[PRP] Starstruck (Elda x Shunqa) -Fin-

[Kimaria]

No. Yes. Maybe. What? Wait? Huh? That didn't make--

--Oh...

"Okay." The word was an instant response and came out a little numb, as if she wasn't even aware she'd said it. Her mind was clearly still reeling over the news and it took a good few seconds for her brain to catch up with what he was saying. Was he talking too fast or was she just being slow? Probably the latter seeing as she'd never been blessed with a great deal of smarts...The light turned back on in her head and her neck straightened in response - finally hearing what he was telling her. This time when she said 'okay' it came out stronger than it had before.

"I won't say anything." He'd given an order. Elda always obeyed orders from superiors (and Seide's family, apparently).

Still, Elda desperately wanted to ask what Seide's plans were. To find out what was going to happen. But her old self had dropped back into place, reminding her that she should not be privy to such information. It wasn't like her to question. She was a sentinel. Not an officer. She had no right to question him about this even though she was still panicking on the inside. And, in the only way that Elda could, she changed the subject abruptly.

"Would you like to...train?"  

[Hopefolly]

At last, he could breathe again.

"Thank you." Shunqa meant it. He hoped she meant what she said, too. The only way for him to know for sure was with time. Hopefully, Seide took apprentices as upstanding as she was. He didn't feel his sister was the type to go back on her word.

Did that make him feel better? Not one bit.

But the sudden backtrack in conversation helped. If Shunqa could not solve this problem there was always ignoring it. He was practiced in that. "Train? ...Alright. How?" Smooth. "--I know how," he informed her. "I just mean how would you like to."  

[Kimaria]

He was thanking her? For...carrying out an order? (one that would last much longer than her normal orders, too). Strange.

Still, the talk of training helped ease her out of her immediate panic. After all, Seide wouldn't abandon her. No, no, no. Not her. Everything would be fine. She'd just take a break, wait for the cubs to grow and then come back. It'd go so quickly it'd be like she wasn't even gone in the first place. Nothing to worry about at all.

And yet her heart was still pounding.

"Well, I, uh..." Elda was momentarily stumped. She'd never actually trained anyone before, having had no apprentices herself. Still, perhaps she could conjure up one of her earlier lessons. What was it she had said before? Reactions? Oh, yes. That was easy enough.

"We can practise something specific. Maybe...see if you can block any of my attacks? Or if there's something you'd like to know?" She shifted her weight from one paw to the other. This had been the most she had spoken to anyone in the longest of times. Even with her best friend Su (the ambassador) had done most of the talking whilst she would simply nod in acknowledgement, occasionally offering a word or two in reply. Perhaps it was because she was quite often found in the vicinity of lions much more inclined to talk. Whereas Shunqa wasn't really like that...  

[Hopefolly]

Kimaria

Same as he was more of a listener than a talker, Shunqa was more of a defender than an aggressor. That part of training had been the only he'd really excelled at growing up. Some had thought he might become a guard at one point.

He wondered: Did he still have a knack for it?

"Blocking sounds like a good start." It'd be a miracle if they got started at all at this rate. Fortunately, Shunqa took the lead for once and nodded toward the training grounds beside them. If they were going to do this, might as well be official about it.

Felt... awkward to be out here, still, though the sand here was no different than anywhere else.

Shunqa readied himself. "Whenever you're ready."
 

[Kimaria]

She gave him a nod. Very well. She'd throw some punches and see if he could block them. He looked big and strong enough to be able to do so. She'd start slowly at first and then build up speed to see how swiftly he could move to intercept. This had been one of her most favourite 'games' when she had been apprenticed, pushing herself to the limits to try and get better and better each time. The improvement had given her a tremendous amount of satisfaction even if she had never shown it.

Elda wasn't very good at displaying emotion but she still felt it, even if it appeared that she didn't.

When Shunqa had readied himself she drew forward a step, took a long, slow breath. Her only warning that the training was about to begin was the shifting of her weight as she loosed a fore-paw at him.

In training, at least, Elda could be comfortable.