Fire Emblem: Change of Heart

After the ordeal with Riesa and Caelia, Nichiu thought it best to just drop the whole thing and forget about it, but the whole march to the camp had her thinking about it, and the more she thought, the more steamed she was about it. Even after they had arrived and were allotted free time, the archer still found herself slightly irritated as she fletched extra arrows -- a past time apart from shooting that soothed her. Other than archery, she always loved a nice, cold drink, but she doubted there'd be any fun times at a pub any time soon.

Decidedly fed up with fleching, Nichiu moved onto practicing her archery with her full war-garb equipped; hard leather breastplate, chaps, and steel shoulderguards had been pricey, though she figured she'd make more within the progress of the war, and her own safety should come first. Setting a hay target some 50 yards away, the sniper drew her hair up in a long ponytail, removed any jewelry she had been wearing, picked up her towering bow, selected a newly-fletched arrow, and drew back. All the while, Ni rolled over the recent events.

"That fucking blackpot Riesa. Who does she think she is? Nichiu loosed her arrow and watched it billow towards the target. Without thinking, she readied another arrow. Threatening me. She doesn't even know me! Take away her tomes and grimoires, see how easy it is to fight. These perfectly toned arms weren't just for show. Again, she shot, and hit someplace on the body. And that little... chitterling. She didn't even thank me after she coulda got seriously hurt. Fuckin' pansies." By this time, Nichiu was somewhat riled up once again, as she let loose two more arrows in succession, and was readying a third before she heard the clang of metal behind her. Quickly, she whipped around with her arrow nock pressed back firmly within the bowstring, seeing it was nary a magic user, just the tall knight she had flicked within the castle previously.

The young woman lowered her large bow, sighing heavily and looking up at the armored man with a mock smile. "Well, if it ain't tall, dark, and... maybe handsome. If ya were trying ta sneak up on me, ya did a shitty job of it with all that armor on." She flicked her hair over her shoulder. "Unless you just wanted to talk to ol' Nichiu. What is it? Time to go out or what? I kinda wanted to see the arena if possible. What a godsdamned shame." The archer sighed a second time, though she welcomed the mysterious man as someone to talk to. She decided it wouldn't hurt to be a bit friendly. They would be traveling together for a while, as far as she could tell. "How are ye faring, tin man? Well, mehopes?"

-----

As soon as they had arrived at camp, Etel had decided to lay down and take an outdoor siesta with Soire, hoping to allow her some rest on her massive wings. He was awoken, however, not an hour later to the warmth of wyvern breath on his face. The young man opened his eyes to find a set of very sharp teeth in high numbers -- apparently his steed had not been tired. A few licks from the wyvern, and he was up. "Alright, alright..." Etel mumbled, placing a gentle hand on her snout and stumbling to a tired stand. "'m up."

Etel's 'day' at camp started with his weight training with Soire, followed by agility training, as well as just simply patrolling the camp, flying and circling around the skies. It wasn't a bad day for flying -- the winds were fair and the weather wasn't too cold -- and both rider and ridden both seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. After a time of flying, the two glided back down to earth, where Etel was prepared to give Soire the proper brushing and cleaning she deserved she she spotted the two swordsmen (he couldn't recall their names) seemingly sparring, or doing some sort of... bizarre war-dance around a sword within the ground. Try as he may, the young male couldn't possibly come close to hitting the sword. Was this some sort of weird game, or were they training? Almost hypnotized by their play, Etel sat atop of Soire silently, watching the two step their way around the blade.

Celin had been rather uncomfortable for most of the march to Ferrox. Despite sticking close to Kial and her charge, he had felt Elwood's murderous intent lying just beneath his reserved yet determined demeanor. Perhaps joining the Ylissean cause wasn't the best choice he could have made, but he had no plan to quit now. Having been ushered into a tent of his own, the Manakete settled himself on the provided cot and decided to use his time to meditate. Maybe he could clear his mind and hopefully block out the negative energies that arose from the other people in his platoon.

There were a few coughs after Riesa had released her grip. But once Caelia caught her breath and managed to pull herself up she immediately followed the older sorceress. Once she had gotten to the stables words could not describe how happy the pegasus rider had been. Florina was lucky enough to escape a fate of being served as pegasus-loin, despite the fact that she still had no idea if eating horses was part Ylissean culture.

