Dagger Defense, attn Saline, Belig, Davel

[Visar Falmaien]

Visar made sure the relatively small section of the warder yards was cleared of practitioners before setting up a small table.  On it, he placed about a dozen wooden training daggers for the course he was going to teach.  Visar was a little nervous; he hadn't taught many courses before, and dagger training could be extremely dangerous. He remembered plenty of scrapes, bruises, and even some elbows broken from training in the past. Yet all those paled in comparison to that horrible time when Visar had witnessed a trainee put another one's eye out with a training dagger.  But hopefully, he would avoid any injuries today that were too serious.

 

Once he had set up to his satisfaction, Visar grabbed a wooden dagger with a rounded point, and waited for his 'victims' to arrive on this fine morning.

[ShinyThingsGood]

Shaking ragged black hair out of his eyes,  Davel approached the corner of the yard Visar had set aside for his dagger defense lesson with some trepidation.  He had woken an hour after dawn, two hours before the appointed time, and had limbered his muscles as he had been bid by the guardsmen in the armory three days before.  His forced labor in the armor since that encounter had left him with shoulders, back, and arms that were more than a little sore, so it had taken him some time to stretch enough to prepare him for what his imagination, and Visar's eager warning, told him was in store this morning.

 

Visar had warned him that it would be rough today, but Davel hoped he would prove an able demonstration partner.  He had been carrying a dagger most of his young life, and the weapon he wore on his hip opposite his cutlass was a comforting and familiar weight.  Being of average height and having a lean, unassuming build, many thick-necked street toughs had attempted to accost him during his time in the Rahad.  While he carried more than one scar from such encounters, his tenacity and ferocity with the short bladed weapon had made up for his lack of real skill enough to keep him alive.

 

Coming nearer to where Visar had a table set up, with what appeared to be blunted wooden daggers arrayed on top of it, Davel came to a stop.  His smoky gray eyes narrowed as a mischievous thought occurred to him.  Visar had caught him unawares while Davel waited for him in the armory, and a nearly instinctual reaction in the young trainee had caused him to strike out before he had seen who was there.  It was for that reason Davel was working extra hours with the armory master and fletcher, and had such tender muscles and raw hands.  Perhaps Davel could visit the guardsman with a little payback.

 

Circling around the area where Visar stood alone, Davel tried to use all the skills he had to remain unnoticed.  Visar had far more training than himself, so he assumed he could not be overly cautious.  Silently thankful that he was the first to arrive, so as not to have anyone else's attention to avoid, he approached as quietly as he could from the rear.  Keeping his hands well away from the weapons at his belt, as he did not want to appear aggressive, he took the final steps towards Visar's unprotected back in slow, smooth strides.  The man was nervously fidgeting with the wooden training blades laid out before him, and it was to that anxiety Davel attributed his success in coming this far without notice. 

 

Davel now stood only an arms length behind Visar.  With a smirk on his face, he reached out a hand already grown stronger from his training in the yards, and grasped the older man by the shoulder.

 

“Good morning guardsman,” he said as he did so, unable to keep the satisfaction from his voice.

 

[OOC: Obviously, feel free to have Visar react however you like.  If you think it would be more interesting to have him be startled, go for it.  I don't have my heart set on Davel getting the upper hand there, though, if you'd like Visar to have heard him coming.]

[The winds of Time]

Belig woke up and went through his normal work out of using weights and exercise to wake him up good and plenty. after a swift and solitary breakfast as normal, Belig made his way to the section cleared for visar's dagger defense course. Belig had been looking forward to this for a while now. as he came up on the teacher, he could see a new trainee sneaking up on visar.  What in the light? The guy HAS to be new, or a complete wool head, or both.  Belig felt the small herb pouch and medical kit at his belt, and stood and waited for the game to erupt.

[Visar Falmaien]

As Visar prepared mentally for the course, toying with one of the wooden daggers for lack of something else to do, he heard a soft sound in the dirt behind him. A footstep?  he half wondered, startled that he hadn't noticed someone before in his anxiousness to be set up.  With such little time for a warning, Visar remained as he was, and simply gripped the wooden dagger he held more firmly. A second later an arm grasped him by the shoulder.

 

Visar turned almost casually, noting who it was before he did anything.  Davel, with a big grin on his face like he just stole a sweet pie.

 

“Good morning guardsman,”  the trainee said, but had no more time to say or do much else as Visar made his move, using this to show the trainee a taste of the lesson to come.  Visar quickly and smoothly stabbed with his free arm, jabbing Davel in the belly with the wooden dagger's rounded point.  Visar then took the arm gripping his shoulder and twisted it by the elbow, using his free hand and the pommel of the dagger for leverage, removing the grip and forcing Davel off balance (ooc: armbar with a bent elbow).  Visar stepped.  Once he stopped, it would not be difficult to drive Davel face first into the ground.

 

"Not a bad approach, you all but had me by surprise." Visar said, loosening on his grip and letting Davel know he was not trying to hurt him too badly.  "If I was an enemy with a real blade, however, you'd be in the dirt with a broken elbow and a bloody hole in your gut.  Never sneak up on someone who might be armed assuming they won't try to harm you.  Even if you don't see a knife, assume they have one, and you'll be all the much safer."

 

"I meant it only as part of the lesson, only I would have asked you to try to sneak up on me.  No worries, I'll have you attack me again in a similar manner once we have everyone here." he said, in a sense almost apologizing for roughing Davel up so soon.  Almost.

 

Visar recognized someone he had seen a few times in the Warder Yards.

 

"Ah, Belig, good to see you.  We'll wait for everyone else to show up, and then we'll begin in earnest."  he said to those gathered thus far.

 

(edit: ooc: still waiting on Saline)

[minisamus]

Closing her eyes Saline saw her closet as she remembered it best, in those days of sparceness where she had to work for the longest time in order to earn some spending money. The white cotton of a Novice dress she took to keep her humble. Lumped with another white dress, with the rainbow hem. Most of her other pieces were pale too; she never liked white, it made her look washed out and somewhere inside she had not abandoned her years with the tinkers. Aside from all this was a slimming silk dress, blue to make the effect of summer skies with her amber hair from Rory, with her usual good style, gifted Saline for their shared birthday. Saline baked a cake for that occasion, and it had been particularly sweet for the two to be celebrating together before they each went on their own ways.

 

But in the space not from her memories the closet stood dark and empty as she had just returned north and did not even start unpacking yet. Prefering to move her belongings in privacy, Saline waved the servant girl off, pressed a silver into the retreating liveried sleeves, wishing fervently for a cup of good Tremalking tea. A high-cut tunic, white still, hung over her frame, its silver belt chincing the black trousers into place below her rolling hips.

