Knotical Study

[Yeva]

24 Ymiden 720

The trials at sea had been an experience to say the least. Yeva had been doing her best to keep herself preoccupied, deciding it best to stay out of the way while men and women seafarers hoisted sails, pulled ropes, and tied knots. Once or twice, Yeva had tried to imitate working the ropes, tucked away in her room with a bundle of cord, sometimes with a Biqaj friend who shared in laughing at her confusion. It hadn't helped when she had heard just a few of the names - Reef Knot, Thief Knot, Granny Knot, Grief Knot.

She had been singing a little jingle, now alone, with examples of each one bound and on the floor. Yeva, sitting with her legs crossed, pulled them closer and turned the journal of empty paper on her knee, sighing in mild frustration while she very gently pulled a pencil across its page, eyes flickering up and down as she observed the differences in each twist and turn of the twine. "Reef knot, thief knot," she sang, realizing how difficult it was to tell a difference between the two. Even with closer study, she had to blink, easily confused if she stared for too long. The drawings were simple, elementary even, but beneath each one, she added small notes on their use.

It felt good to use a journal again, but she couldn't help but imagine how many pages might have been filled if she only had her first one. The thought was melancholic, yet when paired with the reality that her team survived Faldass, it had been a minor sacrifice in the greater scheme of things, ' But I was so close to finishing it.'

Yeva scratched in a bit of detail, not sure if it was helping the drawing, or just making the surface look worse. Short wispy lines gave the impression of... fur? Resisting the urge to scratch the entire thing out was almost painful. She refocused on the writing:

Thief Knot: This knot has no strength and will slip and jam, when loaded and is thus, is a completely unreliable and virtually useless knot. Like its namesake, do not trust it.

She liked the thief knot, even if it was deceptive. One of the sailors had told her the best way to secure the bag was with it. If someone went through your possessions, if they were to retie it with a reef knot (which she also learned was called a square knot by non-biqaj), it would alert you if your belongings were rifled through in your absence. Useful around those with sticky fingers.

Reef Knot: "Right over left, left over right. Make a knot that's tidy and tight." Good for securing a rope or line around an object. Unstable for much weight.

More on knots. More on the drawing. Thoughts on writing. It occurred to her that she had just started using the new journal but had never given it a proper name - like any book, shouldn't it have had a title? This was, after all, her story. Yeva thought of Friell, how he had tasked her with

Yeva allowed the ink to dry and closed the book to run a hand along its cover.

[Yeva]

Sometime later, Yeva heard a knock on the door and lifted her head to spot a young man, barely into his twentieth arc with eyes of the brightest green the medic had ever seen. He looked unsure, smiling with a boyishness that made her return the gesture, "You can come in," she said, recognizing him from dinner the night before. He had been arm wrestling with another sailor at least twice his size.

"Hi," he cleared his throat, stepping further into the room, one handheld against his chest, "I'm Ethan, but uh... Most call me Sketch."

There was a beat of awkward silence, Yeva wondering why he was here. They both seemed to clear their throat at the same time and then she offered a small smile, "... Because you like to draw?"

He gave a quick laugh and then looked away, "Uh, something like that. I mean, yeah, but that's..." he shook his head, his mop of dark hair reminding Yeva of a dog she had seen back in Scalvoris. "Actually, the other night I hurt my hand and I thought..."

"Oh!" Yeva seemed to brighten, and then inwardly winced, aware of how eager she might have seemed when she began to make her way towards him, "I can certainly help with that," forgetting her notebook, she turned towards a barrel which was being used a makeshift nightstand and grabbed her medical kit. When she turned around, Sketch was sitting on the floor with his legs crossed.

"Is this from the arm wrestling?"

"You saw that?" he was surprised but smiling.

"I think everyone did," she moved to sit in front of him, "So - was that what it was? Twisted or...?"

"Ah, nah, from regular wrestling, actually. It's just been sore, been hard to help on deck."

"You were fighting?"

"Just for fun," he scooted closer once she had taken his arm, their knees almost touching. Ah. I see. For a while, Yeva said very little, touching various points in his hand and arm, asking him if it hurt.

"Well, it looks like you may have overextended the muscle, but that's nothing a little rest and compression can't handle," she smiled, "Need me to put in a good word with the captain?" By now, it was quite obvious her and Darius were dear friends and most of the crew had taken notice, speculating how far that companionship ran. Sketch simply shook his head.

"You, uh... tying knots?" he asked, watching Yeva retrieve a roll of bandage and begin to bind his wrist.

She followed his eyes to the tangles of rope on the bed, "Heh... You caught me."

"Need anyone to help?"

"With the knots? No, I've mostly been trying to remember what's used for what. But if you're offering lessons, I'd probably benefit more from learning to fight."

He beamed, "Yeah?"

Yeva hadn't expected his interest and had mostly been joking, "I mean..." she thought back to the Mer visit they had just a few trials ago and how much of a tizzy that had put the crew in. The situation had been resolved non-violently but what if she hadn't been so lucky? People had been hurt and she had been scared. "I've never wrestled before, I wouldn't even know where to begin."

