• PM To Join • Left Hook, Right Hook

[Aelius Callistus]

14th of Vhalar
At Sea

It was late in the day. Aelius had just eaten and instead of returning to his solitude within the bowels of the ship, he drifted outside. The cool sea-air breezes were actually kind of nice and refreshing, much to his surprise. His sea-legs had been established in his short time on the ship, also to his surprise. He thought he’d be sick to stomach due to the sloshing and rocking of the vessel, but he wasn’t. Instead, he welcomed the salty air with each clear breath he took, his white eyes overlooking the deck. There were a few people there about and around, some he thought he knew, some were new to his sights entirely. One woman in particular seemed to be engaging in exercise, a curious sight to him.
Upon his distant examination, he could see the woman’s raven black hair and pale skin that seemed to rival the moon and stars themselves in color. His eyes were whiter still, but the comparison to them could be made as well. It was obvious she was much smaller than he was, if not in weight then in height. That was most people, though, he realized.
Flavia snaked her way between his legs, bounding over onto the deck playfully. He wondered what got into his feline friend. Any freedom she had before she didn’t capitalize on like she did since they boarded the ship. He wondered if it was because they were at sea, yet he couldn’t recall his cat liking the ocean in this capacity. Perhaps it was the new experience, or all the people. She was always curious about others, like him. They differed in how they interacted with the people they were curious about, though. Flavia would engage, should the setting allow it, whereas Aelius would not, regardless of setting.
“Flavia,” he called to the caracal, hoping to call it back before it got too far away from him this time. He remembered when she got out of his sights before, and how he couldn’t find her for the better half an hour. His voice wasn’t commanding as it called her name, and thusly she didn’t turn around right away.
She went into the exercising woman’s space; as the woman came down in what appeared to be a pushup, Flavia was there playfully batting at the woman’s loose midnight strands. The caracal’s bright golden eyes told of her mirthfulness. From afar, Aelius had butterflies fluttering in his gut. He was wary of Flavia’s behavior. She was a large cat, after all, and could easily be seen as threatening should someone see her in the wrong light. He knew his cat’s moods and knew she wasn’t attempting to attack the pale woman. Still, he felt as if he was forced to act, lest the woman think differently of his feline.
“Flavia,” he said in a more hurried voice, his boots clunking swiftly on the deck as he briskly walked towards the woman and his cat. “I’m terribly sorry,” he said aside to the woman, bending down to pick up his cat once he was close enough to. Much to his relief the feline knew very well when she was nearly crossing a line, and stayed put until Aelius was able to collect her. He held her much like a mother would hold her babe, looking at the woman and hoping she would accept his apology.
His mind drifted from that motivation though as he begun to recognize the woman could actually act as a makeshift mentor, should she have him. “You appear to be better prepared than me for… whatever it is we’ll be sailing into,” he admitted. He adjust Flavia in his arms as the feline wriggled to and fro, wanting to be released. “Do you think you could help me? I admit, I don’t know the next thing about using a weapon, let alone my fists.”
His alabaster gaze focused on the woman as he regarded her with his inquisition and request. He really suspected she would decline to teach him anything. He suspected she’d even go as far as scolding him for not keeping better tabs on his cat. Either way, he was prepared for a rejection here in that moment. As her owner steeled himself, Flavia found her freedom and scaled up her master’s chest, moving to perch herself on his shoulders: the front paws on one and the back paws on the other.

[Faith Augustin]

She was nervous and frustrated with the situation, and so she decided that she was going to undertake some exercise. It seemed to her that it would help her because at the moment she felt somewhat like a caged animal. Which was odd, really, she supposed, since she lived her life in a way which most people considered to be 'in captivity', but her time up on the Crow's Nest with her owner had made her realise something really quite important. The ocean was big. Now, Faith knew that on an intellectual level, but seeing it had made her think that perhaps she had not taken into account just how big.

And they were travelling on it at breakneck speed on a number of pieces of wood held together by nails. Just like Nir'wei's wagon. What if this ship was as rickety and near to reverting to sawdust as that wagon had been? Well, that would be just dreadful and they would find themselves in the ocean floating on the water with nothing to help them stay alive. And the ocean, as she had considered before, was big. She couldn't learn to swim now because she had seen that, when people fell overboard they just got washed back on to the deck, so she couldn't ask anyone for swimming lessons. She also couldn't save anyone or protect Master if she was too busy drowning. Further, her mind reminded her as she whipped herself up into something bordering on real panic, even if she found out by some miracle that she could swim then the ocean was just too big for them to get home and they would all starve. Did that ever happen, she wondered, the spontaneous development of the swimming skill. Probably best not to find out in the ocean she decided.

