(se) (o) there was sun

AISHA

in the sun
i'm not a stranger

Well there would be sun, there should be sun, but instead the day was rainy and mundane. Rain was a strange occurrence in Halo, with the usual subzero temperatures the sky was constantly pissing snow. But somehow it'd gotten just warm enough for a soft drizzle to break through the white clouds and turn the sky grey.

Aisha wasn't keen on sloshing around in slushy ice puddles, so she was spending the day at the guild hall, going through some of the records on creatures they might be interesting in observing. Eventually of course, reading got boring, the leopardess wandered downstairs and ended up in the weaponry room. Surrounded by armor, crossbows, an array of swords and axes, she was drawn to a collection of small knives.

With an idea to pass the time, she took four in total, and pulled an old plank from under the stair case. After scribbling a circle on it with some dusty charcoal, she'd pulled together a makeshift dart board, as good as it would get, and started throwing.

black hearted angel
oh i hate when you're not around

Fall on me with open arms. Fall on me from where you are

The door creaked as it opened, ruining Seren's attempts at making a stealthy entrance. It was still a favorite game of hers, to sneak up on people. As she stomped off the slush from her boots and looked around to find Aisha with a fistfull of daggers, she decided it was better that she hadn't startled the woman.

"My, that looks dangerous," she remarked cheerfully while shrugging off the coat. "What are you doing, and can I join?" Whatever her reasons had been for coming here, they could wait. The steady thunk, thunk of metal digging into wood was far more interesting than anything Seren had to say.

Seren

AISHA

in the sun
i'm not a stranger

The thunk of a knife meeting wood didn't entirely drown out the groaning of the door frame. Even with the best efforts of the hunters, that door would creak regardless. Part of the charm, their own version of a doorbell. Aisha turned her head to see Seren standing there, the woman she'd helped with shoveling snow before walking her home. The guildmaster grinned, noting that the woman seemed in better shape than before. Her hands came to rest characteristically upon her hips, held in each fist were two sharp knives.

"It is. Made the board myself," though that much could be deciphered with one look, the circles of the targets were more jagged oval than anything else. "You know how to throw?" she asked, holding out on knife towards Seren, offering her the handle.

black hearted angel
oh i hate when you're not around

Fall on me with open arms. Fall on me from where you are

For the second time, Seren got the chance to admire the woman before her. She couldn't quite get over how warm Aisha seemed. From the gold of her eyes to the radiant smile, it was like standing next to a ray of sunlight made solid. Returning the smile came easy, and the starchild did not need much in the way of invitation to feel welcome.

"Not really," she grinned. Discarding her coat over the back of a chair as she came to join the other woman, she accepted the knife. It weighed her hand down, the handle barely warmed by Aisha's grip. Gleaming faintly, the edge both repulsed and intrigued her. "Don't you just... throw?"

Without a clue what she was doing Seren did just that. The knife made a sad plonk as it smacked sideways into the wall, and clattered uselessly to the floor. Seren pursed her lips and gave it an accusatory look. Like it ought to have helped, at least a little.

Seren

AISHA

in the sun
i'm not a stranger

Aisha grinned and stepped back as Seren took the nice, the starchild's 'not really' apparently was not a no to the challenge. She gave a furrowed brow and an eh in response to the question, then watched the knife leave Seren's hand and clatter against the wood. She couldn't contain the slight snort, amusement at the form and the bitter expression on the younger woman's face.

"You throw but don't flick it, that can make the knife a bit wobbly or spin too much," she explained, stepping up next to Seren to show how she would do it. Aisha was no master knife thrower, her craft was swordsmanship, but she knew the basics. She lined up with her eye on the center of the board, the little black circle she'd yet to meet in the middle. She pulled back just a little, keeping the blade vertical in her hand then propelled it forwards, letting it go and watching it spin just right to catch the wood. It wasn't the bullseye, but it stuck.

"Wanna try again?" she asked over her shoulder as she gathered the four knives from the board. She'd offer two to Seren.

black hearted angel
oh i hate when you're not around

Fall on me with open arms. Fall on me from where you are

Not one to others their amusement, even if it was on her expense, the girl laughed along with Aisha, albeit a touch ruefully. It was funny, the way the knife had just splatted into the target. Really, they should both be grateful that it had been flung forward at all, and not gone off in a random direction.

