[The Great Harbor] Always A Bigger Fish (Edreina)

[Razkar]

"Yes, Raz, you teach how shoot bow to idiot barbarian."

"I... I do not sound like that!" There was a beat, just long enough to prove the the multiverse did indeed have a sense of humor. "... do I?"

Though some part of him had to admit, her impression of his accent was getting pretty good. Gravelly without sounding like she was just choking on something; syllables hacked apart then slammed back together like she truly was unused to them; she even rolled her "a's" like he did.

Still no reason to let her get away with it.

Razkar's eyes narrowd and he slid across the deck like a phantom, flat of his gladius giving Edri a playful but still stinging rap on her bare thigh. She gave a little squeal of pain, looked up t see mock anger playing over Razkar's smiling features.

"Make fun of savage, hmm?" She tried to back off and Razkar slid to her side, gladius flashing out again with fierce accuracy, giving her elbow a quick ding. "Barbarian's have much humor, oh, yes! Very witty!"

He lashed out a third time and she was already over the rail, leaping into the water in a halfway backflip abomination that just showed how desperate she was-

-but she was still laughing as she hit the water. Razkar glared over it and down at the grinning, soaking, bobbing redhead.

"You must come back to boat some time! You are not all fish!" He rolled his eyes and stalked to the main mast, casting a quick look at Navis, who was observing everything with a sort of half-interested curiosity... but still growled at the big two-legs who'd scared ff his mother. "Oh, hush, or I send you in with her..."

Knowing that Edri would take her sweet time getting back to dry land - or dry deck - Razkar walked to the mast and studied it quickly. It would be the perfect place to put a target, a good place to start... but what could they use? He cast his eyes around, looking for something large and circular and-

Ah-ha!

The Myrian stepped lightly off the deck and over to a trio of discarded barrels lying in a cluster on the pier. They stank of dead fish and old garbage, along with other things he'd rather not know about, but they still had their lips...

Each one the size of a shield, made of moldy but thick wood. He looked left... and then right... saw no watchers... and grabbed one before hauling himself back up to the deck of the Grotto.

Razkar smiled softly as he unsheathed his kukri, deciding to use it to nail the impromptu target to the mainmast. As good a nail and target as any... and either way, he taught his friend something new... and kept that look of fear from her eyes.

Always different, killing with a bow. Disconnected and less personal. That's what she needs to start with. But... she won't get it. Not until she sheds blood for the first time. Then she'll know if she can do it again... or can't stop herself from doing it again.

[Edreina]

"I... I do not sound like that! ... do I?" Edreina continued to grin, shrugging her shoulders as if to say "Perhaps a bit worse." as she continued backing away. He struck out so quickly that she could do naught but leap into the air and release a surprised yelp as he caught her on the bare thigh. Despite it all, Edreina found an element of allure in the savage's playfully dark look. She bit her lip, cocking her head to the side as she analyzed it, curiosity fanned. She turned to the side ever so slightly so that she would be able to vault over the edge of the ship, but was rewarded with another quick blow to her elbow. She hissed at the unusual feeling that came with a blow to the elbow and faced the Myrian head on once more, eyes narrowed playfully. Almost there... "Barbarian's have much humor, oh, yes! Very witty!" As he made to strike her again, the redhead hurled herself over the railing she had finally reached in a haphazard nose dive. It was mildly painful, entering the water in such a way; back arched, limbs flailing uselessly as she attempted to right herself in such a short span. But the Myrian's reaction was worth it. Upon breaching the disturbed surface, she could not stop another wave of laughter as she saw a brown face glare over the railing. "You must come back to boat some time! You are not all fish!" Edreina pursed her lips and took a deep breath before escaping beneath the waves. Despite how much time she spent in the water, how many prayers and offering she had sent Laviku, he had not awarded her devotion with the second mark of gnosis that would allow her to breath water. Sure, she was being petty. Gods were busy, donchaknow. But it would still be nice to receive at some point... Edreina propelled herself fluidly beneath the water, swimming beneath the ship itself so that she could surface on the opposite side of the ship, perhaps surprising the Myrian. An idea had entered her mind upon her entering the water. She captured a large mouthful of water and then hauled herself up to the railing. Lucky for her, Razkar was facing away from her at that moment. He was nailing something to her mast. Ass... At least now she had a legitimate reason. Puckering her lips, Edreina spouted a narrow but powerful beam of water at the Myrian before launching herself backwards off of the ship and back into the water. She turned there and powered her way beneath the ship and to the other side once again in a series of quick strokes. Without wasting a moment, she pulled herself up and onto the railing where she perched innocently, legs crossed and hands in her lap. "Looking for something, Myrian?" she was unable to hide the snicker in her voice. Unfolding herself and walking towards the apparent makeshift target upon her mast, Edreina grinned and held out her arms. "Well, I'm ready to learn."

