One more step on the path - Advanced Forms (Attn: Kynwric and Tower Guards)

[Sieve]

Perivar arrived at the training ground before a hint of light illuminated the horizon.  This was the price they paid for the free day he had been given yesterday.  Mistress Thera gave them their final gift, pushing the training back one day so they could have a good time at the party.  So much had occurred over the past two days that he would have been in no shape or frame of mind to train the day after their ceremony.  Actually had it been yesterday he would have missed it altogether.  He was exhausted, he had hardly slept and had to ride like mad to be back in time to see Kabria safe in the Tower then head off to the yards for the training. 

 

He knew Master Kynwric would not tolerate him being late by a second so he was bright and early.  Today he would begin learning the advanced forms that would one day make him worthy of being called a Warder.

 

Kabria, no Kabria Sedai, the ring of it made him want to giggle. She had suddenly reappeared in his life.  Ooh she was always there in his mind though now she was physically there.  He did not want to think on the unhappy reunion, all was well now. 

 

The whole idea of him being a Tower Guard had not fully sunk in yet.  How long would it take before he thought of himself as Guardsman and not a Trainee.  The time since the ceremony seemed like a blur. 

 

There was another matter as well.  A matter between him and Master Kynwric that still needed to be resolved.  The matter of his actions on that night in Caemlyn at the Badger and Lioness.  They had spoken briefly but Perivar knew there would be more discussions to come.  Mistress Thera had not been there, Master Kynwric had bee so it was him who would set Perivar straight.  He knew the man that he respected and admired would not go easy on him, for the good of the Tower he could not.  It had not been a strong enough offense to keep him from being raised but it was one that came with a penalty.

 

Perivar had been a fool, he could have put his friends in danger by that fool stunt.  If he didn't realize it then Master Kynwric made sure he was aware of it before they had resumed their mission.  It had been so obvious to Master Kynwric that Perivar had not used the Ko'di that night.  Perivar was lucky that he did not drub him from Caemlyn to the ends of the known world.  Since he had only placed himself in danger the punishment would be something personal, something Perivar wanted more than anything else. His choice of wanting to become a Warder would come with a condition.

 

That was past for the moment.  There was nothing he could do to change it.  He had to focus on the present.  He would serve the punishment that Master Kynwric gave him and put it in the past.  This was his first step to becoming a Warder.  The first step in proving that he was truly worthy.  It would be Master Kynwric who would determine when that would be, that was the price he would pay.  The man would not allow Perivar to be bound to an Aes Sedai until Perivar proved without a doubt that he was no longer a fool.  Perivar had placed that punishment upon his own shoulders, it was his fault.

 

The most painful part was that he had to tell Kabria, tell her that he could not be bonded to her until conditions were met.  She had intended to bond him and he had to tell her.  That is what led to that horrific fight.  It was over now though his lack of sleep had him in a foul mood. 

[Talavin]

The sun was shining, the sky was cloudless, and life was great! Arath woke up refreshed, regardless of the fact the had been guarding the walls the previous night. His normally hard bed seemed very welcoming and supple that morning, but Arath rolled out eagerly. He had been looking forward to this day for a while. Finally, after so long (or at least it seemed so long) apart, he would be training with his friends again! It would be just like their trainee days, learning new things together and having fun (or perhaps not having fun). Not only that, but they would be trained by Kynwric! The nostalgia was overwhelming.

 

The Yards seemed to reverberate with the glory of the day- the sun shined merrily, the grass was greener, a soft breeze fluttered through the Tower Grounds. Today just seemed like a wonderful day to be alive! Arath whistled a merry tune as he practically skipped across the grass to the designated training location. Birdsong accompanied his whistling- Light! Even the creatures of the earth recognized this day as a glorious day of reunion and friendship! Many people gave him odd looks as he passed, but the training grounds were mostly filled with trainees, who recongized him as a Guard. Thera would beat down any trainee who didn't show proper respect, and so odd looks were the most he got.

 

Finally, in a burst of merriment, Arath arrived at the designated location. Only Perivar and Kynwric were there, but Arath still greeted them warmly. "Hello Master Kynwric, hello Perivar! And how are you all on this fine day!" Arath turned to Perivar, his own glee blinding him to Perivar's stormy attitude. "How have you acclimated to your new duties? Are you getting used to patrolling the Walls yet? Have you met any potential friends?" Arath inquired incesantly. He couldn't wait until Jasine and Melenis arived (if they arrived), for Arath was in the mood today (this glorious day) to catch up with his friends and comrades.

