[PRP] Haya's Fight School (Padmapani Herd) Complete!

[Revolutionary Roniel]

((This RP is open to anyone in the Padmapani Herd! Otherwise, I'll just RP with myself! ))


(Hayagriva and Bodhisattva)

(Padmasambhava and Glissando)

(Samsara and Nirvana)

Five. That was more than Haya had expected, less than he had hoped. It was a pretty good turn-out, really. He had been a little uncertain whether he would get any interest at all when he had offered to his mother and his mate to attempt to train some combat into their herd. It was something to keep him busy, he had thought. Something to keep his mind off his kalona tainted children.

One of his children was dead, as lost to him now as stars were distant in the sky. His son seemed all right. Haya had hope for him to be able to live a relatively normal life. His second daughter, Samsara, was the one he worried for. Sometimes she would come home with the scent of blood on her breath. Sometimes she wouldn't come home at all. He saw in her goodness... but he also saw in her some of the kalona nature that he tried so hard to smother within himself. It was for that reason that he had decided to bring her to the lesson today. She had obviously been reluctant but Haya thought it would be good for her to spend time with the rest of the herd... and if she was with them then she wouldn't be elsewhere.

Wondering a little what he had gotten himself into, Haya looked out over the group that had assembled.
 

[Revolutionary Roniel]

Of the five gathered, Bodhisattva was probably the least excited about being there. "Dad," she moaned to her father, Nirvana. "I was going to sun myself by the lake today. Can't I do this some other day? I don't care about learning how to fight. The stallions should be doing that, not me."

Nirvana smiled, cheerfully unaffected by the petulance of his daughter. "Now now, Bodhi. It will be excellent exercise even if you don't want to fight." His amiable smile widened even further. "I don't ever want to hurt another being... but I think that it will be very fun to learn anyways. And it's a good way to strengthen the legs." He straightened a leg out in front of him and bent himself into a stretch. Combat wasn't exactly something he could relish, but a brisk exercise certainly was!

Beside Nirvana his younger son, Glissando, stood. "That's right, sister." In Glissando, amiability was underlain with mockery. He had never grown to love his older sister the way she always seemed to love herself. "You could probably use to exercise something other than your mouth."

"Gliss!" cut in Padmasambhava from behind him. "Leave her alone." Padma walked up beside him, expression chiding but changing into mischief. "You know she flies everywhere. Maybe she doesn't need her legs and it doesn't matter if she lets them become mush." Padma and Gliss both shared a laugh at that and ended it smiling at each other. The two of them were far more like siblings than Glissando felt he and Bodhi would ever be.

Samsara was the odd one out, as usual. She stood slightly apart from the others with her eyes cast off into the distance. Her father had only recently joined the Padmapani herd and brought her along with. She didn't feel as if she fit in at all with her distant cousins and relations. The only thing in common was Vara, Sam's grandmother and of various levels of separation to the rest of the bunch. Sam wished that she could disappear off into the forest where she could be alone... but her father had been quite clear on his expectations for her attendance.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

Haya tried not to feel dismayed at the chatter before him. Did any of them come here really wanting to learn self-defense? Or was it just a social activity for them? He wasn't really certain that he wanted to continue if they were just going to be babbling and snipping at each other for the entirety of the class. Maybe herd life wasn't all that he had hoped it would be.

Not knowing that his daughter was thinking something very similar, Haya had a moment of wondering what exactly he was doing in his mother's herd. He didn't know any of her newer family very well. He didn't even know all their names. He had gotten two of the siblings in the herd mixed up the previous day and had almost left for his own then and there. It was only the memory of what his life had been like in the time right before joining that kept him there. If he wasn't in the herd then he would be wasting away on his own... well, with his family, but still not in a good state of mind. The herd was at least distracting for him... and he could at least try to make this lesson distracting for them, too.

Perhaps distracting them was the best he could hope for.

