Closed [The Feathered Shaft] Bullseye (Crystal)

[Elann]

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"Now there is a notion," Kalvin pipped up at Crystal's suggestion. He had been patiently waiting there while the two of them talked. "You are more than welcome to try any bow you buy down there. I'd wager you even lucked out with finding a teacher right away."

Elann didn't feel pressured to buy, nor did she feel pressured to shoot with Crystal. "That's nice of you," she said in response to Crystal's offer to help her down in the range as well as offering to pay. "I think I will buy one..." she trailed off as she moved to the arrows nearby. Unfortunately those arrows were bolts for crossbows and Kalvin quickly corrected her.

"Umm, these are for crossbows. Riiight over here is for the short bows. Here...these would do nice for you."

He pulled off some simple, basic arrows for practice.

"These are good to practice with, and when you are ready to go hunting, come in again and we'll get you some good arrowheads placed on them."

He didn't like giving bladed weapons to people who didn't know how to use them; not when you could give them practice arrows and they learn their art in safety.

"Okay."

Elann nodded and left the quiver of them on the counter, moving now to the bows. One out of the many stood out. She couldn't tell what type of wood it was made of, but whatever it was, it was beautiful. It had pale sanded and sealed wood on the end, giving it a woodsy look, and then in the center where it bent like a gentle cursive M, it had a dark varnish with gold filigree and emboss work. The very center of the handle was a dark brown, nearly black, and on the upper and lower edges of the black was a beautiful honey golden wood polish.

"That one," she said as she pointed to it. When it was taken off and placed in her hands, she ran her hands over its smoothed edges. It was a very feminine bow and reminded her very much of her slingshot. "I want to buy this one."

"Alright, let me get you some string and string that up for you. I'll show you how to do it so that you can remember next time."

With that, he came around the corner of the counter and took the bow in his hands, slipping a knot into the string. Everything was in slow display to Elann, and as he looped the string into the bottom of the bow, Elann leaned in close to see. After he had raised up the string and looped it over the top, it was clear that she'd need some strength to bend the bow and string it properly. It looked hard.

"It'll take some practice, but the more you work with your bow, the more strength you'll get and the easier it'll be for you to string it up."

Elann nodded calmly, sort of timid. She then produced some coin for him and purchased the bow, the spare string, the practice arrows, and the black quiver. He suggested a bow sheath for her as well as an arm brace so she didn't get smacked so bad in the beginning. After all his suggesting, she made the extra purchases and began to equip everything. Suddenly she began to feel like quite the huntress and a red flush was seen in her cheeks. Once her purchase was done, she waited patiently while Crystal also bought some gear.

"I'm ready when you are."

"So are you from around here in Syliras, Crystal?"

Receipt :

Shortbow, Composite 75gm
Bow Case 20gm
Practice Arrows x10 bundle 50gm
Archer's Glove 1gm
Archer's Armguard 1gm

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Crystal Nightshade]

Before Crystal forgot she also bought some arrows, practice ones to be exact. She handed Kalvin the miza once again. She looked at Elann, who had what looked to be a slight tint of red on her cheeks. Crystal hoped she wasn't sick, but wouldn't pry if she was. She nodded the other woman and followed Kalvin as he led them to the range. She nodded once again. "Yeah, I was born and raised here. You said you came from Yaheba," she started hesitantly, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. "What is it like exactly? I've never heard of it before.." She paused to let Elann speak as she added the first pack of arrows to her quiver, and laid the rest beside her. She liked the layout of the building. The downstairs range was spacious, so much so it could fit at the very least nine people. She observed the isles and the hay bail targets before deciding to take the isle she was in front of. Next to her on either side Elann could take up, as they were both unoccupied. Calvin had since left them to run the store above, but there was another person here, a woman who looked to be more skilled than either of them. Crystal turned back to Elann to speak. "Ah, but, I have a deal to keep. Let's teach you what I know, yeah?" Crystal removed her Shortbow and placed it carefully on the ground. She then slipped on the gloves, stretching and wiggling her fingers to adjust to the new fabric. The were thick, and should keep her already rough hands out of more danger. She then took her bow in her hands and paused to think. What to cover..? "Well, we should probably start with stances and proper grip.. Does that sound alright?" Note-50gm for practice arrows

[Elann]

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"Yes, Yahebah, it is a land far to the south from here. Three months journey by boat." There was kindness in her voice, no reason for Crystal to feel on edge. Being around Elann was calming as she herself seemed to be very sweet and kind. While she could be offended, it didn't seem like anything Crystal was saying was doing so. It was in fact the opposite, delighting in the ability to answer her question about Yahebah. "Well, Yahebah is a city set near the coast. It is surrounded by desert, but we have managed to make a living there. We trade many goods with the world. In it is the temple to our god, Yahal."

