[Training] if I can be strong

With Sol back and a new quest in hand, Zavien grew a little ambitious. The nightmares had gotten better, and he wasn't feeling nearly as anxious around Void creatures. Maybe it helped that he'd fought and defeated some since the battle, but he still felt the way his heart raced a little more than it used to, the way an unfamiliar presence of panic set in his bones like it may just get cozy there, and Zavien didn't like it. 

Some people said that facing the fears - or going back to the place it all happened - might help diminish the effects, to reassure him that it was over and that he could move on. It didn't sound too hard; just look at a blank field of snow and be done with it all. Sounded easy enough. Yet, when he stepped out of the city gates and onto the tundra - the place he'd died - it all came rushing back like he was seeing an illusion cast over it. 

There wasn't as much snow as before, and the sun shone down on the expanse like a blessing; but Zavien could still see the looming figure of the yeti blotting out the sun, hear its roar rattling inside his head, feel the claws piercing through him. He found himself clutching at his side, breaths fast and hands shaking as he tried to focus on the green beyond. 

Sol's presence made it a little easier, reminding him that it wasn't Deepfrost, there was no yeti, and he was very much alive right now. It helped as his feet slowly moved, following the soft padding of Sol's feet as he guided his companion forward and through the memory. 

He recalled every moment of the battle: his lack of preparation that had rendered him stiff, his fumbling with channeling, watching as Soh was wounded, watching as Alys saved his life the first time, rushing hard-headed into range just to land a futile hit, and his ultimate death. However, as he let the memories wash over him, Zavien kept walking - stiff and labored, but walking, nonetheless. It replayed over and over in his mind in excruciating detail, but he didn't stop, letting the companion bond pull him out as they stepped beyond the battleground and into the Greenwing. 

His breath came out in a loud puff of air, fogging before his eyes as he braced his hands on his knees. Everything felt heavy and overwhelming, his chest tight with exertion and his mind fuzzy with strain, but he'd made it, and he looked back at the field, feeling a modicum of accomplishment before he turned to leave it behind.

Zavien

'Cause she's a cruel mistress
And a bargain must be made

Liam had come to Halo for one simple reason: to deliver a rose to Deimos. Having completed that, he was eager to return home, but not before he did a little sightseeing. He’d spent very little time in the tundra, and the last time he’d been, he hadn’t appreciated the cold. If ever there was a time for him to explore, it was in the height of Longheat. Besides, the next skyship to the Greatwood wasn’t until the next morning, so he had time to kill, anyway.

He found himself drawn to the Greenwing - a fertile swath of land that boasted plenty of greenery to remind him of home. As he wandered amongst the trees and ferns, he couldn’t help but draw comparisons - and in every one, he found that the Greatwood came out the victor. Whether that was because of the land itself or the Ancient who now resided there alongside him… well, that was a matter for debate.

Liam wandered for a time, until he emerged from the trees and into a field where a familiar figure stood, hands braced on his knees. With a frown, the soldier wandered closer. ”Zavien?” he asked, approaching cautiously, not wishing to startle the other man. ”Are you alright?”

But oh, my love, don't forget me
When I let the water take me

Liam

When he raised his head again, a familiar face greeted him, further drawing him back to reality in spite of the lingering horrors. Zavien straightened slowly, leaving the open field at his back as he mustered enough movement of his face to resemble a smile. "Liam." Sol didn't leave his side but gave the ex-Dragoon a small chirp of greeting, his tail wagging. 

He swiped an arm across his forehead, realizing that the exertion had been more than mental as it came away slick with sweat. His face was a little pale, although it was already starting to regain its color, the haunted look in his eyes clearing with every breath. Zavien nodded his head as he cleared his throat. "Uh - yeah. Just bad memories here." An understatement, but close enough to the truth.

Running a hand through his hair, he swallowed, his smile strengthening a little more. "What brings you out here?"

Zavien

'Cause she's a cruel mistress
And a bargain must be made

As Liam approached, Zavien straightened, greeting the ex-soldier with something resembling a smile. His dragon chirped a hello, and Liam offered both a friendly smile, though his brow was still creased in concern for the dragoon. Still, the man’s explanation let Liam relax a little - although he hated that Zavien had bad memories here, at least there didn’t seem to be a current threat. ”I’m sorry to hear that,” he said, understanding all too well what it was like to have memories associated with a place that were difficult to work through.