Not leaving himself any more time to brood, Haya took a breath. "All right, everyone. Listen up." He had developed a loud and authoritative tone in becoming a father and expected that it would serve him well that day. "I assume that you all know why you're here, to learn some basic self defense and maybe how to defend the herd if necessary too. Now, before I start... is there anything specific that anyone is here for?" Fighting off wolves was a little different than fighting off kalonas and Haya wanted to be sure that he gave them what they wanted... assuming they wanted to do anything but waste time....  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

"I want to learn how to fight off bigger soquilli." Padma was the first to respond, shaking her bangs a little further over her face as she did. While she had never personally been attacked she knew enough soquili that had to want a little extra protection against unfriendly strangers. She went out on her own a lot and didn't want to get hurt. Plus, sometimes soquili would tease her for her strange markings. It'd be nice to be able to have something to throw back at them or threaten if they hurt her feelings...

"Something impressive," added in Gliss. "And effective." He wasn't certain what circumstances he might use these skills in.. but he was certain that when he did he wanted them to be top notch.

"You can just listen to my children's requests," said Nirvana with a smile. "I don't really have any preferences." Since he didn't plan on using the skills on another creature he didn't imagine the exact things he'd learn would make much of a difference.

Bodhi didn't answer until Haya's gaze fell upon her. When it did, she shifted her wings uncomfortably before regaining her usual poise. "I don't care either." She almost left it at that, but added an afterthought. "But something that will help tone me up some." It never hurt to trim oneself down some.

Samsara was the last in line and she didn't answer, quietly meeting her father's eyes and saying nothing. What she didn't tell him was that she had been receiving training already from her sister, who he imagined dead. She probably was the best fighter there apart from her father, even with her diminutive flutter size.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

It seemed like his question was answered. Of the group, Padma seemed to be the only one really interested in learning self defense. The rest either just wanted to show off or get exercise. It was disappointing even if not that surprising. For the time being, Haya didn't really know what to do about Glissando's request. He didn't exactly specialize in more showy sorts of fighting. He decided to focus on the one more serious request first.

"All right, we're going to work on defending yourselves against other soquili first. Everyone pair up. Sam, with me." He knew the way Samsara moved best so estimated that he would be best partner for her... even with their great difference in size. Sam would learn the most if she was partnered with him, and besides... Haya wanted to be able to keep a closer eye on her.

"Once you get paired up we can start on the basics," he called above the already started murmur.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

Samsara wasn't surprised that her father wanted to be her partner. It wasn't like he trusted her. She didn't think he had really trusted her in a long time. Maybe he thought she'd hurt any other partner she had. Again, she didn't say anything, quietly stepping to her father's side and watching as the others arranged themselves.

For Padma, the choice was an obvious one. "Partner?" She looked over at Gliss, smiling.

"But of course, my aunt." He smiled back at her, allowing himself to be more charming when not speaking to his sister. "I'll try to take it easy on you." A smirk answered him and they stood together, smiling.

Bodhi sighed a little when she saw her father cheerfully turning her way. She wished that she could bring a friend to these... maybe find a cute stallion that she wouldn't mind getting close to. "Hi Dad," she muttered unenthusiastically.


"This is going to be so much fun." Nirvana stood beside his daughter, mimicking Haya's strong stance. There was nothing like a chance for spending time with his family!  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

"All right, the first thing that you need to think about is stance."

At first, the instructions were halting, awkward. Haya had only ever taught things to his foals and hardly even knew this group of herdmates. That they weren't exactly the most enthusiastic group didn't help either. Padma wanted to learn but got distracted with Glissando. The father-daughter team of Nirvana and Bodhi were more interested in aesthetics than actually learning self-defense. His daughter listened... but there was so much chillness between them that she was hard to even talk to.

But Haya continued. As he did it became a little easier. The patience acquired as a father was put to good use, especially when Gliss kicked out a bit too hard and sent a bleary-eyed Padma hiding in a bush. Surprisingly, Bodhi and her father even started making more effort. Haya had to admit, Bodhi had the potential to become formidable if she took herself a little more seriously. Her wings gave her added balance that the other soquili lacked, allowing her to land more gracefully and recover more swiftly. All in all, their first lesson was proceeding nicely.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

It was a strange experience for Bodhi. She had come to the meeting certain that she would hate it. Her life was anything but rough and she disdained soquili that were overly violent. There was just something about sparring with her father, though... something that filled her with an energy she didn't know she had. It was as if all the frustrations in her life, the bad hair days, the rude strangers, the sweaty flights when the sun was too hot... all those frustrations were being purged from her. She still wasn't about to call herself any sort of vicious... but maybe there was more to this than just exercise.

