From being an Abandoned who had rarely left the Hollowed Grounds, to embracing the call of adventure, to dying and being reborn first as an Ascended and then as an Ancient, Maea has gone through quite the amount of changes in her life. One thing remains common, though, in her attempts to find out just where she belongs; she’s always had a craving for knowledge which has brought her to so many places and to meet so many people here in Caido. We can’t wait to see what else is in store for her!
Congratulations, Maea!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
Skinning and hosting by the epically talented Kaons, and functionality fanciness by the coding magic of Neowulf. If you ever see either of them around, make sure to show them some love!
it may be rage or maybe hope, i wanna know your phobia
Though the grounds were starting to feel less and less like home as the days went by, there was a reoccurring theme to her schedule that she didn't mind. Lately she'd been finding more and more adversaries of the friendly kind, those who wanted to spar, learn from her. It was exciting to know that she was valued for her skill, even without a position or a title. She was simply a swordsman, and apparently she'd become known for it.
She pondered her future as she so often did as she made her way through the streets of sanctuary. The craft of swordplay was heavy on her mind, what more she could learn and in turn impart upon those who sought her help. She was headed to the atheneum to seek out books on the subject; a surprise even to herself. Aisha had never been a book learning kind of gal, she was incredibly hands on. However her desire to learn more brought her to new measures, of which she would explore to the fullest.
Her sword hung at her side as it always did, her fingers absently played at the hilt as she walked.
With recent events being as distressing as they had been and the ever-present feeling that something was coming on the horizon, Sam had found himself more and more anxious to learn something of fighting, to find some way to threaten those that threatened him, to at least be an even opponent. He had recently gained his shield back from the Voice, but that was only a defence and one that could be penetrated by a sword or arrow: there was nothing for it, he was going to have to learn how to fight.
It was on his mind as he left the Atheneum; Mara had tried to train him with her throwing knives, but that had just felt like he was being abused more than a lesson. Sam knew he needed someone patient and willing to let him fail, hopefully not the sort of person to throw a knife at his face with no warning as a 'lesson'.
As his eyes fell on Aisha in the street, the idea came to him. "Oh, Aisha!" Sam called, the fact of her convenient appearance overtaking his usual shyness. Walking towards her, when he reached her he would ask: "I heard you've been doing sword fighting lessons for people here. Is that true?"
it may be rage or maybe hope, i wanna know your phobia
Patient? Maybe. Available and more than willing? Absolutely. A voice drew her from her thoughts, she was a bit surprised to hear her name. Not many people asked for her help anymore, friendly faces had seemed far and few between. Sam's was welcome, and his inquiry even more so. It brought a brightness to her eyes to know that he knew about her interests as of late, that somehow the word had reached his ears.
The stroke to her ego felt good and oh so needed, she placed her hands on her hips and gave a hearty reply, "You're damn right, looking for some training?" She'd not thought of the red head as the sword fighting type in the past, quiet and bookish and... he had his own ascended tricks right? But she wouldn't turn him down, and she'd already begun to consider where they might start.
Aisha's confidence was infectious; Sam grinned, finding he wasn't quite as nervous about this as he thought he would be. Lacing his fingers together behind his back in a way that absolutely did not scream 'fighter', he explained: "You see, recently I...lost some of my abilities. I was hoping that I could learn how to better defend myself without upgrades. I'm not very gifted with um, physical fighting, or anything. ...As you probably guessed." It was hardly a secret that he was a wimp.
Rubbing his neck, he looked up and down the street, the crowds of people and the stalls with vendors, the windows with faces peeking out; this wasn't the best place to be embarrassed (as he was sure he would be). "Where is it that you teach?" Sam asked, hoping Aisha had some kind of secluded area in mind.
it may be rage or maybe hope, i wanna know your phobia
Sam gave his reasoning for wanting training, giving a rather meek display of it that only further crooked the smile on her face. This would be an interesting challenge for them both, but a challenge was just what she'd wanted. When he spoke to losing some of his abilities she quirked a brow. She remembered the first time they met, he was one of the first ascended she'd known and definitely the first to spell out to her what it meant to be one. He'd had some wonderful abilities, how had they been lost.
