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 Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2008 6:45 pm
Baba had to be joking. Her parents wouldn't suggest such a jerk for her match. Oh no...Baba had to be joking...it was either that or her parents had gone well and truly insane. Huffing as she stuck her head into her family's house, she snorted when her younger brother streaked past on his way to who knew where. Slipping inside she began to poke around, the pout on her face growing more and more pronounced by the moment. She'd bug her parents later...right now she needed to grab her sword and wander off some where to tire herself out.
'Tire myself out and decide which of my...friends I want to mess with.' The thought brought a smile to her face as she retrieved her single sword from the stand in one of the rooms before heading out again. Hips swaying, and bells jingling with every step she took, Tahlri's curly ebony tail flicked as the winding buildings soon began to thin until they gave way to a grassy expanse. Perfect for her to practice her latest technique.
Unsheathing the shimmering silver blade, the aspiring assassin held it tip down for a moment before she drew in a slow breath and began the first steps of her blade dance.
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Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2008 6:53 pm
...No, that wasn't right.
She tried again, humming the first few notes, scribbling them down as she did so, but stopped at the sixth one again. No matter how many times Eri'del attempted to finish the tune, a lack of inspiration simply could not be helped. Great...just great. She had promised Raina to show her a new song tomorrow. The due date was a day away!
The Aishe sighed, placing the pen and paper back into the pouch around her waist. Perhaps she should wander around and see if anything struck her with inspiration. Yes! So many interesting new things out there...and even if Baba didn't let her touch anything in her home or ask any questions, she could always ask someone else!
A cheery smile on her face, she skipped about, waving to a few Ursari on her way.
It wasn't long till something caught her eye and Eri'del stopped, staring at the other Ursari in awe. A sword dance! How fascinating! She knew not to bother a performer during their practice or act; some of them could be quite snappy.
Oh well, she'd ask her questions later. She decided, sitting down on the grass, watching the other perform.
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Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2008 7:26 pm
One...two...concentrate or you'll cut yourself.
The words whispered through her mind as she spun on her heel, her sword trailing low after her. With a whispering whine she had carved her way through most of the grass within reach of her blade and now she dropped into a crouch, her eyes on a twisted tree several feet from her. The perfect thing to test the sharpness of her blade on.
Staying low for a few more minutes she soon shot forward, her blade low and shredding the grasses in her path. A few more seconds before she was directly in front of the tree...a few more seconds would have brought her to the perfect end, but that perfect end would never come as the wind shifted and for the first time since she'd begun her dance, she realized she wasn't alone.
Driving her blade into the tree point first, she vaulted over it just as part shattered from the force of the impact. This however didn't stop Tahlri as her forward momentum sent her rolling and she landed in a heap a few away from the tree, where her sword had remained lodged. Laying there chest heaving, it took several long moments before Tahlri finally rolled herself onto her stomach and then onto her knees, and finally slowly onto her feet.
How...how had that happened?! Her training was going perfectly! And then...and then she'd gotten distracted and could have very well broken her neck or stabbed herself, neither of which had happened thankfully. That still didn't change the fact that she had panicked. Muttering softly to herself she turned heated violet eyes to the other Ursari that had caught her attention and froze. That...that girl...why did it feel as if she was supposed to know her?
Shaking the thought from her head she closed her hand around the hilt of her sword and pulled it free of the tree trunk and sheathed it. No, no...she was sure Baba wasn't that crazy to send another girl out as a proposal. No, all of this was clearly an act of coincidence and nothing more. Dusting herself off, she winced as her hand brushed over a scrape on her arm. Oh...great, more scars to add to her collection.
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Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2008 7:37 pm
Eri watched, enthralled by the way the sun glinted off the blade, the precise movements of the dancer, every swish of the blade, eyes lighting up as they followed the performer. There were times where she wanted to raise up her hands and clap, but she resisted the movement. She was, after all, intruding on what seemed to be a private moment, a private training session of sorts.