 

On her desk the newborns fell back onto their cradles, tremoring slightly, liquid eyes locked onto hers. Their faces soft, yet to be cast into the archicture of cheeks and chins. It was an abstract carving she whittled, incomplete but recognizable. Knife still in hand she went to look for better wood.

 

Long panelled corridors lined with bookshelves reminded her of the intrigue she had encountered in the Tower and Saline began to walk faster . . .

 

When the cat curled around her ankles, it suggested hunger, not affection. That was what Saline adored about cats. They treat their owners so distainfully . . . Only a cat would ignore an Aes Sedai And it was true. The many times she tried to tell her cat "sit down!" it would vacate the room, stepping over her clothes on its way to a rendez-vous elsewhere. However, today it walked beside her, pretending Saline did not exist. Maybe the cat also wanted to stroll outside.

 

Sunshine gleamed through the windows, warming her back, and with that warmth carried the joy and pride of small-brained living creatures beyond. She breathed with that tune in her head. Once outside, however, a rustle in the grass made her scurry for cover.

 

"Ho! Who goes there?" Came a voice. It was strong, sturdy, cheerful and unafraid. Saline did not recognise the young man. But she was away for a long time.

 

She stepped out from behind the rock, laughing. Her agelessness did not seem at odds with her merriment though.

 

"Good day, Aes Sedai" called the young man from his post, as he dismissed her in favor of other potential threats in the Yard.

 

"This is a trainee" She said to the cat, having espied a training session in the backdrop "shall we go on, my furball jigglypoo?"

 

Knife still in hand, she strode into the gathering of three. Two were dressed in the same fashion as the trainee they just encountered. "Mind if we join?"

 

But when she looked back, the distainful cat who had been intently ignoring her was gone. Shrugging, she held up the whittling knife as though to say, what?

 

(Ooc: apologies for dragging us behind. My bio was only approved to-day)

[The winds of Time]

Belig blinked a couple of times at the woman who had just walked up.  Interesting, never seen her around here before... Is she new?  Belig had relaxed a bit when visar took it easy on the wool headed boy.  what was his name again? Davel or something... Belig qquickly put up the herbs he had brought to ensure that after the lesson everyone would be in good shape. He had heard about visar's strong training methods. I'd probably make it in one piece easy but these other two... Belig started wishing he had brought a bigger medical kit.

 

He turned to the woman who had approached and had noticed the cat stalking off after a bird. He saw the knife flash and he tensed up, backing up a few paces and dropping into a hand to hand guard. "Watch it she's got a real knife!" Belig quickly moved forward as the woman's eyes widened in a bit of surprise as he moved and grabbed her wrist.

[minisamus]

The uncharacteristic pressure on her wrist increased. Saline gasped, nearly choked on the sudden inflow of air, and had thought she heard her mentor in firmness as her own grip loosened, and the knife dropped. It clattered on the tiles of the East training grounds with a loud report. I’d always been warned that a scimitar would not be quick or small enough to help in tight places. But the dark shadow of the Aes Sedai’s thought passed over her, as the hawk’s shadow passes over a crouching rabbit. A single drop of stinging sweat ran into her eye and she wiped it away absently with her free hand. Saline had not focused on that handy little trick of not perspiring and it began to show.

 

What was also obvious had been the tension in the grip clamping her wrist. It belonged to a young man, one of the students. Had she frightened him?

 

“It’s merely a whittling knife," said Saline as though addressing that little furball barfer! of a cat, her words even and quiet, “let go.”

 

And raising her voice slightly she addressed the others, “what is this class for, daggers? I’d be interested in learning more! That way I won’t be dropping stuff all the time.”

 

[ShinyThingsGood]

Rolling a shoulder than felt disjointed from Visar's rough handling and rubbing a tender spot on his stomach where he could already feel a bruise forming, Davel moved ruefully to take a place beside Visar.  He had been more unsuccessful than he had thought was possible, but at least Visar hadn't caused any lasting damage.

 

The table in front of them was arrayed with blunted wooden knives of all shapes and sizes, and there was an empty place for the one Visar still held in his hand.  If the manhandling Visar had just given him was any example, this morning was going to be very rough indeed.  Trying to wrap his mind around that, Davel let his gaze wander.

 

He saw another trainee approach, Belig by name if he remembered correctly from the yards, and Visar greeted him in a formal but warm manner.  From another direction he saw a woman coming closer with, strangely enough, a cat twining about her ankles.  She held a small whittling knife in her hand, and he wondered briefly if she had wandered into the yards while looking for a piece of wood to carve.  He decided if she came closer, he would direct her to the small garden outside the yards.  There was plenty of loose timber there, and in the yards she could get hurt by any number of careless trainees.

 

Just as that thought occurred to him, he saw Belig approach her, stance ready to attack.  The boy yelled a warning about the harmless knife in the woman's hand, then grabbed her by the wrist.  Wondering what threat Belig saw in a woman with a whittling knife smaller than her hand, Davel looked closer at the woman in Belig's grip.

 

She certainly seemed confident, considering she was at the mercy of the young trainee who held her.  She stood calmly and Davel could see her explaining to Belig that she meant no harm.  When she raised her voice and asked to join in their training, Davel got a better look at her face.

 

He had only been in Tar Valon a short time, as, he assumed, had Belig.  Within days in this city, though, all were able to recognize the ageless face of an Aes Sedai.  Shocked that Belig hadn't noticed this earlier, Davel opened his mouth to tell Belig as much, then closed it when he saw Visar step forward.

 

Staying where he was, Davel once more raised his hand absently to rub at his sore stomach.  He was curious to see how this turned out.  It took an oblivious, or overzealous, trainee to attack an Aes Sedai.  With any luck, he wouldn't be the only one to take a few lumps today.

[Visar Falmaien]

Visar was about to get started early when a woman, with a cat trailing behind her, joined with the group.  She held a small knife in her hand and asked,

"Mind if we join?"

Visar was unsure who "we" was, but he was about to agree that she could join them.  She looked like a woman who was used to getting what she wanted, and she had asked very politely.  Furthermore, Visar recognized the distinct facial features of an Aes Sedai.

Before he could say anything, however, Belig overzealously moved to grab her wrist.

Silverpike eat me alive!!!  Visar's fist clenched, furious that a trainee would be such a fool as to forcefully grab an Aes Sedai without her permission.

 

Luckily, the lady meekly defended herself with only words.  Fortunate for Belig, she could have fried him to a crisp if she thought her life was threatened!  Clearly she had not meant to make threatening motions with the whittling knife.

 

She was just asking what the class was about when Visar couldn't contain himself anymore.  He hurled the wooden dagger he held at Belig's face, the wooden pommel smacking the lad in the chin.

