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 Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 8:38 am
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ❊ ▬▬▬▬▬ Class Choice Solo ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬Word Count - 1318
◈ Snow covered the ground in a soft blanket. Iriyana had snuck away from her family in order to train. She wanted to do it on her own since they would tell her to go easy. In her heart and mind she needed to go hard on herself. The young Ice girl had a lot to prove; to herself.
With a deep breath she looked up the hill. If she was going to great she would need to make it up to the top without stopping and without getting too tired. So as she slowly exhaled she gripped the bow in her hands, memorizing the feel of worn leather. With a cloud of warm air hanging in front of her she suddenly took off. Her boots lifted up out of the deep white softness then went plunging back in. With her arms moving at her sides and her hand gripping the weapon like her life depended on it she puffed with each step. The fur of her clothing rubbed against her skin and created friction so that warmth was generated.
She came close to a tree that was standing out of the normal grouping and had a small target hanging from it’s lowest branch. Riya reached back and grabbed an arrow from her quiver so that she could nock it and pull back on the string. With it taut and ready to go she aimed, keeping both eyes open, then released to let the arrow fly. When she heard the unmistakeable sound of the arrow head hitting the wooden target she turned away from it and continued up the hill.
It was her hope that she could learn to do this without slowing her pace. Of course she was a wam that goal but Riya wasn’t going to give up on it. The muscles in her thighs burned as she had to lift her leg up high to over step the snow on the ground. If she had tried to push her limbs through it though it would have taken more and more energy; something she was trying to conserve. Her gaze went up to the top of the hill. Iriyana still had a good distance to cover so she pushed on and when she got closer to another target she went after another arrow.
This time she moved a bit more slowly, her upper body being turned to the side so that she could aim properly. Once the projectile was airborne she didn’t stay to watch it. Instead she listened for the thunk of the wood being hit as she pushed her body faster through the snow. Her chest burned as the cold air entered and swirled around before being pushed back out. That was something else that she needed to get used to if she wanted to live in her homeland. The air causing her throat and lungs to burn in a whole other way.
Grunting the young prentice grabbed for another arrow and when it was firmly between her fingers she held it to the bow. Everything was in slow motion for her as she took aim. Her legs kept going beneath her but she couldn’t feel them. The loving sound of the bowstring being pulled tight made her ears twitch and it sent a shiver down her spine. One that was always welcome. Riya had shut one eye to aim but before she let go and sent the arrow flying she remembered what her Grandad had told her. Keep both eyes open. So just like that her other eyelid came up and she was staring down the shaft of the weapon before it was set loose through the air. She stared after it as the thing wiggled in the air from the sudden shift in speed. Then all of a sudden time sped up right before her eyes and THUD she hit a full center bullseye.
A grin spread over her face and she looked back at the top of the hill. Still drawing each leg up high as she ran she pulled out two arrows this time. Iriyana had been told that it was a Ranger’s best quality to have one arrow nocked and ready to go while holding yet another in the same hand in the waiting. So her fingers did their best to hold the one down and waiting while they got the first ready to be shot. It took longer than she would have liked and she had to slow her running down to barely a crawl or miss the chance to hit the next target. However, once she had it right she let the arrow loose and almost right after she got the next one going. Sadly she missed the center but she was pleased to at least see that they hit the wooden target.
Now, out of arrows, she slung her bow over her shoulder and took off full speed up the hill. All she had to do was make it there! Of course it hurt her legs as the incline grew sharper but Riya wasn’t going to stop. Not if she wanted to become a full fledged Ranger of Zena. The snowy mountains would be her domain! So with one last push of energy she surged up the slope and when she made it she threw her arms up into the air in triumph. Not only had she made it to the top for the first time but she’d also hit all the targets. Maybe not with all bullseyes but her arrows had hit the wood and not the ground.
Then she bent over to put her hands on her knees so that she could take deep breaths. Gulping in the air she did her best to slow her heart rate down. When she didn’t feel like she was going to kill over she stood upright and started to walk. The burn in her legs made her want to just drop into the snow and let the cold soothe the pain but she knew if she didn’t stretch then she would regret it later. So she made small circles at the top of the hill, casting her glance toward the side she had just come up. The snow had a record of what she’d done. The deep blanket of white had holes punched into it from her feet. It was her proof that she had just accomplished her goal of making it to the summit of the largest hill in the area.
