• Closed • [Global Event] Swords, Axes, Daggers Oh My [Side Challenge]

[Quio]

14th of Vhalar, Arc 716
evening

It had been an interesting trial. There had been some good and some bad and some stuff that was just plain unbelievable. But, all in all Quio felt... good. Warm, despite the chill of the breathtaking wind passing them by. Maybe a bit overwhelmed, like he might just be dreaming. Maybe a little freaked out.

But, despite that he had gotten in a solid day's worth of ship's work and he had that familiar singing ache of tiredness in his body. It made him feel again the sense that he was where he was supposed to be.

Now, yawning, he waved to another of the sailors to let that one know he should take his place. The Yludih needed to get in a good night's rest, or as much rest as he could before it was his turn at the sails once more.

But first, he had to find Jack.

He'd been surprised --and a tad dismayed-- when he'd taken a step backwards earlier and found the little brown dog hiding under his feet. He'd thought, somehow, that she had stayed in Andaris, where it was safe... but no, the plucky little thing had followed him all the way to the docks and on board. And by the time he'd noticed her cowering behind him, it had been far too late to send her off the side of the ship and swimming for home. There had been nothing for it than to let her come along.

Early in the morning the little dog had stuck pretty close to his side, perhaps from shyness at being around so many unfamiliar people and scents. But by lunch's break she had vanished off somewhere, and throughout the rest of the day --until recently, that was-- he'd seen her following random people around, begging for scratches and food, once even chasing playfully after some type of strange-looking cat.

But now that he wanted to find her, of course she was missing. The Yludih was resigned to search the ship.

And so he did.

Eventually, he did find her-- in a little room down in the hold, a cabin that he'd thought was empty. Only when he peered in the door, he'd found Jack lying contentedly by the side of-- well, someone he didn't know. A young woman.

"Jack," he called, and whistled, but the dog merely perked her ears and looked sadly over at him. He couldn't tell from her expression if Jack was the one being consoled or doing the consoling. But she had that reluctant look about her that she sometimes got when she was near someone she thought she needed to stay close to. For whatever reason. He still hadn't figured her out.

"I'm sorry," the Yludih said, lingering in the doorway of the cabin, not wanting to step into the woman's space without permission-- but unwilling to leave his dog, either. Soon enough it was clear that she didn't understand Rakahi. He switched to what little he knew of Common, "I'm sorry," with mixed result. It seemed the woman was about as good as speaking Common as he was. He smiled apologetically and went back to the Biqaj tongue.

"Sorry for her," he said, indicating Jack with a tilt of the head. "She's a little too friendly at times. Jack, come here." But the dog wouldn't budge. She wagged her tail slightly, head upon the woman's lap. He sighed. "You mind if I--?" he asked, motioning as if he might come into the room. "I'm Quio, by the way." He pointed at himself. "Quio." Then at the dog. "And that's Jack. Jack."

"Speaking in Rakahi"
"Speaking in Common"
"Speaking in Ulehi"

[Lei'lira]

She needed time to think. So much had happened over the course of the day that her mind was reeling. She needed to sort out the events of the day in her mind, and try to figure out what, exactly, was going on. And for that, she needed peace, and quiet.

Feeling anxious about all of the strangers on the deck of the ship, Lei'lira retreated further into the ship. There were empty cabins that seemed to be meant for them, so she chose one at random. Since the cabins were small, and she couldn't bear the feeling of being closed in, she left the door open slightly. Then she sat on the bed, closed her eyes, and tried to make sense of what was happening.

They were on a ship headed...somewhere. A ship that had been raised from the sea, as if by magic. Had someone told Lei'lira of seeing such a thing, she would have believed that they were making up tall tales. As it was, she had no choice but to believe in the strange ship. Magic was involved, obviously...but what kind of magic? Lei'lira knew nothing of magic, or those that wielded it, so she didn't know if raising ships from the sea was a common occurance among magic users...or even if it were possible for normal magic. As if any magic could be considered normal.

Another thing that seemed strange to her was the man who steered the ship. He had risen up out of the sea along with the ship. And if that weren't strange enough, the wheel of the ship seemed to move without any direction on his part. His hands were raised high, as if commanding the clouds. If that wasn't strange enough, his silver eyes suggested that he was blind. And how could a blind man steer the ship? Didn't you have to be able to see where you were going for that?