Now that they've arrived at the camp and she had been given a quick tour and briefing of how things would work Caelia was allowed some free time until the strategic meeting. After finding a spot for Florina to be kept as she was the only one in camp who had a pegasus and thus the stables were unfit to accommodate Florina's wingspan, the young woman went directly toward Riesa's tent. "Riesa? You in here?" Caelia asked, poking her head into her older companion's tent, "You mind teaching me more about dark magic? Or you know, we could just have a chat~" The way she spoke, it was as if the incident with the sorceress almost choking her to death never happened. It was either that or the dark flier simply didn't care.

Elwood didn't even have time to watch Nichiu practicing some with her bow, as the heavy armour made the approach very easy to detect from far away. Bending the helmet head and raising the arm in salute, the knight greeted sniper companion.

-I was merely looking to have a chat with someone, maybe exchange points of views, and you quite honestly seemed the most...reasonable person in the company. Care for a walk? Or a ride too, I'm sure Equus can handle your weight, it's nothing compared to what she already carries all day.

At Elwood's request to just chat, Nichiu raised a single brow. Did he have some ulterior motive? In any case, a walk wouldn't hurt. She needed to retrieve her arrows anyhow, and she hadn't really explored the campsite all too much. The woman didn't return his salute, but at least gave him a smile. "Me...? Out of our cute little flock of sheepies, you think I'm the most reasonable?" she cried, pointing to herself, laughing at the comment. Nichiu then thought back on the rest of their company, and reconsidered what he had said. "Hm. You're not wrong, couldn't've picked someone better than the Dead-Eye herself." She smiled then -- she wasn't sure if it had been her comment, or she was just being nice.

At the knight's request of a ride on his horse, she immediately shook her head. "Do you think I can't walk on my own? Tryin' to go all soft on me 'cause I'm a laaady?" Nichiu cooed, ticking her head side to side mockingly. "I can take care of meself. I haven't ridden a horse or any kinda ridin'-thing, and I don't plan to start now." she scoffed, putting away her arrow back within the quiver, and her bow slung on her back.

Nichiu didn't wait for Elwood to take the lead, and instead steered off in the direction where her fired arrows were planted within the dummy. "I'm not for beatin' around the shrub, so what did ya want to... 'chat' about?" she drawled, seemingly bored. "Myself? You? Battle strategies? Nichiu paused for a second, delaying her step for a second before continuing as normal. "I ain't even know your name, Sir Jumpy." said she, using the nickname she had used for him back at in the castle.

"Didn't walk around and get the scoop on everyone while we were traveling. I actually don't give two shits about anyone here." The sniper shrugged. "Doesn't mean I never will, though. ... I'm Nichiu, from East Ferox, if you didn't find out already. Nice to meet you, I guess." The woman stopped at the hay-dummy, noting that she had successfully landed all four shots: One in the head, one piercing what would have been a left lung, one below the gut, and one near the knee. Nichiu smiled with confidence as she plucked the arrow from the hay-man's head. "Who are you, where ya from, what do ya do? ... Unless you want me ta call ya Sir Jumpy for the rest of the time I'm here. I don't give a fuck either way."

Mediation proved nigh impossible for the Manakete. Not because he was merely incapable of clearing his mind or blocking the energies, but because the air did not feel right for it. Still, he sat on the cot in his proper positioning for a good five minutes before giving up all hope; best not to beat a dead horse. "Oh well..." Shifting out of his seat, he placed his feet firmly on the ground and exited his tent. Perhaps he could find someone to talk to or something to do until the meeting with the Khan?

And as luck would have it, he was able. Though he could easily feel the presence of Elwood and Riesa none too far from him, he was able to ignore their natural energies. Kial and Charles were nearby and just the sight of their faces put Celin at ease. Their energies, while not overly positive, were calming. He was able to feel at least somewhat safe in their company, not threatened as he usually felt. And that made all the difference; after all, when one lived a life of fear and caution wouldn't the slightest relief be the most beautiful thing? Approaching them with a small smile, Celin placed himself a significant distance away, as they were in the middle of something, but he allowed for his presence to be made known.

"Hello Kial, Charles."

Kial

I'm not entirely sure where the Manakete ran off to. I'd have liked to keep an eye on him while I spar with Charles here, but he up and disappeared. Well, as long as he didn't get caught out by our friendly spear-wielding mercenary partner, then I suppose he'd be alright. Well, he should be alright anyway, considering he IS a dragon. Dragons are usually able to take care of themselves quite well, unless they get caught out in their harmless, human form. Then there might be a problem.

I sensed the presence of another, someone who is also in our group. I don't need to look around to see him. Whoever it was stopped short not too far away, but far enough not to set off my defensive reflexes. Charles wasn't getting any closer to the sword, even with me being so distracted by my surroundings. This boy wasn't even close to Sariska's level.

