"Red Sky in the Morning, Shepherd's Warning"
~~~~~~~~~
"Come on, keep it up! Just another five laps!" Jessie barked, loping easily alongside the group of sprinters,
"Stephanie, you didn't stretch properly! Fall out!"Gloria heard the blonde girl exhale a short sigh of relief from just behind her, as if her whole body were on the verge of collapsing after struggling on for so long. In fact, as if the exhale had taken the last of her life with her, she then immediately went ploughing into the water-laden sand. The boy just behind
her, in an amazing feat of dexterity, managed to leap like an Olympic long-jumper over the girl's crumpled form. The boy after that wasn't quite so lucky - he stopped short, causing the one behind
him to smack hard into his back. A pile-up quickly ensued as they lost their balance and joined Stephanie on the floor. The rest of the group stopped, panting heavily, some complaining that they'd never manage to get back going now that they'd stopped.
Gloria stopped and turned, brown eyes narrowed against the watery dawn as the Captain breathed his own sigh, stopping beside the fallen warriors.
"I didn't mean literally."Stephanie lay on the ground, clutching at the cramp in her side. Her delicate face was red, and her eyes were screwed shut - pain? Embarrassment? Gloria imagined the first. Stephanie had been really out of it that morning. REALLY out of it. That, for Spacey Steff, was a massive statement. Her eyes narrowed to a slight glare as Jessie knelt beside her to make murmured inquiries after her health. She nodded and shook her head, alternating in rapid succession, face contorted. He frowned at her answers, obviously unsatisfied, but gently manoeuvred his hands beneath her armpits and hoisted her to her feet in one powerful movement, much as he had done several times with Coline. She flopped back against him like a ragdoll, the left side of her face and head plastered in sand, and he whispered a few more words into her ear. She shook her head ferociously and tried to pull away, but couldn't quite manage it. Her blue eyes were bleary. After a few more moments Jessie scowled and signalled to two of the nearest boys, jerking his head to bring them over. They took her from him gently - she seemed on the verge of tears now.
"Take her back to the Temple. We were almost done here anyway," he ordered. The men assented with a pair of mumbled 'Yes, Sir's, as he bent to speak again to the broken girl in an undertone Gloria actually managed to pick up.
"You've done wonderfully."She sobbed something, and he nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"No need. I want you to rest, alright? We'll talk more when you're feeling better."While this was happening, the sneering bystander felt a presence beside her. "Yo. Sickened, much?"
Gloria glanced over her shoulder at Damien, before flicking her gaze back to the unfolding scene. She weighed things up for a moment, her lip slowly curling.
"I can't stand weakness."
She turned and brushed past him, walking up the beach with her hands on her hips. "You know that."
"I do," he answered, trotting up beside her, "But whose?"
"Any," she replied, "Hers. His. The Captain is weak, in his own way. I'm sorry I didn't see it earlier."
Behind them, Stephanie was adjusted and carried off.
"Mercy isn't weakness," Damien countered her loftily, arms wrapped behind his back. "How long have you been thinking this?"
She glanced at him sulkily. "Since that night at the feast.
You weren't there."
"Ah yes, but I might as well have been. Word gets around. If I remember correctly, that's when the Coline thing started to blow up."
"Right," she grunted. "'The Coline Thing.' Like some virulent plague."
"Ha, I'm sure you'd like to think so."
"And what does
that mean?" she snapped, hissing with frustration as he dodged the slap she aimed at his shoulder.
He raised an eyebrow at her as they came to a halt, squaring off. "Touchy, aren't we? Well, at least the Captain seems less distracted today. Where HAS she slunk off to, I wonder?"
~~~~~~~
"Alright, Damien. Let's see what you've been practising."The sandy-haired boy clapped his hands together excitedly, grinning broadly. "Awesome! You're gonna be blown away Captain, if I do say so myself."
Jessie shot him one all-seeing look, unsmiling.
"Well, we'll see. Go ahead."Damien limbered for a few moments, stretching out his arms and shaking out his legs - hopping once into the air like a jackrabbit and drawing his sword. A series of swift thrusts into the thin air, interspersed with parry-like blocking movements. High-energy, high confidence.
