[The cobalt Mountains] I Won’t Go Easy on You, Kid [Athaera]

[Billie]

1st Day of Summer, 514AV

Billie felt like letting off some steam. She was getting increasingly stressed lately, and dwelling on troubling things from her past and from her present more and more. That meant one thing, it was time to go into the woods and imagine herself some enemies to fight. She needed somewhere quiet, where she could be loud. She walked through the town, trying to keep her face in the usual neutral mask, but she failed desperately as a scowl crept over her features. A couple of people even shied away from her downright dismal mood.

As soon as she entered the trees she felt a sense of relief. Maybe it was the crowds in that city that were making her feel claustrophobic. She kept walking, slowly now, until she spotted a suitable clearing. It didn’t take her long, mostly because she wasn’t being too picky. Billie took a deep breath, and moved into the center of a vacant clearing. She started going over her training. First, she had to warm up her muscles, especially when she hadn’t used them in a while. Breathing in and out methodically, she stretched her legs thoroughly. She started by simply touching her toes and holding it for 30 seconds, then she moved on to lifting one knee after the other and pulling them back against her body.

Slowly, Billie would move through different stretches, holding her leg out in a forward or a side kick and leaving it there, kneeling and pushing forward on her front knee before moving into the scissor splits, which she could very nearly do completely (But not quite). Having warmed up her legs, she moved onto her arms, stretching them across her body and behind her back, and rolling her shoulders.

When these exercises were done, she felt calmer. It was time to heat things up again. She started by doing sets: Punch, step, kick, land, spin, strike, retreat, reset. After ever final strike she would yell a sort of exclamation that sounded like “Haa!”. Her voice got louder the more she worked herself into a sweat, fighting pretend bandits, and thugs. It was an impressive sight to be seen as Billie used her powerful arms and legs, throwing great sweeping kicks, and hooking punches and the occasional open-handed strike at the temples of her imagined opponents. All the time, she imagined Sadie’s voice telling her to strike faster, harder, stronger. “Keep you guard up and protect your face!” Sadie’s voice reminded her inside her head, and in Nari, no less. “Control your breathing: if you’re getting out of breath, try to focus on breathing in and out slowly, like in your warm-up” Sadie continued to instruct her.

[Athaera]

Athaera often went into the forest. She liked the quiet. She liked the fact that she was the only one making a sound. It made her feel in control, if she didn't want there to be sound, there wouldn't be sound. And If she did want there to be sound, well, she could make plenty of it.

The summer sun glowed through the trees in beams of different sizes, hitting the carpet of leaves like little spotlights. This was one of her favorite parts of the forest. The beauty. It made her, just for a moment, forget the trauma of her past. All the little things, like the flowers struggling to push their way up through the thick blanket of leaves, and the songs of the birds echoing through the trees, made a smile tickle at her lips. It made her yearn for the endless days living in the woods, wandering with no specific place in mind. But that, of course, reminded her why she'd left in the first place. And with this, she recalled the emptiness, and slight loneliness from all the solitude. A gap that had since began to fill up with all the people in the city. All the...the friends. She thought she'd never have friends, not since she'd lost her sister. Now, thinking of her didn't bring tears to Athaera's eyes, like it used to.

Athaera's thoughts were interrupted by a series of grunts and... a sort of war cry. She made her way toward the sound, and saw a figure through the trees. It was a woman, throwing a collection of blows with her hands and feet. She looked like she was fighting someone. An imaginary someone. But as Athaera watched the woman a bit more, she realized that it was more than one "person". The woman was ruthless with these invisible people, and Athaera felt a bit sorry for them, even though they didn't actually exist.

As for the woman, she had short brown hair and looked like she was concentrating, as if in her own little world. Athaera wanted to approach the powerful woman, but felt as if she would pop a fragile bubble if she interrupted the concentration. Athaera was quite impressed.

She watched the woman continue to fight. It was a hypnotic, graceful dance of kicks and punches, punctuated by the occasional victory yell. It was fascinating and terrifying, beautiful and rhythmic. Athaera couldn't take her eyes off the woman.

[Billie]

She had started to get worn out about half way through and cursed herself. She had been going at it too viciously. This was an art, and it wasn’t about aggression, but rather about waiting for the right moment to deal the deadliest blow. She made herself slow down and go on the defense, practicing her blocks and counters, instead of attacking so frequently as if she were fighting sacks of potatoes.

Billie slowed down eventually to take a breather. She’d been so focused, caught up in another world, that she hadn’t noticed another presence until she had finished her moves. She felt alive, although this was nothing in comparison to how it felt to actually fight someone. That she hadn’t done in a long time. Billie straightened up and brushed herself off, trying to catch her breath. Finally, she acknowledged the girl standing there. She turned a questioning gaze towards her. The look on the strangers face was almost one of awe. It was strangely familiar, like the look she used to have obviously scrawled across her face when she would watch Sadie practice. She was young, looked like a teenager, with vividly coloured eyes and jet black hair that was cut short with a long fringe. Quite pretty, in Billies opinion.

