To form your attacks (Attn Saline)

[Jaydena]

Lyssa walked out of the barracks with her sword in hand, she was excited about this training session. Her student had been doing very well in all of this, the girl hadn't even complained when she had been stranded in the woods to test her new survival skills. The thing Saline had most wanted to learn was how to handle a sword and she has waited some time to even get that chance. Finally, the day was here and she was going to teach Saline her sword forms. She walked out into the yard and began her warm up, she smiled as she saw Saline walk up, "Begin your warm up Saline and then we will go into what we are going to learn today." She continued to stretch, her hand holding her leg behind her rear end. When she had finished all her stretches she began to run and Saline was soon running along at her side. They ran for some time and finally they slowed down and Lyssa turned to Saline. "Today we will be learning what you have been waiting for. First we are going to learn how to handle the sword. You already know how to clean it and care for it so all of that is good. So now we will advance your training further. You did an excellent job on your survivial training, I was very proud of your performance."

 

She motioned Saline to follow her and then stopped in the middle of the yard, "First I am going to teach you how to hold your hands on the sword." Lyssa motioned for Saline to take her sword out and then she walked over and positioned her hands on the hilt. "This is how we hold the sword, the hands need to be fairly close together, but not so far apart that makes the sword unweildy and hard to handle." Saline checked her grip and Lyssa nodded in satisfaction, "Now the first sword form we are going to do is called, Leopard in the Tree." Lyssa picked up her own sword and put both hands on her hilt, bending her knees slightly, she moved her body into a leaning position. "This form is a starting form, you are at the ready but this is not a attacking form, we would typically go into Unfolding the Fan or another form after this. I will show you these later. The next form is called Unfolding the Fan, this one is an opener form, you can actually unsheath your sword and move right into a strike of some kind. I have used thise one when I had no other options to distract my attacker. The third form is called, Folding the Fan, this form is actually the act of smoothly sheathing your sword, you swing around from the guard stance and sheath the sword. Now I would like you to practice these and then we will move onto more forms."

 

Lyssa Simeone

 

 

[Lih-Lyh]

Already? Saline bit her lip, staring at the ground as if chastised. She came to lessons with a polished scimitar, but no longer expected to learn how to fight with it. Nay, Lyssa was as much a woman of her sword as she was her word, and would have taught her eventually; Saline was expecting such a day. She simply did not want to, anymore. It was the wilderness trip that had made her realise how right Lyssa was to make her wait. Being alone frightened Saline, whose fright turned into aggression. Saline’s aggression surprised her immensely; if it weren’t for Aleeza’s help she might have murdered every stranger she stumbled into. In the Tower there were many strangers, but she was in no danger here, so she acted polite to every servant she met. Out in the world, however, in a forest nobody went, she was free to lose her mind and (attempt to) impale strangers with her blade. Luckily for Aleeza, Saline was untrained with the scimitar, so no irrevocable violence happened.

 

Because Lyssa was praising her about the trip, she never felt so unworthy in her life. The experience had shown her more than how to work a compass, which she still had trouble with. Yes, Lyssa was right not to teach such an idiot how to use a scimitar, not before Saline learned to use her head. She was not ready yet, and perhaps she never would be. Before her survival trip, before the wilderness Saline had thought of fighting as exciting, something useful, sure, but also flashy, a skill like embroidery or cooking. But nobody ever killed anybody with badly cooked mousse, while the only use for a scimitar was to make gashes, or destroy a person. Did she really want that blood on her conscience?

 

Perhaps the people of the Caravan she lived with, those Tinkers had it right after all. Life in harmony reminded of Spring, which ‘Rome was beginning to teach her. On their trips, the former thief of Cairhein on his Tower Guard business and herself with Lyssa, they had both struggled with disillusionment. Her roommate Rory soon brought her out of the depression that had set into Saline when she returned, but it had taken ‘Rome’s similar experience to purge the depression. ‘Rome did not like himself much, and she felt the same toward herself. She needed his lessons in control, while he sought her knowledge with his own project, and they exchanged their resources, improving on each other’s weakest areas. With Nerome’s help, she slowly regained confidence, and trust in the world. The more she meditated on the life around her, weaving together emotions and thoughts into clarity, she realised how truly marvellous the Way of the Leaf was. No wonder her beloved was so fond of his culture.