Perhaps he was an Immortal. If he was, Lei'lira had no idea who he was. Still, it was as good a guess as any. The Immortals were clearly involved. Her dream proved as much. Presumably, the others on board the ship had been led to the docks by a similar dream. It was all too confusing for Lei'lira Trying to figure out what was going on only seemed to bring up more questions while answering none of the ones she already had.

Lei'lira felt the bed shift, and terror seized her heart. Someone was in the room with her. Her eyes flew open even as she huddled up against the wall she had been leaning on. But the "someone" turned out to be a rather pretty brown dog. Her pulse slowly returned to normal as she sat up and offered the dog a hand to smell as an introduction.

"Well hello, there. Where did you come from?" she asked softly.

Lei'lira glanced at the door, but could see nothing that would indicate any sign of the dog's owner. Nor were there any sounds of footsteps that would indicate that someone was coming.

"I'm sure your owner will come looking for you sooner, or later. In the mean time, you are welcome to stay here if you wish."

Lei'lira was nervous about meeting the dog's owner, but she was glad for the company. Back at home, she was never alone. Even when Lazuli wasn't there, she had plenty of animals to keep her company. The dog made herself comfortable, and Lei'lira began to pet her absently as she returned to her thoughts.

Her train of thought was disrupted again a short while later when a masculine voice spoke, followed by a whistle. Lei'lira tensed, her eyes flying to the door, where a man stood just outside her room. Her breathing hitched slightly, and she pressed back against the wall she was leaning on. Judging by the dog's reaction, Lei'lira realized that the man must be her owner. It was likely that he had come looking for her, instead of anything to do with Lei'lira herself. But her heart still raced as she waited in wary silence to see if her guess was correct.

His first words made no sense to Lei'lira. It was clear that he wasn't speaking in either Xanthea, or Common. But he must have realized that she had no clue what he was saying, because he switched briefly to Common, and apologized. Then he was back to speaking what she thought might be Rakahi. She didn't understand the language herself, but she had heard it before enough times to recognize it even if she didn't know what he was saying.

One word was said multiple times; "sorry." Since it was said both before, and after the man had briefly switched to Common, she guessed it might mean "sorry." But the rest of what he said went completely beyond her. Through gesture, more than anything else, Lei'lira learned that the man's name was Quio, and that his dog's name was Jack. She thought that one of his gestures might mean that he wanted to enter her room. The thought frightened her, but if she was right, the fact that he was "asking," rather than just coming in was a point in his favor. Besides...he had to be able to get his dog. Jack didn't seem to be inclined to come at his whistle.

"Lei'lira." she said softly, as she pointed to herself.

Then more hesitantly:

"Please come in." she offered nervously, in Common.

A quick glance at the small table beside her bed reassured her that her katana was within easy reach. It wouldn't be of much use to her if Quio attacked her...but she wasn't completely defenseless. And if nothing else, the sight of the katana might make him decide not to attack if he were of a mind to do so.

[Quio]

The woman in the room seemed reluctant --maybe more than that, though he couldn't think of the word to describe her, nervous?-- and even though he understood what she said completely, "Please come in," the look on her face had him remain hesitantly in the door.

Common. She had spoken in Common, so maybe he should try to make more of an effort with that. Though it was really not his best language. Still, maybe the woman --Lei'lira, she'd said her name was-- might be able to understand it more than she could speak, like he did.

"My Common's not that great," he said, a useful phrase he'd learned to speak from Hart. "Sorry." Again with the apologies. She was going to think he was strange, how he apologized so much, but something about her made him wary. Almost as if he needed to be sorry.

Eventually he stepped carefully into the room, never approaching too fast.

And there it was-- when he walked towards her, her eyes flicked, momentarily, over to the sword that was lying on a nearby table. Quio paused again, not getting closer.

"Jack," he said, softly, hoping the dog would choose to come to him, but the dog merely wagged her tail harder and refused to move from the woman's side.

He was stuck. He felt like he couldn't bring himself to step closer... was it really worth it, to drag the dog away when she didn't want to leave? The Yludih wasn't the most sociable person and in this situation he didn't know what to do.

Eventually he just said, "Um... sword." Gesturing at it. As if to make small talk about the weapon the woman may have just considered using on him.