“Afternoon…” She said casually, glad the girl had waited until she was done fighting rather than try and interrupt her. Who knows how she might have reacted when she was that fired up. Though she knew this form of fighting was all about self-control, she hadn’t quite mastered it yet. “Do you… need something?” She asked giving the girl her full attention and retuning to her ‘conversational’ sort of mood. “I’m sorry if I disturbed your walk, it was quite peaceful before, no?” She said with the ghost of a smile hinting at her lips.

[Athaera]

The woman before Athaera had gone from offense to defense, blocking imaginary blows, very effectively, she would think, though she wasn't an expert in the field. Athaera imagined men trying to get a proper punch in, frustrated that the woman blocked every one of them, then finishing them off with a harsh punch.

After a little while, the woman paused, sweaty and panting, worn out. Then, she noticed Athaera, standing at the edge of the clearing, who realized she must have a ridiculous look of absolute awe, because that was what she was feeling. She quickly stood up straighter, and tried to put a more casual look on her face.

The woman was quite muscular, which must have been the result of so much practicing, like she just witnessed. She was quite tall, and Athaera felt dwarfed compared to her. She had short, brown hair, the style a bit like Athaera's, and eyes that darted everywhere, taking all of Athaera's short, skinny figure in. Athaera felt small and insignificant compared to this powerful woman, and she shrunk back a little bit.

"Um," Athaera hesitated, "Hi. Sorry for... sorry for staring." She silently cursed herself. Why was she being so... so apologetic? She lifted herself up a bit, hoping she seemed less nervous, even though there was no reason to feel that way. "That was... impressive," she said to the woman, a bit louder this time. She hoped the woman didn't realize that she felt miniscule and embarrassed, but she felt her cheeks grow hot.

The woman asked Athaera if she needed anything, and she realised that she was being a bit rude, just standing there, staring. It was something her mother had always told her not to do, but she could never quite figure out why it was so bad. Athaera was naturally observant, and looked at nearly everything."No, I don't need anything, I was just going for a walk. Sorry, I must seem a bit creepy."

The woman became a bit more conversational, apologising for interrupting Athaera's walk. She was smiling a bit while she said this, probably trying to be a bit more friendly. "Oh, no, it's fine," Athaera replied. She honestly didn't mind at all. She was quite impressed, actually."Anyway... I wouldn't want to keep you any longer, so I'll be on my way, if you don't mind.."

[Billie]

Billie felt less uncomfortable around kids than she did others her own age, and so as she watched the embarrassed teen try to hide her dropped jaw with a more casual expression, she found herself trying not to giggle. The kid was like a mirror of herself, if not a bit more feminine. The attempt the teen made at hiding her amazement failed miserably as the kid shrunk back and stuttered.

Billie noticed the hint of a blush on her cheeks as the girl stared at her. “You don’t have to apologize, I don’t mind you watching.” She assured her, face breaking into a slightly more obvious smile, hoping it would make the teen feel more at ease around her. “Thank-you. It’s got a long way to go before it’s perfect, but I like to think I’m decent,” She said when the girl said she was impressed.

She fished around in her bag for her waterskin and took a swig, feeling refreshed as the cool water washed down her throat. She laughed a little when the teen apologized for being creepy “It isn’t creepy to admire someone’s skill. Are you interested in unarmed combat? If you are, I don’t mind teaching you a few things.” She asked pleasantly. It would actually be fun for her to pretend to be Sadie, her teacher, for a little while. Though she’d never be able to bring herself to be quite as harsh.

The teen seemed to have gotten a hold of herself and was no longer blushing or stuttering. She said she wouldn’t want to keep her, but Billie just shook her head “Oh you’re not keeping me. I’m finished now anyway.” She said with a shrug. “Name’s Billie, by the way.” She introduced herself with a polite smile “Pardon me if it’s rude but you’re eyes are really something. Are you a Vantha by any chance?” She asked “Tell you what, I can teach you how to fight if you’ll teach me some Vani at some point.” She suggested with a friendly smile.

[Athaera]

Athaera didn't normally stutter. She usually held herself up with a much more confident personality, but this woman was fascinating, she could kick Athaera's ass quite easily. But Athaera didn't have much to compare her to, so it might've been terrible. It was probably because she didn't know many people. She was used to the peaceful loneliness of the wilderness. Well, peaceful if you weren't being mauled by a bear.

Athaera's cheeks glowed even more, if that was even possible. Scarlet shock waves of embarrassment surged through her. The woman was smiling a bit more. She was probably trying to make Athaera less scared, but her subconscious mind formed a thought that the woman found her awkwardness funny.

