[Training] at least we were electrified

"Thank you for doing this," Alys said as she hiked through Meadowreach beside Colt. "I know the Family's gone and everything's peaceful for now, but it never hurts to be prepared."

The seer wore her usual Leafchange attire: a long-sleeved black shirt tucked into jeans, with a dark crimson scarf wrapped around her neck. She'd opted for boots, given her plans for the day. On one thigh, a simple dagger was strapped; another was tucked into a boot. A bow, strung and ready to use, was in her hands, a quiver of arrows clipped to her belt. All in all, she looked ready for a hunt. Or a training session, as it turned out.

"I wasn't sure what you'd want to work on," she continued, pausing to look around. "So I brought weapons, but we can do hand-to-hand if you'd prefer." Yes, this seemed like a good place to stop. Flat terrain, relatively few late-blooming flowers to trample. Alys thought it would do quite nicely. 

Leaning her bow against her hip, Alys pushed her dark curls out of her face and tied them back. "So, what do you think? Weapons or no?"

alys glasse

waiting for the right mind to drive insane

COLT

”Don’t mention it,” Colt says with a shrug, like this is just the neighborly thing to do—expected more than not. The world’s hard, and even if the Family’s gone, that fact doesn’t change. Besides, she gets just as much out of this as Alys does. "Agreed, although I don't know that peaceful is something that's real." Even the void still creeps along the edges of their world, and monsters always come in some shape or another.

She glances around the open stretch of flat meadow, the once beautiful sea of green grass now becoming more barren and yellowed as everything withers. The risk of the fire season sets Colt's nose wrinkling with distaste, but there's no storm looming on today's horizon to threaten such, just the increasing chill as leafchange deepens. She's in her typical boots and jeans, but she's wearing a long-sleeved shirt to off-set some of the cold, and while she's still got on her hat, her hair is braided to the side to account for all the movement.

"Why don’t you work on hittin’ a target while I come at you? Feels more like the real thing than takin’ aim at a dummy." Colt offers, eyes drawn to the bow Alys brought with her. Having personally found her aim gets more unsteady when the adrenaline starts spiking, it seems like a helpful drill to try. "I'll try to land a blow, and if you dodge I'll give you a couple seconds to fire before I try again."

I had some help
It ain't like I can make this kinda mess all by myself
Don't act like you ain't help me pull that bottle off the shelf

The idea that Colt suggested was a good one, and Alys nodded her agreement. "Sounds like a plan," she said.

With her hair secured, the seer picked up her bow and pulled an arrow from her quiver. Looking around, she spotted a conveniently placed old tree stump, the trunk long since having been removed - no doubt for building, or firewood, or some other such thing. The stump was far enough away that it wasn't an easy shot, but close enough that it was well within a reasonable range for Alys and her bow. She nodded towards it. "There. That can be my target."

Nocking the arrow, Alys looked to Colt. "Ready when you are," she said, moving into a firing stance - but modified, since she'd also be dodging as they went on.

alys glasse

waiting for the right mind to drive insane

COLT

"Perfect," Colt says with a broad smile, like she's eager to try her own hand at grabbing Alys to the ground, perhaps a maneuver she has plans to use on someone else later. Her eye follows where Alys gestures to the stump, nodding her agreement in the choice. "Good call," she remarks after judging the distance and the drop, as if it's her own bow she'll be lifting up in her hands. Not today.

She steps back from Alys a bit, rolling her shoulders and shaking out her legs as the Fateweaver readies her shot. At Alys' call, Colt dips her head, a clear, crisp, "go," uttered just before she sprints forward. She hopes the rush will make Alys move in a large way, so Colt waits until she's nearly on her before slamming on her breaks. She braces into her boots, expects to slide over the grass, although not as much as if it had been lush like the seasons prior. It's dry, it'll catch, and she uses the slowing to dive for Alys' feet in an attempt to grab them in her arms and toppled the woman from the ground up.