He really didn't know what he was doing. The woman's what, her nervousness? Uneasiness? Whatever it was was rubbing off on him. He stood there awkwardly. "You... sword well?" He gestured to the dagger at his hip. "I'm not dagger well, I fear," he said. Then, again, a reiteration of what he'd said before. "Not Common well, too. Sorry."

Then onto more difficult subjects. Obviously struggling to find words. "Lei'lira... you don't mind Jack? I go? Jack stay?" Asking if maybe it was better if he just left Jack here for now. They were on a ship, after all. It wasn't like the little dog would get lost. He could try to check on her again some other time. Still, he'd like to know that was dog was being fed, watered, and cared for, and that was usually his duty...

"I go," he said more decisively, after a moment. "I go..." A pause. Thinking.

He'd seen people practicing with weapons, off and on all day. When he'd asked one of the other sailors if there was an armory, the man had said there wasn't an official one, but in the lower rooms there was a weapon's cache. He'd like to check that out, do a walk through of the ship in total, and head to the bar, before finding his own bunk to fall into. "I go around the ship. Um. Walk?" Searching for the word.

"Yes, walk around. You and Jack go find me later?" A pause. Unlikely, but he thought he'd ask anyway. "Or go with now." A shrug. He didn't think she'd want to come walk with him... but if she did, that would be a way to perhaps separate Jack from her without having to get too close.

"Yes?" He hoped she understood. Throughout his speaking he'd been making vague motions as if to articulate his thoughts. But he didn't know if his gesturing would be enough to convey what he'd spoken-- or, well, at least what he'd tried to speak, as his Common really was very, very poor. Because of that, he waited patiently for her to make sense of his words.

"Speaking in Rakahi"
"Speaking in Common"
"Speaking in Ulehi"

[Lei'lira]

The man...Quio, seemed to be just as nervous as she was. Maybe he had seen her look at her katana? It was a better thought than wondering if he was nervous because he was planning on attacking her, and worried about getting caught, at least. He explained that his Common wasn't great, and she nodded.

"I can understand most things in Common, but I often have trouble finding the right words. But I don't know any...was that Rakahi? I can't speak that at all."

It was close enough to the truth. She knew one phrase in Rakahi, possibly one more word if she was right about the word "sorry." And somehow, she didn't think that "wolf spirit" was going to come up in this conversation. Speaking of which...Lei'lira glanced at Lei'luna. She felt self conscious in doing so, since she knew that Quio wouldn't be able to see her familiar. But perhaps he would think she was nervous, instead of insane. Lei'luna looked perfectly calm, and that reassured her somewhat. If the wolf spirit didn't think that Quio was dangerous, then he probably wasn't.

Quio caught Lei'lira's attention again when he asked about her sword. A second glance at the calm wolf spirit gave her the courage to reply.

"It's a katana." she offered shyly.

She didn't know anything about this man, but if he was interested in improving his Common any, she was willing to help if she could.

"I don't know how to use it well." she confessed.

"Well" wasn't quite the right word she was looking for, but Lei'lira couldn't think of what the word for "properly" was in Common just now. Only Lei'luna's calm demeanor allowed her to admit that she wasn't skilled with the blade. That, and the fact that Quio mentioned he wasn't good with his dagger. She had seen on his hip when he entered the room, and only the fact that he wasn't reaching for it at the time prevented her from trying to flee. That he had mentioned the weapon to her, and admitted his lack of skill in its use was another point in his favor. Assuming he was telling the truth, of course. Although she had always used to take people at their word in the past, her captivity had made her a lot less trusting. Especially of men.

When he asked if she minded Jack's presence, Lei'lira shook her head, and offered him a rare shy smile.

"Jack can stay as long as she wants to. I love animals, and she's a good dog."

Quio said something about leaving, and going for a walk. Lei'lira nodded, more than a little relieved at the thought. So far, he seemed unthreatening enough, but she was worried that he might change his mind about attacking her if he stayed for any length of time. But when he seemed to ask if she wanted to go with him, Lei'luna surprised her by saying that she should. Lei'lira glanced at her familiar, considering the suggestion carefully. Lei'luna knew how much strangers frightened her now. But she also never suggested something unless there was good reason for it. Torn by indecision, Lei'lira hesitated for several trills before turning back to Quio, and responding.

"I'll go with you. A walk might be nice."

Lei'lira stood, and paused long enough to pick up her katana. She trusted Lei'luna with her life...but that didn't mean that she was prepared to go anywhere with a complete stranger while unarmed. Even if he knew she wasn't skilled with the blade, having it made her feel better about going with him.