All at once, I brought myself into focus and quickly shifted my defensive stance into an offensive one to counter Charles' own. With three quick movements, I struck him to the ground, my arm pressed against his neck in a half-vicegrip. If I wanted to kill him, all I'd have to do is push a little.

"You're weak," I tell him, fully aware that he knows this. "You need to be more serious about fighting. Your hesitation and lax nature is going to be the death of you boy. One of these days, I won't be there to save your skin, and someone more skilled than I am is going to mop the floor with you."

Charles didn't respond, only looked away from me with those pitiful, hazel eyes of his. I sighed, resting my forehead on top of his, forcing him to look straight at my own eyes. "I know you can do better. If you aren't ready to kill me, then you won't reach your full potential."

"You and sister both. You keep talking about my 'potential.'" Charles responds, giving a sour tone when running over the word 'potential.' "Potential means nothing if I don't know how to use it."

"Nothing in life is easy unless you know how to use it," I retort, picking myself up. I grab him by his collar and force him to his feet. "And everything takes practice to learn. Well, almost everything. Some stuff you get through exercise and gaining control of your muscles. But you have control of your muscles. Use them."

Before Charles could say anything else, the Manakete showed up. What timing. He even greeted us properly. What a gentleman. Of course, I'd expect nothing less from a half-dragon over 800 years old. He must have learned proper etiquette at an early age.

"Greetings, Celin," I respond, "I was just thinking about you. Might you have any words of wisdom for my young apprentice here?"

Elwood merely got off Equus and let the good companion graze a little. It just seemed wrong talking from atop a horse to someone who was on foot. The knight followed Nichiu, smiling a little at her comments, not that she could see it through the closed helm.

-You can bet I am the last person on the world who could go soft on a woman for being a woman. You should try a horse some day, though. They can be really good companions.

Before Elwood could pull a subject as she had asked, she jumped to introductions. That was a very energetic one. Not the kind you would expect on the army.

-Oh, that. I, uh, took the liberty of gathering some intel on the team, so I was guessing everyone had done the same, but introductions are polite, I guess. You can call me Elwood. Everyone just calls me Elwood, or at most Al', from my first name. I am a Great Knight from East Ferrox, and used to bear the title of Commander, before coming here as a sellsword. My mare is called Equus, and she served with me her whole life. We have been soldiers for ever.

Elwood wasn't exactly sure how to proceed with casual civil introductions. The Knight extended the hand, then took it back, started a wave but gave back on the middle of the way. Then just rubbed the back of the helm, confused.

-Anyways, I was thinking about our companions. I was worried that we might be somewhat problematic, and really wanted a second opinion on that. I'm used to the actual army, so I can't know how common this whole chaos is with mercenaries.

"A few, I suppose." Celin responded easily, offering a small smile that was more to ease the slight tension in the air. "Although, I'm fairly certain anyone could benefit from my advice." he added quietly, glancing at Kial for but a moment before focusing on Charles. He had witnessed their little 'sparring session,' and while he could not comment on what was gained from the exercise, having no experience and all, he knew that the younger pupil could use a word or two on attitude. "What Kial says is true, everything means nothing if one is without the knowledge to utilize it. However, what she fails to mention is that knowledge is only a small part of the battle." Celin glanced at Kial once more for a second, almost getting permission to continue before he did. "Only those with the best viewpoints on life may succeed in anything. Most everyone, even myself, would do well in remembering that. After all, no one else will think positive for you–no one has the time to focus on something so vastly important for another."

At Elwood's second suggestion of riding a horse, Nichiu simply replied with a gruff, "No", and that was the end of that topic, before she began spewing off other subjects. At his noting of the politeness of introductions and his awkward hand movements, the sniper couldn't help but burst into a loud, bemused laugh. "'Polite', he says! She plucked an arrow from the hay body and made a 'shooing' motion with her occupied hand. "Put that hand away before you hurt yourself."

"But it's nice to have a fellow Feroxian here. I can always trust an Eastern Feroxi." With all of her arrows tucked away once more, she turned back to face Elwood, looking up at what would be his face. "If ya were a commander in the Feroxi army, why come to serve Ylisse as a mercenary?" She waited for him to answer before continuing. Perhaps he was a spy? Or not even Feroxi. Being so suspicious of everyone somewhat troubled Nichiu.

