[Training] part of the moving whole

if you don't terrify people a little then what's the point

Deimos had never been a complacent figure. With changes throughout the air, and the bristling wake of the unknown, mixed with trepidation and confusion, he dug deeper into the roots of what he knew and understood – how to preserve, how to shelter, how to fight and defend. So it’d be no surprise to find him amidst the barracks, a favored haunt regardless of circumstances, barking orders at the soldiers, and then performing said drills himself.

Shifting, turning, he met a recruit’s blade head-on with his own, pushing them back and back to the raucous cheers and jeers, until there was ultimately no place to go – snorting when they eventually were forced to duck away. “Take a break,” he announced to the rest of his feral entourage, and they all slid off to various portions around the training facility. The Sword measured his strides, however, long gait taking him towards the targets, where he began to grab one by one, placing them along the sanction in various directions.

DEIMOS

and i'm still waiting for a life that never was

Alys entered the barracks, Sascha trailing loosely behind, and immediately honed in on Deimos, who seemed to be preparing a series of targets for some drill or other. While she hadn't been searching for him in particular, she had come to train, and so she meandered over, her cub at her heels, to say hello.

"Hi, Deimos," she said, a friendly smile on her face as she greeted him. It had been a while since she'd trained with him, and she couldn't say that she missed losing every single time, but she also had to admit that it had made her better. So here she was, again, the ready pupil waiting to be molded into shape. "Can I join you?"

Alys

if you don't terrify people a little then what's the point

By the time the familiar Abandoned had extended her salutations, the Sword had already cut and slashed. The broad blade within his palms, calloused and worn and completely at home, extended towards the cloth effigies with minatory prowess, at ease with the raptorial, swift, and keen display; each cut a deepening mark, until chests and stuffing were exposed, and repairs eventually imminent.

Stepping back, he heard Alys’s approach, and paused momentarily from scrutinizing the lethal blows, tying his hair back and away from his neck. “Alys,” he rendered by way of greeting, before placing the armament back upon his hilt, head tilting at her arrival, and inquiry. From what he recalled, she was usually more of the reluctant type when coming into the barracks, though she’d taken on the multitudes of challenges he’d invoked and goaded her through. So while he didn’t ask why she was here, there’d still be more questions to follow. “If you wish. What did you want to practice?”

DEIMOS

and i'm still waiting for a life that never was

The Sword's display was impressive, and Alys and Sascha stopped for a moment to watch, almost comical in the way that they both tilted their heads to the side with interest. Sascha, of course, had never seen such a display; Alys, on the other hand, merely observed in with an almost longing air. She'd never tried the sword, nor was she particularly drawn to blades, but there was something all the same about someone who was completely at ease with their weapon of choice. Alys had gotten much more confident with her bow, but that was as far as her martial abilities went.

But that was why she was here: to learn and improve. And so she sent Sascha off to the sidelines with a glance and a gentle mental push before turning her attention to Deimos. "I'd like to practice my telekinesis," she said. "It's not as strong as my illusions. If that's okay," she added. "I don't want to interrupt what you were working on."

Alys

if you don't terrify people a little then what's the point

It took him a moment to ponder over particulars and ways to utilize her powers, calculations drawn just as readily as any weapon in his possession. Nodding, a slight smile contorted over his features, that one could read as juvenile, before beginning to snag at lighter, nearby armaments. “We could do that.” Shaking his head, walking over to the wall and snagging at a few knives and daggers. “It is what I am here for,” a combination of Warden, General, and whatever else Halo required. Besides, he could practice throwing them, she could utilize her maneuvering skills to do much the same.

Returning, he placed the munition within the center of the targets, settled on the floor. “We can take turns. You can practice lifting and shooting them,” pointing towards the already marred and ruined effigies. “And I will throw.” Pausing, he arched his brow, waiting to see if she was bothered or agreeable to the arrangement. “Will that work for you?”