 

OOC: how bout some emotional contrast? :P

[Jehaine]

Melenis made her way to the training area again. She had been working a late shift patrolling the wall the night before, and had been awake for a good amount of time despite the early hour at which training was scheduled to start. Kynwric had let slip that he was going to show them some new Forms today, and her mind was focused on figuring out which attack patterns weren't yet covered by the ones she knew already.

 

That, and she was eager to train with Arath again. He had been Raised a few months before the rest of them had, and she looked forward to finding out how far the gap in skill between them had grown from him having access to more advanced training sessions. Training sessions she would be having now as well. It still felt a bit odd, no longer seeing herself as a Trainee, after several years of saluting now being the one saluted to was something she'd need to get used to.

 

She left her Tower Guard cloak back in her room though. Not really being the type for cloaks, she still struggled for a way to wear it without it getting in the way of drawing her weapon. As long as the risk existed that her weapon would get caught up in the fabric, worn across her back as it was, she'd prefer to go without for now.

 

Upon arriving, she noticed Perivar and Arath already being there, and gave them a simple nod in greeting. Wrapped in the Void, she waited for either more students to arrive, or training to begin, whichever would come first.

 

 

Melenis

Focused

[Quisalas Selene]

((OOC: Arath's horning in on my territory, I'm the happy one!))

 

Jasine woke up alone in the bed that he shared with Thera in their tiny house.  She'd already be at her office, fighting with paperwork and greeting any new trainees that happened to come.  He stretched out, grinning at the ceiling, and then noticed the pattern of light on the wall.  The sun had already been up and possibly by as much as twenty minutes if he did not miss his guess!  He leapt to his feet and took the two steps it was to the dressers and started to dress hurriedly.

 

He was still pulling on his cloak as he slipped out of the door and trotted over to the training grounds.  He closed the heart-shaped pin and smiled as his fingers traced the initials on it.  Here he was again, taking sword forms from Master Kynwric.  Only now he was a Tower Guard and it was Perivar in the group instead of Gaidin.  He ran his fingers through his hair and tied back the tail with a leather thong as he stepped up to the group and smiled brightly and waved.  No one was practicing forms yet, so he couldn't be all that late, but he bowed crisply to Kyn before speaking.

 

"Pleasant morning, everyone.  Master Kynwric, Perivar, Arath, Melenis."  He strapped on his sword belt and fussed with the buckle until it sat properly, and then looked back up. "Will we be using true blades or the practice weapons today?"

[_Kynwric_]

Kynwric arrived just moments before Perivar, dressed in his usual shirt and breeches and this day wearing his sword and carrying his shield. He greeted them all with a cheerful "Goodmorning." And nodded to Perivar when he approached.

 

"To answer your question, we'll be using live blades from here on out. You are children no longer and should know enough to safeguard your sparring partner as well as yourselves." He knew they would'nt willingly harm one another, but he did want to see them exercise some control of their strikes and this would be the first step in being in complete control of their weapon. "At least 'til you prove you can't. Any other questions?"

 

He looked to all four of them and nodded. "Lion on a Hill please." Kyn himself assumed the stance, his shield discarded for the moment. "Cat Dances on the Wall" And he performed the series of feinting, short slashes, thrusts, and even feigned the parries. "It is mostly used for buying time, but as with most forms it can be used as an attack. Cat on Hot Sand is very similar and is used for attacking and especially mulitiple opponents." He worked his way through many of the same manuevers, but emphasizing the more fluid and dancelike manuevers used when facing multiple opponents, he finished back in Lion on a Hill and flowed into "Apple Blossoms on the Wind, another form for multiple opponents, just working on a different theory." This was slower more graceful and more defensive. "You can still strike from it, but it is almost purely defensive and you wait for opportunities instead of creating them."

[Sieve]

Perivar was in a sour mood, he could not exactly say why.  Lucky for him he arrived when he did for Master Kynwric was already there.  Had Master Kynwric not agreed that some form of punishment been handed down Perivar would have been compelled to demand one.  Maybe it was the thought of his behavior on that trip that had him so sour.  Reminders of that night often had that effect on him, failure was not something he took lightly.

