Closed Trying to Survive the Winter Blues (Kovac)

[Iosha]

Seeing the perfect opportunity to mess with her friend, Iosha crossed her armed and angrily threw her white pony tail over her shoulders, and she gave him the glare of death that most women have mastered throughout the years of dealing with men. She snorted to herself in mock disgust and angrily grabbed her bow laying on the wall. As she walked passed him, she whirled around touching the top of her bow to his chest and said to him with a hiss, “I can't believe it, Kovi that you would think so little of our “love” for each other that you would so easily dismiss it with a story of your sexual conquests of Wind Reach!” Iosha glanced at the wall and she saw more head appear at their shooting stall. Before she continued on with her performance. She winked at Kovac and continued her rant, but this time, she changed the tone of her voice, so her anger sound more cool and collected, “Kovac, Sorel challenged you for the rite to my heart, and you declined his challenged because you wanted to spare me a broken heart of losing you.” Iosha knew if she was going to sell her story to Yasi. She would have to make them believe she meant every word, so she thought of the sadness thing that happened in her life. For moment she sat their in silence. Letting the silence really sink into both Kovac and the Yasi. Iosha started thinking about the day Saalo Materan sold her one year old daughter to the Eypharian slaver merchant. Feeling her tears slide down her face, she wiped her eyes with her arms, looked at the floor, and said sadly with her heart in her voice, “Kovac if you would have died..., I...don't think... I don't know what I would do...” Iosha knew she sold it when she heard a boy from her audience yell at Kovac in Nari, “If you don't kiss her, Instructor Kovi, I will!” Iosha knew the Yasi would be talking about Kovac and her for weeks to come, so she turned his back on Kovac and walked to the archery line. She had to keep selling her story till the curtain closes, so she reached back into her quiver and grabbed a arrow preparing to shoot.

[Kovac]

Iosha's countenance changed with the suddenness of a flash storm on Thunder Bay. Her usually friendly violet eyes turned to a baleful gaze, and her demeanor gave Kovac every indication that the woman was instantly infuriated at him. With great drama she moved away, only to spin back and poke him with the end of her long bow.

“I can't believe it, Kovi that you would think so little of our “love” for each other that you would so easily dismiss it with a story of your sexual conquests of Wind Reach!”

What?! What the petch was she talking about? Kovac's eyes grew wide, perplexed. Our love? The crowd of Yasi grew as the Konti's voice carried. The archer was at a loss, his jaw hanging agape as he looked at the watching children with a helpless pall. Then he caught Iosha's wink. It was a show...but for what purpose?

“Kovac, Sorel challenged you for the rite to my heart, and you declined his challenged because you wanted to spare me a broken heart of losing you.”

With a convincing performance, Iosha's tone cooled, and Kovac's emerald eyes narrowed on the pale woman's gaze. Was she covering for him? Was Iosha weaving this ruse to protect the honor of a half-breed?

Oh gods...she was acutally crying. What an actress, or Kovac hoped it was an act. Iosha was an eccentric woman, or so her often unfamiliar ways made her seem. He was still not sure what Io was up to.

“Kovac if you would have died..., I...don't think... I don't know what I would do...”

Oh, the woman was laying it on thick. The watching Yasi were drawn in, eyes wide and voices whispering between them. Kovac stood in stunned silence, words escaping him for the first time. When one bold boy spoke up, using the nickname Iosha had let slip and daring his teacher to kiss the Konti, Kovac gave the child a deadly glare. When Kovac turned back, Iosha was already at the firing line, readying an arrow.

The Avora strode over to her, standing next to the silvery blond. "What was that!?" he asked in a whisper, a small chuckle in his voice. "You know now you have forced my hand." With a quick motion Kovac's hands lifted to Iosha's face, laying a palm to each cheek, he turned her face towards him, and with the accuracy of a hunter, Kovac planted a kiss firmly on the Konti's plush lips. He pulled away, beaming with a roguish grin.