Growing up in Syliras, Crystal may have known of the Syliran knight following the god Yahal, keeper of purity and righteousness. Elann herself said his name as if it was a blessing. "We the Benshira hold Yahal in a very high regard and we are seen as his very own people. Though it doesn't mean other's cannot worship him. Around the city itself is a vast expanse of sand. That is where I live, roughly three to four days from the city on camel."

They moved down into the shooting gallery and Elann took her bow in hand, nodding to Crystal as she sought to explain what a good stance and proper grip was. "Yes, that sounds alright." Elann, anticipating her instruction, drew an arrow in one hand and held her bow in the other. She then made a little bit of a wide footed stance, though she was far from doing it right. She basically was getting into a position where Crystal could mold her, moving her hands and feet; showing her just which way to stand and draw her bow. Hopefully whatever it was, it would reduce the pain of that string smacking into her arm.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Crystal Nightshade]

If it was a three month journey by boat, how long had it taken Elann to get to Syliras? It was somewhat unclear whether or not the brunette had taken another route to get here. At least she seemed comfortable now, her voice soft and sweet. At least the anxiety of upsetting her was no longer present in Crystal. Nodding she listened to the woman speak. So Yahebah was a desert surrounded city? Crystal gave a confused look at the mention of Yahal, which she assumed Elann had missed it for she continued. The ebony worked through her memory for any information she had, but gave up. She had no recollection of Yahal, none whatsoever. Something she would look into later no doubt but at a later time. The woman also wondered why Elann lived so far away from the city. Was there something in Yahebah she disliked? Perhaps not, judging by they way she spoke so excitedly about the desert city. When Crystal asked if Elann was ready, the other woman took a stance that she could tell would need work. Her legs were to far apart, and since she hadn't put a hold up for Crystal to judge, she assumed the stance was meant for correction. Crystal knew she wouldn't be the best teacher, but she'd teach the woman what she knew. Taking her own bow, she drew a practice arrow and put against the the bowstring. She trained it to the ground without pulling it back and stood next to Elann. "Try to mimic my stance, but be sure it's comfortable for you. Make adjustments were they're needed." Aiming at the target, Crystal aimed at the target of Elann's isle without drawing back the arrow of course. Her left foot forward, her right back about a foot and a half, she kept the bow level. She then looked to Elann to see how she was doing.

[Elann]

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Crystal seemed silent on the matter of her hometown, figuring that the thoughtful look on her face was indication that she had heard enough and forgot to say so. For that reason Elann went quiet on the subject, merely focusing on the lesson that Crystal had paid 6cm for. It was a small enough of an amount that Elann could likely pay it easily and practice frequently.

At the end of the lane was a straw target, painted with circles of red to indicate a bullseye. Seeing Crystal so accurate take the stance that she had witnessed in brief before with archers, she herself began to likewise shift her body to fit the stance.

"Okay. So...is it just a stance of comfort? Or is it important to stand like this to get my arrow into the right spot?"

She didn't know, but every little thing you did could affect the way the arrow rose and fell. The stance, while not exactly needed in the long run, was needed for a beginner to start to understand the relationship between bow and arrow.

After a brief shuffling to get comfortable, dropping her practice arrow, correcting herself and eventually finding out how to fit it into the slits between the string, she was ready. Elann raised her bow and set the arrow on the backside of her thumb just as Crystal did. It was then she began to pull backward.

The bow, resisting her in every possible way, was much harder to draw than Crystal's. The string was brand new and the bow had only been fired to find the flaws in it before sealing it. A small squeal came from Elann as she struggled against it, flopping it wildly in her hands until she found enough strength to pull it back far enough. Her weak muscles wobbled as she held it back up into the similar stance. Eventually her aim steadied a small amount, and after Crystal fired, she would.

While aiming at the target and slightly above the bullseye like she would with her slingshot, she found that her arrow only made it half the distance.

"Oh no! What did I do wrong?"

