Diving into Backstory
Log Info
- Title: Diving into Backstory
- Place: A06: Lower Alexandrian Gardens District
- Summary: Rune stumbles upon Huian's fighting practice, and proceeds to ask far too many questions about Huian's backstory.
It's a lovely afternoon in the park near the gardens. The peaceful nature of the place is being drawn upon for serenity and focus. Huian is moving in what appears to be slow motion. Some people might think slow movements are easier... but when one is holding a posture or form and slowly changing to another including alterations in balance, weight shifting, and muscle control with limbs... it is actually quite difficult to perform well.
On a small table beside her, she has a couple of scrolls unrolled and weighted down with what appear to be specially designed and ornate clamps with heavy bases. And after finishing one series of movements, she pauses to study the scroll once more, taking a sip from a waterskin as she does so.
The return to the city had taken longer than Rune might have liked, considering that the survivor turned prisoner they had rescued was still in need of a healer's attention. It would take time before the man was ready to talk about his smuggling operations.
So, left to her own devices, Rune tended to seek out more quiet places in the city. Despite growing up in a bustling village, she preferred the calm and quiet of nature. Who knows how long she'd been napping up on one of the thicker tree branches.
There is a sound of a yawn, a creek of wood, and then the rogue shifts one leg beneath herself, seemingly ready to climb down from her perch. That is, until she spots the slow movement of Huian. She watches in quiet for a moment, crouched there with one arm braced against the tree, her hood up. Then, like a voice from nowhere, she asks, "Is that some sort of combat form? I've heard of them before, but I don't really know much about them."
Her brown eyes flickering up and about in search of the voice, Huian lifts her shoulders. Her sword is hefted reflexively for just a moment before it is lowered once more. "Indeed. I am working to master the techniques of the Form of the True Swordsman." A pause and she inclines her head, "Not that the styles of the Cai Academy of swordsmanship would mean much to anyone from Alexandria."
Finally, she spots the hood and inclines her head, "Did we meet recently? Something in your body language seems familiar."
GAME: Rune rolls acrobatics: (12)+10: 22
"We did." Rune confirms, a small quirk of a smile lifting one corner of her lips. "We were both in the party that investigated the disturbance near the Am'shere portal." With a slight tilt of her head, she adds, "I'm still waiting on our 'friend' that we rescued to be healthy enough to talk. He's currently under the care of some of the healers."
Then, Rune leans forward slightly, grasping the tree branch with one arm before swinging down to land in a crouch. Dusting herself off. Though it may have been hard to tell, the rogue is actually a few inches shorter than Huian, it seems. "If such styles don't mean much, that means they're all the more useful, because people wouldn't be expecting them, right?"
Chuckling, Huian shakes her head. "Sifu Cai told me once, when I was too full of myself to listen.. that it is not the style that is dangerous. It is the user of the style. And techniques are the most useful if one knows when they are -not- to be used. A warrior must learn when it is wise to improvise." And with a smile, she turns to regard the scroll... then she shakes her head. "I am however, quite a ways from mastering this, the fourth form of the Way of the Cai Blade."
"That's your teacher, then? Sifu Cai?" There is a look in Rune's eyes, a deep fascination with other places and cultures. She can't quite stop herself from asking questions.
Taking a couple of steps closer, the hooded rogue looks over at the scrolls, unable to hide her own interest. "The words are true enough, though." She reaches up and taps the side of her forehead, "I'd say it's usually more about how you use this than about how you use your muscles. Then again..." A soft laugh follows, "I've known some people who are more muscle than brains."
Reaching her hands up, Rune draws down her hood, revealing the slightly pointed ears of a half-sil. "I don't think we were properly introduced before. I'm Rune. And... my fighting style can mostly be summed up as 'stick them with the pointy end'." Another of those amused smirks forms on her features.
Grinning, Huian shrugs her shoulders. The scrolls are covered with hand-drawn diagrams of movements and positions. The texts are in a local dialects from Tsang Lun. Sure, the people there speak common, for their -formal- script and calligraphy looks more like art. (think Chinese Kanji).
"One must always engage their brain and out-think their opponent. But having the formal fundamental training under one's belt helps."
Then she lets her sword hang blade downward as she presses right fist to left palm and bows her head, "I am Cai Huian. And yes. Sifu Cai is also my father, Cai Xiao." (pronounced like zzshiaow)
GAME: Rune rolls linguistics: (4)+8: 12
"Huh..." Blue eyes peer down at the scrolls with a hint of wonderment in them. "I've never seen writing like this. Is it a logographic writing system?" It's obvious that Rune cannot make any headway into what the symbols represent, but she seems fascinated by it none the less. In fact, her questions sound more like what one might expect from a scholar rather than a rogue.
Then, looking up, she accepts the introduction with a bow of her own, as if replicating the motion. It's not meant as an immitation, but a show of respect, it seems. "Then it's my true pleasure to make your aquaintance, Cai Huian." Her pronunciation is nearly perfect on the first try, likely quite familiar with enough languages to pick up on subtle intonation.
"You must be from quite far. I know most of the local racial tongues, but not this." Rune admits, but the set of her lips suggests that she quite enjoys finding something new. "Is that why you came here to Alexandros? To train your fighting?"
Tilting her head to the left, Huian shrugs a bit, "More like.. it became the best option available after my own arrogance and stupidity brought shame upon my Sifu, my family, and my school." But she shrugs, "Sifu did not wish me to abandon my learning, so allowed me to take copies of the Academy scrolls with me. Plus... the family sword which has been wielded by seven generations of Cai's."
