44th Spring, 516 AV,
The Middle Suvan Sea,
Roughly 2 days sailing away from Riverfall,
Late evening, close to the 22nd bell
A stiff breeze propelled the ship forward at an astonishingly speedy pace, but Karin had grown used to it by now, and simply stared out over the dark waters, eyes stinging and a yawn escaping her lips. The sails, currently illusioned into spirals of dark fabric, trailed and whipped behind the ship like streamers. Billowing, dark clouds were drawn like curtains across the moon that night, but she used the light of a bolted down lantern nearby to see her surroundings instead. There wasn't much to see- a coil of rope, the stern of the ship, the churning white waves below. That wasn't her interest tonight.
They were about two days away from Riverfall, and Karin's anticipation was slowly growing in the pit of her stomach. She had no way of knowing what she'd be greeted with once she got there, and the lack of control irked her more than it should. In all likelihood, it would be just another city, like Kenash, or Alvadas, but... she'd just have to wait and see.
She moved her attention to the matter in hand, the thing she'd stayed up late to do. The night was another in a long stream of nights, but in this one she had the quarterstaff she'd bought, all the way back in Alvadas. It seemed such a long time ago now, which in itself was odd. Her adventures of late had stopped her thinking about her old home, and truthfully, she didn't mind it, glad to be away, and most especially glad to be on the sea.
The wooden staff was warm, heated by her hand. It felt reassuring to hold it now. Before, it had felt unwieldy and strange, but now... Now it was normal. The space she stood in was just big enough for her to practice, if she positioned herself right and didn't flourish too much. That knowledge had come from a few days of blustering around, taking wild swings in the dark and getting tangled in various objects before finally adjusting to the part of the deck that she had.
Her training tonight was because of two things. She felt nervous of this new city that lurked in her future. And she felt uncomfortably aware of how little progress she'd gained from her previous practice sessions, despite her familiarity with the staff. Most of them had ended up being disrupted by others, sailors or performers. Karin didn't like practising in front of others, too resolute and stubborn to admit that she didn't exactly know what she was doing. Hence practising at night.
She would practise blocking tonight, she decided. But first... stretches. For five chimes, the girl rolled her shoulders, pulled her elbows, stretched her arms and legs, and massaged her neck. The sailors that manned the ship nearby didn't appear to either notice or care, which Karin was glad about. She was soon finished, and picked up the 'staff, long fingers wrapping carefully around the each end of the staff. Let's get started.
-Beautiful boxcode credits go to Aislyn Leavold!
The Middle Suvan Sea,
Roughly 2 days sailing away from Riverfall,
Late evening, close to the 22nd bell
A stiff breeze propelled the ship forward at an astonishingly speedy pace, but Karin had grown used to it by now, and simply stared out over the dark waters, eyes stinging and a yawn escaping her lips. The sails, currently illusioned into spirals of dark fabric, trailed and whipped behind the ship like streamers. Billowing, dark clouds were drawn like curtains across the moon that night, but she used the light of a bolted down lantern nearby to see her surroundings instead. There wasn't much to see- a coil of rope, the stern of the ship, the churning white waves below. That wasn't her interest tonight.
They were about two days away from Riverfall, and Karin's anticipation was slowly growing in the pit of her stomach. She had no way of knowing what she'd be greeted with once she got there, and the lack of control irked her more than it should. In all likelihood, it would be just another city, like Kenash, or Alvadas, but... she'd just have to wait and see.
She moved her attention to the matter in hand, the thing she'd stayed up late to do. The night was another in a long stream of nights, but in this one she had the quarterstaff she'd bought, all the way back in Alvadas. It seemed such a long time ago now, which in itself was odd. Her adventures of late had stopped her thinking about her old home, and truthfully, she didn't mind it, glad to be away, and most especially glad to be on the sea.
The wooden staff was warm, heated by her hand. It felt reassuring to hold it now. Before, it had felt unwieldy and strange, but now... Now it was normal. The space she stood in was just big enough for her to practice, if she positioned herself right and didn't flourish too much. That knowledge had come from a few days of blustering around, taking wild swings in the dark and getting tangled in various objects before finally adjusting to the part of the deck that she had.
Her training tonight was because of two things. She felt nervous of this new city that lurked in her future. And she felt uncomfortably aware of how little progress she'd gained from her previous practice sessions, despite her familiarity with the staff. Most of them had ended up being disrupted by others, sailors or performers. Karin didn't like practising in front of others, too resolute and stubborn to admit that she didn't exactly know what she was doing. Hence practising at night.
She would practise blocking tonight, she decided. But first... stretches. For five chimes, the girl rolled her shoulders, pulled her elbows, stretched her arms and legs, and massaged her neck. The sailors that manned the ship nearby didn't appear to either notice or care, which Karin was glad about. She was soon finished, and picked up the 'staff, long fingers wrapping carefully around the each end of the staff. Let's get started.
-Beautiful boxcode credits go to Aislyn Leavold!
Karin Ironyach
