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 Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2023 7:14 pm
A swishing noise cut through the air. Cahira twisted along with her blade in the school’s courtyard, the young swordswoman almost like a living flame in the golden light of the morning sun as both crimson silks and russet hair whipped along with every movement of the dance. Thankfully the chill of the ocean breeze kept her from overheating even as she pushed herself into a frenzy, her movements becoming quicker even as she seemingly flowed from one area of the courtyard to the next. At some points she even made use of the statues lingering around the courtyard as partners, the marble dancers spread out amongst the various flowers growing in vines and trellis throughout the courtyard that led towards the outdoor stage overlooking the ocean below. Eventually though the dance had to come to a stop and Cahira found herself panting slightly as she rested on one of the stone benches in the courtyard. “I forgot how hard dancing could be.” She murmured before looking down at the ornate scimitar that she had chosen for the day. It was a shame that her mother had business to attend to and so Cahira was basically left alone to roam about the grounds, trying to find a way to pass time until later in the afternoon when she would hopefully have lunch with family. So with the faint music of a class in the distance, Cahira had decided to venture inside to her mother’s own private study where Shadiya kept her blades and replaced her sturdier one with one of her mother’s ornamental ones for performances. Not that the extra weight of her own sword would have mattered considering the strength of the swordswoman, but the performance sword did have a nicer balance to it which allowed Cahira to appear as graceful as she had a moment before. Otherwise even she would worry about tripping considering how many twists that dance took! Fighting was a dance in itself, but that dance was one of the hardest ones that she had ever learned before going to explore the world and picking up actual swordsmanship over performance. Cahira leaned back and held the ornate golden sword up towards the sky, the sunlight making the various gemstones along the handle shine. “You definitely were a helpful little blade.” She murmured with amusement, the hybrid lost in her thoughts as she simply relaxed outside and caught her breath after such a tough performance.
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Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 5:10 pm
Elias 1 Dancing was so boring. Why would anyone want to spend so much of their day doing twirls like that? The only time it was acceptable to spin in a circle was when you were trying to make yourself dizzy. That was fun, seeing how far you could walk before you fell down. Elias always made sure to do that on the beach, where the soft sand would cushion his fall. When he took all the pillars from the bedrooms at home and placed them about his room, covering the floor in all the blankets he could find, his mother had gotten mad at him. That he was only making a big mess for her to clean up later. But he had been thinking like a big kid, trying to make the room as soft as he could so he didn't hurt himself when he fell over. He didn't understand what the problem was, but than adults always did strange things. Just add it to the long list of things he wasn't allowed to do.
Now he was stuck at the school his parents attended with nothing to do. Thre was no good place here to practice his little game. At least he had been allowed to bring along his wooden sword, so long as he promised not to disturb anyone here to learn. Why not? Sword fighting was more fun. And looked cooler. He saw the silly outfits his father wore.
Huffing in annoyance at how trapped here he felt, with little to distract him or do, the youngling left the entrance and stepped outside. The statues he had seen outside might prove good sparring partners. Surely he couldn't do any damage here with a toy sword.
But that plan was dashed from his thoughts as he looked around, seeing someone else had also decided it would be more enjoyable outside than inside. What was flashing in her hands sent a wide grin across the boy's face and he ran over to the stranger, his eyes shining in his excitement. Immediately, he let out a barrage of questions. His mother would have surely disciplined him for his rudeness, but he didn't care.
"Is that a real sword? Can you fight with it? Have you ever fought anyone? Is it heavy to hold? Are you a bodyguard for someone in the school?"
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Posted: Thu May 11, 2023 2:58 pm
Cahira blinked and then blinked again as she realized that someone was indeed speaking to her. The hybrid's gaze drifted down until she spotted the youngling and a smile slowly crossed her lips as she listened to his questions. "Anything else you want to ask?" She teased before lowering the sword, turning it here and there to display it to the youngling in the sunlight. "It's a real enough sword but mostly made for performances so the actual weight isn't ideal for real battle. I could show you my own, but that's back in the study and it's a lot bigger and heavier." Cahira laughed as she thought about the idea of being a bodyguard when in fact at one point she could have been the heir for the school until Omari came into the picture. "I'm not much of a bodyguard, just a wandering swordswoman stopping in to visit with some family. Would you like to hold this blade? You can since it's not as sharp or heavy as a real one." It should be safe since it hadn't been properly sharpened in a very long time, right? Performance blades were mostly for show not for actual battle after all. Cahira held out the sword towards him, making certain to be careful about how she presented it just in case the blade was a bit sharper than expected. "So are you a body guard for the school?" She teased, curious about why a youngling would be here out of all places.