 

Lyssa had not been with her on that stretch of road, and could not be aware of Saline’s paradigm. Finding the Spring, Saline raised her head to watch. Lyssa demonstrated, flowing from one form to another, then another. All too soon, Lyssa beckoned for her to emulate the forms she had been shown. The scimitar shone invitingly. Saline took the hilt, gripping it tightly. The heaviness was to be expected, but basic fitness now helped her stabilise the scimitar as she brought her hands closer. Swaying slightly, she tried to keep her back straight as her knees bent, and the dread in her middle spiked as she moved her feet apart. While Lyssa motioned she noticed with interest how the Tower Guard’s feet were firmly planted, but very deft, like Rory’s did when she danced. Leaning forward she remembered how Rory had pressed her into the doorway, and blushed. “Leopard in the Tree,” she murmured as she moved from the starting form into the next one, unsheathing the blade. Every night she had gone over its length, and it was beautiful, ominously so. Saline’s movements were jerky, and Lyssa made her repeat the steps that follow the unsheathing half a dozen times before she was permitted to perform the next form. Keeping the movement of her blade smooth Saline made a strike, naming it “Unfolding the Fan”. Whirling around, she reached to the left, bringing her scimitar back to its opening position. Lyssa asked Saline to practice the third form another half a dozen times, this time with the sheathing move. The Taraboner accent thickened her words “Folding the Fan” every time she sheathed the sword. At Lyssa’s nod, and without being told, Saline reverted to Leopard in the Tree. Calming herself, she knew she had to let this feel natural. Through her scimitar exercises the Spring was within her. She had learned the forms, but swore never to use the forms against anybody who was not killing her, and her uneasy heart would accept that compromise.

 

[Jaydena]

Lyssa nodded and spoke, "Your a little shaky but you quickly pick up what these are, remember that we should only fight when we have to and not for no reason. So many people do that and think it's funny to court disaster, but I think you are wiser than that Saline. Ok let's do the next set." She turned her back on Saline and began the next form. "Arc of the Moon, is a very small slash, this can be used to remove your opponents head, I have used this on more than one trolloc. It begins at about the middle of the body depending on the height of your oponent and arches toward the neck, it ends back in the guard stance you just learned." She began to demostrate the motion as slowly as she could and then repeated it faster and faster until she was a blur of motion, going from guard to attack in a split second. "The second form is called, The Courtier Taps his Fan, this is a very quick and strong overheanded blow, this is used to split open the head of your opponent, not a clean blow. It is however a very wise form for you to know and a valuable asset to any person who learns it correctly." She began the two forms, going from one to the next smoothly and then showing them one at a time, after a few minutes she stepped back and motioned for Saline to begin. Lyssa wasn't exactly sure what has happened to the girl out on that trip but there was something different about her when she had showed back up in the city. She had been late and Lyssa had been ready to go back out and find her.

 

The wilderness did that to some people and she hoped it had made Saline a wiser woman, more aware of what this brought to people. Some girls came here looking to hang out with the cute warders and check out their tushes, but they didn't realize that this wasn't a thing to be taken lightly or a joke of any kind. In the end it's life and death and in her case, the ability to protect the beliefs she upholds. After a few more minutes of Saline practising she continued speaking, "You are doing well Saline, we will begin the next two forms. The Falcon Stoops, is a form that starts at about the shoulder, it's an overhand thurst and you should return right into the guard stance in a quick movement, we don't however want to appear jerky in this movement. The second on is called, The Grapevine Twines, this one is a circular motion with your blade locked, this is to disarm who you are fighting. You will practice both of these and then you will try and disarm me with the second form." She demonstrated both forms a couple minutes and then stepped back and motioned for Saline to begin her practice...