"Right." she drawled, glancing toward the tents of the camp. "Our little bastard crew you call "commerades". Nichiu pinched the tip of her sheep horns, a gesture she did when she was in thought. "I haven't talked to no one, but I do have me opinions. That Blackpot and Chitlin especially piss me off." she huffed, balling her other hand in a fist before relaxing and continuing. Everyone else is 'bout neutral. They all looked capable enough to me to throw down in'a fight. It'd prolly be good to get on their good sides, but I ain't one for kissin' asses. I can chat them up later if I feel like it. What do ya think about 'em?"

It didn't take long for the flap of the tent to waver allowing a woman to step inside who happened to be none other than Caelia--as expected. As such, Riesa's expression remained indifferent to her protege's appearance in her tent. Requests to teach the girl dark magic--they were not uncommon, but it was a shame that she didn't even possess a dark tome of her own. Riesa always had to lend her Flux when practicing assault magic. Other useful hexes and curses were a bit easier to teach. But the sorceress wasn't much in the mood to play the role of professor. She spotted the bruises on Caelia's neck from where she had gripped it so tightly. She felt her skin growing a bit hot, feelings of arousal slowly and agonizingly flowing through her body, but she suppressed them and didn't let the hunger show in her eyes. Instead, she decided to quaintly deal with Caelia...as if the girl were a mere plaything. She was used to it anyway.

"Should I choose the latter, what is it that you'd want to chat about?" Riesa mused, placing a hand to her chin in thought, though her eyes remained rather stoic and rested right upon Caelia's as if boring into her. They had spent at least a decent amount of time together when fleeing Plegia and winding up in Ylisse, but conversations weren't exactly a commonality during that time. They had their backs to watch, not to mention Riesa somewhat resented Caelia for the secret she discovered...no. The sorceress wasn't to be thinking about that again should the feelings of overwhelming malice wish to rise with her once more like bile. For now, it was possible for indulging in conversation. In truth, Riesa knew that Caelia would prefer the former choice, for she endeavored to greatly to learn the dark arts, yet failed so miserably time and time again. Teaching her only to wind up with disappointment was becoming quite taxing on Riesa's complexion, and that was something she desired to keep.

"So what's it going to be, hm?" Riesa arose suddenly, and in a few elegant steps was already upon the dark flier, placing a deceivingly gentle hand upon her shoulder, gazing into the girl's eyes. "What lovely topic would we chat about?"

Noticing that Riesa's eyes were so intently fixed on her Caelia slowly raised her hand to cover her neck. Knowing Riesa there was a good chance that was where she had been staring at, and the dark flier didn't quite enjoy the idea of being choked again. Though she was a slight bit fearful of her mentor the smile on her face didn't fade. It was a genuinely happy smile too, one that made people wonder how a girl like Caelia could stand being around someone so dark.

Caelia's bright expression faltered for a moment when Riesa chose to chat rather than teach her. It was understandable why she didn't want to bother. They had gone through countless lessons before and each of them had ended with absolutely no signs of improvement on the dark flier's part. Even Caelia herself had started to wonder if she possessed the talent or even the ability to utilize the dark arts. However the smile returned almost immediately. It was still nice that Riesa chose to chat since spending some quality time with her wasn't bad either. The pair didn't have many friendly chats with each other, even back when they had traveled with only the two of them.

When Riesa placed a hand on her shoulder Caelia tilted her head to take a glance, then quickly looked back up to the older mage. She did not, however, remove her hand from in front of her neck. "Oh you know, anything really. I mean we don't get to talk like this much." Caelia responded cheerily, "So what do you think about the others we're going to be working with? We'll probably be stuck with them for a while right?"

Riesa could clearly feel the unsettling worries flooding Caelia's mind no matter how much of a brave front she put on with that cheerful smile of hers. The hand the girl had on her neck was all she needed to know that she belonged to the sorceress. "The others, hm? Interesting topic," Riesa sighed, taking the hand she had placed so tenderly on Caelia's shoulder and instead moving it to the hand that covered Caelia's neck. Oh how she wanted to see the bruises once more. To think that she could have crushed the dark flier's windpipe with just a slightly more powerful grip--it was beautiful. "Cannon fodder. That is what they are. Sacrificial lambs if there ever were some," she explained lightly as if it weren't a big deal. "They each have their places to die, but the difference between them and myself is that I do not die. The darkness won't be having...any of that," she ended with a breathy whisper, prying Caelia's hand away from her neck, taking in the sight of the bruises.

