RP:An Interesting Development

Synopsis: An interesting development ensues when Kyros seeks Desparrow out after witnessing his fight and parting ways with Tanya.

Location: Sage Forest

Date: 03 December, 2011

Characters: Desparrow, Kyros

Background

Kyros runs into Desparrow, unbeknownst to him that the elf is Tanya's fiance. After days of denying Tanya's advances, Kyros has become frustrated and, upon hearing the elf's name spoken, realizes that he is engaged to the very woman that has caused such frustration. Desparrow begins to rant about his fiance and her cheating ways, and Kyros, fearing that Desparrow already knows, makes apologies about his own involvement. This new-found information drives Desparrow past anger, and he challenges Tanya to a duel, to which the stakes are if she wins, he must return their son, Xander, and if he wins, she admits that she is inferior and unworthy. After Desparrow's defeat, he goes to the Spring of Vitality to rest and heal, and Kyros seeks him out.

"Teach Me."

Kyros had his fist wrapped thickly in black cloth, the lower layers crusted with blood and the outer layer tied in a tight knot, keeping the fabric from shifting or loosening against his torn skin. He had spent the night in Xalious, too afraid to come back to his usual spots for fear that Tanya may come to him again, and though he had agreed with her not to fight, he still held animosity towards her, and an anger that coursed deep in his bones at the thought of seeing her again. There were still bits of his knuckle embedded in the wall a few inches from where her head had been when he threw the punch, and he was starting to think he would not have regretted hitting her, after all. He had come to find Desparrow, his hand cradled in his arm, and he was changed into civilian clothes now, black pants and a loose white shirt, only his long sword sheathed at his side, should he find himself in need of protection. After asking around, he had been pointed to the Spring of Vitality and had made his way there, spotting Desparrow near the edge of the water. Kyros cleared his throat to make himself known before he approached. "Hell of a fight, that was," he said quietly. "Not quite fair that she should be announced the winner, if you ask me."

Desparrow was resting his broken and abused body next to the spring of vitality. Wrapped in bandages all around, his arms in slings and even his leg bandaged and splinted it was amazing he could move. There he lay, staring up at the dwindling canopy of autumn colors. He was done with Tanya, if he ever saw her again, he was bound to strike her down, how could he lose? It was impossible for someone to gain that kind of strength in such an amount of time that she did. No matter, he was growing stronger by the day, and it would mean nothing, for she had her peak, while this man here had no limit on his power. All his weapons and armor lay in sacs beside him, which was his burden to carry daily. His torso was shirtless, and his lower half was covered by easy to remove cloth, if only so that it would be easier to maneuver. “It does not matter.” An ethereal serpent slid from his body, coiling protectively about the form of the Ryder. His face held the look of upmost seriousness, and even though his physical features were severely beaten up and he looked like he was on the verge of death, his eyes were vibrant with the force of life, the cerulean hues rather striking as they always have been, but even more so in the body of someone is so critical a condition. Slowly, his from began to rise, but he had naught moved a finger. Instead he floated up into a standing position, nodding slowly.

Kyros watched him with a sort of sad pity, his eyes low and his face following the man as his form lifted up. "It still was under unfair circumstances that she won, and only because of her ingenuities that you fought her in the first place." Kyros sighed, his eyes dropping low and his hand running over the thick fabric of the cloth around his shattered knuckles. The human was as yet unsure of Desparrow's strength, for it was hard to judge based around a duel fought unfairly. "I saw the expertise you possess in using a bow," he said nonetheless. "I want to learn. I may know nothing of magic or mana, but I wish to learn to attack from far away, with more than swords and daggers."

Desparrow narrowed his eyes at the male, a bit irritated with the pity that he was receiving. “You have no idea. She should have died. She defied the power of the goddess, and thus will be sorely punished.” He didn’t actually care about the woman, but it was his son. He couldn’t bear the fact that someone else would father the boy. He clenched a fist angrily, but then quelled it, forcing it back into his mind and categorizing it specifically within a series of events that would allow him to call upon this anger for a good use. His aura began to flare, and Gyakuu jumped up onto his master’s shoulder, the healing one, but he refused to show weakness and did not cringe. “Go.” The fire imp leaped forth and turned into a red sphere of light. From opposite ends of the orb, a single (one for each end) strip of strange crimson material formed and then solidified and the light dissipated. What was left was a rather large long bow, with various carvings etched into the very, metal? Perhaps it was metal, either way, it didn’t matter, it was flexible enough and strong enough to not break, but solid enough to give the weapon force so that the arrow would fly far. Goyjio immediately appeared shortly after, and he transformed as well, becoming an arrow of matching style for the bow. The bow and arrow lay on the ground as if waiting for someone. “Pick them up.” Desparrow speaks to Kyros, ordering him to do so.