"Watch your feet - straighten your back, keep your weight even," Jessie, having watched the series repeat twice, commented.
"You're going to lose your balance."Damien halted abruptly, astonished. "Whaaat?! No, I won't! I'm fine, see?"
"In a real fight, you'd lose your balance," he answered sternly,
"Let's see it again."With slight reluctance this time, the boy repeated his sequences again. "I thought I was meant to put my weight into swings, anyway."
"When you've mastered control, then you can think about power," was the patient reply,
"Now concentrate. Keep your-"Something in the background caught his attention. His frame stiffened, eye flickering.
"Um..."Damien performed another revolution of the series. "Hm? Captain?"
When he didn't elicit a reply, the boy ground to a halt, glancing towards his instructor. He blinked and followed his gaze, head flicking around to find a familiar fawn-haired head bobbing around some fifty metres away, preparing to spar with Jonathan.
"Oh," he smirked.
Jessie seemed to come round from his impromptu trance.
"Sorry," he breathed, reaching up to rub his temples a moment.
"Can I leave you to practise?""Heh. Perfectly alright," he grinned, slyness in his eyes. "She's pretty, isn't she, Captain?"
The Captain didn't reply - for a few moments. The silence was stony.
"...Very," he whispered, though it was almost lost as he quickly raised his voice.
"And stop jumping around. You're a warrior, not a monkey!"Damien followed the instructor with his eyes as he floated away, resting lazily on his sword like a sleepy cougar, all the previous energy seemingly reined back in to his usual cool air. If only he could manage it during battle, maybe he wouldn't always end up with his bubble frustratingly burst.
"Whatever you say, Captain," he mumbled, as he twirled the blade back up in preparation to try again.
Gloria, standing with her longbow at the archery range, glanced over her shoulder. Her lips split into a smile for a moment, falling back as she turned her head again to address Steff, who was watching close to her left, arms wrapped around herself and shivering from time to time. This was in contrast to Gloria, who wore a tight, sleeveless vest and shorts, and yet didn't seem to feel the cold.
"Watch this," she commanded, turning her head back again. "Captain!"
Jessie's head turned in reply, halting his stalk in the other direction. With a careful glance over his shoulder at the unfolding sparring, he turned his head back - so far a mirror, ironically, of Gloria - and walked over briskly.
"How can I help you, Gloria?" he inquired, glancing piercingly at the girl on the left as he came to a halt.
"I hope you're looking after Stephanie."It was a warning. Gloria was annoyed by this. He was supposed to be looking at HER, not-!
"She's looking after me!" Stephanie piped, ever so wet. Gloria hated her. She hated how she thought she was her friend. Stupid cow. She only kept her around so far because it gave her someone to show off to.
Steff wasn't so stupid, though. She knew she was like a sparrow to Gloria's hawk, but what could she do? She was new, just arrived that week, and so far the only people who'd been nice to her were Lorika... and Jessie. She hadn't expected it of the scary-looking instructor, but she melted with relief every time he sent a few kind words in her direction. It made her want to do better, to try harder, so that those kind words wouldn't be so few and far between.
Stephanie found herself ignored by the tan woman. "Captain, I'm having trouble stringing. Do you think you could help?"
"Again?" he intoned, incredulous.
"I saw you do it perfectly a few minutes ago."Tight-lipped, she smiled. "My arms are getting tired."
He frowned, and seemed ready to decline, but then stepped forward and behind her, enveloping her body in his own. He took the hand which held the arrow and strung it easily, and wasted no time in pulling the string back to its fullest extent.
Smug, Gloria turned her head up, taking a better look at the exposed part of his face from this close up. "Thank you," she said, sultry, after a few heartbeats.
He didn't reply.
"Hold the shaft firmly. Keep it steady. To aim, slide your other hand up..."Her smile grew wider. Gloria knew what she'd like to slide her hand up.
She waited for him to continue, enjoying the proximity. She waited, and waited. It proved to be futile. They stood, frozen, for what was probably half a minute. "Uhh... Captain?"
She felt his head snap back round towards the target.