"I can show you," he looked pleased, "The basic shot is easy."

"Hmm..... Are you sure?" Yeva did like learning new things, "What's the basic shot?"

"Basic Penetration shot," She finished his bandage and he stood carefully, taking a loose crouched position in front of her. Yeva stood to watch him with a better vantage, "Elbows in, bend at the knees, leading with one foot..." he watched her mirror him, "Lower my level," he said, crouching even lower and then stepped forward towards her, "Knee comes down, knee steps up, elbows in." Sketch had glided before her, almost fluidly, and looked up at her, "You're not gonna be wrestling anyone this wide, you don't want them hooking you, or...."

Yeva hadn't realized she had been smiling when Sketch stopped and looked up, "What?"

"Nothing," she shook her head, "I just hadn't expected sparring lessons today. It just struck me as funny; sorry."

"Ah, yeah," he returned her grin and Yeva noticed that one of his canines flashed gold, "Can I, uh... Can I touch you?"

"What?"

"For the take down?"

"Oh! Uh," she turned to hide the surprise on her face. Of course he had meant for demonstration. She knew that, but the close proximity and the way he smiled... Yeva chastised herself for the girlish nerves that had suddenly struck her, "Sure. Do I need to stand a certain way... Or... Um..."

"You're perfect. I mean, you look perfect. Shit. I just meant- uhhh..." They looked at each other helplessly and Yeva covered her face. Had her awkward reaction sparked uncertainty in him?

"It's alright," she smoothed her hair, blushing, "What's next?"

"Right. Okay," Sketch retook his crouching position and demonstrated the basic shot, sliding forward and Yeva crouched as if she was expecting an attack, "So, once you close this distance, tis is the double leg take down," she tensed, "I won't hurt you," he promised, "The Captain'd kill me if I did."

This made her laugh. Darius was protective. What would he think of these impromptu lessons, she wondered? "Just be careful with your hand."

Sketch nodded and then leaned his shoulder against Yeva's hips, his arms coming around the back of her legs, "So, hips are up, knee is up, you saw how I shot in?"

"I think so," Yeva leaned forward to see his stance, noting which leg was bent and which one ready to be pushed off of.

"I'm gonna hook your legs like this, both hands on the back of your calves...looking up, and when I sweep my leg up and step outward, I'll be able to take you down. Got it?"

She felt silly, "You lost me."

"Okay..." he leaned back, sitting on his haunches while he thought of how to approach the lesson, "How 'bout I tackle you - gently - and then when you see how it's done, you can try it on me?"

"Tackle someone gently?"

They chuckled and she finally nodded, "Alright, do your worst then. I'm ready."

Sketch reset his stance to crouch from the floor and then shot forward, hooked her legs and the propelled his weight, Yeva soon yelping as she was lifted and tossed back onto the floor, red hair splashing across the boards. Sketch sat up, "You alright?"

A bit of pain bit into her shoulder from the impact against the ground but he had been careful to slow her descent and she felt much of the blow had been softened. Still, it had been a quick, practiced grapple that left her stunned. She blew away a mass of curls that had fallen into her face and propped herself up on her elbows, "I'm not sure I believe your hand's hurt," she teased. He reached out and began helping her to her feet, "I wish I knew this when I was growing up. Could've used it on my brothers."

"Your turn," he encouraged, and then Yeva tried to imitate the shot, coming to crouch in front of Sketch but he shook his head even before she wrapped her arms around his leg, "Stance is too wide. If you come in like that, you won't be able to sweep your leg and push up."

She tried again.

And failed.

And again. And failed.

And again-

Until finally she managed to follow through correctly, and began to try to take Sketch down only for him to stop her, "Try again, like this."

He was, a surprisingly patient teacher and more than once they laughed at her flailing.

[Pig Boy]

Player Name: Yeva Praise be she is Risen

Points awarded: 10 xp
Magic xp: none

Knowledge:

Unarmed Combat
Wrestling
The Basic Penetration Shot
The Double Leg Take Down
How to Prevent Getting Hooked by an Opponent
Incorrect Form Can Compromise Attack Efficiency

Seafaring
Reef Knot, Thief Knot, Granny Knot, Grief Knot.

Drawing
How Line Quality Affects the Texture of a Sketch

Renown: 0
Loot:0
Injuries/Overstepping: na
Wealth Points: na
Consequences: na

Skill Review: All Skills used appropriately to PC's level

Notes: For a faux starter, I found large portions of this solo very entertaining. The wrestling portion in particular. The flavor npcs were some of the most well-characterized I've seen in threads in a while. Sketch was hilarious, and at turns awkward as he asked to touch Yeva... So he could practice wrestling with her...

Yeva was sweet and nice as ever she is, being very nice and not showing much suspicion to the sailors who simply entered her room, one after another. I almost was worried for a bit but Sketch did well putting me at ease.

Overall, was a fun little solo writing vignette. I enjoyed it!

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding this review, feel free to PM. Enjoy your rewards!