Private Tales Sliver of Time

[Míriel Fëanorna]

A small snort at his words but she didn't have time to respond as he swung at her. There was more power behind his moves now and she was forced to hop backwards to avoid one that came close to her stomach. There was definitely a slight tingle and she wondered briefly if the axe would actually hurt her. It added a little thrill to it. The second swipe she caught with her blade and twisted it in an effort to push it aside...

Spoiler: If he was pushed aside but managed to bring his guard up...

Then he would be successful in it this time and earn himself a small hum of approval before she launched her own attack, two strong blows that went for his shoulder and then the opposite him which would force him to use the whole length of the weapon to save himself.

Spoiler: If he pushed back...

A blink of surprise as he turned the head of his axe smartly and pushed back against her sword. It would push her back onto the defence allowing him to push his advantage.

Spoiler: If he was pushed aside and failed to bring his guard up...

She would swing her blade sharply downwards and catch him behind the knees with enough force to send him onto his backside. Despite it being a sharp blade, much like how they hadn't hurt her in the ring, Valthar would be left with nothing more than a bruised. She stood over him with a hand on her hip.

"It had nothing to do with me having a sword, I'm just better. But if you can make me sweat you'll make most other enemies do a whole lot worse. Up, again."

 

[Baise]

I'll have some of option a please Bob.


Valthar felt the clack of the sword on the haft of his axe run through his arms. He didn't orient the weapon properly to block both blows.

His mind had already skipped ahead to trying to strike back instead of to defend himself.

"Fuck," he swore in frustration. He was determined to keep up with the training. There was a lot to learn, but even when she wasn't fully committed there was a vast different in their skills.

 

[Míriel Fëanorna]

This time Miriel didn't bother to stop and reprimand him or give him pointers. This was a longer duel. He managed to block her first strike and instead of defend himself against her second attempted to launch his own attack. She skipped quickly to the left to avoid it, changed the way her blade was going to catch his weapon and then once again aimed another three quick swings. She was attempting to push him back and give up his own ground.

"Look at my face not at the weapon," she chided after the second strike nearly caught him. "Instinct, your axe is a part of you, you wouldn't be this clumsy with your own arms. Stop thinking about it as a separate thing from you," she threw another blow.

 

[Baise]

Valthar was stubborn in combat as he was in the rest of life. When she tried to force him back he tried to avoid maneuvering on the treacherous footing. The silt sucked at is feet, the pebbles gave way and the water slowed him down.

She was quick and clever with her blades. He couldn't predict her attacks far in advance, even following her gaze. Eventually he had to give ground, backing into the deeper water. He sloshed backwards, swinging low as he went to try and afford himself enough space to try and counter.

 

[Míriel Fëanorna]

Miriel was becoming increasingly impressed. For a man who was quick to point out the life of the sword was not the one he chose willingly and that he was looking forward to returning to fishing, he was actually becoming quite... good. There were more than a few times she actually had to think about her next move or foot placement which was more than she often had to do for some of the people she trained. There was even a little sweat mixed in with the sea spray on her brow.

His retreat further out to sea rather than along the shoreline was also an interesting idea, though she wasn't sure how much of that was intentional. It did force her to slow down a little as he had a little height on her. The low swing made her stop and evaluate, giving them both a moment to breathe.

"Didn't plan on getting this wet," she said in amusement. The waves were already up to her thighs. "You're doing a lot better, how does she feel," the elf nodded to the axe.

 

[Baise]

Valthar turned Vilissë over in his hands, nodding slowly.

"It is finely balanced. It is an excellent weapon. I suspect it will be some time before I am skilled enough to do it justice."

It wasn't even a modest downplaying of his skill this time. The more skilled the wielder, the more readily they could appreciate subtle differences in the balance and weight of a weapon.

"Is it cold for you?" he asked, smiling. Without warning he fell back into the water, vanishing from sight.

A count of two and his svalen burst up from the surfacing, sending a wave spreading outwards. He growled, opening and closing his mouth in something resembling a laugh.

He playfully swatted at the elf, trying to get her into the water.

 

[Míriel Fëanorna]

"You'll get there," Miriel was confident with that as was the axe he wielded. She swirled the single blade she had been training with in her hand before putting it back in the sheath with its twin on her back. When he asked about the cold of the water she began to nod her head - the warmth of the sun made it more pleasant but it was still a little nippy for the elf used to swimming in heated pool - however she stopped when he fell backwards. For a moment her eyes widened and she stepped forward as if to help him. Had he slipped?

"Valthar!" Miriel squealed when he suddenly burst forth from the water, drenching her in the wave entirely. His paw caught her and sent her under the turbulent waves. Thankfully it wasn't too deep where they were and she sat up spluttering but laughing nevertheless. Wiping the salty water from her eyes she mock glared at him. "Oh it's like that is it, fluffy?" she lunged towards him.

 

[Baise]

Now he was definitely laughing. With three legs planted he barely shifted his weight as she slammed into him.

"What are you trying to do there?" he asked curiously. He thought he was doing very well to keep down the temptation to knock her back under the water.