Tilting her head back she huffed out her breaths and smiled like mad up at the sky. “I will become worthy of the mountains, Chi.” Her arms raised up yet again. Riya wanted to shout out her joy at what she had just accomplished but knew that to do so would cause an avalanche. So instead she brought her hands to her mouth and kissed her fingertips. Blowing that kiss up she closed her eyes and turned so that she was facing the hill once again. Now Iriyana was looking down. Did she wanted to run or would it be better to take her time, build up her muscles and fight against gravity? She still needed to collect her arrows from all the targets so she figured that going slow would be better.
“I need to learn how to make my own arrows.” She said to herself idly. Then just like that she was making her way back down. Though she didn’t go the same way she came up. Instead she trudged through the unbroken snow to make yet another path. She would leave evidence all over this slope to show what she could do! “Maybe I can beseech the god of the forest to impart that wisdom on me.” If she was going to do it then she would be using wood from his trees. “Maybe he’ll take pity on his young Ranger.” Iriyana mused.
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Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2016 1:50 pm
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ❊ ▬▬▬▬▬ Well that ended badly ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬Word Count - 1407
◈ Since she and her brother had grown she noticed more and more often that boys would take an interest in her. Riya hadn’t been sure why at first but then she noticed on day as she passed by a mirror that her body was starting to take on the curvy shape of her mother’s. Just from being around her mother and seeing how males reacted to her she could understand why she was now getting those same looks from boys her own age. Not that she was entirely sure she liked the attention. However, one day she met a local Sauti boy by the name Lirye. He was charming and had more than just a little interest in her and Riya seemed to find him cute. So it wasn’t too long before she was sneaking off to spend time with him and the two ended up as a couple.
Iriyana kept it all innocent, though. Holding hands and hugs nothing more. There was nothing that could convince her otherwise. Mostly because she refused to end up like her mother and having kids at a young age. While she didn’t hold it against Eirlys it just wasn’t something she had on her to do list. If she ever had kids then it would be later in life. For now she wanted to enjoy romance and freedom. Lirye seemed to understand her desire and never pushed for anything more intimate which made her like him that much more.
Today she was sitting with him and a few other Sauti kids at their usual hang out spot. A place near the river where many of the boys liked to fish. Riya never minded the spot and because she was there other girls eventually came as well.
“Hey Lirye, did you see those other ice kids out at the Inn the other day?” One of the other boys called as he cast his fishing line into the shallows.
Almost instantly the conversation had Iriyana’s attention. Sure, there could be other iclings in the area but if this was about her brother and her best friend then she wanted to know what was being said. Especially if it was mean. Then again, no one here knew that those two were related to her in any way. No one knew she had a twin brother. It wasn’t that she had lied and said she didn’t, Riya just never mentioned it.
“You mean the crossdresser and the weakling?” Lirye laughed as he asked the question. "Yeah, I saw them. Pathetic really."
“Yeah! I heard the girly boy is dressed by his mother. Apparently she wanted a girl and got him instead.” A round of laughter went through the whole group.
Riya wasn’t pleased to hear any of this. Lirye noticed that she wasn’t laughing along with the rest of them and gave her a small nudge. “Awe, don’t worry Iriyana, everyone here thinks you’re beautiful. Right guys?” He turned his attention to his other friends.
“Yup! Iriyana is the cutest little ice girl.” One of the new boys to the spot claimed with a large grin.
Despite the compliments she still wasn’t thrilled with the way they had spoken about her brother or Li. But it was nothing to explode over. Later she would ask her boyfriend not to talk about them again, at least not in that way. He would understand. He always did. It was one of the things she liked about him.
“Hey, so I was thinking we could beat the weakling up, maybe he’d go crying to his mommy, right? Haha! And since the girly boy likes fancy clothes we can make him wear one of the tavern dancer’s clothes.” Liyre was addressing the others in the group.
“Hey, maybe his mom would like a Sauti man to take care of her!” This chime came from one of the older boys in the group.
From what Riya remembered he was close to becoming a lancer instead of an apprentice. So that made him older than her by a few years at least. Their jests went on back and forth but what really got her was when they crossed a line. Liyre was the one to say it but everyone else cheered him on.
“What do you say we break in and drag those two out? We can bring them to town and tie them up naked and throw Aldabuk dung at them. The one is too stupid and weak to fight back, the other will be too worried about his hair! Maybe embarrassing them too much will make them leave our land. Damned moochers.”