Kyros hadn't planned for the training to come so quickly, while Desparrow had just been in a duel, and he was far from prepared himself. His knuckles, in fact, the ones of his right hand, were wrapped so thickly and crusted badly enough that he could hardly form a circle with his thumb and forefinger, and this made him unsure of whether he'd be able to grip the arrow properly. He would try, though, and he did, picking up the bow and arrow and holding them in front of his face. His stance was poor, clearly unpracticed, and his arm bowed down instead of parallel to the ground. "Like this?" he asked, aiming the arrow far over the stream. Desparrow shook his head and walked over to him, standing close behind, their bodies brushing against one another. He slid his hands along the human’s arm, and then straightened his posture for the male, fixing the bowed arm, and then dragging his left leg back, and placing his right forward with guidance from his own legs. Pressing even closer, he started to aim for Kyros, hoping that the human would get the picture that marksmanship wasn’t just something you picked up, these things that were being done for him, would have to be practiced so that the male could perfect them. “When you are about to fire, hold your breath, and then very slowly release it through your nose, it steadies the aim.” However this ddin’t seem the way it was because the elf was holding Kyros’ arms in place.

Kyros was paying careful attention, letting his focus rest on the weight of Desparrow's legs against his own, of his arms, steadying, of his form, straight and careful. The human nodded once to indicate he understood and began to draw his elbow back, pulling the string of the bow and guiding the arrow. He was no more than halfway where he needed to be with it when his grip faltered, the arrow flying a mere few feet and landing out ahead. "It's this damned hand, I can barely grip the arrow's tail," he said quietly, adjusting his stance. It was greatly improved this time, his footing neat, but a couple of inches too close, and his shoulder and arm much more steady. "Like this?" he asked, turning to look back at his temporary instructor. Desparrow shook his head and held Kyros in place. When the arrow stuck, it simply rose from the ground and floated back to his hand. The ranger replaced his arms along Kyros’ and guided them to the right placing. His hand light, but firm had wrapped around his injured one, a soft glow of golden light emanating. The magic would soothe the pain and allow him to focus more clearly. He pressed his chest against Kyros’ back, if only for more control over what the man would do. “You almost had it, but a bow is like a lover, you must have a firm grip on her, while at the same time not being too harsh, otherwise all your effort will break her, but you also must not be too gentle, lest you wish to be walked upon.”

Kyros watched the arrow return, his eyes focused on it. His body straightened more, and he relaxed, fully following Desparrow's guidance this time, humbling his own instinct of what to do with his feet and turning himself over completely to the instruction as it was offered. A slow, steady breath left his nose, and he drew the arrow back a second time, strong but gentle the best way he knew how. This time, he released the arrow when he meant to and let it fly, making a wide arc over the stream.

Desparrow nodded slowly, watching the success with a slight satisfaction and pride. When the arrow disappeared, a brief flash of red light to the side of the ranger signified that Goyjio had returned. “Excellent.” He backed away from the awkward position and clapped Kyros on the back. “Well done… Now you just need to work on it. I guess I will lend you Gyakuu and Goyjio for a while.. You just have to remember… They ingest alcohol only on a daily basis, you must feed them whiskey, otherwise they won’t obey you at all.” He shrugged and went back to his stuff. Removing his shirt which exposed his muscular, well-toned torso, before he knelt down at the spring and splashed a bit of water into his face.

Kyros raised his eyebrows as he looked at the two fire imps, his eyes hesitant for a moment. "Any kind of alcohol will do?" he asked Desparrow, and to test, he pulled a flask out of his side pocket, half full of red wine, and offered it to one of the imps. He could scarcely tell them apart, or remember their two names, for that matter. "Thank you. I'll keep them only until I am able to buy a bow and arrow to practice with... so long as they obey me," he said uncertainly, furrowing his eyebrows. He'd never dealt with imps before, and had no idea how to command them, though he supposed it must not be too hard. "Perhaps. do you think, you could continue to train me on the nuances of my missile-range attacks?" he asked, looking at Desparrow as the man knelt over the water to splash his face. It rather made Kyros want to jump in and go for a swim, but he thought better of it.

