[Training] All the things unsaid

You have so much of everything but still you wanted more

There was one more thing Seren had left to do in Halo, before she could leave. While she itched to portal away for Torchline as fast as she was able, she had friends here, too. Ones she owed some promises to... and whose steady company she had sorely missed over the past day.

Darkness had fallen by the time she was able to get away from the bustle of the Palace. A dark figure, alone and bundled up against the cold with dark hair tumbling loose from the circle of a fur-lined hood, came trundling down the streets of Snowcloak. Umbra led the way, a dark shadow in the night that sniffed and snorted and declared this turn, then that, until Seren reached an unassuming looking house. Old and quaint looking, it perfectly suited the image she had of Sah, yet not at the same time.

She banged on the door, and stood back. Waiting, for him to answer. Maybe he had gone to bed already? Maybe he wasn't home. Maybe... that was for the better.

Seren

yet my blood renders me a King

Sah was already in bed, or more specifically completely consumed by the mountain of blankets that he slept in. Lilly was curled up asleep in his arms, face completely smooshed into the crook of his neck. Her ears twitched a second before Sah heard the knock on the door. It didn't sound urgent enough to sprint towards the door, but it was still odd that anyone would be knocking.

Tumbling out of the blanket pile, Sah to got to his feet and headed over to the door. Giving a curious look towards Lilly who was suddenly bouncing with excitement, he opened the entrance. Ah, that was why the pup was so excited. The pup raced out and waged at the demi-god's feet, eager for affection.

Sah gave a low chuckle, giving Seren a warm smile. "Hey there. What brings you to my neck of the woods?"

Sah

You have so much of everything but still you wanted more

It took a moment before steps were heard from within. Relief and a sudden onslaught of nerves made her draw for breath in a slow, deep inhale. Her breath steamed in the air when the door creaked open, framing Sah in a halo of hazy light. It seemed impossible that anything could be warm in a place like Halo, yet that smile... it did more to thaw the cold shards of worry in her chest than any fire.

"Hey," she replied softly, eyes crinkling into a shy little smile. His hair looked mussed - had he been asleep after all? "I came to see you. Still want to do that spar? Though I guess it got rather late..."

Glancing up, the sky above the roof hung dark and vast, with gleaming stars suspended. Almost bright enough for her Island. Leaning down, the girl ruffled Lilly's soft fur affectionately. Happy to see her. Glad for the excuse to look away - meeting Sah's gaze for too long was making her stomach flip.

Looming behind her in the street, Umbra warbled a greeting to the boy and the wolf. Knowing better than to approach, after the last disastrous meeting... though it was clear by the lingering looks on the wolf cub that he would have loved to greet her, too.

Seren

yet my blood renders me a King

The notion of a spar had Sah perking up. "Of course. Let me just throw on a jacket and shoes." He turned away, door left ajar for a moment before he returned ready to go. As he returned Umbra's greeting was given, resulting in the dragon being eyed by both Sah and Lilly. The Abandoned's expression was guarded, but the wolf's? Lilly's look was just cold indifference. Cold enough that Sah paused to eye his companion in surprise. But as the pup sent an image to him, the memory of Umbra arcing towards Sah with claws outstretched, through the bond, Sah understood. Lilly had been terrified of losing him, and now? She was still furious at the dragon.

Letting out a sigh, Sah shook his head. He then turned to Seren with a small smile and nodded towards the edge of the city. "Let's get going. There's a nice spot on the outskirts that's perfect for a nighttime spar." Having said that, Sah began to lead the way until they came to a small clearing. It was an open area that had a clear view of the tundra out beyond the gates, and of the stars shining above.

Sah

You have so much of everything but still you wanted more

Seren absolutely did peek inside as he ducked back in to get dressed, curious about what his house might look like. She was distracted by a mute complaint from her companion however, and turned to look at him. He had flattened himself to the ground, legs sprawled like some oversized puppy and chin pressed into the snow. Making himself as small and non-threatening as he could, while those mercury eyes kept watching Lilly. Sympathy was passed from the demigod to the dragon, a soothing touch from mind to mind that spoke of patience and hope; she was sure they would come around eventually. If he kept behaving.