"Come on back out, Padma..." Padma heard Gliss' voice but didn't respond. Tears of pain gathered at the corners of her eyes and squeezed out down her cheeks. She hated crying. She especially hated other soquili seeing her cry. Even if they were family or friends, she didn't like anyone seeing her like this. Why did everything fun she tried end up like this? Her attempts at finding a boyfriend had blown up in her face... and now her attempts at making herself a little stronger had too. She hung her head and sniffled a little. This hadn't turned out how she had hoped at all!

Gliss stepped back and forth in uncertainty. He hadn't meant to hurt Padma. He hadn't meant to at all. He had just been practicing the move that Haya had instructed them in... and weren't they supposed to be fighting moves anyways? He couldn't exactly be held responsible for a fighting move that hurt. It was only what they were supposed to do. Still... he hadn't meant to hurt her. Guilt was something that Gliss didn't feel often and he didn't particularly enjoy the sensation.

"Padma..." he cajoled again. "Why don't you come back out? I'll be on defense for a while, if you want." From within the bush there was a rustle and slowly his aunt emerged. He could tell that she had been crying but wasn't going to mention a thing. Hopefully they could get back to practicing.

Sam watched as Gliss wheedled Padma out of the bushes and felt a small stab of envy within her. They seemed to be good friends. Why couldn't she find friends like that? The only one she'd really call her friend was her sister... Her sister that made her uncomfortable just as often as she made her happy.

"Sam!" The sharp voice of her father cut through her distraction and Sam refocused on his instructions. She could think about those sorts of things some other time.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

Haya had for a moment also been more focused on Padma and Gliss than on his daughter. It was because of this that after he snapped her out of her distraction he felt just a little odd about it. He had been distracted too, hadn't he? And besides... it wasn't that hard for Haya to imagine what she had been thinking about. He belatedly realized that he shouldn't have taken Sam for his own partner. She probably would have been happier getting to know one of the others. Maybe it wasn't too late for that, though.

"Everyone!" He called out over the noise. "Time for new partners! This time, I'm assigning them." He looked around, quickly calculating. "Glissando, you're with me. Bodhi, you're with Sam. Nirvana, take Padma." This way, he could personally oversee Glissando's over-enthusiasm. Padma would probably appreciate the switch to the more laid back Nirvana, too. He only hoped that Bodhi's bubbly personality wouldn't be overwhelming for Sam. Maybe it would bring her out of her shell a little instead. In that case, Haya could only hope for the best.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

Both Glissando and Padma were equally relieved to have their partners switched. Glissando didn't want to see Padma hurt and unhappy... but working with another partner meant that he didn't have to. Sure, it didn't take away the nagging guilt in the back of his mind... but it would certainly help distract him a bit.

It distracted him a lot, as it turned out. He couldn't afford to be distracted while facing the half-kalona Haya. He tried to focus on using his moves but when a sharp snap of Haya's tail left his nose smarting he began to lash out more wildly. Pain and aggravation were never feelings he had learned to tolerate well...

"Isn't this fun?" Nirvana's amiable chatter cut into Padma's lingering bad mood. There was something inherently irritating about him. It annoyed her how he was so constantly cheerful about everything when she tended more towards the glum. Of course he'd be cheerful, she bitterly reflected. His mother was an angeni and he's never had any sorts of problems in his life. Not like her life which was so full of disappointment. Even Nirvana's mate was as perfect and beautiful as he was.

The poor thing, thought Nirvana as he watched Padma. She seemed troubled. She always seemed troubled to his perceptive eyes. He tried to be kind to her when he saw her but so far it was to no avail. Perhaps she is simply meant for sorrow, he thought to himself, though he doubted the truth of it. Being kind to her was all that he could offer. She didn't seem like the type to want to open up to her problems to him. He was glad that she seemed to have found a friend in his son Glissando. That was a small blessing. That was-

He staggered backwards and gasped in surprise as Padma flung almost the full weight of her body against him. He had truly been distracted, he realized with belated sheepishness. Perhaps it was time for him to pay a little more attention...

