[FIN] Training (Rajani & Macaire)

[Nyx Argyros]

There was a bite in the evening air, discouraging most from lingering out of doors, and the moon was but a sliver, leaving ample shadow in which Rajani and her guardian could conceal themselves. To look at the pair of them, a gypsy woman in her raggedy skirts and a sharp-eyed buck, one might think they were up to no good, especially loitering as they were in a near-abandoned part of the warehouse district. Whatever imaginings a passer-by might have - should there actually be a passer-by, which was particularly unlikely - it could not possibly compare to the truth. Who would look upon them and assume that they were there not for some shady business deal or dark, bloody deed, but to meet an acquaintance for the purpose of learning?

Oh, of a certainty, it was not the usual sort of learning, and perhaps some might consider their purpose to be unsavory, but they were not out to harm anyone. Well, no human person, at the very least. No, they were intent upon learning proper battle skills to use against the coming wolves, the ancient enemies of both humans and guardians alike. Tonight was to be their first lesson, as soon as Hawthorn showed up with their teacher, that is.

Rajani had sent out her rook with a verbal message for the guardsman and instructions to lead him here, to their new training grounds. Baring duties preventing Macaire from leaving right away, they should be here quite soon.  

[LoveByLetters]

Sunset, he'd told her, and sunset it will be; a great big hulking shadow will spread across the empty street in warning of his coming as the last of the dusk paints color across the evening sky. He looks odd at first, as he approaches, though she'll be able to spot the wriggling, bouncing shadow, the size of a large dog, that can only be Cadence. The fact that Cadence is loaded down with awkward bundles does not seem to slow him, no more than it does his Chosen; Macaire carries something nearly half as big as he is, tucked under one arm as if the weight means very little to him.

He is still dressed in his daytime clothing, the dark uniform he wears in his work guarding the merchant, and if he looks a bit tired his face will still light up with pleasure when he sees Rajani. There's a touch of embarrassment that follows a second after, as if he knows it isn't quite manly to grin, but he can't seem to help himself.

"Oy, Lady! Ye bain't been awaited long, have ye? Yon burd be more than passin' clever!" The last is a compliment, as he shoots Hawthorn a glance which is only slightly troubled; the bird still makes him nervous, but he cannot help the admiration that creeps into his tone. How useful would that be, to have a raven like that on a battlefield, able to carry messages? Macaire hitches whatever he's carrying up carefully; he's been shedding straw half the way here, and though he's got a great big bundle of straw wrapped in canvas, there seems to be something else there too.

Cadence kicks up his feet in delight, skipping over to them both to put his nose up to Oberon, tail going like mad behind him.  

[Nyx Argyros]

Oberon flattened his ears and snorted, clearly no more inclined to get along with the younger male than he had been the last time they had met.

Rajani waved a dismissive hand at Macaire's concerns of having kept her waiting and studied his and Cadence's burdens curiously. The mysterious equipment, she presumed. What would it take to learn to fight properly? It seemed she would soon find out.

She smiled at the compliment to Hawthorn, her oldest companion. "Yes," she agreed, a rarely-heard touch of affection warming her tone. "I don't know what I'd do without him." The rook was preening on his perch above them, smoothing any imperfections from his flight out of his feathers. As though he knew he was being talked about, he glanced down at them with eyes that glittered in the dying light.

"Come," she said. "We should get inside so you can show me our new toys." With that, she led the way to a side door in the warehouse, which proved to be large, cavernous, and empty. Its condition was not terrible, but neither did it look like anyone would be returning to it anytime soon. The gypsy had already lit candles about the place, but even then, pockets of shadow were still present. Perhaps there were other, more pleasant places to train, but at least this was secluded and private. Besides, compared to what they had to look forward to, this was nothing. Of that, she was certain.  

[LoveByLetters]

Macaire seems well-pleased by it -- by the great emptiness, by the pockets of shadow and the occasional obstacle in the form of discarded crates and forgotten bundles of rotted goods. He stands for a moment, setting his burden down and leaning it against the inside of the doorway. "Oy, 'tis perfect! Oi couldnae have created a better space meself."

From behind him Cadence bounds forward, unperturbed by Oberon's disapproval; he darts merrily from lump to lump, delighted with the wide open spaces, likely bigger than any he's ever seen.

Turning his attention to the large bundle, he unwraps it carefully, holding out a smaller bundle -- long and thin, rattling a little -- to Rajani. "Here, lass, hold me this." Once she does so he unwraps the rest of it, a large vaguely human straw dummy wearing a tattered (and slightly chewed on) shirt. With a heave, he carries this over and sets it up towards the middle of the warehouse.