 

Arath arrived shortly after and was far too happy by half.  He nodded when Arath gave his greeting.  On top of him being too happy, he felt the need to talk. "Just fine, yes, and no" spoken for Arath's ears alone was the only reponse he gave to the three questions.  When Melenis arrived she simply nodded which he appreciated.  At least there was someone else who did not feel like talking.

 

Of course Jasine arrived seemingly as happy as Arath smiling brightly to all of them.  Well he had a reason to be happy.  He was in love and getting married.  Perivar was in love and had no idea what was to come of it.  Like Arath, Jasine also had a question though thankfully it was for Master Kynwric.

 

Perivar formed the flame pushing all his emotions into it.  Since he had returned from their trip he had used the void more than ever.  He had not seen nor heard from Kabria which made him more depressed with each day that passed.  Now that they had be reunited he should have been as happy as Arath or Jasine though he future was still uncertain. 

 

Perivar drew the Bastard sword that he had to borrow from the armory since his other sword lay at the bottom of the North Harbor.  It had cost him dearly in more ways than one.  The finely crafted weapon had found a new home, it belonged to the harbor now.  He took on the form Lion on the Hill as Master Kynwric had instructed.  During his time as a trainee Perivar decided that he would fight on foot with his Bastard sword using both hands to wield it though when he was mounted he would opt to carry the shield in his off hand.  Maybe fate was trying to tell him something.  Perhaps he should return to dual wielding like he had before he came here and forget about the Bastard sword altogether.  It was something he would have to think on later, for now he had enough to worry about.

 

He watched as Master Kynwric demonstrated the forms then began practicing them as best as he could.  The series of feinting, short slashes, and thrusts that made up the form Cat Dances on the Wall.  Cat on Hot Sand which was similar though designed for use with multiple opponents.  Apple Blossoms on the Wind a more defensive form of the Cat on Hot Sand which would allow you to defend yourself while taking advantage of any opportunities that you opponents offered.  Perivar flowed into Lion on the Hill then began to pratice the forms again.

[Quisalas Selene]

Jasine nodded at Mastery Kynwric's words, he'd hoped for that answer and for those exact reasons.  While Jasine was confident enough in his ability to defend himself and attack with his sword, he knew that he still lacked the polish and perfection of a swordmaster and he wanted to seek that refinement to his skills.  By having to be precise enough with his movements to execute the forms correctly, but without actually injuring his opponent, he would gain some of that control.  As he drew his blade and adopted Lion on a Hill, he felt a warm sense of coming home.  Kynwric was the man who had first taught him how to do more than just hold a sword. 

 

He thought about that class as he stepped forward through the feints, slashes, thrusts, and parries.  The boy who had cut his thumb sheathing his sword would have likely stabbed himself or another trying Cat Dances on the Wall and the similar Cat on Hot Sand.  He couldn't help but smile as he thought of the name, he could see in Kynwric's demonstration how that form got its name.  He tied the new moves in with the ones Kyn and Master Corwin had taught him as a trainee, folding the new into the old and forming from them all a dance that was graceful and deadly.  Apple Blossoms on the Wind was another that would help when facing multiple opponents.  Most of these forms took on things he already knew and just adapted them and complicated them to be useful in new situations.

 

As he had when he was a trainee, Jasine whispered the names of the forms under his breath as he went through them.  Some day he would be teaching his won classes, and it would not do to call a form by the wrong name because he simply hadn't connected the motions with the right word.  When he had them down, he dropped back into Lion on a Hill and then went through them again until Kynwric called them to the next task.

[Talavin]

Arath nodded cheerfully when Kynwric told them the instructions. All three of his friends had arrived and were going to take the class with him, which put a happy smile on Arath's face. Learning to control your blade and your strikes was an important part of learning to weild your weapon. It was a little odd to be in a class like this even though he was a Tower Guard, but because he was so used to them, Arath it felt natural. A strange conundrum. Regardless, Arath drew his sword and got into the ready stance Lion on the Hill.

 

He watched attentively as the Warder demonstrated the forms for them, whilst explaining their uses. His initial glee faded as he concentrated on preforming the forms well. He recognised the three forms from when he saw other guardsmen practicing, but hadn't tried them himself. Apple Blossoms in the Wind was more of a ready stance than an actual strike, but none the less, Arath practiced it a few times before moving onto Cat Dances on the Wall. The form was a series of quick, tentative strikes that were mostly for faking out your opponent and buying yourself time. The last form was Cat on Hot Sand, which was a faster, more agressive form of the Cat Dances on the Wall.

