WESSEX
Of all the things Melita could have told her about, Wessex is slightly disappointed to hear those things come out of her mouth. But that is on the trainer, not the trainee. The trainer should have specified, should have asked what was behind the clench of her jaw and the determination in the crinkles of her forehead. Next time she will, but for now, the Ascended simply nods, allows the strike to land, and notes it all with a slightly curious, but otherwise relatively impassive face. She wonders how the girl’s legs feel; Wessex will never again feel serious pain (or pleasure, but there must be some casualties), but she remembers well how muscles can begin to burn - and she has no desire to hobble Melita after their first session. It is not an underestimation of her abilities, simply a practicality. Life in Caido is hard, she must be able to do her daily work - whatever that is - as well.
A couple more moments pass in which Wessex remains in the wide stance, staff stretched out before her, before she straightens her legs and gestures for Melita to do the same. A warm breeze blows through the trees, ruffling spring leaves and sending the fire-shadows dancing across her face. Mortal her would have loved nights like tonight. Ascended her still might love them, to be honest. But back to the task at hand: “And this? Try and copy my moves,” she says, casually spinning the staff in front of her.
It starts horizontally as she moves it in a circle with one hand, then catching the wood as it turns vertical and letting go with the first hand. Wessex keeps the movements fairly slow for a couple of heartbeats before speeding it up. Then, she stops the spinning with a quick redirection, using the momentum of the stick to carry it in a wide circle across her chest, her right hand pushing it towards her left shoulder, above her head, and then up and to the right again. There, a quick flick of her wrist sends it into another spiral before she finally directs the staff behind her back, where she turns it back to a vertical position and passes it into her left hand, where it finally it still.
Luckily for Melita, the point isn’t to get the sequence right on the first try.
No, I’ll be the stone
I’ll be the hunter, a tower that casts the shade
I lie awake and watch it all
I’ll be the hunter, a tower that casts the shade
I lie awake and watch it all