"Sorry, sorry. Um... you..."Again, he trailed off. She glanced up at him, and then round, following his line of sight as Damien had done before. She could have screamed. He was watching
her - she was getting her a** handed to her, as usual. As they watched, Jonathan, having managed to lock her trident with his own, yanked her off-balance and kicked, making full contact with her stomach. She collapsed to her knees, winded - Jessie jumped like a bolt of lightning had struck him.
"NO!" he screamed - yes,
screamed. "Stop!"Gloria was abandoned so quickly she didn't even realise he'd moved at first, until she saw the stream of black darting the fifty metres to the fight. The next thing she noticed was her bow - the string had been released when he let go, and as a streak of silver flashed in his hand, it hit the bull's eye. Jonathan had raised his trident, as if to bring it piercing down on her head in a final blow. The weapon's progress was indefinitely halted by the appearance of a long, bright silver dagger in the path of its prongs.
Jonathan blinked. It had happened so quickly. He hadn't been expecting any resistance, and the effect was jarring.
Also jarring was the instructor's ferocity.
"What do you think you're doing?! This is sparring, not a duel! You do NOT use lethal force!" he spat, or spewed, or yelled, or a combination of all three, from his crouched stance. His authority was unquestioned even so far beneath his pupil.
You didn't want to challenge anything so livid. "I wasn't going to hit her," he replied, sheepish, as the man's knife disappeared back into its hiding place. "I was just..."
"Scare tactics are NOT acceptable, either!" he barked, shifting round to the crumpled Coline.
"Are you alright, love?" he demanded, begging her urgently.
"Speak to me!"She replied. His panic seemed to subside. Exhaling noticeably, he reached out and cupped her cheek, releasing it again after a moment or two. He helped her to her feet like he might a small toddler - carefully, with reverence, like an overly-concerned mother.
"There you are. Rest if you need it - no, please, rest. Do you need anything? Would you like me to stay with you? Okay."Jonathan looked on, bemused, as the leader of their military gushed ever so tenderly at the slight young woman. Around them, another pair of sparrers lowered their weapons and turned to watch the spectacle unfold. One man wiped his brow with a towel as his friend took the opportunity for a brief rest, plopping down on the sand, as a girl behind them put both hands on her hips, her quarterstaff chucked to the ground. The entire combat division was grinding to a halt, eyes all turning to regard the ongoing curiosity.
Jessie continued to fuss another minute over his Coline. Then, as if he suddenly felt the weight of the many eyes bearing down upon them, he glanced back around. His students all stared back.
"What are you all gawping at? Get back to work!"Gloria turned back towards her target, burning. She plucked another arrow, nocked it, strung it. Let it fly. It hit the bull's eye, just above the last one.
She hated her. She HATED her, for stealing those few moments, for tainting them. But more than that - she hated her, like Stephanie, for being so weak. For falling, for relying on a stronger person than her to heave her back to her feet. For
having a stronger person there to pick her up. It was unfair. It was disgusting. It was-
"Yoohoo," came a voice in her ear. "Daydreaming?"
A pair of hands made their way about her waist - her reaction was to jerk, to pull away, but they held fast. "Get off me, Demon," she hissed, struggling... without
too much effort.
"Aww, that's no fair," the sandy-haired boy answered, sliding his hands upwards. "Don't tell me you're only dressed like that for the Captain. You need to learn to share things around."
"Hah," she breathed as he pressed into her in a way Jessie had never done, despite her many proximities. That only annoyed her, and she grabbed both of her hands, forcing them back down to her waist. "Hands
off the merchandise."
"I didn't realise you were for sale. Can I have a quarter pound?" he quipped. She snorted.
"If I were for sale, you'd be the first for a slice, wouldn't you?"
Behind them, Stephanie stared wide-eyed, arms still wrapped around herself, feeling like a fly on the wall as the two got cosy in front of her. She turned her head to the right, searching for the Captain and Coline. They must have retreated somewhere - to the shade of the wall, perhaps. Her heart sank further. Suddenly, she'd never felt more isolated in her life. Not for the first time, she wondered if maybe coming here for a fresh start hadn't been such a good idea after all.
No, it was okay. She'd go see her family on the weekend. Things would be alright.
After several moments of a-little-too-close cuddling, Gloria squirmed. "What does he see in her anyway?"
"Don't you mean, what doesn't he see in you?"
