Blades and Strawberries
Log Info
- Title: Blades, Fire and Strawberries
- Place: A12: Memorial Gardens District
- Summary: Aelwyn finds Lucius sharpening a greatsword deep in thought, with a mysterious paper bag besides him. The discussion from tradition quickly turns into glaives and Lucius' desire to learn to wield one - and Aelwyn demonstrates his unorthodox way of training to Lucius' dismay. Yet both agree to train each other in exchange - a deal which is celebrated by enjoying a collection of ripe strawberries from the mysterious paperbag.
As spring wraps the city of Alexandria in its floral embrace, the Memorial Gardens bloom with renewed life. The flowers vie amongst each other for the passerby's attention, each seeking to outdo the next in beauty and fragrance. Overhead, squirrels scamper among the branches, returning to their adventurous ways after a winter of dormancy. A light breeze carries the intermittent chorus of birdsong.
Luke sits on a wooden bench beside the trees and mana lamps lining the elegantly paved walkways of the gardens, hunched over a fine steel greatsword resting across his legs. With long and methodical strokes, he rasps a sharpening stone across the length of the blade. His cloak is piled on the bench beside him. On his other side lies an untouched paper bag, the top rolled down to protect its contents. He stares blankly at the sword, humming thoughtfully, his eyes appearing unfocused.
The human on the bench was approached by a familiar, ruddy looking sith-makar. With a rolling gait and his ribboned glaive holding his way, he slowly navigates the greenery and the few pockets of people to stop in front of Lucius.
"Rider should be careful, lest he sharpen something he did not intend to." Aelwyn rumbles with an amused flick of his tail. He leans his weight on the other foot; his tarp like cloak has been left away, leaving him basking in the warmth of the sunshine. "That is quite the sword." His orange eyes peer at the human and he slowly tilts his head. "Yet one's eyes do not seem to follow its edge, but something else."
Lucius starts at the sound of a familiar greeting as his eyes snap back into focus. "Morning, Aelwyn. Enjoying the gardens in this fine weather as well?" He looks down at the greatsword in his lap. "Thank you. This is my father's make, impeccable as always." The cloak he flings almost carelessly over the top of the bag, making space on the bench and gesturing for Aelwyn to have a seat if desired. The crinkling of the paper bag appears to startle him again, as if its presence had been forgotten.
"You're very perceptive. This sword is mostly ceremonial in nature, and we use it in battle only as a last resort. My sharpening it is more an exercise in meditation than in actual preparation." Lucius lifts the hilt and tilts the blade. "To be honest, this one is rather plain. On the other hand, it suits my needs very well. There's little occasion to display a fancy greatsword here in Alexandria. The local customs are a little different from those of my homeland."
Aelwyn's lips curl away from his sharp teeth. "If nothing else." As the cloak is flung over, he tilts his head towards the other side, taking a momentary consideration - he did eye that bag for a moment. "This one is not deeply familiar with many customs, but most cities do carry their own." Slowly, he takes another of his rolling steps forwards.
But instead of sitting down, the ruddy sith-makar leans in front of Lucius instead. "Should this one ask what is the ceremony Rider is preparing for?" His tail sways behind him - but carrying its momentum, he smoothly turns around to sit besides Lucius. "The sun alone after such cold season past should not drive a mind into such contemplative depths." He balances his glaive near him, before he stretches out his legs and leans back. "Then again, it is a fine sword to polish." A flash of teeth again.
Lucius nods slowly. "The Myrrish can be rather fond of their ceremonies. The blade is a symbol of tradition and its tenets by extension. Loyalty, service, and so on. At a formal inspection, for example, I'd stand like this." He grasps the hilt with both hands and raises it to his chest, his arms forming a horizontal line perpendicular to the vertical blade. Lucius glances skyward to check the tip of the greatsword for alignment before turning to Aelwyn. "The greatsword is to be stationary. Even the slightest quiver would be considered a failure. It took months before I learned to do this properly." He lowers the blade back into his lap. "And when cavaliers are knighted, it's done with a greatsword." He quickly taps his right shoulder, then his left. "It wouldn't look anywhere as good if performed with a lance, after all."
Again he evades Aelwyn's implicit query, this time with a blithe smile. "Oh, I'm curious if your glaive carries a similar significance. You've taught me about how potent this weapon can be in combat, but I imagine it could be just as impressive in ceremonial uses, or in circumstances that call for displays of martial prowess."
The ruddy sith-makar leans forward and looks at Lucius pose with the weapon like that - he could not help but to lean forward slightly to get a better look. The unbridled excitement briefly flashes over his features - before he catches himself and leans away once more. The draconian twists his lips for a moment. "This one had no idea the cavaliers were such performers." He rumbles, giving Lucius' back a tap with his tailend. "All that hard work, to pose with such grace."
As far as the other question, the Dragoon was surprised - but then slowly he relaxes into an amused rumble. "Yes, it is. This one has held one since a hatchling." He leans over and grabs the polearm in question, offering it to Lucius for inspection. It was quite finely crafted weapon - but all the embellishments did not seem to fit the make of the rest of the weapon. The red ribbons were faded, some stained, but there were plenty wrapped anew. "A sword such as Rider's would not serve this one, for this one dances with fire. And fire would simply strangle someone who stays still."
Finally, with his lips shying away from his teeth. "And as a Dragoon, this one cannot stand still, but to soar."
"Thanks." Luke's eyes widen as he receives the polearm with both hands. His gaze follows the weapon from its long shaft up toward the tip of its blade, lingering for a moment on the flowing red ribbons. He touches one hand to a ribbon, rubbing it between his fingertips, before returning the glaive to Aelwyn. "Indeed it is an extraordinary weapon. I would wield one myself, if only I knew how."
