Dancing with fists (Attn: Terric)

[Quinn]

Oro made his way out of the tower merrily swinging his hickory cane. Normally a prop for when he was feeling his age, most days he brought it along for show and to fit in with everyone else who seemed to carry weapons. He had never met so many people who knew how to fight, not just with the power, but with other weapons as well. Of course, after spending years with the Truatha’an. He was more used to seeing people with tools rather than weapons. Still he was not ignorant to the ways of the world. The greater your strength, the greater your weakness. To compensate for his growing strength in the power, he had decided he needed to learn how to fight without it as well. That’s why he found himself walking at an easy pace to the Warders training yards.

Once there he eyed the aspiring Warders as well as their instructors. He also noticed that some of them seemed to be focusing on individual training. Out of those he couldn’t help but notice that an aielman stood apart from the others. If he was to learn how to fight, he really could do no better than this fellow. He made his way over and raised his hand in greeting. “I see you friend. I am Oro Dalm and I am without sept or clan like most wetlanders, may you find shade this day.” The aiel customs felt odd coming off his tongue and he hoped that he had said them correctly. After all he had never met an Aielman before, all his knowledge was based off of books he had read long ago before coming to the tower. “If it pleases the light I have come here to fight, or dance the spears as you would say. I don’t suppose you would be willing to teach me some of the basics so that I might fight with my hands and feet as your people do.”

[Locke]

Terric

As had become his custom, Terric trained in just his grey britches. He knew he should train in the Wetlander boots more because he was likely to be wearing them when danger arose, but truthfully, he just didn’t like them. Not wearing the boots while he tumbled around on the sands, meant he didn’t have to work as hard to keep them clean for inspection. Currently, he stood balanced on one leg wrapped in the Void. He wanted to push himself, see how long he could maintain his balance in the Void. He had stood motionless, one leg planted and the other bent and resting against the side of his leg, arms raised in a defensive position since he had arrived at the Yards this morning. His shoulders ached and his thigh screamed, but the pain was outside of the Void. Inside there was only balance.

He caught sight of an older Soldier walking towards him carrying a cane. The man was tall, dark and weathered. He gave off a gnarled strength like an old spear haft that had seen many battles. Men rarely lived to his age in the Three-fold Land, and those who did were among the hardest men Terric had ever met. They had a strength beyond that of strong arms. As the man approached, Terric brought his other leg down, feet shoulder width apart, and let his arms hang casually by his sides.

“I see you friend. I am Oro Dalm and I am without sept or clan like most wetlanders, may you find shade this day,” the older man said, stopping in front of Terric.

Terric’s face showed the slightest hints of a smile. “I see you, Oro Dalm, I am Terric of the Salt Flats sept of the Nakai Aiel, may you also find water and shade,” he felt it was only right that Oro Dalm’s formality be matched. “How may I help you?”

The old man’s next words surprised Terric, “If it pleases the light I have come here to fight, or dance the spears as you would say. I don’t suppose you would be willing to teach me some of the basics so that I might fight with my hands and feet as your people do.”

Terric looked the man up and down considering. He was already training Avyra, a young Novice too small to even come up to his chest, and now a man his great-mother’s age wanted to train with him. Maybe he could make a reputation for himself training unlikely warriors. This man looked as if he had seen a bit more of life than most. Would that mean that he would be hard headed and hard to teach or would it mean that he was wise enough to know what he did not know. Why not, he’d try to train this old man. If he was untrainable for whatever reason, he’d send him on his way. Deep down however, Terric was an optimist. He hoped this man, Oro Dalm, could learn, even if it was just enough to know how to scare off some toughs who thought he was easy meat.

“Ok, Oro Dalm, I will teach you what I can. Meet back here during the evening free period and we will begin.” Ah well, who needs free time.