 

"Unhand her at once, trainee!" he bellowed as he stormed up to the trainee.  As Belig recoiled from the shock of the blow, Visar got right up into his face.

 

"Never, and I mean Never do that again, trainee!  Even if an Aes Sedai means harm to you with a knife, and she most obviously was not, you should stand there and take it like a man!  Never grab or strike an Aes Sedai!  You will regret surviving the encounter if you ever do that again, I assure you.  Stand over by trainee Davel, at attention!"

 

Visar bowed at the Aes Sedai, and almost sheepishly picked up the wooden dagger where it had fallen.

 

"I must humbly apologize, Aes Sedai." he said in a much quieter voice, though his blood still raced as he bowed a second time.  "I have two most unruly trainees with me today.  I assure you trainee Belig will be punished later for his overzealous and rash act, in addition to whatever penance you see fit.  Ah yes, your question..."

 

Visar took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair, calming himself down.

 

"Yes, this is a dagger defense course, and we were just about to begin, Aes Sedai.  If you don't mind getting a few bruises, you most certainly may join us."

 

As the Aes Sedai responded, Visar observed his pupils for the day.  An Aes Sedai, and two very green trainees.  He would have to do this simple then, since he did not know what any of them had learned before.

 

"Alright, we take up the dagger.  Davel, pair up with Saline Sedai, just the one wooden dagger for now.  Don't worry, I'll use you to demonstrate some.  Belig, you're with me.  Now, before we begin, I should caution you about this wooden training instrument.  In practice, we will drill in pairs, one being the attacker, the other doing the counter.  We'll alternate who strikes and who defends.  For the attackers, be careful not to aim your attacks at the face or neck.  High thrusts, aim at the upper chest, now higher.  As long as you follow that, we shouldn't have any eye or throat injuries."

 

"Now, we're learning dagger defense in the context of assault, not dueling.  Dueling, both combatants are prepared beforehand, and duelists tend to be more cautious with their attacks, knowing the other can counter.  With a more sudden attack, there may be no warning or preparation before the aggressor strikes, and when he does he will do it to kill, not to draw first blood.  In dagger combat, you can expect fully committed blows meant to drive a blade all the way into you, and when you practice that keep that intent to kill in mind."

 

"There is usually a very small window between seeing that someone has a knife and when they strike you.  Good knife men won't even give you the chance to see the weapon. So if someone is approaching you in a threatening manner, it is better to assume that they do have a blade, and start thinking about how you might get away or defend yourself.  If you see the knife beforehand, you might have other options, but if an enemy is this close to you."

 

Visar stepped right up to Davel, only a foot or two away from him.  He gripped Davel by the shirt, using the distraction of the grip to strike from below again.  Davel tried to cover but Visar's blow got through.

 

"You may only have a mere moment to react.  In that moment, you must defend yourself or risk injury or death.  Never give up, though.  Your life may not be over with one blow.  I've heard stories of men being stabbed a dozen times and living to tell about it."

 

"The first and most important step to defending yourself is getting control of the weapon arm.  This is best done by getting a grip.  Belig."

 

Visar tossed the wooden dagger to Belig.

 

"Try to kill me with that."

[minisamus]

Her own opinion, which she did not air, was that the trainee had every right to defend himself had an Aes Sedai meant him harm. Not that one could, for she is bound by her Oaths, unless she assumed her life in jeopardy which undoubtly crossed their teacher's mind. Not an auspicuous start to the lesson. Through her mind, while she faced her classmates, flitted phrases, tunes, fragments of song to keep her voice cheerful as Saline nodded to their teacher, letting other thoughts go. All her sallies at debates had been bogged down in technicalities and this galled her more than she would care to admit.

 

"Not a problem. I'm Saline, and the blame was mine not . . ."

 

"Belig's." The man prompted.

 

"Belig. Right." The Red grimaced at the bruise on the trainee's chin. He obviously didn't know she was Aes Sedai. Maybe she'll offer to heal later on.

 

Moving on, Visar the instructor obviously had a lot of respect for the materal he taught, or at least that was how he made an impression on her. What he said about reactions especially made a lot of sense, and she resolved not to make a blatant fool of herself like she did at the very start. Visar first picked out her partner-to-be, Davel for a hands-on demonstration then asked Belig to attack him while they watched his counter.

 

Picking up her wooden dagger, nay she let the whittling knife be, she joined Davel; Saline pondered whether they'd be afraid to strike at her. Heightwise her partner was taller than her; she also weighed less so the strength would be in her waist not shoulders. She had approached Davel with a smile and the reassurance that she would not channel no matter what seeing how it was training daggers. And so they stood next to the pairing, awaiting their turn to practice.

[The winds of Time]

Belig felt utter embarrassment after the quick throw from Visar.  Aes Sedai!?!? Blood and bloody ashes a Aes Sedai! Why the heck didn't I recongnize her before?  In truth, Belig had only heard stories of Aes Sedai and their ageless appearance. All the time in the yards he had spent either training in total focus which was normal for him, or in his barrack. He mentally kicked himself for reacting in such a way over a whittling knife. Bloody blazes this is the only time I'm going to kick myself for being so damn observant  He reflected over the thoughts of his mind, he only reacted as he had been taught by his brother all those years ago, and the haunting memories of his last drunken caretaker haunted him as he remembered a similar flash of metal.  Get a hold of yourself!

 

As visar gave his lesson he quickly threw a dagger to Belig, and gave him the order to attack. Belig quickly grabbed the practice weapon out of mid-air and moved forward with as much speed as he could muster, thinking that visar would probably be even more infuriated if he did any less. As he closed distance he brought the weapon into a quick stab for just below the right pectoral muscle.

[Visar Falmaien]

Visar was somewhat surprised that Saline Sedai was not so angry with Belig, but he supposed Belig's mistake was understandable.  Not all of these trainees were well versed about etiquette around Aes Sedai, much less knowing how to recognize them.  Visar intended to fix that mistake after the lesson was over, however.  Belig might have gotten lucky, but chances were he might not survive another mishap like that with an Aes Sedai.

 

As Belig came in with a stab right at his heart (I think?), Visar had his hands ready.  He struck strongly at Belig's wrist with his own hand to the side and kept with the parry, obtaining a grab as the blade came at him.  Reinforcing the grip with his other hand, Visar jerked Belig's elbow under his own armpit as he pivoted on his feet, putting Belig into a prone and somewhat painful position.

 

With a practiced flick of his left hand, Visar disarmed Belig, and took the dagger in his own hand.  He paused, and made sure Belig's arm was alright.

 

"Good attack." he said simply.  "I want all your attacks to be like that, aimed to kill." he said to everyone.