Faith gave a heartfelt prayer to Famula that whoever had banged the nails in on this boat had done a good job.

So, Faith had decided that since she had all this energy with which to worry, Master was sleeping and there was nothing to be done in the kitchen, she would get some exercise. She needed to build up her strength and so she was trying to do that by virtue of some push-ups, like she'd seen a sailor doing earlier. Whoever he was, the man on the docks before she got on this ship, he had no shirt on and his muscles were well defined. It had been fascinating to watch and she had stared, transfixed as he had completed his calisthenics. Her fascination had been entirely on his technique, of course, she told herself and not really on her watching his muscles move. The thing was though, he had made it all look a lot easier than it actually was and it was only her endurance which was allowing her to do this. Why was the hunky man torturing himself like this, she wondered and her mind wandered back to him.

When a cat started batting at her hair. Faith looked up in surprise and she smiled, dropping to her knees and reaching out a hand "Well hello. I didn't know there was a cat on board. You're beautiful, what's your name?" she asked, pleased that she was no longer holding the weight on her arms, which she looked down at rather hopefully, wondering how long muscles took to grow. The cats owner then stepped up and spoke and Faith smiled at him and shook her head "She is being exactly what she is, a creature who is curious at our strange behaviours. She is more than welcome to share my space, it is not mine to begin with" she said and she grinned. Her head tilted to the side in surprise though, when he asked her if she would train him and she considered for just a moment. "I will be happy to help you if I can, yes. I am Faith, it is my pleasure to meet you. My fighting style is probably best described as scrumming or brawling. Fundamentally" she said, sitting cross legged on the deck and motioning for him to do the same "As far as I can tell, combat and fighting is about movement. Movement towards or movement away, otherwise known as attack and defence. You need to know about both, but you'll have a preferred direction, so to speak. Which would be yours? Attack or defence?" she knew her own, but that was not her job as a teacher she thought, considering her actions and words with care. Here, her job was to teach what he needed to learn.

[Aelius Callistus]

Aelius gazed upon the now standing woman with curiosity. He listened to her voice as she talked, watched her lips form the sound of her name: Faith. He stored it in his mind, hearing her voice repeat it again as a whisper in the back of his head. She was right about his feline, the one who posed atop his shoulders, her furry head on a swivel to take in the emptying deck of the ship. A few of the sailors remained, some heading towards the kitchen to get what was left of the large dinner, some keeping on task, and others watching the sea as it broke against the hull of the ship. Out here, though it was far from quiet, he could hear Faith quite well, probably because she was the object of his focus.
“Aelius,” he said in reply, “my name is Aelius Callistus.” He bowed his head respectfully like his mother taught him to. “This,” he pointed to the feline, his finger wriggling underneath its delicate chin, “is Flavia, my friend.” One of his only friends, if truth were to be told then and there. She’d been with him for quite some time, though Faith might’ve assumed that from what little exchange the pair had before her very eyes.
He was near delighted to hear Faith would aid him, and like a student, he prepared himself to learn what she had to teach. The act of learning never escaped him, be it academic like linguistics or mathematics, or something like this, something physical. Fatih admitted what she had to teach wasn’t necessarily graceful as much as it was practical and needed. Aelius compared it to something of a foundation he would learn to build upon. Inside, he was quietly glad this woman was to be the builder of that foundation with him, whether or not she would be there to continue teaching.
He took her words in, the keyword of “movement” and relating the direction to the terms of “attack” and “defense”. He could understand what she was saying - he’d been in quite a few fights since coming to Rynmere, though nearly none of them forced him to use his fists or body as much as they caused for him to use his magic. Plainly, he was vaguely familiar with the flows of combat.
“Defense,” he answered her question. “I have… other means of attack. I would rather know how to defend myself if somewhere were to get into my space, look to attack me directly, so to speak. Usually I have her,” he pointed to the feline on his shoulders again, “but there were times where even she could not help me.” Luckily the mage managed to avoid garnering any wounds that were more than superficial: a contusion here, a cut there.
“Flavia,” he said to the cat, “why don’t you go find us a bunk?” he asked of it.
As if understanding the man clearly, Flavia leapt down from her perch on his shoulders and landed gracefully with a soft thud, a sound washed out by the lapping of the waves against the ship’s hull. A meow in goodbye was given to Aelius and Faith before she pranced away towards the cabin of the ship once more, exiting the deck through the door which led to the kitchen.
Aelius turned his attention to Faith. “Mayhaps, if I am to learn defense, I attempt to parry your blows - with your guidance, of course,” he conceded with a respectful nod. “I wish to learn all I can in the short time we have together, so I should probably quiet myself and listen.”
A small, bashful smile softly came to his face. Should it have been brighter outside, or his skin a shade or two lighter, the tinge of rouge might’ve been seen. As it were, it may have taken an expert eye to detect the color change in his pale caramel cheeks. Suddenly, he raised a hand to Faith in request of a pause. He stepped away from her and unclasped his cloak from around his neck, carefully and attempting to subtly unhook his conduit from his belt in order to wrap it quickly up in the cloak before setting it off to the side. He reapproached Faith afterwards still dressed in his trousers and a long-sleeved tunic, a rope sash around his waist.
“Ready,” he informed her, bowing his head again.