"But...as doomed to die as they are, they might be interesting. I haven't had the chance to idly chat with them, not that I'm particularly inclined to do so," Riesa stated, eyes glued to the purple, finger-shaped bruises on Caelia's neck--a direct result of her vicious grasp. The sorceress raised her other hand and gently caressed the bruises with the backs of her fingers, her skin cold against Caelia's warmer neck. "And what might Caelia think of them, hm? Have you had the chance to talk to any of them?" The sorceress asked the question but it was clear that she was distracted, her fingers still gliding smoothly over the skin of Caelia's neck, her head tilted slightly and eyes half-lidded, a sinisterly pleasured gleam within the ominous violet.

Well, she kind of got to the point, didn't she? Elwood tightened te hands, in a mix of conflicting feelings.

-It's complicated. As a commander, you have your place, but your actual sword is not of much use. As much as I like leading, I was getting to the point where you just sit behind a table and place orders. Add to that that I am coming from a recently, barely recovered wound, and I wouldn't be seeing much action from inside the army. In this position, I can make a bigger difference.

And still, Elwood felt no peace. Leaving rank behind, entrusting the troops to another officer. Was it really true the that Wyrmslayer would do more good in a mercenary band than behind the lines directing orders? Was the Great Knight all that mighty? Or was it just fear? Fear of staying back and watching, like all expected was the knight's place. Was it just to prove again and again that Elwood could vanguard just as well as any of the other soldier? Could it be that much selfishness? It's hard for one to judge oneself.

-I worry. Mostly, about the dark mages. I don't trust them, period. They are the biggest problem. But I also feel we have too many dragons...

Nichiu listened intently to the knight's explanation, biting on a thumbnail, and finally nodding at the end of his monologue. "Ya bring up a good point, El. But if ya still hurt from ya wound, why come out? It'll only get worse, and when it does, what kinda place will you be in then?" She shrugged, not caring if her words seemed cold. "Though giving up ya comfy spot to fight on the frontlines instead of command is somethin' I can respect. Ya got balls, I'll give ya that." she said, crossing her arms and giving Elwood a curt nod of approval.

"Your reason to join is more honorable than mines. I just wanted to earn some quick gold and have some fun." Nichiu's bored expression turned to one more sour. "I'mma civilian. A shepard. I tend sheep everyday. Boring as shit, lemme tell ya. Nothing to do on my plain but practice archery, watch sheep eat grass, and sleep. That kind of piss dull life ain't for me." Her eyes sparkled as she grinned out towards the landscape, her teeth shining in a wolf-like smile.

Tired of standing around, Nichiu craned her neck to glance at the Great Knight, and slowly began to make her way towards the place where Elwood had placed his steed. "Worry too much and ya might stroke out. The war is enough stress for everyone involved, bet." Nichiu said, twirling an arrow between her fingers idly. "But that's what I said too! Blackpot and Chitlin. Those magic users." she scoffed, obvious annoyance plastered on her face. "Think they're so fuckin' great with their dark magic and hexes... I'd shit on those bookworms with arrows."

To calm her building rage, the sniper let loose a long sigh. "I'd just stay away from 'em afore they try to curse ya for lookin' at em wrong. But what's your deal with dragons? That Manakete? There's only one on the team, and he looks like a child, for Gods sake. You guys know each other? Got some beef?" Nichiu was by no means shy, and had no knowledge of the meaning of "privacy". If she wanted to know something, by hell, she'd ask it. There was definitely something going on with Elwood and dragons; guess he has some sort of phobia, though Nichiu had never seen an actual dragon in her life.

Riesa's relatively soothing tone of voice didn't help Caelia feel any less tense, especially not when her hand moved over to the hand she used to cover her neck. Her response was something Caelia sort of expected. Riesa viewed their allies as "sacrificial lambs" and would leave them to die if the situation demanded it. The dark flier did not doubt one bit that her mentor would leave their allies to their fates without a second thought. It reminded her of something that happened a while ago and how fortunate it was for her to be able to travel Riesa, even though Caelia was fully aware of the dangers of delving into the dark arts and just being around the sorceress.

The younger pegasus rider nearly froze when Riesa moved away the hand covering her neck and ran her fingers across. She felt her throat tighten and her breathing became shallow, as if she was already being choked even though the sorceress had not yet done anything. But Caelia was now alone with Riesa so nobody would be able to intervene if the sorceress decided to take her life now. "I-I don't know. I haven't talked to them either..." Caelia managed to say, "I was thinking about talking to some of them later..." The dark flier wanted to say more but she couldn't make out any more words. She could only stare at the sorceress with an expression that could not be described as anything besides sheer, abject terror, a feeling that Caelia did not remember experiencing until now.