"... And then I told him that I was part angeni too and things really got interesting!" Bodhi told her story smugly to Sam. She could still remember the day that she had met the full-blooded angeni as if it had been that morning. "It was such a powerful feeling to be standing before kin like that. Kin in race even if not in family." She spread her wings and admired them. "Some day I'd like to find an angeni mate so that our children can carry on the bloodline."

"That's great," muttered Samsara. How much longer did she have to put up with this? She wondered what her father had intended, putting her with the most vain chatterbox she had ever met in her life. She didn't have anything to say to Bodhi's declarations. It wasn't as if she had ever met an angeni. She didn't even want to have a mate yet. Samsara found herself longingly eying the path leading away. Maybe she could find some excuse to sneak off...  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

The kid had gumption, Haya had to give him that. He found himself paying less attention to his other students and focusing more on his sparring match with the hotheaded Glissando. Glissando lacked finesse but beneath his icy colors he had a spark of spirit that Haya admired. It reminded him of himself when he had been younger... himself, that is, without the dark taint of his kalona heritage.

Haya focused more on the match to keep himself from that train of thought. It was interesting what Gliss was doing with his tail. Haya had watched the way that birds flew and saw some of the same movements in Glissando's feathered tail. He seemed to use it to give himself extra mobility in jumps and quick turns. In a fight it couldn't be used as a weapon like Haya's own serpentine tail could... but it was nothing to be discounted.

"Remember to get your legs back under yourself whenever you do something with them!" he snapped between dodges. "They're easy targets when you leave them extended like that!"  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

Glissando thrived before the attention of the half-kalona. Did he think that he could take him down so easily? Ha! Glissando was happy to try to prove him wrong. He remembered the day in the forest when he had fought that obnoxious little mare. This was like that, the same sort of challenge. He was determined that it would end differently, however. Subconsciously at first, though... Glissando was listening and learning from Haya's suggestions. Sweat began to bead and run down his fur but he still pressed on.

Padma, on the other hand, was growing more and more irritated. She could almost swear that Nirvana was intentionally trying to get on her nerves. The final straw was a comment he made. "My, when you glare at me like that with all of your markings on your face glaring with you, you are quite fearsome!" he had said.

Enough. "Hey, I'm leaving!" she shouted to where Haya and Gliss were fighting each other.

... They didn't even seem to hear her. "I'm leaving!!" She repeated the words louder this time and Haya glanced over to give her a quick nod. Just a nod? Padma scowled and turned to start stomping off. Glissando didn't even seem to care that he was leaving. He was all wrapped up in his own fun. Figured.

Nirvana blinked in dismay at Padma's retreating figure. He had obviously offended her. That was... unfortunate. His practically omnipresent smile faltered off his face and he heaved a disappointed sigh. He'd have to leave socializing with that one to his son, it seemed.

"I'm sorry it didn't work out with you and the angeni... but it isn't that big a deal, is it?" Samsara's voice had reached a high pitch note that was usually reserved for the more stressful moments with her sister. She couldn't get Bodhi to stop talking. She looked with envy at Padma. She had escaped but Sam knew that her father would call her back if she attempted any such move. She was stuck here... stuck with Bodhi. "Shouldn't we be practicing, anyways?"

"This is more important than practice!" Bodhi insisted. The poor thing. Bodhi knew how antisocial Samsara was and was determined to at least give her an idea of what a proper social life was supposed to be like. It was supposed to be full of fun, excitement, and admiring stallions, of course! She wondered if Sam had ever had any sort of stallion admire her. Probably not... especially not with the way she kept her hair cropped so short and tended to hide behind her wings half the time.

