[Training] [se] drank every sky that I could

Melita

they should have checked the ashes
of the women they burned alive

She listened to the potentials of war amongst the sea – unlikely – and could only nod at the notions and semblances collected, gathered, there. Probably quite a few of them had prospered into some range of hope; that they wouldn’t be forced to forge along, that they could bury their heads in the sand. But the truth probably glared at them right in the face from the very beginning, so the youth could only nod, and finish up her own pastry.

At least armaments were easier to discuss. Of course Melita had perused the weapons – just for amusement’s sake, of course. “I did. Couple of tridents, harpoons, spears…,” pausing momentarily, before she felt the restless surge to head back towards the market and make another purchase for him. “Is that what you want?”

because it takes a single wild ember
to bring a whole wildfire to life

He gave her list due thought, calm where she was restless and carefully considering the listed armaments. There was a sparkle of dry amusement in his green eyes when he looked up again with a slow nod. "The trident is... traditional, I think. In the stories of us." It would take great care to keep the weapon from rusting and rotting, but Hadama knew better than most how to preserve metal beneath the waves and he nodded again.

Perhaps there was a hint of mischief in his choice as he slid a bracelet off his own wrist to hand up to Melita; intricately wrought in the shape of intertwining sea horses with jeweled eyes.

"A trident, then. And a lesson, if you are willing."

Melita

they should have checked the ashes
of the women they burned alive

His response made sense, she figured, in stories of merpeople and tridents – it seemed far more aqua based than any of the other armaments lined along the kiosks and stalls. She nodded along, until the broadening of mischief occurred, and it caused her spine to straighten, hands stilling for a moment, head tilting with the inclinations. “Oh? You’d be willing to teach me?” Then her grin grew, massive and endearing, if not touched with sinister, nefarious inclinations. “I’m absolutely willing.” Any new skill, any new foundation, even if it was something she probably wouldn’t use for herself, would be rewarding and fulfilling. Especially a new stabby toy.

With that, she snagged at his bracelet, and skipped off to make the purchase, returning just as quickly as before, and handing the three-pronged instrument over to him.

because it takes a single wild ember
to bring a whole wildfire to life

"If you do not mind getting wet," Hadama affirmed solemnly, but there was laughter in his eyes at Melita's eagerness to learn ocean combat. He was no master by any means, but he thought he remembered enough basics to pass along to another - while he worked to regain skills not used since boyhood.

Away the honeybee went, while Hadama swam a little ways down to a stall near the canal's edge and purchased some scraps of leather and cloth. When she returned and offered the shaft of the weapon he reached up for it and tested the heft of it. Content, he proceeded to wrap the sharp tines with the leather, blunting it for a spar.

"Have you fought in water before?" he asked, swimming back a small distance to make room for her in the canal.

Melita

they should have checked the ashes
of the women they burned alive

“Not at all,” she hummed, though a secretive, furtive little snicker remained on her mouth – for reasons Hadama would learn shortly anyway.

As the mer made room and space along the canal, her feet slid out along the surface – not sinking, not falling, nothing more than pressing into its wake as if it were a solid veneer. The charms of her anklet, hidden beneath long folds of her dress, bounded against her skin, but gave naught away. “Only with fists,” she shrugged, like that, and everything else she was doing, was a normal course of action. Curiosity and restlessness compelled, and she took a few quick hops along the water’s fringes, warming up her calf muscles, while Fangorn and Sila remained on the edge of the canal, watching. “Do you guys use tridents a lot?”

because it takes a single wild ember
to bring a whole wildfire to life

Well that was unexpected. Hadama blinked in bemusement as Melita floated on the water's surface like a seabird - one of the predatory ones, as she began to warm up. "Mm. Fists are useful for dealing with sharks," he agreed.

This new situation required some consideration as he measured the distance below and above water, and how that affected the angles of things. "To fish. Sometimes to fight. But a spear is just as good," he acknowledged, moving the trident slowly through the water as he remembered how it shifted and slid through his hands.

"The water resists swinging it sideways. Much more than the air does," he explained, swishing the tines underneath the water - but then, with a glint of mischief, shifting his grip to bring the trident up and sweep the butt end of the shaft through the air towards Melita's feet to try and knock her into the brine, unaware of her magic anklet.

Melita

they should have checked the ashes
of the women they burned alive

She listened intently, figuring the supposition between differences along the water and air. Within their proportions above the sea, there was a little to no resistance, unless they were countering something else. Below though? She could imagine a lot of power was used up simply moving the piece through the liquid.

Then her eyes did much of the same, predatory and unrelenting in their own right, taking in his motions underneath, watching, waiting, for the shift.

Towards her feet – no less.