"And yes, I remember well your dance that you showed me a few weeks ago at the Colosseum. Is that," his voice falters, but quickly recovers, "is that how you train, with fire? Or perhaps you meant fire merely in a metaphorical sense." Lucius wears an uneasy grin, staring at the ribbons on Aelwyn's glaive.
It would have been easy for Lucius to tell the glaive was fresh and did not carry much history. It was finely balanced weapon though, hefty and the blade seemed to gleam in the sun, even if a bit dull. Aelwyn watches from the side as his weapon is examined, unable but to bear some pride, as he bows his head. "Gratitude -" Then there's a bit of a pause, as the ruddy sith-makar tilts his head to look towards Luke.
Clicking his tongue quietly, the sith-makar then quietly reaches down onto the satchel by his behind. Grasping the polearm and holding it in front of Lucius, he slowly slides his hand along its heft towards the tip - before there is a quiet crack and flames burst from under his palm, leaving small flames licking across the golden grooves.
"With fire, Lucius." Aelwyn replies, as his orange eyes look towards Lucius' own. A small grin starts to spread from the corner of his jaw. "Would you care to try?"
The polearm continued to quietly burn away in front of the human, slowly licking up the spread oil along its haft.
GAME: Lucius rolls Will: (4)+3: 7
Lucius follows Aelwyn's movements as the sith-makar holds the glaive in front of him, although the angle of his seated position prevents him from seeing what Aelwyn retrieves from his satchel. Then, as the glaive suddenly bursts into flame, his mask of self-assurance instantly evaporates. He grabs the back of the bench and leans as far back as possible. The greatsword across his legs, all but forgotten, tumbles into the dirt as he kicks out in an involuntary spasm.
"I s-see." Lucius gasps, with a shudder that ripples through his entire frame. "M-most impressive." He winces, his gaze transfixed on the burning weapon as he opens his mouth again, but no more words come out. He shudders again.
Aelwyn was not exactly expecting that kind of reaction. Reflexively rolling his body away as Lucius suddenly leans back like that, he glances at the human. Finally, he reaches up with his hand and slides it firmly down the shaft; killing the fire along with it. Carefully then, he leans down to pick up the discarded greatsword instead, holding it both of his palms. His tail sways a moment, before he turns around and holds it to Lucius.
"... breathe, Rider." The ruddy sith-makar suggests then, his tail slightly coiling around the human's shoulder. "One remains."
As the Dragoon extinguishes the flame, Lucius slowly closes his eyes and lets out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Aelwyn." He lifts the greatsword from the outstretched palms and gives it a once over. "I'll have to clean this later," he mutters, laying it back across his legs for the moment.
"Sorry for reacting like that. You caught me a little off guard, but the fault is mine. I don't like fire." He pauses. "And I don't understand why. A matter of courage, or discipline, maybe. I'd hoped to have found a solution to this problem by now, but I'm still looking for it." Lucius bites his lip and glances apologetically at Aelwyn.
Aelwyn's pupils dilate and narrow in sequence; before he lifts up his hand and gives Lucius' shoulder a slap. "A shame." The draconian says, as he wraps that arm about and leans in closer. "For this one thinks the fire would like you." There's a bit of a sibilant hiss from between his teeth. "This one does."
With a roll of his shoulder the ruddy sith-makar leans away to pick up his own glaive. He runs a rag along it; some of those red ribbons are torn away as well, the burnt ones falling to the ground. "Does Rider wish to learn how to wield a glaive?" He asks, tail sliding on the bench behind him.
A smile returns to Lucius' face, softening his expression. "That's very kind of you to say. I consider you my friend as well." He looks down at his hands and rubs them together. "If you say so, then perhaps I should make more of an effort to befriend fire. Get to know it a little better, just as I've had the pleasure of getting to know you."
When Aelwyn brings up the glaive, Lucius perks up slightly. "Could you teach me, please? This is something that I'd love to learn. I don't know what I could give you in return, though." He blinks. "Oh, right." Retrieving the paper bag underneath his cloak, he unfurls the top and holds it out to Aelwyn. "Would you like to have some? I got these at the market earlier today," he explains sheepishly. Within the bag lies a pile of ripened strawberries, glittering like rubies.
Aelwyn looks at Lucius for a time, before his own teeth spread into a 'grin'. He slides his tongue out and briefly wriggles its forked tip in the air. "Then when Rider does, perhaps we can dance together." He leans in an gives Lucius a bit of an elbow. "... without the fire, first."
Returning to the topic of glaive, the ruddy sith-makar bows his head. "There is something." Yet he gets interrupted by the sudden appearance of the mysterious paper bag, and his eyes dilate. "... hnh." He manages, giving a bit of a tilt. "Rider is full of surprises today." Giving Lucius another look, the draconian reaches down carefully and picks up one of those soft berries, slowly pulling it up to his mouth. He falls into a bit of a deep thought for a moment.
"... if this one teaches Rider the glaive, will he teach this one how to ride?" The sith-makar eventually and finally, asks - eyes on Lucius and now with a bit of strawberry off the corner of his mouth.
"It's a deal!" Lucius reaches into the bag and pops a strawberry into his mouth before placing the bag on the bench between the two of them. He leans against the back of the bench and gazes upward in thought. "This would be my first time teaching someone else how to ride, but I think you'd be a natural at it." He returns Aelwyn's grin. "I'm looking forward to both teaching and learning from you."
Aelwyn gives another grin, giving Lucius' side another elbow. "And this one thinks Rider will become natural with the glaive." He reaches down and grabs another of the strawberries, also leaning back against the bench. "It will be a very worthwhile barter for both of us." His tail was moving at a suspiciously quick and excited pace underneath the bench.