Learning Valuable Lessons [Koa]

[Cayenne]

Who: Koa
When: 3rd of Summer, 510 AV
Where: The Training Yards

It was raining as it always did in the summer. The torrential downpour that had begun two days ago had eased up briefly for a spell, but it was still coming down now, just as hard as it had when the goddess herself had been present. The Quaolelye was still assembled, and it would stay that way for those who wanted to practice on its parts, to train, and for some of the children, to play. There were children on it now, struggling even in the impressive rain, to climb up or down, under the watchful eye of a more experienced teacher. None of them sported the colourful Riamm that some of the children in the mud and ground had on their heads – that was considered a crutch on the Quaolelye. On the ground, other children were practicing – everything from fighting with weapons to slinging mudballs to wrestling. One boy, in particular, was straddling a girl he held by the hair, face down in the mud, while she struggled underneath him. Suffocating though she must have been, the girl bucked him off and struggled away through the thick mud on elbows and knees, taking a hand to wipe a handful of mud away from her eyes and nose and throwing it at him before flinging herself at him, tackling him hard and sending them both struggling into the mud again.

Her presence had been requested by Oni of the Jagged Blade, and Koa had no doubt just what the warrior wanted – to “discuss” their little encounter during the Rain Festival two days prior. Koa had heard about this from her Fang’s leader, Y’kelo. Oni had demanded her presence here and now. She didn’t have to ask nicely or even request it – the considerable rank that Oni had earned meant Koa had better show up if she knew what was good for her. Y’kelo had no idea what sparked Oni’s ‘interest’ in her Fang member, but both of them knew that a Myrian discussion in the Training Yards meant a battle was going to happen. Y’kelo was apparently in the dark about it, because there had been a very incredulous ‘what in the name of the Goddess did you DO?’ expression on her face and in the tone of her voice. But it wasn’t like Koa hadn’t known it was coming. As a younger Myrian, Koa had had the …pleasure… of being taught a few things by the sturdy Tiger Rider

To make matters worse, Oni had specified ‘outside’. During the worst of the rainy season, a lot of Myrians did plenty of their training indoors. They were used to the difficult terrain that the water worsened, and fighting in the harrowing conditions, but some of it was best done inside, particularly those who were learning besides practicing. Staying outdoors meant one got waterlogged, and one got waterlogged quickly. Whether Oni was making a point or if there was another method to her reasoning was anyone’s guess. Maybe it was to save her a bit of humiliation in that most everyone would be indoors, and not watching as the warrior kicked her ass up one side of the yards and down the other for her unintended disrespect. If it had been any other unbalanced deyhan besides one under Oni’s protection, she would have been praised for her actions, and many probably agreed with her. But as it was, this one was, and now, Koa would have to pay the bill for it.

She had been standing there in the rain for perhaps five chimes before she recognized the scarred and tattooed figure coming towards her as Oni. Her mohawk, usually standing tall and proud in dry weather, had been thickly braided into a ridge from the center of her forehead all the way to the nape of her neck to create a lesser mohawk – it stood out, certainly, even with the rain, but it lacked the frightening aspect that Oni tended to effortlessly induce when her hair stood up on its own. Today, she was dressed in light leathers – despite the heat of summer, Oni was one of those who preferred the leather its waterproofing abilities. Sure, the rain still made her dark skin slick with moisture, and on her hips were her four Tskanna blade swords, each of varying length and shape. She stopped in front of the younger woman. “Well, Koa of the Painted Eyes. Does the day find you well?” Her voice was conversational… and very well the calm before the storm.

[Koa]

She fucked up big time, Koa knew that much. How could the younger Myrian have possibly known the deyhan had been under the supervision of Oni of the Jagged Blade? So she was special, she could conclude that much, and her fiery demeanor had definitely caught her attention, but when the taller woman had grasped her wrist and pulled her aside, the Painted Eyes could feel her heart jump to her throat. Oh, she’d pissed her off, pissed her off enough to warrant a beating out in the rains. What was she going to tell her colleagues, who would most likely gossip around the barracks where she lived and devise a story on how she came upon all these nasty welts and bruises? She fell down the steps of the temple, that’s what she did! No, idiotic. Stupid, stupid stupid, that was what she was.

She couldn’t possibly tell Y’kelo just what she’d done, not in front of everyone that was within earshot. She’d kept to herself, gave her Fang leader one of those “Not right now,” looks and simply gathered what little clothes she could for the ass-whooping. Did she want to completely cloth herself to dampen the inevitable hits, or bare it all in the cover of rain and allow Makutsi’s gift to wash away her blood? In the end, Koa chose a simple leather halter top and her trademark skin-tight leather leggings. She had left her accessories behind, finding that they would most likely break should they come in contact with Oni’s fists, and her hair, usually pinned up in a flare was now in a tight bun, with braids criss-crossing along her temple and toward the nape of her neck. All’s well, as Koa still wished to look presentable to Oni, who, since she was but a young girl, had admired the more experienced Myrian and even held affection for her. Some might even call it a crush.

