Flashback [The Bronze Woods] Meeting Molly

[Kaie]

32nd of Summer, 511 AV
15th Bell

With Syna beginning her slow fall from the center of the sky, Kaie waited impatiently near the Syliras gates. Besides her was a man thrice her age. He was a man of solid muscle and weathered by age. Wrinkles tainted leather-like skin here and there, and atop his head was a mess of white hair. His grey beard grew thick about his face. Kaie could only suspect it was there to hide some gruesome scarring that would be quite visible otherwise. Yet for a man whose body showed signs of abuse from blades, he was placid. Upon his arrival he gave her nothing but a curt nod before reverting to silence. Not a name or an introduction. No false courtesies. Just business. The Myrian appreciated that.

Several chimes later and Drexel appeared through the crowd. When Kaie's eyes slid down his frame, she found that connected to his hand at his side was another. And as she expected, there was the young blonde girl named Molly. Her face was round and almost cherubic. The clothes she wore were nothing of the same par as her father. It seemed what she wore now was something like play clothes. It was an absurd idea, a separate set of clothing aside only for play and getting dirty. What was wrong with the rest?

"Ah, Gerry! There you are. You have my carriage outside the gates?" Mr. Winslow called when he was mere yards away, Molly squirming with curiosity and anticipation at his side. Gerry pressed off the wall and raised his hand in a solid wave before calling back.

"Aye! Got the horses waitin'! Hello, Molly."

The blonde beamed at the grizzly voice that spoke her name, curtsying immediately like a dog trained brutally through operant conditioning. It was hard for the Myrian not to put her head in her hands and sigh at the sight. She hardly enjoyed the presence of the regular citizens. Now she had taken up responsibility with the arrogant, snobby ones? Were they not the same that made faces at her attire and mocked her in the streets?

"Kaie, this is my lovely daughter Molly. Molly, this is Kaie. Your trainer."

She wanted to cringe at the title. Yitmah would be doubled over in laughter at the irony of it all. Damn him.

First came the curtsy, and then as if she had suddenly comprehended her father's words, Molly's eyes bugged in surprise. Kaie merely nodded her head in a quiet hello, as most of her people tended to do. She looked wildly between her father with mouth agape in shock, then to the savage looking Myrian who wasn't too much older than she. She raised her brow at Drexel in a silent question he answered with a smile and a nod.

"It's only temporary, Molly. More like a trial."

"Oh, father! Thank you!" She squealed softly before wrapping her arms around his waist in a tight embrace. Drexel merely laughed and shrugged his shoulder at the other two in his company. He returned it with a laugh, and then much like his arms were crowbars, he pried her off him.

"You're making a scene."

"Oh, right. Sorry, father."

What?

"Best we get off then, Mr. Winslow?" Gerry offered, clearly uncomfortable or bored with the display of affections. Kaie couldn't blame him. It was rather a cliche of the barbarian dream and their perfect little families. As if they knew of no danger, no calamity that could dare tear their fragile little fantasy apart. Then again, wasn't that exactly what she was there for?

"Indeed, Gerry. Shall we be off then?" Drexel asked his daughter, who nodded sharply. Without another word, they were off following behind Gerry. The bear of a man stated his business to a guard (one he knew well apparently), and before long they had reached the wagon waiting for them. A young boy of about thirteen acted as porter, running around to open the wagon doors. Drexel entered first followed by Molly. Only after Drexel bid her to accompany them did Kaie realized she was allowed to ride inside. Gerry had already left them as well as the porter. Apparently he would be the man to take the reigns.

[Kaie]

"I apologize if I am not being polite, but what exactly are you, Key?"

It took Kaie several ticks to realize Molly had been addressing her. The Myrian raised a brow curiously, glancing once at Drexel who eyed her evenly. Apparently he did not feel the need to control this aspect of their business.

"My name is said like Kai-ee," She explained painfully, trying to keep her tone both somewhat respectful and lacking in brutality. With her native Myrian tongue, Kaie often found that her words carried a far harsher voice than intended. If she was going to try to make a good first impression with the kid, she didn't want her accent to ruin it. "My people are called Myrian. We are of Falyndar."

