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 Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 11:57 am
Octavia partook in the trials of Zoji La because her master's demanded it of her, claimed it was part of her duties as the knight of Rome to learn and pass the trials of the other wonders that littered Uranus. Whenever she tried to argue that her time could be spent on better, more productive means, they would remind her, "how do you expect to reign as champion if you cannot completely the trials of others?"
"What does navigating, hiking and...wind sailing have anything to do with combat? Nothing!"
"The point is not the trials themselves, but the act of completing them. If you cannot complete another's how do you expect anyone to complete yours?"
"I don't. That's the point."
"Enough. This is not a debate, it is an order. Go.
So, the conversation had led to her travelling to Zoji La and participating in her trials. She breezed through the navigation portion with ease, the sand surfing however was another story all together. She stood by the contraption, covered in her garb that left no piece of herself uncovered, and glared at it.
Octavia didn't even know where to start.
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 1:40 pm
It was easy to spot competitors out on the sands--with the exception of those who wore tan, they stuck out as a single splash of color in an otherwise barren wasteland. The first of the chimes had sounded this morning, marking the start of a successful run, but when it was well into the afternoon and no further news had surfaced, Zoji knew it was time to start the search. The desert was a harsh place for the uninitiated, and the trials even more so. As difficult as they were meant to be, it was never her desire to clean up corpses; the trials were meant to educate, not to kill.
She packed up on her skim-board and kite and rode out, letting the winds take her down from her mountain perch to where she needed to be. The squire found the girl on the ledge of the surfing trial, a test of bravery and physical agility and often a place where people found themselves stuck. The strings of her kite threaded through her fingers, Zoji La bit her lip in concentration as she bent the fickle winds to her will, using a particular gust to send her skimming up the slope and to the ledge itself, her singular tattered scarf appearing almost like a rudder. She landed softly beside the other girl, shaking the sand from her wind-fluffed hair.
"Are you lost, traveler?" she asked, looking for signs of affiliation or patronage on the girl. The way to approach her could be vastly different, depending on the planet she called home.
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 3:10 pm
Are you lost, traveler?
Octavia's head snapped up and her grip on the strings she'd gathered in her hand tightened before letting go completely. "No," she snarled turning to look at the new arrival. Her voice was low and raspy, an aftereffect of limited conversation and her desire to keep her gender as something secret. "I'm exactly where I need to be," she snapped, shifting to glare at the board and sail.
"Who are you anyway? If you're here to help I don't need it," she huffed, turning her back on her sudden companion and crouching before the board, dusting sand off of it as she tried to figure out exactly how it worked.
They didn't have anything like this back at her Colosseum, in fact, she'd never seen anything like it up close. The masters never let her outside of the stone pillars that made up her wonder unless it benefited them.
She'd watch sand surfers zip past her wonder but she never expected she'd have to be one of them. "So, you can leave. Thanks."
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Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2016 8:53 pm
"Just here to observe," Zoji responded wistfully, smiling as she leaned against her sail. In truth, observation was the only thing she was supposed to do when a person attempted the trials, at least according to her predecessors and the monks. But Kestrel felt differently about their rigorous testing, found that more could be learned in the presence of an acquaintance or a friend. Under the right duress, bonds could be formed across all distances, over language barriers and anything else that might have separated them, and from this they found greater understanding. Sometimes people didn't attempt the trials in tandem, and when Zoji felt them deserving, she liked to play the part of the surrogate partner. Sometimes she simply watched.
She watched the other girl work at the board with a knowing grin, and finally she slid off of hers, letting her sandaled feet rest on the sands with a practiced flourish. "You're never going to ride properly if you keep grumbling at it," she finally interjected, fluffing the edges of her capelet. "You have to limber up. Trust your instincts, be fast on your feet."
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Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2016 2:19 pm
Rome shot Zoji La a nasty look, ignoring the fact that beneath her goggles, her eyes couldn't be seen and the effect was lost. "I trust my instincts--" she snapped, watching the way the girl stepped from her board like second nature. It wasn't her fault that sand surfing was not something the masters encouraged. "And I'm plenty fast on my feet thanks."
It was easier to be gruff to her companion than to admit that she had no idea what she was doing. Not knowing how to work the contraption was irritating, there had been few things that the girl hadn't been able to learn on her own. "We don't surf back home," she admitted, quieter but voice still gruff.
The trials of Rome were of combat, learning to best someone who was stronger, faster, better than she was. She could think on her feet, but this...this she had no idea where to start. "Travelers arrive on them, but it is not a method of transportation we use." Or get taught.
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Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2016 9:28 pm
"Oh, I'm sure you are," Zoji smiled benignly, reaching for the edge of her board and cradling it under one arm. "But you have to acknowledge when you're out of your element, and then let yourself be out of that element. It's the only way you can learn."
She sidled up to the other girl slowly, placing her own board at the page's feet. Zoji lifted an open hand, her fingers curled in invitation. The page had to be a warrior of some sort, the way she dressed--all she needed was a little patience and she could thrive. "If you'd like, you can practice balancing here, before trying to jump into the sands on your first try. It's all about balance--if you put your center of gravity lower, you'll have better luck controlling the board. When you feel better, we can try skimming the foothills."
"Or is that being too helpful?" Zoji apologized, curling her hands away. It was a delicate balance between helping those looking to complete the trials and outright handing their victory to them, a line that she had yet to learn how to properly gauge. "I can stop, if that's too handy."
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Posted: Sun Apr 21, 2019 9:08 am
Beneath her wrappings, Rome's scowl deepened. Everything the other woman was saying felt condescending to her regardless of the tone or approach and she stared at the outstretched hand for too long before she shook her head.
She didn't need help. She could figure it out one her own.
"I told you, I don't need your help." The page hadn't bothered to step towards the board, choosing to be stubborn and ignore the fact that she had no idea what she was doing.
She wasn't going to make a fool of herself in front of some stranger.
"Why are you even here? I don't need pity help."
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