A Fist and a Blade {Attn Yani}

[Carra]

Conor Palfrey He had been in the Grey Tower for quite some time now. Routine had built into his system and he was starting to find himself a little more comfortable, a little more stable then he had been in the White Tower. He suspected it was because Kostya, Aran and all those terrible influences were not around him anymore, and part of him knew that it was a good thing. Yet, he missed them terribly. It was like part of his funny bone was just.. missing. Everything here was just sooo. soo. serious! "Why So Serious!" He practically yelled at another trainee that jumped away. The Drin was at least half his own size and then skittered off in some other direction.

Bloody Ashes, he was becoming the mopey Ursana of the Grey Tower! He needed a good laugh, but where? Who? Seeing his mentor Yani not too far off he jogged up to her and gave her a winning smile. "How are you doing? Anything interesting happening?"

[Marit]

Amayani do Ciresh a'Sorene The day held the promise of being a good day. The stack of paper on her desk had been surprisingly low that morning, and by noon she'd shuffled through them, dealing with the immediate important ones, and putting the lesser important ones into a growing stack. The sun shone in through the windows in her offices, casting colorful shadows of an Aes Sedai and a Warder on the floor, as she had decided to grab the opportunity to spend some time out in the Yards, getting a growing stiffness in her shoulders worked out.

The day still held promises of being a relaxing day. She finished a round at the archery range, the feel of the bow in her hands comforting and relaxing, as she heard the sound of jobbing feet approaching. Surpressing a sigh as the weight of her office returned to her shoulders, she gave a nod to the drin stationed at the range to collect her arrows, and turned to face whatever new problem was coming her way.

A brief sense of relief mixed with an odd sense of worry rushed over her as she recognized the ji'alantin. Conor Palfrey, the Straw Man as she'd heard a few trainees calling him when he was not nearby, referring to the state of clothes, or lack thereof, the boy had returned from the Survival Test in. She must admit she had been hard pressed not to smile when he strode up the red carpet.

"Conor," she greeted him with a smile, sensing from his manner of approach that there was no urgent matter. Her smile transformed into a frown as she met his wide smile. Too wide... "What have you done now?"

[Carra]

Conor Palfrey While the brightness in his eyes did not dim, his smile turned into a rather pretty pout. Nava had kept to his pocked but when he felt the the change of Conor's shoulders he popped up and looked up at his stupid human with a concerned look. Realizing it was a rouse he curled back into his pocket for a nap. Conor gave it a pat.

"Nothing yet. At least not in the past few hours. It's enough to drive a poor Ji'Alantin to go a little stir crazy." He gave a great elaborately dramatic sigh, but perked to smile are her once again. His mentor had been so serious lately that he didn't have much of a chance to really connect with her since the first while he had joined. Having understood the way a Yard works it did not take him long to find his own groove. "You are looking lovelier than ever, I must add Amayani Gaidar. Shall we put that beauty in the yard while you teach me how to use my sword?" The implication of the sword not being a sword was more out of habit but truly he was just trying to keep her from scowling at him too much. Amayani is too pretty to scowl.

[Marit]

Yani's eyes darted to the little creature poking its head out of Conor's pocket, and a small smile tugged at her lips at the sight of the squirrel he had brought back with him from the Survival Test. It was an adorable creature, but she couldn't understand why it stayed with the Ji, why it didn't skitter off to the forest again. But then, she didn't understand any creature's behaviours, not really. That part of her was still a city girl.

Yani returned her gaze to Conor as the little creature ducked back into the pocket. His first comment tugged at her smile just as much as the squirrel had, and brought her back to her own days as a Ji, days that weren't that long past after all. Only a few years.

His second comment earned him a flat look. Flattery was one thing, but that implication? It was just… well… it was just Conor-y…

"I'm slightly more tempted to use you for target practice," she said, managing to keep her tone flat, but struggling a little to keep a straight face. It wasn't easy to stay angry or stern when faced with Conor. He was a little like a puppy at times.

"But it's frowned upon to use live targets. Unless, of course, we call it a spar. Have you ever sparred with a bow?" she started to ask, an idea forming. But, as the words left her mouth, she started to wonder if Conor had had any training with a bow at all. "Or used a bow?"

[Carra]

Conor Palfrey There was a crack in her armor and it was enough for him to relax a little as she fingered the bow in her reach. He wondered if she knew how often she did that, caressed her weapon. All of them did it, he would the pommel of his sword, others their stave and hammers. He didn't want to dwell on those that mastered the unarmed, but it wasn't really part of his thought process. It wasn't really a sexual thought either. When it came to their weapons, as much as his sword joke was an innuendo, it was just a joke without any intent behind it either.

"I'm slightly more tempted to use you for target practice."

The comment only made him grin brighter at her. It wouldn't be the first time he'd have to dodge something. But when she brought the conversation to bows, even he drooped. "No. Well, I have held a bow. It bit me. Literally, the string snapped back and tore some of my precious flesh from my arm." He looked to his arm where a non existent scar might have been. Aes Sedai then did not know he liked a few scars. Only a few, mind. "Can't say I want to try to use one. Although I have never sparred against someone with one. I prefer close combat." There was that Palfrey smile again.

