[center][h1][img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjk2LjI5NzUwZS5RMlZqYVd4cFlRLjA/chopin-script.regular.webp[/img] & [b][color=orange]Lein[/color][/b][/h1][/center][hr] [hider=] Lein most certainly could be doing something better right now than loiter around the archery range, let alone recite some archaic verses with fragile certainty. The air was crowded with the rhythmic cracking of the bowstrings, the bark of the instructor, then the chorus of [i]thwocks [/i] responding from the other side of the grassy range. He was an infrequent visitor to this particular part of the training range, seen more often off-loading some freshly made dummy arrows and handling rosin than actually shooting. That didn’t explain how he [i]felt[/i] misplaced. Was he really that nervous, even after all that preparation? No, no, no. This was the time. Chill. Roll the shoulders. Stretch the fingers. Lean, easy-like, nodding approvingly at the trainees as they took their own shots at the target, and watch for the reason he actually came to the ranges in the first place. A wisp of blonde hair, a sheen of iridescent green, or the confident laughter that so often heralded both. It indeed, would be Cecils voice that he would hear first. A loud, boisterous laugh as she’d nick the arrows right out of another knights quiver as she walk past, sticking her tongue playfully out at him before returning the arrows in a swift motion. A good bit of fun between comrades as she’d give him a playful salute before heading to a vacant spot on the range. She was not an uncommon sight at the range as despite her penchant for wind magic she often never used it in training. She couldn’t always rely on magic after all. If she saw Lein, she didn’t immediately acknowledge his unusual presence, instead focusing forward on the target in front of her, arrow easily finding the bullseye. Good. Cecilia was here. That was step one. Step two was a fair bit more risky. That is - if [i]The Complete Compendium to All Spiritual, Etheric and Fey Beings Part 2/6[/i] was to be believed. He had already spent painstaking hours and the very little brain power he reserved for interpreting the inane scribblings of academics, and this was the chance that it could pay off. Lein detached himself from his impromptu role of overseeing new recruits and slinked into a spot next to Cecilia. Pretending as if Cecilia wasn’t there, he silently pulled up his own shortbow and began to take aim. A foot planted forward, arm level to the shoulder, arm drawn close to the chest, parallel to the aim. A textbook position - and to Lein, entirely awkward. There was a natural rhythm to Lein’s unorthodox archery, as chaotic as it may be in the heat of the battle. Taming his aim for so long was difficult - especially with how high he had ratcheted up the draw weight when stringing the bow up. So instead, Lein had learned to swing his aim and rely on timing instead of aiming. Holding this position, forcing the notches on the limbs to bear straight without the ebb and flow of enemies charging at him, watching the occasional leaf flit across the periphery, there was none of the tension that would otherwise make him fire. But right now, he’d find his mark regardless. [i]Fwip[/i]. Lein’s arrow found its bullseye in a target directly next to Cecilia’s - then in a couple seconds, another landed right next to the first. Lein’s gaze was fixed to the target ahead, but his passive silence made it clear that he was awaiting Cecilia’s response. Cecil once again, didn’t seem to acknowledge Lein. The only noticeable change was a small smile that would find itself being worn on her lips as she knocked another arrow. As if to prove a point, first Cecil would lose another arrow, the projectile landing right next to Lein’s. A small acknowledgement, nothing more. The next arrow, however, would embed itself in the target that was the furthest from the line, landing a bullseye without much seeming effort on Cecilia’s part. She’d pause a moment to grab a flask from her hip, taking a long swig of whatever it was. Could have caught me a little slack. Lein pursed his lips. This was not the first time that the Hundi had posed an impromptu duel to the other archer, and most of them led to a situation such as this. Lein could match arrow-for-arrow in terms of short term accuracy, even being able to show off a little with a split arrow or two. But as the distances got longer, so did the apparent difference in their capabilities. Fortunately, this was still within the bounds of Lein’s preparations. He had to make sure that he could match Cecilia long enough to make her summon her wind spirit. Or talk to it. Or be possessed by it. Instructions made by The Complete Compendium nor its supplementary Guide to Spirit Catching weren’t that clear - or coherent. What mattered right now, was to keep that smug (and possibly progressively drunk, what WAS in that flask?) Cecilia from showing him up. Two sharp breaths, a squint eye and a pause later; Lein’s arrow straddled the line between the bull’s eye, sitting squarely beside Cecilia’s. Lein hid his sigh of relief and laid back, flicking a glance at Cecilia’s bow as if the shot had taken no effort on the Hundi’s part, either. Cecil didn’t immediately make another shot, instead, seemingly taking a moment to mull something over, flask in hand observing the shooting range in front of her. A slight glance towards Lein, followed by her tossing the flask at him. It definitely smelled like alcohol. [b]“Well, Lein,”[/b] Cecilia would finally acknowledge the other archer. [b]“Shall we make this interesting and make a bet?”