 

Arath found a rhythm and began practicing the forms over and over. He realized that after spending so much time with his comrades, he was very used to training with them. He wasn't at all uncomfortable with having their live blades swinging near him, because he had come to trust all of them completely. Realizing that his thoughts about his friends were distracting him, Arath resumed his practice and ran through the forms again and again until he built up a rhythem. He continued on until Kynwric called them to a hault, and they waited for their next command.

 

OOC: Sorry, not proofread. Bleh, I'm tired and I have too much homework, sorry.

[Jehaine]

There was a lot on Melenis' mind despite her appearance, things not even her usual morning exercises had managed to clear away. She had hoped a training session would help calm her down, and in a way, it did. She moved from one form to the other, losing herself in the Void through the rythmic movement and controlled breathing, simply allowing her body to weave one form into the other. It was similar to a dance, her body remembering the movements allowing her mind to relax and get some well-earned rest.

 

The part about using live blades in the spar later on nagged at her, but it was outside of the Void. She paid no attention to it: The little of her concentration she spared from analysing the new forms as she performed them was reserved for Kynwric, should the Warder decide it was time to take it to the next step of this class.

 

 

Melenis

On autopilot

[_Kynwric_]

Kynwric watched as they all performed the forms and he realized that he was not enjoying this track and wondered if they were either... With that he ran through the forms, Bundling Straw, Lizard in the Thornbush, Stones Falling from the Cliff, Striking the Spark, Thistledown Floats on the Whirlwind, Twisting the Wind, Water Flows Downhill, Whirlwind on the Mountain, Wind and Rain and finally The Wood Grouse Dances.

 

"They are all variations on some other form, there is one however I need to discuss with you. It is called Sheathing the Sword. This form is used only if the need is so great that you can sacrifice yourself for it, determining that is up to you. It is not to be practiced, it really isn't meant to be thought about, if the time comes for it you will know and know how to react. But simply put, you skewer yourself on your opponents sword to immobilize it and then kill him. That is all for today, practice the forms and then return in a weeks time and we will have you spar one another to see how well you know things."

[Jehaine]

While the Forms themselves were new to her, and obviously harder to perform in comparison to the ones she knew, Melenis had little trouble getting them under control. She had a good eye for the forms, but knew the hardest part was still to come. She'd be needing to train them until they would come naturally in a spar, rather than thinking about which form to use next. Though the time gained was small, half a heartbeat at best, she knew hesitation could mark the difference between a win and a loss. Or, when the time came for them to use it in battle, life or death. Any time reduction in between forms would work in her favor, as it would to her enemies.

 

Still, the last 'form' caught her off guard. Deliberately taking a hit was something she had never, nor would ever have considered on her own, and was still wondering what the actual use of it was even now. If she got herself seriously injured or killed, how could she plan to protect her Aes Sedai later on? Sacrificing her life to maybe kill a single opponent seemed so... counterproductive, given that strong opponents generally didn't work alone. She made a mental note to ask Kynwric about it after the return lesson, when she'd have had some time to think about it herself.

 

 

Melenis

Disapproves of 'Sheathing the Sword'

[Sieve]

Perivar was exhausted beyond belief but he absorbed all the forms that Master Kynwric showed them, determined to learn everything as quick as he could.  He was determined to become Kabria's Warder and to do that he had to be as prepared as he could be.

 

He also knew that he needed to get some rest before taking his post on the wall tonight.  Well if he did he did, if not then he would take his post and rest after it.  Perivar wondered how Kabria was doing, he hoped that she felt more rested then he did.  He had only slept for an hour or two.  The rest of the time he sat there gently stroking her pale blonde hair while she slept, reminding himself just how lucky he was.  Hopefully she would not get called down for being out of Tower yesterday.  He still did not understand half of the constraints that newly raised Aes Sedai had to deal with and she could not tell him.  It was for her and her sisters to know. 

 

Even after the horrific days that threatened to tear them apart he felt his love growing stronger if that was even possible.  It was her that had brought him back from certain doom though no one knew that.  There were things between them that they could not talk about with others, things they would not talk about.  They had left the party but nobody would have known why, they would just think they wanted to be alone.  Hopefully that was what they thought.  He wished things had gone differently but no amount of wishing could change the past.  The main thing is that he had her now and he was not going to lose her. 