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Posted: Sat May 13, 2023 4:15 pm
Elias 1 Uh oh. Had he been too hasty with approaching a stranger? He knew from experience not every adult appreciated that. And his mother was always scolding him for it, too, saying he should be more careful with who he went up to if he didn't know them. But surely this person was fine. She had a sword! No one who carried a sword could be bad! Right?
For a moment, Elias was beginning to grow nervous as the woman looked around for the source of the chatter. He wasn't good at reading emotions and couldn't tell if she was about to lecture him over it. There was no time to run, he wouldn't get very far before she noticed him. A hybrid always stood out in their surroundings, especially one whose two parts came from somewhere else than where they lived. So when she looked down at him with a smile instead of a look of annoyance, his eyes once more lit up and all his previous worries were fast forgotten.
"Um..." he mused, having a good long think over the question. Did he have more? He couldn't think of anymore. But he was distracted from answering that as the sword in question was lowered for his inspection. "Ooooo!" he couldn't help uttering, shuffling his feet on the pathway to follow the slow spin of the weapon in front of him. "Huh? Not all swords are for fighting? That seems dangerous, dancing with something so sharp." He'd watched his parents practice at home and felt like an expert in how dangerous it could be. They even went into the ocean to safely practice different types of lifts so his mother wouldn't hurt herself if she fell. That part looked kind of fun. Being tossed into the water from a great height.
"Family? Are they taking lessons like mine are right now? I'm not very interested in dancing, but everyone in my family seems to enjoy it."
If his eyes couldn't brighten up even more, a wide grin crossed the boy's face at mention of holding the sword. He looked around him, as if he expected someone to jump out from behind a statue and scold him for what he was about to do. His mother certainly wouldn't like him holding anything even remotely sharp. She also wasn't here, but busy inside. What she didn't know wouldn't hurt. He turned his shining eyes back on the woman, hands half-raised up. "Can I really hold it?"
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Posted: Sun May 14, 2023 7:58 pm
A soft chuckle left Cahira's lips at the youngling's observation. "Well this type of blade isn't sharpened as much as others, but you are right that it is dangerous compared to other dancing props. Only dancers who have taken a lot of training can use one of these for a performance though I feel far safer with it than with something like a keldari which some dancers rely upon." She acknowledged as she lightly ran a finger across the edge of the blade testing it before nodding as she deemed it dull enough to trust for now. Yep, definitely a better choice than the freshly sharpened blade currently resting on the stand intended for her mother's performance blade that Cahira had borrowed. It was also a better choice than any keldari...even Cahira could not believe that some dancers actually used the snakes in their performances. She was daring, but not that daring!
The question about her family had Cahira pausing, her gaze bright and mischievous as she pondered how to answer. "Something like that, I suppose. They actually do more teaching than learning though anyone can always learn something every day if they're open to it." Certainly her younger brother always spoke about how he learned other dances and such when students came from various cultures, so why not consider them the students at times instead of simply being the teachers? Still, she pondered the youngling's words with amusement. "I suppose your family is here learning while you're more interested in swordplay then?" The interest was obvious enough from his reaction to her own blade and the little wooden sword only furthered Cahira's suspicions that this little one was definitely more interested in battles than dancing around.
"As long as you promise to not be reckless and swing it around then I don't mind you looking over the blade. Can't have someone swinging a blade until they've learned a few steps first at least." Cahira teased lightly as she carefully passed the sword over for his inspection. "Do I get a name as well? Mine is Cahira."