"That blows, I'm sorry Sam," she replied, tilting her head just the slightest. "Well yeah I'm happy to help, we can start at whatever level you're comfortable with," which was apparently not very high. For some reason Aisha hadn't realized he meant to train now, she'd posed him as the more 'set up an appointment and show up on time' type. "Oh you mean now!" she vocalized her realization, glancing around for some tools they might use.
"I usually just kinda teach wherever, I ain't got nothing too fancy yet," though it might not be a bad idea in the future. She thought for a moment, rapping her fingers against her side. "I'm sure we can find an alleyway or something," she decided, flashing him an encouraging look. She made the first move, beckoning him with a finger and beginning to walk from the more populated areas in search of somewhere quieter.
It was a bit ironic, cyclical in nature; merely a year ago he was teaching her, and now here they were.
Aisha's easy commiserations made him feel better, somehow. No questions about what had happened, no judgement about how he must have disappointed the Voice; just an acknowledgement that it sucked, which was indeed the case; he nodded. "Thank you. I'm working on improving again." One step at a time, one upgrade at a time, as he got himself back into the Voice's favour.
"Oh, um, only if you can." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, hoping he wasn't being rude; at least Aisha didn't seem frustrated about having to give an impromptu lesson. "I could give you a book, or some tea for the trouble." With no idea if she read habitually or drank tea, he didn't know if those gifts would be worthless, but it was all he had to easily give.
He followed along with her, trying to calm his nerves which rose as they got closer to any potential training spot; he had asked for this, and he was going to go through with it. It was better to learn now, than when he was facing something that genuinely wanted to hurt him. "There's an alley just behind my shop there that leads to a small...I suppose it's a courtyard, with an old fountain. Do you think that'd do?"
it may be rage or maybe hope, i wanna know your phobia
"I was actually headed to the atheneum to see if I could find some books on techniques or something, you could help me out in return?" she asked, turning to face him over her shoulder as she made her way down the stone streets. It would be a convenient exchange, Sam definitely knew more about the massive library than she did, she'd only ever been on very specific occasion.
He suggested a specific spot for them to train, and a smile lit her face. A courtyard sounded perfect, she was used to training now in random areas in the outskirts, or uneven back roads around the settlement. This would be nice, "Sounds perfect, wanna lead the way?" she offered, slowing her pace so he could take over from here. It would give her a moment too to study his figure, to try and place what might be a good strategy for him.
"Absolutely. I even know where they all are. I did try to learn from books myself for a while, but..." Sam gritted his teeth and laughed awkwardly with a shrug. "As I'm sure you can imagine, it's hard to learn fighting from just words." A few of the books had pictures, but without a partner to try it against, they were virtually useless to him. Still, he knew where they were in the Atheneum and after they trained, he could take Aisha to see them.
He walked ahead, unawares that he was being examined. Taking them past his shop he headed down an arched alley way between the buildings, which lead to a rusted gate that easily swung open, any lock placed on it long gone by now. Inside the area, blocked on all four sides by the backs of houses and businesses, was a small cobbled yard, a dry fountain in the middle and a few wild plants growing in the corners.
"So, this is it. Is it okay?" Sam asked, turning back to her.
it may be rage or maybe hope, i wanna know your phobia
"I'm sure you picked up some pointers though Sammy," she replied with a grin aimed at the man. Aisha was in a fairly jovial mood today, a nice contrast from her more determined attitude of late. Talk of swordplay always cheered her up, the thrill of a battle and an interested partner. She was always grateful for those eager learners and willing teachers, who would test their mettle against her own.
Finally they'd come to the courtyard, hidden by a rusted gate and in a secluded little corner of the grounds. It was seemingly perfect for the task ahead, a nice flat area where Sam could explore without the pressures of a watching eye (well those that weren't hers). She nodded to him, "It's perfect." After a quick circle of the clearing, and curious inspection of the dried fountain, Aisha turned to her student.
"So! Wanna find some sticks to use as swords for the day? Or if you want to go even more basic I'll let you use mine and I'll just show you some stances and thrusts."