"What sort of stallion do you like?" Maybe if she tried to include the other mare in the conversation a bit more she'd feel more involved. "I could try to help you find one," she suggested brightly.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

For Haya, time almost seemed to blur past him. There was something to be said about being lost in the simplicity of movement and direction. His words and commands became almost subconscious. He didn't have to spend any time examining himself anymore, only the actions of his student and opponent. The sun beat down upon them and soon Haya's mane was plastered by sweat to his neck. He'd have to spend time later washing it out, but that didn't even figure into his considerations.

Glissando had potential. Haya couldn't deny that. He was fast and maneuverable in a way that Haya could never manage with his half-kalona bulk. He was-

Haya blinked, momentarily free from his revelry. Padma seemed to have disappeared. Nirvana was standing around looking uncertain. Sam and Bodhi were... talking. Only he and Glissando had been the only ones still sparring.

"Right then," he called out in belated awkwardness. "How about we call an end to this first lesson."  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

"I need to get going," Samsara insisted as soon as she heard her father end the session. "I have other things to do today, you see." Even to her own ears, her words sounded hurried and forced. She eyed the larger mare with trepidation. Would she be left alone, or continue to be harassed by the extrovert?

"Hmh. So do I." Bodhi's smile grew a little more smug at the surprise written on her new friend's face. "I promised a certain stallion that I'd meet with him today. I've already kept him waiting. I bet he's worried about me right now. Wondering if I got eaten by a skinwalker or something."

Bodhi was more than perceptive enough to catch the relief on Sam's face but didn't let it phase her. Bringing that poor little homely cousin out of her shell might be a difficult task indeed... but Bodhi fancied herself up to the challenge. "I'll see you at the next one of these, ok?" After a quick nod from Sam, Bodhi took to the air, already plotting ways to improve her new project's life.

A little dismayed, Nirvana simply nodded at their instructor's dismissal and headed off in the direction of the herd again. He noticed a silhouette of a soquili off in the distance that was most likely Padma... but he decided to leave her alone. She'd hopefully be able to find her way without his assistance... and he doubted she'd appreciate it if he tried to assist. Sometimes... his style of interacting just didn't mesh well with others, he was forced to consider...

Padma was just as happy to not have the company, Nirvana was correct in that respect. She was in a full-blown funk. This sort of mood didn't require any other company. None of her moods did. She was utterly convinced that she could go the rest of her life without any sort of company at all.

...

She turned around and looked back at where the half-kalona still stood with Glissando. They were talking? Her eyes narrowed a little. If Glissando would rather stay back and talk with the halfbreed then he was welcome to. She turned and stalked deeper into the forest. "Stupid fighting lessons."

Glissando remained behind when the rest of the participants had left. His heartbeat had slowly returned to normal but for some reason his senses still seemed finer tuned than usual. A cautious stretch of his leg revealed soreness already pooling there. Had he really worked that hard?

"Hey, that was a good lesson," he said to Haya while still working at his leg. A satisfied smile came next. "Very good lesson." He turned to more fully face his instructor. "Maybe we can practice some of that tomorrow! How about it?"

After a brief moment's thought, Haya nodded. "Great!" said Gliss with a surprising amount of enthusiasm for how much energy he had recently expended. "I'll come find you!" Without another word he left. Where had Padma gotten to?  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

For a first class that hadn't gone bad at all, reflected Haya. Not as well as he could have hoped, perhaps... but not as poorly either. It had been solidly... a start. A decent start.

But a start for who? Them or me? This dry thought punctuated his musing and Haya had to wonder. Who was it really the better start for? Would the teacher or the students benefit more from this mismatched class?

To those questions, he had no answer yet...

~~~~

As it turned out, Glissando didn't come by for his extra practice session. Haya could hardly blame him and didn't have a hard time figuring out why. The last few days' weather had been bad enough to leave the flying soquili grounded and everyone huddled in wet masses under trees. After that it was another few days before the ground was solid enough for slipping to stop being an issue. When they finally reconvened for their second training session Haya expected only about half his students to show up again. It had been a while, after all, and he didn't think he'd made much of an impression on most.

It was because of that thought that Haya was so surprised to see all of his original students lined up for training again. He blinked a little in surprise at that sight. Apparently the first lesson had been more impressive than he thought.