 

Visar turned to the class.  "There, I took his dagger from him, and could have attacked him in turn if I wished.  Alternately, I could have sat down hard on his arm and broken it, but that is dangerous to practice so we won't do that move.  But the first step is most important.  You must obtain some form of control, preferably a grab on the weapon arm, in order to neutralize a knife or dagger attack."

 

"Alright, so first off, if your opponent has a knife, watch the hand that carries the weapon, not the weapon itself.  If you watch the blade, it will be all the more easy to be mesmerized by the deadly steel, and freeze in panic.  The hand will tell you what your assailant will do to you, since the hand moves first.  Your priority is the weapon arm, even if he grabs or punches you.  When he strikes, be it a thrust or a slice, you must first intercept the blow, deflect it from hitting you, and stay with it and get a grab.  There are many ways to do this, against attacks coming at you from left or right, from above or below.  Davel and Belig, practice getting grabs, alternating who attacks and who defends.  I'll let you figure out what works and what doesn't, just be sure to be safe where you thrust in case you miss the cover.  Don't do anything past the grab, just make sure you've got a good grip, or the attacker can break free and attack you again."

 

Once Visar saw that Belig and Davel set up, Visar turned to Saline.

 

"Saline Sedai, I'll start you off with two handed covers."

 

Visar showed Saline how to intercept an attack and get a good, firm grip with both of her hands from a high and a low thrust.  Two handed covers were the safest and surest way to defend, especially since Saline would most likely be facing an attacker that was physically stronger.

 

"Alright, now you try, Saline Sedai.  I'm going to attack you, get a grab, as strong as you can manage or I'll break free and attack you again.  If you miss the first time, don't worry, you might still be 'alive', try to get a grab on my next attack."

 

Visar started off with a low thrust aimed at Saline Sedai's belly.

[minisamus]

As Visar motioned she noted intently how he had corrected Belig’s arm, the angle and position of it for the kill. It reminded her of archery when the aiming depended on a steady arm and keen sight. Of course archery also required excruciatingly slow precision. The concept was fairly easy: try and protect your vitals while performing the different forms, or stances. For this exercise, they were to watch the weapon hand, parry any thrusts, intercept by grabbing at the weapon arm; harden the grip and cover the attacker. In practice the theory turned out to be more challenging than Visar made it look as they grappled.

 

When her turn came to actually try out the two-handed covers Saline put the wooden blade down and crouched, legs planted apart on the ground. From experience, it was best to advance from guard, then resume the stance for protection, sort of dancing closer, then away and closer again when the opportunity arose. She was eager to see what new tricks Visar would devise, and how well the covers would work as they practiced.

 

It also helped to calm her shaky breathing. Through her previous sparring training the calmness was within her; she knew it had to feel natural as she opened up to draw on the well-spring, which was her only real chance of successfully intercepting where the blows were coming from.  So she meditated, 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 guard stance. Mostly assuming the Spring helped with focus, so she wasn’t distracted by other thoughts as she had already harnessed her emotions together, using her anticipation to relax into the environment, feeling one with her body and mind.

 

It was satisfying to be able to brush away Visar’s dagger arm as it darted toward her belly, although being empty-handed was strange when normally she had the bundled lathe, or sometimes with very experienced guards she would use live steel, her scimitars. Her balance was offset by the unexpected lightness; however her muscles slowly regained their poise as she fell back, watching carefully. That low-thrust toward the abdomen reminded her of parting the silk , good for gutting yet used for inflicting nonlethal wounds. 

 

“Guess I’m still alive.” Her knees felt wobbly, although she kept them bent.

 

Visar was only warming up, though. It was grueling trying to keep up with him as attacks came left, right, up, down. The Taraboner was accustomed to the openings that Tower Guard Lyssa would purposefully give her. But she saw an opportunity as he glided into another overhand stance, a complicated move as different parts of his body moved simultaneously to produce an abrupt, forceful stroke at the neck. She pivoted on one foot from her starting position to grab at his weapon hand, but he slyly lowered the origin of his slash to the middle of her body . . . but rather than bruising he tapped her belt with the wooden dagger. The arc, she observed, had been an excellent choice for speed, since it landed fairly high up, permitting for faster draws regardless of blocking or attacking next.

 

Groaning a little inside she stepped up to meet another flick of her opponent’s dagger in her space. It was strange returning to the apprentice seat. She would have enjoyed herself more had she been progressing as well as she hoped. There was no hope of disarming Visar at this rate, although her plan was to avoid getting stabbed in the face. Wasn’t life wonderful?

 

Slowly after a few rounds by-rote Saline began to recognize a pattern of where his weapons hand would be, and worked toward that. She took into account Visar’s height comparative to her own, and instead of letting her opponent approach, stepped up. Knowing well the outcome of the match she chose to reach out aggressively, despite Visar easily deflecting her grabs she began trying to cover the spots she marked in her head.  She was so amazed to have successfully grabbed Visar’s dagger hand that she managed to hold on.

 

Then he stepped casually aside and she was left holding nothing as he slipped free to attack again, jabbing Saline in the leg. "Yo!"

[Visar Falmaien]

Visar came at Saline repeatedly, noting that she was calm and determined, trying to get the cover.

 

The first time she brushed away his dagger arm.  Visar paused and gave her some slight praise.  "Deflecting is an option too, but remember to parry strongly, and close in after so I can't make much use of my blade.  Getting a grab is best so I can't come at you again.  Don't worry about the counter yet, just work on defending yourself." he said, and came at her again.

 

This time, he picked up speed, and varied where he struck, feinting and striking at all of her openings save for her neck and face.  He feinted at the neck once, and she went to grab it, but he lowered the strike, deciding to just tap her belt.  No need to hit harder than necessary, and that was a cheap strike to be sure.

 

After a few more tries, she managed to get a good solid grab.  She hesitated briefly, and that was all Visar needed to dislodge her grip with his off hand and stab her in the leg.

 

"Good grab, that's how it's done." he said encouragingly, "But the grab is only the first part.  It gives you only a mere moment to do something, and if you hesitate, your enemy will find away to try to kill you again.  We'll move on to the next step once I check up on these WarTs (ooc: WARder Trainee)."

 

Visar grinned, and went over to see how it was going with Davel and Belig.  Hopefully they hadn't injured each other from forgetting his order to not stab at the face or neck.

[The winds of Time]

Belig turned to Davel and took up his wooden dagger, then dropped into a attack stance. Belig kept up his stabbing attacks at Davel's abdomen. Davel picked up what visar had taught fairly well and got the block more often than not, but still was slower in some areas. Belig began working against Davels weaker spots with relentless fervor.