When the woman eased her way into more casual conversation, the thought of her making Athaera more comfortable seemed much more realistic than the woman mocking her. “I have to say, you're more than decent, as far as I can tell,” Athaera agreed to her comment, stuttering a bit less frequently, “I don't have much experience in the field, so as far as I know, you could possibly suck terribly. I wouldn't know.” A few seconds after the remark left her lips, she realized that might've been a bit rude. “Sorry,” she quickly apologized, “was that offensive? I don't have much in the field of social skills...” Athaera hoped she didn't destroy any chance of peaceful conversation.

Athaera watched as the lady took a waterskin out of her bag, and took a few large gulps. This drew Athaera's attention to the parched desert that was her throat, but she felt like it would be rude to ask for some.

The woman replied to her last comment, bringing her train of thought back on track. “Well, it's kind of creepy when you think about it. You know.. forest, originally coming here to be alone, I might seem like a creepy stalker... ugh, never mind,” she said before answering her next proposition, “No, I honestly couldn't be that bothersome. I don't want to keep you.” Athaera could be quite nice, after the layers of rudeness were peeled away. She wasn't naturally a jerk, but losing your whole family makes you kind of bitter. Or that was at least the excuse she soothed herself with, if she felt like she was being a bit too mean.

When the lady, whose name turned out to be Billie, said Athaera actually wasn't being a bother for a second time, she instantly jumped on the opportunity, since she really did want to learn some fighting. At first, she'd felt like Billie was just saying it not to be rude, but she hoped not. “Actually, I'd love to learn. It would be interesting to try something other than the 'occasional' slap as a form of violence.” She made little quotes while she said “occasional,” as a joke, but she wasn't sure if it would be funny. “I'm actually only half Vantha. I grew up here, and my mother never taught me Vani. But I know some hunting. And a miniscule amount of carving. Or I could just pay you,” she suggested, “Keep in mind that I'm practically broke.”

[Billie]

The teens response made her chuckle. Billie noticed the nervous look and the way the teen quickly corrected herself with an apology, as if the she had been worried she’d just ruined the friendly conversation with her remark. “You’re right, I could be awful for all you know. But be careful what you say, or someone might opt to show you just how much they don’t ‘suck terribly’.”

The threat was meant to be light-hearted. She knew how Sadie would have responded to that statement, which is why Billie had warned her. It wasn’t overly smart to be rude to strangers. “Don’t worry, I’m not the most social either. It also takes a lot more than that to offend me.” She told her

“Alright, maybe you’re being creepy then. I wouldn’t know, I have no experience in the field.” She retorted with a roll of her eyes and a smirk. When the teen finally showed some interest in learning how to fight, Billie’s eyes lit up. “Hunting, yeah, that’s something I’m interested in. I was going to buy a bow at some point so help with that would be appreciated. I’m going to be broke if I have to keep paying for weeks worth of food every time I want to travel. So, if you’ll help me with that I’ll teach you whatever you want to know.”

She nodded “Don’t worry, I’m not nearly good enough to be paid for my skills.” She assured her “Kid like you should learn how to do more than ‘slapping’ someone. It’s a dangerous world we live in.” She said seriously “And because of that fact, I’m not going to be wishy-washy about it. Expect some bruises if you learn from me." She paused and then smirked, crossing her arms over her chest “I’m warning you now, I won’t go easy on you kid.”

It was fair warning. This was something extremely important to learn. Without any skill in defending yourself you will become a hindrance to whoever cares about you, or you will die far to young. The kid was young, and she’d probably get frustrated too easily like Billie had at her age. She’d probably think Billie was mean if she hit her, but how else was she going to learn to keep her guard up, and no weak spots exposed? And it wasn’t going to be completely one sided either. Learning how to hunt would hugely benefit her, so the deal was fair. Billie just had to make sure this girl wasn’t agreeing to some namby-pamby training session. Billie truthfully didn’t know of any other method of training than what Sadie had given her.

[Athaera]

Athaera realized her mistake, and apologised again. "Sorry, living in the forest for four years alone robs you of any social capabilities." She made a mental note to be a bit more careful about what she said. But Athaera was relieved to know that Billie didn't find her comment too insulting. She figured that if the woman had as bad of a temper as she did, Athaera would be leaving with more than just a black eye. Her mind trailed off a bit, as she imagined what the total damage would be. A broken leg, possibly a lost arm, a few teeth knocked out. "Well, you were pretty good at knocking out invisible people, though it was a bit hard to tell if they were injured or not. They're kinda hard to see." She smiled a bit, trying to lighten the mood.

Athaera chuckled when Billie made a joke out of her previous comment. Most of the tension had gone away, and she made a face of mock offence. "Are you calling me creepy?"

