You are the night-time fear
What am I doing to her?(But it is not you, Aamu: it is the world, the priest)
He's only doing what he can to prepare her as best as he can. He wants her to come back home. Doesn't think he can talk her out of it now, anyway. It'd be like abandoning her, throwing her to her own wolves and walking away. This way, this way she at least has a chance, this way maybe she'll hold back longer, practicing something useful, either until she's ready to take her revenge or the need of it fades.
He doubts the latter'll happen, but it's besides the point. Her eyes are eager, hungry, as they glitter faintly in the moonless dark. Were he her sister's killer he would be afraid. The desperate always find a way.
Aamu takes the offered knife, gripping it securely.
What will you do when this is over? he wants to ask her, but instead he steps behind her. What will you live for then? The tip of the knife touches the side of her throat.
"You want a sharp blade for these. Hold the knife so it's flat, sharp edge facing away. Stab into the center, then force it out forwards and slightly to the side." He mimics the move next to her throat. Then he flips the dagger, holding it as if he were to stab down forcefully. Lifts her hair, and touches its tip to the base of her neck. "The sharp edge faces the spine. Stab deeply and pull the knife towards the spine. This one takes practice to get right, and please don't practice on me. You need to hit between the bones making up the neck."
The knife's tip leaves her neck, her hair falls back, and instead he lets it point between a few of her ribs. "Lungs. Quick, too. Can't scream for help. Stab with the blade flat between the ribs." Aamu steps around to her front. Taps the knife against where a human's heart, and then liver, would be. "Heart. Liver, down here. Same principle, go between the ribs." He flicks the blade again, holding it so it faces up. Lifts one of her arms, and points it into her armpit. "This is easier from the front. Sharp edge towards yourself. Thrust up into the armpit, and pull back towards yourself. You have more force that way; if you do it from the back you have to push it away from yourself."
He flicks the knife again, holding it to stab down. Takes a small step back and kneels, letting its tip point at her groin. "You want the blade to enter up here, about, and then cut down. Or, even lower-" Aamu lets the knife tickle the back of her knee. "-here. Messier, you might have to stab and hack a few times, but it causes pretty rapid blood loss if you get it right."
Slowly Aamu rises back to his feet, and holds the knife out to her. "The ones unrelated to organs work quite well on Ascended too, as we can still 'bleed out'. Now point out the places on me, hold the knife as you would, and talk through it. This knife is sharp on both ends so you don't have to think as much about which way it's facing, but pretend it's only sharp on one side. Better to get that down and not botch it if you find yourself with a more traditional knife."
You are the morning when it's clear
AAMU