[ShinyThingsGood]

The practice blade Davel held in his hand was weighted just as a real dagger would be, and he used it as he had so often used it's steel counterparts in the past.  The hand holding the hilt was crossed with faded scars from inexpertly blocking vicious slashes, and each cut had been a lesson.  The steps he took were cautious and practiced, and in his mind the blade wasn't made of wood.  The opponent he faced was no longer a fellow trainee, but an attacker determined to take his life.

 

He held his blade low, and did his best to focus on more than the knife in Belig's hand.  His eyes flicked often to his opponents feet,  his off-hand, and his face, looking for any clue as to what might happen next. 

 

Davel's caution was not reflected in Belig.  The taller trainee attacked relentlessly, driving again and again at Davel's midsection.  Managing to block or redirect most of his opponents strikes, Davel's hands weren't quite fast enough to get a solid hold on either of Belig's hands.  Apparently he had been paying close attention to Visar's demonstrations and instructions, and Davel knew he wouldn't last long.  His real life experience counted for little here.

 

He saw Belig developing into a routine.  He had noted Davel's slower reactions on his left side, and aimed most of his attacks there.  Davel could already feel his arms and body developing welts where the blows had struck, and it was not difficult to tell that Belig was slightly more skilled than Davel with weapons.  If he was to have any chance of coming up on top, he had to somehow stack the odds in his favor, and in that manner perhaps his informal experience counted for more than he thought.  He knew how to fight dirty.

 

Again Belig struck out, extending his right hand across to attack at Davel's left side.  Once more and Davel was confident in the young man's pattern.  On the third such attack, Davel reacted, bringing his left hand in quickly and grabbing Belig's wrist.  Now off balance, Belig stumbled forward easily when Davel jerked hard on the boys weapon hand.  Aiming a savage thrust at Belig's middle, he connected solidly and heard his opponents breath explode from his lungs. 

 

Landing a successful attack inspired confidence in Davel, and because of this he didn't follow through as he should have.  Belig had recovered from the strike quickly, and struck Davel's right wrist with a powerful motion, and the wooden knife fell from numb fingers.  Reacting instinctively, Davel forewent Visar's instructions to aim attacks away from the face and neck.  He threw a vicious elbow directly at Belig's face, and he could feel wetness spreading on his sleeve where blood had fountained from Belig's nose. 

 

Belig stumbled back, and Davel attempted to use the distraction in order to reach his fallen weapon.  Once again, Belig recovered faster than Davel had thought possible, and as he dove to the ground, Belig's knife came up.  If It had been a steel blade, it would have been a killing blow, for the tip struck him just below the navel, and with dreadful precision proceeded to carve a path of fire up his body to his chest.  Already on his way down, Davel had no choice but to continue as he was, and he took some small comfort in the fact that he was able to recover his weapon.  Still, if this had been a true fight Belig would have just gutted him like a carp.

 

The blades may have been wooden, but the pressure from the slice up his middle had still been enough to draw blood.  Davel could feel the hot liquid soaking into his under tunic.  He could see the red spreading across Belig's face to match the color of Davel's chest and stomach, and knew that the other boy must also match him in exhaustion.  The fight so far had been brief, yet tiring, and his body ached from the repeated jabs and slashes Belig had gave.

 

Davel started taking deep breaths, much deeper than he truly needed.  He had made several costly mistakes, errors that would have cost him his life on the streets.  Belig was better than him, and he knew it.  Visar was nowhere in his field of vision, and without the instructors intervention, the fight would continue until it was ended by the trainee's.  If there was ever a time to fight dirty it was now.  Allowing the brown-haired trainee opposite him to think he was more tired than he was, Davel took several more shuddering breaths, and then exploded into action. 

 

He kicked at the ground, sending a cloud of dust and stones at Belig.  Only distracted for a moment, Belig sidestepped and turned his head slightly to avoid being blinded, but that moment was all Davel needed.  With a wordless cry, he flung himself at his opponent, knife extended in his right hand and his left hand up and ready to grab any attempted counterattack.

 

He nearly succeeded.  The point of the practice blade was at Belig's chest before the other trainee grabbed his wrist in a vice-like grip, and like lightning returned a thrust at Davel's chest.  If he had not been prepared, Belig's strike would have landed.  Instead, Davel also grabbed a firm hold on the wrist holding Belig's blade, and now the trainee's were locked in identical positions.  Knife-tips pressed firmly against the other's chest, and with their own grip being the only thing holding the opponents blade from going home.  Unable to move or give an inch, lest the other gain the advantage and win the fight, they stood, feet planted firmly and arms shaking with effort.  Davel gritted his teeth at the strain.  If Visar did not interfere soon, he did not know how the fight would end.  Although, practically, Belig had already won the fight with his slice up Davel's middle.

[The winds of Time]

Belig had been stunned at his partner's dirty tactics and lack of attention to orders. But it wasn't enough to throw Belig too far off balance. he could feel the blood from his nose drip down his face as he faced his opponent, each pressing the daggers into the other's chest. This has excalated far to much, time to put this boy down a few pegs. Belig brought his mind to a keen focus as he grappled for advantage and then kicked into high gear. Bringing his left knee up he nailed Davel right in between the legs which caused the boy to drop the practice weapon and double over in pain, face forward. as Davel's face came down Belig brought his knee right up into his face, sending the lad flying backwards landing on his back. Belig quickly moved and took a kill position with the practice weapon over Davel.

 

"You have made quite a mess, and if this had been a real fight I would have killed you." Belig felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. Oh boy... visar will not be pleased. Belig got up and then helped Davel get back on his feet. "Not bad for a beginning brawler, but I'd practice a bit more before challenging a borderlander to a fight."  Belig sighed. "after class is finished, i will use my herbs to reduce some of the pain your in and get you patched up, that is all i can guarantee. I caution you though, don't do that again."

 

Once Davel seemed to be a bit more steady Belig turned about and looked at Visar. "too much?"

[Visar Falmaien]

(ooc: sorry for the delay)

 

Visar watched Davel and Belig go at it, rather roughly.  I thought I told them not to go past the grab...  He narrowed his eyes, but perhaps they already knew the concepts.  There was no need to treat them as children and limit what they practiced by steps all the time.  Hopefully they know what they're doing...oh burn it all...they don't!  I shouldn't be surprised, he thought to himself.

 

Then things started to get out of control.  Davel struck a good strike at Belig's middle, but Belig, who might have survived such a strike for a short while with his build.  Belig kept going, which was not a bad instinct, and disarmed Davel.  But Davel reacted by throwing himself at Belig and striking him in the face with his elbow.

At least he did not do so with the daggers... Visar thought, yet already he sought an opportunity to end this brawl before it resulted in an injury.

 

They stabbed at each other, and both obtained grabs.  Yet now the stronger of the two, Belig, took advantage, and kneed Davel first in the groin and then the face, and quickly took a position over Davel to 'finish' him off.