That was the last straw. Gloria took his hands and wrenched them off her, forcing herself out of his clutches. "Aw, c'mon! Don't be like that!"
"Touch me again and I'll rip off your-"
"Yo. Trouble in paradise?" said Jon, drifting down towards them now that the love-in had concluded.
"What the hell is paradise?" Gloria seethed, pushing Damien forcefully back so she could get back to her bow, which stood up by itself in the packed sand. Stephanie squealed as he stepped back, having forgotten she was there and almost squishing her.
"Woops, sorry," he apologised as the blonde cringed, looking at her for only a moment before grinning at Jon. "Hey, Jon. So how does it feel to be the latest victim of Colinitis?"
"Ha!" Gloria muttered, reaching down for another arrow and quickly re-stringing, "Colinitis. I like that."
Damien smiled, and continued more quietly. "I thought you would. The plague that's sweeping the nation. Careful - you might be next."
"I've already been afflicted."
"Ah, it's not so bad," Jonathan grinned, causing all three combatants to turn their heads back to him. "Feels like I got burned pretty bad, though. Getting on his bad side isn't nice."
"God, what does he see in her? It can't be just sex - she has no tits."
Stephanie blinked. It was Jon, however, who voiced her thoughts for her. "Uhh... I don't think he's that kind of guy, somehow."
Gloria rounded on him sharply. "Yeah, says who? She can't even fight, stupid b***h... see how Jon broke her just then?"
This last part was directed at Damien, who shrugged. "Iunno... I hear she's pretty good..."
"She
is pretty good," Jon agreed.
"Heh, not good enough to abandon her 'private lessons,' hehehehe."
Gloria rolled her eyes, but inside his innuendo pushed something close to snapping. She was just thinking about wheeling round and giving him the kick he deserved, when Stephanie, eyes downcast, shifted forwards a little.
"You... you guys are a little mean," she whispered, voice paper-thin. It was as if she couldn't believe what she were hearing, but couldn't muster the courage to oppose it. "I like Coline."
"You would," the black-haired girl sneered. Suddenly Steff found herself hitting the sand with a thud on her back, her legs swept out from under her. Gloria had turned on her menacingly, and now towered over her, like an eagle on a mouse. "If you're not like us, you're like her. And if you're not like us..."
A shout rang in their ears.
"Hey, what's going on over there?!"They stiffened. Gloria didn't need to look round to know that their instructor had appeared from nowhere a few metres up the bank, as he often did.
"You four, break it up! Get back to work!""Yessir," Damien replied, as Jon wandered off in silence. The boy fell silent for a few moments - Gloria imagined he was waiting for the drow to turn away again - and then, satisfied, took a step forward, pressing close to her once more.
"Guard dog's on the prowl," he sighed into her ear.
"Mmm," she answered, tilting her head for his access to her neck. "I'll see you later."
"See you," he answered, releasing her after one long squeeze. He strode past Stephanie, who only now struggled to her feet, ignoring her. Her white dress was covered in sand - the back of her thighs gritty and uncomfortable. It must have gotten beneath the back of her denim jacket, too. She stood a moment, breathing irregularly, uncomprehending. Unsure. Then Gloria turned to her, disparaging, a new arrow at her hip.
"What are you looking at?"
Steff's head seemed to snap back an inch.
Then, slowly, as if facing down some deadly viper, she backed away. Several metres. The petite girl glanced round her shoulder - safe, she turned somewhat clumsily on the sand, and began to run.
Glaring after her, Gloria emanated ill will. Her thoughts, however, were not with the puny blonde.
"Someone needs to teach that b***h a lesson," the dualist murmured, turning to draw her bow.
She took aim.
~~~~~~~~~
Gloria narrowed her eyes at him, arms coming up to fold. "I don't want to know. And y'know, somehow I hope she never comes back."
"You two! Get a move on! Five more laps before prayers!"Suddenly the whole group was sprinting past them. Gloria looked round and cursed, breaking off to regain her place at the head of the line. Damien watched after her, smiling mysteriously and making no move to follow. Soon enough, however, it was time to go. He caught up to the group, grinning, as the sky behind them lightened to a cerise that was yet more intense. Even more forbidding.
(( roar ))