Iriyana had had enough. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself but when it failed she reached over and shoved one of the giggling girls off the rock and into the water. That got everyone to quiet down some so they could stare at her. When she got to her feet the others did too, though they seemed confused by what was going on.
“What gives Iriyana? Is this your week or what?” Lirye asked, though he didn’t realize he insulted her even more.
“What gives? I’ll tell you what gives you two faced mama’s boy. That ‘weakling’ is my brother! Only I get to call him that!” She fumed at him and balled her hands into fists. “And the girly boy? He’s my friend!” Words weren’t enough to get her anger out so she sent her fist flying into Lirye’s jaw before anyone could do anything about it.
As he went down she leapt on him. With one hand holding him down, as well as her body weight sitting on his chest, Riya set to work on turning his face black and blue. He didn’t like Iclings? Well then she’d make him the color of one! So when he passed by a mirror he would be forced to see the color!
There was yelling all around her and by the time she was on her ninth punch to her now ex-boyfriend’s face the eldest boy wrapped his arms around her and tried to haul her off Liyre. His reward for getting involved was a broken nose from Iriyana slamming her head back into his face. And once she was free to start punching again she did. The girls in the group had taken off running, not wanting to get into it with her, some of the boys were backing away and the only one who was brave enough to step in now had a broken nose so the others simply stared and watched.
Lirye, to his credit, tried to fight back and managed to clip Riya with a fist to the cheekbone. The more he fought back the more she wailed on him. Only when he seemed to stop resisting and her hand was sending intense pain signals up her arm she she leave him alone. The poor boy had passed out from one too many blows to the face. When she stood up to walk away she gave the others a glare.
“If any one of you touches another icling, you’ll get worse than him.” She might even kill one of them if they touched her brother. Hulis was her brother. She was the only one that could beat on him or call him names! Damnit that was her right as his sister!
Without waiting for one of them to find their voice she spat on Liyre’s bloodied face then turned around to head back to the Inn. Her hand was in need of tending to. If she was lucky then she could find Makani before her mother or father saw her. Or her brother for that matter. She really didn’t want him to worry, nor did she want to tell him what had happened. “I shoulda dated an ice boy.” Riya angrily said to herself. On her way home she started to really feel the pain in her hand and when she looked down at it she noticed that it was swelling quite a bit. When she poked at it she gritted her teeth. “Great, I think I broke it.” Now she was even more angry!
If she wasn’t more than halfway home she likely would have turned right around and went at one of the other boys just because. When the Inn came into view she gave a groan but did her best to hide the damage to her hand.
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Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 6:07 pm
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ❊ ▬▬▬▬▬ The Past that Haunts ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬Word Count - 1785
◈ After seeing her grandparents, from both sides, and being dolled up in a dress that her paternal grandmother thought was just her style, Riya managed to escape. While she hadn't gotten to change out of the dress she did manage to grab her bow and arrows so that she could go practice. Since the place she wanted to go to was on the other side of the village she took the main route through market. Of course Iriyana had to stop and pick up a crab apple for a snack.
She didn't know that she had caught the attention of an older man. Mato. He was her mother's ex-suitor and when he saw her he had to do a double take. In fact he had thought she was Eirlys herself. Only now that he looked harder he saw that she was younger, lacked the pronounced chest her mother had, and her hair was too short to be Eiri. What Mato did notice, however, was that she looked so much like her mother but there were traces of Huyana in her appearance as well. A fact that angered him. So when Riya headed toward the wilderness outside the village he followed.
As Iriyana crunched into her apple she didn't hear the crunch of snow behind her. The whole way up to the peak that she used as her practice spot she suspected nothing. After ten minutes of walking up hill she managed to reach the out cropping of snow covered rock that she used as her point of operation. There was a tree nearby that was the perfect target. It held a notch in it's trunk that Riya used as her bullseye.
Before she could get everything set up she noticed that she was being followed. "Hello?" She called out curiously. "Can I help you?" She had no idea this person came from the village. She assumed they had been out here already and had spotted her walking and followed then.
"You look like her, you know." The weird reply came casually as Mato drew closer. "Your mother was the most beautiful girl in the village back then." While he was speaking to her he seemed to be lost in his own memories.
It made Riya uncomfortable. The way he mentioned her mother was almost as though he were still in love with her. She knew that he had been because the tone he used. It was similar to the one her dad had when he spoke about her mother. "Yes, she was. That's why my dad noticed her." Iriyana shrugged her shoulders. "Who are you?" Since she was getting a creepy vibe from the man she wanted to know just who he was.