The girl's eyes widened once again in childish shock, looking at he father for permission to pursue the topic further before returning to stare at Kaie. Her eyes wandered the Myrian's body, taking note of the clothes and the weapon at her side she carried so casually. Enlightenment came, and it seemed to Kaie that all had come full circle in her mind. Replacing that surprise in her eyes was rampant curiosity and a bit of nervousness, which Kaie noted in the odd way she played with her hands in her lap. Fear. She had a habit of picking up on that.

"So you're really a cannibal?"

"Molly!"

Before Drexel had a chance to scold her thoroughly, or Molly had a chance to try to explain her accusation, Kaie interjected.

"Yup."

Both humans stopped and turned to stare at her. Molly's was in quiet horror and perhaps fear of her own safety. Drexel's expression was caught somewhere between irritation for such a blunt answer and admiration for it. Technically, she was only doing him a favor. The only thing worse than being trained by a stranger with little experienced in teaching, was being trained by a confessed cannibal that came straight from the horror stories she had ever heard. Starting off making the experience a bit negative would probably continue to work in Drexel's favor and deter her.

"So you've...Eaten...People before?"

The Myrian nodded solemnly, not even daring to break her facade of honest indifference. Molly leaned back as if trying to process the new facts, taking a moment to pull herself together. And then she leaned back in fearlessly.

"Why?

"Not many servants in Falyndar. Eat when you can. Survive. People just another kind of animal."

"Well...I guess that makes sense," The twelve year old shuddered uncomfortably and then sat back in her seat. Drexel made a "not bad" face at her behind his daughter. The rest of the ride was moderately silent, with Drexel interjecting here and then to keep polite conversation. Strangely, by the time the carriage had stopped, Molly had seemed to be relatively over their prior discussion. If anything, she was just more on her guard and avoided direct eye contact for long periods of time. There was nothing wrong with distrust. And was it so wrong the entire circumstance brought a mirthful grin to her features in human fear? It happened so often it was almost a comical reaction now.

"Alrigh'. Out you go," The porter said suddenly with the open of the door. He stepped back and reached his hand out for Molly, who took it gingerly and carefully found the ground. Drexel bid Kaie to follow out next, and Molly jerked herself out of the way to give the Myrian space to jump down. She did not need to help of the human hand. It was just a simple step, not a precipice she was hanging from.

"Alright, Lad. Let's show them home now, hm?" Gerry said from the front of the carriage.

"Yes, Papa."

And so led the four to the wooden cottage nestled in the clearing just ahead. A lovely little sitting where the grasses grew tall enough to billow in the wind, and Syna could sear the Myrian's bronzed skin almost as sharply as she could in in Cyphrus. All in all, the stroll back toward the fenced areas was almost...Peaceful.

[Kaie]

"Good a spot as any, eh?" The porter boy said proudly of his home, expanding his arms to point out the grandness of the wilderness.

"Absolutely, Nathaniel. And situated right on the main trail for the Knight's patrol. Any trouble comes and someone will be sure to hear you," Drexel pointed out, his mind clearly more fixated on the safety of his daughter than anything else. All as he should. "Gerry should be returning to us with the supplies you'll be needing, Kaie. In the meantime, I suppose it would be best if you took Molly out to the space out back. Maybe brief her?"

Kaie blinked, her expression blank and lacking comprehension. She raised a brow at him, lips parting slowly to admit she did not follow the vocabulary in his instruction. Drexel pressed his lips into a hard line just a tick before recovering.

"Talk to her about all this?"

"Right. Okay," She said quickly, doing her best to hide the fact she ever fell into such obvious ignorance. Molly slowly stepped away from the blanket of protection her father's presence provided, and toward the Myrian. Kaie glanced over at the innards of the fencing that surrounded the cottage. In the front of a small garden of what appeared to be some kinds of vegetable stalks. The back of the building seemed to be nothing more than a moderately sized, empty yard. Like Nathaniel said, it was as good a place as any.

