Seriss Krahen
The sun was finally lighting the horizon, turning the edges of the surrounding clouds a burning gold and spilling light into her room and across the bed. Seriss preferred to rise after the sun, but the growing tension in the Sentinels’ Keep building up to their final tests made sleep a difficult thing to cling to. She was wide awake, despite her late night, and only the comfort warmth of her bed made her reluctant to get up. Seriss let out a resigned groan and stretched her stiff body.
She and her partner had trained most of the day before, flying the training course throughout the afternoon and into the early evening. She would have had them out there well into the night if they hadn’t been forced to retire due to some ‘surprise’ upgrades or something scheduled to be made to the course overnight.
With training concluding early she and had partner had separated to pursue solitary study. A couple of books and several leafs of paper sat beside a cold cup of teas on her bedside table. Her years in the Skyguard and access to their library had meant that Seriss hadn’t been without literary study, but she always preferred more hands-on-training. So her history studies often went neglected and she only ever bothered without a basic understanding of theory where something could be learnt through practical application. On the occasions when she did pick up a book it was usual for language study.
She’s grown up with Lorthusian languages, and had spoken Eirean with her mother, she’d learned the basics in some of the other kingdoms’ tongues mostly for the purpose of trade; and since joining the Skyguard she’d made some effort to extend that knowledge.
The floorboards were cold underfoot and Seriss willed a fire to life in the hearth as she crossed the room. She filled a shallow basin from a jug of water on table, and splashed her face and neck. The remaining water she took to the modest balcony and emptied on to a couple of potted herbs that she hadn’t yet killed. She did not have her mother’s gardening abilities to say the least.
Usually Seriss would go for a recreational flight in the morning, maybe hunt or at least harass some wildlife. But every sentinel and their vanguard– or at least, you know, two or three pairs – seemed to be about the skies this morning. Besides she still felt the pleasant pain of a hard day’s training from yesterday. Instead she decided she’d go down to one of the training rooms to loosen up and go through her one of her warm up patterns.
Seriss dressed in dark grey pants that came to mid-calf, and a sleeveless undershirt. Over this she wrapped a sleeveless burgundy tunic that fell to mid-thigh and was open at the front, held closed in place with a lash at her waist. Her Skyguard seal pinned onto the leather belt. She wrapped the body of her feet and her ankles with dark cloth, and put on leather wrist cuffs. Brushing her fingers through her hair, she dowsed the fire and headed out.
Kaeleb Balor
“Morning Asha.”
The young girl stumbled and Kael moved quickly to steady her and the large plate of food she was carrying out to the dining hall.
“Kaeleb!”
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you, pet,” he smiled brightly.
“I- I mean- you’re not meant to come into the kitchens,” the girl stammered.
“Well, technically, I’m not in the kitchens. I’m lurking in the hallway outside, looking handsome and startling sweet young girls.”
“And why is that?” Asha asked, frowning even as she blushed, knowing well enough to ignore the vanguard’s charms.
“I was looking for something sweet to eat before I start training this morning.”
Asdha’s eyes widened. “You- ”
Kael grinned, and plucked an apple of the tray she was bearing. “This will do nicely,” he bit into the fruit. The girl stared.
“You have a lovely morning, pet,” he cooed, giving her a wink, and sauntered of towards the training rooms with the pilfered apple.
…
Kael liked to eat before training in the mornings, it was important to get some sugar into your blood before doing any rigorous work. He finished the apple as he came into one of the combined training rooms. A small room of to the side house a small array of vanguard weapons, one wall opened into a landing platform for the sentinels. Kael unbuttoned his jerkin and slipped it off, laying it on a bench. He rolled up his shirt sleeves and loosened the strings at its neck, before selecting a sword from the wall. He tested its weight and gave it a swing, satisfied he turned to one of the training dummies. Mermin engineering, of course.
…
He practiced with the short swords, then the long. He switched to the achery targets and tossed a throwing axe with his usual fine skill, before deciding that he ought to work on his knife skills more. He confirmed again that he preferred the Lorthusian throwing knives to the Gal Nimese daggers. When the rising sun lit the room and he took a break to put out the braziers. Feeling warm, Kael pulled his shirt over his head and went to sit in the weapons room while he decided his next weapon. The long wooden spear was almost as tall as he was and part of its length was a sharp pointed steel head.
He returned to the main room but paused before the doorway. Seriss Krahen was on the mats practicing a form of Gal Nimese fighting stances. Each movement was slow, controlled, forceful yet fluid. Weight was shifted smoothly from one foot to the other as she concentrated on each form in the pattern. The calm discipline was a stark contrast to her usual disposition. He watched her a while, unnoticed and smirking.
Seriss Krahen
“I know you’re there,” Seriss called in an unamused voice as she continued with her pattern. She tried to remain focused on the rhythm of her breathing.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw him approach casually a spinning a spear around one hand. I’m just enjoying the view,” Balor replied innocently. Seriss growled. Finishing her pattern prematurely as he drew closer, she stood straight and smoothed her tunic.
“I see you’re wearing your lash for a change,” he commented, the corners of his mouth twisting up into a grin that was meant to rile her. She set her face for neutral disdain.
“We could be called to the Knight Masters at any time; I wear it for my partner’s convenience.”
“I’m sure he appreciates that.”
“He better.”
“My partner is late for training.”
“Probably hiding from your ugly mug. I pity her.”
“You wound me,” he said mockingly, placing a hand over his heart.
“You bore me,” she countered.
“Spar with me, little crow.” He spoke gently, his face softening.
Seriss arched an eyebrow sceptically, taking in his large shirtless, spear-wielding form. “Put a shirt shirt vanguard, and find someone else to play with. I’m getting some breakfast.” She turned to leave.
He reached for her, his hand closed around her wrist and she reacted. Her free hand went around his wrist as she twisted in his grip. She freed her hand and shoved her palm against his elbow, kicking into the meat of his back as his momentum brought him forward. She was satisfied when he gave a pained grunt and stumbled forward. Her smugness quickly vanished when he brought the wooden end of the spear swinging behind him as he went and smacked her on the back of the head with it.
Seriss dropped into a crouch, grabbing the back of her sore skull and shooting him a murderous glare. He turned, rubbing his sore elbow, “That all you got? Little crow.”
“Not by a long shot.” Seriss rose into a fighting stance, her eyes flashed briefly to the steel blade and then Balor’s easy smile. She’d wipe that grin off his face. She bared her teeth in something resembling a smile, “Come at me, scar face.”