Meanwhile, the bundle Rajani holds proves to be long, smooth poles, probably meant for some other purpose than makeshift practice weapons. They are wrapped together with a thick blanket and a wide belt, a sort of makeshift saddle for Oberon to wear.

" 'Tis simple enough, fer now," Macaire tells her cheerfully. "'Twill all get a wee bit mair com-pli-cated, as we go on, aye?"  

[Nyx Argyros]

Rajani gave the warehouse a second look and wondered if Macaire was seeing the same thing that she was. Even if he were, he was still most certainly not looking at it in the same way that she was. Not if he was proclaiming it to be perfection.

After identifying the large bundle as a target, Rajani unwrapped the one she was holding, only to find herself at a loss as to the purpose of the poles - and the blanket and belt, as well.

"What is all this?" she wondered. Although she might not admit as much aloud, she was quite intrigued by it all. It was new and different and a little exciting. She had never received proper training before, not really. Just what she had taught herself, and what crude knife skills she had learned from others. But this? This would be proper, or as close to proper as a gypsy woman would ever be liable to get. Though she may not look forward to any battles to come, she would feel much better if she were at least prepared for them.

Oberon stepped slowly into the space and snorted at the musty scent before performing his own investigation of the bundle Rajani was holding. He seemed to be able to make no more sense of it than she could.  

[LoveByLetters]

Meanwhile, Macaire is pleased with the informality of it all -- there's no drill sergent screaming in one ear while his brains run out the other, nor any hot sun above while the dew of the grass soaks his clothes until he's chilled clear through. There's no one here to judge whether he's got this wrong or right, and any experience he gives Rajani can only help her .. right?

He gives the dummy a fond little pat and returns to them both with a snort of amusement. "Bain't nae sattles made for them, aye? Sort've had tae improvise, like. Can ye stand still, lad?" He looks straight on to Oberon, as if concerned that despite their rapport so far the Guardian may still take offense should he lay a hand upon him. But if Oberon proves amiable, he'll show Rajani how to settle the pad onto Oberon's back and how to tighten the straps to hold it in place. "Keeps ye steady, it do, and saves yer lad from some hurt on his back, ye ken?"  

[Nyx Argyros]

Comprehension dawned. A saddle. Now, the straps and blanket made sense. It would surely be better for the both of them if he had some padding on his back and she had something with which to steady herself. Somehow, she had the feeling that whatever they would be doing, it would not be limited to simply walking. Guardians could be fast when they so desired. Yes, a saddle would be most beneficial.

"Go ahead," she said, giving Oberon firm instructions to hold still for the process. The large buck grumbled, but he did as asked, so he could not have been too against the idea.

Once they had gone through the process and Oberon was properly saddled (or at least as proper as one could manage with a blanket), Rajani looked back at Macaire. "What now?"  

[LoveByLetters]

"Ye mounts, a-course." His tone is matter-of-fact, but only then -- as he regards Rajani with what until this moment has been bland good humor -- does it dawn on him. Women, as a matter of course, wear skirts. Skirts aren't good for riding; they force a woman to either ride side-saddle or to hike the skirts all the way up, and in either case present a danger of tangling the rider and the mount. The instant he has spoken this knowledge dawns plainly on his face, so that he stares at Oberon in an embarrassed sort of horror as if this honestly did not occur to him until this moment. Of course, if Rajani has experience riding Oberon, she may well be on the Guardian's back before she realizes that the process will undoubtably fluster the other man. Apparently the idea of illegal weapons practice and entertaining the idea of a war no one else believes in is one thing; forcing a woman to show her knees in public is another altogether.  

[Nyx Argyros]

Oh, how she would have laughed had she known his mind. It was not her first time riding Oberon and as a former burglar, she was hardly unused to more serviceable clothing. His delicate sensibilities might be offended, but she had no such concerns. However, as she did not know what path his thoughts had taken, she merely gave the man a droll look for stating the obvious.

"I meant after that," she clarified. However, she mounted regardless.

There was more than one reason that Rajani's skirts were so piece-meal. Her popularity as a singer earned her enough money that she could purchase more traditionally popular clothing - skirts that were full and whole, for instance - rather than layering relatively small pieces as she did. However, as a gypsy, few would question her taste in clothing no matter how much coin she may or may not have. They would not think twice about it. This was quite fortuitous for her, as she could not only conceal leggings beneath them, but also wear her skirts comfortably as she rode.

So, when she mounted, the different layers of her skirts spread about her without riding up and the only bit of leg Macaire might see peeking out here or there was covered in supple, black leather. Of course, that might only be more scandalous to his eyes.  