In any case, the conversation turned to Liam, and the soldier was content to fill the space between them with talk, for the moment. ”I was visiting Deimos and had some time to kill before the next skyship back to the Greatwood,” he explained. ”So I thought I’d see what was out here.” He gestured towards their surroundings, grinning, attempting to bring some lightness back to the dragoon. ”I have to say, I like the Greatwood better - but the Greenwing does have its charm.”

But oh, my love, don't forget me
When I let the water take me

Liam

Zavien accepted the apology with a polite nod of his head, sensing a tone of understanding that eased some of the embarrassment at having been caught in such a state. The man may not be able to relate to death in the sense of having experienced it himself, but he'd spoken about the death of his family, and Zavien couldn't imagine that those memories were any easier. 

Shifting his focus to Liam, his face cracked into a small smile. "I don't know. At least the Greenwing isn't actively trying to get me lost." He let out a soft chuckle, having spent many hours getting lost wandering the Greatwood, he couldn't say he completely agreed with the man's opinion. Liam also happened to be slightly biased on the matter.

He ran a hand against the back of his neck, clearing some of the moisture and easing the tension that had grown there. "I was actually coming out here to do some training if you want to join me?" Because other than his torturous experimentation, he did have a quest to complete.

Zavien

'Cause she's a cruel mistress
And a bargain must be made

Having succeeded in garnering a small smile, Liam relaxed further, though he kept an ear out for any shift in their surroundings. There might not be an active threat right now, but that didn't mean that something couldn't change - and quickly, too, if the rest of Caido was any indication. "The secret is to embrace it," he told the other man with a laugh. "And let go of any timetable you might have." But he knew he was biased, and he didn't hold it against Zavien that he didn't appear to hold the same opinion.

As for training, Liam nodded. "I could use some training, myself," he said, thinking of his own quest. He needed to be weighed down, which should be simple enough, depending on what Zavien wanted to work on. "What did you have in mind?"

But oh, my love, don't forget me
When I let the water take me

Liam

The corner of his mouth quirked with an amused smile. "I guess I'll have to try that next time I'm in the area." 'Embrace it' sounded simple enough, yet Zavien still doubted it would be so easy. Maybe it was because he had a knack for getting lost, but even when he hadn't tried to find his way through the Greatwoods, he'd winded up in the unlikeliest of situations. 

Glad to hear the man's interest in training, his smile strengthened a little more. "I'm working on a quest for Safrin, and I have to attack while staying as still as I can. It'd probably involve me throwing things at you." Zavien laughed lightly, shrugging his shoulders. He wouldn't blame Liam if that wasn't something he was interested in.

Zavien

'Cause she's a cruel mistress
And a bargain must be made

Training, at least, was something that Liam could contribute to, and he laughed at the other man's offer to throw things at him. "Ironically, I'm on a quest for Frey, and I need to do some kind of training while weighted down somehow." He started to look around, clearly on the search for something. "If you throw things, I can try to dodge them while I - aha!" Liam wandered a few feet away to inspect a large rock. It was easily as big as his head, and when he moved to pick it up, it was heavy enough to provide resistance without disabling him completely.

"If I drop this, we start over," he joked, hefting the rock from the ground. "What do you have to throw?" Hopefully nothing particularly sharp or dangerous, given that Liam was going to be at a disadvantage, but they would make it work.

But oh, my love, don't forget me
When I let the water take me

Liam

His eyebrows raised to hear that Liam was also on a quest, immediately feeling more of a bond as he smiled. "What a coincidence." At least they would both be benefiting from the activity. 

He watched as the man lifted a rock, figuring that was as effective as anything and liking that he'd established a parameter for the training. "Sounds like a plan," he confirmed, nodding his head. Zavien was already looking for projectiles when Liam asked, scanning the Greenwing for something nonthreatening enough to use against the weighted man. It was Sol that ultimately found the ammunition, taking off to snag something from a nearby tree. When he dropped it into the Dragoon's hand, a grin spread wide, his eyes meeting Liam's as he raised the small brown item. "Pinecones?" 

It was only once the man agreed to the suggestion that he would gather a pile, standing at the ready for when they would begin. Zavien would wait for Liam's cue before throwing the pinecones, making sure to start slow so the man could get his bearings. As he did so, he asked, "What kind of item are you questing for?"