Still she couldn't help but stay where she was seated, her legs tucked under her skirt. She had to finish watching this.
The sudden mistake made her blink in confusion, and start, sitting straight up, arching her neck to peer at the other. Oh dear...what had happened? It was her fault, wasn't it?
...Apparently, it was, judging from the look the Ursari was giving her. Eri flinched; it was a glare she had seen many a time, especially when she had been snapped at for being a busybody, though she only wanted answers to some...alright, a lot of her queries.
Eri'del clambered up from her seat and hurried over, the bells around her waist tinkling as she did so. "Are you okay?" She asked worriedly.
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Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2008 8:44 pm
The bells on Tahlri's own outfit jingled and she scowled at the other Ursari as the girl ventured close inquiring about her health. "I'm fine." she snapped and winced again as she sought to take a step forward and away from the girl only to find that the scrape on her arm wasn't her only injury.
Giving a fustrated groan, she hobbled a few steps away before settling down in the grass. Tucking her legs under her and to one side she looked up at the seemingly worried Ursari and sighed. Maybe she was being a bit too harsh, but even with that realization, that didn't mean she was going to loosen up. What if this girl was an enemy? Any drop in her guard could mean the difference between her life and death.
Still she couldn't help but let her mind drift to the sliver of familiarity that had caused her little spill. Why was it that a little voice kept nagging her about her needing to know this girl. If, Tahlri reasoned, she had had a soulmate or anything of that nature, Baba would have told her. Or at the very least her parents would have.
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Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2008 10:08 pm
Eri drew back guiltily from the brunette, taking a few steps backwards. This was all too familiar from the many Ursari she had bombarded with questions and although she dearly wanted to ask the other about her sword dance, she decided to keep her mouth shut.
It wouldn't do to make her grumpier than she already was. And...she was hurt!
She watched gingerly from a distance, green eyes distraught. "You don't...look okay." She ventured softly, then knelt on the grass, leaving a gap between both of them. "Why don't you go get healed by a Djardi?" Eri'del had been hurt herself before, when she was in her little world of her own, distracted by the melody in her head. It was a clumsy thing to do, and Raina had berated her angrily, though upon seeing the gash on her leg, had immediately hurried to get a Djardi. Now, there was no visible scar; Raina said that a Aishe should not have disfigurements of any sort.
But this girl had quite a few.
Keeping her eyes away from them; it would be rude to stare at those scars, she instead gazed at the other's face, and was hit by a jolt of deja vu. Had she...seen this Ursari before? She glanced upwards at the girl's horns, intrigued by the jewels woven around one.
...But it was rude to stare in general as well, was it not?
Eri'del blushed, placing her hands on her knees and decided it would be best to introduce herself instead. "I'm Eri'del!" She chirped, giving her a friendly smile. "Of the Aishe." She added, as an afterthought.
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Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 4:28 pm
Tapping her fingers on the sheath of her blade as she weighed her options or rather her lack thereof. True she could probably hobble her way back into town and find a healer...or rather a certain healer but that would actually require her to make it more than a few feet without collapsing. The other option was, to remain here until the pain dulled enough for her to drag back to town and get a tongue lashing by her parents and master. Neither seemed rather appealing right now.
"The only Djardi healer...that I actually trust isn't exactly one of my options at the moment." She said slowly setting the blade down on the grass beside her. Of course she was lying, she usually was whenever any mention of the Djardi came up but no one needed to know that.
Tahlri could feel this Ursari's gaze on her for quite a while and her own violet eyes flickered in her direction just as she looked away. That feeling of deja vu was threatening to drive her over the deep end and really, that would just make her deal even better. Giving a bemused snort at her own thoughts, she quirked an eyebrow at the introduction and for a moment let her usual sly smile steal across her lips.