DEIMOS

and i'm still waiting for a life that never was

Deimos collected knives and daggers, and Alys resigned herself to yet another battle she could not win; but then he suggested that they simply practice throwing the knives, and Alys raised a brow. "That works for me," she said, almost suspiciously, as thought waiting for the other metaphorical shoe to drop. Where was the hidden trick, the secret challenge? Where was the competition that she was almost sure to lose? Still, he'd said nothing about trying to beat one another or to make things more difficult - yet - so she gave a mental shrug, eyed the daggers, and began.

Lifting the dagger with only her mind was a challenge, if only because her arms longed to reach for and grab the knives from the air. In the end, she clasped her hands behind her back to keep from reaching for the instruments and, picking one, she concentrated on lifting it from the pile and aiming it at one of the targets. With a soft huff of concentration, she sent it flying towards the effigy - and missed.

Alys

if you don't terrify people a little then what's the point

Alys had every right to dread the inevitable – but time would tell just how much he’d push, taunt, and decree. The Sword had to first see how much she’d grown with her magic, where the fine incantations wove, if her focus struck true –

And his brows furrowed as she simply missed.

Well, it meant there was plenty to work with, and impending challenges would be made of sterner stuff. Withholding his grin, though she’d probably be able to see the muffled edges of his mouth struggling not to snicker, he snagged at another knife. The light weight was familiar, ever-present, contorting straight into the calloused portions of his palm and fingers. “Either with weapons or magic, always aim with your eyes.”

He did exactly that – piercing gaze segmented straight upon an already marred and wounded chest, before flicking the dagger directly into its center; where it stuck, straight and true. His head tilted back towards her. “Again.”

DEIMOS

and i'm still waiting for a life that never was

Alys studiously avoided his gaze, knowing full well that if she looked at him, she would find a twitch of the lips to betray the sure amusement at her failure. She resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him, the childish desire beneath her dignity. She knew that she had a long way to go with her telekinesis, which she had worked on far less than her illusions. She had simply hoped for better than a disastrous first attempt.

But despite the initial failure, Alys had grown in her ability to take constructive criticism, and so she nodded simply and concentrated again. It was harder to control the knife she chose while simultaneously keeping her eye on the target, and it felt almost like learning hand-eye coordination all over again. Still, this time when she flung her knife towards the target, it did actually hit, albeit not quite where she'd aimed.

Alys

if you don't terrify people a little then what's the point

Waiting for a rebuttal, and finding none, Deimos would muffle another bout of amusement, but mostly for the sake of her growth. It was better than complaining, which he’d expected, or some juvenile whining he’d ensured left most of his recruits before they ever began to train with him. Failure was imminent – all a matter of when. He still had his moments. But it was about how someone persevered, rather than fading, falling, faltering, and stumbling constantly.

He watched before snagging at another knife, his eyes focused and trained on her movements. “Good,” the Sword granted when the dagger hit, down where the subject’s knee could’ve, or would’ve, been, had he not obliterated it earlier. “Try for higher,” pointing towards the ribcage.

He followed through on his own notions – gaze narrowing, determination forged, the glint of the steel contorted along his digits, before flinging it in swift facets towards the next target. It landed precisely in an empty eye socket.

DEIMOS

and i'm still waiting for a life that never was

Alys had trained with Deimos for long enough now that she knew better than to whine or complain, and so he would find only the silence of one concentrating on improvement in the seer. She shot a quick smile towards her friend at his praise, but otherwise concentrated on the task at hand. After all, her aim was still off - even if she had hit the target, a shot in the knee was unlikely to do much other than slow an opponent down. Assuming, of course, that she'd hit the knee of the training dummy. It was a little hard to tell now that Deimos had nearly destroyed it.

After her mentor's next turn - during which he, predictably, landed a dagger precisely in an eye socket - Alys tried again. This time it was easier to pick up the dagger while concentrating on her target, and it felt a little more natural to send the knife slicing through the air. When she hit, it was in the area of the lower stomach - not where she had aimed, but closer to the target nonetheless - and she looked to Deimos expectantly for some manner of criticism or guidance.