"Where should we go?" she asked simply.

[Quio]

At least she seemed willing to talk to him. Perhaps what he had mistaken for anxiety had actually just been shyness. He could understand that.

"You Common very well," he said and then, answering her question, "Yes, Rakahi. Biqaj language." He looked around and sort of up as if to encompass the ship they were on. "Ship language."

He was relieved that she didn't seem to mind Jack bothering her, and then surprised when she agreed to walk with him. When she stood, he sort of took a step back, giving her room. He didn't mind that she wanted to bring the sword-- the katana, as she had called it. He likely wouldn't leave his weapon lying around either.

"Okay," he just said, simply, and whistled for Jack again. This time the dog bounded up, standing somewhat between the both of them, little tail wagging with glee. She ran a little circle around Quio's legs, excited, before returning back to Lei'lira's side. Quio just smiled faintly and shook his head.

"Where should we go?"

"Um." He had already stepped out of the door, and now walked along at a leisurely pace. The ship's hold was relatively cramped in between rooms, but then again it had a lot of stuff to fit into a limited space. "I... was go around ship. For look. Find where is where," he said.

Then, in more perfect Common, naming the various rooms in a ship, about the only part of that language he felt confident he knew: "Galley, mess, saloon, cabins, storage." He made a continuing gesture with his hand, as if to indicate etc. "I'm not find time for look where is where till now, too much work on deck," he explained. When he had gone looking for Jack, he'd only made it through some of the cabins and passageways, not the rest of the vessel. "Lei'lira, you know where?" Wondering if she might be able to show him around.

After a moment he added, "And find too where sailors have weapons. Swords, daggers--" That same gesture again. Etc. "I'm not dagger well," he explained again, this time further, "So I hope to find weapon, work well for me on ship. The ship..." he hesitated. Someone passed them in the corridor, and he pointed the person out, specifically pointing at the fine leather armor and pretty shield the person wore that they had all found earlier on deck.

"I fear the ship make for us danger," he said. "We go for fight. Yes?" Asking if she thought it was a fight they were heading towards. "Ne'haer," he said a little bitterly. The word tasted sour in his mouth. "Danger. So I find weapon for me, for ready. Or I fear be hurt."

"Speaking in Rakahi"
"Speaking in Common"
"Speaking in Ulehi"

[Lei'lira]

So Rakahi was a "ship language." That made sense to Lei'lira. She didn't know much about the Biqaj as a people, but she did remember learning in school that many of the Biqaj were sailors. So calling the Biqaj language a "ship language" seemed fitting somehow. Lei'lira was interested in learning what she could about a new language, and it likely showed as she made careful note of what she had been told. But when the conversation changed, she was ready for it.

Lei'lira listened carefully to what Quio was trying to explain before tentatively making a suggestion of her own.

"Do you mean that you want to explore the ship?" she asked softly?

She knew of no other possible meaning of finding out "where was where." But it was soon her turn to be lost.

"Galley...mess...saloon...what are those?" she asked in confusion.

"I've done some exploring, and I could show you what I've found? I saw cabins, places to store things, and the kitchen so far." she offered.

When Quio explained that he wanted to find some weapons, Lei'lira frowned thoughtfully.

"I think I found a place that has weapons. Do you think it is okay to take them? And...what kind of weapon is good for a ship?"

She gave him a rueful look.

"I know very little of any kind of weapon." she admitted.

Someone passed by the room, and Lei'lira tensed, falling silent until they passed by. She, too noticed the armor and shield they had been wearing, and glanced in the corner where she put her own armor. Should she put it on? Quio continued to speak, saying that they were going to Ne'haer. This confirmed what she had heard others say before. But the name of their destination meant little to her. She couldn't remember much of what she had learned of the place in school, except that it was west of Rynmere somewhere.

"Is Ne'haer a bad place?" she asked when she saw that the name seemed to bother him for some reason.

"I've never been there. Or anywhere other than Rynmere."

She hesitated for a few trills before continuing.

"Do you really think we'll have to fight?" she asked worriedly.

It seemed obvious if they were on a ship that had all kinds of armor, and weapons. But she really didn't like the idea of having to fight, and she hoped that he was wrong about that. Fighting the shadow beasts earlier in the season had been hard enough. If they were heading to a fight...what was going to be waiting for them when they got to Ne'haer?