He was very conscious that he now had enough weight that if he fell on her she would be thoroughly flattened.

 

[Míriel Fëanorna]

It was like hitting a stone wall. She had obviously felt the weight of the muscle when she had done his measurements the night they had met but slamming in to it was a whole different story. It wasn't like she was weak either but...

"Fuck," she gave up after another attempt to push him off balance and put her hands on her knees with a breathless laugh. "I need to lift more weights, clearly," Miri flicked her wet hair from her face then looked down at her drenched shirt and breeches. "I don't think I've fought a bear before," she stepped back and assessed him critically as if debating how best to tackle the problem of bringing him down. She was barely still for more than a couple of seconds before she hopped forward then grabbed a fistful of his fur and vaulted on to his back. "Are bears ticklish?" she mulled out loud in amusement before digging her fingers into the back of his neck and scratching.

 

[Baise]

"No," he replied. "But that is a good spot. Do not stop."

His svalen had a thick layer of fat and skin that made it almost impossible for her to try and tickle him properly.

"You did fight a giant. What is the most dangerous thing you fought?" he asked. The question went straight from his head to his lips.

He slowly padded towards the peddles of the shore. There were now three people pointing at them both from one of the docks.

 

[Míriel Fëanorna]

Miriel laughed softly at his request and she dug her nails in a little deeper to increase the scratching, marvelling at the feel of his fur between her fingers. It was such a curious ability to be able to transform into something of such power and beauty. She barely paid any attention to the people pointing as she worked her fingers through his ruff.

"Hm," she thought hard about his question. "I think the Djiin I fought in the Wilds was the most dangerous. It was a battle of the mind as well as the physical. They have this ability to put you into a dream and then they drain your soul and feast on your flesh. All it takes is one touch and it's hard to realise you're dreaming to force yourself to wake up. We lost a lot of people," she moved her hands to behind his ear.

 

[Baise]

"How did you escape the dream?" he asked, padding out of the water. He had never even heard of such a creature before.

From his simple life the tales of tundra monsters had seemed so far removed from day to day. Now he travelled through the world of someone else's childhood nightmares.

"You should get down before I dry off," he warned. "And switch back. Best not try and buy fish as svalen..."

 

[Míriel Fëanorna]

"A Sister pulled me from it," Miriel grimaced and then slowly slid off of his back after one last scratch along the ruff of his neck. She landed in the sand with a soft squelch. "She has the ability to Dream Walk and she put herself into my dream, helped me realise what I was living in the dream was a lie. It was a risky magic to do but if she hadn't..." well if she hadn't Miri would not be here today bluntly put. It didn't need saying out loud. "I pretended to still be under the spell and when it returned to feed I killed it," she pulled the collar of her shirt from the back of her neck and half turned to let him see before letting go with a smile.

"I would love to see the look on the fishmongers face if you turned up like this," the smile grew into a grin.

 

[Baise]

"I'd see that if I didn't think it would be followed by a bunch of spears thrown at me," he replied.

Then, without further warning, he shook himself dry. He seemed to be able to roll himself like a great brown barrel, flinging water in all directions. When satisfied he reared up onto his hind legs and simple shifted back to Valthar as Miriel had first seen him.

"I wonder if I will have half as many tales as you when I reach home," he said. Did he want tales or an easy journey? There was a question.

 

[Míriel Fëanorna]

Miriel had been about to respond when he shook himself like an overgrown dog and soaked her a second time. Her eyes shut in quiet indignation, her right hand coming up to once again wipe the salty water from her face and flick the droplets towards the sand with a soft noise of disgust.

"Tales are always welcome around a fire, it makes you popular that is for certain," she smiled a little. It also usually won her a few free rounds of drinks too. She wandered back up the beach to where she had left her boots and, after dusting the sand off each foot, put them back on. It felt odd they were the only dry thing about her. Another sigh as she pulled at her soaking wet - now slightly see through - shirt.

"I am starving, let's go get some fish, the boats should be coming in soon," she tilted her head towards the docks.

 

[Baise]

Valthar set his axe down and laced up his own boots. Even for him it was more uncomfortable than refreshing to have his clothes soaked through. The way her laden fabrics clung to her form had not gone unnoticed.

Valthar had not felt this relaxed around anyone for some time. Realising this, he found a curious dichotomy that knowing this was exciting.

There was certainly no offer from her to stay, yet he also knew he would miss her when he left. He didn't want her to ask him to stay. His home would win out, but it would make leaving even worse.

They meandered back towards the docks and Valthar silently took her hand as they stopped to watch the boats come in.

 

[Míriel Fëanorna]

It was a lovely spring evening. The sun was just beginning to set and the light turned the sea a brilliant orange and turned the little fishing boats into sleek black silhouettes which bobbed their way back to shore. A gentle breeze rolled off the waves and carried the smell of salt, fish and sweat. They had worked hard today. You can see it in the set of their shoulders and yet they laughed and joked with one another as they came in to shore. It felt like a community all of its own.