Soon after the two began to walk forward side by side. Molly's hand swayed toward the savage for a moment, though quickly she found her mistake and tugged it casually back to her side. Kaie caught the tiny movement and was immediately perplexed, but nothing was said. The child knew just by the looks of the woman and how she behaved, she was not the hand holding type. After all, her father had hired her as a trainer, not a wet nurse.

"So...Briefing?"

"What? Oh yeah. Right. Well..."

Could I be less articulate?

"Your father tells me you want to be a knight."

"And?"

And I picked the wrong petching job...

"And he asked me to teach you some things," She admitted lousily, vaulting her legs over the fencing with her hands supporting her on the wood. As soon as she landed, she made her way into the center of the field with Molly following behind.

[Kaie]

"You don't have any idea what you're doing, do you?"

Smart girl.

"It is obvious...Is it not?" Kaie agreed sheepishly, turning to actually face both the girl and reality at the same time. She let out a deep sigh and ran her hand own the side of her face. Molly only watched her and crossed her smaller arms across her chest. Suspicion.

"Are you even a real Myrian?"

Well. At least I can answer that one honestly.

Kaie's face broke slowly into a grin and immediately her hands went up to her long, flowing hair. Just as she was pulling her locks across her left shoulder, she knelt down and turned so Molly could see what was hidden beneath. Her blessing from Myri was clear as day against her bronze skin.

"Oh. Okay. I believe you."

The Myrian woman's smiled widened as she released her hair to cover the mark again, body returning to its up right position to face the girl. It seemed the two of them were finished lying to one another. She was willing to open up without Drexel around.

"It is not that I...Not know what I do. Just I cannot do it the same as when I was a child."

"And why's that? You don't think I can handle it because I'm a girl?"

To that, Kaie's expression hardened. She went down to the girl's eye level and put a finger in her face. Her eyes were wild, intense in a quiet anger that would not be manifested to the young girl. Instead it was carried in her voice and no more. A message Molly needed to hear and understand. Something worth remembering.

"No! Where I come from, it is women who rule all. Not men. Women lead men to battle. Myri killed God Ruros before she was Goddess. She took all my people from war, joined us as one, and now she and all women from the clans control the jungle," She growled out, her accent becoming thick and the words becoming less clear with the tainting of brutal Myrian tongue."You not let anyone tell you that you are lesser because you are a woman. You are just as strong, just as fast. And when they doubt, prove it."

[Kaie]

The twelve year old's eyes were wide, her body swayed back nervously with the sudden stir of emotion in the otherwise calm female. The girl had half a mind to step back, to duck away and run for her father and clutch to him. A stronger spirit in her forced her to remain still like a deer to the sound of a broken twig. She found herself paralyzed for several ticks. No words would come when they were summoned. What she did manage was to nod her head, letting the speech seep through. It would be something the child would remember for a long time.

Kaie scanned her face, seeing through fear there was understanding. When the girl gave her nothing, she resigned from her stance to become more relaxed and back to her own space.

"Good. You stayed. It says a lot."

"What do you mean?"

"I could see it in your eyes. Fear. But you did not run. You stayed to stick it out. Nice thing to see," Kaie explained fondly, giving the girl merit where it was worth. Perhaps there was a fight there after all. Maybe she could change this girl somehow, mold her. Turn her into a survivor. Kaie knew nothing of the luxurious upbringing she had, but if she could master both lives, the violence and the proper world, she would be quite a weapon. Unlike the Myrian woman, she would be able to mesh right in with whatever city she stepped into so long as there was a higher class. She could fight and manipulate as she pleased. It would be quite the experiment...Assuming she didn't join the Knighthood and become so exclusive with it. What fun was that?

"My mother's afraid."

"Of what?"

"Well. You know. Me getting hurt."

"Yeah. Your father told me that too."

"Is your mother like that? Afraid?"

