Training Wash the poison from off my skin
Loren
Korbin Hale
Healer / Bartender

Age: 25 | Height: 6'3in (190 cm) | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 4 - Strg: 19 - Dext: 17 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 9 - Int:
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#15
KORBIN
Leave my loneliness unbroken!
- quit the bust above my door!
The snarl let off by the other should have been satisfying, but it was not. It should have made him caw a hoarse cackle, but it did not. His heart wasn't in this, and it showed. His overpass was too low, and too slow, and the swatting paw connected with a wing, and sent him reeling in the air.

It was pure instinct that made the clawed feet rake for the face of the other, as he passed by. Black wings beat hard to regain some control, and hopefully a bit of altitude as well. This was not training, just a senseless fight. There was no structure to it, no purpose, and Korbin hated every second of it. And the feeling was strong enough that it bled through the shield, no matter how he fought to contain it. A mere echo of the full emotion, but exposing all the same.

Another thing he hated. Letting others see what really went on inside. Only Weaver was entrusted with that kind of intimacy.
Quoth the Raven,
"Nevermore."
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
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#16
LOREN
Loren couldn't help the satisfaction from bleeding through their link as his paw actually connected. Deftly, he leaned out of the way of Korbin's seemingly wild clawing with his talons. When the other man tried to flee, the healer broke into a run.

Then he shifted into a goose, finally, and took to the sky as well. Pursuing Korbin, the Launceleyn would attempt to peck at the other man and batter him with Loren's powerful wings once he was close enough.

However, the reluctance coming from Korbin caused the healer to hesitate, perhaps crucially. We can stop. It came out swiftly and immediately, though he had to wrestle down his instincts which practically sang with the need to take down the other man.
open up all your skies
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
Korbin Hale
Healer / Bartender

Age: 25 | Height: 6'3in (190 cm) | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 4 - Strg: 19 - Dext: 17 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 9 - Int:
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#17
KORBIN
Leave my loneliness unbroken!
- quit the bust above my door!
The raven was nimble and quick in the air, but the goose was a fair bit bigger. Korbin tried to duck and weave out of its reach, but large wings kept blocking him in, keeping him in reach of the beak. Several feathers were yanked painfully from his tail fan, and it might have gotten worse if Loren hadn't hesitated.

It gave Korbin just the chance he needed to slip out of reach. He put up a burst of speed, and shot in through the railing of a loft to one of the surrounding houses. Too tight for the goose to follow. Safe, for now.

The tiny raven heart fluttered madly with the onslaught of instinctual panic and adrenaline. There came only a choked silence from the boy, that said more about the humiliation and frustration than any tumbled feelings might. Because somehow, Korbin still had that shield up. Hiding behind it, clinging desperately to it, as if the only true defeat would be to let someone in.

He showed no sign of coming out anytime soon.
Quoth the Raven,
"Nevermore."
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
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#18
LOREN
As Korbin fled through a crack in the house, Loren just landed on the roof. Though he peered through the hole, he couldn't see if the other man was still there. The healer settled in to wait, assuming Korbin was still in range. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you. The Launceleyn's thoughts were truly contrite.

Falling silent for a bit, he shuffled back and forth nervously. I thought this would be a good way for both of us to blow off some steam. Feeling more than a bit guilty about how this had turned out, he stayed right where he was, hoping against hope that Korbin would actually respond.
open up all your skies
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
Korbin Hale
Healer / Bartender

Age: 25 | Height: 6'3in (190 cm) | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 4 - Strg: 19 - Dext: 17 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 9 - Int:
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#19
KORBIN
Leave my loneliness unbroken!
- quit the bust above my door!
The goose was still out there, and that was reason as good as any to stay hidden. The raven huddled quietly in the dusty dark, tucked between the shingles and and rafters of the roof. It was cramped, but that in itself was soothing. No one would reach him here.

Except, he was also trapped, and Loren's thoughts kept washing over him. Offering apologies, of all things. Black feathers ruffled, wings shifting, settling and resettling as feet stepped about nervously. Agitated. Torn between the childish desire to lash out and the almost physical need to remain private. Controlled. Mature.

The latter won out. And it concluded that hiding away like a scared kid was beneath him. Gingerly, the raven wriggled itself towards the opening, fought against the instinctual need to remain hidden while the stronger foe remained outside... and forced himself to overrule it. On dark wings he shot out of the hiding place, and went straight down to the ground. There he shifted, extending no thoughts to the other attuned. Offering nothing of himself but cold, stiff silence.
Quoth the Raven,
"Nevermore."
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
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#20
LOREN
As Korbin flew out of the hidey-hole, Loren breathed a mental sigh of relief. He was careful to keep it walled off from the other man. Taking off as well, the healer landed a decent distance away from Korbin. Shifting into a honey badger, the Launceleyn settled to the ground and put his paws over his nose, an entirely unthreatening gesture.

For a long moment, he just lay there, saying nothing. When he finally did speak, his thoughts were cautious, as if Korbin was a skittish animal that Loren needed to soothe. Do you want to talk or would you like me to go? He would leave in a heartbeat if it would make the other man feel better.
DON'T CARE
Korbin Hale
Healer / Bartender

Age: 25 | Height: 6'3in (190 cm) | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 4 - Strg: 19 - Dext: 17 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 9 - Int:
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#21
KORBIN
And round about his home the glory
That blushed and bloomed,
Feeling the ground beneath his feet, Korbin steadied himself and straightened, adjusting his clothes. The exchange had brought up the temperature of his body, and with carefully controlled motions he peeled off another layer. Making sure to keep the sweating to a minimum.