[Faith Augustin]

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mister Aelius" she replied, earnest silver eyes watching him as he seemed to almost examine her like a scientist would a new breed of insect. But he made his decision, got himself ready and sent his cat off, who went. How strange, Faith thought, was that a telepathic cat? Or was it possible that Lord Venora had been correct in his assessment of horses and it also applied to cats, she wondered. Lord Alistair Venora had told her, most seriously, that horses could understand the common tongue. She had thought, at the time, that it was a sort of very focused lunacy on Lord Venora's part, but maybe she owed him an apology.

However, he wanted defence and Faith nodded "Lets start with your stance. If combat is the flow of movement, then you have to be ready to move. So attack or defence, stance first. So you have one foot in front, one behind. That way, forward movement can be supported by one, backwards by the other. Try and stay on the balls of your feet, just a little, again it allows you flexibility and movement. Evenly distributed weight means that with a slight lean back you can lift your front leg, lean forward for your back leg. Like so" she showed him what she meant, demonstrating with her own stance, showing him the direction her feet were pointing, how she kept them about shoulder width apart. "It helps me, when practicing to keep a slight bounce, because it keeps me moving. Movement, fluidity, they all help"

She watched him and then told him that she was going to gently push him in stance "If you're doing it right, you should be able to adjust your weight to compensate, but if you stumble, it will show you where the problems are" she explained. And then she did just that, very gentle pushes here, there, one side then the other, back and front. It was really just about him practicing, she knew, as she had needed to.

After he had done that for a while, she moved to in front of him. "So, defence. To understand it, I think of attack as force, forward motion. Be it with a sword, an arrow or a fist or foot. In order for the impact not to happen, I need to either deflect the forward motion, or not be where it is. If your stance is right, for example, if someone where to punch you in the shoulder, then you could twist at the waist and not be where the impact is. Like so" she demonstrated the twist she meant "See, I adjusted my weight slightly as I turned, so I am as steady on my feet. You try"

When he had it down pat, both sides, she would spend the next quarter of a break punching at his shoulders, trying not to show him with which hand she was punching until the hand had already started moving so that he would have to think quickly. She started slowly, then sped up as the time went on. It was good for him to build the muscle memory and Faith had to admit that it was good for her muscles, too, especially her upper arms, where she was building up her strength.

"Any questions?" she asked, with a smile as she stretched her arms.

[Aelius Callistus]