"I should have been your father." Mato chillingly related to her as he stepped even closer. When he was within arms reach he snapped his hand out and took hold of her arm. Mato dug his fingers into her skin and pulled her to him. "You should have been my daughter. Eirlys was supposed to have been mine. You were supposed to have been mine!" He began shouting with anger but he fully believed his own words. In his mind Eiri and he would have been the perfect couple. He could have given her children. This girl before him would have been his daughter.
"Such a beautiful daughter." With his other hand he caringly caressed her cheek. "My beautiful daughter." Mato could forgive Eirly's indisgression. He could take her back and be the father of her children.
"You're crazy! Let go of me." Riya didn't like this. His fingers were going to leave bruises. Yanking her head away from his other hand, finding his actions and words to be more than just a little inappropriate, and spat in his face. "To the grave with you!" She pulled at her arm to get free from him completely but wasn't expecting the backhand she received.
Mato struck her hard. Hard enough that Iriyana felt the impact of his knuckles on her teeth and gums and knew instantly that the cold she felt on her lip was blood. The skin had split open. Riya spat out blood into the snow and brought her gaze back to the man's face, glaring full force. "Get your hands off me or you'll regret it."
A loud laugh left him and he twisted the arm he had a hold of until the muscles in her arm were pulled too taunt. "Regret it? Who will make me do that? Your father? He's likely too busy in bed with a harlot to even care!"
The insult to Huyana made Riya retaliate, no one insulted her father except her. She kicked the man in the family jewels and when he let go of her arm to tend to his own, she balled her fist and clocked him in the jaw. She had been in enough fights to know what hurt a man. Though usually she only fought guys who were a few years older than her.
Not liking how vicious the girl was, Mato grabbed her by the bodice of her dress, ripping it slightly, and threw her to the ground. He'd taken enough from her. So when she hit the snow he launched his foot into her ribs to teach her a lesson. "No. Maybe I can't be your father. You are too much like Huyana. But that's alright. I hear you have a brother." With a wide grin he sent another foot into her middle.
A yell left her lips when the first kick hit. The second made her cough and spit more blood into the snow. Holding her stomach with one hand she used her other to scramble to her feet. There were now three distinct patches of bloody snow on the ground. Riya was pleased to know there wasn't more than there was because it meant that she wasn't extremely hurt. "You stay away from my brother!" What she didn't realize was that she had gotten too close to the edge and when Mato kicked her in the knee to take her out she went over the edge.
Riya screamed and grappled with the edge, finding some purchase with the snow and rocks. Her lower half dangled over the edge and she tried to find some footing so that she could bring herself back up. For the first real time since encountering Mato she was experiencing fear. Not of him but of the fall that was likely to happen if she didn't get up soon. Struggling and slipping more and more she failed to notice that Mato had moved to stand in front of her face.
"Tell your mother she made the wrong choice." Mato smirked at Riya then brought his foot down hard onto her face.
Not only did the kick push her off the cliff with no means to keep hold it also caused her to loose consciousness. Iriyana screamed while she could but when her world went black all she saw was the retreating sight of the safety of the cliff. And a boot. Thankfully she was out cold before she hit the ground. It was some hundred or more feet down but a fresh snow had fallen that morning, making a softer landing for her body. She was still alive. Though it would be some hours before she was found and her body was losing heat.
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"Riya?" Erbanu called as he walked up to where he knew his niece liked to practice her archery. Bringing his hands up to cup around his mouth he tried calling for her again. "Iriyana?" When he got no reply he dropped his hands to his side and let out a breath. "Where is that girl?"
With a shake of his head he continued on toward the practice tree but the closer he got the more he noticed. There was more than one set of tracks in the snow. There were no arrows in the tree. And bright spots of red dotted the snow by the ledge. Erbanu felt a ping of terror run down his spine. Fearing that his niece had gone over the edge he ran the last bit to investigate. As he leaned over he saw her. Riya lay at the bottom of the cliff, lightly encased in snow, with blood on her face.
"RIYA!?" Erbanu felt a surge of anger go through him. If this was an accident then he was going to lecture his niece about safety near cliffs! If this was something more sinister then he was going to cut someone down!
