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 Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 5:04 pm
As Dyakida spoke about her having her dual swords she smiled. That was her weapon, she loved her swords and there was no way she would feel safe with anything else. When Dyakida said that if you don't use the right weapon you might as well not have a weapon at all. "I think that is why they wait so long till we get our weapons, so that when we get them we know exactly what weapon works for you." She had never thought about it like that when she was waiting, it was painstaking to wait, but now that she had found her calling it seemed all worth it.
She continued watching Biroki and when he brought out the wooden-box she tilted her head. When he opened it she took one of the pebbles, and when he told her it was the game that he told her about when they met last she smiled. She had almost forgotten all about that game! "Yes! I would love to learn how to play." she said excitedly.
When Biroki asked the other girls if they played she turned to Dyakida. "It is a wooden box thingy, with sixteen wholes and lots of small pebbles." she said placing the one pebble that she held in Dyakida's hand. She turned back to Biroki. "When ever your ready."
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Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 8:09 pm
"Yes!" Biroki said excitedly, "Er... I mean... y-yes. To both. I want to be a mage... and yes... I was going to t-teach Briella, but I can t-teach everybody i-if... if you like..." he was flustering again, his smile shy, but wide. He was still nervous and a bit afraid of the alkidikes (not to mention just plain intimidated by all the strong and beautiful ladies), but it was a good feeling. Warm. He drank his tea. Maybe he had brewed it right this time and the calming tea was working.
"Wh-what sort of magic do you u-use? I... I can m-make sparks and fire appear s-sometimes, so I...I'm training to use it so I dont... burn anything... uh... down." He took another drink and set up the pieces of the mancala board, four bead-like stones in each hollow.
"You're going to be a... rider?" he was surprised. He didn't remember asking her. Immediately, of course, he felt guilty about that.
"What would you... uh... r-ride?" a Radaku? Maybe?
He glanced at Briella, flinching slightly before relaxing again.
"Oh, uh. Sure. W...well..." he picked up the pebbles in one of the pockets. "Y-you pick up the pebbles... like this... and you put one in each hollow... like this..." he demonstrated, self conciously, "and when you get to your goal.. th-thats this big hollow, here... uh, over there if you're on that side... you put a pebble in there. The person with the... uh... most pebbles at the end wins, and you w-win when there are no pebbles left on one of the s-sides...
He dropped the pebble into the goal compartment and held out his empty hand, "If... If you end up at the goal and have none left... you can go again..." he demonstrated, taking one of the larger piles and placing the pebbles, overflowing onto the other side, "but if you... uh... go over.. or don't end up on the goal on that try... you have to let the other person go."
He flipped the board.
"And... uh... theres one more tricky r-rule... if you land in an empty space on y-your side, and theres pebbles on the other p-person's side... you take the pebble you used and the pebbles across from it... and you put it in your g-goal!"
He restarted the board.
"A... and thats how..." he said, flustered, looking around somewhat anxiously.
"Thats how you play Mancala..."
((YAY))
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Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 8:35 pm
Well, the game certainly sounded interesting, and dyakida would want to play it, possibly at some point... but she was still on the other topic.
She leaned forward.
"Magic? So you don't use the staff as a weapon itself but as a... a..." she couldn't find the right word.
"Thats fascinating... do you have one? May I... take a look?" she asked, ignoring the turn of phrase. "I'll return it to you, of course... I'm just curious.."
She frowned.
"Riding?" she asked, mildly curious, "And they use staves as well?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2012 9:22 am
Aminah listened to Biroki's explanation of the game. She was really trying to follow along, but she learned better by watching and doing, rather than listening. She was practically lost by the end of the explanation, but with a sigh she resigned to watching Briella and Biroki play first.
Aminah wanted to hear more about Zuri's riding and what she wanted to use as a weapon but she waited for Zuri to speak about it first.