"I learnt where to keep your feet and things like that, but I'm sure the second someone is actually pointing a blade at me, I'll forget that." In fact, he knew he would; it had already happened several times and he always froze up, did nothing at all to stop it. Even when Wessex had thrown a knife into his hip he had simply panicked and fallen over. Maybe, hopefully, knowing what to do a little better would help him to grow past that.
The options she provided calmed his nerves about this being like his lesson with Mara, which had begun with a blade thrown at his face. "Maybe we could start with the sword and the stances, then move onto the sticks if it's going well?" He asked, shy to ask for her sword but quite happy about the idea of being the one holding a weapon; less chance he'd be suddenly attacked in the midst of learning.
11-22-2020, 09:00 PM (This post was last modified: 11-22-2020, 09:01 PM by Aisha.)
it may be rage or maybe hope, i wanna know your phobia
Aisha had a feeling that he'd go for the latter option, the basics. The middle of adventure was in fact not always the perfect place to start, and confidence did not always come as a given. It took knowledge and experience to build expertise, to build comfortability with an armament. Hopefully she could help him get there, for now she pulled her blade from the scabbard at her hip and held it out flat in her hands, "Here she is!"
"Every sword looks different obviously, but every sword will have some version of these," she jumped right in, shifting her hold on the sword to the familiar point of balance so she could weigh it with one hand, gesturing with the other. "Point, blade, hilt." she pointed to each respectively, running her pointer finger along to sharp beveled edge. "Parts of the hilt are the quillion, the handle and the pommel. Try to keep your hands balanced on the handle, not too close to the quillion or the pommel, you'll lose control that way"
After pointing out those remaining bits, she demonstrated a proper grip: dominant hand on top of the other, standing in a basic squared stance and holding the sword vertically. She then passed Sam her sword, allowing him to investigate before moving on.
The joy with which Aisha presented her sword made Sam feel better about the whole thing, in an odd way; perhaps all of this was something he could find some passion in, something that he could enjoy instead of just fear; he listened with interest at her explanation of the different parts, finding this educational approach far better than the violent ones that had been attempted before.
He reached to take it by the handle, tilting it one way and another, feeling the weight in his hand. "You called it her...does the sword have a name?" Sam asked; perhaps it was a silly question, but with a weapon this fine it was almost a shame if it didn't have a name. While waiting for an answer he watched what she did and responded in kind, copying Aisha's stance the best he could.
it may be rage or maybe hope, i wanna know your phobia
Aisha's training tactics were definitely different with everyone she worked with. Sam seemed a strategical man, who didn't want to jump in head first and risk failure. This method of easing him into it seemed to be working, and she was energized by it. She was doing something right, it felt good to be able to teach, and feel rewarded by the confidence those she taught walked away with.
Bolstered in her approach to this session, Aisha gave a pleased expression as he examined her blade. A question was then asked, one that she didn't have an answer to, "You know she doesn't, I had Deimos make it for me as a replica of the sword I had back home. It was a family heirloom, but it didn't -bend your knees more- have a name," she explained reaching out and carefully adjusting his grip just a little.
"I guess she should have a name though, since I act like she's her own thing," she grinned, bending her knees slightly as she prepared to drill the basic stances. "This is the simplest, from this stance you have pretty good access to whatever attack you might want to try, obviously down is easiest," Aisha held an imaginary sword and assumed the position vom tag, her front leg bent and the 'sword held to the opposite shoulder, hands near her head. She demonstrated a slash straight down, then gave him a moment to try.
The sword didn't have a name, which lost some of the romanticism of learning to swordfight, but Sam supposed in some ways it was probably quite tasteless to name a weapon designed to kill people. He obediently let Aisha correct his posture, feeling quite silly in his dress shoes and comfortable jumper posing as if he were about to attack an intruder, but it was unlikely he was ever going to be prepared to fight.
He watched her bend her knees and lean forward, her imaginary sword coming down in a straight line; Sam was sure he wouldn't look anywhere near as graceful, but he would try his best: he put his foot out in front of him and held the sword up as she had, by his head, then brought it swinging down, careful to not actually hit Aisha but to slash at the air. Surprisingly, he managed it without stumbling or wobbling, and a small smile appeared on his lips. "Alright. I think..I can do that."