Moving quickly he turned away from the cliff and ran back to the trail. He hated that there wasn't a faster way down to her, other than leaping off the top, but he moved as fast as he dared to on the snowy slopes. When he finally did reach her he slid on his knees and quickly grabbed her shoulders. "Riya! Riya! Open your eyes damned it!" What if she didn't!?
His sister was going to kill him! Erbanu frantically looked Iriyana over to make sure she had no other wounds, though her face looked pretty beat up, and when he found nothing he searched for broken bones. Her arms were fine and so were her legs but he felt something off about her ribs. He feared moving her but he could feel that she was cold, almost too cold, so he shoved his arms up under her in the snow and gently lifted. "C'mon Riya.." Erbanu wasn't sure what else to do, so he had to get her home.
Getting to his feet in the soft snow was a challenge and walking with the added weight even more so. Still he was determined to get Iriyana home. His mother would be able to tell if there were more damage.
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"Mama! Send a bird to Eiri right away. Riya's been hurt." Erbanu yelled as he burst into the family home. He'd kicked the door open, which he imagined he would get yelled at for later, but he had no time to try and be polite with it. Instead he manuvered past his siblings, carrying his niece's limp body, and managed to get her onto the large dining table they had. Erbanu didn't have time to think about what bed to lay her in or argue with others to clear out.
"Someone get blankets! She's freezing!" All he could do was yell orders at the others. There was no way he was going to leave his little niece. At least not until Eirlys showed up. Then he would go to find out what happened up there on the ledge.
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Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2017 3:52 am
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ❊ ▬▬▬▬▬ Class Quest ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬Word Count - 1777
◈ All her practice with the bow boiled down to this. Getting the acceptance of the man she wanted to train her. While her grandfather was an excellent marksman she had decided to forgo having someone from her family teach her. It would seem like favortism. Iriyana didn't want that because she wanted to prove that she was the best on her own. Through hard work and determination. The old fashioned way.
Riya nodded at her own thoughts as she gripped her bow and headed for the practice yard where Mr. Akche was holding auditions. He did it every year to see if there was anyone good enough to train under him. Two years ago he managed to find someone and this year she was hoping it would be her. As she finally set foot onto yard she noticed that almost everyone else who used a bow had also shown up.
"Oh look, Onuelo's granddaughter has decided to show up."The deep baritone of Akche carried over the murmurs of the rest. "Looks like you lot have some good competition this year." He gave a rumble that passed as a laugh then moved away from the others so that he could stand at the "front."
Riya groaned as everyone seemed to eye her with a little bit of distain. It seemed like because her grandfather was one of the best hunters in their village she was going to be hated on for trying to be taught by someone else. That was a perfect way to start out her day; not. If she had worn a hat today she'd have pulled it down over her eyes to hide from the judging looks. Instead she was left with the awkward wave as her only option, not that it gained her any points with the others.
As Akche called for everyone to line up and choose a target the others moved around her but made it a point to run into her with one shoulder or another. After being bounced around she took a deep breath and sighed but moved to claim the last target that was available. It wasn't the other archers she was here to impress so she tried to ignore them and their glares. When the word was given they all took aim and let loose their arrows. Iriyana set two arrows flying at the same time and watched as they raced one another to the finish. A self satisfied smile formed when the familiar thud of arrows hitting wood sounded with a double impact. Thud. Thunk. One was deeper than the other but they had both made it to the center.
"Now that is how you shoot." Came the voice of the mentor.
Instantly Riya could feel her skin burning as she received glaring looks from everyone else. Apparently showing what skill she already had was not making her any friends today. Moving her yellow eyes to look at Mr. Akche she hoped that he at least was impressed with her little stunt. The point of it all had been to prove that she was worthy of being his student rather than taking the easy way out and letting her grandfather teach her. So she offered him a smile and a shrug to show that it was an innocent showing off.
"Snows below why did Iriyana have to be here." She heard hissed from behind her.
Riya inhaled deeply and moved away from the group so that she wouldn't be tempted to make a snarky retort. As Akche moved toward the targets to examine them she watched him. He seemed to be measuring the distance each arrow had from the center. It made her a little anxious and she looked at her own target to see if she was off center at all. It was then that she noticed that one of her arrows was just a slight bit off. Too far to the right. It was a little disappointing to be sure. Riya just hoped that it wouldn't be counted against her too harshly since she was the only one who was brave enough to shoot two arrows at once.
When the man got to her target she practically held her breath waiting to see what he would do. Akche took his time and seemed to pick apart her shot until he was finally done. Iriyana bit down on her bottom lip wondering what he was thinking.