"Tahlri...of the Ba'al." She purred settling her full attention on this...Eri'del. An Aishe...aishe was fun to toy with. Oh so much fun indeed. Letting the thoughts run away, she almost grinned. Maybe her day would turn out better than she'd originally thought?
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Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 4:57 pm
She blinked strangely at the other. "Why not?" She blurted out, though it was after she did that she realized that it might be a touchy topic to probe into. Losing a friend's trust would hurt, right? Now she would probably invoke some painful memories. Eri worried, though she kept the bright smile on her face, pretending she had said nothing.
Ah, a Ba'al. That explained the swords. Her first thought would be that Tahlri could be an Aishe, a sword dance performer perhaps, but she had never seen her around the Aishe caravan before. And Eri'del knew almost everyone in there, and they, of her.
She still had to be careful and keep out of some Aishe's way after they had met her though. They had deemed her an annoying little brat, an insult Eri did not like. She had just wanted to know more.
She would have to tread carefully on questioning her new acquaintance then. "So," She began. "What you did was pretty cool! What kind of swords do you use?"
Just one question at a time. That was alright, wasn't it? It was a great improvement from her usual barrage of questions.
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Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 9:09 pm
"Because...we had a disagreement." A rather nasty one... The latter part added quietly in her mind. Oh no, no need to bring up those memories after all what was the past was the past. For now she'd focus on finding ways to...amuse herself with this little Aishe.
Flicking her tongue across her lips, Tahlri's head tilted and the jewels twined around one ridged horn chimed as she considered her answer careful. Oh she used plenty of swords, though this katana shaped one was her newest considering she had inadvertently broken her last double bladed one. She had of course found a flaw in using only one type of sword however, and her most recent bout of practicing had made that point even clearer. When one got comfortable with one blade, it was best to continue using that blade and no other.
"Variations of double edged katanas mostly. This," She started lifting her sword and unsheathing it partly, just enough to show the blade for a moment before she resumed, "-is a new sword, considering my last one broke and it hasn't been fixed yet." Sheathing the sword again, she gingerly drew her legs closer and settled one hand on the grass behind her.
"And now...Eri'del of the Aishe..." The smile was returning full force and this time didn't bother to try and stop it, "What, may I ask is your trade?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 5:13 am
"It's never nice to argue with a friend." Eri'del murmured, twisting some of the fabric of her skirt around a finger. "Pardon me for being nosy, but friendship is important, sometimes, you've just got to give in." It was never a problem for her; Eri could be so soft hearted at times.
The slight tinkling made her look up again, her eyes resting on the tiny ornaments on the Ursari's horn. Now why hadn't she thought of that? Or Raina, her master? It wouldn't be wise for her to put such things, pretty as they were, on her own horns, she was distracted enough with everything around her, and would add more noise to the bells on her skirt. Raina, on the other hand...
"Ah." Her emerald green eyes lit up, moving herself a little closer to stare at the swords, a fascinated glow about her. "Interesting. It must take a lot of practice!" There were more questions she wanted to ask, but her lips halted at the one posed at her.
"Mine?" She blinked, then forced her mind off the swords. "I'm a song weaver. I create songs, then I weave them onto tapestries so others can learn of it as well." The Aishe paused, and shifted, pulling her legs to her chest. "At least I'm supposed to. I have an unfinished song; I can't seem to finish the tune. It's such a bother."
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Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 6:03 am
Making a soft sound akin to a purr she stretched and sighed. "Easy for you to say." keeping her voice low, she shook her head, jewels jingling and she pushed the unruly mass of ebony behind one ear revealing more jewels twined around her wrist.
Very little ever distracted her from her training, which was probably why she'd taken to wearing the jewels around her horn as soon as she'd gotten away from her apprenticeship. Of course, any time her old master saw her, he made it a point to note how many new scars she had and how many new jewels she'd added to her collection. Scars had been numerous the last time and jewels few. And as always disapproval high on both counts from her master.