"You are a piece of work, Konti." He quipped with a broader smile. The mongrel leaned closer, whispering "Thank you..." Stepping away, Kovac gave Iosha a smack on her ass. "That was for revealing my nickname." He muttered under his breath. Louder, he instructed. "Now, take a shot Io."

[Iosha]

Iosha walked up to the line and widened her stance to get the correct balance. Holding the bow in her left hand, Iosha moved her head to look at the target, and she was just about to raise her bow, but Kovac joined her at the line. She flashed him a sad glance and answered him melodramatically for added effect, “My suffering was put on display for all the world to see...” Suddenly everything went in slow motion for Iosha as Kovac leaned forward, gently seized her face with both his hands, and kissed her firmly on her lips. Taken by surprise, Iosha body went ridged and her eyes widen for a moment, but eventually, Iosha relaxed and welcomed the Kovac's kiss even though he was just doing it out of the sake of the performance. Letting her bow fall to the floor, Iosha was disappointed that the kiss ended as quickly as it started. Iosha stood there with her eyes closed still lost in the moment. She was jarred back into reality when Kovac called her a piece of work, and she started to turn beet red when he whispered thank you. Luckily the Inarta stepped out of hitting range because he decided to give her a nice hard smack on the ass. Iosha wouldn't normally mind having a attractive man like Kovac touch her butt on occasion, but for some odd reason, he had an obsession inflicting bodily harm to her tender buttock. Iosha cried out with small yelp, and she looked up at him with her amused violet eyes as she tried not to laugh, however, failing miserably. Rubbing her butt, she gave him a piercing look and snapped with a impish grin on her face, “You know Kovi if you want to touch my butt as badly as you seemed too. You could always just ask me nicely next time. Instead of manhandling it like a ham in a butcher shop...” She whimpered a little bit to herself and said out loud, “Ow... it's going to be pink all day now...” She looked him over for a second and said softly as she reached down to pick up her bow and arrow, “I'll tell you what Kovi if you help me pick mushrooms today than maybe...I will forgive you....maybe.” Once, she picked up the bow, she smirked at her friend and said with a warm grin, "Honestly, I am kind of jealous of that one special woman in your life, Kovac because I have to say you are a great kisser. Anyways, I going to shut up and shoot now..." Iosha walked back to shooting line and took a deep breath trying to calm herself. Once again taking her shooting stance, Iosha turned her head and looked at the target. Holding the bow in her left hand, she put the arrow on the bowstring and slowly raised her bow till the tip of the arrow was lined up with her eye. She move the tip of the arrow into the center of the target. Realizing she was holding the bow to tightly, Iosha loosened her grip a little. Once the grip was correct, Iosha pulled back the bow string and moved her elbow out like Kovac showed her months before. Suddenly, Iosha's worst enemy, her mind, decided to pick the worst possible time to replay the kiss with Kovac. She started to blush at the memory as she released the bow string. Iosha's eyes widen in shock as she watched the arrow sail ten feet over the target into the darkness. She sat their for a moment shaking her head cursing herself in Kontinese, “You acting like a silly little girl, Iosha.” Regaining her composure, Iosha took a deep breath and took her stance like a proud Konti woman. She turned her head with her lip pressed together determined to hit the target this time. Iosha repeated the same procedures Kovac was drilling her for the last month. Once again she lined up the tip of the arrow with the center of the target. Pulling back the bow string, Iosha made sure her mind was completely blank before she took her shot. Releasing the bowstring, Iosha saw the arrow sail directly at target, and with a thud, the arrow hit the third line from the center of the target. It wasn't the greatest shot, but at least, Iosha hit the target this time. Iosha reached for another arrow, and she said to Kovac without looking at him, “I am blaming you for the first shot...Kovi.”

[Kovac]

The Konti and mongrel fell into a playful rhythm, Iosha's melodrama and Kovac's oral ambush, playing his own side of the game. He felt her stiffen in surprise, then relax into his kiss, a moment of mutual enjoyment that was only partially part of the theatrics. Absolutely Kovac wanted to kiss the ivory skinned foreigner, and he figured it was time to up the ante. It's not like the two of them had not engaged in some adult fun. The night in Sira and Addy's aerie was still imprinted upon the half-breed's memory.