Stance came first according to Faith, and it was a familiar rule to Aelius. When he was training as a Seeker, stance was emphasized, especially for his chosen discipline. When dealing with the forces of gravity, reigning sovereign over them, one had to be firmly planted in order not to be displaced by his own spells. He recalled the backlash he faced when his magic recoiled against him, how his conduit flew out his magical grip, and how his once dear friend Ciaran laughed at him. He recalled how embarrassed he had been, but his tutor comforted him, told him that it was to expected for a first-time caster, and scolded Ciaran for him. That made him feel better, he remembered, and instilled a want to try again. Now, he had it down pat, knew he couldn’t be displaced by his current power-level of spells. Who knew what would happen once he grew more experienced in his magic. Would his stance have to change in order to compensate the new strength behind his spells? He expected so.
His mind wandered, so he brought it back to Faith in that moment. It seemed regardless of attacking or defending, the stance was relatively the same: feet spread, one acting as back-foot for falling back and another acting as a leverage for bracing forwards. He took the stance loosely, wondering if he was getting it right or if he was all wrong. He was quite tall, after all, and thusly kind of lanky in comparison to Faith. He took her words in and attempted to distribute his weight evenly across his feet, slightly on the balls as he was told. She demonstrated what she meant and he corrected himself as far as he could through mimicry. He bounced lightly on his toes, showing he was paying attention. Movement, fluidity, he repeated in his mind.
Then came a warning, a test of sorts. Faith came to him and gently nudged at his body, prodding and beckoning him to fall so that she may correct. He did fall, or at least stumble, several times before he finally managed to withstand her pointed poking. It was probably a funny sight, seeing the white-eyed man waver to the side, correct himself, only to waver to the next side. He threw his arms out once because his balance was so far off. Eventually he got it though and stuck it, but who knew how long that took him.
Another lesson came in defense, his alabaster gaze trailing the raven-haired woman as she spoke. He was to be like a shield, apparently, in order to parry or avoid a sword, a fist, or an arrow. He understood in theory, visualizing himself moving and side-stepping blows. He watched her twist and nodded, cementing the image in his mind and adjusting his imaginary self to fit the demonstration. This lesson was followed by a test, too, though it was a bit more than prodding and nudging. The punches came to him almost unexpectedly and he failed to roll with it as she instructed. He furrowed his brows at her, as if he was offended, but realized this was part of the lesson. Clearly, he was not accustomed to be touched in such a way.
In time, he got that down as well, if only enough to pass Faith’s test. He’d yet to put his own abilities to an actual assaulter’s onslaught, nor was he looking forward to it. He only hoped when the time came he would remember all Faith sought to teach him. He dropped his stance, standing straight and using his hands to rub at the shoulders Faith struck. They weren’t necessarily sore as much as they felt odd to him, being repeatedly beaten in the same spot until he learned to roll with the blow.
Her request of questions came, as did her smile, and so did his. He thought for a moment, looking over the shorter woman as she stretched her arms. He’d seen many women like her in Rynmere, seemingly normal from afar or from glances, but she was an interesting sight, at least in his eyes. Maybe he was simply flattered because she was his teacher.
“Who taught you this?” he wondered at her. “You don’t look like a warrior, let alone a fighter, no offense to you, Faith. I am just curious, though, did you learn on your own? A book, maybe?”

[Faith Augustin]

He learnt - and he paid attention - and that was more than enough for Faith to be pleased that she had agreed to help him. "Good. You are doing very well. Just change that there" and she made minor adjustments here and there, to help him get better. It wasn't that he was doing anything wrong, but she just did what she did in order to make him more efficient, better again.

But then he asked how she learnt this and she smiled slightly "I got into fights, sometimes I won, other times I lost, but I thought about what happened in them, in both circumstances, and I came to the conclusion that combat is movement" she said with a serious expression "I read up on it then, to see if what I had considered made sense and found there are all sorts of things written about fighting, but they agree, combat is motion. It's like physics, I suppose" she smiled "The realities of the physical world, balance, movement and so on. Laws of motion and so on. Each thing having a reaction, a consequence. Or its a dance, I am not sure" the young slave smiled at him, an expression which she seemed to wear much more often than not and shrugged her shoulders. "I think about things a lot. I think"

But then, he had rested enough to her mind and Faith nodded "Now, if only the only attacks which would come at you would come in a straight line from directly in front of you at this height, things would be fine, and we could stop. But they will not, so we can not. Sometimes, attacks will come from unusual angles, then you will not be able to move out of the way. At that point, you need to change the direction of the attack, deflecting the blow. So, we are going to add in kicks, and practice defence from those first"

As before, she showed him it first, demonstrating which kick she was going to do, a roundhouse to the side of him, roughly aimed at the ribs. "Deflect it like so" she demonstrated the move, using her opposite hand to push his (imaginary) kick out and away from her so that, had he done it, he would have missed. "I will kick now. You try" And again, at first slowly, but then with more and more speed she had him practice, kicking on both sides and sometimes adding in a punch from the last time, in order to ensure that he did not become complacent. "Remember your stance" she reminded him if she saw it slip "Keep your arms up in defensive posture. That's better" and so it went. She felt the pain of the muscles in her legs complaining and she knew that, as much as her legs were starting to hurt, his arms would be twice as bad.

Once they had practiced again, this time combining the kick and punch defences, she looked at him and gave a grin "Would you like to spar - or would you rather call it a trial now?" she asked, not sure whether he would be willing to exert himself any further, so leaving it in his court.