 

"Enough!  Cease fighting!" Visar said then, a little louder.  Belig spoke to Davel for a while, offering herbs or something like that.  Then he turned to Visar, with a concerned look in his eyes.

"Too much?" he asked.

 

Visar's frown twitched, and his eyes were not amused.  He took a clean handkerchief from his pocket and tossed it wordlessly to Belig to wise his bloody nose.

 

"I did tell both of you to only work on the grabs and avoid hitting the face lest you put out an eye, but it seems you two must abandon the idea of safety and finish everything with a fight.  Practicing in earnest against uncooperative opponents is an important part of training, and I admire your martial spirit, but next time remember to spar safely, so you do not injure your training partner.  And be wary of sparring with something you have only just learned.  Or something you have not learned yet..."

 

Keeping his stern glare, Visar stepped closer to Davel to see if he had recovered yet.

 

"You alright Davel?  He got you good, didn't he?  Later, I can show you what to do if you get locked up with a stronger opponent, with or without daggers.  But for now, can you get up and continue?  Pain is temporary, but a useful teacher nonetheless.  I need you as my demonstration partner so we can show the next step."

 

Visar dragged the poor lad up, and placed a wooden dagger firmly into his hand.

 

"Now, we know that getting a grab is important, but if we're unable to do anything from the grab, then a stronger opponent will continue to try to harm you, as we just saw with our little tussle here.  I will show you three general options from the grab, though there are a multitude of nasty tricks and variations you can do.  I don't have the time to show all the ones I know to you today.  First off, is taking the knife.  Davel, if you please."

 

Visar motioned Davel to attack him at the gut level.  As Davel did, Visar clamped his palms down on the blow, stopping it and obtaining a strong two-handed grab.  Then, he let go with one hand, grabbed the tip of the weapon, and rotated it towards Davel's elbow on the inside of his grip (extra: where the fingers and thumb are the only thing holding on).  Despite Davel's firm grip, the dagger was easily stripped from his grasp, and it was a simple thing to transfer the weapon to Visar's other hand, ready to counter.  Visar had Davel attack him again from above with a reverse grip, and showed a similar knife take from a one-handed cover.

 

"Taking the knife is especially useful if your opponent is stronger than you.  Now, you must be careful in doing this, as you must do it quickly and correctly to succeed.  First, you can lever a dagger out of someone's grip by either rotating it underneath the thumb towards the inside of their elbow, or out by the flat through the fingers, again to the inside of the elbow.  Any other direction, however, and this will be much harder to do since there is more of their hand to resist you.  Second, grab the tip of the weapon, not the base, and be careful to not slide your hand on the dagger blade, or you will surely be cut.  Third, though it is quite possible to take the blade without being cut at all, you may be cut trying anyway.  If you do it successfully, however, such a minor scratch is well worth the result of removing your enemy's weapon from their grasp.  Practice this, alternating attacking and defending as we've been doing, and only work on getting the grab and taking the dagger.  Do nothing further or I swear I will beat both of you senseless."  Visar glared at Davel and Belig, meaning to carry through with his threat.  Glancing at Saline with a much softer expression, Visar considered for a moment.

 

"In fact...Belig, with me.  Davel, as long as you only work on the technique, work with Saline Sedai here.  Start slow and easy to make sure you both get it.  Let me know if you two have any difficulties."

 

Visar paired with Belig, and gave him the wooden dagger.  As Belig attacked first, Visar showed him how to take a dagger again, and then returned a stab for Belig to practice however many times he needed to.

[minisamus]

Saline went quiet. Wait, what was she looking at?

 

A frown had crept across the instructor's face as they watched Davel fall down and didn't get up again. Guess this isn't Belig's day. From behind the calmness of her well-spring, Saline studied the boy who steadied his partner into standing and was rather apologetically offering his herbs for healing. Still a tad shakily Davel stood there as Visar demonstrated their next steps, and she had to wonder if Davel got any part of the lesson at all. She would have been dazed after being knocked down; however, Aes Sedai training required ignoring the pain and focusing on the gain. From what Visar was saying about being cut was worth it if one could acquire the dagger she had the suspicion that weapons training was very much in this vein. Personally she was a wimp when it comes to pain and under no circumstance could she envision grabbing at a live blade, although the call of self-preservation was quite strong to her since she would never bond anybody who had dedicated his/her life to protecting the sisters. She did not want to be such a wimp that she would be afraid to walk down the streets without knowing how to use a hidden dagger. If an attacker had managed to get her defence weapon away it would be even more trouble than having forgotten the dagger in her rooms. Like Belig and Davel she was there to learn and as Visar said, pain could be a very good mistress.

 

Picking up a wooden dagger she twirled it and aimed at Davel's kneecap rather sympathetically but was pleasantly surprised to learn he had retained much of what Visar taught them as he delivered the technique with more than adequate mastery.

[ShinyThingsGood]

Pain exploded in Davel's groin, and as he doubled over, again in his face.  Belig had twice caught him viciously with his knee, and as quick as that, the spar was ended.  Davel lay flat on his back, Belig poised over him with the wooden dagger at his throat.  As he lay there, completely still and trying to force down the pain writhing through his body like a living thing, a shadow fell over the two trainee's.  He saw Belig turn his face, and then climb to his feet and offer his hand to Davel.  Unsteadily, Davel took it and rose, resisting the urge to groan aloud.  Belig offered a few words of commiseration, but Davel's ears were ringing and he didn't bother putting forth the effort to make sense of the boy's words.

 

Suddenly, Visar was there, standing furious over the two of them and delivering a stern upbraiding on what they had just done.  Davel stood there swaying, doing his best to remain upright, and tried to look apologetic.  When Visar turned to look specifically at him, he hoped the irritation he felt at so spectacularly losing his first spar appeared as contrition on his face.

 

Then, before he had fully come to his senses, Visar placed a wooden dagger in his hand and told him to strike.  As many times as he was told, Davel tried to land a blow on the guardsman, but Visar disarmed him each time with an ease that bordered on the contemptuous, all the while giving instructions on how he was doing it.

 

By the time Visar was finished demonstrating new techniques to disarm an opponent, Davel's head had stopped buzzing and the fire in his groin and gut had faded down to a tamped ember.  He still moved stiffly, however, as he took position across from Saline, the Aes Sedai who had decided to join in their training today.  As she twirled her wooden practice blade in her hand, Davel wondered if she would hold back, and whether he should as well.  Trying to keep in mind Visar's admonition to stick to the technique this time, and not to merely brawl, he was nearly caught off guard as Saline offered a well-aimed blow toward his legs.

