First Day Internship

[vneef_healer]

The kata of the Earth Dragon is slowly, painfully, mastered over the course of the next few days.

Today though, today is different. For the first time, the first year students are splitting up to receive more specialized training. Alia bid Fajah good luck a few minutes ago, and made her way to the infirmary of the House of Bells.

The infirmary is a large, sparsely decorated area, the floors rough tile for ease of cleaning as opposed to wood or stone. Beds line one wall of the brightly lit area, and lanterns enclosed by water filled glass globes hang from the ceiling.

The pungent smells of herbs, roots, and medicines fills the air.

Alia is in her element, although she's surprised at just how few of her classmates are here with her. Time passes, and Alia represses the urge to go poking through all the herbs and medicines she doesn't recognize and oh she always wanted one of those, and.....

Eventually, she DOES start to wonder what happened to their instructor. Is there a serious accident somewhere that's being attended to?

Comments

[infinitest]

The two listen attentively, offering comments here and there, Jusai more often than Fajah.

[vneef_healer]

Eventually, mealtime draws to a close and the group prepares to head out. "I need to drop a few things off in the dormitory before we spar," she explains. "Would you care to meet us in the courtyard of flowers in, say, half an hour?"

[infinitest]

"I'd be honored to." The tall boy offers a bow to the two girls, smiling, and takes his leave for now.

[vneef_healer]

"Interesting," Alia notes as she starts walking toward their room. "I'd seen his name before, but I'd never met him."

[infinitest]

Fajah lets out a breath she did not realize she was holding. "He is... impressive." The revelation that a high-bred Dynast can be a nice person, and handsome too, was... well, it shook her.

[vneef_healer]

At least it was a pleasant realization?

"He is," Alia agrees. "I can see why he's on Mother and Grandmother's list."

[infinitest]

"List?" Fajah raises a brow, never having heard of 'lists'...

[vneef_healer]

"Of possible husbands for me," Alia explains. "There are many among the important families eager to gift a scion of their line to V'Neef for the sake of an alliance."

Arranged marriage is a fact of life for Dynasts.

[infinitest]

"Ah." Yes, she knows the arranged marriage part, but was not aware some people have whole lists of candidates.

Herself, is likely to end with a Patrician.

[vneef_healer]

Alia smiles at Fajah. "Not something to worry too much about at the moment, of course." She's only 14, after all.

Maybe, maybe not. Who knows what the future holds?

Alia finishes putting things away. "Ready to spar?" she asks with a grin. She likes sparring with Fajah, even if she loses more often than not.

[infinitest]

The other girl, even if still puzzled by the concept of marriage lists, gives a nod, ready to follow.

The Mnemon boy is at the courtyard, dressed in a simple but elegant gi, and waiting.

Fajah does a double-take, and her jaw almost drops... well, it does drop a bit.

[vneef_healer]

Alia may "accidentally" bump into Fajah in an attempt to jar her out of the jaw dropping.

She nods in greeting to the Mnemon boy and starts the set of stretches that are drilled into every Dynast shortly after they learn to walk.

[infinitest]

Fajah is jarred out of the jaw-dropping, but then Jusai steps forward to properly greet them and the honey-hued eyes of the Fire Aspect meet with the slate-gray eyes of the Earth Aspect...

...

...

...

Right, yes, greeting, and stretches. Those are good!

[vneef_healer]

Alia is amused by that interplay, but does her best not to let it show. What, it's cute!

If nothing else, the stretches will give all of them time to settle. Eventually though, they will reach the end of the warmup.

"Would you care to spar first?" she asks Jusai.

[infinitest]

Jusai nods, with a polite smile. "I'd be honored." It is a welcome distraction, at the moment.

He eases himself into a ready stance...

[vneef_healer]

Alia also moves into a ready stance. Normally, she wouldn't attack first, but this IS a spar.

She moves her leg in the sweep of Dance of Falling Stones, hoping to take Jusai off of his feet...

[infinitest]

Jusai is good, what can one say? He takes on the Enduring Mountain Stance, letting the sweep hit as a normal strike, unmoved and unmovable, striking back with the Lesser Pillar of Heavens.

[vneef_healer]

And this style suits his element, another advantage. Alia scrambles back in a decidedly undignified manner, only just missing going ass over teakettle from the Lesser Pillar of Heavens.

It doesn't look like going for his legs is going to work. Alia circles closer, moving around Jusai and trying to judge how he moves. Surely there's a weak spot somewhere....?

[infinitest]

Well, he is tall and has great range because of that, but also, he's necessarily slower. Which makes him play to the strengths of the Lesser Earth Form, defense, balance, stability.

The trick? Be fast and nimble enough to get inside his guard, and out before he can counter: challenging but by no means impossible.

[vneef_healer]

Fast, nimble, like a striking serpent.

They haven't learned much quite like that yet, but Alia improvises, lunging in and sending one hand out in a short, fast jab toward his shoulder, attempting to deny him the use of one arm, at least for a moment or two.

[infinitest]

The strike makes Jusai once more 'hunker down', absorbing the strike, and try a counter... oh, right, actually hold her arm and step in, using his mass to make it into a throw.

[vneef_healer]

Alia doesn't manage to avoid that, alas. Although she does turn the fall into a roll and come quickly back up on her feet. (There are advantages to learning how to fall properly when you are learning how to walk.)


Bugger, that's going to sting later. Alia decides she's going to have to get him to come at her, as she's not breaking through his defenses. She feints toward his other shoulder, leaving an opening that she HOPES he'll take advantage of...

[infinitest]

In a decade or so, Jusai'll have learned to not fall for such.

But, skilled or not, big or not, he is a teenage boy still, and after stopping Alia's initial moves, might be just enough overconfident to fall for the feint.

Well, he is.

[vneef_healer]

Shame this probably won't work more than once. Jusai extends himself as he falls for the feint, allowing her to pivot sharply sideways and get in close enough to grab. Then, she uses his momentum to help power the Boulder Throw.

Hopefully not into Fajah, but she's not sure where Fajah is in relation to their position right now. (She's been too buy keeping an eye on her opponent.)

[infinitest]

Once, done right, is enough: caught by surprise, Jusai goes crashing and tumbling across the floor, almost tripping and falling a second time when he tries to get back on his feet. "Ow. Wow. That... was quite good."

Fajah is watching from a safe distance, knowing better than to stand too close to sparring exalted.