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Posted: Wed May 17, 2023 4:50 pm
Elias 3 The young boy smiled, feeling quite comfortable with the older woman already. He liked it when adults were easy to talk to, kind of like his father was with him. His mother could be a bit prickly sometimes, causing Elias to not know when he should talk to her or not. Not that he thought she didn't love him. That was just how some people were. She was still just as nice as Kayde was to her children just maybe not as likely to join in their games as he was or shrug off when they did or said something they shouldn't. She also always seemed very pre-occupied with things the boy didn't understand. He knew she helped his uncle when he was in Matori. That was about it.
His thought left his family as he stared at the blade. Finally, he was about to touch something he had only dreamed of and he was hesitating. He had no idea of what to expect when he did take it. His uncle sometimes carried one on his belt, though Elias had no idea if he could even use it. He'd never seen the man even take it out. Certainly never offered his nephew a look at it, knowing how his mother would disapprove. Even if he was old enough to, Elias didn't think she'd be very happy with him touching anything so sharp. Made no sense to him. Everyone should be trained in the use of weapons, shouldn't they? You never knew when it might come in handy.
Scrunching up his nose, the boy turned confused pale eyes at the woman. "What's a....keldary?" He tested the strange word on his tongue. It wasn't something he was familiar with at all. Though his father had traveled around in his younger days with the other entertainers he had worked with, Kayde had never left the mainland and crossed the seas. So whatever this was, was something from elsewhere. He couldn't imagine what could be more dangerous than going through the delicate steps of a dance with a sharp blade in your hands.
But that, too, was soon banished from his head as the conversation became more interesting, again. "Yes! I want to protect people!" the boy said eagerly, balling his hands into fists and pumping them once each in the air in front of him. "Both my mom and dad dance for a living. Even my sister likes to take lessons. Not me. I want to travel the world and protect people!" This new energy bolstered his confidence and he finally reached out for the sword, taking the hilt carefully in both his hands. "I promise! I know I'm too young for that. But one day, I will take my own lessons and be the best swordsman! Oh...My name is Elias," he added on sheepishly, giving a shy smile. He'd been too excited to remember his manners.
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Posted: Sun May 28, 2023 9:47 am
Cahira grinned at the confused face. "You're fortunate then to not know." She playfully replied before pursing her lips, pondering how to best describe the creature that sent chills down her spine. Others always claimed they were harmless, for the most part, but something about them simply unnerved Cahira even more than any large beast she had fought before. "They're creatures with scary fangs that are without legs that slither around. You'll know you're near one because they rattle their tails to make warning noises before striking. They're from Yael." She expressed finally with a nod while using the toe of her boot to draw a rough sketch in the dirt along the ground. "Come in a variety of sizes and such, but some dancers will have them slithering over their body for particular dances."
But then they were back to the sword and she found herself losing the fear, motivation and determination replacing the emotions as she got dragged into the youngling's energy. "Right? There's nothing better than being strong enough to protect others!" She agreed with a bright smile, the hybrid feeling strongly about such things herself. "You're like a little me, I have dancers and the like in my family as well." She teased with a laugh as she thought about her own family full of artisans and dancers while she had chosen the sword and adventure. Even her oldest brother who had adventures was more of an animal researcher, not much of a warrior.
"Well, Elias." Cahira began thoughtfully with a small nod towards the boy, not worried about him forgetting introductions since she had nearly forgotten as well. "If you would like I could show you a few actual steps...but you should probably learn with the wooden blade first and return the dancer's blade when you're done studying it." She was fine with him looking over the dancer's blade, but if she was to teach him something then maybe it would be best to stick with the wooden blade for now. "Though I will tell you this....make certain when you hold a blade that your grip isn't too tight. You want some flexibility so rely more on the thumb and your two fingers there." Cahira explained quietly as she watched him holding the blade. "The rest of your fingers should curl lightly over the hilt to help keep balance. Then the stance should be the same, feet shoulder width apart with your leading foot slightly forward so that you can strike quickly and confidently. It works best for a one-handed blade like this."
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Posted: Fri Jun 02, 2023 11:06 am
Elias 4 The smile was soon washed off his face as the description of this most loathsome creature was described to him. No legs to walk and slithering on the ground sounded bad enough. But a warning rattle when someone got too close? Did they bite? Attack? It sounded like they'd attack.