The taunting continued with his bawdy swat to the Konti's firm butt, and she in turn played the teasing girl, the drama dropping to a level that some outside of Wind Reach would say was not suitable for Yasi to watch. Kovac laughed at her comments, rather intrigued by her observation of the coloring of her bottom after his attack. But perhaps it was time to cool the dramatics and let the kiddies get back to work.

“I'll tell you what Kovi if you help me pick mushrooms today than maybe...I will forgive you....maybe...Honestly, I am kind of jealous of that one special woman in your life, Kovac because I have to say you are a great kisser. Anyways, I going to shut up and shoot now..."

Kovac leaned down a bit to speak under his breath to Iosha. "Deal. And...there is no one special woman." He winked. "And kissing a Konti is a rather enjoyable experience, I have to say. Now...shoot."

Kovac stepped back as Iosha plied her bow, and though she seemed to remember most of the things he had taught her, the Konti's shot failed so epically that he was tempted to smack her ass again.

"Again!" He barked at her.

Iosha readied another shot, pausing to focus this time. She released and the arrow made a respectable strike on the target.

“I am blaming you for the first shot...Kovi.” She quipped.

"Yeah, I have that affect." He laughed out loud at his ridiculously arrogant statement.

[Iosha]

Iosha was just about to ready her next shot, but she heard him laugh out loud and say the most arrogant thing she ever heard uttered from his mouth. Iosha raised an eyebrow, smirked to herself, and teased him, “Your lucky that I adore you Kovi because I am starting to wonder if you were a Endal in past life after that statement...” When Iosha was finished teasing him, she turned and looked at the target. She wanted to get it closer to the center, but half the time, she missed the target all together. As she resumed her stance, she thought to herself that it was nice to spend time with him. He always seemed to have the uncanny ability to make her laugh, and after today, she was amazed at how quickly he defended her from Sorel. He never hesitated to defend her honor. He was a kind man even though he was a libertine. Shaking the thoughts out of her mind, she focused her attention back to the target. She raised the bow with her left and lined up the tip of the arrow with the center of the target, and she drew back the bowstring, and she released the arrow. Iosha watched the arrow as it sailed through the air toward the target, but she frowned when she saw the arrow bounced off the top of target. Shaking her head, Iosha frowned to herself and said in Kontinese, “Shyte...” She glanced up at Kovac and said with a smirk, “Kovi, I decided to teach you a few swear words in Kontinese this is how you say, Shyte in my native tongue.” Iosha repeats the word “shyte” in Kontinese slowly for her friend. She gave him a wink, and said with a laugh, “I figured next time you meet up with Sorel. You can insult him in my native language to his face. We have a elegant language and outsiders tend to mistake insults as compliments..from time to time.” Once again she turned to the target, and she focused all her attention on the target. She reached back into her quiver and retrieved another arrow. She took a deep breath before taking her next shot. She was ready to shot. Iosha took her stance, turned her head to the target, and she raised her bow and lining the tip of the arrow with the center of the target. She felt her heart race for a moment knowing she would get a ear full if she missed two shots in a row, but she focused on her breathing to calm herself. Iosha drew back her arrow and fired at the target. The arrow sailed towards the target and it hit right above the first circle above the center. A wide grin appeared on her face, and she whirled around Kovac in excitement and said to him, “Did you see it, Kovi! My best shot in three months! Let me see if I can do it again, so it won't be just blind luck!” In her excitement, Iosha retrieved another arrow from the quiver. Still smiling, Iosha got back into her stance, turned her head to the target, and raised her bow lining the tip of the arrow with the center of the target. She took a deep breath and pulled back the bowstring; however, when she pulled back the string, she heard a SNAP, and the high tension string came down and slashed down across the top of her arm by the elbow. She instantly dropped her bow to the ground, cried out in pain, and clutched her now bleeding arm.