Really she just didn't pull back far enough.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Crystal Nightshade]

When learning to use a Bow and arrow, it was imperative to learn proper holds and such before attempting to shoot. In any case, it's better to learn everything before attempting to do it. Apparently people have times when they lose sight of that. In this instance, that person was Crystal. In her excitement to teach, she unknowingly invited Elann to try to shoot a target. See, when Elann asked, Crystal looked thoughtful before reply after a few ticks. "Everything you do affects your aim and arrow flight. The stance is no different, but it's also important that you aren't stiff or uncomfortable." Elann seemed a bit confused before she explained, so she hoped the mini lesson helped. Crystal then focused on the target. Now, Crystal wasn't a pro, not by a long shot, but she somewhat knew how to shoot. At the very least, she was able to pull back the bowstring with little muscle strain. The string still gave very light resistance as she drew back the arrow, but other than that it would be easier for her than for the woman next to her. She eased the bow into position, her steadiness wavering before it evened out. Closing one eye made it easier for her to focus on a target, so that's what she did. Eventually she relaxed her shoulders, inhaled, and released the arrow as she exhaled slowly. She stood as still as possible when reaping the arrow, as even the slightest movement could cause a trajectory change in the arrows flight pattern. The arrow flew almost silently, landing on near the outer most ring before bouncing off. Crystal grunted but would accept it for now. "As you can see I'm not the best, but I hope to help you with what I know." Just as Crystal was about to turn Elann fired an arrow. It flew steadily, much like Crystal's, but landed before the target instead of on it. Crystal shook her head, before speaking. "Well, judging by the distance, you may want to pull the arrow back further on the bowstring. Maybe even try to gauge how far it will go for certain pulls?"

[Elann]

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Everything she did would affect the aim and flight of the arrow. Her stance too it seemed. There was a lot to take in. Elann grew up learning weaving and common. She grew into singing well and even at one point in time was semi-decent with her slingshot, but this was learning something from scratch. It had been a long time since she had ever picked up a skill that could be handy. Her most recent one was cooking, which even that she was poor at.

Here it was a fight to even pull the bow back, but as Crystal fired, she could see her arrow not quite hit, and then hers fall short completely. In her mind, Crystal was a much better archer than she gave herself credit for.

"Oh no, you are good. You it the target. I am so bad I did not make it half way," she said with a little giggle.

"I am lucky I have strong fingers or I would not be able to hold this string. It's very hard. I do weaving of rugs, so this is why I can hold it. But still...maybe you are right. I have to pull back harder. Such is the case with my slingshot. It is very easy compared to this though."

She let out a little sigh and pulled out another arrow. Looking to Crystal she smiled and said, "Maybe you will hit it in the middle this time? Maybe I'll get closer."

Elann then proceeded to go through her wobbly process to get the string pulled back even a little bit, flopping her bow back and forth to summon enough strength to get it there. After a little squeal left her, she managed to get it a little further back than the previous time. The arrow had left the area where it was supposed to be resting, so she manipulated it until it was in the right spot.

"Stance is important," she voiced to herself and was struggling to hold the bow any longer. In the end, when it had become too much for her, she settled into a stance and let the arrow go. This time it flew high and to the right at first, but still fell short of the target.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Crystal Nightshade]

"It's as you said, it's hard to pull back. Though for someone who's never held a Bow before your doing well." It was true Elann was doing a wonderful job. She was absorbing the information and processing it thoroughly. She was a hard worker and Crystal admired that. Crystal nodded to Elann before lifting her weapon. She took up her stance before gripping an arrow. As she drew back the bow, she lined the end with her eye, aiming for the center of the target. Perhaps aiming up a bit would help? She lifted her aim about a centimeter. She released the arrow before she steadied, edging it to the right. If flew but drew short of the target by a few feet. "Petching anxious releases..." *** About two bells later, Crystal turned to Elann. "Perhaps we should go. It's getting late.." And Leo's probably scratching a hole in my apartment. She didn't want to leave though. It had been a bit since she'd actually spoken or enjoyed herself with someone. "Sorry, but my pup is probably causing problems at my apartment. Perhaps we could meet up again again sometime?" Though she didn't know if she could do it anytime soon, she would be glad to teach Elann more at some point, or even compare how they had improved the next time they met. Perhaps that would motivate her to practice more. Hopefully it would motivate Elann to, if she agreed that is. Crystal began to pack up her stuff, picking up the arrows and stuffing a pack in her quiver with her boy, ready to carry the rest.

[Konrad Venger]

Elann Grades Withheld due to Inactivity (8 months) Crystal XP: Observation - 2 Socialization - 3 Teaching - 3 Investigation - 3 Lore: Cold Means Less Hunting Means Less Income Teaching: Bows are Only Strung when they're About to be Used Elann: First-Time Bow-Buyer Elann: A Benshira, from Shlomet, in Ekytol Languages: Shiber Archery: Proper Grip and Stance Archery: Everything Matters in Creating a Good Shot Click Me! : You've made the right deductions already, so no worries there. I liked how... well, LIKABLE Crystal is. Just an unabashedly nice and genial personality. Makes a difference from the others I've been grading (looking at you, Sayana!). Oh, and please make sure you go back and edit your post in the Request Thread to reflect the fact this one is now done and dusted. PM me with any questions and later 'tater!