[Marit]

"All the more reason that you should," Yani said with a straight face, though a smile tugged at her mouth. "Why risk your limbs in close combat when you can take out the enemy at a distance?" She looked from Conor to her bow and back again. She wasn't sure why exactly, but she was suddenly determined to have Conor try out the bow again. But was she willing to risk her own bow in his inexperienced hands? Well, she doubted he would dare ruin it, and if he did…

"My bow's a little heavy for a new archer," she said and nodded towards the archery range behind them, indicating for him to follow as she started to move, "but I'm sure you'll manage it just fine."

The drin she'd sent to collect her arrows was still there, and she took the arrows with a thankful nod and added them to her quiver again. "Would you run and fetch a bracer, Farrah?" she asked the boy, and he took off with a "Yes, sir."

Yani looked back at Conor, suppressing a smile at his expression. Lifting her hand, she held the bow out to him.

"Humor me." He was hesitant. "Come on, do this and we can find a use for that sword of yours afterwards." Yes, she went there, using his implication or pun back at him.

She even flashed him a smile.


OOC: She's not taking no for an answer Didn't take it further yet, because I wanted Conor's reaction first.

[Carra]

Conor Palfrey The smile was unnerving, and that little tiny voice in his head wondered if that was how people felt when he gave that Palfrey! grin....

... nah.

He looked at the bow as if it were a venomous snake from the blight, taunting to just reach out and touch it. He started to, and light bless her she was sweet, but the hesitancy in his reach made his hand shake before he grasped it.

It felt uncomfortable in his hands. Like a foreign thing that had no place there. A sword felt natural to him. A fist or a dagger. Polearms even were natural enough. A bow felt strange and unwieldy. Women and men swore by these weapons but to Conor they just felt weird, perhaps even unfair. One could take down a man at how many paces before he was dropped? No room for defense. Conor appreciated a fair fight, and this felt like.. something less than fair.

Holding it out funny, like a sword almost, "So, how do I use this again?"

[Marit]

Yani wasn't sure whether to laugh or sigh at Conor's reaction as the boy grabbed her bow. Parts of her even wanted to yank her bow out of his hands again, before he somehow managed to break it before even trying it. No, he wasn't getting off that easily. Trying to keep her face plain, she reached out to correct Conor's grip on her bow.

"You certainly don't hold it like that," she said. "First off, you hold the bow in your left hand." She paused as he changed bow hand. "Second, don't hold it in a death grip. It won't jump up and bite you in the neck if you loosen your grip. You don't hold your sword that tight, do you? That's better. Now, grab the string with three fingers. The arrow, once we add that," not yet, for everyone's safety, "will rest between the index and middle finger." She was taking him through the baby steps, she knew, and as she talked she also gauged his reaction to that.

"When you shoot, you stand sideways at the target, and raise your bow arm, keeping it straight, to eye level, while simultaneously pulling back the bow string and aiming." She walked around his body as she spoke, so she was standing behind him when she corrected his arm. "Twist your elbow back and out to get it out of the way of the string, so it doesn't bite your arm.

"And if you release that string I'll have your hide."

She corrected his stance and position a bit more before allowing him to lower the bow down again, instructing him to ease the bow string back to its resting position. Holding a bow drawn for long would tire his arms quite fast. Still standing behind him, she had him draw the bow again and corrected his stance once more.

"Good," she said as he lowered the bow again. "Now lets try a few arrows. First off we'll put a bracer on that arm of yours, to shield it from the bow kisses," she added with a smile as she spotted Farrah returning. She took the bow from Conor while he took it on, and led him to the targets, setting up at one of the shorter ones. She guided him to where he should stand, turning him so he stood with his side towards the target, and stuck three arrows into the dirt before his feet.

"The arrow shall be lined on the string so that this one feather sticks straight out." She handed him the arrow to nock on the string, turning it the right way so that one of the three feathers pointed straight out from the bow.

"Try to shoot in the direction of the target," she said with a half grin and gave him a nod to go. "Elbow out," she added as he drew.

[Carra]

Conor Palfrey He had to admit, Conor enjoyed humoring her. Following along with her instructions and allowed her the task of instructing him as she dis so naturally. While he knew how to hold a bow, nock a bow, shoot a bow... it was the arrow that would decide where to land more than any skill he had in the weapon. More frequently it went into his leg, arm, or any other soft tissue it found after bouncing around the yard. Light forbid it actually stay in a tree that it hits. No. it had to bounce off to the next target like some kind of magic picture show.

It was when she handed him an arrow that Conor hesitated a little. The motions were easy enough, although he would be by no means an expert with the weapon, as she fixed the way the arrow sat nocked tot he bow string and Conor gave her one last helpless look, like a puppy begging one last time to not let him do this. "Elbow out," she added as he drew.

He took a breath looked at his target. Both eyes open. Breathing in, and as he breathed out he released the arrow. Everything was in slow motion.

It was clear he had strength in drawing the bow, but the only strength it needed came from the string to the arrow to the direction of the wind. And as the wind carried the arrow to the target, it hit something that sat inside the target - like a broken arrowhead? - and riccoched off to the right.

It went past a tree, without actually hitting it, and curved to the left.

"OW!"

Conor winced as he could hear shouting from beyond the tree. He didn't want to look at Yani. He just passed her the bow and frowned. It was all in his luck.

"The arrow is in my BUTT!! GET IT OUUUUUUT." The whine was clearly male. Young, but not Drin young.

"I don't shoot a bow." Conor said flatly to Yani. Clearly the arrow should have gone in. Only... it didn't.