Elwood just almost smiled at the first of Nichiu's answers.

-I've just been resting for way too long. It wouldn't feel right to stay out. Also, I believe I can take it, the wound itself is closed, the arrowhead just never came out. I'm just not sure I'd use the word balls...

The archer girl sure was outgoing, what was great, since Elwood was really terrible once the situation got personal.

-I will not judge you, some very good soldiers came from the pastures and farms. Just keep in mind an actual battle field is much more terrible than a shooting range. Death does not have a pleasant scent.

And then, she asked about dragons. That was a delicate subject. The knight sighed deeply.

-All manakete are cute and small, it's just a way to appear little menacing. You will have a chance to see the real form, though. Dragons are feral beasts, good for nothing but crushing bones and rending flesh. I have a hard time believing they see allies as anything other than postponed meals. - just like that, Elwood was angry again, what was fortunately hidden by the great armor - Also, we have a wyvern rider in our group. The guy from plegia. Wyverns are dragons too, only tame. At least as tame as a dragon can be.

They were finally by Equus. Elwood let the weight lean against the loyal equine companion.

-Ok, maybe I do have some prejudice. I have...a bad history with dragons. I can't trust them, regardless. I'm really not confortable with those two around, and will be sure to keep my trusty sword close by at all times. It is my only guarantee against those beasts.

Riesa gazed right into Caelia's face, reading the nervousness as simply as reading the words off the page of a book. This pleased her so much, but the words spilling out of the girl's mouth were boring. So this conversation topic was a dud, so perhaps it was time to teach her some dark arts. She wasn't all there and Riesa would not accept failure. Caelia would be a successful dark magic user by any means, and Riesa definitely had those means. Suddenly seizing Caelia by the waist with her hands, Riesa leaned in and breathed softly on Caelia's neck before planting her cold lips upon it--it may as well have been a kiss from Death himself. Drawing back, Riesa released Caelia and sauntered to the opening of the tent, waving a hand. "Come, protege, we'll work on some dark magic. Perhaps it will give you something interesting to talk about when chatting it up with the commoners." That said in such a snide fashion, Riesa departed the tent expecting Caelia to follow.

The air outside was rather crisp--refreshing really. It didn't bother Riesa at all; she was always cold. It had been that way for as long as the sorceress could remember. She wondered if anyone felt what she did--being so far gone that the darkness had permanently drained all the warmth from their bodies and all the compassion from their souls. A flash of what may have looked like longing appeared on her face as she gazed up into the overcast sky. Best to leave troubling thoughts in the dust and stomp upon them. Quash the life out of them before their prime, the sorceress thought to herself, quickly regaining her composure as she turned to face the tent she was staying in, expecting her protege at any moment. Thoughts of what to teach this girl and how tumbled through her mind. She had already given lessons to Caelia, but she doubted the dark flier's understanding of the fundamentals, and with that, Riesa figured that she had her lesson plan for the day, not that it mattered. Knowing Caelia, she would probably fail miserably.

At least it was something to do until the meeting.

Nichiu snorted at his reply. "Damn straight ya better not judge me. Else you'll be pluckin' my arrows from ya arse." She huffed through her nose, nostrils flaring. Then, when she had asked about the dragons, the sniper noticed an immediate change in his demeanor. Though she couldn't see his face, she could tell the whole 'dragons' topic wasn't one Elwood liked. He must really, really hate dragons.

Nevertheless, Nichiu frowned as his skepticism. "Methinks you're too scared of dragons. They're prolly scary, but wyverns?" The woman looked around the camp, swearing she saw a boy and a wyvern somewhere before, but demi-dragon and rider were no where to be seen. "Come on, El. Wyvern's aren't that bad, and sorry for bein' reasonable, but ain't it the rider behind the steed that counts? Never had a critter companion to ride meself, but it should be somethin' like that, right?"

Nichiu took her bow from her back an arrow from the quiver once again, moving away from Elwood and his horse to give herself enough room. Even if she didn't need much, she didn't want to hit anyone, not like it would matter with either armored man and steed. "Have ya taken a chat with either one of 'em? That wyvern boy seems kinda like a wimp ta me, doncha think?" Nichiu drew back and let loose her large bow, where it appeared to hit the dummy in the chest. She said nothing else, and instead drew another arrow.