 

He resisted the urge to lash out at the attacking arm with his own wooden knife, and instead reached low to grab Saline's knife by the blade, twisting toward the inside of her elbow as Visar had shown, and as quickly as that, he now held Saline's weapon in his off hand.  Somewhat sheepishly, he flipped the knife around and offered it back to his new opponent.  His grab had not been anywhere near as proficient as Visar's had been when he had demonstrated, but Davel still found himself surprised at how easily the move he had attempted had worked.  Saline took her knife back, and as she did so, Davel struck out at her shoulder, fast, but not as quickly as he could.  They weren't aiming to hurt anymore, after all, only to learn.  Saline's eyes widened momentarily at the unexpectedness of Davel's attack, but she was quick enough to grab and twist Davel's blade before it struck home.  Apparently she had been paying close attention to Visar's instructions as well.

 

Back and forth they went like that, jab, slash, feint, and sidestep.  Although the match against the Aes Sedai lacked the aggression of his spar with Belig, the work was still demanding as each of them tried harder and harder to land a blow without losing their weapon.  Each were successful in striking their opponent as often as they were not, and soon Davel had forgotten his earlier worry about holding back against a woman.  She certainly didn't seem to be holding back against him. 

 

Sweat poured down his face and beneath his clothes, running into the cut in his middle and stinging like nettles.  Strangely, Saline's brow seemed to be clear of all moisture, although her breathing was becoming as labored as his.  They had been sparring for nearly a quarter hour, practicing each of the disarming techniques Visar had demonstrated from every angle they could conceive, and both had bruises to show for their failures. 

 

Allowing his mind to wander briefly, Davel wondered how long the match would continue before Belig and Visar were finished.  Unluckily, or perhaps not, Saline chose that moment to strike out, and Davel cursed himself inwardly as Saline's wooden knife slashed lightly across the meat of his chest.  A small smile played across the woman's face at her success, although her eyes stayed focused on Davel.  Grimacing, Davel responded by aiming a quick jab at her stomach, no longer moving with any less speed than he was capable. 

Where was Visar?  Had they not practiced enough?  Doing his best to ignore aching muscles and throbbing welts, let alone the jagged tear up his midsection, Davel gritted his teeth in determination.  He would continue on until the guardsman arrived and told him to stop.

[The winds of Time]

Belig focused intently as he captured visar's dagger like he showed, clamping both hands and deflecting the blow while forcing the knife from his grip. Attention focused he continued to practice, Catch,Deflect,disarm. over and over again he did it. Then Visar started to go faster, and what Belig couldn't catch barely missed as he side stepped and avoided the dagger. Visar also changed up what attacks were being done, it progressed from the simple stab to a slash to the belly, so a slash to the chest, and to slashes that changed direction, Belig tried and captured most of what he was attacked with, maintaining his focus as he kept his breathing under control. Belig also began to see some odd openings when he missed the catch, eventually after the sixth time Belig was forced to dodge a rapid stab to the chest he decided to ask a question.

 

"Sir if we could pause for a moment..."  Visar ceased his attack with his arm fully extended to Beligs left where he barely had dodged the oncoming strike. "Would this be an effective counter as well?" Belig grabbed Visar's wrist and swung his body under the extended arm while twisting the wrist with the knife in hand. "and then from here you could break their arm if need be correct?" as Belig faked a blow to the back of visar's elbow.

[Visar Falmaien]

(ooc: loathe I am to do this, but I think I'll start wrapping things up.  Feel free to stay longer if you want.  Hopefully this post is coherent...let me know otherwise)

 

Visar drilled with Belig for a long time, doing the specific drill until it was becoming monotonous, and then trying different attacks, testing how he would react.  He thrust and slashed at almost every target possible within reason, using what he had learned from warders and guardsmen from the South and the North.  In the South, especially with the Altaran knife duels, many practitioners preferred quick slashing attacks at bare chested or thin clothed targets.  However, in the North, daggers were generally suited more for thrusting past thicker clothing and mail armor.  Visar thought it was important to learn the advantages and disadvantages of both.

 

His attacks started wearing Belig out, and the man began to try to dodge them.  Mostly successful since Visar wasn't starting very close and wasn't going at full speed, Visar almost grinned when Belig asked about a technique option.

 

His wrist hurt, but the pressure was not quite hard enough for him to lose his dagger completely.  The trainee even had an elbow strike waiting.  The technique was done well, but Belig would need to learn to do it faster and tweak a few things.  For starters, Visar could see Belig's foot right beneath him.

 

Visar bent in his right arm, and with his left, Visar scooped up Belig's leg by the knee, and, having the borderlander off balance, lifted it high while pushing Belig's upper body downwards to the side.  Belig toppled to the ground on his back, though Visar held on to soften the fall.  Helping him back up, Visar answered his question.

 

"Yes, that technique is a good one, but there are counters to every technique, even the good ones.  We're just about to get to those, though, so be patient.  Be sure not to overextend your leg while stepping in, and do not hesitate once you get the grip.  Either force me to the ground or strike the elbow right away.  Thank you for not doing so with force, though.  Good use of restraint." he finished with a smirk.

 

"Guess I should check on the other two, it's been a while." he said, and headed over to where Saline and Davel were practicing.

 

They were going at it well, he thought, until he saw one of Saline's attacks, as well as their covers, which were off a little.

 

"Hold it for a second.  Saline Sedai, I would advise you to not twirl the dagger often, unless you mean to scare off your enemy by merely flashing steel at them.  It remains an option, but as a feinting motion only to throw an enemy off. You won't get a powerful strike with just the wrist, and your whole arm's a target if you make wide motions.  Plus if your grip is too loose, the knife could get knocked right out of your hand.  Twirling is for Gleemen showing off their tricks, not warriors. (ooc: ok I'm a little biased against Thom's showy knife stuff, so sue me)  Instead, hold the weapon with a firm grip, make a short chop motion when you cut with the least movement possible, and thrust almost like you're punching.  And Davel, you try to take the knife while you don't have a secure enough grip, they might break loose and strike you again!  Get the grab on the weapon arm firmly with your free hand like I showed you, not just blocking with the dagger.  Your free hand should have the grab, and then pry their weapon out of their grip with your dagger in a similar manner.  If it helps, drop your dagger and just practice defending unarmed, catch first, then take.  Then you can use the unarmed covers and adapt them with a blade in hand."

 

"But other than that, good attacks and defenses for the most part, you'll both get it soon." he added, trying not to sound too critical.  After all, they had only been drilling for quarter of an hour, a reasonably short time.  Visar remembered it taking hours for him to get some of the moves down.

 

"Here's a good drill for you to practice in your free time.  Only one person has a blade, and he is the attacker.  The defender must take the knife from him without being seriously harmed and then he becomes the new attacker, and you switch back and forth.  Almost the same as we've been doing."