 

Lyssa Simeone

 

 

[Lih-Lyh]

A scimitar was made for slashing. Saline, and many of the flowers in Vera Sedai’s garden, had known this even before her wilderness expedition, but it was not until Lyssa guided her way through Arc of the Moon that the implications of using a slashing weapon really hit home. Anything it grazed in its path would bear a gash, and although the movement was small -- quite unlike the wide swings she had envisioned, but it had made logical sense for the strike to gather force in a short distance – her momentum carried the slash forward, and she had to suppress a shudder. Lyssa had made it seem so easy, while the technique involved in directing the scimitar took an immense amount out of Saline, whose constitution was not made for heavy, continuous movements.

 

To be fair, the Tower Guard was, though Cairheinin, still a taller woman than Saline. Sweat glistened on Saline’s head as she practised, though her arms threatened to up and leave their sockets. But the Accepted who ran until her lungs burned and her muscles melted merely gritted her teeth, and kept going. It was truly grueling as she switched to an overhand stance, and if she thought underhand blows were discouraging, let it be said that The Courtier Taps His Fan was not encouraging either, though her Mentor's words hinted that perhaps Lyssa had understood more than Saline gave credit for. Lyssa, eager that Saline would learn how to split a person’s head open down to the last degree, corrected the angles of her elbows and knees quite often as she made Saline practise the form, drilling the Taraboner over, over, over in the rote-like training that was necessary, if unfortunate.

 

Saline’s mind had begun to wander, and she forced her attention back on Lyssa who demonstrated another overhand that made her groan a little inside. It looked very complicated, different parts of the body moving simultaneously to produce a sudden, forceful blow, before stepping back into the (awkward for her!) guard stance. Grappling with that for a while, Saline was relieved when her Mentor called a stop, and picked up a sword again.

 

This form the Guard wanted Saline to disarm her with, she had watched intently. Bringing her arms down Saline’s scimitar locked with Lyssa’s sword, Clang!, and she pressed down on their blades, mind in a blind panic. Then, as quickly as it had started, the kiss of steel parted with her scimitar on the grass, where Lyssa had by circling her sword, caught it and disarmed her, almost wrenching out her sockets in the process. Stepping back into guard position, Saline eyed her Mentor rather warily. Her arms were sore.

 

[Jaydena]

Lyssa watched her mentee closely, she knew the girl was tired but she needed to keep going even when she had nothing left in her, an Aes Sedai had to be able to keep going when she didn't think she could and find something hiding deep in herself to pull that energy from. Saline would be excellent fighter and Aes Sedai if she could just get that one thing learned.  Lyssa watched Saline moved toward her and began to try and disarm her, she nodded at the girl and their swords hit with a clang, she almost smiled as with a twist of her blade she disarmed Saline. "Pick it up and let's try it again." Lyssa nodded for Saline to pick up the sword and they worked at the form until finally Saline managed to disarm her. Lyssa smiled and then spoke, "Good job Saline, you won't have that long in battle to disarm someone but you did very well today. You may leave and we will begin again tomorrow, make sure you take a bath with some bath salts in it to ease those aching muscles and rub some of that balm I gave you on those arms, which should be very sore if you are doing this right." She smiled and then walked back toward the barracks to get herself something to eat...

 

The next day she woke up early and met Saline at the yards, they did their warm up in silence and then began their run. When they finished she turned to Saline and spoke, "I want to see you do all the forms I taught you yesterday." Lyssa stepped back to watch the girl begin to practice her forms. When she had finished she nodded and began speaking again, "Very good, you look a little slow in your movements but I am guessing that is because you are sore. Today we will be learning four new forms to round out your training and then will continue each day to practice them until you get them right." Lyssa picked up her sword from where she had laid it and began to demonstrate a form, "This form is called Heron Wading in the Rushes, it is a balancing form and should only be used for that." Lyssa made a horizontal slash that pivoted at the same time on one foot, it started her her should height and made it's way down. It left her chest wide open to attack for part of it and she saw recognition dawning on Saline's face. She moved right into the second form, a controlled slash, it was directed at about stomach level on her imaginary opponent and would rip the stomach out of anyone she hit with it. "This last form is called Parting the Silk and is good for inflicting nonlethal damage. I would like you to practice both of these for some time before we move on and then do each of the ones you have learned along with the two new ones."