Charles Eternal

Their logic followed and had no errors. I understood this much. I also understood what they were saying; however, that is not the kind of person I am. I am a thinker and a philosopher. I am a psychologist and an artist. I am not a positive thinker, I am a realist with a firm belief in existentialism. A sword is a sword. Having the knowledge to use it and having the physical skill to use it are both important in mastering the blade. Saying anything further of it would be absurd. The physiological condition is affected by the psychological condition, and vice-verse.

Celin's belief that having positive thoughts will improve one's performance has some merit in terms of psychology, that much is true. The mood affects the behavior affects the ability. That sort of thing. But with me, it is a completely different story. My problem is that I lack physical experience, which is why I'm working as a mercenary in the first place.

Still, I shouldn't be rude, and I shouldn't bore anyone with philosophy. Kial would kick my ass if I even hinted at starting with my musings. "Your advice is appreciated," I say to Celin, hoping that he doesn't continue with it. It's not that I don't like the guy, I do, it's just not what I needed.

"I suppose we can stop your training for today," Kial finally says, after a long pause. She grabs my sword and sheaths it. "You're not getting this back though."

"What happens if we run across an enemy? Or get ambushed?" I retort, seriously thinking of those as possibilities.

"Then kill them before they realize that my apprentice is one hell of a fighter," Kial shoots back, sharpening her eyes at me. "You've got a hell of a lot of endurance. For what you lack in experience, anyway." That was the best compliment I've ever received from Kial. I'll take it and keep my mouth shut.

Yeah, she was being reasonable, while Elwood wasn't. That was the worst, the knight was perfectly aware of the lack of logic in that behaviour, but still could not apply that logic to alter the opinions of self. The grief was still too fresh, even after all these years.

The Great Knight chose to keep silent in that matter, as there was no reasonable answer that could come. The arrow flew and drove into the dummy, under the gaze of the knight. There was something very appealing about the flight of an arrow. Something poetical, even. Elwood had heard something about it once, but couldn't bring up what it was.

-The boy himself doesn't look bad, though terribly fresh. I would not worry. War has a tendency to bring out the hardest material that makes one up, and cut down any who is soft to the core. I was thinking about the pair of swordsmen. The boy seems promissing, though he lacks confidence. The master, on the other hand, shows power and confidence, but maybe a little too much confidence for her own good.

Caelia let out a quiet yelp when the sorceress suddenly took her by her waist. The kiss that quickly followed sent shivers down the girl's spine, and it was only partially due to the coldness of Riesa's lips. The dark flier's expression however, lit up when the sorceress mentioned a dark magic lesson, which the younger girl wanted more than just a simple chat. Despite the fact that she seemed to have no natural talent with such things Caelia was definitely still eager to learn. She wasn't one to let her countless failures get herself down even when she failed to even progress a little into the world of the dark arts. She was the type of person to get back after falling time after time after time without even taking a single step toward the finish line. "Ah yes! I'm coming!" Caelia shouted when Riesa left the tent, quickly following her out, "What will you teach me today?"

Nichiu let her arrows fly in quick succession towards the hay dummy. ...Two... Three... Four... Five arrows later, she decided that was enough practice. If only she had a moving target instead, things would have been a lot more challenging, and a lot more fun. As she decided that this was enough for today, she unstrung her bowstring and lay it in a pocket on her thigh; her bow was hooked onto her back. She'd go to fetch them after her chat with Elwood.

"My, you learned all that by gathering information and watching them? Color me impressed, big man." she purred rather sarcastically. Though she did agree with his opinions. "I think the two swordsmen can handle themselves. They look powerful. Though, if that lady swings her sword around too carelessly, gets too cocky..." She shrugged. "Her fault. It'd be nice if there weren't no bad hurtsies or deaths, but that's wishful thinkin', eh?""

"Just don't go near wyvern or dragon in-battle, and you'll be fine. In fact, why not stick with me?" Nichiu untied her hair from her restraints, happy that it was in it's regular down, fluffy style. "You won't find a better bowswoman in all of Ferox, and you have my trust. You can bet your arse I'll have your back in our first battle together. Say no if ya want, but I know we'll meet on the war grounds together sometime." The woman offered up her forearm in a sort of 'handshake', without another arm intertwined with hers. Nichiu looked up expectantly at Elwood, her eyes urging him to make agreements. "Partners?"

That conversation was leaving Elwood more and more into a mix of amusement and frustration. Well, it's the knight always brought onto self, isn't it? But on can't be blamed, not in that position.

A smile flashed unseen under the helmet, and the Great Knight extended the armored hand, shaking the shorter woman's hand with a surprisingly soft grip.