"I dreamed that I had to go to the docks in Andaris. That the Immortals needed me. But nothing in the dream told me what they needed me for...if they need fighters, then they chose the wrong person." she said softly.

After a couple of bits, she rallied herself, and offered to show Quio where she had seen the weapons stored. If he was right about them heading towards a fight...she would need all the help she could get. And if Quio knew about what weapons were good for fighting on a ship, then maybe he would be willing to help her pick out a good one. Lei'lira glanced at Lei'luna once more, silently asking if she was doing the right thing in trusting the man even this much. The wolf spirit nodded, and Lei'lira walked slowly towards the room she'd found the weapons in.

It didn't take long to get there, since it was only half a dozen or so rooms down from her cabin. Along the back wall was a large wooden rack filled with round balls made out of metal. Lei'lira couldn't even begin to guess what they were for. They looked too heavy to lift, much less throw, and Lei'lira didn't know what else they could be used for. The rest of the room was filled with all kinds of weapons. Some were ones that Lei'lira recognized, but many were not. Many of the weapons were displayed in racks, or shelves, but others lay where they had fallen over the course of time. Lei'lira began looking at the weapons at random. She had no idea what she should be looking for.

[Quio]

As the two of them spoke, Quio's general awkwardness seemed slightly to fade, in its place a quiet confidence. It was clear that when it came to ships and the sea, he was really in his element. In fact, on a ship was perhaps the only time he felt competent and whole, like he was where he belonged. Maybe that was why, despite his reservations concerning this journey --which Lei'lira seemed to mirror-- he still felt like he was doing what he needed to be doing.

He smiled more genuinely when the young woman showed an interest in the Biqaj language and the nautical terms he had unthinkingly spouted off. Now he explained as best he could, saying each term twice, once in Common and then once more slowly in Rakahi, then the definition, "Yes, explore the ship. Um. Galley, galley, is ship kitchen. Mess, mess, is where sailors have food. Saloon, saloon, is where um--" He didn't have words for this. "Um, drink? Where sailors go to drink, to--" socialize "--to talk?"

At her admittance that she knew little of weapons he shrugged. "Me too. I know dagger, not well. I know um, spear? Know spear not well. Don't know shield. Don't know armor. Don't know much." His face momentarily sort of grim. To her question --"Do you really think we'll have to fight?"-- he answered, "Why have armor, shield, no fight? And Ne'haer..."

There was a long pause.

"...Ne'haer is not a bad place," he said, sort of reluctantly. "Just a bad place for me. Um. Bad... head. Uh. No, not head, um, memory? I was live there when I was a child."

"Not bad," he said again after a moment, as if trying to convince himself. "The Biqaj live there. So not bad."

Her description of a dream that had brought her to the ship was fascinating and yet somehow scary. The immortals, he thought, and shivered. "I don't have a dream. Um, the captain, the man at the bow. He find me, in Andaris. I don't know him. But I was have to help him.

"I think... he is immortal. Don't know. But..." He thought of the blind man. The water had parted around him. The way he commanded the vessel, and the ship's own immortality and excellence. And then there was Lei'lira's dream, telling her the immortals need you. "U'frek. Immortal of the sea, the Biqaj immortal." He was almost afraid to say the name aloud, like the blind man might somehow overhear.

Luckily they were then where they were supposed to be and the topic could move on. Quio watched Lei'lira as she looked around. Her eyes glanced over the cannonballs and lingered, so he said, "For the ship guns. Cannons." Until now, however, he hadn't known the ship had cannons. It made him sort of uneasy to think about. Was this a proper warship, then?

"Weapons good for a ship..." he said, looking around contemplatively. "Ship is... small?" That wasn't quite right. He ran through words in his head for a moment. "Ship is close," he said, that was better. Ships had relatively close quarters, even on the deck out in the open. "So small weapons --weapons for close fight-- is good. Dagger is good. Small ax. Small sword-- sword for, um, one h-ham?" Stumbling on the last word. He held up one of his own hands to show her. One hand. "Close fight weapon is good, so don't hurt friends."

But really it depended on the battle, and who you were fighting. Any weapon became useful in different situations. When they had been children, he and Hart had held dreams of becoming fighters, even vigilantes-- though in reality Hart had always been an artist and Quio too timid and peaceful. Nevertheless, they had had discussions many a day and night, playing out strategies and epic battles in their minds.