She was also very interested in Biroki and Dyakida's conversations with her and was incredibly excited that this was going so well. Her excitement was showing all over her face as she answered. "That's so interesting! I like to use water and earth magics, I have more of an affinity for them. It definitely makes gardening a lot easier in Tale," she said with a laugh. "Maybe we can train together and I can put your fires out. She teased Biroki.
"I use my staff as like a conduit. It enhances and directs my magic, it helps me control it." She hoped she was explaining it alright. "And yes! I have it with me." She passed it over to Dyakida, her smile widening.
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Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2012 7:29 pm
Zuri smiled at Biroki. "I'm not sure yet actually. Back at home there are a few different animals that could be used as mounts, but here it is the Radaku that are most often used. So I guess it depends where I am when I finally achieve rider status and what animal feels most comfortable to me." Zuri nodded. Personally any mount would be good, but she preferred one that could take her from place to place and be good in any weather. She doubted most of the animals from back home would do good here in Juahar.
Turning to Dyakida she nodded. "Riders use many things, staves are but one choice. The lance and spear are two other choices. It all depends on the rider really. I have even heard of some Riders having tridents. Though more rarely. I'm still unsure of which I would like to end up with." She was leaning towards the trident or the spear but she still wasn't completely positive about either.
At Aminah's suggestion that her and Brioki train together another pang of jealousy shot up within her, though she suppressed it just as fast as it came. She really needed to do something about this. However she wasn't really all that sure what there was that she could do about it. "Although you did an amazing job at explain it, I think it will be best, at least for me, to see the two of you play."
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Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2012 7:36 pm
Briella listened as Biroki talked to the other girls, mildly interested but not enough to take her eyes off this new thing that Biroki had shown her. Mancala, was it called. Although she wasn't sure if Dyakida would ever be able to play maybe Maya would like to learn? The only time she took her eyes away was to see Aminah hand her weapon to Dyakida. She made sure it was firmly in her sisters hands before looking away. She wasn't sure if the girl realized that Dyakida was blind, and she didn't want her to accidentally let go too soon or something else that could hurt Dya.
As Biroki explained the game she nodded, sure that she got at least the gist of the whole thing. It seemed pretty complicated, but she was sure that if earthlings got it then she could as well.
"Okay I think I got it. You can go first." she said with a bright smile. Looking at Zuri and Aminah she wondered how good they were at the game. "When did you two know you wanted to be a mage, and you a rider?" she asked. She wasn't sure if everyone knew from a young age, though she was sure at least for Aminah and Biroki that it was when they was young since they were mages and only some Earthlings could use magic. She could tell that much from the short jealous looks that came onto Zuri's face. A earthling wouldn't notice them, but any alkidike would.
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Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2012 6:56 pm
"Oh, okay." Biroki gave Zuri a smile and started the game with Briella, picking up the pebbles and putting them down carefully.
Okay, he wasn't that good, actually, but he would at least try to play seriously.
"Haha..." he laughed nervously, "W-Wouldn't it be better to not start the fires... in the f-first place? I... I mean, I... Wouldn't they be just as bad in the Tale?"
Fires liked dry tinder, right? And from what he saw (aside from the gleaming gold of the sunset over a questing alkidike and the world...) (he blushed slightly at the thought and redoubled his focus on the mancala game) it was made of a lot of dry tinder.
So wouldn't an accidental fire be just as bad? Or worse?
"My staff is just a stick right now, but it s-sorta does that. I've mostly just been using my... hands..." He petered off as Briella made her move, and thought for a moment before taking his turn.
He realized, the second his last pebble was placed, that he had just given Briella a huge advantage! She was poised to take all of one of his slots of pebbles! He looked at her a moment, worried, then tried to cover it up.
"w... well.. I don't know if I d-decided. I just... can do magic so I'm gonna be a m-mage... D-does that make sense?" He looked at Aminah, hoping she could support him here. He hadn't really decided. Its just what he was doing... He couldn't see any other thing he could be, since he was makign fires and sparks with his mind...