 

Lyssa Simeone

 

occ- Off to Cali, be back on 9/11

 

 

 

[Lih-Lyh]

When she had finally succeeded in disarming her Mentor, Saline was rewarded with a dismissive smile from Lyssa. Toddling to the steams where the female guards cleaned themselves the Taraboner relieved herself of the strains in her arm, and focused on unwinding everywhere that hurt, which was quite a large area, hopping from her shoulders, hips, to feet. She could feel the tension in her knees too, from all that crouching back into position. Who could have devised such an awkward pose for a starting position?

 

Closing her eyes to the heat that rose from the stones she stood upon, she remembered having once watched a lady at the manor, a woman most foreign to Elmora, although she was an emissary sent from the King’s court, meaning she was a fellow Taraboner. Yet not only was language a little different, accent a bit stronger, blunter than the lilting speech of the Elmorans, but also referred more to the Panarch, never minding that the Panarch kept the civil order in Tanchico only. Her father was not part of the assembly of lords, being merely the wealthy merchant-turned-noble who had claw his way to honour the Royal guest. This woman danced for them, and Saline, the slip of a girl back then, observed that the dance was executed in a fierce one two step that had made the traditional pairings obsolete in the new, savage set of rhythm and movements. One two step turn back two step turn, she would chant audibly as her ankles flashed wildly, but somehow in that frenzied rush there was fluid control, a certain grace to the way her skirt had swung, under, low, sweeping the floor with its spreading hem.

 

Soon, too soon she would have to reach for the towel and don her Accepted dress, and assume her lessons in Saidar for the day. One more minute, she thought and then she would do a routine check to ensure that Taya Gille’s diary was still secured in her cubbyhole. Again, soon she would have to pass on the diary to the others, that was inevitable, but a part of her clutched that artifact possessively, and she permitted herself to stall over her duty there.

 

Faugh! Sweat stung, ran down, bone tired; how she yearned to have her hands on the salve she had rubbed on yesterday. When she first started as a student she had regarded such balms with distain, but held no such illusions after the wilderness about making herself feel better when she could. Running was enjoyable, but she did not like the soreness in her legs as she crouched into starting position once more, then moving up she went through the forms. Particularly noticeable was how wobbly she would get, how uncertain she was of where to step into the next movement. Lyssa had chided her on fluidity, and she took care to practice them more outside of lessons. Perhaps she ought to sign up for afternoon sessions with the trainees, yes? 

 

Her temper did not improve as she stretched her body into a slash, then whirled, exposing her chest, as Lyssa had. Shrugging aside the discomfort, she felt as if she was about to fall, and felt better when she moved on the second form, which involved flicking the blade into your opponent’s space. Much more fitting than the de-gutting for the first one, she reflected after having practiced those a few times, then she reverted to a crouch, cocking her head for Lyssa’s next set of instructions.

 

[Jaydena]

Lyssa didn’t know how much more the girl could take, Saline was pushing herself and Lyssa knew she needed to, but the part of her that had sympathy, was worried about her. Saline finished the forms and then moved into the crouching position and looked at her with acceptance in her eyes. Lyssa shrugged and then began to speak, “Your doing good so far, your legs still seem a little weak, I want you to do 200 crouches every morning when you wake up to strengthen them.” She saw Saline nod, she knew the girls time was short but Saline would do as she said. “The next form is called Hummingbird Kisses the Honeyrose and it’s used to deter your enemy, and it in most cases will kill them outright.” She picked up her sword and began to move from the crouch into the form, her blade started at shoulder height and then moved into a thrust in the face of her imaginary opponent. "I would like you to practice this one for awhile and then we will move onto the next one, remember if you have any questions, you need only ask me.” She watched Saline do the move over and over, and the girl kept at it, although Lyssa could see her arms and legs shaking with the effort. The girl had quite a bit of pluck, she will do well as an Aes Sedai, she thought.