Eventually the Yludih began picking up weapons here and there and balancing them in one hand as if testing their weight. A lot of them --the axes and larger swords-- were much too heavy for him, inexperienced, to wield, especially in one hand. He sighed and picked up a nearby shield, not nearly as fancy as the ones that they'd found on deck, and held it up in front of him, then shook his head.

Lei'lira had questioned earlier whether or not they should take this stuff, but Quio said, "Ship is for us, yes? If there is a fight, U'frek forbid, we have to be ready." It made sense to him that these things would have been supplied for their use. They had already taken the armor and shields. And they ate the ship's food and drank its drink. Everything on the ship had been put there --just as they had been-- for a reason. They might as well use it.

"Speaking in Rakahi"
"Speaking in Common"
"Speaking in Ulehi"

[Lei'lira]

When Quio told her what the different rooms he'd mentioned were, he also name them in Rakahi, speaking more slowly as he did so, presumably so she could clearly hear how to pronounce the words. Lei'lira gave him a small, shy smile in thanks as she repeated each new Rakahi word carefully a few times after him. She wanted to commit the words to memory. Since Rakahi was one of the three languages spoken in Rynmere, it only made sense for Lei'lira to know at least the basics of the language. Especially since her own cousin, Vivian was half Biqaj.

As the conversation turned to weapons, Quio seemed to share her lack of experience in them. He still seemed to know more about them than she did, though, and she told him as much.

"I've seen a crossbow before. My father used one when he was alive. It belongs to my sister, now. But I've never fired one...I don't even know how to load one. As for the katana...I've used it to fight those shadow creatures. But that's not the same as a real fight, is it? The shadow creatures die...dissolve? Can they really die? They fade away if you hit them with a blade once. Not like someone who fights back, and has weapons of their own."

Lei'lira listened as Quio explained that Ne'haer wasn't a bad place, but that he had bad memories of it. He seemed uncertain of the right word to use, so when he said "memory," she nodded.

"Yes, memory. Or memories if you want to talk about more than one." she offered shyly.

Quio had indulged her interest in Rakahi, and she wanted to return the favor, if she could. When the conversation shifted once again, Quio confirmed her suspicion that the man steering the ship might be an Immortal. In fact, he even knew which one he was; U'frek, the Immortal of the sea, and the one that the Biqaj worshiped the most. She couldn't help but be awed by the fact that U'frek had approached Quio directly...and equally glad that it hadn't been her that he had approached.

"I don't know what I'd do if one of the Immortals approached me like that." she admitted softly.

When Quio explained that the metal balls were used for something called a cannon, she nodded. She still didn't know what a cannon was, exactly, but if they were going into a battle, it was a good thing that their ship had weapons.

"Do you know how to use a cannon?" she asked curiously.

He had mentioned working on the ship earlier, so maybe he knew about cannons, too. Lei'lira saw a crossbow among the many weapons in the room, and picked it up. It was made out of wood, and to her inexperienced eye, it looked well made. After studying it carefully for a while, it looked as though the bolt was supposed to lay along the top of the bow itself. There was a notch behind the part that the bolt would fit on, and Lei'lira thought that you were supposed to draw the string back, and hook it around the notch to hold it in place. Pressing the trigger would then fire the bolt. Maybe. It was her best guess from looking at it, anyway.

But as Quio mentioned that small weapons were best for fighting on a ship because of the close quarters, she set the crossbow down. A crossbow would be good for hunting, but Lei'lira could picture the disaster that would result all too easily if someone stepped into the path of a crossbow bolt once it had been fired while fighting their own battle. Once a bolt had been fired, it couldn't be called back; Lei'lira had no desire to hurt an innocent because they got in the way by mistake.

She already had a sword, and the whips she saw would likely have the same problem as a crossbow if someone accidentally got in the way, so she began looking at the smaller blades; daggers, and such. After a while, she found a beautiful dagger. Its blade that was about a foot long, and it had an ornate design etched into the surface of the blade. The blade itself had a narrow point, but broadened into a wider blade. The hilt of the dagger was as beautiful as the blade was. Lei'lira tested the weight, not really knowing what she was looking for while doing so. But it didn't feel heavy enough that she couldn't use it with one hand. As a farmer, she was used to using heavy equipment, often balancing a full bucket with one hand as she opened the barn door. So the weapon wasn't difficult to lift.