[Razkar]

"Gods' piss and Dhani balls...!"

Despite a year away from the jungle and immersed in the barbarian languages, cursing still came most naturally to Razkar in his native tongue. Myrian, so guttural and aggressive by nature, is the perfect language for profanity, and thus when he felt the freezing spray of water splatter across his rear, it was a stream of shocked and furious Myrian that he exclaimed.

Whirling on the grinning figure, face a mask of anger, Razkar just narrowed his eyes. Such a poised and cherubic face... but weren't all the worst tricksters so?

"Looking for something, Myrian?"

Razkar just "hmphed" and turned back to his target, making sure it was steady before fetching his bow. AS he turned to her again, open arms awaited him.

"Well, I'm ready to learn."

He just rolled his eyes at her gin but the bloody thing as infectious and he found his own lips curving upward and his head shaking. How quick she seemed to adapt. A few chimes ago she was near-catatonic with the realization of what she would have to do in a true battle, what he friend had done many times... and now? Japes and grins and mischief... and, as always, a burning desire to learn.

"Stand in front of target."

She did so and Razkar slid behind her, not quite touching as her back was nearly flush against his chest, sliding his bow under her arm.

"Take bow. Hold with weak hand." One again she did and he tapped her feet with his own. "Stand sideways to target... yes... feet straight. Put balance on both feet even..."

He reached over his shoulder and grabbed an arrow, scent of her hair in his nose and Razkar reminded himself for the thousandth time that he was her friend, her tenant and her teacher.

Nothing more.

"When we get arrow ready, that is called nothing an arrow. We do that now..."

[Edreina]

"Stand in front of target." Edreina nodded and centered herself on the target, head cocked to the side as she awaited further instruction. And then he was abruptly close. Very. Very close. The student attempted not to shiver visibly as the teacher's proximity invoked a delicious and familiar reaction. Focus... She took a deep breath and peered at Razkar through a tangle of dripping red hair. "Take bow. Hold with weak hand... Stand sideways to target... yes... feet straight. Put balance on both feet even..." She automatically clutched the bow with her right hand, and then angled her body as Razkar had instructed. But beyond that, she was stock still. Her body was rigid as she tried so desperately to avoid brushing against Razkar for fear of ignition. "When we get arrow ready, that is called notching an arrow. We do that now..." Edreina nodded and quickly pulled her hair over one shoulder, out of her eyes, and... well Razkar's breath dancing across its copper strands had nearly reached the point of maddening. Narrowing her eyes, Edreina followed Razkar through the motions, setting the arrow against the bow and then setting the arrow's notch - Ah ha! - against the string. Pursing her lips, Edreina used her more powerful left arm to draw the string back, but the arrow soon began to dance away from the bow, and her arm trembled. She was strong for her size and build, no lie, but this bow had been built for someone stronger and with more experience. The student attempted to steady her arm, gritting her teeth at the unfamiliar pull in her shoulder and back. Damn. This is far from as easy as people make it look. But, she had the arrow notched and pulled back. "Now what?" She said in a low voice that was on the edge of growling as she attempted to keep her mind and body in check. The quiet of her voice made her world seem all the more small, all the more intimate. All she could feel was the pull of the bow against her attempts, the proximity of Razkar. All she could see was the target ahead. All she could hear was his breath, and then his reply. Damnit. Why couldn't she have spoken just a tad louder? Perhaps that would have opened up the world a bit more. But when her words were so hushed, it felt as if he was the only one listening. Focus! Can't you keep your mind straight for an instant? Yes, he is teaching you to use a bow. But that doesn't mean he is interested in teaching you other things, idiot. But Edreina could not help it! As he sated her hunger for knowledge, an indescribable curiosity began to rear its ugly little head. Such was the curse of one who wanted to experience all that life had to offer.

[Razkar]

"Now what?"

What indeed...

Razkar's jaw tightened and he tried to grit his teeth as quietly as possible. The smell of her, the suggestion of her skin against his, those ghostly touches as he corrected her postures and pointed out mistakes... they were all piling up like rising waters against a beleaguered dam.

He thought he'd got this out of his system. Apparently not.

He shook his head minutely and forced his mind back to the lesson. Her shoulders grew taut and her arms wide as she took aim with the arrow, and Razkar knew she wouldn't be able to hold it for long.

"Breath easy." He said lowly, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Slowly... make heart slow... arm steady... aim down arrow... and aim low. Aim for big part of target, biggest you can. Stories can talk about shooting arrow in head if they want. In real world? Aim for middle of chest. Better chance to hit."

