his little brother Hadrian and little cousin Cin-Cin. Marco and Hadrian were Cin's cousins. Marco was 16 and Hadrian was 9, Cinnamon was 12 and tagged along with the pair since she had no one looking after her. Her cousins, her only cousins, called her Cinnamon. Mostly because they liked that spice and Cin-Cin was just so close to Cinnamon. Marco came up with it first, a little while after meeting Cin for the first time after her birth. Hadrian, after he was born when Cin-Cin was three, just went along with his older brother. Cin didn't mind, that was all they ever called her. The three were close, but Marco was almost an adult, he already had a Wind Eagle friend. Hadrian was too young for something like that, too preoccupied with play toys than his older brother was with training to be an Endal. Cinnamon wanted to be an Endal, but she didn't even have a bird, didn't know how to shoot a bow. She knew nothing. That was why Cin was watching her older cousin so closely as he practiced in the Archery Range. She wanted to learn how to shoot an arrow, maybe then an Eagle will like her. Cin-Cin only glanced as Hadrian every few minutes just to make sure he wasn't impaled on a stray arrow. Cinnamon was watching Marco so closely that she quickly noticed the look Marco gave the boy standing next to him. She would have looked away, but the boy seemed her age, he was a bit strange looking as well. He was so skinny, almost as skinny as Cinnamon herself. But he was much taller, by a few inches already, and they looked the same age. He had really long hair, like Marco and a long face to match. He almost looked like a girl. Yet there was something about him that proved him otherwise. Cin-Cin thought it was his eyes, he had boy eyes, hard and determined. What was he doing? Cin didn't have a lot of friends her age, mostly older ones that were friends with Marco and treated her like a baby or friends of Hadrian that she treated like a baby. The sight of someone her age, and a boy, was something. Cinnamon tended to get along with boys better than girls. The boy seemed like he was practicing archery too. Well of course he was, he had a bow and arrow in his hand. He was looking hard at Marco, he seemed angry. Angry at Marco? Why was he angry at Marco? The boy then pulled back his bowstring, and had a hard time doing it. Soon though he gave a huff and pulled it back all-the-way, his hands were shaking. He released the arrow and it flew into the target. The corner of the target, but it seemed like a good start. The boy had obviously not done this before, he was trying to learn, like Cin-Cin. Cinnamon clapped and Marco looked over. He thought she was clapping at him, because he smiled sweetly at her then turned back to his work. But she wasn't clapping at him, she was clapping at the boy. He didn't notice her so Cinnamon got up. She gave a glance to Hadrian, who was playing quietly with a rock and some ants, and walked over to the target in front of the boy. She pulled the arrow out delicately and walked over to the owner. She smiled at him, a small smile and held up the arrow. "I think you did good, for your first try. It's more than I've ever done." The boy didn't seem happy so Cin added, "At least you hit the target, it's a good start."

[Valo]

The sound of clapping penetrated his ears as if it was an arrow it self, startling him. It cut though the air and filled with with a loud obnoxious sound. And the source of this clapping was evermore startling for she was a girl,about his age with the sweetest and kindest of looks within her features. Her eyes, the colour of the sky, now gazing upon him with as much awe as his green ones gazed at her. From the looks of it, her purpose was perhaps watching the other boy, the better archer; but purposes change. Petrified he rooted him self into the ground, partly with embarrassment but partly because he had simply not noticed her beforehand and he prided him self at noticing. Without much expression, other than this very surprise, he watched her as she retrieved his arrow and complemented him. All traces of anger vanishing into thin air leaving nothing but his astonishment. Scratching the nape of his neck beneath that very long hair of his, he finally managed to rip his eyes away from her, only to fix them on the ground. And with a nod of gratitude he took the arrow from her with the words "It's that obvious is it?" escaping his lips quietly. Now, if one is to truly understand Valo they need to know several things; and one of many being that he is not used to being a newbie. Being a child of impressive intelligence comparing to most his age, he absorbs information like a cloth and has a habit of forgetting quickly what it was like at first encounter. And with most knowledge he learned, it never proved too difficult, for he was a boy of concept rather than practice. Archery seemed truly not a profession of concept. Books were more of a friend to him than instruments. Yet a book will not ensure him gaining any actual skill in the profession.