When Saline had finished she spoke again, “The Kingfisher Takes a Silverback, is used to diable the leg or groin muscles of your enemy, you can sever the muscles that allow them to stand with this form. If you raise your blade a little higher, you can stab them in the abdomen with the same form.” She raised her blade to shoulder height again and made a downward stab at the stomach area on her opponent, she then lowered her blade below shoulder level and made a stab at the leg area of her opponent. “As you see these forms are fairly easy but can be very efficent in battle. I want you to practice this latest one until you have it right and then go through all the forms you have learned today. In the coming days we will be working on all the forms and how to combin them into a spar. When I feel you are ready we will spar and we will see how you do with what I have taught you.” Lyssa stood back and watched Saline begin the forms, the girl kept going and soon Lyssa was calling a halt for the day. “I want you to stretch and jog around the yard 5 times, when you are done with that, you may go get something to eat. It’s very important that you eat, you are burning a lot of your fuel doing this. Be back here tomorrow and we will work some more. You are doing very well Saline.” Lyssa watched the girl begin her job and then start stretching.

 

Ooc- This is the last post, just respond with this and the weeks to follow, you can include a spar if you want or we can rp it out if you would like, we can also assume it happened.

 

Lyssa Simeone

 

 

[Lih-Lyh]

Hummingbird Kisses the Honeyrose started like Arc of the Moon in that it descended from shoulder height, but stabbed into the face instead of a powerful stroke at the neck. Much more gruesome than decapitation, Saline approved as she bent her knees into a crouch, and spread her feet apart to support the scimitar's weight against the pull of gravity. Her hands positioned themselves on the hilt fairly close together as they swung jerkily up, thrusting the blade into an imaginary abdomen. She then lowered the origin of her slash to the middle of the body, below the shoulders, and a forward lunge, slashing deep into the groin. Again, yet again, she attempted the Kingfisher Takes a Silverback, and her motion leaned more smooth back into the guard.

 

Somewhere there was a great deal of wobbling as her knees were unused taking so much upon themselves, and though Lyssa's face softened, she criticised Saline's stance. The Taraboner's ire warmed irritably, for she had been practicing, she was doing her best to not to seem as ratchet as she was inside. Praises came few and far between from this woman, but she would take them with dignity. When first she started mentoring, a Red had told her for each negative point she said, she would have to add ten positive remarks. Saline had laughed at the time, but mediocre as she was in the Power, she at least understood the methods. Here, her muscles were woefully untrained, and Lyssa would have her learn the proper way by rote. She kept her head down and bit her lips, stopping any impertinent remarks from passing. Lyssa was her Mentor, and the lesson was for Saline’s benefit.

 

Dawn; Saline was in a bad way. Her arms were stiff, and her back hurt like dickens. A great deal of willpower and a promise of some pastries later, she had managed to drag herself from the warmth of her bed, from a happy dream of Rory nestling in her arms (hah, she wish!), and rolled on the carpet to do crunches. Fifteen minutes and a few thread burns later, she was done with her exercises and already dreading the new day's confrontation with Lyssa, although the act of stretching had brought a chemical-induced euphoria, pushing her along.

 

Her lips twitched in Lyssa's general direction, the façade of a smile. She had meditated before their warm-up, relying on the trick ‘Rome taught her. Tapping into Spring always gave her a heightened awareness, when she opened her eyes, the grass looked fresher, smelt better, felt stronger beneath her stance. Mostly assuming the Spring helped with focus, so she wasn’t distracted by other thoughts as she had already harnessed her emotions together.

 

In the past few days they had worked on sparring, and although Saline still had not the faintest idea what form to anticipate whenever Lyssa countered, she had a pretty good plan ready, which was to get as close touching Lyssa as she could. Not once had she been able to land a blow on the Tower Guard, but she had been able to parry a few, which was satisfying. Saline knew she was progressing, but it was not good enough. From experience, it was best to advance from guard, then resume guard for protection, sort of dancing closer then away and closer again. Crouching was still awkward, but not nearly as awkward as before thanks to the morning set of crunches. She looked forward to showing Lyssa what new tricks she devised, and seeing how well they’d work.

 

Still beaming brightly, Lyssa bounced on the balls of her feet, although her eyes shifted constantly, as if expecting attacks in the middle of the clearing. Throwing a bundle to Saline, the Tower Guard drew her lathe quickly, Unfolding the Fan and instead of gliding into a strike, Lyssa kept her lathe low but at ready; she nodded. It had distracted Saline when first they sparred, but the Taraboner now smiled back, accustomed to the opening.