One final thing came to him as a tiny tremble started t work it way into Edreina's grip. A memory as well as a lesson, taught to him by his mother the day he first held a bow.

"Most important thing." He said, so close to her now that the breath expelled from each word caressed her ear. "Know that it is right to shoot. Not have doubt when aim, not have doubt when let arrow go. Whatever you aim at, you know is right to hit. Fish. Deer. Man. Does not matter. Once you know... shoot is easy."

Her form was good. Her grip was firm. And as she breathed in and out... yes... he saw her arrow still, but she was starting to weaken. Razkar peered quickly over her should, saw her pulling the arrow back all the way so the fletching caressed her cheek. Good...

"Take breath... hold it... fire-"

Before the echo of the word had quieted, the string twanged sharply, the arrow flew forwards in the space of a blink-

-and Edri let loose her first arrow.

[Edreina]

"Breath easy. Slowly... make heart slow... arm steady... aim down arrow... and aim low. Aim for big part of target, biggest you can. Stories can talk about shooting arrow in head if they want. In real world? Aim for middle of chest. Better chance to hit." Nodding her understanding, the redhead found herself unable to comply; the rate of her breath and her heart refused to abate. The strain of this unfamiliar pull on her lithe muscles was multiplied by her lack of concentration. She trembled lightly, and widened her stance fractionally, attempting to dissipate the fire that was spreading through her limbs as she held the bow aloft and tensed. "Most important thing." The urge to sigh, oh so softly, was fought with the utmost vehemence. "Know that it is right to shoot. Not have doubt when aim, not have doubt when let arrow go. Whatever you aim at, you know is right to hit. Fish. Deer. Man. Does not matter. Once you know... shoot is easy." Something about this registered positively with Edreina. This, she could do. When you brawled with someone, you began to learn about them whether you liked it or not. You heard their voice, saw their weaknesses and the fear that would enter and leave their eyes as the fight warped and progressed. With a bow she would be able to, one day, take aim, shoot, and walk away. This type of killing, if killing was indeed necessary in this crazy world, agreed with the redhead. It was quick, clean, and impersonal. This first shot was very important to Edreina, she wanted to do the best that she could at this point. From that, Razkar would be able to correct her, criticize her. So, with a deep breath, Edreina straightened her posture, pulling the arrow as far back as was logically possible, resting the soft feathers against her cheek as she sighted down the shaft. At the end of her breath, Edreina released the arrow. Instead of simply releasing the arrow, Edreina attempted to move her fingers out of the way, knocking the tail of the arrow upwards as it escaped. Instead of heading for the target, it hit the deck and skittered along past the mast until Navis had to leap out of the way with an angry yowl. "By Laviku's saggy-" Edreina scoffed, shaking her head and pressing her wrist against her forehead in exasperation. Her hair flew in a wild flurry as she shook her head, unable to hide a grin. "Not quite what you were expecting, I'm sure?" she asked, turning back towards Razkar.

[Razkar]

Razkar never thought he would feel any kin or sympathy for Navis, but when he saw that arrow skitter past him and those tiny claws sending his body spinning away, he gave an involuntary wince.

Damn. Good thing you've got reflexes, rat.

"Not quite what you were expecting, I'm sure?"

Razkar chuckled and moved around to Edreina's side, squeezing her shoulder as he gently took the bow from her grip.

"Definitely not rat was expecting," he said, and his smile didn't waver even when she scowled at his imperturbable name for her beloved pet, "But that is point of train. To practice. But..."

He notched an arrow and stood before her, letting her see every inch of his naked upper body, especially his fingers which he flexed as he pulled back on the string, goose feathers kissing his cheek.

"When let go, not move hand holding string. Fingers go bent when hold... and then..." The Myrian breathed steadily, in... out... in... hold it... "... straight-"

His hand did just that, fingers going from curled to straight in one easy movement. His eyes narrowed critically as the arrow thunked into the wood off-center, even at this range, but it would still have been a crippling wound.

Lung. Maybe liver. Either way, he's thinking more about his pain than fighting back.

"Practice." He said as he handed the bow back to her, along with another arrow. "Like I say on Flotilla, when we train. Do thing over and over and over, and you get skill. Get good. So..."

She regained her stance and mirrored him as best she could, silent Myrian crossing his arms and watching her from the front, dark and smoldering gaze never leaving her body. Some small part of him wondered if it was a distraction, that Edri's physical attraction to him was a complication.

Well, she'll have to deal with it. Plenty of distraction when a bunch of bastards are trying to kill you...

