[Training] Shoot for the moon

The meeting had been... unsettling. Safrin's absence alone would have been bad enough, but the nebulous cause of it - a threat without form or detail - gave them very little to work with as far as preparations went.

For the moment he had no idea how to begin protecting Torchline, but it sounded like they would have time to ponder, and he had his co-ruler to bounce ideas around with. In the meantime, the only thing he could think of was to improve himself so that he would be up to the challenge of whatever might come.

A quiet word with Sohalia as they left the meeting, and he found a kindred spirit in his thought. If nothing else, the activity might inspire some ideas for them to take back to their regions.

The mermanta swam slowly along the river leading away from the Refuge, glad to have his cold resistance back while his friend padded along the shore. They found a quiet bend in the river where they wouldn't be bothered.

Are you ready? he rumbled over to her as several spinning spheres of chilly water lifted into the air around his head, beginning to rotate like planets around their sun.

August evenings Bring solemn warnings
To remember to kiss the ones you love goodnight

Soh left the meeting with a frown on her pretty face, her brows knit and her eyes troubled. As far as meetings went, it certainly could have been worse - at least all of Caido seemed to be on the same page and determined to face the unknown threat together - but it hadn't been good to hear that Safrin had temporarily left them. She'd learned enough of the gods to know that they weren't infallible, and she fervently hoped that Safrin would return soon with good news.

She'd spoken briefly with Hadama after the meeting and found that his suggestion of self-improvement as they waited for more information was a good one; as soon as she was free of the Refuge, she shifted into a tide jaguar, thankful for her fur to protect her against the chill in the air. She padded along beside Hadama as they followed the river, making pleasant conversation with her friend as they made their way to a quiet bend in which to practice.

Hadama's magic lifted cold water into the air, spinning as spheres around him like planets around the sun. Soh faced him, stretching her paws to dig her claws into the dirt. She crouched low to the ground, her shoulders wriggling in that way that cats do when they're about to pounce. I'm ready, she said, her silver gaze fixated on the orbs of water. Maybe she wouldn't end up terribly drenched.

You never know what temporal days may bring
So laugh, love, live free and sing

Sohalia

It was strange to see a Tide Jaguar - native to Torchline, and at home among the islands and jungle and tropical shorelines of his home - here in this broad, open plain with its distant barrows and frozen grasses. Even knowing that it was no true beast but instead the shift of an Attuned couldn't completely ease the dissonance. Still, Hadama did his best to accept the strangeness and flow with the current, focusing on his control over the water that he used as a weapon.

At Sohalia's declaration of readiness he inclined his head briefly and then mentally selected one of his spheres. He hadn't sparred with the young Heart before and he tested the waters slowly, flash-freezing his chosen projectile into a hollow globe of ice before sending it flying at the jaguar's nose.

August evenings Bring solemn warnings
To remember to kiss the ones you love goodnight

Soh admittedly hadn't thought through her choice of shift, except that she was unused to her tide jaguar form in comparison to her snowy owl form, and she wanted to get to know it better. It was strange, being on all fours, her tail flicking instinctively behind her as she watched the spheres circle Hadama. A part of her that she'd never really felt before wanted to pounce on the little orbs, but that would be silly: she'd only manage to get wet, and prove herself quite silly in the process.

Tamping down on the more unhelpful instincts, Soh watched as one of the orbs froze - and then came flying at her face. Despite having said she was ready, she had to admit that she hadn't been entirely prepared for a ball of ice to be flung at her nose, and she reacted as she might in her snowy owl form - which was to say that she leapt (rather ungracefully) into the air, realizing her mistake too late and twisting, turning, falling - directly onto her back. So much for cats always landing on their feet.

Sheepish and embarrassed, Soh righted herself, her tail now lashing angrily back and forth as her humiliation no doubt flooded the bond. This is, um, a newer shift, she explained. I forgot what I was for a moment.

You never know what temporal days may bring
So laugh, love, live free and sing

Sohalia

Hadama watched his young friend react to his first attack with stoic bemusement. He was too courteous to laugh at the sight that the tide jaguar made, flipping herself onto her back and writhing about in the snow until she found her paws again. There was a flicker of tension in the corner of his jaw that might have been the Tidebreaker swallowing back his amusement, but he inclined his head in acceptance of her explanation, and made no mention of her embarrassment within the Bond.

Indeed, he only murmured agreeably as he continued to keep the rest of his ammunition circling in the air above the water. Ready? Once again he waited for her confirmation before mentally plucking one of the water spheres from its orbit and lobbing it at the jaguar's nose once more - this time a little more gently, hopefully giving her ample time to react with either offense or defense to the incoming icy projectile.

August evenings Bring solemn warnings
To remember to kiss the ones you love goodnight

Gods, Hadama was a treasure as a friend, and as the young Heart was not particularly adept at keeping her feelings to herself through the bond, he no doubt felt the rush of gratefulness as she righted herself without comment or laughter from the mer-king. Feeling much less confident, Soh crouched again, eyeing the spinning orbs warily. It wasn't even that the first one had hurt - it hadn't even touched her - but her pride was wounded, and that stung almost more than an ice ball to the face.

When she was ready, Hadama lobbed another projectile towards her nose, and if she noticed that it was a little slower and gentler, she said nothing about it. Instead, she focused on its trajectory, then lifted a paw to bat at it, sending it flying to the side. She wondered if she could hit it back at Hadama, if she aimed carefully enough. Again? she asked, trying to maintain some of the same stoicism and calm that the mermanta radiated like a second skin.

You never know what temporal days may bring
So laugh, love, live free and sing

Sohalia

The gratitude in the Bond was met with a quiet, reassuring acceptance, shared without words as they prepared to try again. He remembered his own embarrassments from when he had first been learning his water magic for the first time as an adult, long after most other Mer had done so. There was nothing else to do but persevere and practice, and Sohalia had shown herself mature beyond her years for doing exactly that.

