Touching the dagger on her belt, Rendra muttered at having to be in breeches again. True, she understood that it was much easier to learn about weapons with the freedom of movement they provided, but that didn’t mean that she ever had to be particurally comfortable in them! Shooting a glance at her wardrobe and its pretty dresses, she sighed and headed for the training room.
Her hand tightened on the dagger as she entered the room – she was there again. She being Rebecca, or ‘that stuck-up ladyspawn’, as Rendra preferred to think of her. And there her ladyship was, sucking up to the teacher, “Master… Randra, was it? I’d like to apologise for what happened during my last lesson. I assure you it will not happen again.”
Rendra muttered under her breath – that stupid Cairhienin chit had started it last time, but what made her think she’d not get another dose of it today!? Doing a double-take, she realized that it was the same man as last time.. and looking a lot crosser than he had the class before. Nodding her head in greeting, she kept a careful distance from Rebecca, but didn’t loosen her grip on her dagger.
Rendra
I’ll show that chit what-for!
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03 Jan 2009 (11:30pm GMT)
Blinking in surprise, Rendra’s fist tightened involuntarily on the long dagger belted to her waist. Another person, an unfamiliar person wandered in. “I wonder if he’s another student? Great Lord, but how many people are there in this crazy place?!”
Her notion that he was another student was quickly disabused when he started doling out instructions to have their weapon of choice on hand. Shooting a dark glance at Rebecca, Rendra pushed back a stray braid with her free hand while smiling at the dagger belted to her waist. As much as she’d love to give that snooty Cairhienen a taste of bare steel, she had a feeling that even an ‘accident’ in training would be punished greatly at this stage. Later, perhaps…
Shaking her head out of the lovely fantasy road it was taking her down, Renda glanced quickly to make sure that no one was behind her trying anything funny, and awaited further instruction. While she knew know in her heart she would probably never get the chance to be an assassin like she wanted to, she wasn’t about to get caught short should she ever not be able to use this witch power she was cursed with.
“GAH! Quit wandering off, mind, especially in this place!” she chastised herself mentally. Her lips formed a pouty moue as she glanced around again, taking in the room. She almost growled as she spotted one of the boys in her class checking out… her. “What does that scrawny chit have that I don’t?!” Rendra thought, shooting the boy a dark look. She unconsciously cocked her slender hip to the side, tapping her fingers idly on the hilt of her blade.
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13 Jan 2009 (12:37am GMT)
Perking up, Rendra watched assiduously as this new teacher began demonstrating the various forms. There were quite a few she wasn’t familiar with, but she was grateful when Dalek (as she learned his name was) was able to make it around to her to make corrections.
One such case was attempting to learn The Cat Dances on the Wall. After almost cutting Rebecca’s head off (“On accident!”, she swore fervently), a very bemused Dalek wandered over and tersely explained, “You’re just waving that dagger all over the place – were you actually paying any attention to my instruction?!”
Blushing slightly, she made herself take a moment before speaking, “I tried to do it like you showed us; what was I doing wrong?” Sighing, he re-demonstrated that it was tentative and controlled, not just wild swings. Nodding, Rendra tried again to mildly better success.. but still more dangerously than needed. Dalek shook his head, “I think that you’re not quite ready for that particular move; save it for once you’ve got better control of your wrists.”
She waited until he turned to another student before sticking out her tongue at his back briefly. Resisting the urge to stomp, she tried her luck at Dandelion in the Wind again while thinking, “I did have the fastest wrists of the three of us back home.. what does he mean my wrists aren’t any good?!” Rendra moved into a mimicry of The Grapevine Twines, enjoying the twisting of her wrists.
Before she knew it, Dalek was dismissing them with admonishments to practice in their off time. Nodding, she suddenly realized just how thirsty she was, and scooted off to get a drink.
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23 Feb 2009 (7:10pm GMT)
“Back in these pants,” Rendra grimaced to herself as she filed back in for the next iteration of her arms training course. She felt a bit unsure about how well her practicing had gone since the last class, but at least she’d not accidentally killed anyone in that time.
She was very relieved that Dalek didn’t drag her up to the front for demonstration purposes. The lessons of the Shadow were sharp and to the point, and it was an immense relief to find out she wasn’t going to be the latest example. Still, watching one of the three people Dalek had pulled to battle, she winced for the other girl, “I don’t think I managed to even be quite that bad… perhaps I should see about partnering with her down the line, if only so I don’t feel a complete dunce.”
Suddenly, he changed what he was doing, throwing everyone into confusion. After a moment, he nodded in satisfaction and spoke, “Forms are useful, but sometimes the most dangerous foe will be the one who know nothing of weaponry, because they will be totally unpredictable…” his eyes wandered among them. “So lets pair up and train in dueling, use both forms and then also try to be inventive, never let yourself expect anything in a match sword form or not, that will be the end of you eventually”.
Nodding in bemusement, Rendra strode up to one of the girls that Dalek had pulled to the front, “Hi, I’m Rendra… care to practice with me?” The other girl wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and stood, nodding as she re-drew her sword.
Rendra smirked briefly as she launched her assault. Cutting the Clouds was prevented by the other girl stepping backwards, and to counter-balance, Rendra swung her other dagger up at her opponent’s face in Hummingbird Kisses the Honeyrose. The other girl jerkily swung her sword up to block, enabling Rendra to try her luck with Black Pebbles on Snow. The other girl had thrown herself off-balance trying to block the blade coming at her face, so only took a slight graze across the side as she felt to one side, and Rendra to the other.
Laughing softly, she thwapped the other girl on the side of the leg from where they had fallen. The other girl jumped slightly, and pushed herself up on her elbows. Seeing Rendra trying unsuccessfully to not laugh out loud, she too started giggling. Pushing herself up, the Taraboner woman quickly sheathed her daggers and helped the other girl up. “I wonder if my ‘attack’ there counts as getting you by surprise… you’re not too cut up, I hope?” After all, this wasn’t Rebecca she was fighting, so why bear the other girl any ill will?