 

Kabria had saved him from certain doom.  Her love, her persistence in bringing him back to reality.  She could have left him to die.  Without her he would have cast his life away in the Blight.  Life simply felt sweeter now, his purpose in life was renewed.  He felt the need to push himself to be the best Warder that he could for her.  Whatever he had to do he would do so he could serve her, so he could be by her side.  Whatever it took.

 

Perivar noticed the others staring at Master Kynwric in disbelief, the same look that must have been apparent on his face as Master Kynwric spoke to them about Sheathing the Sword.  He had thought about dying to protect Kabria, dying to protect others but taking a blade in your body to gain a chance at a killing blow on an opponent was not something he had though on before.  A last desperate measure when everything else failed.  Perivar had once parried a blow then taken a blade in his thigh.  Even though it had given him the opportunity to land a killing blow it was not something he had done on purpose.  He certainly did not plan on taking the dagger in his thigh.  Given the chance he would have avoided it if he could.  This however was purposeful though it still seemed odd.  He tucked it away in the back of his mind.  There had to be a reason that Master Kynwric had mentioned it.

[Quisalas Selene]

Jasine worked his way through the forms, but he found concentrating on them to be increasingly difficult.  He noticed Master Kynwric was less animated and involved in teaching than he usually was and he realized with a bit of a start that he rather missed the man's routine taunts and barbed encouragement.  Kynwric had always peppered his teaching with advice, but today he seemed almost perfunctory.  If I don't concentrate on this he'll have plenty of 'advice' to offer, he mused, a smile quirking his lips.

 

When Kynwric spoke of sheathing the sword, Jasine stopped and listened intently.  It wasn't an idea that was completely foreign to him, it made sense that sometimes you would have to take a blow to put yourself at a better advantage for making an opportunity for the killing stroke.  He nodded slowly, although he wondered at Kynwric, of all warders, giving this advice since his Aes Sedai, as all present knew well, couldn't heal.  He must be serious about making the sacrifice, then.  This wasn't just taking an extra cut, this was sacrificing yourself to be sure your opponent was dead.  It must only be used in a case where the opponent was of the highest priority, then, since dying to one man's stroke would leave your Aes Sedai unprotected to the next man.

 

When Kynwric gave his final orders, Jasine sheathed his sword in the more normal fashion of Folding the Fan and moved towards him.  "Master Kynwric, you didn't yell at me once today.  Cheer up, I'm sure I'll manage to do something thoroughly inept during the spar." He grinned and clapped the man's shoulder once before moving off to the barracks to change for his wall duty that afternoon.

[_Kynwric_]

Kynwric laughed at Jasine's quip and shook his head as the young man clapped him on the shoulder. Kyn then clapped him on the shoulder and held him for a moment before he let the mirth slide from his face and voice. "I didn't yell at you Jasine because you aren't a trainee any longer. I shouldn't have to yell at you ever again... so if I do, you had better pay attention." With that he gave one last smile and let him loose to carry on.

 

---

 

The day came he had set for the spars and Kynwric was there early, lounging against a tree that had been a long and storied part of his history here. He was waiting for the lot of them to show up as he closed his eyes and listened to the soft wind rustle through the leaves as the sun rose over the Yard.

[Talavin]

OOC: Look! I'm back!

 

IC: Arath gulped as his teacher spoke of Sheithing the Sword. It was more of a concept than a sword form, but nevertheless, it was a valueable lesson to learn. To know the worth of your life... it must be overwhelming. To be in the heat of battle and know that to win you must sacrifice yourself. It hit close to home, because by swearing themselves to the White Tower, Tower Guard were practically sheithing the sword every day. They had to be prepared to sacrifice themself for a cause greater than themselves. Arath shook his head and listened to the rest of Kynwric's words.

 

They would rejoin in a week to see how much each of them progressed? It seemed fair enough, and Arath would practice hard every day. After all, if he wanted to even come close to being worth of being Eqwina's Warder, he would have to be an expert at the blade. And keeping to his word, he practiced for hours every day. Arath skipped his normal physical excersizes and practiced only the advanced forms. It was hard, because many times he would find himself naturally doing a form that he learned years ago instead of the advanced forms. He had to replace old muscle memory to incorperate the new techniques. Arath progressed well, but he still had a long way to go before he mastered the forms.