Desparrow listened to the male, curious as to what he intended on doing. It would be a simple matter, to teach the art of marksmanship, and the human should pick up rather quickly with the lessons. Hmm.. “Sure.. Why not… And yes, Gyakuu will take any alcohol. Goyjio prefers finer liquors but is basically the same. Gyakuu is the more violent of them, and typically likes to smash his bottles and fight with them. Goyjio often loses, but neither, as I have found out, can really die, they burst and are reborn in a ball of fire.” He looked up at the sky, only just noticing that the sun was starting to go down. Rather interesting, how long they have been out already. It didn’t matter, he would continue washing. Cool water ran down his back after he dunked his head in the spring, and then pulled back up. It was refreshing nonetheless. It was then that he shook his head, flinging water everywhere. “Yeah… sure…” he repeated to himself, as if he needed reassurance.

Kyros watched him perhaps more intently than he meant to, focusing on his mannerisms and thinking to himself. His eyes followed the beads of water that slid down over the man's skin, and then he shook his head, snapping Kyros' attention. He stepped back, then sat on the foliage on the ground, his arms crossing over his chest. He heard what he thought sounded like uncertainty, watching as Desparrow repeated himself. "If you'd rather not instruct me, you have but to say so, and I will teach myself. Or if it is parting with your imps that worries you, you needn't lend them out. Surely I can find a cheap bow and arrow in the shops," he said, not wanting to impose in the slightest. "You've been kind to me, as is. You need not do more, if you don't wish to."

Desparrow finished up with a quick wipe over his face, and then snapping his wrists, the water forced from his hands before he wiped them on his pants. Hair still dripping a bit onto his shoulders, he chuckled and offered a rather boyish grin to the other male. “Well Kyros. I don’t have a problem instructing you. I don’t have a problem lending you my companions. I just expect you to pay attention and listen to what I have to say in return.. as a sort of payment I guess.” He stretched his arms about his head, his muscles rippling before he visibly slumped. Kyros’ gaze was dismissed, not really noticed before he himself sat down and leaned back on the edge of the spring, nodding to himself idly. “That is what will happen. I will instruct you and you will learn. Maybe even become better than me… Who knows.”

Kyros laughed shortly. "Oh, no. I don't think so," he said, shaking his head so that shaggy black bangs fell over his brown eyes. "I don't think I'd ever surpass you. I have so much to learn," he said in a quiet, humble tone. He shook his bangs back and looked at him again, eyes focused briefly before his gaze turned downward. He nodded with a certain determination. "I will listen, and I'll learn. You teach me anything you want to teach me, and I will listen. I wish that I had gold to pay you in, but I don't... perhaps more than listening, though. I can be of some kind of service to you in the future," he suggested. He looked up again and smiled briefly before nodding. "And in teaching me, you will earn my loyalty. I would dare to say that is worth something."

Desparrow considered the thought of the human being of service later on… It was doubtful. But perhaps something that required another with similar skills would arise at some point, and then Kyros would be of use. Until that point came up, if it ever did, he would just teach the human his own skills in hand to hand combat, and in archery. “Come at me.” He wanted Kyros to rush him, to start the lessons right away. He felt rejuvenated enough, it should be exciting, atleast for him it would be. Slowly, he got into a fighting position, but from his hands, he extended only his index and middle fingers, a style of fighting he learned long ago, in a previous life actually. It was at this moment, that his focus zeroed in on the potential weak points on the human body, “Come.”

Kyros watched him and a frown pulled lightly at the corners of his lips. The human, usually perhaps too eager to learn, sat with hesitation for his own well-being, watching with wary eyes. He'd been broken each time he'd attempted to be trained, first by Trissayne, and then by Tanya. The first time with daggars straight into his chest and a major artery, the second time with Tanya's cyclone, though Kyros had indeed landed on his back and suffered four broken bones and, had she hesitated a few moments more in healing him, he may be a corpse just now, rather than sitting here debating his mortality. He had been told to listen, though, and Kyros was nothing if not trusting. He'd been told that would be his downfall. Still, the human rose, stepping forward and attempting to imitate somewhat Desparrow's stance, though he didn't advance, either too nervous or too untrained to know how.