[/b] Lein caught the flask with a free hand, though he dared not take a sip. This stuff was probably combustible, by the smell of it. [color=orange]"In a losing mood today? Sure - wager away."[/color] [b]“Bold words for someone within ear scratching range.”[/b] Cecilia replied with a jovial laugh. [b]“But alright, a simple wager then. I win, you buy me drinks in a tavern of my choosing for a month.”[/b] Lein’s hands instinctively shot up to his head. Not a chance he was going to let himself be ambushed again. Let his guard around Cecilia even for a second… [color=orange]“You cleaned me out last time with that one, remember? I had to ferry stones for Fionn for weeks! Not to mention I’m banned from The Spittoon for the drinking game YOU started.”[/color] Although Lein played up the frustration for theatrics, it was suffused with the lingering pain of a sprained back and nights of sad, lonely coin pouches. [color=orange]“I win, and you’re taking the graveyard shift for the next month - and I’m shooting with that fancy bow of yours.”[/color] Instead of immediately replying, Cecil instead first seemingly winced before bursting out into a fit of laughter. [b]“You wanna hold her for a bit, eh? Promise to be gentle with her and I think I can let ya.”[/b] She’d say after quieting her laughter. [b]“Alright, you got yourself a wager, Lein. I assume no magic or the like already on my part. Just entirely my skill versus your skill? Any other conditions you'd like to setup here?”[/b] That was an interesting expression. For someone who was as airy as Cecilia, even a momentary pause was rare. Lein made no comment, and instead rendered his usual boastfulness. [color=orange]“No sobbing into a cup after losing?”[/color] Lein noticed the weight first. He had expected a much heavier ordinance, with the wood ornately dressed with crystals that spiraled around the limbs. Instead, the bow was no lighter than others of its class, with the thin, leaf-like crystals bending to . Lein gave a few trial draws, pulling back a pretend arrow at the ranges. Quite light on the draw weight as well - that, or Lein was used to the heavier bearing of his shortbow. And, Lein couldn’t help but think, these crystals would fetch a very pretty penny if he - no, no. He shouldn’t let himself run so far. The fence wasn’t even in town anyway. Then he noticed - he noticed a lack of much more. No voice, no booming voice that would leap out and aggrandize about great power and consequence. Lein was vaguely familiar with magical artifacts, his own rejected inheritance listing hundreds of relics and esoteric trinkets that choked on dust and good do Reon-knows-what. But aside from smuggling a couple for the clergy, he hadn’t actually much contact - a dearth of knowledge he had filled with cautious fantasy. Lein wasn’t quite sure if he was supposed to be happy about the development. On one hand, he was undoubtedly searching for an audience to this wind spirit Cecilia referenced with scarcity, to see if he could harness some of its power for himself. On the other hand, Lein was always more comfortable with creatures that he could poke holes in if he didn’t like them. His haphazard research reinforced such a notion and this spirit hunting was not without its cost of apprehension. One last thing to check, though. Magic was supposed to be with a focus, yes? And if Cecilia was a mage of some sort; the bow wasn’t a wand lookin’ thing, but he could certainly give it a shot. Trying to hold it up as inconspicuous as possible, Lein focused. [color=orange]“S'uhn mg fhtagn hupadgh grah'n ooboshu vulgtlagln…?”[/color] The cant ended with a decidedly unsure tone as even his experimental spirit cast doubt at the legitimacy of this ‘spell’. After all - the spiritualist he consulted DID look a little too sketchy… Lein would catch Cecil doubled over, one hand on her stomach while the other was over her mouth, failing to stifle a cascade of laughter as he made a chant. She’d laugh nearly a solid thirty seconds before the archer would manage to right herself, standing up straight. [b]“Lein, my furry eared friend.”[/b] Cecil interjected, retrieving Lein’s bow. [b]“That has got to be the most unique chant I’ve ever heard. Gratz on making my day already, ahahah.”[/b] Was that a bit harsh? Probably, but it was just too funny to really pass up commenting on. [b]“But if you want to cast magic, you need to be and sound a lot more sure otherwise the casting could end up backfiring.”