[Kovac]

The level of mutual comfort had grown between the initially shy Konti and the roguish half-breed, and Iosha's teasing taunts and quick smile smoothed the Avora's ruffled feathers after the incident with Sorel. His pleasure with Iosha did not carry over to her archery skills, which were still pretty dismal, even after working with her some. Perhaps she was a bit amped up after their flirty dialogue, or still thrown off by his jaunty smack on her arse.

Regardless Iosha played her shot off, distracting from her abysmal shot with a bit of banter about teaching his some Konti swearing. Kovac did not miss, however, how his friend failed to properly ready herself for her shot, and he simply shook is head and motioned for her to try again. The Konti's instructor did not tell her what she was doing wrong, the Avora wanted to see if she would correct herself.

Iosha did manage to settled herself, and Kovac saw her take a calming breath before she let the arrow fly. It was a true shot, and the missile made an excellent mark on the target. Kovac stepped forward to congratulate her, and to give her some instruction, when Iosha drew another arrow to shoot. "Wait!" The mongrel ordered, trying to stop her, but the girl was so excited about her improved accuracy, and surely wanted to show off for her teacher.

Then Kovac heard the dreaded crack and whipping sound that makes every archer shudder... broken bowstring. It was followed by a sharp cry from his friend. The taunt strings, once snapped, become like a mad serpent, lashing out with a lightning strike, they could open gashes in arms, chests and even faces. It was not unknown for a hunter to have a snapped string take out an eye.

Kovac quickly closed the gap between Iosha and himself, the woman already grasping at a slash in her arm. The Avora carefully took her arm, gently pulling Iosha's hand away so he could see the wound. It was a long cut, not terribly deep but a steady drip of dark blood ran from the injury. Though Kovac knew the Konti was a healer, even marked by Rak'Keli, instinct took over and he tore a strip of cloth from the hem of his bryda, pressing the fabric to the wound to stop the bleeding. He looked up into Iosha's dark violet eyes.

"We should probably get you to the infirmary to see a healer...er...or...well, you could look at it yourself...I guess." Kovac fumbled as he realized his silly mistake.

[Iosha]