 

As per instruction, Arath returned to the same spot after a week, and looked around at his fellow Tower Guard. His glee had worn off in a week, and he couldn't help but feel bemused at the memory of how giddy he had been. He wondered how well Jasine, Perivar, and Melenis had learned the new forms, but not in a compeitive way. Arath wanted all three of his friends to learn the forms well, and he didn't think of their progress as a competition.

[Quisalas Selene]

Jasine mulled over Kynwric's words as he walked the long patrol around the Shining Walls of Tar Valon.  Tower Guards were always stationed to each section of the wall, but they also had roving patrols that would walk, their whole shift through, all the way around the fabled city.  The city was as quiet as usual, maybe a touch more so because the overcast sky kept more people indoors for fear of the rain that would come later in the evening, so he had ample time to think.  He was proud of what he had accomplished so far, and knew he should take pride in his abilities, but he certainly felt far from being without error.  And where there was error, there needed to be correction.  Perhaps Kynwric had simply meant that the tone of the correction would be more respectful and less scolding.

 

With the advanced forms to learn and use, Jasine had an opportunity to do something he'd never done before.  He trained sword forms with Thera.  She proved to be an able and demanding teacher, and Jasine used her pointers with the foundation Kynwric gave him to get to the point where he was sure he could spar using the forms.  Jasine had never had an issue with the fact that the woman he loved could soundly thrash him, but his self-confidence slipped a little as his esteem for her grew - she was damn good with a sword.  And through his fierce determination to win her approval as well as her heart, she forced Jasine to grow to be better with his own sword as well.

 

Jasine arrived a little late to the proper spot; he just hadn't quite gotten the hang of waking up properly in his new bed, where there was a warm woman to cuddle and the window didn't point to the east.  Instead, a large tree shaded the front window from even the earliest light of day with its wide trunk and he wasn't yet accustomed to relying on his own inner clock instead of the sun.  He bowed formally to Master Kynwric and smiled and waved to the other traine-- Tower Guards, we're all Tower Guards, now, and buckled on his swordbelt.  Since so many of the forms were designed to be used against multiple enemies, Jasine wondered if Kyn would have them spar as a group rather than one-on-one.

 

He expected he would find out soon enough just what this test of skills would entail.

[Sieve]

Perivar arrived in a better mood this time.  He was more rested and things were getting better.  He still grimaced anytime he held or caught sight of the sword he had to borrow.  He was seriously considering a change of weapons.  For now though he would stick with the borrowed bastard sword but would explore other forms.

 

Perivar bowed to Master Kynwric and offered the others a polite nod and a smile.  That's right he smiled and this time it wasn't forced.  Perivar patiently waited for the fun to begin. 

 

He had been practicing the Advanced forms whenever he was not on Guard duty or otherwise occupied.  He still had the concept of Sheathing the Sword tucked in the back of his mind.  Master Kynwric said it wasn't something you thought about, you just did it.  Well he had thought about it quite often.  It still seemed odd even though Master Kynwric's reasons for doing so made sense.  He was willing to take a blade in the course of duty but he was not sure about actaully welcoming it or purposely leaving himself open to it.  Well if he ever needed it it was there.

 

Perivar was a little nervous, sure they had come very far in their training but now they were about to spar with real weapons. 

[Jehaine]

Feeling somewhat nervous over her first time using live weapons in a sparring match, Melenis went through a number of forms in her head, selecting them based on lethality. The ones that scored the highest in terms of potential permanent injury -- Hummingbird Kisses the Honeyrose being the highest, essentially stabbing someone in the face, though others targeting the head and neck scored pretty high as well -- she would refrain from using.

 

She practised the forms she was taught though, incorporating them into others and testing variations of them whenever she was not on Guard duty or training the occasional Trainee that came to her. It felt somewhat odd, taking the role of teacher now, but she accepted the requests anyway believing that as a Tower Guard, this would fall under her new responsabilities as well. Though now, she was the one being taught again, which meant keeping her focus was important. Live blades tended to leave more than a welt or a bruise, and she didn't want any of her friends sent to the Infirmary just because they had failed to block something she believed they would. She greeted Kynwric, and returned Jasine's wave and Perivar's nod with a nod of her own, and waited for class to begin.