Now the Myrian stopped dead, almost paralyzed by the question. Her brow furrowed painfully in thought, delving into questions she did not feel ready for the answers to. However, it was a question that deserved to be answered. And though Kaie couldn't quite know how her mother thought of her now, she could pull clues from previous events and make assumptions of the past. It would suffice.

"I think all mothers are. Mine in her own way. Scared but not afraid, if that makes sense. But the things your mother fears are ones my people have come to terms with. They have to. It is the way. But my mother has fears strange to you. And to me. But yes, I think sometimes she does fear. For me."

"Lovely isn't it?"

Both females turned their heads to find Drexel leaning against the wooden fence on his forearms. He lifted one hand to block the sun from his eye. Kaie couldn't help but find it ridiculous he didn't just angle his hat to provide better shade. She supposed such an alteration would look unbecoming to him, and so he refrained from rationality for the sake of fashion. It was pathetic.

"'Course it it!" Piped Nathaniel from behind him, who came with his arms full with some sort of rolled up material.

"Quiet, boy," Gerry said as he took the heavy thing from the boy's hands and slid over the fence. He walked over to the two and then set it down. With a kick of his heavy boot, the heavy fabric unrolled to reveal some practice swords. Two longswords and a single dulled gladius. The latter was far too small for Kaie's usage.

"Drex said ye already had one o' yer own. Figured I save my money. Just try not to hit her then," He muttered to Kaie while Molly gushed childishly over the shiny new "toys."

Great. More liability. Thanks, you cheap bastard.

"How does it feel, Molly? Too heavy, too light?" Drexel feigned care from the sidelines, speaking much like an individual in Taloba about the Ball Courts though one had never played nor studied the sport.

"It's perfect!"

"What do you think, Kaie? Is this sufficient to your needs?"

Trick question?

"This will do. If I need something else, I get it myself," She said clearly while she eyed the sword, frowning at it. The sword should've been heavier. Molly would grow stronger and a heavier sword would improve the quickness of her swings. Naturally it couldn't be too heavy, for then it would sacrifice good form and tear her muscles. For her own peace of mind, Kaie would rather acquire her own than leave it to Gerry again. Clearly he didn't have much clue nor care. He was just paying a pretty big debt.

"Fair enough. I guess I should leave you to it then?"

"Yes, father!"

"I'll be inside if you me. Gerry's a good shot. Call if you need him."

[Kaie]

And then there were two. Shyke.

"So?"

"So what?" She asked Molly absently in reply, still hung up over the whole sword business. Quite frankly, she was shyke with anything but a gladius. The other one looked too long and heavy for her style. She couldn't believe the Syliras Knights liked carrying beasts like that around. They'd be useless in the jungle with all the vegetation, that was for sure.

"Well aren't you supposed to start now?"

Yeah, well there's no manual for this stuff, kid. Bear with me.

She stood there for several chimes in utter silence, lost within her own mind. Molly brandished the sword a few times trying to get her attention, but she received nothing. Kaie was too far gone in the past, trying to take information from her own upbringing and find those that apply. The search was meager, the training far too brutal. But somewhere there was a hint on how to start. Somewhere...

"Drop the sword."

"What?! I just got it, how are we supposed to.."

"I said drop the petching sword."

"Alright, jeez," Molly exclaimed forlornly before the metallic thud came of sword hitting earth. The girl stared down sadly at it. Like all children, she was far too eager to get to the blades. Kaie remembered being the same way with Yitmah.

"Good to know how to use a weapon. Good to be master. But then what is a master with sword without his blade? Do you know?" Kaie asked the girl, beginning to circle her as Yitmah had once in the jungle, sizing her up. Searching for her strengths and her weaknesses. Ultimately, it would all come down to her mental willpower.

"Uhh.."

"Dead!" The Myrian snapped before she could formulate some kind of competent reply. She returned to face Molly head on with a neutral expression, becoming just as blunt as her own trainer had once. And that was what she needed to become. Blunt, not brutal. Not here in Syliras. "Unless he fights well without it, the master with sword is not invin-seeble!"

"Um. You mean, invincible?"

