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Solo: Freedom Means You Can See The Chains

Two weeks passed before she was found and carted off back to her home. Two weeks of living by herself both in the sprawling streets of Sanctuary and in the forest. She was extra careful in the forest when she did venture out into it, something inside of her quailed at the thought of going back in alone, but need made that voice quiet quickly. There hadn’t been much that she could do as injured as she was but she’d survived without having to resort to stealing. People pitied her when they saw the bandages that covered most of her frame and gave her food, sometimes a place to sleep at night. Most took one look at her and set her to work doing little things like watching children or sweeping a store front. There were days when she had to forage in the forest for things she knew she could eat, because she didn’t want to impose upon the kindness that had been shown to her.

Most viewed her race as creatures so terrible that they were evil incarnate, but Elleth knew better. Yes they were a harsh people prone to bloodlust and violence, but their training tempered those emotions. Their wisdom came from pain, loss, and experience. Elleth for all of her youth was growing into this innate wisdom.

A light tap to the top of her head brought her attention back to the present. Looking up Elleth met the equally dark eyes of her mother and had to hold her breath at the sheer sadness that she could see reflected there. “Mother…?” She whispered, well aware of the hulking form of her Father who was walking just a few paces behind them. She didn’t need to see him to know that there was a brooding expression on his face and a storm cloud above his head.

"Shhh baby. We're almost home. The three of us need to talk." Espleth murmured, running her fingers through Elleth's hair, gently untangling the few tangles she came across. The journey through the city was awkward for Elleth, as it was obvious that she was being escorted somewhere. But what she felt was very different than what was actually happening. Very few people paid any sort of attention to the trio as they made their way home, and even then what little attention they did attract melted away as they disappeared inside their home.

Espleth stalled for time by setting her spouse and daughter down in the little tea room and busied herself by making tea. They were all going to need something to fortify themselves with and just this once, would Elleth be allowed to have something from their stash.

Horrad stared at his child, mind whirling along different paths. How they could have failed her so many times to how she could have just left the way she had. She had broken both of their hearts with that move and at the same time shown them that they really weren’t good enough for her. They held her back and coddled her and it was just like Espleth had said, they were the ones forging the weakness in her armor. Horrad had to hide his eyes behind one large hand, pressing down hard to prevent the tears he could feel welling up. Now he knew why his parents were distant with him and why they had sent him away when he was old enough. To be as close as he was to his little Elleth was to invite unneeded pain and suffering when he knew what her future would be like.
“Alright, the tea is done.” Espleth announced as she bustled back into the room, unintentionally sweeping away the tense atmosphere with her arrival. Elleth could see just how badly her disappearing act had affected both of her parents. They both looked worn and tired and her Father had actually looked like he was about to cry. The thought both humbled and terrified her, to think that she had such power over two powerful Oblivionites. So lost in thought Elleth couldn’t do much more then sit and stare dumbly into the rose tinted depths of her cup when it was placed in front of her.

Espleth chuckled weakly at her daughter before nudging her husband’s shoulder as she took her seat next to him. “Now it’s safe to assume that you heard part of our argument a while ago and left because of something we said,” She started, folding her hands around her cup to peer into its depth, as if by doing so would magically grant her all the right words she needed to say. “Father and I have since sat down to talk thing out again, and now we’ve come to you to tell you what has been decided.”

“My family has had a long standing tradition of fostering out our children to our allies, so that we might all stay in good standing with each other as well as to share the talents that each bloodline fosters. You take after your Mother more than you do me, but that only made it easier to find the right teacher for you.” Horrad continued his voice a deep rumble. His hand dropped from his face finally, only to push his tea away. “We’ve decided on Elder Jovra. In his youth he was a master Mage who wasn’t afraid to get up close and personal with only a boot knife. He might be old as dirt but the man hasn’t lost anything but stamina to age-” Horrad cut off with a wince, and rubbed at the spot his wife had just hit him. “What, it’s true! The man was old when I was a child and he’s still teaching fosterlings. Elleth should have gone to him five years ago but…” The mace wielder trailed off, pursing his lips together.

“There’s something else that we have to tell you,” Espleth said, taking up where Horrad had left off. “You aren’t an only child. You had a sister five years older than you who we fostered out when she turned seven. It wasn’t…the best of choices as her foster family and every fosterling in their care ended up dying. It was a dragon attack during one of their outings into the forest. You were so little at the time that you couldn’t fathom never seeing Sissy again, you cried yourself to sleep every night.”