When Kovac gently took her hand away, Iosha winced in pained, but she did get a good look at the wound in it's entirety. Iosha inwardly groaned to herself when she realized the cut looked deep enough to warrant stitches. She didn't want to go face the laughter of the other healers, but she knew karma would eventually come to bite her in the arse. She shouldn't have never made the “cursed” bet with Miqual over the a certain Avora breaking his leg. Iosha was jarred from her thoughts when Kovac started to apologize for suggesting to go to the Infirmary. He was right, and Iosha had every intention on going there even though she would probably be laughed at by Miqual. Iosha placed a white hand on his and smiled sweetly at him, “Yes, I think your right, Kovi. We should go the Infirmary since I am going to need stitches. The wound is way to deep for me to treat it on my own...” Iosha walked over the wall and leaned up against it. She knew she had to make a makeshift bandage, and the fabric provided would do nicely. She put one end of the fabric into her mouth and started to tightly wrap the other end of the fabric around her bloody arm. Every time she wrapped the cloth around her arm. She let out a small whimper of pain. When her arm was completely covered, she let her teeth release the other end of the fabric. She slide down on the wall and laid her injured arm on her leg, and she started to tie the two loose ends together. Once they were tied together, she looked up at Kovac, and said softly, “I'll buy you a new bryda, Kovi, and thank you for the fabric...” She pushed herself up from the wall and walked slowly to her bow. She knelt down and picked up her bow with her uninjured arm. She walked over to Kovac and said with a smirk, “It look like I will be added to the injury report today. I don't even want to know what the Old man will write about me in it...” Iosha motioned for him to follow her as she started to walk out of the archery range. While they were walking to the Infirmary, Iosha looked over at Kovac and asked with her eyes still on the road, “I guess my next lesson will be about proper bow maintenance?” She shook her head and said softly, “Sorry about my carelessness Kovac. After the last week, I had at my job. I think I just wanted to win at something even if it was just hitting the stupid target near the bull eye...” When she closed her eyes, she could still see the little golden eyes staring blankly up at her, and she could only think of her own child at the moment. She felt helpless, but she couldn't do anything about right now. She remained silent on her way to the Infirmary. For the last week, she been doubting herself as a healer, and the image of those little girls golden eyes still haunted her. She was dreading going back to the Infirmary, but she knew she needed her arm mended by someone other than her. She stopped in front of the door, and she took a deep breath before stepping into the infirmary, and instantly a fake smile appeared on the Konti's face as she said out loud to the other healers, “Even on my day off, I still can't get enough of you two! Look at what I did to myself!” She stuck up her bandaged arm into the air as she walked into the Infirmary. Miqual D'hanna gave Keah Lessan a look of amusement, and Keah sighed to herself as she reached into the pocket of her bryda and dropped five pinions into the hands of the old man. Iosha raised an eyebrow at the two and asked slowly, “Did you two make a bet on my well being?” The Old man pocket the money and said Keah, “I told you, Keah that our pale beauty would be clumsy enough to injury herself in one way or another.” Miqual looked at Iosha and said in common, “Yes, did you pick a fight with a angry Dek again Iosha?” Iosha blushed in embarrassment trying to forget the whole ordeal with the Deks in the cave. She looked at the Old man and said sharply, “No! I never instigated the fight Old Man!” Keah walked over to Kovac and Iosha and gave him a shy smile, and she turned her attention to Iosha and asked to her with concern in her voice, “Iosha what did you do to yourself? I take it you didn't get this injury from picking mushrooms.” Keah put a comforting hand on blond girls back, and she ushered her to a table. Miqual walked up to Kovac and raised an eyebrow and said softy in Nari, “Isn't your name Kovac? I remember you from somewhere, but I don't recall at the moment. Anyways, what did Iosha do to herself? I need to know, so I can put it on the wall of shame..err I mean the weekly report.”

[Kovac]

Kovac allowed Iosha to bind her wound, she knowing far better than he how tight to make the bandage. The Avora swung a baleful glare at the gathering Yasi, ogling the strange white woman as she struggled to stop her bleeding. The icy stare of the instructor sent the Inartan children back to their shooting with a corporate sigh. Kovac could see the pain in Iosha's eyes, but there was more, in her voice, a reluctance or a resolved defeat. The archer took her bow and quiver from her, retrieved his own, and accompanied her through the warrens to the infirmary. The Konti remained silent aside from an apology, and Kovac did not press her for an explanation of what had transpired in the past week to make this incident more unpleasant than it already was.

Once in the sickbay, Kovac stood aside as Iosha conversed with her fellow healers. He did not like the tone of their conversation, bristling as they teased the injured foreigner. He scowled at the healers, flashing a dark displeasure in his green eyes. The woman softened and took Iosha aside to tend to her wound, and the old healer approached the Avora.

“Isn't your name Kovac? I remember you from somewhere, but I don't recall at the moment. Anyways, what did Iosha do to herself? I need to know, so I can put it on the wall of shame..err I mean the weekly report.”

Kovac responded with a sharp tone. "Yes, you know me, you have tended to me several times. Iosha was injured when my bowstring broke. I was standing too close to her." Kovac lied, without remorse. The old fool meant to insult his friend, and the half-breed would not feed the aged healer's cruel game. His eyes darted towards Iosha as the girl treated her. His voice lowered, still speaking in Nari. "And if I find that you further humiliate the Konti in any way, I will come back, and you will need to employ your medical skills upon yourself." Kovac gave the man a small smile, one that his eyes did not share, the threat very real in the hunter's glare.