Desparrow looked on with a raised eyebrow, curious as to why the male wasn’t doing as told, and then what the hell was he doing? Was Kyros trying to mimic him? That was not the way to learn. “You have to develop your own style. You can’t do that by copying mine. You aren’t me, so it won’t work. And you will train with me from now on, believe it. You need to have a firm guiding hand, or else everything you learn will be messed up.” He motioned for the human to charge him, “Come at me, just run at me, and follow your instinct.” His muscles were tensed, his eyes focused and his lips starting to curl into another grin, his shorter brown hair not getting in the way, and the water having mostly dried off, but a few drips found their way to his bare chest, where they would slide down his toned abs to his waist. He wanted to see what the male was capable of, “I won’t hurt you. I swear it.”

Hand To Hand Combat

Kyros immediately felt foolish, his stance relaxing so that he no longer mirrored Desparrow's pose, but rather looked more natural in it, less crouched, with his shoulders straight and wide, making hinself appear larger, as if to elicit fear in his competitor. Had he been able to see himself or had a mirror placed in front of him, he would know immediately that the man's advice was solid; he had quite a good stance when he wasn't trying to imitate. With his hands clenched, he paced himself briefly and then ran, fists at his sides, tight and sturdy in preparation to throw a blow at Desparrow's abdomen, his feet moving to swing and hook a leg out from under him, hoping to get him to the ground.

Desparrow nodded as he watched the man get into his own stance. “Good. Exactly what I am talking about.” He waited for the charge, impressed with the stance, and instead of actually doing anything at this time, he wanted to see how his opponent would work out his strike. Sucking in a breath, he focused hard, and what he did was he prepared his body, his abs tightened and squeezed together, to make a hard surface that would take the blow with ease, another technique he learned. Kyros was successful with the first blow, but all that would be heard was a thud and a grunt as Desparrow clenched his jaw in effort to keep it going. He did not expect any technique from the human, as his leg was taken out and he was sent to his back. This forced a laugh out of the elf, his boyish grin ever evident as he nodded, “ood job.” He would wait to see if the male had any other attacks, before he would tell him to do it again, but the next time, Desparrow would show him how open he really was.

Kyros seemed overly proud when his attack worked and, showing a surprising amount of skill, he didn't pause in his assault. His first blow had been a tactic merely to distract Desparrow from his foot set to trip him, but now he used both hands, one pinning Desparrow's arm to his chest, the other aiming a fist to his jaw for as muxh damage as he could elicit with bare hands. In truth, his style needed improvement, but he was coy and clever and fast. He knew how to use his hands with the most basic skill he could be expected to.

Desparrow laughed at the antics of his new student, but when Kyros pinned Desparrow, he found it mildly appealing, that the man would try to hold down this elf in particular. He watched the human cock his arm, the fist ready, and he allowed the first punch to make contact, knowing that it would please the human. After that though, he wasn’t going to be so lenient. Using his elven strength, he attempted to throw off the male, and then roll back to his feet. A red mark was left on his jaw, but he grinned, albeit painfully, at Kyros. “Well done, now try it again.” With that, he returned to his stance that he had before, completely ready to use his practiced speed and strength to overpower the adversary set before him.

Kyros was, in fact, rather proud. He smirked when his fist met skin, and reeled back for another just before Desparrow used his strength to push Kyros away. This made the human fall backward onto his back, though he was quick in getting up, his mind focused and his body firm when he resteadied his pose. He came at Desparrow fast and ready, though unpredictably he used a new move instead of coming at him the same way. His body stayed tucked in, his head ducking down, and he swept both arms out with the intention of grabbing his legs and tossing him down again, more forcefully.

Desparrow was prepared, he was a bit taken aback by the fact that his opponent chose a different tactic, but it wouldn’t matter. He sidestepped, and delivered a quick blow for the man’s neck, the back of it atleast in passing with the side of his hand. It would knock the male to the ground, which then Desparrow would pin the human on his stomach with his knee and then grip his hands and put him in an arrested position, to hold him there with one hand while the other would lightly punch him continuously on his side to show how he lacked the skill to stop the incessant beating that would ensue, had it been a true battle.