Without meaning to, Elias's pale eyes started searching the ground, jumping one way at a large leaf on the ground. Until he heard the part about Yael and breathed out a large sigh of relief. He never wanted to visit Yael when he was older. Never, ever. Maybe he'd go visit Zena instead, see his mother's homeland. He couldn't imagine anything fearsome living up there in the constant cold.
Looking back up at Cahira, the boy cleared his throat, embarrassed, and tried to act brave. If he was to protect people one day, he would need to be brave about everything. This was a very bad start. "My....Mother wouldn't like those, I think." Maybe true. Probably true. He'd ask her when she she was finished with her lesson. "I have a merchant uncle, but that's all I know about my family. They live too far away."
Than, scary animal forgotten, the youngling's eyes lite up once more, and he bounced on the tips of his toes, before remembering he was still holding a sharp sword in two very small hands. "Sorry! I'm done with it, now," and held it out as carefully as he could, making sure his fingers were far from the sharp edge. "Would you really?" Reaching down to grab the discarded toy sword, Elias tried his best to follow the instructions, holding it out in front of him, feet maybe a little too far apart. This was a much more useful lesson than dancing! What if something attacked the house? Who would defend it? "I wouldn't mind coming here every day, even, if I could do this instead."
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Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2023 9:38 am
Cahira swallowed her laughter, trying her best to not make the youngling feel embarrassed for being afraid even though he was awfully adorable about it. What a brave face! "I don't blame her. Not many people are fond of them, which I suppose is the thrill for the few that dance with keldari. They're very mysterious and creepy at the same time." She explained with another slight shiver, her expression only shifting at the mention of the uncle and family. "Aww, I see. My family is pretty widespread now, but my siblings do their best to visit once a year. We have a huge dinner and play along the beach by our family home until everyone leaves again." Sometimes it could just be a couple of days, other times the family would try to stay together for a whole week as long as everyone could afford the time away from their new homes throughout the different countries.
Taking back her sword, Cahira pursed her lips thoughtfully at the suggestion before nodding. "I was planning on staying with family for a bit this time so I can train you while I'm in the area over the next couple of months. Do you know what type of swords you're interested in? There's smaller ones for speed and larger ones that may take both hands to swing even..." Just asking such questions made her gaze brighten. It would be exciting to have an apprentice even if temporary! "But first you have to make sure to straighten your stance out more." She gestured towards his feet before repeating the stance slowly. "Just keep trying to match your feet with your shoulders for the perfect spacing." She suggested with a small encouraging smile.
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Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2023 5:11 pm
Elias 5 The youngling tried his best to follow the instructions, lowering the toy sword in his attempts to look down at his feet than back up at the shoulder on the same side to match them up. No wonder dancers used mirrors, this would be much easier if he could see himself to make sure he truly was straightened out. The tip of the sword brushed against the ground as he arched his torso backwards to see if it was easier to look at his heels. But all that did was almost make him fall over. His balance was truly insulting to his acrobatic father. Yet another thing he didn't think would be important to a swordsman.
"How can something be mysterious and creepy at the same time?", he asked, his pale eyes on the ground at his feet while he adjusted his stance. Despite how much he disliked the description of this animal, his child's curiosity was peaked by it. Made him want to find a book and see one for himself.
Finally, with a cry of triumph, Elias planted his feet where he thought his shoulders lined up and looked back at Cahira, his eyes now shining in excitement. "Did I get it?" Holding the sword out in front of him, he tried his best to look intimidating. A difficult feat for an adorable youngling. "Do they live in different countries?" The question made him take a closer look at her, that he hadn't done before. On first impression, he thought she was just an Oban. But the shape of her ears wasn't Oban. Nor were the spots on her face. So of course her family lived in different places! She was a mix just like he was. "My uncle lives up in Zena with the rest of my mom's family. My dad doesn't know who his family is."