[/b] She didn’t comment on the fact that Shael wasn’t willing to let him directly use her power in any form. In fact, she was pretty sure she had almost died for even suggesting lending it to the Hundi for a little prank. [b]“Also, I’m serious. Be gentle or I might end up getting a free lesson in flying.” [/b] She’d pull an arrow from her quiver. [b]“Alright. Simple rule then. No magic from either of us.”[/b] She’d say. [b]“We’ll start with the furthest target then. I’ll let you go first since you’re unfamiliar with her.”[/b] [color=orange]“Worth a shot, ay?”[/color] Lein said quickly, face flushed with posthaste embarrassment, then scowled at onlookers drawn to Cecilia’s mirth. [color=orange]“With all the hooplah these days and Rui shooting blades from a damned [i]sword[/i], thought I ought to get fancy myself. But alright. No weirdness.”[/color] Worth a shot, but he definitely was not taking another one. He didn’t know if the bow wasn’t the one that was supposed to be the focus, that the spiritualist was just talking horseradish or if it was indeed his lack of confidence, but the prospect of ‘a spell backfiring’ gave him pause. Disappointing, for sure, that his attempt at the arcane was squandered. But if Ceclia wasn’t trying to egg him on with Lein’s antics, then this bow was her treasured possession indeed. Best not push it. He stepped up, and knocked an arrow. The lighter load certainly made it easier to maintain posture, though accuracy remained much to be desired and starting far certainly did not help. He had carved notches on his shortbow over the years, guiding on where to place the horizon and when to shoot when they entered range. He knocked an arrow, steadied his aim as he tuned his aim to Cecilia’s bow, and let it fly before he listed too far off. Blue. [b] “Nice shot. Three for you.”[/b] Cecil nodded. [b]“Mhm, its been awhile since I’ve used a normal bow. Lets see…”[/b] The archer would take a few moments to test the draw strength of Lein’s bow. Much higher than what she was used to. More natural power then hers. A lot of little areas of wear on the bow too. It was a good thing, she supposed, that Shael forced her to train and use a normal bow before the spirit even let her use the magic effectively. Cecil knocked the arrow, pulled the string back and [i]thwip[/i]. [b]“Annd four for me.”[/b] Red. Unfamiliarity went both ways, and Lein had hoped that the lack of magic would hamper her a little. The fletching in the red made an end to that. He’d have to close the difference back in the close targets. As Lein stepped up for his turn, he tried to recall what formal training that he was forced through when he first joined the Roses. As unnatural it may feel, perhaps he could do with a little more practice on the mundane. Draw from the side, follow the line opposite to his weak side, and don’t hold breath. And - Tch, that wasn’t it. He had overcompensated, taking him down further into the black ring. [color=orange]“Where’d you learn to shoot, Cecil? Sure don’t shoot like a hunter.”[/color] And speaking of, there were quite a few more questions that the other archer laughed off. Origin, trade, employ - even the bow. [b]“Oh you know,”[/b] Cecil pulled another arrow from the quiver. [b]“Dad dropped me in a forest full of spooky monsters, gave me a bow and said ‘learn to use it or die’.”[/b] She’d snicker, pulling the drawstring and focusing. Even if she wasn’t using magic, she had some tricks to help. Read the wind. Find any peculiarities of the bow and - [b]“Tch, both of us did worse that round, eh?”[/b] Right on the inner edge of the blue. [b]“Jokes aside though, that’s not particularly far off from the truth. Joined up with my old mercenary pals in the war. Had to learn to aim well or die.”[/b] Not the whole truth, but not entirely wrong either. She didn’t need to mention the long days of training where Shael made her train during those times. [b]“Hows she feel? Sometimes I forget she’s a bit lighter than most bows.”[/b] Cecilia’s recount matched well with the fragmentary rumors along the road. The verdant wind hailing invisible arrows upon her enemies. [color=orange]“A trial by fire, huh? Should head up to Ithillin sometime, they’ll love you there, eating up all your savoir-faire. You’d make a real killing in the arena too.“ [/color] Lein recalled the first time he himself took up the bow. An unusual gift for a runt, wrath-hungry. [i]You want to play to win? Your fists aren’t enough, kid. Not against steel.[/i] He used the bow for a cheap trick at first. That scrappy kid who relied on dust and fists alone? Who’d have thought to watch for an arrow from him? [color=orange]“Picked up my shootin’ from an elf. Smelt weird, obsessed with honey, but hey, I can knock a shot or two.”