 

 

Melenis

Trying not to facestab you

[_Kynwric_]

Kynwric watched as they all gathered and they all seemed a bit nervous. "Good morning." He greeted them all as he rose from sitting beside the tree. "I'll assume you are all prepared. So, here is how this is going to work. Two of you will spar until I am satisfied with your demonstration. Be forewarned, I don't want to see just the forms we've been working on, I want to see a mastery of all the forms. So treat this as an open spar. Jasine and Melenis, you're first up. Then Perivar and Arath. Then we'll see..."

[Quisalas Selene]

Jasine bowed to Melenis once Kynwric had indicated they were to begin sparring.  Then he drew his sword and settled into Lion on a Hill easily and naturally.  The new forms were more complicated, but he could easily see - even the very first day he was taught them, how they could fit into his fighting style and where they could be best used. The past week he'd been training hard and he advanced with the usual litany of their names running through his head.

 

His attack began with Bundling Straw, thrusts being one of the more difficult moves for Melenis to effectively parry.  She was able to dodge away from the sharp tip of his blade, but the arcs of the form kept her ashandarei busy with parrying and she wasn't able to go on the offensive yet.  He advanced into Hummingbird Kisses the Honeyrose and Melenis stepped back from the thrust, Parting the Silk was met by the shaft of her weapon and he tried for a higher slash - Stones Falling from the Cliff met with no greater success.  He had to step back and parry Melenis' use of Moon Rises Over the Water, but then he was able to step in close again, where her reach was less of an advantage and more of a hindrance.  Low Wind Rising nearly got in under the ashandarei but the slash was stopped short by Melenis dropping one foot back and pivoting towards the attack.

 

Jasine spun, Twisting in the Wind, trusting the close proximity and his speed that he wouldn't take a hit in the movement.  It wasn't the ideal time to use it, but the effect he wanted, Melenis hesitating as she tried to read where he would strike at her from worked and as Melenis lifted her weapon to go on the offensive he went into Ribbon in the Air and the horizontal slash would land soundly on the girl's arm.  He twisted his wrists just before connecting and it was the flat of the blade rather than the edge that struck the blow.  It wasn't as effective as it could be - Melenis had read the movement and already begun to dodge away so that she was moving with the strike and it did little more than thump her.  She continued to step away even as he was pulling his blade back into a guard stance and she reversed the ashadarei and swept the blunt end at his legs.  Jasine jumped, but it clipped one of his heels and he stumbled on his landing. 

 

Melenis let the momentum of her strike continued and followed with the bladed edge, this time using The River Undercuts the Bank Jasine struggled with his footing and leapt backwards away from the shining flash of the bladed tip of the ashandarei.  Melenis had secured the advantage again by forcing him to move back out of his own reach area, but close enough that she could still strike.  He bought time by circling into The Creeper Embraces the Oak and this gave him a moment to settle his heart and feel solid on his footing again.  He was beginning to think that the strike from the haft of her weapon had loosened his bootheel, but a battle was no place to call a time out to fix one's shoes - even if it was just a practice spar.  He kept his weight primarily on the balls of his feet, using his heels only for stability, and when Melenis went into motion he recognized the motions for The Wind Blows Over the Wall and took the strike on his wrist, only dodging enough to make the blow only hurt, not cripple.  It was done with the flat of the blade thankfully, and he released the sword with that hand, gripped the haft of her weapon with it, and pulled her in close as she thrust forward to follow through the form. 

 

She was able to jerk the ashandarei back out of his injured grip pretty easily and stepped back.  He advanced, she retreated again, trying to force space.  She slashed at him with Low Wing Rising and then moved into Wind and Rain, trying to force him back to where she had the advantage again.  Jasine abruptly dropped back and as Melenis was snapping the ashandarei back into a guard position again, he darted forward.  He performed a number of mid-level slashes, each of them met by parry but they forced her to be defensive and he was able to move in close enough to thrust with The Falcon Stoops. 

 

 

Jasine al'Thorin

Gonna learn me to fight

[Quisalas Selene]

((Are we finishing this thread?))

[_Kynwric_]

OOC: I was waiting on the rest of them to post something...

[Jehaine]

OOC: I wasn't really sure what to post, to be honest, and when i noticed Quis had a partial post with Melenis in it up i figured i'd wait for others to post as well, hoping i'd get an idea... Did we all end up waiting on one another? <.< >.>

[Sieve]

((OOC:  My dancing partner has been MIA for a while so I never posted the spar between them.)) 

[_Kynwric_]

OOC: Just post something up and let it be done...