The second attack went much better, and Hadama inclined his head in appreciation for the tide jaguar's reflexes. Again, he agreed, emerald eyes twinkling with mischief as the watery orbs began to spin faster and more erratically. The third projectile iced over, once again hollow so it wouldn't cause injury if it hit, and was sent on a slightly curving path towards Sohalia's flank. It was once again at full speed now that the Heart appeared to have her paws firmly on the ground.

August evenings Bring solemn warnings
To remember to kiss the ones you love goodnight

Perhaps Sohalia was mature beyond her years, but she certainly wouldn't agree with that assessment, particularly given her recent relationship blunders. Still, she was nothing if not persistent, and in something as straightforward as a training session, she found it easy to correct course and try again. And so that was what she did, choosing to learn from her mistakes and move ever forward. What else could she do?

The next projectile came faster and on a curved path, surprising Soh, who had been anticipating an orb flung at her head. She twisted in place, trying to bat the orb back at Hadama, but she missed; the hollow ball smacked into her side and shattered harmlessly to the ground. Tail lashing with frusstration and embarrassment, Soh decided on an alternate plan. To throw off Hadama's aim, she scooped up some snow using her paw and flung it haphazardly toward the mer-king, hoping to obscure his vision for the next throw.

You never know what temporal days may bring
So laugh, love, live free and sing

Sohalia

Given that they were training to improve themselves there was no shame in making mistakes. Better, Hadama knew, to make them now when there was no danger and no consequences. Soon enough they would each face foes that were far less forgiving, and their recently-trained instincts would mean the difference between life and death.

He was already preparing the final volley when Sohalia changed things up, flinging a screen of snow between them. Good! he called approvingly through the Bond, but he didn't disrespect the young Heart by taking it easy on her. His manipulation of water in all its forms was mastered, and the snow fell entirely within his domain. The white curtain parted and fell to either side of him as the final icy sphere spun a swift, straight course towards the jaguar's fuzzy chest.

August evenings Bring solemn warnings
To remember to kiss the ones you love goodnight

A warmth bloomed in Soh's chest at the mer-king's praise, but it quickly turned to dismay as the curtain of snow parted easily around Hadama. She hadn't thought about it at the time, but snow was, of course, water - and water manipulation was certainly within the range of Hadama's abilities. With a mental sigh - more resigned than anything - Soh noted the icy sphere being flung at her chest.

This time, Soh dodged easily out of the way, having learned from her previous mistakes. Still, as the icy projectile soared past her body, she felt quite stumped as to how to proceed. Hadama was in the water, and she had no desire to join him there; but all around her, there was only snow. How could she proceed?

Then she saw a rock.

And as much as she hated the idea of flinging a rock towards her opponent - who she quite liked and held in high regard - she didn't want to insult him by simply giving up. So she scooped up the rock with her paw, flinging it towards the mer-king and hoping that it was aimed towards his general vicinity. After all, aiming with furry paws was quite a bit harder than aiming with human hands!

You never know what temporal days may bring
So laugh, love, live free and sing

Sohalia

Hadama may have been pleased to see the tide jaguar get her paws under her and settle into her skin, using her body's reflexes to their full potential, but he was given very little time to appreciate her grace and power. Before he had fully formed the words to communicate his admiration through the Bond he was distracted by an incoming attack from an unexpected quarter.

As much as he approved of his opponent fighting back, the rock that was lobbed towards him was a definite escalation on their spar. At least it was poorly aimed, and the Tidebreaker had a great deal of practice in dodging rocks thanks to his old training sessions with Melita. He simply submerged himself straight down with a flex of his tail, head disappearing under the river's surface as the stone tumbled harmlessly overhead. He resurfaced a moment later, emerald eyes gleaming brightly. Well done. You look much more comfortable now. Her movements felt much more natural, at least, and she was no longer trying to fly without wings. How do you feel?

August evenings Bring solemn warnings
To remember to kiss the ones you love goodnight

Maybe later, she would feel bad for throwing a rock at her fellow leader, but it had seemed like a good idea at the time. Regardless, Hadama dodged it easily, and Soh was relieved when he resurfaced, unharmed and seemingly unfazed by her choice of projectile. It was fortunate that she'd chosen Hadama to train with. She had a feeling that he took most everything in stride. At the very least, she doubted she'd caused an international incident as a result of her sparring faux pas.

I feel much better, she said, sitting upon her haunches in the snow. I'm not as accustomed to this form, so it was nice to have a chance to get to know it better. Then, sheepishly, because she felt rather sorry about it, she added, I'm sorry about the rock. I wasn't sure what else to do, but it seems silly to have thrown it at you.

You never know what temporal days may bring
So laugh, love, live free and sing

Sohalia

International incidents may have been brewing in other waters, but not here. A friendly spar often came with a few cuts and bruises, and an unexpected attack was all the more valuable for the lesson it taught. The mermanta was pleased, both with Sohalia's progress and ingenuity and with his own reflexes in reacting to her surprises.

He inclined his head in acknowledgment of her apology, but his eyes were warm and twinkling. No. It was a good instinct. Anything can be a weapon. And in a real fight it would have bought you time while I dodged. Time to retreat out of range of my magic, or to prepare an ambush when I resurfaced.

He turned, beginning his slow swim back towards the sea and the Boondocks, where Sohalia could catch a ride home. Will you tell me how you gained this form? A hopefully pleasant topic of conversation to while away the journey home. His own would be much faster; once Sohalia had safely boarded her transport the Tidebreaker gathered his magic and aquaported back to Torchline to reconvene with Harper and inform his people of the unsettling news.

~Fin~