The instructions were carefully noted and Seren watched with interest how the guildmaster took her stance, how she gripped the knife and threw with a minimum of excess motion. "I think I understand," she mused, pursing her lips. When the projectiles were offered back to her, she accepted them readily. "You bet I do. Best of three?" Winking at Aisha, she turned to the target. No doubt she was setting herself up to fail by turning this into a game, but what was the fun in taking on challenges if she knew she would win?

Taking one knife in each hand, the starchild turned them over in her palms to get used to the weight. Angling herself the way Aisha had, she raised a hand, the dagger held loose but firm. The arm went down; the knife whooshed forward. It hit the target, point first this time; unfortunately it was too shallow, and for a second time the clatter of metal on stone filled the air. Humming with concentration, Seren adjusted her stance, and tried again; with more force this time. The second dagger hurtled forth, cutting the distance with considerable speed and force. It smacked into wood with a dull thunk, shuddered, and stuck...

... about an inch to the right of the target.

"Whoops. Sorry about the wall," she grimaced, with a side glance at her friend.

Seren

AISHA

in the sun
i'm not a stranger

Aisha was glad that her game was taken up, a little playful relaxation was always welcome. Seren took the knives and Aisha stepped back to let her go first. Best of three? "Mhm," she agreed with a nod, long curly hair bobbing with her. It came to rest behind her as she shook it out of her face and watched, attentive to the way Seren held the knives and released.

She was better this time, but she'd missed the target. It would come with practice, she snorted at the comment about the wall, "Nah, just gives it more charm," she winked right back, moving forwards to try her own luck. The first throw hit, splitting into the plank directly on the middle black ring. Still not the bullseye, but it constituted a point. She smiled bouncing a bit on her heels as she prepared for the next shot. This one went far, landing right next to Seren's off kilter throw and sticking there in the wall.

She turned to look at her friend with laughter catching in her throat, an oops expression scrawled across her face. "There, see? Artistic choice," she said with a snicker, moving to gather her knives again for round two.

black hearted angel
oh i hate when you're not around

Fall on me with open arms. Fall on me from where you are

"I am so glad you feel that way!" It was a way of viewing life that Seren could get behind. Rolling her eyes in mock relief, she returned focus to the game and watched as Aisha landed one knife neatly on the board, while the other settled in the wall right next to her own. "One point for you, nil for me," she lamented. She kept mulling over stance and posture as she too collected her weapons, then waited until Aisha was clear.

Adjusting her stance, and then the grip, Seren didn't spend too much time overthinking it this time. One dagger, then the other cut the air in quick succession, and this time they both landed on the target. Just by the edge of the outer rim, unfortunately, but clustered together neatly. Turning to the golden woman, Seren gave her a wide-eyed, questioning look. "Is it good? Is it bad? I can't even tell," she laughed. At the very least, she was having fun. Points or no points. (The answer is no points.)

Seren

AISHA

in the sun
i'm not a stranger

Aisha chuckled at the playful response she received, the two women moved to collect their 'darts' and set up for the next round. The scores were announced, a score that Aisha was fairly comfortable with. "Your go," she hummed, watching as the next set of knives flew and once again, this time landing on the target but not within the target space.

"Ehhhh," Aisha weighed to choices, to give the point or to not, a mischievous smile at her lips, "not on the circle, no points." She shrugged, those are the rules, and she was playing to win. And maybe she was a bit cocky now, for she put too much flourish into her next throws. Both missed the circles, landing them both a whopping zero points for the round. Aisha hung her head in bemused defeat, smiling as she looked back up and dragged her feet over to the board.

"That one hurt," she laughed, moving back to their invisibly drawn line from which they'd begin one more time.

black hearted angel
oh i hate when you're not around

Fall on me with open arms. Fall on me from where you are

Pouting at the very fair and decidedly stubborn call, the night-haired girl watched with hands on hips for Aisha to take her turn. Oddly, her heart beat faster when first one dagger missed its target, then the other. A gleam of hope kindled in her eyes, and the pace with which she went to reclaim the throwing knives was brisk.

