[Training] [SE] Windy warriors

They were battling the breezes and their own kites as much as each other, but at least they were equal in their struggles and it was a fair fight because of it. Hadama's serenity wavered, his stoic expression shifting subtly to take on a look of more focused concentration as their kites dipped and wove and danced near each other. Neither had managed a hit yet, but from what he'd observed earlier that wasn't uncommon in these battles. Sometimes it was a war of attrition, small cuts weakening a line until it snapped unexpectedly. Others, a single long, decisive cut ended the fight. It was beginning to look like their fight might be one of the latter ones, but it was still too early to tell which way the wind would blow.

The lionfish went low on the return attack and the shark dashed back, racing through the air as the mermanta rotated his hand in a slow, controlled motion that sent his kite skating swift and flat across the sky. Even so, he only barely dodged Noe's attack, and the edge of her kite nicked his line like a warning shot across the bow. "Hmm." If she wanted to go low, then he would go high, Hadama decided. He rolled his wrist back, bringing the shark swooping its return charge and then letting out a few feet of line as it leapt upwards, attempting to drag the glass-coated length of its string along Noe's in an upward slice.

Noe

Best believe I'm still bejeweled
When I walk in the room, I can still make the whole place shimmer

While difficult, Noe had to admit that kite fighting was fun. As her kite cut through the air towards Hadama's, the girl wondered if there were bets on the more advanced fighters. Surely there were gambling rings set up around this, just as there would be around fistfights or horse races. Not that she was particularly interested in participating in such a thing - she liked to spend her money on clothes and other such things, thank you very much. Still, it wouldn't hurt to check it out. Koa would like it, she decided. Maybe she could convince him to come and see sometime.

But right now was a time for concentration, and the girl scarcely noticed Hadama's changing expression as she focused on her lionfish. The merking's shark swooped high, and before Noe could react, the glass-coated length of string rubbed briefly along her own unprotected line. She just managed to pull her kite away; she could feel that something was different, that her string was compromised - but as she turned her kite back towards Hadama's, the line held, and the girl decided that she wouldn't go down without a fight.

With a whoop, she tilted her line back towards Hadama's shark, aiming to come in underneath again to slice through his line.

And when I meet the band, they ask, "Do you have a man?"
I can still say, "I don't remember"

Gambling rings there were, and plenty of private bets as well. This was Torchline, after all, and if profit could be made, it would be. No one was paying any attention to the two novice fighters, however, when the skilled professionals further down the beach were putting on a far more impressive display than the tentative game being played by the merman and the young woman at the intersection of sea and shore.

Tentative but enthusiastic as their kites dipped and soared, sometimes under control and sometimes... less so.

For instance, Hadama gave a brief nod of satisfaction when his line cut across Noe's, an oblique angle that wouldn't provide a decisive blow but might set up a successful attack later. He had miscalculated on his ability to dodge away, however, and it left his opponent's kite in excellent position to return the favor. Noe yelled, the lionfish charged, and the mermanta couldn't quite pull his string fast enough for the shark to evade. Noe's line sang and snagged against his own and he struggled to match her movements to prevent further damage to his own frayed string.

Giving up the chance to attack, he focused entirely on disengaging and dodging to put a little distance between them so he could re-evaluate and plan his next attack.

Noe

Best believe I'm still bejeweled
When I walk in the room, I can still make the whole place shimmer

Noe hadn't been sure, from the sidelines, what a kite battle would feel like, but whatever she'd imagined, she hadn't expected this level of adrenaline. As her kite swooped towards Hadama's, she felt almost giddy - it reminded her of her childhood snowball fights with Koa. It was a low-stakes game where she could simply have fun and not worry too much about the winner. Not, of course, that she wanted to lose.

So when the glass shards of her lionfish caught and snagged at Hadama's line, she grinned fiercely - a smile that faded quickly, as she lost control of her kite. In her attempt to chase Hadama across the sky, she'd accidentally let out too much line, and her kite had skipped above her opponent's, nearly tangling them together. She hastily retreated, trying to get her kite back under control.

And when I meet the band, they ask, "Do you have a man?"
I can still say, "I don't remember"

With so much difficult news and hard decisions lately, Hadama was also glad of the chance to find a few moments and do something that had no terrible stakes or consequences. Whether he won or lost, he was having fun, and even better this was a battle where no one would get hurt. He was doing his best to turn the winds in his favor - without resorting to his magic - but he was as new to the kites as Noe was, and in this contest neither his experience nor his strength could help.

His retreat was a near thing, but as he managed to guide his shark free of the lionfish's embrace he saw his chance. Noe was fighting an errant breeze, her kite wobbling, and Hadama's emerald eyes gleamed as he changed the direction of tension on his string, bringing the shark diving back into the fray.

It was a beautiful angle of attack, one kite coming up from beneath the other and sliding up the line, scraping glass-coated string over glass-coated string. If his line had been intact it would have undoubtedly been successful.

Unfortunately, as the frayed section of his line slid across Noe's the friction proved too much and the cotton fibers unraveled and snapped. The shark faltered as the tension on it suddenly released and then began to fall, diving towards the ocean below as Hadama was left holding a loose and empty line with a bemused look on his face.

"Ah. Congratulations, Noe," he offered to the young woman on her victory.

Noe

Best believe I'm still bejeweled
When I walk in the room, I can still make the whole place shimmer

Her kite wobbled and wiggled, and she saw Hadama's attack coming despite the fact that she could do nothing to stop it. Ah, well, that was life, sometimes, wasn't it? You win some, you lose some. But then the miraculous happened, and Hadama's kite came crashing down, almost as if in slow motion, to dive into the ocean below.