[/color] Lein gave the bow another blank draw, trying to work the lighter weight into his intuition. “Tried a lotta bows on the road. This one’s fickle. Shoots even, draws smooth but can’t draw a proper bead on the thing when the arrow drops so early. Should I give that chant another shot?” Lein joked morbidly, precisely because he had no interest in doing so. He stepped up for his turn and after some adjustment, loosed his next arrow. A bullseye, concise in its precision. Lein’s smirk didn’t fully hide his surprise. A careless shot, but somehow the arrow found its aim true. He was getting a hang of the bow for sure, but he must have had better teeth in the game than he gave himself credit for. Cecil laughed at Lein’s comment, flashing a grin. [b]“Who says I haven’t been there? I may or may not have been arrested for crimes of wanting to touch fluffy tail too much - eh, nice shot huh?”[/b] No need to mention the entire reason she went that way to start with was to avoid being arrested for something other than being a scoundrel. [b]“Guess I need to actually put some effort in, huh?”[/b] Knocking another arrow herself, Cecil did the usual motions. Nothing fancy was needed yet, really. A thwip of a bowstring, the arrow sailed…. [b]“Tch-”[/b] Cecil pouted just slightly, arrow embedding itself in the very inner edge of the red. [b]“Alright, I think I got a read on the wind. That was just a warmup. Not used to bows with this much power. Keep overcompensating a bit.”[/b] [color=orange]“It’s not a sniping bow. You sure can try to line up and shoot, but you’re gonna buck your aim if you hold the draw before you’re ready to let go. Best to rely on your timing than your eye.”[/color] Perhaps fittingly, his shooting when he fought resembled a lot less like a sniper stalking their mark, but a pugilist, weaving his bow through a flurry of strikes and retaliating with a wildly swinging aim that responded with a hail of steel, unfocused but overwhelming. [color=orange]“T’is lot easier when you’re aiming for a rushing thug than a target afar, to be sure.”[/color] As for his next shot he loosened his shoulder. His last shot was a lucky one, for sure, but Cecilia was putting in the effort now, and so should he. Pull back, take aim and - [i]thud[/i]. Another bullseye. It was not met with jubilation or a fitting gloat, but a deepening brow of worry. Was that…? No, it couldn’t have been, right? Lein often played games of chance, but he had never counted himself as particularly lucky. He instead made his own luck, marking cards and rigging games, stacking every possible card till he was sure ‘chance’ was out of the equation. But a victory with an unknown still lingering about was no cause for gloating. Especially with all that talk about spells backfiring. A flying lesson? [color=orange]“Cecilia…say,”[/color] Lein said, voice tentatively even to hide his nervousness. [color=orange]“You’re a mage, right? You learnt all that fancy wind from mercs too?”[/color] [b]“Hm? No, I shouted at a tornado until I made it flee in fear of me.”[/b] If Cecil was concerned about Lein’s sudden seeming accuracy, she didn’t show it. [b]“Ahaha, no, the Wind Spirit taught me.”[/b] There had in fact been a tornado but it was mostly said wind spirit getting a little annoyed with her flippant attitude. The flying lesson came shortly afterwards. [b]“No secret there, Lein.”[/b] She flashed a grin. Of course, she knew how shortbows worked. She’s tried multiple styles of archery so she could familiarize herself with all of them. She wasn’t in fact, still trying on purpose. [b]“Why? Worried about her? Don’t be, she wouldn’t let anyone use her if she didn’t like them. Don’t have to worry about magic or anything.”[/b] Cecil would follow suit in knocking an arrow, more quickly this time, wasting no time in letting it fly…a bullseye, right next to Lein’s arrow. [b]“Alright, warmed up now. Say, how about we do something else to make this a little more interesting? How about some moving targets?”[/b] [color=orange]“Nice shot.”[/color] Lein said. Cecilia learnt fast. Or maybe she decided to start trying for once. That was always the catch with the rogue archer. Though even if Cecilia had told him with a straight face that she screamed a tornado into submission it would have been entirely believable. Or at least, verisimilitudinous. Perhaps it was the way Cecilia simply breathed brevity in all that she did, or that she had reportedly traveled wide before her time with the Knights. His own journey had taken strange turns into the unbelievable many times, too. He called over the recruits for target discs. [color=orange]“Go ahead on this one. I’m gonna just take my time.”[/color] That didn’t really comfort him too much about the spirit business. It was clear now that stupid Compendium had no idea what it was talking about, and neither did the spiritualist. All he had was rumors. And none were good. [color=orange]“I’ve been hearin’ things yonder about spirits. Hundi don’t do magic, and folk out there on the road don’t know too much about spirits neither. Just hot air about inescapable contracts and being careful of what you wish for. Guess that all that chatter rubbed off on me.”[/color] Lein involuntarily shivered, feeling a sudden coldness. Maybe he was ruminating too much. After all, Cecilia did say that the spirit only ‘helped’ those she liked. [b]“Curious about her, are we?”