Alys

if you don't terrify people a little then what's the point

He watched once more, a keen and scrutinizing eye despite the amount of noise going on around them. While other recruits mustered back towards their stations, hastened along the climbing wall, or embarked upon the open range nearby, his attention never meandered, waiting to see how Alys influenced her magic again.

With a stronger hold, apparently, taking the advice he’d given and snagging at the knife until it could land upwards, along one’s abdomen. “A slower death,” he smirked, despite the lack of life left in any portion of the effigy. “Now combine the concentration, focus, energy, and aim.” Multitudes to think about and utilize, but it would come easier, quicker, the more she strived and tried; an initial tiring that would pay off when she understood the maelstrom of one’s stamina and fortitude.

On his interval, he pinpointed a farther target, extending the range of his arm as he threw towards its sector. It landed precisely in the target’s remaining portions of the neck, where it could’ve bled until nothing more fizzled and drained.

DEIMOS

and i'm still waiting for a life that never was

The recruits, thought Alys, had the simpler task than she: not currently under Deimos's scrutinizing gaze, they, perhaps, would be able to hone their skills without the Warden's immediate presence watching over them. Although, truth be told, the seer rather thought that if Deimos could keep track of all those recruits at once, surely he could stand to add one more to his arsenal while still maintaining watch on all the others, too. Still, she hardly felt his attention waver as the recruits returned to their various tasks and practices. Feeling equally as though she was taking up too much of his time and touched that he would allow her to do so, she determined to push through her difficulty until she had the hang of the magical knife-throwing. Then she could practice in private, without taking up any more of the Warden's valuable time.

At his comment, she huffed a soft laugh. "Maybe that's what I was going for," she joked, amusement evident in her dark eyes as she glanced up at him. "Maybe he deserved it." And with her imaginary foe in mind, the seer turned back to the task at hand. The knife levitating, hovering just over her right shoulder, it's tip pointed directly at the effigy's heart; this time, when she loosed, the shot flew straight and true, and the dagger was buried to the hilt in the target's chest.

Alys

if you don't terrify people a little then what's the point

While the Sword certainly didn’t have eyes on the back of his head, his senses were attuned and collected, listening to the sights and sounds around them. The clash of blades, the rush of feet, the movements of quick, swift successions were all familiar and absorbed; it would’ve garnered more of his attention for some noise to not have blended into the background. But there were chuckles and rounds of laughter, mocking accords hastened towards devoted friends and fellow warriors, and so more than once he glanced their way, but with nothing out of the ordinary, he could witness Alys’s attempts with more claim.

He arched his brow at her comment, finally permitting the air of a laugh to unfurl from his lungs. “Perhaps.” It wasn’t unusual for him to create an effigy in the image of a former or current enemy; though he couldn’t be certain of Alys had managed to garner any such offenses.

As she targeted again though, and it flickered into the frayed heart, he grinned; nothing malicious or juvenile, but pride for her. “Nice. An end to the suffering,” he established with a wink and a smirk thereafter though, before brandishing another dagger of his own, and pivoting to the left. Fast and rapid, he slung his weapon straight into the once-stuffed target’s forehead, until it comically stuck straight out of the makeshift brow.

DEIMOS

and i'm still waiting for a life that never was

As Deimos had surmised, Alys had no one in particular that she could call up to create a mental image of, no one who could inspire that kind of loathing and hatred. Indeed, if she were asked to name her imaginary foe, she would have had a great deal of trouble. Perhaps a poacher, greedy and cruel, would deserve such a fate. A murderer, a rapist - but Alys knew of none, and so her effigy would remain faceless as she flung her last dagger at its heart.

She was proud of her final strike, grinning with delight as her dagger sank deep, precisely where she had aimed it. It was probably a fluke, she knew that - it would take a great deal more practice to become consistent with such a shot - but it was the start of something new all the same, a new tool in her arsenal and an improved ability to defend herself and others. "How did you learn all this?" she asked in wonder as Deimos's dagger struck true. "Is there any weapon you can't handle?"

Alys