[Cin-Cin]

The boy, at first, focused very hard on her. His eyes wide with surprise. As if he was surprised she was talking to him. Did no one ever talk to him? Cin-Cin almost laughed. She didn't though, instead she just smiled at him as he tore his gaze away from her face and towards the ground. He nervously held his neck and asked her if it was really that obvious he was a newbie. This time Cin-Cin did laughed, a small, soft laugh, surprisingly quiet. "I don't do this," Cin said as she drew her arm around the range, "But I watch my cousin a lot so I can spot a beginner." She looked over to her cousin Marco, he was looking at her with confusion. Marco had already, even still being a Yasi, drawn the lines between castes, and in his eyes this boy was below him. He didn't expect his younger cousin to be talking to such ranking. Of course Cin had not developed this bias yet and Marco just shrugged and turned back to his work after she gave him a small smile. Although Cin hadn't noticed yet, there were definite similarities between the two children. They both seemed quiet, shy. Although Cin was clearly less shy than he. But the fact that the boy was here, trying to learn archery, proved that they both had the same passion for knowledge as well. "You know," Cinnamon started, "I'm trying to learn too. Although you've already gotten farther than me. I haven't picked up a bow yet. I have touched Marco's, but shh, it's a secret." Cin-Cin giggled and a small huff could be heard from Marco. He was listening, oh well. "Oh, I'm Cin-Cin, by the way. You can call me Cin, for short. Or anything else really, everyone seems to have a different nickname for me." Cin held out her small hand to the boy, for him to shake it. She smiled a comforting smile at him as well. He was so shy, she could tell, she related.

[Valo]

In all honesty, Valo wasn't a shy child at all. In fact often he would be a little too bold and arrogant for his own shoes and being a Yasi, it wasn't always the best strategy. However this encounter had simply thrown him off balance, scattered his thoughts to the winds. A condition from which it was not so easy to recover. They boy beside him, who's name was apparently Marco, shot him a mocking smile. And how Valo detested being mocked. It made his blood boil in his veins and had he not been of a lower caste and significantly younger, he'd have picked a fight with him right here right then. Though perhaps a verbal fight would have been much more to his liking, rather than throwing actual punches or an archery contest, for it there was anything Valo had been truly good at, it was insults and verbal abuse. And being so literate meant he had his ways of formulating his sentences in such a way to make the other look a fool, whilst remaining on his high horse of eloquence. An admirable amount of self restraint was in order to prevent him self from doing such a stupid thing, but resentment remained. Truly Valo was not timid at all, though at that moment there was not much to prove this notion. It seemed he had carried much resentment with him lately. If he wasn't arguing with his younger sisters, he'd be disobedient to his wonderful mother or getting negatively involved with other boys in the city. He hadn't yet truly understood this reason for such resentment. And perhaps he would never quite understand. In later life Valo frequently found him self assuring him self he did not care for his father whom he had never met. Cin-Cin, he thought. The name retaining a pleasant ring in his mind. It took him yet another short moment for something vaguely resembling a smile to appear on his face. But once she held out her hand, his entire composition fell back into place like a puzzle, leaving no trace of this shy boy behind. A prominent smile lit up his face as he gently gripped her hand in a greeting. "Hello Cin. My name is Valo. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance." he replied in a much softer voice. A voice still void of that silky smooth base he would develop as they years progressed, but with a melodic ring retained. For now he was well and truly, young Valo. An Inarta Yasi who would one day be Mizahar's greatest artist; or so he liked to tell him self. It seemed silly to him that she'd speak of secretly toughing her brother's bow, with him right there to listen. It also seemed silly that having the wish to learn, she had no bow. But the silliest of all were those nicknames she mentioned. A name is a term that directly defies the person, thought Valo and therefore names should be held sacred. He was very proud of his own name. 'Valo means light' his mother would often say to him 'Wear the name with pride.' Of course it was quickly apparent that many things about this girl seemed silly to him and wishing not to upset her, he kept his thoughts primarily internal. There was one more thing on his mind. Something which had been on his mind for quite some time now, but the very mention of her wanting to learn archery had one again caused that question to resurface from the vast ocean that was his mind. The bow in his hand that he now stroked subconsciously with his thumb had belonged to his mother, or so he thought. But she had never paid much interest to it. Never did she touch it or even talk about it and as far as Valo knew, she was a useless archer. Why then did she keep a bow. Knowing nothing of his father, apart from that he was a human and has left before Valo had even been born, he wondered; could this weapon have belonged to the very man who sparked his own life and then abandoned him? It was just a thought. Perhaps a silly thought. The thought of a child trying to cling onto something that was gone.