Than his stance was forgotten as the boy jumped for joy, holding the toy high in the air. "Would you? I'd love to learn! I don't know anyone who could teach me. Oh." Remembering the current lesson, Elias once more looked down at his feet, trying to line them back up. "Um...I like using this wooden sword, so I don't think I'd like to use two hands to hold one. Being fast sounds fun. My dad was an acrobat, so he's fast. Do things like that run in families?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2023 5:53 pm
Hmm. Cahira pursed her lips thoughtfully as she watched the youngling moving his body into better position. "Almost." She acknowledged, her gaze drifting over him as she watched him trying to look at his heels. Maybe the dance hall could help since they had mirrors there? Cahira decided if Elias truly studied under her then she would ask her mother to borrow the dancing hall one afternoon so that they could study stances more in depth. For now she settled on being patient as he shifted over and over while trying to figure out his stance.
"Once you've traveled the world you can see quite a strange variety of creatures that can fit such descriptions." Replied Cahira with a small smile, her expression only brightening more as Elias triumphantly planted himself before her with a much better stance than what he originally had presented. "Much better, it's not perfect but that takes lots of practice. For your first time it's fairly decent." She acknowledged with an encouraging nod. "You may have a knack for this after all." As for the boy's family? It was unfortunate not knowing his full heritage, but she knew of many who had lost connections and realized how fortunate she was that she had such a large family. Though her father's history....well even that one was somewhat vague at times since no one enjoyed speaking about the time around the Oban war. Cahira shook off the thought before grinning towards Elias. There was no need to linger on such things, not when the future was so bright! "No worries. If your parents are here at this school then in a sense you're now part of my family as well, especially if I'll be training you."
A chuckle escaped her at his enthusiasm followed by the quick realization that he had thrown away his stance, something he had worked so hard to fix before excitement made him lose that focus. Fortunately for Elias, Cahira was not a strict teacher by far and rather found such antics amusing and adorable. It was just nice to have someone who shared a passion for swordsmanship like this. Everyone else she had crossed blades with in the past had been too serious, not relaxed enough to actually enjoy the moment while testing their strength against the hybrid swordswoman. "Hmm...it could. My family does tend to have a lot of dancers...but even then I would say that hard work is key to achieving anything. There are some natural talents in the world but others honestly just have to give it their best and keep up with training and such." Cahira advised with a firm nod. She had siblings who danced, some who were artisans and even another sibling who was a bulky fighter in training like her father who was a strong guard! A couple of her siblings could have their klutzy moments....but overall she was confident in saying that she had a strong family, especially when it came to the arts.
"Speaking of training..." Cahira began after a moment, her gaze thoughtful as she looked over Elias. "I do have to warn you that this may not be all fun at times, especially since there's some basic exercises that you should practice to help strengthen your wrist and get your body accustomed to swinging a blade. I am truly willing to take you on as an apprentice but can you promise me that you'll endure all the training, no matter how tiring it may seem at times?"
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Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2023 4:58 pm
Elias 6 Elias beamed, feeling very proud of himself for getting such compliments on his first time being coached by an actual swordswoman. There had been the old swordsman who he'd sometimes see in town who like to share stories with him about his time in the war while his mother would stop into a nearby shop that didn't interest the boy. She hadn't been too eager to allow this at first and had quite scolded both him and the older man. The only way she'd agree to letting him sit and listen to the stories is if he was always somewhere she could check up on him. Which wasn't all that different from the times he'd sit outside on a bench and wait. One day he'd be old enough to take care of himself. He couldn't wait.
"My dad bought me a book for my birthday. I've been trying to study it every day!" It had a lot of neat sketches in it, lots of different poses for wielding different weapons. Sometimes it was a bit difficult to get his fast-growing limbs to do what he wanted them to. Still, he was proud of what he could accomplish already. It felt even better when someone with real experience confirmed it for him. It wasn't like anyone in his family could use weapons. His mother sometimes rapped him on the knuckles with the wooden spoon she so often used for cooking when he was trying to sneak something, but other than that, he couldn't think of a single time he'd seen anyone use anything.
"Oh. How big is your family?" While Elias had seen the amount of students who attended, he wasn't entirely sure who was related to who. If he had been told at any point, he hadn't retained the information for very long. His parents probably knew everyone, especially his mother. She always seemed to have a mental notebook on everyone. She said it had been an important skill for a noble. He didn't see why. "I don't know what it's like to have anything but two parents and a sister. Is it confusing?"