Kyros went down easily. His fall was exactly as Desparrow planned it. Though he had no defense against the blow to the back of his neck, and fell easily, the rough ground scraping his chest through the cotton of his shirt, he at least tried to move before the knee delved into his back. He was putting up a fight, that was for certain, and as soon as Desparrow's knee was removed and he went from holding his arms with both hands, to just one, Kyros twisted a leg up, shoving his foot inbetween Desparrow's shoulders at the front of his bare chest. He kicked out, distancing them, and though it was a weak defense, it was a defense still. With the distance, he freed himself from the grasp and propped himself on his elbows, leaning back and breathing hard, body prone for defense as he watched him hesitantly, anticipating a secondary attack.

Desparrow was impressed even more as the male knew how to fight, even if it was just a little. He let the human get the distance he wanted, when he could have easily just forced away the leg. “Interesting. You are a fighter. But you are trying to hard.” He walked up to the male and offered a hand “You are good.” The elf himself was not nearly as fatigued as the human already was. “Perhaps a break?” When actually, the ranger had no intention on giving a break, actually if Kyros would take his hand, Desparrow would pull him up and then turn him, if only to wrap him in his arms, to trap the human’s limbs within and make him unable to fight back. His voice would be rough and low, his breath hot on Kyros’ face. “You are going to have to try harder, actually develop a technique. I will teach you the moves, but you have to create the style.”

Kyros did, in fact, have a fighting spirit in him, and he was worked up now, on edge and determined. He looked up, watching the hand that was offered out to him. Perhaps Desparrow was really offering him a break, but he hadn't lost, exactly, and he wanted to keep this going. He did take the elf's hand, but only to pull with all of his strength, hoping to catch him off guard and get him down on the ground, rolling over to put an elbow into his back before he could move. Kyros had no doubt that from that position, Desparrow would easily be able to push him off and escape his hold, but he wanted to see, at least - maybe to prove, even - that he could, in fact, pin him, without leeway given, though he clearly didn't know just how much he may have been underestimating the elf's strength.

Desparrow laughed in absolute delight as Kyros didn’t seem ready or wanting a break either. He was indeed pulled down, sweat actually starting to form on his forehead and along his skin. This was a nice workout, perhaps they could practice more often. In the meantime, there were things to be learned. When Kyros attempted a pin, Desparrow merely kicked with his feet and braced his right leg against the ground, then used a little magic, to actually allow him to hold the wait, so that he could roll. And roll he did, right on top of Kyros, so that his back was actually pressed to Kyros’ chest. The ranger thought this was great fun, and that it would harm nothing. “You are good, but can you really beat me?”

Kyros kept his guard up, but clearly wasn't expecting the use of magic, wasn't expecting, either, the way Desparrow rolled over, not only preventing his pin but also, in turn, pinning him backwards, in a way. He squirmed, first with his shoulders, and then with his hips, pushing them up hard in an attempt to remove the heavy weight of Desparrow's back from atop his chest. "I can beat you," he said under his breath, determined and sure, then wrapped his arms around Desparrow's chest and, using his whole weight, threw himself upward with his feet, intent on rolling them over and getting Desparrow down on his chest, arms pinned at his sides, with his whole weight on top of his back. If he made that work, he would hold his legs down with his own calves and moved his hands to hold at Desparrow's elbows.

Desparrow wondered what the hell the human was doing when he was trying to throw him off with his hips. He grinned however when the male wrapped his arms around his chest. “Good tactic, try to reverse the pin.” And that is exactly what Kyros achieved in the end. The human remained on top of him, but it wouldn’t stay that way for long. “Congratulations on your first pin. However, we will be working on your technique in these next few days, weeks, maybe even a couple months from now we will be working on it. You need to develop your own skill, which I plan on helping you do. By the time we are done, you mine as well call yourself a badass, because that is what you will become…” Sweat was actually clinging to the ends of his hair; did he really try that hard? Or was it all fun? Either way, he waited for Kyros to remove himself from his body.