 

Saline left the guard stance she took up, Leopard in the Trees. Her practice with offensive had paid off as she executed her first attack, Arc of the Moon. She chose to begin the spar aggressively, knowing well the outcome of the match, but wanted to impress with her familiarity as she moved through the motions. Arc was great choice for speed, as it would land fairly high up, permitting for faster draws whether blocking or attacking next. The form was meant not to deter a charging opponent, as a stab to the face would have been, but rather to decapitate. She took into account Lyssa's height comparative to her own, and instead of letting her opponent approach, had stepped up. Starting the arc from the middle of her body, downward as the Cairheinin was the shorter woman, then arching cleanly toward the other’s graceful neck. Saline returned to guard, and kept her lathe up around the other’s shoulders.

 

Lyssa’s weapon deflected hers easily, the overhand Falcon Swoop pushing the lathe aside but instead of returning to guard swiftly as Saline expected from such a defensive it too, lifted, crashing into The Courtier Tapping His Fan, a very versatile, strong blow, that split the heads of Trollocs, Lyssa had told her. Saline had nursed a headache begotten from Courtier on their first spar, and quite a nasty bump that was, too.

 

Instead of parrying with her lathe she panicked, and was forced to side-step and avoid the blow head on, conceding ground in front of the solid attack. Feinting to the right, Lyssa's lathe flickered at her face, making her flinch. She stumbled and managed to raise her lathe diagonally; Low wind rising, a form she had picked up from Lyssa from one of the spars. As it could be raised from any stance, she found it a great resort for recovery, and proved very useful while repelling blows.

 

Lyssa’s lathe spiraled until the circular motion locked the lathes, and Saline once again conceded as she pulled her lathe down from Grapevine Twines, knowing she was too poor a fighter to disarm Lyssa in an even match. A slash and rip followed from Lyssa, aimed at the stomach level. Parting the Silk sought damage but wasn’t ideal for dispatching opponents as it was not lethal, and Saline knew this as she returned from attack to guard.

 

Switching abruptly, Lyssa jabbed the bundled lathe into Saline's leg. The Kingfisher move was to disable, and Saline was crippled but managed to stand, thanking Light it was a mere training weapon and not some blade that had just cut through her hamstrings. She found moving sluggish, and began faltering. Finally she resorted to the one form she had not employed yet and pivoted clumsily on her good leg while raising her scimitar, leaving her chest open for a blow she fully expected, but hadn't come as her scimitar rushed for her opponent’s head. The spar was over though, as Lyssa gestured for Saline to turn over her lathe. Saline swung back with Folding the Fan to the guard position, where she remained while Lyssa played with both lathes in hand and lectured on why Heron Wading the Rushes was not employed in combat, demonstrating the form that could have pierced Saline’s heart or lungs.

 

Spars didn’t take long in actuality, although they could for masters who fought multiple opponents. The dread of sparring was much worse than the real thing, if only because she realised during spars her opponent was out to get her. This one was no different in duration: it had taken perhaps a quarter of the hour at most. Nonetheless it had taxed her immensely.

 

Steel glistened as they reached for their live weapons. Although Saline didn’t use her scimitar she was expected to keep it polished and in good shape. Brushing off the sand on her breeches, Saline took one horrible step around the yard, then another, faster and less careful each time, all the while perspiring madly, feeling the pangs threading through her hurt leg. Her head was high, eyes straight as they focused only on the trees up ahead, lips counting furiously as her arms pumped. Throughout her cool-down, Saline tried to take most of the weight off with an odd hopping here or there.

 

Reliving the past few minutes, the Taraboner finished up her jog, and limped into the Tower in a desperate search for some sweets.

 

Saline

~Silverback~

 

[Jaydena]

ooc- *chuckles* I just realized I don't need to reply to this. Excellent job on everything hun, I will go ahead and report this, please let me know about your last req so I can report it for you.

[Lih-Lyh]

OOC: Oops I've buggered it all up by reporting the WS 4 myself but ah, I've PMed ya the link to WS 5. If you'll report that, my thanks. Congrats again about your baby. Here Is No Rush. :D

[Jaydena]

No worries, it has to be reported to the report board hun. *G*