"What... what about you two? Briella and D-d-..." he frowned at the Mancala board as Briella made her move, "Dya."
Stupid stammer.
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Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2012 8:12 pm
Dyakida received the staff carefully, unaware of Briella's care.
she ran her fingers along it, lifting it and testing the balance.
The balance was indeed wrong for a weapon, and it wouldn't be nearly as effective as her quarterstaff in a fight.
However, the way it was carved was very... special. It went along with what Elder Kishku had described as the 'Energy' of the weapon. It went with the grain and warp of the wood, carved specifically to cradle the smooth orb inside... a crystal?
She didn't have any real magical ability, but if magic worked the way she thought it should, that is- if it was energy like life itself, then it would be channeled over the curves and grains and whorls, and fed into the crystal, which would likely store it, as crystals, she had been taught, absorbed and kept the energy of the world in their structured centers. Did that mean that Earthlings held the energy of the world on their bodies? Hmmm. It was a peculiar thought.
She smiled admiringly. It was well made.
"Do you know how this was made, Aminah?" she asked, pondering the question herself. It was smooth, so it was likely sanded down... and oiled? This could be important to know.
she nodded in Zuri's direction.
"A Spear is a noble weapon... but a trident? I have never had experience with one. What is it like?"
Briella's question about why... and Biroki's follow up question made her feel uneasy. She ignored it. If Briella wished to answer, that was up to her.
"This staff is... beautiful" she said, running her hand along it again before holding it out somewhat grudgingly for Aminah to return, "It is good to see that something so well made is being used..."
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Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 9:40 am
Aminah accepted the staff back from Dyakida and laughed at Biroki's answer to her training offer. "I guess it would be best to just not start fires in the first place, but where's the fun in that? she joked. Biroki answered first while she pondered Briella's question. "Well, I always wanted to be a mage since I was little, but I wasn't sure I had it in me until I was older. I was able to accidentally use magic one day and I was very happy that I could actually train to be a mage when I became a prentice." She smiled wide at the thought of her first encounter with magic. It was wonderful.
Something about Dyakida really struck every inquisiive bone in Aminah's body. She wanted to know more about this Alkidike and was really interested in her affinity for weapons. It was unique and quite strange, something that she had never encountered before. "I don't actually know how it was made. It was given to me as a gift from my parents when I completed my prenticeship. She had actually never really put much thought into how her staff came to be.
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Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2012 7:32 pm
As she watched Zuri answered Briella's question. "Well I never really had an idea back at home, I always thought I would follow my father's footsteps and join the council, but during my travels I discovered that riding was more my style." Plus there was no council down here so it wasn't like she could stay here and be on a council. She turned to Dyakida when she asked about the trident. "It is different for sure, while on my travels one was given to me. The balance is a little different from the spear, and also the way the weight is distributed. I think someone with more muscles would be better matched with it." she said laughing at herself.
She watched Briella and Biroki play, noticing when a worried look crossed Biroki's face. After a second she realized what Biroki did wrong and what Briella's next move should be, but she kept her mouth shut. It wouldn't be fair if she gave her two cents, she would wait and see what Briella would do.
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Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2012 8:29 pm
Briella was eager to start the game, hoping to show off her skills to Biroki and the other Earthlings. Being competitive was something that was in her blood, as well as all her sisters. Back home where all her sisters lived there were all kinds of competitions going on at all times. It was mostly for fun, but things could get serious fast. She doubted that many, if not any, Earthlings had the same competitive streak as herself and her sisters had.
Once he had taken his turn she took hers, still not totally sure what she was doing. During his second turn she saw the worried look on his face, though he hid it quickly after. She smirked, another good thing about herself and her sisters, they could hid their emotions better then the Earthlings. Looking at the game she tried to find where exactly he was worried about her moving. It took her longer then the first time to make her move, but she was pretty sure that she had figured out where it was that he didn't want her to go. She was wrong, but the move she made wasn't all that horrible.