Seren turned her attention to Sah when he returned, and nodded her acceptance of his suggestion. "Alright. Lead the way." He knew this place best; she would be happy to follow wherever he led.

"How have you been?" she asked as they walked, and fell in beside him. Matching strides, shoulder to shoulder - the swarming light bugs in her stomach didn't seem about to settle, but it still felt good to be in his presence again. In the dark of the evening, the star-filled aura that had taken to trailing in her wake as she moved was barely visible, and Seren allowed herself this small chance to feel normal.

Just two friends going for some training. Nothing more.

Seren

yet my blood renders me a King

Sah found himself relaxing as he walked beside Seren, tension from the past week all but bleeding away. The demi-god's presence was soothing and he was happy to be spending time with her again. At her question, he gave a small nod. "Pretty good. I recently upgraded my hunting set-up so that I can start taking commissions. Work has already been coming in, Halo really does love its hunters." Giving her shoulder a playful nudge with his own, he turned the question on her. "And you? How have things been in the land of Seren?"

Arriving at the clearing, Sah gave Seren an inquisitive look. "So what kind of spar are you up for tonight? Magic, weapons, hand-to-hand? I remember you mentioning on our trip to the Fangs that you wanted to work on your physical strength."

Sah

You have so much of everything but still you wanted more

Blue eyes watched him surreptitiously from the side as he answered, the girl not quite turning her head all the way. "Sounds like you're settling in, then," Seren smiled. "So how does it work? Do people place orders, or do you just sell what you've already hunted...? That Ursur we downed must have been quite the boost for you, regardless." Even in retrospect, it was daunting to think of the massive creature and the way it had come barreling towards her. Hotaru's words on using every part of the animals one hunted had been a great comfort, able to ease some of her guilt in taking a life.

When Sah stopped, Seren looked around. It was a somewhat remote location indeed. Here they would have both room to move, and distance from grumpy neighbors complaining about noises so late in the day.
"Mh, yes. I do need that. And I did promise to take you on unarmed... so how about that? No magic, no weapons."

Up until now, her demeanor had been soft and quiet, almost subdued. But with the promise of a spar, of a chance to let off some steam, the grin she offered her friend was growing steadily more vibrant - a little hungry, a little vicious. Eager to test herself, and see how far she would go against this young hunter, this exiled warrior king.

Umbra settled himself into a snow-drift on the sidelines, content to watch and doze. He did offer a quiet rumble to Lilly, and extended a wing to her. Offering a chance to nestle in the warmth of his side, if she could deign to come that close.

Seren

yet my blood renders me a King

"A little of both. I sell what I hunt, but if someone has a specific request or a particular animal that they need taken care of, they come to me." The mention of the ursur had Sah shaking his head in bafflement. "I think your dad took it down more then I did. But yes, it was certainly a boost. A very.. eh.. eccentric individual bought the fur. Apparently they wanted it as a bathrobe." That had been a bizarre conversation.

The mention of the earlier promise had Sah grinning. "Alright then." He walked towards the other end of the clearing, a hand gesturing for her to come at him. The grin he gave her was nearly feral, anticipation and ferocity. "Show me what you've got demi-god."

Umbra's attempts at mending bridges fail spectacularly. The offered wing gets a snap of teeth, inches away from sensitive membrane. A small growl is given, his only warning for the night.

Sah

You have so much of everything but still you wanted more

Her laugh was bright, tension fleeing in favor of relaxed enjoyment. "I can see it," she hummed, deeply amused. "Though I would have been more inclined towards a solid coat, myself. Imagine how well you would blend in, with that white fur." Not to mention how luxuriously thick and soft it had been. She looked mildly wistful for a moment... ah, what a shame.

What was not a shame was this chance to spar. Sah's shifting expression made her heart beat faster, and with Umbra's mournful sigh and quiet grumbling as a backdrop she rolled her shoulders and shook prickling tension from her hands. He created space, and offered an infuriatingly smug little taunt; Seren couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Oh, you're about to find out," she retorted, and started forward.

Her approach was wary, with arms held out to either side. The stance was low and sturdy, with slightly bent knees and weight shifted forward to the balls of her feet. It was clear she'd received some training, though the nervous flick of a tongue tip across a bottom lip suggested it was not nearly as extensive as she'd like to pretend.