Lei'lira swung the blade carefully a few times, before turning to Quio.

"You said you know a little about how to use a dagger? Can you teach me how to use this?" she asked hopefully, showing him the weapon she had found.

Lei'lira wondered if it was anything like using her katana...not that she knew how to use that, either. But she liked the idea of having a smaller weapon. If nothing else, she could use it to ensure that she was never captured again. As a last resort, she could use it to stab herself before someone could capture her.

[Quio]

He smiled as she traded words back with him, confirming his use of the word 'memory' and other small things. Then listened as she spoke of her father and his crossbow, though Lei'lira admitted that she had little experience in fights.

"Shadow fight is a real fight," he argued gently back. He had seen too many people slaughtered by those things --men, women, children-- to agree that the beasts were not as dangerous as a person with a weapon. In a way, they were more so. There had just been so many of them; a person could be quickly overwhelmed.

At her question about the cannons, he rubbed at his head. "Um, no?" he asked, then made a gesture meant to indicate his knowledge was so-so. He watched as she fiddled with the crossbow she had picked up, and sort of pointed at what she was doing. "You don't know crossbow, but look, think, think to work weapon, yes? Is me with cannons. Don't know... but cannons, I look, think, maybe work." He shrugged. "Maybe."

They began searching through the little cache of weapons in earnest, Lei'lira gazing past the crossbow and whips to settle on a dagger, Quio sort of aimless, trying to figure out what might fit him best. His own dagger, compared to the one the woman held, was measly in comparison. He thought his dagger was more a large working knife than a weapon for actual fighting, though he had mostly used it for the latter up until now.

Then, as he was cautiously shifting through the swords, the Yludih went still. He reached out and picked up a sharp, somewhat wicked-looking blade probably about the length of his arm, one with with a subtle in-and-out curve.

It felt no more familiar in his hand than many of the other weapons he had picked up, but somehow, looking at it... he couldn't help but feel that he had seen this sword --or one like it-- before. Vague memories bombarded him-- he was locked outside the city gates, the beasts were everywhere. There was a crowd of people trying to hammer their way into the city, but the city wouldn't budge. They were being picked off one by one.

Then, something about a sword. Flashes of silver and black. He couldn't remember exactly. There had been a lot happening. It hadn't been a guard who had wielded it. Yet he was certain he had seen a blade just like this one used --effectively, proficiently-- against the shadowbeasts.

The memory gave him a confidence in the blade that he hadn't yet experienced in any of the others. He rested the shield he'd picked up before against his leg and took the blade in both hands, inspecting it, getting a feel. The more he held it the more it made sense to him. He took it back into one hand, his right-- then with a thoughtful glance, switched to his left, then back again. It felt about as good in his left hand as in his right, which was odd. Still, he settled on his right hand.

Before he picked the shield back up, he experimentally drew his hip dagger with his left hand, and held the two blades out, the sword forward, the dagger back. Hmm. He sheathed his dagger again and looked around for something else-- he didn't know what, exactly. Maybe a coil of rope. Maybe a net. He didn't know. Something to tangle up an opponent with, he thought. His left hand felt barren. Eventually he picked up the shield again, sort of dissatisfied with how it felt, but not knowing what else to do.

Then, "You said you know a little about how to use a dagger? Can you teach me how to use this?"

Quio looked up from his own contemplations. "A little," he agreed. Very little. What he knew was only what someone would learn from simply using the blade for a short time; nothing fancy, just the very basics. He momentarily cast aside the new blade he had picked up in favor of his own, which he drew again from the sheath, this time with his right hand. His left still held the little shield.

"Dagger is fast. More fast than the sword. Light. This," he said, knees bent slightly, dagger arm forward and in front of him, other hand holding the shield up steady. "Or this." He dropped the shield, his left hand sort of hovering back by his hip. Just as ready as the dagger hand. One of his feet rested slightly forward on his dominant side.

"Like sword, I think?" he asked. He didn't have a ton of experience with daggers, and none with the sword, but he thought it was about the same. "This," he said, and stepped forward, slashing the dagger down at an angle. "Not this," he said, and stepped again, this time poking it straight out. "This, not good. Not good... feel.

"When fight, go for the body, belly, chest, not the head or arm. Body, big. Head, arm, hand, small." Probably someone with more skill could aim for the head, arm, or even specifically the eye or neck in the heat of battle, but as a novice he knew what had worked best for him. Which was slashing at the body. Unless, of course, there was also grappling involved.