"Yeah, whatever," She said, blowing it off passively with a brush of her hand at the wind. The sun was beginning to turn the world into a blazing canvas of warm oranges and yellows, light dancing teasingly through the transparent leaves and grasses. Like Syna's Summer heat, Kaie was unrelenting. "I'm saying we turn body into weapon first. Rest come later. Now go."

"Wait, go? Go where?"

"You run to fence, touch where wood meet earth, then you run back. Fast as you can. Go."

"Hold on a minute!"

"Go!"

[Kaie]

It took a quarter of a bell before the Myrian finally gave the girl the okay to stop. By then, Molly was doubled over with her hands on her tiny knees, gasping from the workout. Sweat beaded at the little girl's hairline and matted the hair at her temples. Physical signs were what Kaie was looking for to tell her what was being done had an effect. She had to break pieces of her down into smaller parts, switch them out, and then reassemble her. No one ever told Molly it was going to be easy. If they had, the Myrian would gladly swat them.

"You rest now while I talk," Kaie offered her the small mercy indifferently, well aware she would be scolded back home for being too soft on the girl. Yet this is what her employer wanted. So this is the way she must continue. Easy. Gradual. Train a potential, not a full fledged soldier in the making.

"Must make body stronger. Faster. Tougher. All enemies are dangerous and each in their own way. Must be prepared," She explained slowly, folding her arms across her chest as she waited for Molly to recover. When she finally did, the Myrian grinned at her broadly, which was returned with the dirtiest look she'd ever seen from a child her age. Whoops.

"More running?" She whined, hanging her head back down toward the ground in anticipation of the worst.

"Goddess. No whining. Don't ever whine unless you do want to run some more. Look, you see this fence?" Kaie gestured around at their enclosure, face recovering from the look of momentary disgust at the girl. Molly merely nodded, already straightening up at the realization of her grave mistake. "Whenever you step into this space, there are rules."

"Rules?"

"Rule One: We don't whine. Rule Two: We work hard. Whenever you cross that fence, you give me everything you have and that's it. If not, you run. Or you go right back to the other side. You understand? Good."

Kaie walked away from the fences and into the center. Her voice raised as she stepped backward, beckoning Molly to follow her into the center where there was more room.

"You did not come here to play. Your father did not hire me to babysit. If I train you, this what we do. We run everyday. Short and fast runs, long and paced runs. Between those, we train to fight. Learn together. Good warrior train until they get all right. Greatest train until can't get wrong. I train you not just to be squire. Train you to survive. Now come."

[Kaie]

"Now we fight?" Molly asked with a bit more steadiness, a little more fire and concentration in her high pitched voice. She was ready.

"Yes," Kaie said gravely with a smile."Now we fight. You know how to stand? Show me."

Molly stood before her and lifted her hands. It was a pathetic sight, but to Kaie it was more ignorance than something to be ashamed of. The poor kid never had a chance to learn. Her father could make all the money he wanted, but she could still see he was somewhat negligent when it came to his kid. So caught up in the money and the status. How couldn't he see? Did he forget when he rose to the top, the dangers that lurked just below?

"Yeah, no. Let me show you. Look at me. Copy this."

Kaie immediately fell back into her own defensive crouch. Legs were shoulder width apart, knees bent, body balanced, elbows close to protect her ribs, hands up to protect her face. All was so heavily practiced in Falyndar that she didn't think about it much anymore. Yet now she had to. Strange how the cycle worked.

"Like this?"

"Eh. Close. Legs too far apart. Keep your back straight. Ugh, no. Yeah, like that!" She corrected, addressing each flaw as her eyes identified it. Molly was a quick learner it seemed, but the situating was never the trick. It was retaining it into muscle memory to be recalled whenever Kaie commanded it.

"Don't I have to leave my hands in fists? I noticed you didn't."

"You don't have to. Depends on style. Open hands works better with my countering. Individend kind of thing."

"Individual."

"Same thing."

[Kaie]

[color=Burlywood]

[Kaie]

[color=Burlywood]