With a snicker, the youth snagged at the staff along her arsenal of weaponry, holstering it into her grasp with rapacious aplomb, before bombarding the armament against his own. Her swing had no limitations except her own reflexes; but they weren’t labored this time, blocking his motion despite far more tines and implements.

because it takes a single wild ember
to bring a whole wildfire to life

The young woman moved with startling swiftness, like a marlin cutting through the water in a flash of scales that tricked the eye. One moment her hands were empty; the next, her favored staff balanced effortlessly in her grip and intercepted his attempt to unsettle her footing with graceful ease.

He nodded once in due admiration, then attempted to withdraw the trident and thrust up through the air towards her midriff.

It was a most uncomfortable angle to be attacking from, and in the air the trident was far heavier than it was in the water. The balance felt strange and his attack lacked the power it should have had, wobbling a little as Hadama was unable to brace himself within the canal or align the weapon with his body as he would have preferred.

Melita

they should have checked the ashes
of the women they burned alive

The incoming attack was met with very poor strategy on her part, mainly because she hadn’t expected him to counter towards her midriff. The deflection was likely only imminent due to sharp reflexes across her middle, and the wobbly assortment of balance on his.

With a furrowed brow, she righted herself into some semblance of fortitude, instead of stumbling along the water. Far more graceful, far more poised, she eased into her own designated launch, picking up a quick pace, pushing, dashing across the surface of the water, and swinging her staff towards Hadama’s shoulders. If anything, really, to see how he’d react.

because it takes a single wild ember
to bring a whole wildfire to life

Keen eyes noted how close the strike came, even if it did ultimately miss. Given how wobbly his own attack had been he couldn't say he was surprised. Hadama began to swim backwards, putting a little distance between himself and the honeybee as he considered how best to approach this new challenge, but Melita wasn't giving him much time for his usual thoughtful approach.

Her watery sprint caught him off guard and he tried to duck beneath the water and into the safety of the depths, but she was far faster than the deliberative mermanta and her staff thunked against dark skin with a splash. A silent underwater grunt escaped in a bubble as he finished his dive regardless.

And then twisted around to come up from beneath her, curious now if he could topple her by disrupting her footing directly. The trident poked up from below, aiming for the soles of her feet.

Melita

they should have checked the ashes
of the women they burned alive

A snicker wove its way back to her features, enjoying the thrall and movement of action, of violence, even if it was minimal and teaching wise at best. Her staff, despite his attempts at ducking away, still met the mermanta’s form, and that was enough to keep her reeling, going, executing drills and movements she could recall from mere muscle memory alone.

Watching him below the surface was a tad trickier, given how water and light bent angles. She could see he was rising somewhere near her feet, and so she hastened to the left. At the same time, the honeybee strived to swing her staff downwards, either striving for a hit upon the trident, or the individual. She had no preference.

because it takes a single wild ember
to bring a whole wildfire to life

Again her swiftness caught him by surprise. He rose for where she had been, but where she was when the trident breached the surface was safely off to the side-

And already returning the attack with an accuracy and power that Hadama felt reverberating down the trident shaft as she squarely struck the weapon that emerged from the water. He was very glad that he was still safe beneath the gentle waves as his hands stung from the attack.

Shifting his grip the mermanta swam back a little ways to gain some distance before gathering himself to charge the surface, rising out of the water in a sudden leap and releasing the trident amid the spray of water as he flung the weapon at Melita in a final attack.

Melita

they should have checked the ashes
of the women they burned alive

Swift and certain, rapid and quick, amused and unrelenting, she watched as her staff struck the trident – a glimmer of satisfaction and contentment rising to the brim of her smirk. Never for long, the honeybee couldn’t take anything for granted, but she always enjoyed cherishing those small, small flickers of moments.

Then they were off again, maneuvering and positioning, and she followed as he traced his way through the waters – like a persistent little gnat. However, he launched before she figured he would, ill-advised on calculating mermanta speeds and agilities – and she was forced to place her weapon directly in front of her. It didn’t ward off the spray, for she laughed as it all showered down upon her – but the staff did catch the trident once more. “Well done!” She shouted above the disarray.

because it takes a single wild ember
to bring a whole wildfire to life

Merman and trident hit the water again together amid Melita's laughing praise, and he swam quickly to retrieve the sinking weapon (not that he had any fear of losing it; not in these shallow waters). After a moment's consideration he swam towards the lip of the canal before rising again to slick back his hair and regard the honeybee girl with the ghost of a smile threatening his calm expression.

"I will need more practice," he decided, holding the weapon up to admire it. "But it is a good start." He inclined his head deeply to Melita in respect, but there was laughter in his eyes when he straightened again to collect his 'gift' for the unwelcome boyfriend. "After LongNight, shall we try again?" And there was a notion of spending at least some of that dark week in private study with his new trident, to make a better showing next time.