When the attack came, it was swift and decisive. A few hasty steps in, before she pivoted on the left leg and swung her right in a sharp kick towards his leg, around knee height. Seren had no idea how strong he really was, and preferred to keep her distance, at least to start off.

Seren

yet my blood renders me a King

Sah nodded, eagerly wistful. "Truly. If I get my hands on more furs, I might ask the the local seamstress to make some for us." A thick ursur coat truly did sound nice. Maybe Sah would just make his into a blanket instead of a coat.

Sah eyed Seren's approach, nodding approvingly at her form. She seemed to at least know the theory of what she was doing. Time would reveal if she could apply it. Her approach was good, and Sah readied himself, stepping into his own stance. Her leg kicked out and he realized that Seren certainly needed more practice. The hit didn't get a chance to land, Sah caught her leg with one hand. He then shoved her backwards to disrupt her balance.

Before she could recover, he was surging forward. A feint to the right followed by a palm strike to the left side of her ribs.

Sah

You have so much of everything but still you wanted more

Us?

The inclusion of herself in that had Seren give him a curious look, delighted but surprised that he would do such a thing.
"Just be careful, alright? Your life is worth far more than pretty clothes." Even if he had proven to possess both the strength and skill to down one of those beasts on his own, Seren hated the idea of him putting himself at risk over it.

As focus shifted to the spar, all thoughts of hunting and gear vanished from her mind. The world shrunk to this small patch of snow-covered ground, the boy before her, and the stars wheeling overhead. The way he caught her leg and stopped the kick took her by surprise, and she hopped back on one leg as he shoved her off, able to maintain her balance despite his effort to throw her off.

A moment later he was retaliating, and Seren just barely managed to react to his palm in time to twist out of the way. Following up in that evasion, the Dragoon-in-training attempted to seize hold of Sah's wrist. If caught, she would turn and attempt to bring his arm up and over her shoulder while a deft leg meant to sweep his feet from under him, so that she might throw him to the ground.

Seren

yet my blood renders me a King

Sah nodded in agreement. "Trust me, I don't plan to go through that again anytime soon."

Seren's quick reaction had Sah moving forward with momentum. Unable to stop in time, she successful grabbed his wrists and used his momentum against him. The world swept past Sah as he landed on his back hard, the air being kicked from his lungs. For a moment he stared up at Seren in surprise before a breathless chuckle left him. Perhaps he'd underestimated her.

Recovering after a breath, Sah twisted, one hand bracing against the ground to stabilize himself. At the same time, his leg swung out towards Seren's knee to make it buckle. Even if this failed, he'd use his momentum to get back to his feet.

Sah

You have so much of everything but still you wanted more

He slammed into the ground with a very satisfying thud, and Seren was treated to a lovely view of Sah staring at her with open mouthed surprise. Possibly this was the most delightful sight she had seen in a long time, and the grin she offered in return was equal parts cheeky and smug.
"Got you," she teased him with a quick wink.

But her glory was short lived. Suddenly Sah spun where he lay, propping up on an arm while aiming a kick for her leg. Seren didn't manage to dodge in time and hissed as his ankle connected with her knee. It folded neatly, about to bring her down - and quickly as she could, Seren twisted herself so that she might grab hold of Sah's arm before he could fully rise, and yank him too off balance. If she was going down, he was coming down with her.

The impulse to use her magic to shift his gravity was deeply ingrained, and only at last moment did she recall that this was a no-magic spar. Too bad... maybe some other time.

Seren

yet my blood renders me a King

Seren's quip gets another chuckle from Sah. He has half a moment to celebrate knocking he off her feet before she grabs him. And then they're both crashing to the ground and rolling. Reacting quickly, Sah twists so that he lands on top, hands braced on either side of the demi-god.

Taking the opportunity presented he attempts to grab her wrists. If he manages to get a hold on her, Sah lock them at her sides. After all, if he can successfully immobilize her, then this will be his win. Though it's clear that the demi-god has a few tricks up her sleeve so the Abandoned keeps his guard up.

Sah