[Cin-Cin]

Cin-Cin happily took the boys hand, a warm large thing, much bigger than her own. She was used to that kind of fact though, most people were bigger than her. She smiled at his smile. He seemed more comfortable now, he was stiff before, looked almost confused. Now he spoke with confidence and said his name was Valo. It was a nice name, rolled off the tongue, Cin thought it might be fun to say so she repeated it, "Valo." And found she was correct. She laughed quietly at the sound, "I like that name!" She exclaimed. The boy seemed nice, definitely was genuine when he said all fancy-like 'acquaintance'. He must pay a bunch of attention in school. Cin laughed quietly again. Being young and happy, Cin-Cin tended to laugh much more than other Inartans, always worried about food and such. Her small mind was void of these worries. Although she was young she was observant and she did notice the resentment the boy gave her cousin Marco. Cin figured it as because of the higher skill of archery Marco had over Valo. "Don't worry about learning it. Archery I mean. If you want to learn it, you will and you'll be good at it too. I wouldn't be surprised if you became one of the best archers in all of Wind Reach. You seem like you have a lot of determination." Cin giggled as she spread her arms out wide around her, demonstrating all of Wind Reach. OOCSo sorry! I've been sick and bed ridden the past week!

[Valo]

The way she whispered his name and seemed so so content with it. Her very manner in doing so. It was somewhat endearing. And she was probably one the prettiest girls he had ever laid his eyes on, not that he had a habit of doing so. Finally a smile broke across his face. A perfect beautiful smile that highlighted all the childish handsomeness within him.One that was true and genuine and made his eyes sparkle like little emeralds. Moment by moment he became more relaxed and comfortable; and this moment by moment he focused less on how strange she was and more on getting to know her. If you want to learn it, you will and you'll be good at it too." she spoke with so much encouragement in her pretty face. "I wouldn't be surprised if you became one of the best archers in all of Wind Reach." But at that very last remark the smile on the boy's face flickered and disappeared, replaced by the same ill temper that plagued him beforehand. He was a strange one him self. A boy who's mood swings like the tides, constantly and relentlessly. "I don't want to be the best archer in Wind reach." he proclaimed with a childish grumble. "I don't even want to be an archer." It was perhaps a ridiculous notion. Why would one go so desperately about learning a profession which he doesn't want to undertake? His mother often spoke of how proud she would be if he was to become an Endal, or an archer. He'd bring honour to his family and prosperity to his city. She had such high hopes for him. Yet the boy who was only half Inarta proved to be only half his mother's expectation. "I want to be an artist."he added, dropping the bow to his feet so that it now stood propped by the ground, with the very tip in his hand. There was determination in those deep set green eyes of his. One which he would perhaps never grow out of. And then after this moment of ill temper, another smile flashed across his face. A cheeky smile. "I'm an embarrassment to my family." he stated, as if the notion meant nothing to him. Whereas,in fact it cut his heart abruptly, he learned to put on a happy face. Valo was a strong boy and he wasn't about to surrender to anything. not even life it self.