[/b] Cecil responded with a hum. [b]“Well, I can say that I have had to…make a deal of sorts with her to be able to use her. Lost something in the process too.”[/b] She’d respond casually, not giving up anything specific. She motioned for the recruit to throw one of the targets, knocking and arrow. [b]“Want to know anything in particular - damn, just short.”[/b] The arrow nicked the edge of the target. [b]“I miiiight be in the mood for telling a little.”[/b] [color=orange]“Gotta come clean, Cece. I’m looking for a helping hand.”[/color] His sardonic joke yielded a smile on his own face, slowly turning terse at Cecilia’s rare offer of information. Lein looked intently at the bow, the connector plate in his arm starting to ache once again. A price for power. For the Hundi, any kind of power in the equation was a winning trade. [color=orange]“Hundi don’t do magic. ‘Muscle, steel and gravel’, Ithillins like to say. And hell, damn well believed it for a while. Most thugs I could shake down in an arrow. And if they didn’t fall the first time, I’d just shoot ‘em again.”[/color] [color=orange]"Easy to talk up a big game when you’re playing in the kids pond. Now we’ve got Grandpa Cazt comin’ back, witches kicking my ass from across the world…”[/color] [i]And Hadrianus.[/i] Lein thought. He stepped up and fixed his gaze forward. He imagined the faraway branches as the broken horns of the great retainer, giant in both physique and presence. The shifting leaves formed what could be two burning eyes, staring right back at him. Which phantom was he more scared of? As the disc flew into the air, he pulled up the bow and released in one unhalting motion. A clean hit, despite his aim having set lower, through the neck of the would-be specter. Whether the bow knew what he had been aiming for, Lein did not know. [color=orange]“If I had your aim or your magic, I would’ve saved a whole lot of people a whole lot of trouble. The price I can pay. That deal you took? I just need a shot.”[/color] [b]“Hmm…I dunno, I’m not sure you could handle the deal.”[/b] Cecilia responded cheerfully. [b]“You’d have to put up with having an annoying, ungrateful spirit in your head rent free.”[/b] She’d say to begin with. [b]“Also you know, losing one of the people you care about most, having to use half the money you make to feed the spirit and also having the spirit constantly nag you about your decisions and having the misfortune to look three times as beautiful as I already was. Quite a burden having every woman and man trying to hit on me.”[/b] She’d chortle, loosing another arrow but just barely going too high. [b]“But its kind of a moot point anyways.”[/b] Cecil shrugged. [b]“She’s bound to me and I don’t think she wants you to use her long term.”[/b] [color=orange]“That heavy a price, huh?”[/color] Lein replied, humor taking him in surprise at Cecil’s pointed complaints about the spirit. [color=orange]“Now I get why you keep mooching off my purse-strings.”[/color] Least Hadrianus would be satisfied with filling his ears with botched philosophy. This spirit instead was intent on mischief. As ever, the rogue’s words could never be taken so seriously. But if it had a kernel of truth, it was that Lein was arrogant to think he could pay ‘any price’. Lein stepped up and knocked an arrow into the emerald bow for the next shot. Silence befell the range, his eyes searching for something dancing far beyond the reach of the archery ranges. Lein’s next shot hit the mark with as much assurance as it had been for the last three. All his enemies, cut down without even a sweat. The bow, an unparalleled assurance. Lein sighed and held the bow back to its rightful bearer. He was prepared to go far for what Cecil could do; the nagging, the bragging, the draining of funds. But out of everything, there was one thing he could not allow. The true price was his solitude. [color=orange]“Sorry Cece, you’re a truer shot as always, but you’re playing against a cheat. Hey, but makes up for all the times I broke my purse for you, huh?”[/color] Lein joked, his aloof poise returning once the bow left his possession. [b]“Wow, Lein. Wow. Finally got tired of losing so you had to resort to cheating? If you wanted me to let ya win you just had to ask and I’d have taken it easy on you.”[/b] Cecilia responded, feigning hurt before her voice cracked into a bit of laughter. [b]“Ahaha, sorry. Don’t worry about it, I asked her to mess with ya a little bit.”[/b] She’d say, taking the bow back from Lein and returning his own shortbow. [b]“Wow, rude Shael. You really shouldn’t talk about Lein like that. Can’t say I disagree though.”[/b] Cecil snickered, giving the Hundi a playful smirk. [b]“Round of drinks on me this time?”[/b] Figures. Should’ve never missed with weird spirits in the first place. The price of pointless ambition, paid in full. [color=orange]“Always.”[/color] Lein returned the smile. [color=orange]“Just try not to get us kicked out for once?”[/color] [/hider]