He was sure his dad was a natural at acrobatics. Elias loved when he got to see demonstrations of some at home. Kayde even used some of them in his dances, which Elias thought pretty cool. At least it looked more fun than twirling around did. Unless you were trying to make yourself dizzy.
At the warning, he stood still and looked off in the distance, thinking not-so-hard on it. "Yes!" the youngling answered almost immediately, looking back with a wide grin on his face. "I can handle it! I want to be tough! I guess a real sword for fighting is much heavier than that one?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2023 9:45 am
"Ah, so you have a little bit of knowledge already then. That's good to know." Replied Cahira with a bright smile, her energy soaring since her potential student seemed so eager and willing to learn. Was this how her mother felt whenever she found someone with a burning passion for dance? It definitely was different from someone who was dragging their feet and only sent to school to avoid any other trouble back home! Those types of students were rare, but always were so troublesome and whiny that even Cahira didn't understand how her mother could be so patient with them. Most of the time Shadiya somehow broke through their resolve to be rebellious, with a few exceptions of course that ended up leaving earlier than planned, but overall the amount of change that Cahira witnessed within the school was amazing. Could she also become a teacher like that? Was it even possible?
Cahira blinked at the question of her family, the hybrid pausing as if to actually count the members quietly. "Well I have two older siblings and four younger ones so there's seven of us total." She finally acknowledged with a nod. "My older siblings already have children so the family is growing all the time, especially if you count some of the students here. So at times it can be a bit overwhelming when we have reunions, not terribly confusing though since my siblings' spouses are from different countries so their children stand out." She paused for another moment, studying Elias before giving a sheepish smile his way. "My mother actually is one of the... teachers here so she's very involved in the school."
"Okay, good! I suppose this makes you my very first student then." Cahira grinned at Elias before nodding again. "It depends on the blade you chose, but if you want a hefty one it will be a lot stronger and heavier than the performance blade. There's a type of sword that nobles use, they're more pointy and for show than anything else in my opinion but they can hurt if you let them stab you." Being poked over and over was definitely not fun and could actually puncture something vital if someone was serious! Cahira personally just preferred a heftier blade, especially when she was charging into a fight full force. "Since a blade will be heavier than even your wooden one, it's best to build up those muscles. So let's see how long you can actually hold your blade up now that you've started with a stance." She raised her own blade straight above her head, pointing it towards the sky above and simply kept it there while speaking to Elias. "Start like this and see how long you can hold this pose, it's okay if you have to let go soon. I'm not expecting you to be here for hours...yet." She couldn't resist teasing with a soft laugh escaping her lips after a moment, her serious guise never lasting long. "Once your arm gets tired then move it about forty-five degrees out like this and then after that gets tiring go to another angle like this." As she spoke she moved her blade slowly so that Elias could see each angle that he should be holding his blade, the most important part that she hoped he noticed was how she kept her arm straight the entire time she held each pose.
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Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2023 8:01 pm
Elias 7 "I hope so!" the youngling replied back enthusiastically, one of two of the only emotions he ever seemed to show on his face. The other one being childish annoyance when he was being pulled around to places he had no interest in being at. Like here. Or when his mother scolded him for making a mess in the backyard. How was he supposed to know that rain catcher had a broken side when he smacked it with his toy sword? The entire backyard had been so muddy for two days! It had been so much fun. Which only got him in more trouble when he'd inadvertently track it into the house after playing in it for hours. "I don't really have anyone who could judge me. Except a book." Which was of course not the same. A book couldn't help him if he was having difficulties with something.
But once more, the conversation broke his concentration. Even his sword clattered to the ground, so shocked was he by the amount of siblings. As he bent down to pick it back up, Elias muttered out a quick "Sorry!" What a good first impression as a student he was. After saying he'd do anything she asked and work his hardest, he let his stance be broken so easily. Again! A look of determination came across his face as he got back to where he was, his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth cutely. "I can't imagine having so many brothers and sisters. One sister is enough to deal with." But maybe it could also be fun, always having someone around to play with?
Unless they all picked on him. That wouldn't be fun.