Kyros was still breathing hard, and only when he saw that Desparrow was no longer fighting the pin, did he let go. He sat back on his haunches, posed and breathing hard again, his hair sticking to his forehead with sweat. He seemed pleased with himself, a smirk turning up his lips. "And next time, don't go easy on me. I want to see what I can do when you're actually trying," he said, clearly thinking that the elf had been simply letting him win this whole time. He stood after a moment of crouching, rubbing the back of his neck. It still stung and resonated with the pain of a harsh blow there, and he found himself walking down towards the stream, sitting near it with his legs crossed, though not without dipping his bare feet into the cool stream. "I know that I have a lot to work on. I have only ever done hand-to-hand combat with my father, when I was a child. I know I have no real world experience, but my father was a great knight," he glanced back at Desparrow. This was the first time he'd spoken to anyone of his family, and he silenced himself quickly. "At any rate, I just want to learn," he said.

A Lighter Mood

Desparrow listened to the story and got up to his knees. “I see.. Well.. You have brought the fighting spirit out of me. . I think that we could learn much from each other.” He stood up and wandered over to the spring, dunking his head under the water, grinning as the refreshing coolness satisfied him. When he pulled out, his hair was plastered to the top of his head and his forehead, while water drizzled down his back and face. The sweat actually kind of partially washed away in the wake of the water. He breathed in deep, his chest expanding outwards and then deflating as he let it go. Turning to Kyros, he reached behind the male’s back and then went to push him into the waters, if only to see his clothes get soaked. Then he would laugh, elated at the fact that in the end, he would be the victor.

Kyros turned to look at the elf when he wet his hair a second time, his urge to jump in and cool off stronger than before. It was all too easy for Desparrow, because he was in the process of getting up, bare feet sliding on the wet grass near the edge of the stream, his back arching in as he used his arms as leverage. When he was pushed, he stood no chance of holding on, one foot slipping and both hands flailing out behind him in a weak attempt to grab on. To what, he wasn't sure, but his fingertips could make no purchase on thin air, and he flew forward into the water with a satisfying splash. His black hair curled at the edges and sticking to his cheeks and around his eyes when he came up, gasping for air with a look on his face like he was confused. He laughed after a moment, and then he began to wade to the edge again, his laugh twisting into an anticipating look. His white shirt stuck to his skin, see-through to an extent, and his pants rubbed together uncomfortably as he climbed out, still glaring, albeit playfully, at Desparrow.

Desparrow had a grin on his face that gave of pure playful maliciousness. Could he do anything else? Hmm.. He didn’t have any water spells to further torture, but he guessed it didn’t matter. Being soaked while in the autumn night would be bad enough. The left corner of his mouth curled up in a rather sardonic grin before he started laughing so hard he actually had to bend over. His voice, robust but light, had a single peculiar quality. Able to sound rough but enticing, like a peanut butter in a rat trap, it would pull one in until they were caught, and either trapped or killed. The posture he held about his body was one of impetuous certainty, like he knew exactly what he was doing and why. Truth be told, he really didn’t have a clue why he did most things, sometimes they were the first thoughts to come to his mind and then he would react upon them. As Kyros glared, Desparrow only just noticed and crossed his arms over his chest, still grinning at the soaked man. “That looks mighty uncomfortable.” A quick finger to point and another laugh escaping his lips to show that he thought it was damn hilarious.

Kyros didn't feel the wind piercing his skin until after he'd fully pulled himself up from the water. He let a slow, steady growl of anger leave his throat and a chill ran straight down his spine like needles. "You'll get it," he hissed sharply, spitting water as it dripped down from his hair onto his lips. Desparrow was pointing now, and he husked around him to the opposite edge of the water, shoulders drawn in for warmth. Only now, when Desparrow was distracted with laughing and didn't expect anything, did he think he had a good chance of surprise. And he lunged at him fast, grabbing his shoulders and putting all of his weight into throwing himself against the elf's weight, hoping to throw them both into the water, Desparrow first and him on top, his weight weighing him down into the water. He planned to hold him under for a few seconds with his hands against Desparrow's shoulders, only releasing him after he'd let him flail a moment.