For the briefest of moments, Noe wanted to dance and whoop and gloat, like she would if it was her brother she'd been sparring against. But then she remembered where she was and who she was with, and she tempered her reaction to a gleeful grin. "That was so fun!" she gushed, guiding her still-flying kite through the sky. "I thought you had me there at the end." But on this particular day, the lionfish had won out, and she couldn't be more ecstatic. Just wait till she told Koa!

And when I meet the band, they ask, "Do you have a man?"
I can still say, "I don't remember"

Keen emerald eyes gleamed with silent humor as the Tidebreaker turned his full attention from his string back to Noe, as if suspecting her behavior to be subdued in the company of a King. Nevertheless, he gave her a partial bow from the water at her graciousness in victory. "Indeed. As did I. Your earlier attack made the difference." And perhaps there were lessons to be learned and gleaned from that, but this was neither the time nor place for lessons or lectures.

Instead he tilted his head up to watch the lionfish as it continued to fly its victory dance above them. The Flowerbirth wind was warm beneath the sun, though the crashing of the surf was unusually loud even for the time of year when the currents flowed with renewed vigor after Deepfrost's sluggishness. It took a portion of his concentration to wield his water manipulation and keep the surf around himself calm and steady in his tide pool. "How long will you stay?" he asked, curious as to her intentions. "You could become quite skilled with the kite fighting, with practice. You have a knack for it."

Noe

Best believe I'm still bejeweled
When I walk in the room, I can still make the whole place shimmer

She still couldn't believe she'd won. "Beginner's luck," she insisted almost shyly, grinning at the merking. It was the truth, after all. She'd had little experience with kites before, much less with fighting kites, and she'd been about to lose control of her lionfish when her victory had simply materialized. She began to reel in the kite, watching proudly as the beautiful creation fluttered in the wind.

"I'm not sure," she admitted as she pulled the kite closer. "I grew up in Stormbreak, but I'm supposed to meet a friend to go adventuring this season!" The kite came closer still. "Anywhere that's not Stormbreak is fine by me." What with Sohalia, and the weather, and her urge to explore. It was finally time for Noe to break free and go her own way.

And when I meet the band, they ask, "Do you have a man?"
I can still say, "I don't remember"

"Luck is also a powerful weapon," he agreed, but though his words were solemn his eyes were kind at her shy smile. He began winding his own string back around his hand, careful to protect his skin from the sharper segment towards the end. Later he would have to gather a clean-up crew to pick up all the dropped kites so they didn't cause harm to the denizens of sea and beach...

But for the moment he gave his attention to the young woman and her uncertain future, and he gave a small nod of understanding. "We have an Adventurer's Guild here," he said, almost casually. "If that would be of interest. And there is the Underwater City, as well, if you can swim." A manta crystal could be found for her. He had set his people to collect the ones that fell from cloud mantas that died of natural causes. "You are welcome to stay here as long as you'd like."

Noe

Best believe I'm still bejeweled
When I walk in the room, I can still make the whole place shimmer

Noe continued to reel in her string. Her lionfish floated closer and closer as she brought it down out of the sky. She wondered if it was possible to repair the string, to turn it into a normal kite. She was quite fond of it, now that she'd won with it, and she hoped that she could take it with her. Or, at least, store it somewhere to pick up before she did eventually go home.

"I heard about that!" she said of the Adventurer's Guild. "My friend Soleil is a member. She told me all about it." Noe herself wasn't sold on joining, if only because she had so little experience with adventure. She'd grown up in Stormbreak all her life, after all. But the Underwater City sounded interesting, and there were plenty of other things in Torchline to keep a teenage girl busy. "Thank you, King Hadama," she said respectfully. "Can I pay you back for the kite and the drink?"

And when I meet the band, they ask, "Do you have a man?"
I can still say, "I don't remember"

To the winner went the spoils. That included the kites that survived. By tradition, the fallen kites went to whomever touched them first when they fell. A master of the craft could tangle their string around that of a falling kite and reel it in, claiming both kites, but Hadama's had fallen in the water and since it was one of the cheap paper ones rather than the expensive silk constructions it was certainly beyond saving at this point.

"Soleil is an impressive young woman," Hadama agreed, pleasantly surprised that Noe knew of the wolf-girl as well. "I will give you both a tour of the Underwater city, if you wish." It could be more fun in a group, though being unable to communicate would pose an issue. An improvement he would like to take up with Safrin, though with the goddess's absence he found himself sobering. When Noe regained her respectful tone he inclined his head in equal courtesy, though her offer brought the warmth back to his eyes.

"Hmm. No," he decided after a moment's consideration, emerald eyes twinkling. "It is a king's right to give gifts to Torchline's friends. They do not need repayment."

Noe

Best believe I'm still bejeweled
When I walk in the room, I can still make the whole place shimmer

Pride filled her as the king spoke well of her best friend. Sol was indeed impressive, and Noe was glad that her reputation was everything she deserved. Not that Sol probably knew or cared. That the girl lived so beautifully, so unashamedly, without reservation was something that Noe admired greatly. Sol was simply... beloved. Everywhere she went, and everything she did, was perfect.

"A tour would be lovely," Noe said, interest sparking in her gaze. Though she supposed that communication would be an issue, she said nothing - it was a kind offer, if nothing else, and one that she was sure Sol would appreciate as well.

As for repayment, the king turned her down. She wasn't sure she should qualify as Torchline's friend - not that she held the region any ill will; in fact, she rather liked it here - but he was king and she was not, so she smiled. "Thank you, King Hadama," she said. And so the girl chatted with the king for a while more.

-FIN-

And when I meet the band, they ask, "Do you have a man?"
I can still say, "I don't remember"