"You call that training?" he said, after a long silence. His eyes were cold too as they found the badger, the expression on his face so calm it might as well be a scream. "What was the goal? What did you learn? Tell me, what exactly did you gain from any of that?"

It really only looked like a pointless fight from where he stood. It certainly hadn't done him any good, except waste time and energy on useless emotions.
Is but a dim-remembered story
Of the old time entombed.
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
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#22
LOREN
Loren stayed right where he was, settled onto the ground, paws on his nose. I call it training, yes. As Korbin asked what the healer had been hoping to accomplish, he carefully kept his emotions walled off. Any number of things. Testing the capabilities of my shifts and against an unknown opponent. Getting a workout. Making sure my combat skills and my instincts stayed sharp. Whatever was bothering the other man, it was clear the Launceleyn was untouched.

Still, he wasn't an idiot. What were you hoping to accomplish by coming out to train here? Honestly, he was legitimately curious: he'd trained with more than one Attuned, and almost all of them had used their shifts in various ways while sparring.
DON'T CARE
Korbin Hale
Healer / Bartender

Age: 25 | Height: 6'3in (190 cm) | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 4 - Strg: 19 - Dext: 17 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 9 - Int:
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#23
KORBIN
And round about his home the glory
That blushed and bloomed,
The other kept using his mind to speak, and it irked Korbin. The presence of someone else's thoughts in his head was unwelcome, and he cringed visibly with every new sentence.

"I don't use my shift like that," he told Loren, with tightly clenched jaws. "I have no intention of fighting in it, nor at all if I can help it. All you did was brawl without intent or purpose, and I told you I don't do that."

He removed another layer, peeling off a heavy woolen tunic until he was down to the long sleeved undershirt, also made from wool. Ursur, actually, and tight fitting with a high neck. It showed off a lean torso of wiry, tough muscle, that shifted and played as he rolled his shoulders. It was biting cold, but Korbin endured it without seeming to notice.

"I came to train," he snapped. "Now keep your fucking thoughts to yourself!" He turned his back to the badger and went for a weapons rack, where he found a heavy spear. The tip was real steel, blunt but dangerous all the same... and intent on ignoring the other man, Korbin settled into a familiar routine. Moved the weapon through forms, motions of blocking and spinning, thrusting and twisting against an unseen opponent. Moving slowly at first, it wove into a graceful dance, with deadly intent. It was clear he knew what he was doing.
Is but a dim-remembered story
Of the old time entombed.
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
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#24
LOREN
Loren noticed Korbin's bristling and cringing. It was why the healer kept his thoughts gentle, walling away his own annoyance. Why not? It's a part of us, as surely as our hands and feet. You wouldn't object to punching or kicking someone, would you? He was more than a bit baffled by the other man's logic.

When Korbin took off his clothes, the Launceleyn lifted his head. However, he couldn't help the instinctual snarl as the other man snapped. Rather than backing off, Loren rose to his feet and began pacing again. Why does this bother you? Again, it was clear he didn't understand in the slightest what Korbin's problem was.
DON'T CARE
Korbin Hale
Healer / Bartender

Age: 25 | Height: 6'3in (190 cm) | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 4 - Strg: 19 - Dext: 17 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 9 - Int:
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#25
KORBIN
And round about his home the glory
That blushed and bloomed,
Ah, but that was just the thing, Korbin did mind. He had spent his childhood wrestling against the demand on him to learn to fight, first from his parents, then his siblings. If ever he began to enjoy the control it gave him over his own body, it was quickly destroyed as soon as he was pitted against an opponent. Pain wasn't something he enjoyed, neither to feel or inflict on others, and that dislike only grew with the passing years.

As for not wanting to fight in his raven form? There were reasons for that too, but he was definitely not in the mood to explain it.

He tried to shut the voice out, to ignore the questions; he didn't want to discuss it with this stranger, especially not like this. But Loren kept pushing, and every new thought sent his way only made the seething inside grow worse. The touch of a mind against his made everything in him recoil, so intense that it caused a physical reaction.

"I said stop!" he all but snarled, and stopped abruptly, the spear held tight in a gloved hand. "You're not invited, so stay the fuck out! What I do and why is none of your gods damned business!"
Is but a dim-remembered story
Of the old time entombed.
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
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#26
LOREN
As Korbin started yelling, Loren stilled. It was all he could do not to move or snarl or speak or do anything that might set the other off further. Somehow, the healer managed. Okay. I'm sorry. I...sorry. His thoughts were truly contrite.

However, there wasn't anything else he could do here. Mind clearly troubled, though he hid it from Korbin, The Launceleyn just shifted into a goose, and took a running start. Leaping into the air, he flew back towards the Palace, even deeper in his dark thoughts than he was before. Even the short flight wasn't enough to lift his flagging spirits.
open up all your skies
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
Korbin Hale
Healer / Bartender

Age: 25 | Height: 6'3in (190 cm) | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 4 - Strg: 19 - Dext: 17 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 9 - Int:
Played by: Chan Offline
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Posts: 1,102 | Total: 5,767
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#27
KORBIN
And round about his home the glory
That blushed and bloomed,
With jaw clenched, Korbin turned away from the other. Let him shift and leave without another word. Part of him was quite satisfied to finally be left alone, but somehow... Loren's apology left a bad taste in his mouth. If Weaver had been around to see him act like this... But she was not, he reminded himself, and added bitterness to every other roiling emotion. Too busy with her new bar, and her new friends.

The frustration kept crawling beneath his skin, and no matter how hard he trained, it didn't do anything to ease the turmoil. Finally, Korbin gave up and left. There were other things to take care of.

------

- FIN
Is but a dim-remembered story
Of the old time entombed.


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