Oh! That made his blunder feel even worse to the youngling. First student! Elias wanted to make such a good first impression, to show Cahira how much he meant business with his learning to use a sword. He wanted it so badly. He couldn't even remember when he had started to love the sword. Maybe a parent had told him a story that had stuck with him. Maybe he had seen a performance somewhere that put the idea in his head. Whatever it had been, he had never wanted something in his young life as much as he did now. "I promise I will try to be the best first student!" And he would succeed, if he had anything to say about it!
The description of the noble sword brought a few flashes of memory to Elias. "I think my uncle has one of those," he announced, wobbling a little on his feet. When his uncle got all dressed up for special meetings, he'd sometimes wear a very thin and pointy sword at his hip that Elias had never once seen him take out and use for anything. What a waste of a sword, in his opinion. "Oh. So your mother could be teaching my mother? Right now? I never pay attention to who they are."
Following the movements closely with his pale eyes, Elias raised his small wood sword above his head, trying his best to keep his arm stiff. He did try similar exercises with himself at home, pretending he was standing guard over something randomly chosen for the hour. Until he got bored and decided a group of bandits were attacking. "I think I'd like just a...Sword. Just a regular one, if that's something." After a while, his arm started to shake, so he repeated the movements, trying to continue keeping his arm as still as he could. The tease made the wobble worst, making the youngling almost drop his toy, again. "H-Hours?!" Had he agreed to something he would regret? Was it too late to back out?
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Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2023 3:41 pm
"Then I'll do my best to judge." Replied Cahira with a soft chuckle. It definitely was understandable that learning from a book was not quite as powerful as having a mentor with experience, at least for sword fighting. She supposed that it could help and that surely there were some out there who could actually train based upon the book alone, but Cahira personally would prefer to have someone who corrected her while she was trying out the exercises. She had a Matori Auntie who had been amazing with the sword and thankfully she had spent a few summers teaching Cahira as a youngling and later even as a teen whenever she showed interest, similar to how Elias was showing his interest and enthusiasm in this very moment. Since then though Cahira had wandered through various countries, sparring with all sorts of fighters, to train by physically learning the movements and having her body remember all sorts of styles and pain so that she could advance her own skills.
"Pfft. Is it that surprising? I suppose so..." Mused Cahira at the reaction to her very large family. "We have some twins in our family which boosted our numbers, but my parents are very loving and wanted to be surrounded by children so we simply continued growing in size over the years." She personally could not imagine having such a large family, but her parents were truly happy with how things had played out and her mother's inheritance had helped to sustain them over the years with the oldest becoming adults and picking up their own careers which had eased any financial strain from such a large family growing up in Matori and Oba. She didn't mind having so many siblings since it gave her plenty of room to wander about and do her own thing, especially with Omari taking over the academy from their mother.
"Mmhmm, but that basically means I can come to the academy whenever I want. We should be able to use the dance hall on occasion, once I convince her to give us access." Cahira admitted with a small shrug, not wanting to linger on her connections since she was the type who preferred relying on her own skills instead. In this situation though she felt like it was alright to at least admit her mother was at the school so that they could use the space without worry.
Cahira pursed her lips thoughtfully at the comment. Just a normal sword? That was honestly the best case for her, especially as a new teacher. Other swords had varying styles and different types of training, but a regular sword could be taught with the basic fundamentals and if Elias wanted to learn more in the future he could go from there. The response to her tease did bring another chuckle to Cahira's lips and she found herself shaking her head after a moment. "I suppose we'll just stick to a few minutes at a time for now, not hours." She joked lightly. "But it will be important to repeat these exercises even at home so that you can build up your arm strength and also work on your wrists. That's vital if you want to be a good swordsman, strength and determination are one thing but it's another thing entirely if you can't even hold your sword properly throughout a fight." She held out the practice blade once more, her posture straightened and her wrists loose as she started to cut through the air in a pattern that circled over and over. "This is another one you should work with, it'll help warm up your wrists so that you don't strain them as badly during a sparring session." Then there were also squats and ribbon cuts which she would show him as well, the more he learned today then the more he could practice in between now and their next meeting.
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