---

1/4 Colt runs at Alys then dives for her feet

I had some help
It ain't like I can make this kinda mess all by myself
Don't act like you ain't help me pull that bottle off the shelf

Colt wasted no time, rushing forward with a speed that had Alys stepping lightly back and to the side, expecting the woman to grab for her waist, perhaps, or something higher up - not, certainly, thinking that Colt would dive down towards her feet. Perhaps if Alys had moved more quickly, or further, she might have avoided the rancher's tackle, but in her sudden haste, she tried to jump to the side and failed miserably. One foot managed to elude Colt's arms, but the woman wrapped the other ankle in her grasp, and Alys stumbled just as she swung her bow up and loosed.

The arrow went high, and the seer cursed, laughing. "Nice," she said, disentangling herself from the rancher. She drew another arrow from her quiver and readied herself for a second round. "Wasn't expecting you to go for my feet." This time, she'd have to be ready for anything.

---

1/4

Alys fails to dodge, and her shot goes high.

alys glasse

waiting for the right mind to drive insane

COLT

One could say diving for the feet is the perfect way to get kicked in the face, but thankfully Alys does not have a knee jerk reaction. The reality of this should have hit Colt sooner than when her head hovers too near the free foot she didn't grab, given all the other kicking limbs she normally dodges, but it had been worth a shot, and it paid off, this time.

Laughing, she rolls to her feet and dusts bits of grass off her as she resets, stepping a bit away. "Can't say I had too much of a plan. Could swing around and shoot me in the back, or kick me in the head... though I'm glad you didn't." Colt should treat this like she's at risk too, even if Alys has taken on the role of defense and she of offense.

As Alys resets, Colt counts slowly in her head, then runs in again, this time grappling for the bow in Alys' hand to try and wrest it from her, feet purposefully set behind Alys' to try and off balance her should she step back and get caught on it.

---

2/4 Colt tries to grab the bow and trip up Alys

I had some help
It ain't like I can make this kinda mess all by myself
Don't act like you ain't help me pull that bottle off the shelf

Perhaps Alys should have taken a more offensive approach, but that wasn't the point of the exercise. It seemed like, instead, the seer should really work on her evasive maneuvers. If their first attempt was any indication, they left a lot to be desired. Of course, if she wanted to make things really interesting, then she might call upon her magic - see how Colt fared against an invisible opponent, for starters - but that wasn't the point of the exercise. No, Alys was determined to do this the normal way.

She took Colt's feedback with a nod, and reset her stance. This time, she failed utterly with a nat 1. The rancher darted close, grappling for the bow and managing to wrest the weapon free despite Alys's best efforts; the seer tripped on Colt's feet and sprawled unceremoniously into the grass, looking up at the woman with a bemused expression that was likely quite comical to an outsider but was entirely embarrassing to Alys.

Flushing scarlet, the seer climbed to her feet, holding out her hand to accept the bow back. She couldn't believe she hadn't even gotten a shot off that time. "Apparently I need more practice," she admitted, then reset again. This time, she was sure, would be better.

---

2/4 

Alys rolls a 1 and falls apart. xD

alys glasse

waiting for the right mind to drive insane

COLT

Alys certainly could, arguably should, use all the tools at her disposal to evade and maintain the steadiness of her shot. Especially if the goal for her is to aim and deliver, to dodge and escape, then it'd be more on Colt to be crafty, improving each of them in stride. Since the pair seem to be fumbling about just fine with their hands and feet, maybe this is already exercise enough though. Colt isn't exactly a warrior. She survives each day, fights her own battles, but certainly isn't trained for battle and mostly competes off instinct and occasionally some sense. She can't teach what she herself doesn't know, and she can only learn by continuing to try and grasp success and some lack of bruising each time she squares off with someone. Seems Alys might be the same, and given both their preference for the bow and arrow, the hand to hand is a bit different.

There is a surge of confidence and glee when her next attempt also succeeds, enough that at first she doesn't even bad seeing Alys tip back onto the ground. She manages not to laugh, though her grin is inescapable as she offers a hand for Alys to pick herself back up with. Righted, and bow returned, Colt shrugs. "Good thing we're practicing then. Not sure I'd fare any better in your shoes, to be honest. It all kinda feels like an ugly dance, but eventually you learn the steps." She hopes, anyway.