"I was apprenticed for four years under one of the greatest Ba'al masters, most of the scars aren't for nothing." A little bragging never hurt, and of course a bit of ego stroking especially with one who seemed so...eager to please was even more fun.
"A song weaver...interesting." Giving another purring sound, she found herself unconsciously moving a bit closer to the Aishe. "Aishe are rather...interesting though I've never meet one personally."
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Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 6:23 am
The girl shrugged and opened her mouth to reply that it only took a bit of patience, but was conveniently distracted by the newly shown accessories.
Eri herself never wore anything dangling around her own wrists; her arms were completely bare. The Aishe worried initially that they might get tangled up in her weaving, and judging by how clumsy she had been these days...she decided against it. It caused a small pang in her heart, though she convinced herself that it would be worth it in the end, and quickly focused back on her love for music. Besides, she could always wear the pretty things somewhere else! Around her ankles, or her neck, or even like Tahlri and on her horns?
"Aah." She said simply, brushing her fringe out of her eyes. It was interesting to note that what Aishe thought of as deformities, the Ba'al regarded with pride, as a trophy of sorts. Different families, different beliefs after all.
"Why not?" Eri'del asked. "I mean, I would have thought you could pick up some stuff from the dancers and they from you."
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Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 7:04 am
"Well...I could but my master was a bit set in his belief that the Aishe were better suited for entertainment than learning battle form from." Shifting to relieve the slight strain in her legs, she winced her hands flying to the offending area. Gritting her teeth she hissed a bit, fighting down the sting of annoyance. How had she managed to forget about that little injury in such a short time?
Company does wonders. She thought a bit amused as she moved her hands away from the injury hoping that Eri'del hadn't seen the gesture. If she had, well...she'd cross that bridge when she got there.
No healer, no healer, no healer. Certainly not that healer. She chanted in her head willing the pain to pass and hoping the Aishe hadn't seen anything. Her chances of the latter were far too low to even stand a ghost of a chance knowing her luck.
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Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 5:46 pm
"While it might be different..." Eri'del mused, "Dance has many different forms. I've seen a few incorporate elements from different dances into their own." The sudden hiss from the other caused her to jump, and whirl around to stare worriedly at the Ba'al. That's right...she was hurt!
Pulling herself up to kneel on the ground, she hobbled over to the other and peered at the wound anxiously. "You really should see a Djardi!" Such wounds should not wait; a healer needed to see them!
Eri stood up abruptly, pulling Tahlri up by the arm. "C'mon! You might get it infected and it might get inflamed, y'know!" Of course, she was exaggerating a little, but it was true, was it not?
It was however, a little strange to note that she cared for this Ursari she had just met. They were mere acquaintances, and already Eri'del's heart was pounding with anxiety, and hoping that the other would be alright. Oh well...it was probably her wanting to help others...right?
She placed an arm around Tahlri's shoulders and moved her gently, but firmly along, making sure she wouldn't escape from her grasp, walking determinedly towards the Djardi caravan.
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Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 9:33 pm
"Well but Master Yoro is rather set in his belief so there's no swaying him." The words were barely out of Tahlri's mouth before she found herself being tugged on and then being dragged her feet. "Hey hey! Ow! I'm fine! I'm fine!" Yelping still as not only did the movement suck a few of her dignity points down the drain it also served to send more stabs of pain down her leg.
Wincing she flailed a bit trying to keep her balance with most of her weight resting on one leg, and on Eri'del, she soon settled for half limping on one leg and hobbling very slightly with the offending leg touching the ground with as little weight on it as possible.
Why was this Aishe showing so much concern for her well being? And why didn't she even feel like protesting more than this? The last time anyone had forced her to go to a healer, she'd almost sent that person to hell in a hand basket and yes...while she was seriously considering doing the same to this one...if only to save her pride. Alas all she could do was will her limbs to keep her from falling. Oh how she was going to hate this.
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