It wasn't until after she moved that she realized that Brioki had asked her and Dya when they realized what they wanted to do. She looked at Dyakida, unsure if she was comfortable answering that question. "Well I always had an idea, and I knew that I didn't want the bow, but it wasn't until the Elder let me choose that I knew for sure what path I would take."
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Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 12:15 pm
Briella had not answered for her. Dyakida felt somewhat... odd about that. Odd good... odd bad... she couldn't tell. She smiled, trying to evade the question.
"Those must have been wonderful days for you, Aminah. Both times, you acquired wonderful gifts."
There had been days, even as a youngling, when she had wished that she could do magic. It would have been so neat. Now, on some of the bad days she wished she had been a mystic. Then she would be unshaken from her path, instead of having to carve a new fate out of tradition and scorn.
She nodded slowly. "Perhaps, then I should ask your parents, if you wouldn't mind allowing me to do so someday?"
She was very curious about the staff work... and also about the leaf tribe... and also about earthling weapons...
And Aminah seemed like someone who might be a nice person to know and talk to on other occasions.
"Council?" She asked, inclining her head towards Zuri, "What do you mean?" She knew that to hold council was to discuss as a group, but this 'council' was said as if it was an object...
Also, the trident sounded interesting- a spear-like weapon with different balance and more heft?
It was also an inadequate description for her curiousity. She would have to investigate further.
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Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 12:28 pm
Dyakida sure knew a lot about weapons. Biroki found it a little scary.
Okay, yes, he found everything a little scary.
He didn't really like to think too hard about weapons and how people died when they were used.
Oh. He was thinking about it again.
It was silly for him to be so unnerved. She wasn't thinking of weapons like implements of killing, but as works of art! Like he thought of the world!
It must just be the blindness that unnerved him. Yes.
He looked back at the board. She hadn't taken his pebbles, but he was still in danger. He quickly moved that collection of pebbles. It wasn't the best move, but it was self defense. He waited for her next move before a thought bubbled to his mind.
"So... ah... If Briella wants to wield dual swords, and you h-have to pick between sword, spear, and bow..." He looked at Dyakida, feeling oddly uncertain, "You... you didn't say what weapon you wanted to use...? Is... is it a secret?
He asked it directly, then flushed, "Er... Dyakida, I mean."
He glanced at Briella for a moment, feeling growingly uncomfortable.
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Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2012 11:33 am
She took a sip of her now cooled tea. It really was delicious. Briella and Biroki were playing the board game, and maybe if Aminah was paying more attention she would have been able to follow, but with all of the conversation around her she still had no idea how to play the game.
She smiled at the memories of receiving the staff and stroked it gently. "Yes. They are pretty wonderful memories." She thought about bringing an Alkidike home to meet her parents and giggled just the slightest bit. That would be fun. "You can definitely ask my parents someday. I wouldn't mind the slightest." She grinned at the thought of what that day would be like when it came. "It'll be an experience for the both of us."
Biroki made his next move and asked Dyakida the question again. Aminah's interest was peaking now. She hadn't noticed the evasion of the question before, but maybe it was a secret. Or maybe it was something Dyakida hadn't or didn't want to think about. The thought that Dyakida might be embaressed by the question had Aminah looking down at her cup and filling her mouth with more tea. She didn't want Dyakida to be uncomfortable.
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Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 7:34 pm
When Dyakida asked about the Council she nodded. It seemed that none of the other tribes or the Alkidike had a council like the Ice and Wind tribe had. "Well it is our form of government. There are members from both the Ice and the Wind tribe and when decisions are made they are the ones that talk it over and decide what should happen." Zuri nodded. "When ever there is a issue or anything between the two tribes or even within just one of them the Council are the ones who work it out."
Zuri had also noticed that Dyakida hadn't answered, but she felt as if there was a reason this had happened. Maybe she hadn't picked one. She squeezed Biroki's hand a little, that might not have been the brightest question on his part.
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