Perhaps it was the onset of adrenaline that granted her the clarity, or indeed the awakening of innate talent. Either way, the knife balanced quite well in Seren's hand this time around, and she took a moment to breathe before taking her stance. One hand aimed, rose and fell...

Thunk. The metal sunk quivering into the wood of the target, a finger from bullseye. Biting back the urge to celebrate, Seren drew another breath and aimed. Thunk. The second dagger lodged itself next to the first, a dizzying fraction closer to goal.

Hardly daring to breathe, the young demigod looked down at her hands. Then at Aisha. "It really is the first time I do this. I swear it." Full lips quivered from holding back a satisfied grin. Two to one, for Seren. "If you land one, we're Even. If you land both, you win. And if both misses..."

She didn't finish. It might tempt luck to abandon her if she said it out loud.

Seren

AISHA

in the sun
i'm not a stranger

Aisha wanted to win, that was the goal of most games. But as Seren's two daggers met their mark, she grinned, turned to the other woman with an excited look. She was happy, glad the other had gotten a hang of it, despite what it meant for her score. "Hey, spot on starchild," she hummed, clapping her hand to the other's shoulder in a friendly display.

Last round, chance for redemption, Seren laid out what could happen. A loss, a win, or a tie, two throws but only one chance to come out victorious. She nodded, took a deep breath, and one by one let the small blades fly. The first one thunked into the wood just below the circle targets (maybe if she'd drawn or traced a better circle it would've been a hit), and the second went astray, to the wall behind.

She winced, frowned at the aim and almost regretted deciding that almost in was out. She would've lost regardless, so she took it in stride. "Nice throws," she said, leaving the board and the knives and heading over to the pantry. From within she pulled out two apples imported straight from the grounds, still fresh. "You get to pick," she said, holding them both out, a green and a red.

black hearted angel
oh i hate when you're not around

Fall on me with open arms. Fall on me from where you are

Beaming under the praise, Seren watched with bated breath as Aisha took her turn. The first throw made breath catch in her throat; the second had her wincing in sympathy. And for a dizzying, mind-boggling instant, the starchild got her first real taste of victory. Throwing her hands up in celebration, she did a little dance on the spot - just a moment to savour the sweetness of it - before grinning happily at Aisha."Thank you. That was close," she admitted. "For a second I thought you had me."

Picking the green apple, she nodded her thanks and sunk her teeth into the fruit. It was tart enough to make her mouth pucker up, but so sweet after living on mostly stews and meat for days on end. Leaning her backside against a table, Seren turned the apple between her hands in thought. "Where does this come from?" she asked, even as her expression told she had her suspicions.

Seren

AISHA

in the sun
i'm not a stranger

Seren's mirth was refreshing, Aisha gave a laugh and applauded her victory dance. "For a second I thought I had you too," she replied with a jump of her brows before she sauntered to the cabinets. The green apple was the woman's chosen prize, which suited Aisha just fine (she was a red apple kinda gal herself). She returned the nod before chomping into her own fruit. A consolation prize had never tasted so sweet.

A spot of juice dribbled down to her chin, she wiped it with her wrist, "The grounds," mouth still full of the sour but saccharine fruit. She swallowed before continuing, "but hopefully Frey will pull through with the greenhouse and we can start growing the warm weather crops here in Halo." Wouldn't that be lovely? Rather than relying on traders and personal trips to the grounds or Torchline whenever she wanted something more vibrant on her palette.

black hearted angel
oh i hate when you're not around

Fall on me with open arms. Fall on me from where you are

Turning the apple between her hands, she tried not to let the origins of the fruit spoil the gift. It annoyed Seren that the mere mention of the Grounds made her stomach flip with unease, and the chunk she took off the green fruit was defiant. See if she couldn't eat the food anyway!

"That sounds like a project," she commented around the bite. "I helped give Torchline the canals a few years ago... is it that kind of thing?" Apparently Halo was more practical in their choice of asks, compared to the lazy 'we want mermaids in town' attitude of her birth region.

Seren