Elleth frowned, vaguely recalling the events being spoken of, but was unable to put a face to the name, only the faint traces of emotion told her that the story was true. “This is why we were against fostering you out so soon after your sister’s death. I apologize for doing this to you. In our selfish need to have you close we stunted your growth and created this distance between us.” Espleth said, wiping at her eyes. “We love you too much to keep hurting you like this, which is why Elder Jovra agreed to take you in, even though you’re older than the others you’ll be with. Please don’t think too badly of your Father and I we just…we just.”

Elleth could feel her heart breaking again as she watched her mother dissolve into tears, and knew that no matter what, she could never be angry at her.

Solo: I am... the Weapon

“Ah there you are!” Elder Jovra said as he made his way to her side as she emptied out the filthy water she’d used for cleaning. Elleth noticed that he was moving slowly and that his back was probably bothering him. The man always seemed to leave her in awe of his tenacity. No matter what was thrown his way be it new fosterlings or the leaving of old to health issues and weather Jovra always seemed to be in good spirits and not-quite spry health. “Come come! I had Kovo fetch some practice weapons for you to try out.”

Elleth choked on her own spit. For a moment there she thought she’d heard him say something about weapons. “W-what? Weapons?” She stuttered, looking at her mentor with wide eyes. “B-but I haven’t been here long, barely two months. I-”

“Hush child, you’ve been here plenty long and your Father didn’t do you too badly with his ideals. There are still little things that need to be addressed but it would be easier to correct them by teaching you new skills. You’re not an old blade like me you can still be forged into something great. All it takes is time and practice and the determination to prove that you are the best that there is.” Jovra interrupted, reaching out to pat Elleth on the head. Grinning the old Oblivionite tugged on her wayward hair flip. “You’ll get it down pat and soon you’ll be pummeling Kovo into the ground. You’ve got an advantage over him after all, you can see. His senses might be far superior to yours, but you’ll always be able to stand on par with him if you train yourself up.”

Beat Kovo? The concept was as foreign to her as the reasoning’s why the sun rose in the east. Fighting with Kovo was always one sided and the boy had no patience to drag things out. Nor did he really have the stamina but still. Kovo was all quick kicks and grapples and before Elleth even knew what happened, the matches were over and she’d lost. To think that Elder Jovra thought that she could beat him…

Shaking her head Elleth stood and set the bucket down, it wouldn’t grow legs and walk away if it remained there. The others in the Dojo knew that Elder Jovra would often interrupt his students for some reason or another and that their tasks would remain half-finished unless someone else took over. Elleth was too low in the new rankings for someone to take over unless it was something that had to get done, like the cooking or the wash.

Jovra led her to the side training hall, a place where she’d been shown but never invited into. Looking around inside she could tell why. There was a wall of nothing but the different types of weapons hanging just out of reach and the cheaper wooden versions within. This was where Elleth would be training with her weapon.

“Hohoho! Come over here and look at these practice weapons,” Jovra called catching Elleth’s attention, “These are new and not likely to fall apart on you. Though I fully expect them to be destroyed within a week.” One gnarled finger gently stroked the length of the wooden bow before it was picked up and handed over.

Elleth frowned as she slid her hands into position, remember how her mother always held it and mimed cocking an arrow. It felt off. Shaking her head she returned the bow to its stand and picked up the mace. It was heavy and felt very unwieldy and after she nearly tossed it across the room did she decide that it also wasn’t for her. She looked at the Scepter but also felt no pull towards the magic channel. While it would be nice to bond with a dragons element she didn’t think she’d make a good caster. She’d always been an up close and personal type of girl.

That left the sword. Picking up the wooden handle felt strange. It was a bit too big for her hands as she held it and while it was light she found her arms starting to ache as she held it in position over one shoulder. Jovra gently kicked at her heels to get her to widen her stance and adjusted her arms to his liking. Stepping back he ran a critical eye over her frame before nodding. “Looks like you’ll be a sword wielder. Frankly that’s what I saw when I first took you in. You lack the strength needed to effectively use the blade, but that can rectified easily enough. No one was born swinging a sword and the ones who worked the hardest at mastering it are the ones we remember.” He said softly, nodding to himself. “Take that outside while I find one of the others to become your new sparring partner. I dare say the two of you will be butting heads if I don't picking just right!”