 

"But as we've a time constraint, namely lunch, we're moving on.  Davel, I need you for a minute."

 

As Davel came over, Visar could see he was getting worn out from the drills and the blows from Belig.  Visar felt that he needed to press on, though; he was becoming extremely hungry.  Hopefully Davel would be alright, and if not, all he had to do was ask and Visar would be willing to send him to the infirmary and continue on.

 

"Ok, sometimes you won't be able to take the knife, or another opportunity will present itself from the grab on the weapon arm."

 

After asking for the usual attack from Davel, Visar obtained a grab and yanked at Davel's arm so that it was outstretched.

 

"If you can get his arm straightened out, that's a good opportunity to break the elbow.  I can strike up at it, either with my palm or my dagger pommel if I have it in hand.  You can also yank the arm up and onto your shoulder,"  Visar pivoted, raising the outstretched arm onto his shoulder.  "If you yank down hard on the elbow here, you can break or dislocate it.  In practice though, get to this stretched out point and no further.  And if it hurts your training partner, which it will if you do it right, ease off if he taps out."

 

"And thirdly, you can use that pressure on the elbow to take your enemy to the ground where he'll be more vulnerable."

 

Visar lifted Davel's poor arm off his shoulder, and got a grab on both the wrist and the elbow.  Pivoting around to gain momentum against the arm as the lever, Visar stopped just short of pushing Davel into the ground face first, keeping a painful lock on his straightened arm.

 

"Here, I can take his knife if he still has it in his grip, or I can draw my own and stab him while he's down."  Once miming this play, Visar helped Davel to his feet again. 

 

"So there you have it.  You have three rough options from your life saving cover and grab: take the knife, work or break the elbow or another part of the arm, or throw or push your opponent down into the dirt.  Techniques and variations are endless from these basic principles.  With a knife it's not that different, only you can defend with your knife hand as well, and you can always do the old 'grab and stab'."

 

Visar glanced at the sun.  It was not quite noon, but it was getting close.  His stomach rumbled loudly.  Frowning, he wished he could show the trainees and this tough Aes Sedai much, much more.  But he had covered the basic essentials as he saw them, and with time and practice, they would get it down and come up with techniques they preferred.

 

"Well, I think I'll leave the lesson at that.  If you want to still drill these you can.  If you have any questions, I'll stay and help you as best I can.  If not, practice this stuff on your own till you get it down, and you'll be on your way to learning how to defend against knife or dagger attacks."

 

Visar waited to see if they wanted to keep practicing or had any questions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[minisamus]

Darn. What little she had know of daggers probably did come from watching gleemen when she was a child. Saline made a note to separate practicality from notions of grandeur and flashiness as she corrected her grip. The daggers class was good for her health, not only was Visar's lesson teaching her how to grab at daggers with relative caution, but it also taught her humbleness too much of which never hurts anybody. Davel and her had taken turns dropping their daggers and were practicing unarmed covers when Visar came around once more and introduced a new drill for them.

 

It probably depended on a loose definition of seriously harmed but Saline gave almost as good as she got and some time passed when they were shunting the same wooden dagger between them with more speed and accuracy as their covers and attacks improved.

 

Then Visar called Davel over for another demonstration. When Davel attacked the guard not only got the dagger but also pulled Davel's arm straight so it'd be easier to, in his words, break the elbow. Though she understood the need to remove the threat by breaking the weapons arm it was still a tad disconcerting to think of body parts in that way and Saline for one was quite glad to do less repetitions of this particular technique. Our Tower Guards, she thought, were really something else huh?

 

Still she listened intently to the three options as Visar described them, seeing how she would take no warders doing these things herself was the only way for her to proceed. She was rather pleased all in all with her own progress and all that Visar had shown them in terms of basics for daggers.

 

"Would anyone like to grab a bite with me?" offered Saline, wanting to continue learning about daggers. "I know just the place!" She knew normally trainees weren't permitted to leave the courtyard without permission from Aes Sedai or their Mentor except on free days so hopefully Belig and Davel would also take the opportunity to enjoy the city for the rest of the afternoon.

[Visar Falmaien]

(ooc: sorry for the late reply, I guess you guys are done though, trainees can use this for a secondary weapons training req, possibly other reqs)

 

The class concluded, at least for the time being (Visar hoped that Davel and Belig would come back for further training at some point), they broke for lunch.  Saline Sedai offered to go to lunch in the city.  Visar frowned, not sure the time would be worth walking the distance.  He was famished, and the Tower mess hall was much closer.  But on the other hand, it was hard to turn down an Aes Sedai's offer without coming off as rude, or so Visar feared.

 

"Certainly, I'll go with you for lunch if no one else will.  Just give me a few minutes to pack all this up," Visar gestured to the training daggers, some of which were unceremoniously discarded, and the fold-up table, "and get a clean change of clothes, too."

 

The trainees seemed uncertain about Visar joining.  Visar smiled, saying,

"Don't worry, I'm only tough on you while we're training.  In fact, I think I'll let you off light with your punishment, Belig.  You're going to help Davel out cleaning out the armory for a few weeks.  Just volunteer your services to the master armorer after you get back and he'll put you right to work."  There, that should keep them busy for a few weeks, Visar thought.  And it might help them finally clean out the armory.

 

That settled, Visar turned to Saline Sedai.

"Now, what place did you have in mind?  I hope it's not too far from the Tower."

 

 

[minisamus]

She was definitely warming up to Visar. He had gotten over his moment of panic when Belig laid hands on her, and his fear was definitely understandable coming from a man who trained to protect those such as herself. Well, maybe not her specifically . . . one such as her. Saline had always admired the Warders' trust in an institution, and the Aes Sedai were nothing if not institutions onto themselves. A part of her wondered if the Warders knew about the factions within the Tower or even the intense intra-Ajah rivalry would they still be as confident? Surely they noticed something though. Or was it some clever scheme of the Sisters to keep most initiates isolated from the trainees until they were too far in and had to handle the entire truth, if such universal things existed?

 

Days like this she wished she had taken more philosophy courses. Saline's purpose here had been two-fold, not just to find a home where she could re-affirm herself as a woman, or learn to protect herself better even without channeling the one power. She also wanted to find some answers. How to live life happier, for one.

 

And what would make her happier, she decided would be a dip in the steams really quick and change into something more fitting for lunch. Telling Visar and co. the name of the nearby tavern she set on her merry way to the showers.  

 

Ooc: hey Visar? I was thinking if you're interested we can pick up the lunch and anything afterward to a new thread in Tar Valon. Any trainees or n/a/as etc can join us. Saline's been away for a while and could use some tips about fighting in general as well as what's been going on in the city :)