Miriel never took the time to really stop and smell the roses as she had once heard a human say. Her moments to herself were spent with Thorlion on the trails outside the city not appreciating parts of it like this. She had been missing out. She gave a small start of surprise when the silent man beside her took her hand in his. He kept surprising her with his gentle gestures. It gave her a warm unfamiliar feeling.

She glanced up at him briefly then entwined their fingers and leaned against him.

"It's really peaceful here. Is this what it's like at home?"

 

[Baise]

"It is...a familiar kind of place," he said, after some consideration. "But imagine a deeper silence, less boats and a more still town at your back."

It was the character of the docks at home. Having only visited Nordengaard outside of his home town before it was new to him. He let it wash over him. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze as the pang of longing for home came with it. That too, he accepted and welcomed in.

"Have you ever just been alone on the water and listened to almost complete silence?" he asked. Down below it became more of a commotion as they started to draw their ships in and safely rope them to the docks.

 

[Míriel Fëanorna]

Miriel tried to strip back the sounds of the city to silence but it was hard. For a moment she shut her eyes and took a breath, blocked it all out and used her imagination. She was a practical person and her creativity was engineered for weapons and armour but she applied it to this and for a moment... for a moment she could see his little quiet fishing village. As he squeezed her hand she ran her thumb down his in a comforting gesture; she understood homesickness.

"No," she opened her eyes and glanced out at the water. "Not on the water anyway. When you have a flying horse..." the sentence trailed off and she smiled up at him apologetically. When you had a flying horse there was little reason to go out on the water. "But in the sky, above the clouds..." her eyes turned that way now. "It is very peaceful. I think perhaps it is a little like that though of course I have Thorlion with me." After a moment she turned more forwards him and ran a hand down his chest. "When I visit you will have to take me out so I can see it for myself."

 

[Baise]

"I cannot believe you have a flying horse. I say that having seen the flying horse," Valthar said in a deadpan tone.

"What do yhe clouds look like from above?" he asked. Valthar released her hand, turning to look at her face to face.

For him, being able to transform into a giant bear was just a facet of life. Flying above the clouds however, was something he struggled to evening imagine.

 

[Míriel Fëanorna]

Miriel snorted a laugh at the way in which he spoke and leaned her head against his chest as her shoulder shook with her amusement. In fairness to him she hadn't warned him pre-Necromancer what Thorlion was and had merely saddled him up and ridden him out like it was nothing. It took her a moment to calm herself before she was able to look up at him again, Gods nobody had made her laugh the way he did in... years. Then her eyes scaled back up and up to the clouds above them thoughtfully.

"Have you ever stood in really thick fog before? The kind that sort of sucks at your feet and you can't see the floor through?" she wasn't sure how else to describe it for someone who hadn't been up there. "It's just... endless. It goes on and on and the light against the clouds turns them soft yellows, peaches and pinks. It's cold though, very cold, and it is harder to breathe because the air is thinner. Like standing on a high mountain. But it is so quiet. Not many creatures can fly."

 

[Baise]

Valthar lifted one blonde eyebrow as he looked down at Miriel. For a moment he thought she was laughing at him, rather than with him. Valthar didn't frequently try and be deliberately amusing and when he did it was often subtle. She seemed to appreciate that.

He ran a hand through hair, feeling the smooth strands running between her fingers. They were both still wet from the river, which was entirely his fault.

"That does sound relaxing. Other than the thin air. Sometimes the mists roll in and you feel entirely alone on the water but you don't get a view anything like that...

"You ever fly high just for the view?" he asked, casting his eyes upwards. He had no real sense of how high above them the clouds were.

 

[Míriel Fëanorna]

"Oh absolutely," Miriel sighed blissfully at the feeling of his hands in her hair and thought about the views she had seen during her flights across the spine and the wilds. She wasn't sure she possessed the words to describe them truly. "I find it puts everything into perspective in a way... seeing how big the world is from up there it makes you think outside of your life. Sometimes when I'm having trouble crafting a piece we just go for a fly to clear my mind," Thorlion liked to spread his wings too so it was a shared sense of freedom.

"Don't you miss people though? I get you enjoy being on your own in your boat but you've been on your own down south for so long - surely it's not that solitude you crave at the moment?" the elf tilted her head curiously to one side.

 

[Baise]

"I miss people as much as I miss my lands," Valthar replied. "Not many people, but a few I miss dearly. It is still hard to think about the fact that those people must think I'm gone."

He noted a smaller boat that looked to have a good haul. The large ones wouldn't care for passers-by. They would be getting everything to the warehouses and salt barrels for the markets.

" What else would you think if you went to hell and left some of your own behind?"

 

[Míriel Fëanorna]

Miriel blew out a breath; wasn't that the million dorkari question? She rubbed the back of her neck and watched the way the setting sun was beginning to turn the ocean to a bright orange.

"That I couldn't dwell too much on it," it would drive her insane and split her attention when she needed it the most to survive. "But we were raised - I suspect - very differently, I was taught from a young age to separate my emotions from the job at hand," it made her the ruthless fighter she was. She pressed her lips into a thin line.

"If you would like, I could write a letter for them for you and send it? I am not sure if it will get there any quicker than you but it will at least mean they know you reached Alliria."