[LoveByLetters]

In truth, Macaire does not know what to think about the leggings, for on one hand this means that her legs aren't bare, but on the other hand does that mean she's a woman in pants? Or is this some kind of female undergarment that he wasn't previously aware of, in which case he's getting glimpses of a female undergarment, and in the end he stares blankly for several seconds, his mind running in circles. Even Cadence comes over to see what is wrong, and begins pensively chewing on his Chosen's pant leg until Macaire shakes himself out of his shock and looks down at the Guardian in annoyance. "Gerroff there! Pah. Sarry, lass. Was .. er. Wool-gatherin'." This comes out in an embarrassed mumble, and he clears his throat and falls back on what he had originally planned for her teaching. "Furst, ye runs." He shifts his attention to Oberon, looking sternly at him. "Run as fast as ye can around this place, and dain't ye slow tae kip yer lass on -- 'tis her job tae stay on, and yers ainly tae run. Now go!" He gives his hands a great big clap, hopefully to stir Oberon in motion .. and if Oberon runs at all, whether or not he does so immediately, Cadence will give a little peep of delight and follow him at once.  

[Nyx Argyros]

When Macaire's silence stretched on, the gypsy stared at him in bafflement. Exactly what was wrong with him? She had no more time to be puzzled, however, after he gave his first orders. Instead, it was her turn to be horrified. Running? Sure, she may have ridden him before, maybe even picked up the speed now and again, but full-out running? She had seen how fast he could move and had never had any desire to try it for herself, especially bare-back.

Unfortunately, Oberon seemed to like the idea well enough. In fact, he was so keen on it that he bypassed his usual resistance to following the orders of anyone but his chosen and leaped forward the very second he heard the clap.

Rajani barely contained a less than dignified yelp and clung to her guardian's neck for dear life. Skirts and hair flying behind her, she realized that it was even faster from atop him than it looked from a distance.  

[LoveByLetters]

Macaire, on the other hand, is utterly delighted. He gives a great big whoop of joy, pumping one fist in the air as if he knows just how miraculous it is for Oberon to listen to someone other than his chosen. "Go lad, go!" He urges, and will continue to urge as Oberon runs, perhaps spurred on by Cadence's presence right at his heels. The little fawn does not actively interfere, but he is there, close underfoot.

The soldier will encourage and cajole them until Oberon begins to show signs of tiring, turning in place to follow their progress around the warehouse. " .. slow ye down naow, there's a lad. Kip it at a trot, ye dinnae want her tae think we're done, do ye? Have the twa of ye ever done a jump?" The last question is for the both of them, and there are plenty of discarded items here and there throughout the warehouse to attempt a jump on -- they've had their run, and now they need to go a step further.  

[Nyx Argyros]

Oberon, it seemed, had a fair bit of endurance. They had run for quite a while before he had begun to tire. However, it was equally clear that he could grow stronger yet, with time and effort. By the time they slowed, Rajani's thighs were burning from the effort of clinging to her guardian's back and her arms ached from being dead-locked around his neck. Never in her life had she been more grateful for a blanket and a couple of belts. She was certain she would have fallen otherwise.

Her momentary relief at their reduced speed turned to absolute terror at Macaire's next words.

"Jump?" she whispered, her eyes wide and pitiful, dignity long since abandoned in favor of trying to stay alive.  

[LoveByLetters]

But Macaire has no pity on her: now he is her commander, and he must steel himself against such piteous looks and silent pleas. He folds his arm as he looks at her, ignoring Cadence capering happily around the pair. "Aye, lass, jump. Were it me, t'would prefer by far tae learn now as compared tae a battlefield, or with a wolf snappin' at me heels. Oi'm sure yer lad there t'would prefer tae know ye can kip on, rather than find out later that ye cannae." He regards her sternly, hoping that she will picture this possibility and that it will spur her to try; rather than allowing her a chance to lodge a greater protest he instead nods directly at Oberon.

"Go on, lad. Find ye a wee little crate fer the first'un, aye? That one there'll do." He directs the Guardian's gaze to a crate a short distance away, covered by a scrap of canvas. To him the crate seems small .. at least relatively .. but to Rajani it surely seems enormous, being large enough to reach the underside of Oberon's barrel chest. The Guardian would not be able to step over it; he will have to jump, and he will have to start from a good run to do so.  

[Nyx Argyros]

Completely ignoring Cadence, Oberon flicked an ear in Macaire's direction before looking over his shoulder at Rajani. He blew a soothing breath out of his nostrils as though reassuring her. It was at that point that Rajani realized she was being absolutely cowardly, something she had never been before in her life. It rather disgusted her. Steeling her resolve, she gave him a sharp nod before common sense could return.

Maneuvering them around, Oberon picked up his pace again and charged at the crate before sailing easily over it. Unsurprisingly, Rajani had thrown her arms around his neck again by that point, but she had miraculously managed to keep her seat.