[Cin-Cin]

Cin-Cin smiled back at his smile, a big smile, childish, as was his. She liked him, he was interesting. A boy of few words, if any. But he didn't seem to like her comforting remark of being a great archer. Her smile faded, as did his, and she became confused. If he didn't want to be an archer, why did he have a bow? Why was he practicing? She only understood fully when he revealed he wanted to be an artist. This was something every child in Wind Reach faced. It was great pressure to grow up and be an Endal, and only small portions of the children did. Every child practiced and wanted to be an Endal, almost every kid. Cin herself wanted to be one, but she understood what the boy was going through. This poor boy's situation only got worse when he said he thought he was an embarrassment. Cin-Cin's father was supportive of her, of whatever she wanted to do in life. He was a simple Cheit who never wanted to be anything more. Her mother on the other hand was set on her being an Endal. Her mother and her didn't really her along much. This may have been a factor. Even if Cinnamon herself wanted her be an Endal too, her mother pressured her and trained her at home almost constantly before her father could pull her away and let her do something else. Her mother was so disappointed in her Cheit status that she was determined for her only child to be something greater. Cin didn't see this as love at the time, she saw it as harsh disappointment if she did anything else. Cin understood the family embarrassment. It would be exactly what her mother felt if she did not become exactly what er mother wanted her to be. Her father always tried to reassure her that her mother would love her no matter what she did. She had to do the same thing her father did to this boy. Her father's words always calmed her down, maybe they would do the same to Valo. "You can be whatever you want to be! I mean I want to be an Endal, but not everyone does, and we always need glassblowers or other kinds of artists around here. I guarantee that your momma will still love you no matter what you do." She gave him another smile. It was a proud smile, at herself mostly, she thought she did quite good with that.

[Valo]

He looked into her eyes as she spoke and the words were kind. Too kind perhaps. But that very kindness made him all the more fond of her. "Wise words." he nodded, now sharing in her smile as if it was contagious. Though his own words, despite spoken with that very smile, were soaked with solemn remorse. "I suppose mother will love me always. I suppose she'll love me even after I leave wind reach." spoke the young Valo in well articulated Nari. He hadn't the habit of sharing his troubles often, then again he hadn't the habit of talking to other children often either. But the moment he pulls the plug, all of that youthful angst would flow out like a river of sorrow. It's not that he did not love his home city. He was an Inarta after all, even if not quite completely and it was in his blood to love Wind Reach like he loved his own family. And just like his own family, the city was both a blessing and a curse. A joy and a sorrow. And it seemed that young Valo would always want that which he could not have; to travel Mizahar, to see and live it all, to go to Zeltiva. It's not that he didn't love Wind Reach, his aspirations were however too great for him. "Cin-cin." he said, allowing a moment for the name to roll off his tongue. He liked the sound of it very much. Perhaps he was a little mature for his age, perhaps he concerned him self with maturity too much; but there was still something very fundamentally childish about Valo and what he said next was the very manifestation of that fact. "I think we should be friends. Don't you?" he smiled, the widest grin he could possibly accomplish. Perhaps she was a little strange, but then so was he.

[Cin-Cin]

Cin grinned. She was doing that a lot lately wasn't she? Holding out her hand she said, "Friends then!" waiting for another hand shake to seal the deal. Speaking of friends Cin had a few, but she was no where near as popular as her cousins. She had a few girlfriends here and there, her cousins being her only guy friends, so she liked this idea very much! Cinnamon liked friends very much! She frowned, though, when the boy said he was leaving Wind Reach. Her friend was going to leave her? Of course she knew that there was no way he could leave Wind Reach as a kid, he would have be an adult before he did that. Cin-Cin never knew someone who left home, let alone wanted to leave. "Why do you want to leave?" She didn't understand the desire in that. Of course she didn't know much about the outside world, but she did know that she had whatever she could want right here at home. "You have your family and your friends, like me!" She exclaimed, "What do you want to do... out there?" She said, not really knowing what to call the rest of Mizahar besides that.