-Consider me your shield, I guarantee you will find none better. I believe we should be heading for our meeting with the Khan. Time is running.

Noise. Why was this place so noisy today? The campsite was usually a bit full of hustle and bustle, but it was a little more hectic than usual now. Selina peered through the trees into the campsite, watching in silence. From her current view she only caught a glimpse of shapes unlike those mindless drones called military men. Her eyes narrowed to see them better, but they had moved further within before she could see them well. Travelers; they had to be travelers. Or not. Travelers didn't normally visit a military base, let alone were travelers let in, not in big mobs anyway.

A sudden shadow running through the sky made Selina jump and crouch down further into the shadows of the trees. When she looked up she caught a glimpse of a winged creature in the air, but it was hard to tell exactly what from her current position. Curiosity got the better of her and she rushed at one of the trees, grabbed a low hanging branch and launched herself up into the aerial part of the forest. The wind of the jump momentarily pushed her hair from her face before the sudden stop, when she landed on a thick branch, made it flash forward once more. Short strands of hair whisked about her face before settling down again as she begun to climb the branches to a higher view.

Selina climbed until she was high enough to see nearly the entire campsite through the thick leaves that shielded her from the view of others. She made it up in time to see the flying beast land within the camp and blinked. A wyvern? She peered closer, staring at it a moment before seeing someone move from it's back. And a rider it seemed. "Huh..." she huffed in amusement. She'd never seen a wyvern, let alone a tamed one, before. Most of them would eat people on sight, but she'd only ever heard traveler's stories of their breeding grounds and no matter whose breeding grounds they are, if you get too close you're guaranteed to be chased away or killed. Thankfully she'd never had to cross their grounds before; but she was a bit interested there there even was one here.

Her attention was drawn away from the wyvern and rider as she saw two people seemingly dancing around a stick. She tilted her head slightly. Was this some strange ritual? Did the military think there were ghosts here, or something, and believe they needed the place to be exercised of them? Selina knew the military was a strange mixture of people, but she didn't they'd be that weird. Her head tilt provided her with a glint from the 'stick' that corrected that thought. The little 'dance' was soon thrown to a halt. Almost quite literally. She smirked slightly in amusement when the man was forced into the ground and the woman became the obvious victor. "Girls rule boys drool." she snickered from her high perch.

She kept watching the small group and saw a small boy approach the two who'd been sparring. He seemed rather young to be with the group. Especially within a military camp. She pursed her lips in thought only to blink when she saw something shine near his hip. She couldn't make out from her current spot what it was that had shone that moment, but it wasn't a shine like a belt buckle or else it would have been up front rather than from the side. She made a mental note to investigate that later.

Her attention was once more taken somewhere else as she saw things shooting across a distance. Her eyes fixed on a woman shooting what appeared to be a straw dummy. The poor thing never stood a chance honestly. It looked like her shooting was slightly disarrayed, but when you look closer you see she was hitting some pretty vital spots. "A hunter?" she pondered to herself but then shook her head. The girl dressed strangely and in woodland colored clothes, but she didn't get the vibe of a natural hunter from her; though her tension on the bow and aggressive shots made her wonder if she was wrong about that. What appeared to be a tin man and with a steed approached the woman. She couldn't tell if the man was talking except when he would move his hands or arms. If she didn't know better he would appear to be a close and personal walking silent stalker as he followed the girl around. "Awww, is someone flirting on the job?" she snickered sarcastically. Mr. Tin man appeared to be the only one who was dressed in obvious major armor like most militants.

As the girl continued to shoot in between chatter, Selina's amusement only grew. The man obviously wasn't backing off even with the girls aggressive shots. "Don't try too hard, it won't end well buster..." She sat down on the branch as she watched the two, only to soon see the woman finish her arrows and hold an arm out. As they shook hands Selina rolled her eyes a bit. "Looks like you might have lucked out lover boy..." she mocked. She had nothing of interest toward him. All he was, was a hulking mass of metal. She'd hear him coming a mile away for crying out loud. Sure he might have coins, but she was more interested in trinkets and gems.

The rest of the crowd that looked a bit displaced among the group of stationed militants held some interest for her, but none were doing anything yet that actually drew her interest. Everyone seemed to be stuck in idle chatter now. Boring. Selina let her eyes continue to scan the newcomers taking in little mental notes of who has what and who appears to be stationed where for later tonight. Right now, they seemed a bit too active for her liking to try any funny business yet. Travelers, militants, mercenaries... it didn't matter what they were; they were in her territory and they had things she wanted. Things she was going to get.