"Alright, the second, third, sixth, and eighth targets may leave. They are the farthest from center." Akche addressed them all.
There were several groans of disappointment as those who had been told they could leave shuffled out. Riya looked at them all one by one to see who it was who hadn't made the cut. They would have to find someone else to teach them to become an expert at the bow and she just hoped they didn't go to her grandfather. If they couldn't hit the center of the target then it would take him forever to work with them. Maybe she should warn him about them. When Akche started to speak again she gave him her full attention and learned that their next challenge was going to be a moving target. Sadly he only had the one so they would be taking turns.
With her having the last target she was going last. Riya thought that was a blessing since it would give her time to see how fast the target moved and also how well the other archers did. One after the other they stepped forward and drew their arrows but something she noticed made her tilt her head. A lot of them had the wrong stance. How did they manage to hit the center? Iriyana shook her head as she watched and when it was her turn she stepped up and made sure her feet were in the right position. A few short seconds and she released the bow string so that her arrow could fly forward. Whiss. Thud. A full bullseye.
A deep chuckle came from the man that had been watching them all closely. "Iriyana would you like to tell the others what they were doing wrong?" He asked aloud.
It was putting her on the spot and she wasn't so sure she liked it but there was no way she was going to back down. "Most of them had the wrong stance." It might make her even more hated by those that were trying to win the place as Akche's student but she wasn't going to back out now.
He nodded his head and smiled at her. Clearly she was a favorite. "Good eye. So that means all except Iriyana and uh..." Akche pointed at one other as he tried to remember the kid's name. "You." He finally settled on. "All of you may go. You two come with me." It seemed that he was pleasantly surprised.
Riya couldn't remember there ever being two that had made it this far before. It said something about their skills. Though really if that was all it took she had to wonder why no one was chosen every year. It wasn't like the tests were hard. Unless there was some special formula the man was using to judge them. If there was then she couldn't think of it. Being able to hit the center of a target and having the right stance were basic things. Or was that what he was making sure they knew? Did he want to make sure that they knew their basics and could perform them under pressure? It would make sense. It would mean that he didn't have to waste time trying to teach them that and could move right into the advanced things.
"Now I want to make sure you can hit a still target while you move." Akche grinned at them.
Something in the way he smiled made her a little worried. A moment later she knew why it made her feel that way. Apparently she was going to be shooting from the back of.. did the man have a Janarim? Riya blinked several times. Had her mother not been a beast tamer she wouldn't know that it was possible to keep such a beast in colder temperatures.
The other kid that had made it as far seemed to shake his head and move away from the beast clearly not used to them. Iriyana didn't blame him. Most people were afraid of them. Since her competition wasn't going to take the initiative then she needed to. So she stepped forward as the beast made it's way to Akche. The twinkle in his eye told her that he was impressed but in her eyes there was no need to be.
"You will ride Frachka and shoot the target." He said as he motioned to his janarim.
Riya nodded and got her things readied before moving to get assistance in climbing onto the beast. It seemed that he wanted them to ride without a saddle or seat so that made things a little harder. Still, she was sure that she could do that. Once she was on she moved into a position that she could hold with just her legs and nudged Frachka into action. The sudden jolt of movement threw her off balance but she did her best to stay on the thing. Her aim took a huge blow because of it but she did manage to shoot her arrow and while she hit the target she barely managed to keep it on the outer ring.
"Haha! Yes! Iriyana will be my student." Just like that.
She just barely managed to dismount before she fell and when she did she looked at the man like he'd grown a third a head. Riya hadn't hit anywhere close to center so how could she be his student?
"Heh heh, you're the only one to even hit the target in years. Most run from Frachka, can't stay on, or miss completely." Akche winked at her and turned to walk away but not before telling her when to show up for practice the next day.
The whole thing left Iriyana dumbfounded as she stood there. Had that really just happened? It was so.. so.. anticlimactic. All it took was someone to actually attempt and hit the target? Not manage a perfect shot? She finally closed her gaping mouth and looked around to make sure it wasn't some joke but when no one jumped out and said "Just kidding!" she headed home. Apparently she had some good news to deliver. Though she wasn't entirely sure how it was all that impressive.
(( This is Riya getting her place as Mr. Akche's student but also learning that having such a position isn't as prestigious as she thought. It's a slight let down for her but she accepts it. ))
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