[Aelius Callistus]

Aelius appreciated Faith’s understanding way of dealing with him. He knew it was clear he knew next to nothing about hand-to-hand combat, but she didn’t scold his missteps. Instead, she told him what needed to be changed, demonstrated or adjusted him, then waited for him to adapt. She was a patient teacher and he her careful charge in that moment.
He waited in stance for her to answer his question, quietly listening as she recounted her history, recounted where she learned this craft. It was to be expected; their histories were much different, their childhoods not alike. He was a child scholar, and she seemed to possess a more struggle-ridden background. Aelius had his own share of struggles as well, but they were found in lessons he didn’t understand: arithmetic, rhetoric, and linguistics. No, Faith’s were wrought in physical altercations, it seemed. Her words made him wonder all the more about her history, her saga.
He nodded when she was done, having taken her words in and tried to imagine them to the best of his ability. The small recollection was but a tiny piece of Faith’s being, he began to think. It seemed there was an academic approach to unarmed combat as well, as she had discovered long ago.
“I see,” he commented. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”
The lesson continued; attacks from more than one angle were to be explored now, and Aelius had to admit it wasn’t something he did not thought about. As a mage, he continuously focused on what was in front of him, not really paying attention to what went on around him. In all honesty, the few fights he fought in that requested of him to use his magic, his back was guarded by his feline companion Flavia.
Kicks were to be added, it appeared. The mention of the action alone was a daunting one to the inexperienced half-blood. He shouldn’t have worried though; Faith was diligent in her teaching. She demonstrated the blow she was going to give him and also showed him how to deflect it properly. He nodded to say he was prepared for it, then took on the defensive stance once again, his feet spaced and his body ready. The kick came, and at its speed, he managed to deflect it. It came again, and again, the lattermost tripping him up, his hands not in their proper positions, and he was nailed in the side. With a wince and shake of his head, he retook his stance and blocked the blow when it came. A punch came after that, interrupting his narrow-minded concentration and forcing him to take in the whole picture again. He nodded at her reminder, corrected his arms, and defended himself against the next bout of blows. His arms ached, they were surely to be bruised come the morning, but he sought to ignore the pain for now until the lesson was done.
Another round came and went before a break was granted. He rubbed his forearms, looking at the battered skin with his white eyes. Looking back at Faith, he caught sight of her grin, a smile that forced one to come to his face as well, though it was pained. He chuckled lightly at her offer, shaking his head and holding a single hand up in surrender.
“I think we should call it a night,” he admitted to thinking. He wouldn’t admit that his arms killed and the blow to his side was now throbbing, for he was sure she could see that well enough. “Perhaps we can do this again sometime, yes?” He peered at her as his question hung in the air, his eyes white and iridescent like glaring moonlight. Though the irises weren’t able to be seen, it was clear his sights were trained on her and her wholly.
“I appreciate the lesson,” he added regardless of her answer. “Thank you.”

[Nymph]

Faith:

• Knowledge:
  • Flavia: Aelius' Curious Caracal Pet
  • Seafaring: The Ocean is a Vast World for Exploring
  • Strength: Push-ups Build Upper Body Strength
  • Aelius: A Willing Student
  • Teaching: The Concept of Combat
  • Teaching: Teaching an Unarmed Combat Stance
  • Teaching: Teaching Combat Applies Physics
  • Unarmed Combat: The Stance
  • Unarmed Combat: The Physics Behind It
  
  
  Loot: None
  Injuries: None
  Fame: +2
  Devotion: +1
  
  Story: 5/5
  Collaboration: 5/5
  Structure: 5/5
  
  Magic Points:

- - -

Aelius:

• Knowledge:
  • Seafaring: Having Sea Legs
  • Faith: A Novice Brawler
  • Faith: A Helpful Teacher
  • Faith: A Thinker and Reader
  • Unarmed Combat: The Physics Behind It
  • Unarmed Combat: The Stance
  • Strength: Practice Makes Perfect
  • Endurance: Taking the Blows Constructively
  
  
  Loot: None
  Injuries: None
  Fame: None
  
  Story: 5/5
  Collaboration: 5/5
  Structure: 5/5

- - -

Comments: It was a lovely thread to read you guys. It was short and sweet, but still covered a lot. If you feel I've missed anything or if you have questions about your review, please don't hesitate to send me a quick PM. Thank you!