[Iosha]

Iosha was ushered to a table by Keah. Once she was on the table, she climbed on top of it letting her legs dangle over the side. She smiled down at the Keah, and said softly, “My bowstring couldn't handle my greatness, so it snapped on me and sliced the top of my arm.” Keah smiled up at Iosha and lifted her injured arm. Iosha winced silently to herself as she watched Keah unwrap the bandages around her arm. Keah cringed at the sight of wound, and she looked up at Iosha and said softly, “Well I am glad you came in because you definitely need medical attention. However, I think I will need the help of Rak'keli to heal your wound Iosha...” Iosha looked at wound, and she could understand why Keah needed assistance in healing her wound. The bowstring sliced deeply across her right arm. Luckily the bandage stopped most of the bleeding, but she could still see some dark red liquid ooze out of the cut. Iosha knew she pulled the bowstring too far back, but she wanted to impress Kovac with hitting the mark again. It was stupid mistake, and she paid for her arrogance. She glanced over at Micquel and Kovac, and she smiled to herself when they seemed to be getting along. Keah put her hand over Iosha's arm, and she started to speak in Nari to their goddess. Iosha smiled to herself when she saw the blue light and said a quick thank you to Rak'Keli. Micqual crossed his arms as he listened to the hot headed youth threaten him over the honor of the Konti woman. It was a sweet gesture, but the old man wasn't impressed by his threat. The old Inarta lived a long time in the city, and he met many young Inarta like Kovac. Most ended up dead with a knife in their stomach in some pointless duel of honor. He could tell Kovac was trying to intimate the old man, but Micquel wasn't going to give into the young man's threats. He knew Kovac was good friend of Iosha, and he didn't want to do anything to jeopardize their friendship. Micqual raised his eyebrow when the hot headed Inarta was finished and he responded with a shake his head in Nari, “First of all Kovac, you clearly have the wrong idea about my relationship to Iosha. I wouldn't do anything to humiliate, Iosha in anyway. Honestly, I am quite fond of the our young Konti. She is a kind, gentle, and honest young woman with a big heart.” Micquel ran a hand through his graying hair, and he smiled at him, “Keah and I have no intention of harming Iosha with our teasing. Iosha started the game to take our mind off the stress of the day. It is a way for us healers to coup with the shyte. We have to deal with on a daily basis.” Micqual looked into his green eyes and said softly, “You have to believe me, Kovac. The insults and nicknames are all in jest. We are all just trying to have a little harmless fun in the Infirmary.” Micquel looked at the young man, and he could tell that Iosha made a impression on the hot headed hunter and asked softly, “I understand why you want to protect her, but I have to ask what you want to protect her from, Kovac?” Micquel was curious if Kovac's intentions were genuine, so he asked another question, “What do you know about her other than she is a beautiful foreigner from the east? Did you know she ran away from home? Did you know she was treated for trances when she was child in Mura?” Micquel wanted to know because the young man just threaten him with bodily harm over a joke, so he knew wanted some answers to justify the young man's threat, so he asked with a intense stare, “What do you know about her, Kovac?”

[Kovac]

Kovac listened to the old healer, his ire waning as Micqual tried to explain that their teasing Iosha was all part of a game, one the Konti was aware of an participated in. The half-blood gave the inartan the benefit of the doubt, for the healer didn't seem intimidated by the surly young Avora. Then Micqual's questions became more personal. Kovac realized the man did care for Iosha, perhaps protecting her a bit himself.

“I understand why you want to protect her, but I have to ask what you want to protect her from, Kovac?”

Kovac did not like personal questions. But the older healer seemed truly interested, if only out of concern for the Konti outsider. "Bullies, from her feelings getting hurt, I suppose." He shrugged, not entirely comfortable answering. Micqual's inquiries became more insistent, as if challenging Kovac's right to befriend Iosha.

"I know she came from...their island, that she stayed in Avanthal, where my mother came from. I know..." He hesitated. The mongrel knew that Iosha knew Reimancy, but she seemed hesitant to let others know about it. He would keep it to himself. "I know she wants to learn to shoot her father's bow, that she is kind and that she is my friend." The last few words he spoke hurriedly, as if trying to slip them by the old man.