Zavien

'Cause she's a cruel mistress
And a bargain must be made

As Liam moved to a fair distance away from Zavien - not so far that throwing something would be impossible, but not so close that the dragoon would feel insulted - Sol went searching for a projectile. When Zavien held up a pinecone, Liam grinned in response. "Perfect," he replied. They were light, but throwable - they wouldn't hurt, but they'd still be noticeable if they hit their target. And they were plentiful in the Greenwing, scattered beneath the trees that surrounded them.

When Liam was ready, he nodded, his arms already straining with the weight of the rock. Zavien tossed the first pinecone, and Liam dodged to one side, having to concentrate so that he didn't lose his balance with his center of gravity in an unnatural place. "A sword," he responded, "One that adjusts its weight to the bearer's intention. You?"

But oh, my love, don't forget me
When I let the water take me

Liam

Sol decided to be the delegated 'pinecone boy,' retrieving more for the pile or grabbing at the ones that passed Liam. His pudgy dragon form was starting to look more mature, but he still bobbed and dove with the energy of a pup, making Zavien grin every time he caught a glimpse. 

His eyebrow lifted at the item Liam mentioned, immediately intrigued to its uses. "Hmm. That'd be interesting. I'm sure that could pack quite the punch." If the weight increased as he was swinging it down, it would magnify the strike, and lightening the weight could make it deadly fast. Overall, a versatile weapon after his own heart. 

Grinning, Zavien threw another few pinecones as he watched Liam's balance carefully. "Something to help add range to my attacks. Swords are great for close combat, but not so great against giant yetis who can kill you in one fell swoop." It's getting easier to joke about his death, even as the tone was wrapped in caution tape and warning signs.

Zavien

'Cause she's a cruel mistress
And a bargain must be made

"That's what I'm hoping," Liam agreed, dodging to the right to avoid the next pinecone. "I like the versatility - or, at least, I think I will." After all, he'd never had an enchanted sword before. It hadn't occurred to him before that it might not be to his taste, and the thought gave him pause long enough that a pinecone smacked him in the chest, bouncing off his arm as it fell to the ground.

Grimacing, Liam shifted his grip on the rock. "That's a fair point," he said of Zavien's idea. All he knew of Zavien's death was what had been in the broadcast - which was to say, he didn't realize that it was Zavien who had died. At least, not until he began to put the pieces together. Bad memories in the tundra, jokes about yetis killing him, the broadcast mentioning one dying (and he knew it wasn't Sohalia or Alys, having run into both in the Greatwood since then), Zavien's horrific scars when they'd sparred last season - it all came together in a sudden rush.

He tried to ignore the horror that spread through his body at the realization, dodging the next pinecone a little too hard and nearly dropping his rock. But it wouldn't do any good to make a big deal of it, so he said nothing aside from, "I think I've got it; we can try a little faster, if you'd like."

But oh, my love, don't forget me
When I let the water take me

Liam

Zavien didn't see the realization of his death hit Liam. Even if he had, he might not have done more than laugh in an attempt to minimize the traumatic experience. It was better than the wallowing he'd had just a few weeks ago, the anxieties that made it difficult to even look at the darkness for fear it might swallow him whole. But the shimmering golden bond in his chest was like a beacon, keeping him on the path of light and positivity so the memories might not devour his soul. 

Pausing to let Liam regain his balance, he resumed his throwing, letting talk of weapons shift to focused training. "Sure. Just let me know if it gets to be too much." Although Zavien would have his eyes closely assessing the entire time, looking for signs of struggles so that he might adjust, that didn't mean he wouldn't miss something subtle or disguised, and he'd hate to use their training as a method of torture rather than improvement.

Zavien

'Cause she's a cruel mistress
And a bargain must be made

Throwing himself into the motions instead of mulling over his realization, Liam adjusted his grip on the stone and dodged to the side as another pinecone came sailing his way. Zavien was throwing them in earnest now, and Liam was in near-constant motion as he dodged this way and that, backwards and forwards, trying to keep his opponent - if Zavien could be called that - guessing as to where he might go next.

He caught sight of one pinecone too late and tried to spin out of the way, but the rock weighed him down enough that he was slowed. The projectile hit the back of his shoulder, and Liam made a face. "Nice one," he offered, then continued on. His arms were beginning to ache now, but the soldier pressed on, determined not to break off the training before he'd really gotten the hang of it. "So," he said, his voice only slightly strained. "Adding range. What's your preference? I've gotten rather used to hunting with a bow and arrow, but I've always favored swordplay when it comes to battle." Although he could certainly see the appeal to a more ranged option.

But oh, my love, don't forget me
When I let the water take me

Liam