"It is not surprising that you do not recognize the text. It is quite literally a form of text only used within the Cai Academy. It is a centuries old dialect. The intent is to ensure that only a student of the Academy can make use of the texts."
Then she takes a step over to reach for the black laquered wooden scabbard resting on the table, before sliding her blade into it. "I am here seeking to improve myself on every level. Skill, and mindset chief among them. I must not attempt to return home to Tsang Lun among the Islands of Jade until I have earned the honor to do so."
"Ah..." And that is the moment when Rune may just feel like she just asked one question too many. "I didn't mean to pry. I'm sorry that whatever happened made you need to leave home like that." One hand reaches back, rubbing sheepishly at her neck, just over a tattoo that runs along her right side.
In that moment, it doesn't seem right to bring up her own experiences, the slight tension at the corner of her mouth showing that uncertainty. "I won't try to read it, I promise." She raises her hands slightly, taking a step back. "I was just curious, that's all."
Then, after a moment of thought, she offers, "It must be hard, carrying that sort of responsibility on your shoulders. I mean... I'm already a disappointment to my father. So that sort of relieved that pressure for me. It's not like I can really make things any /worse/ than they already are." That is a very different way of looking at things, perhaps.
And then that damn curious nature of hers can't quite be reigned in and Rune adds, "So... how exactly do you earn that kind of honor?" Damnit Rune.
Shaking her head, Huian reaches to slide her scabbarded sword through the sash about her waist. She turns and slowly, unhurriedly at least, begins gathering up the scrolls gently. "Life is difficult for everyone. I am not unique in that I face challenges. I must admit that I choose to look at the good rather than the ill." That said, she rolls up the top scroll, sealing it before adding the next one. It is almost ritualistic, not just done in the most expedient manner possible.
"When I say the good, I mean.. it is evident to me that my father wishes for me to succeed and find my way home eventually. As for -how- to regain honor, that is..." She shakes her head, "A complicated question. One I do not possess an answer for. All I can say is that I will know it when it happens."
Seeing the sword and scrolls start to be put away, Rune just steps back, allowing Huian as much room as is needed for the task. "It's true. We all face challenges." The half-sil catches her lower lip between her teeth, possibly considering her own challenges, in turn. "Though, sometimes they can be easier when they're shared. At least... that's my experience."
Shifting her weight slightly, the rogue seems to be favoring one leg over the other. Specifically, she's avoiding the one that was bit by the caterpillar a few days ago. "Well, at least you know he believes in you. That's something."
It's difficult for Huian to -not- notice the favoring of the leg. She is not trying to conceal the scrolls. She is just putting her things away in preparation to do something different. "Forgive me. I am not trained in the arts of healing. But do you require healing for your leg?" she asks.
"You are moving as if someone had cut you in just the right place to make your moving more difficult. I have a curative potion if that might help." She offers as she finishes putting her things away, and then turns to lean against the table, gesturing the favored leg.
At the notice, Rune shifts her weight again, the a faint wince visible at the corners of her eyes. That's when she thinks better of hiding the injury. "It's nothing, really." Taking a few steps back towards the tree, she leans against it, allowing her to take some of the weight off. "I already had Harkashan look at it. He caught me before I made a complete mess of trying to take care of it, myself."
Tugging up the corner of her pant-leg, there is a bandage around one calf. "Those horned caterpillars have one hell of a bite." She smirks, "Besides, I have two healers who would never let me live it down if I let a bug take me out of a fight."
Then, seeming to realize that Huian may not know who she is talking about, Rune adds, "Harkashan is a Makari healer. Tall, lava-scales, overly serious." Then she ticks off on her fingers, "And then Jacob who you've met. Tall, with two different colored eyes. He was with us when we got jumped by those creatures."
Nodding her head, Huian says, "I met the Makari the other day actually. He seemed to take great pleasure in forcing curative magics to ravage the bodies of the undead." she states. "And yes, I recall Jacob."
Thus far, she has been blessed to have avoided injury on any of her recent outings. But her fighting style does focus on avoidance above all else. "Those insects were quite difficult to fight. But... my experience is mostly dueling against fellow sword wielders... not oversized bugs."
A slow double-blink follows the description of Harkashan. Rune's lips press together as if she were trying very hard to contain laughter. "That... sounds about right for Harkashan." The matter of the undead, however, is something she seems unfamiliar with. "Huh. I'd wondered where everyone had gotten off to. I was too busy playing guard-duty with our smuggler 'friend' to come along."
Huian's appraisal of the creatures is met with a nod from Rune, "They shouldn't have been there in the first place. Harkashan and I went back and scouted around, tried to find any signs of more of them. Worst we saw was some animals that looked to be eaten by wolves." The half-sil pauses, "Well, if you don't count a silver-scaled Makari with giant spider-wings climbing through the trees. Skielstregar is lucky he didn't end up attacked by someone, climbing around like that."
"Every time one thinks they understand the world, the world seems to change subjectively." admits Huian with a smirk. "But I imagine the wonders and oddities of the Jade Isles would seem just as strange to a native of Alexandros. As I said.." she shrugs, "Subjective."
"Probably, though I would love to hear more about them." Rune cants her head slightly. It causes a few strands of blue-tipped hair to move across her brow. "Your homeland, that is. My mother used to tell all of these fascinating stories about far off places. I wonder if she ever went to the Jade Isles."
Rune's mouth opens as if to dive into more questions, when a gruff looking half-oruch calls out to her. "You're up." The voice of the male sounds like it is scraped raw by age.
That stops the rogue in her tracks. "But, it looks like that will have to be another day. Back to babysitting our recovering smuggler." With a resigned sigh, Rune shrugs her shoulders. "We'll talk again soon." Because Rune has so, so many more questions.