As they reset once more, Colt counting down in her mind, she angles for distraction this time. Not having much on her, she plucks off her hat and flings it like a frisbee towards Alys' bow, arcing around on a run to try and deliver a punch into Aly's lower left side.

---

3/4 flings her hat at Alys' bow and punch her left side

I had some help
It ain't like I can make this kinda mess all by myself
Don't act like you ain't help me pull that bottle off the shelf

Alys didn't blame Colt for grinning at her misfortunes; had their places been reversed, the seer would have had a hard time hiding her own mirth. Instead, she took the rancher's hand and pulled herself to her feet, dusting herself off and grabbing her bow to reset. "This is a good exercise," she admitted. "In the past I've relied heavily on my magic; I'm good at illusions, so I tend to work as a distraction in a real battle. But I want to be able to hold my own offensively, too."

Perhaps because she tended to use distracting techniques herself, Colt's attempts this time did not faze the seer. She ducked low, dropping beneath Colt's thrown hat, then popped up just in time to skip to the side, away from Colt's punch. When she loosed her arrow this time, it flew straight and true to plunk into the stump. While it might not have been what Alys would have considered a bullseye, it was still a hit, and she grinned triumphantly as she went to fetch Colt's hat.

---

3/4

Alys dodges and fires her bow to hit the tree stump!

alys glasse

waiting for the right mind to drive insane

COLT

"I understand that feeling," Colt says with a nod. "It's always good to have options." And not that being a distraction isn't important, but there's something about being able to pull your own weight when it comes to dishing out damage or protection, another person to help tip the scales into the favor of survival. Having felt a little unprepared herself when she helped dispatch a void ursur up in Halo, where cowering behind rocks while others brutalized it, it left her licking the wounds of her pride a bit too long.

As Alys moves beautifully around her next attack, Colt's grin returns, triumph for the seer. She whistles softly in response, appraising Alys as she takes back her offered hat. "Now those were some moves. Sometimes all it takes is a little bit. Now, let's see if you can do it again."

Dusting her hat off, Colt fits it back to her head while Alys lines up another shot. Colt runs at her again, feigning to the left before twisting and lunging to the right, trying to use her momentum and free hands to grab for Alys' arm and swing her around and off balance, too much for her to attack in return, is the plan for whenever Colt might use this move for real.

---

4/4 Colt feigns left then tackls Alys from the right, trying to swing her around and off balance

I had some help
It ain't like I can make this kinda mess all by myself
Don't act like you ain't help me pull that bottle off the shelf

Colt's praise had the seer blushing, pleased by her own abilities as much as by the rancher's kindness. It felt good to actually succeed - even if things went poorly from here on out, she could at least say that she'd managed to hit the stump once. And hopefully she could do it again. It wasn't very useful to be able to do something just because she got lucky. It needed to be repeatable before it meant anything.

So she prepared for the next attack. When it came, she was more prepared than she had been in attempts past, and she sidestepped quickly to avoid Colt's tackle. The woman's hands closed on empty air, although the added pressure meant that Alys's shot went wide. She didn't quite hit the stump this time, but at least she managed to avoid landing on her ass in the dirt.

Pleased by this, and beginning to work up a sweat, Alys smiled at Colt. "This was really helpful," she said. "I think I learned a lot just from what we worked on."

---

4/4

Alys dodges the tackle but misses the stump!

alys glasse

waiting for the right mind to drive insane

COLT

Colt's arms windmill for balance as she takes large, tumbling steps to regain her balance, boots skidding over dry grass and bunching up in the dirt. She hangs over her knees at the waist, catching her breath and the vibrations humming through her muscles from the constant sprints to close on Alys before she can move. Colt laughs low, leaning back up with a flip of her hair and a hand holding onto her hat as she turns back towards Alys a bit breathlessly.

"Glad it helped," she said around another large inhale of air. She'd have to keep practicing her tackles if she had any hope of catching an opponent with one, and especially if she'd be targeting Vesper. The man moves like liquid and smoke combined. "Now, let's get something to eat, we fucking deserve it after that." She grins, dusting off grass and dirt from her legs.

[FIN]

I had some help
It ain't like I can make this kinda mess all by myself
Don't act like you ain't help me pull that bottle off the shelf