Now Koa waited, with the drizzles pounding against her skin, her mind already connecting them to the punches she imagined Oni giving her, or the strikes of a weapon she had on her person. Equate the rain to pain, then maybe this would be more bearable. Oni’s form was clearly visible to her then as she approached, and Koa, knowing how to show proper respect despite her bitchy attitude bowed with two hands clasped together in a fist. She didn’t meet Oni’s gaze, not yet, she continued to stare down at her mud-plastered boots. “I’ve always enjoyed rain. It’s a comfort, even despite the training season. And you, Oni?” She decided to ask, glancing up to meet the taller woman’s gaze. Make small talk, maybe she’ll lighten up if just a little bit. She had to try, although Koa was sure to give her a good fight.

“Once again, I apologize for what’ve done during the Rain Festival, Jagged Blade. It was my mistake for assuming she was not wanted here. Whatever you have in store for me, I will gladly take it like a true Warrior.” Koa wanted to show that she was not to be a coward in the face of a potential beating. Let it be known that she understood her consequences, and why she had landed in the position she was in now.

[Cayenne]

“I like the rain,” Oni looked up at the sky for a moment, pausing as she watched the clouds overhead. “The jungle needs its rebirth, and a good soaking starts the cycle anew.” She rested a hand on one of her hips. “Besides… some people get cocky… and fail to realize how much the rain really can impact us. It can help and hinder tracking. It can help and hinder hunting. It’s good for our skills. Caiyha and Makutsi made it that way, as well you know. The strong will survive the rain, and the weakened will perish.” Oni grinned at that, almost mirthlessly. “You know that in lands beyond here, their winter… when Morwen walks… they get this cold, nasty slush they call ‘snow’. But it serves the same purpose as our rain. It kills off the weaker prey… but unlike here, it kills a lot of plants… allowing them to start again in the springtime.” She shook her head, the rain pounding against their skins. “But the rain has its own tempo… its own heartbeat. You listen for it. You strike to it. We thrive in it where others drown and despair.” Perhaps the small talk was working. One could but hope.

She listened to Koa’s apology, the expression on her strong, proud face unchanging. No outsider would ever call Oni beautiful, with her strong features, her dominating carriage, her dark skin, her scars and tattoos – but to Myrians, ‘beauty’ involved a lot of things, encompassing skill and conditioning. Where some might find disfiguring scars a hindrance, Myrians saw them as war marks. By their standards, Oni was beautiful. She certainly never lacked for mates and admirers. Whether or not her older sister was broadly considered one of Myri’s Champions as the War-Mistress hardly figured in. Sure, to outsiders, marrying into families was a way of climbing up in status… but in Taloba, it didn’t work that way. The families that had been around since before the Valterrian, with their traceable roots and ancestors were considered no better than those who formed their own families and started new names. It added to expectations, but it didn’t change how one earned their own merit.

“Mistakes happen,” Oni said agreeably. She didn’t sound angry, not in the slightest. “But if we don’t learn from them, we repeat them. Your confidence is good, and your tenacity at defending our home is admirable. But you need to learn to consider the possibilities before you act,” she poked Koa in the forehead with her finger. “Most outsiders we needn’t suffer. But that Konti just happened to be the one that the Goddess-Queen allowed to stay. Think things through,” she poked Koa on the head again. “Would we really allow an outsider that far into the city? Trust your instincts. But train them.” Oni stepped back as she removed the leather belt holding her sheathed blades to her broad hips and setting it aside. Koa hadn't been armed, and Oni enjoyed teaching lessons with her fists and feet.

“Apology accepted,” Oni offered Koa a hand, grasping it and thumping her on the back. “But as you know…” There were always the buts. Always. Her grip changed, suddenly, and she was jerked towards Oni as she brought her knee up, aiming to get her knee into Koa’s gut as the rain pummeled them both. “Respect is earned and kept.” She pushed Koa away, then, hard, backwards, leaving her to flail or try to regain her step in the mud as the older Myrian advanced, looking like a wild thing as she redoubled her attack, aiming punches with each hand, forming a fist at the last possible moment as she went to attack Koa’s kidneys, all the while leaving Koa opportunities to try to get her own blows in. Let her stretch out. See what all she was capable of. Because that was when the real fun would begin.