[Edreina]

"Definitely not rat was expecting. But that is point of train. To practice. But..." The smartass part of Edreina wanted to explain the differences that existed between Navis and a rat. First off, Navis didn't chew her deck to pieces and breech her hull in the middle of the night. She scowled, knowing that emotions there lay far too close to the surface for her to discuss them calmly. "When let go, not move hand holding string. Fingers go bent when hold... and then... straight-" Edreina deflated visibly as Razkar's arrow flew true and embedded itself into the makeshift target. Upon taking the bow, she attempted to keep intimidation out of her features. The stance itself was simple enough, legs splayed, core strong, arms stretching oddly. But it was the little bits of fine tuning that Edreina would have to work through. Red hair danced as she flicked stray strands from her face once more, eyes narrowing as she sighted down the shaft once again. Her breath was slow and easy as she pulled the feathers against her cheek. "Gonna move, Myrian?" She asked. He still stood slightly in front of her, enough that Edreina would worry about hitting him with a stray arrow. When he was - relatively - safe, she released the arrow with a twang, not moving save for her fingers. This shot was ever so slightly better. It flew straight... out into the ocean. Somehow, it ended up arcing off and to the side to disappear into the Suvan. Edreina cringed at the splash and turned apologetically to Razkar, scratching the back of her head. "Now what did I do?" She asked, unable to hide a grin. This was the first time in her life that she had been unable to pick something up quickly. And, oddly, it did not anger her. Just another necessary experience in life, she supposed.

[Razkar]

Don't tell her those aren't cheap, don't tell her those aren't cheap, don't tell her those aren't cheap-

"Now what did I do?"

"Lost my petching arrow, that's what."

Fortunately those magnificently ill-chosen words were lost in the depths of a language that Edreina had not yet mastered... but the look on his face was translation enough. Clearing his throat a little guiltily, Razkar sighed and took the bow back from the female.

"You did not move. But you bow did."

The Myrian took up the stance again but without the arrow, pulling back the string and then letting it go-

-but letting the released energy of the string pull his bow forward and down, just as it did with her.

"See that? Must keep grip on bow strong and steady, most important. Let bow move, and arrow will move, not to target, but away. Like..." he frowned, searching for some euphemism the Svefra would understand "... shaking hand when throwing harpoon. Throw off aim."

Razkar handed the bow back along with a precious arrow. He smiled softly, an expression few in Syliras had seen on his face but which he gave to her for free. He waggled the arrow, smile becoming just a little mocking.

Good. Mockery is always good in training; makes you want to succeed just to spite the smug bastard.

"Try again, and please try not to lose arrow, hmm?"

[Edreina]

When the Myrian muttered in his language tongue, Edreina's eyes narrowed as if that would bring the language into focus. His facial expression was one of exasperation, annoyance, perhaps even some dark sort of amusement? Her mouth pursed as she considered speaking her thoughts to him in Fratavan just to return the rude gesture. And yet another pet peeve of Edreina's was revealed. As a child upon the Flotilla, she had been exposed to nearly every language and dialect in existence, learning fleeting phrases or gestures along the way. The one thing that would bother her, however, is when foreigners would complain or mutter about something in their own tongue for fear of offending their Svefra hosts. But, in the end, their return to their native tongue had always been a greater cause of offense. Only malcontents felt the need to conceal their comments. But this was not the case with Razkar. He was, in all likelihood, attempting to preserve the red head's fragile dignity as she struggled with a new task. The moment was lost quickly as he threw himself back into teaching, showing her what had gone wrong. Again her face crumpled in upon itself as she realized that she might not even have the strength to control the recoil from his bow. It took her a pair of instants to take the proffered weapon, snapping herself from her own musings. She bit her lip in an attempt to keep from returning his smile. As he waved the arrow back and forth before her, she snatched it from his hands and turned back to the target with a narrow glare. "Try again, and please try not to lose arrow, hmm?" Despite herself, Edreina muttered, "Concerned with the price of an arrow when you're being given a place to stay? For free?" She drew back the bowstring, locking her elbows in place. The now familiar strain across her back warmed her all over, causing a gentle sheen of sweat to break out across her skin despite the fact that this exertion was nothing compared to their earlier sparring. Resting the fletching on her cheek just as the instructor had illustrated, she adjusted her footing just slightly once more. "Out of the goodness of my heart," she muttered on an exhale, sighting down the shaft as she regained control of her breath. This time, she managed to loose the arrow with only minimum movement. The arrow embedded itself in her mast, just below the target, with a dull thump. But something new happened this time, causing Edreina to start and yelp with surprise. The bow's string had somehow managed to impact her forearm, stinging her as only her own whip might. It was all she could do not to drop the bow like a snake as she brought her arm up to examine it. A red, linear welt was already standing in bas-relief against her honeyed skin. "Now what the petch did I do this time?" She growled, transferring the bow to her left hand in order to shake her hand out, relieve the odd tingling sensation.