Solo: Learning new Kata's

Awkwardly Elleth stood in the training grounds, her new blade strapped to her back via a rigged harness made from cloth and leather scraps. Master Jovra had commissioned someone to make her a harness what would be adjustable as she grew. Apparently the ones that normally slung over the chest would be a problem for her when she hit puberty and started to develop her...womanly assets. Inwardly Elleth wondered what boobs had to do with adjustable straps and weight balance when she'd been measured. She also wondered why they'd taken her hip and foot measurements. Master Jovra had better not be trying to get her new clothing when she still had perfectly serviceable garments. Granted a few were more patch than cloth, but still, they did their duty and kept her from being indecent.

Not that she had anything to show off at any rate.

"Pffft you were right Master, she is as dense as a brick and as thick as dragon hide." A snide voice said, not even bothering to control volume or the distaste that colored it. "Been sitting here for what, half a candlemark and she aint notice nothing til now."

Elleth didn't jump at the voice, mainly because her weapon weighed her down too much and her balance was off with it, she didn't want to further embarrass herself by falling on her nose. Slowly she turned to look at the speaker, startled when she saw it was a girl she knew, even shared a sleeping space with. Eliji grinned at her, a smile that was full of teeth and no pleasantness. Eliji was beautiful as far as Oblivionites went. Her coal colored skin held few scars and her silvery white hair with thick, long, and held a hint of curls. Her legs were long and her ankles thin, her frame perfect for child baring and the broadsword on her back did little to destroy the image of fragility that her body painted. If anything it made her look like someone who was trying to be stronger than she really was.

Elleth couldn't lie to herself, she was a little bit in love with this girl. Eliji was everything she wanted to become and more.

She opened her mouth but Eliji wasn't done yet. "Don't even try it girly, I been watching you since you got here. Master saw the potential in you, I saw the potential, everyone who can see it has seen it. You haven't seen it. You're blind, deaf, and dumb to your own potential. Master's too easy on you, says you remind him of the girl-child he had when his family was alive. If anything that should make him go harder on you but eh, I aint Master." Eliji jumped off of the balancing pole she'd been standing on to land with barely a sound.

Elleth was reminded of how large the gap between their rankings were. Eliji was an Expert and Elleth only an Apprentice. She hoped that Eliji would stick around to see her grow stronger and stronger.

Eliji swung her blade from the harness on her back, the sword made a sigh like sound as it left the metal and leather sheath. "Now show me what you've got girl, I've been granted permission to beat you bloody and then some if it'll wake you up." Elleth licked her lips and swallowed as a cold finger of fear trailed down her back. Eliji wasn't joking one iota about beating her until she bled. This wasn't a blunt sword spar where all she'd get were some bruises and maybe broken bones. No this one came with the real risk of accidental death. But Master wouldn't have given Eliji leave to fight her if he wasn't sure of her ability to control the battle rage that swept over them from time to time.

But Elleth knew she was taking too long, hesitating when she should have already attacked. The expression on Eliji's face went from simply disgusted to downright hostile. Fire bloomed along one cheek before warmth followed. It took her a moment before the pain hit and with it came the realization that Eliji was done with waiting and had attacked. Adrenaline smoothed the shaking that had followed the pain as she clumsily drew her sword. The blade was still awkward and unwieldy in her hands, even though she'd practiced with a wooden version for some months now.

"Good, you aren't stupid on top of being dumb!" Eliji barked as she swung her blade up and cut downward, "Shitachi! Men-nuki-men!" Came the barked orders as the obsidian colored sword came down. Elleth found her body moving before she'd even fully processed the order. Shitachi, one step back hands up to barely avoid the blade, then a step forward. It was a dance that was drilled into her in a less painful manner.

But pain was a good motivator and so Elleth found herself easily falling into familiar rhythm. She stumbled and messed up because of how unfamiliar her weapon was, but by the time Eliji called a halt to practice she was feeling more confident in her ability to wield it. She just wished her arms would stop shaking and that her fingers would let go of the hilt. But Eliji was a good mentor and helped her out, prying her fingers off one by one with unnecessary glee while telling her just how badly she sucked and what she should do to improve herself. By the time it took Elleth to wrap her mind around all the backwards compliments and praise she found herself stripped naked with a still chattering Eliji behind her, scrubbing her back with a rough cloth and soap that smelled like flowers stinging her cuts.

"Hey hey, we're gonna do that again tomorrow, after that we'll see how much more help you need to get your act together eh?"