Athaera was glad that she could repay the woman, so she wouldn't just be learning to fight, and not giving Billie anything in return. "Well, I usually hunt with a bow, I don't really know how to use much else."

"Yeah, I never really needed to learn how to fight until I came back to the city." In the forest, Athaera barely saw anyone, and anything dangerous she could usually shoot with her bow before it got too close. "trust me, I've gone through more than just bruises," she said, referring to te scars left on her soul from her traumatic childhood, the ones she thought were finally beginning to heal, but she always manage to rip them open again.

She pushed the thought out of her head before she started crying, and began talking again. "I'll keep that in mind."

Athaera was getting a bit scared now, but at the same time, excited. She would finally learn how to defend herself properly. She braced herself for the first few punches as she suggested they get started.

[Billie]

Living in the forest alone for 4 years. That sounded like a nightmare to Billie. She hated the wilderness, because it was far too unpredictable. One moment you could be on a quiet trek through some groves, looking the flowers and foraging for fruit, the next running for your dear life as a bear chases you, with bloodthirsty intent. At least in the city she only had to deal with people, although they were just as dangerous, they could be negotiated with.

Billie smiled when the girl agreed to her terms and then frowned when the kid mentioned having gone through more than the occasional bruise. That look of sadness, it was only there for a moment, but she recognized it. Billie obviously couldn’t ask, so she just nodded and shrugged “Most people have.” She replied “Physical pain is no match, really.” Billie shook her head. That comment probably wasn’t a good idea. After all it gave away that she’d understood what the teen had meant.

She moved on immediately before she was asked about anything she didn’t want to answer. “By the way, you never gave me you’re name.” Billie pointed out as she moved closer to the girl. If she didn’t want to give it, it didn’t overly matter, she would just start the lesson anyway.

“Defence is always the best place to start” She began “If you can’t block an attacker, then being able to punch and kick will become useless to you.” She smiled “But since we’re starting from scratch, I’ll demonstrate everything first.” She said “So start by punching me, and I’ll block you.” She said “Aim for my stomach first, then my head.” She told her.

When the teen through her punch, she would step backwards, swing her arm across her body to sweep the punch to the side. The next punch to her head would be blocked by moving her other arm up to direct the punch harmlessly over her head. She smiled “It’s not about stopping the attack, but simply guiding it past you.” She grabbed the teen’s wrist suddenly and wrenched her forward, tipping her off balance, and then catching her so that she didn’t tumble face-first into the ground “Then you can use their momentum to unbalance them and make them vulnerable.” She instructed her. “Fighting is about technique, and strategy. Most people assume it’s about brute force, but those people are the easiest to take down. If you have a temper, I suggest you find a way to quell it in a fight, because it’ll only lead to your downfall."

She let go of the girl and straightened up “Now, I’ll show you one more time, and then you can have a go at blocking yourself” She suggested.

[Athaera]

Athaera saw Billie's revolted face when she'd said that she lived in the wild for so long. "It's not that bad," she said. She'd only seen bears on a few occasions, and was sure to keep her distance. She'd been lucky enough that they never actually saw her, or at least didn't care about her existence. "The beauty makes up for the danger."

Billie's comment about physical pain not being as bad as emotional pain surprised Athaera, but she nodded. "Yeah, it really isn't," she echoed. She wasn't sure how the woman could tell, but it was nice to know someone understood. Athaera was tempted to ask her what she'd gone through, but Billie continued to speak, probably not wanting to be questioned. Athaera could understand that. She didn't like talking about her past either, but was still curious. Athaera notice Billie was looking at her, and realized she'd been asked a question. "Oh, sorry, I'm Athaera."

Athaera listened intently as Billie began to tell her about defense. She hadn't realized it was so important, rather assuming she would just clobber them before she got significantly hurt, but the woman had a point. When she finished talking, Athaera took a position she assumed was one for fighting. She had her hands in fists in front of her, to protect her face. She'd seen that position before, though she wasn't sure where, but it was probably on one of her many trips.

She threw a punch at Billie's stomach, only to be blocked by her forearm. She felt frustration rising in her, and let it, assuming the anger would just make her stronger. Athaera struck again, this time at Billies face, as instructed, and it was guided past her head, summoning more anger. Athaera listened as Billie explained why she didn't just block it, and was caught by surprise when her wrist was grabbed, and Billie yanked her so she almost fell, then catching her before she landed on the ground. Athaera listened as Billie explained this move, still in her powerful grasp. She realized that she shouldn't have been so angry, and began to quell the frustration she'd let build up. When Billie let go, she rubbed her wrist, which was red. She went into her fighting stance again, striking at Billie's stomach and head again, this time being sure that she pulled her wrist back before it was grabbed again.