"This hand use for um, grap?" he asked, uncertain about the last word. He showed her his free left hand, and looked at her as if asking permission to reach out towards her. If she would let him, he would use his left to reach for her right wrist or forearm, as if he might grab it and not let go. With his right, he'd slowly bring his dagger forward, towards her body. "If grap, maybe go for head, throat? Or if shadow grap you. Do what you do. Fight. Teeth, hands, feet, dagger. All." There was no fighting dirty. There was life and death. He had learned that the hard way these past two weeks. And before that, as a child hunted in the woods outside of Ne'haer.

Now the Yludih stepped back, giving the young woman back her space. He took up the shield again, holding it carefully in front of him. "Good practice is to do," he said. "So. Practice with weapon on me? Dagger, shield." Indicating she should lash out at him with the dagger, with the intent of hitting the shield he held. "This," he reminded her, and performed a slash --rather than a straight stab-- once more. "Do, do, do. Practice, practice, practice. Do to feel good for weapon." The more she used it and got used to the swing, weight, and speed, the better she would be just by merit of experience. It was the same as learning anything new. It would feel clumsy until the appropriate amount of time was put in.

So, Quio held the shield up, letting Lei'lira take practice swings, encouraging her, "More. More. Strong," for as long as she wanted.

"Speaking in Rakahi"
"Speaking in Common"
"Speaking in Ulehi"

[Lei'lira]

Lei'lira listened carefully, and watched closely as Quio began showing her what he knew. It made sense that a dagger could be wielded faster than a sword could. It was a smaller, lighter blade. And because it was smaller, it required less space to move it in. But it had one downside that Lei'lira noticed as she watched; one that was related to the same source as its strengths. Since it was a shorter blade, you had to get closer to your target in order to use it. And that would put you in more danger from a counter attack.

As Quio demonstrated some basic stances, Lei'lira tried to mimic them, getting a feel for the proper way to fight with a dagger. He also showed her how to wield a dagger, slashing downwards at an angle with it rather than holding it out in front of her as she would with a sword. It quickly became clear to her that while both weapons were similar in that they were blades, a dagger and a sword were very different. As before, with the stances, Lei'lira practiced the proper way to wield the dagger she'd selected.

Another thing Quio taught her was the different targets one should go for when using a dagger; body, belly, and chest rather than the head or arm. The theory behind that, being that they were larger targets. That was something that the dagger had with a sword, or at least it seemed to be the case to Lei'lira. It was common sense that a larger target would be easier to hit than a smaller one would be.

He asked a question, and Lei'lira wasn't certain how to respond. "Grap" wasn't a word, or if it was, it wasn't one that she recognized. But she couldn't be sure what word Quio was looking for based on the content of the sentence.

"Do you mean grip?" she asked hesitantly.

Then he seemed to want to touch her. Lei'lira froze with fear at the thought. Why would he...? Lei'lira's first thought was to refuse, even to flee before Quio could get any ideas. But she hesitated, because he seemed to be trying to help her. After fighting with herself for several bits, she finally nodded. But she held utterly still as he reached out towards her, barely even daring to breathe. And it was painfully obvious that she was terrified.

To her surprise, her fears were unwarranted. Quio merely showed her how it might be possible to grab onto your enemy, holding them in place while you brought your weapon to bear. Then he suggested that if doing so, it might be possible to go for a smaller target, like the head, or even the throat. It wasn't a move that could be made with a large blade, but Lei'lira saw how it could be done with a smaller one, like a dagger. She smiled shakily, and forced herself to relax a little. Then Quio explained what to do if someone grabbed her while attacking with a knife. She nodded, and thanked him.

He offered to let her practice what she had learned, and Lei'lira was quick to jump at the chance. Over, and over, she aimed at his shield, slashing downward with her dagger. At first, her movements were slow, and clumsy. But the more she practiced, it started to feel more natural to her. And as it did, she started to pick up a little speed. She also began to put more strength into her blows as she gained confidence in what she was doing. But after a while, her arm started to ache, so she stopped.

"Thank you for helping me, Quio. Do you want to practice, too?" she offered.

She wasn't sure if she would be strong enough to support a shield against his blows if he wanted to strike it for a while, but if he wanted to, she would try her best.