Desparrow kept laughing, till he choked on one due to being collided with and thrown into the water. His arms did flail at first, wondering what the hell could have happened. When he focused enough, it was simply Kyros that had taken the initiative and usurped an attack. A rather large splash and he was suddenly surrounded by the cold water, little fish swimming away to escape the monster that had suddenly invaded their homes. He made quite the show of it, flailing his arms erratically before they found purchase on the other man’s arms. A good, strong grip, but since he wasn’t able to appropriate himself more than mud to grab with his feet so that he would have leverage, he was stuck with flailing, unable to throw off his opponent that had so eagerly struck out. It was rather embarrassing, but as long as it was all in fun, he didn’t really care to be taken out by a human so easily, but the water was cold, and Kyros’ weight holding him down was.. an interesting posture to be stuck in? Eh, didn’t matter, for the elf continued to struggle, only just then finding a rock that he could possibly.. Yes! A solid surface, and with that he rolled over, hopefully getting Kyros underneath the surface of the water this time.

Kyros struggled to stay afloat. He was desperate in his struggle, turning his body and keeping his shoulders straight. He expected this to give him less ability to turn, but in reality, the extra surface gave him better grasp, and Kyros was pulled under, twisting and turning against him and taking in a deep breath as the water covered his body, his head, and he pushed up and out against the elf's body, desperate to turn him and gain the upper hand or, at least, free himself from the grasp.

Desparrow wrestled with the male over control of who stayed above the water, but the human was struggling a lot, more than.. he could handle? Absolutely not. It was all fun wasn’t it? Anyways, to get off that train of thought, the elf laughed, before being turned once more, his head being dunked under the waters yet again, actually feeling warmer than he did only moments ago, most likely because his body had gotten used to the water’s temperature, or was it not only this, but also that he was actually having fun and getting a work out at the same time? Who knew, but it was probably a mixture of the two. The play felt rejuvenating either way, like he was a child again.

Kyros fought him only a moment longer, the two of them going back and forth between buoyancy and nearly being pulled under. A sharp breath left his throat as he broke the water's surface, gasping in cold air and, now free from the elf's grasp, he made a break to the edge of the water, grabbing a rock and pulling himself out. This was made more difficult by the cloth around his broken knuckles, but he'd nearly forgotten about the injury altogether now.

Desparrow rose to the surface heaving air into his lungs, his chest expanding and contracting rapidly. Moving over to the edge of the water, he stayed in to watch Kyros a little longer, if only to make sure that he was alright. Placing his hands on the ground and pulled himself up, only just noticing again the cloth surrounding Kyros’ hand. What could have happened? He didn’t know, but he would ask about it eventually. Walking a little ways away, he collapsed onto the ground, only because it was more comfortable than his pants riding his crotch and the squelching against his feet. A quick mutter of words and a snap of his fingers and before him a fire materialized. “Come…” he motioned for Kyros to come by the fire. He tossed him his dry shirt and nodded, “You may find yourself a bit more comfortable in this.” The water glistened all over his body in the light of the flames, the droplets falling from his hair to the ground as he propped himself on his right side and looked out to the spring, calm and peaceful, as if the previous events had never happened at all.

Kyros rolled onto his side, propping himself on one arm and, still catching his breath, watched as the elf walked over and eventually collapsed onto the ground. He laid on his back, the uncomfortable cold rushing over his chest and his hair, sending a chill down his spine. His gaze only lifted when he heard and felt the presence of a fire. Then his body lifted up, elbows pushing him off the ground, and he made his way to the fire, desperate, at this point, for the warmth. He tugged his wet shirt off, tossing it into a dripping pile near the edge of the fire and exposing his toned, sturdy chest, his skin too pale from cold. He sat there without pulling on the dry shirt, letting his skin dry and warm first, holding his hands out - one still bandaged - over the fire.

Desparrow watched and grinned, examining the muscle on Kyros’ chest, “Haha! You do have some power in that scrawny body of yours! Atleast that can be worked with, I don’t think I would enjoy teaching someone that didn’t have the body to learn.” Immediately upon finishing those words, he winked, why did he do this? He didn’t know, but it didn’t matter did it? He lay on his back, and with a quick snap of his fingers, the fire grew taller, and warmer. The sun was down beyond the horizon now, covering the land in a blanket of night, the only sources of light being the fire, and the stars that dared to show themselves amongst the dark sky, and of course, the moon, its crescent shape shrouded in the misty forms of the clouds high above. The silence filled the area, the brief winds piercing the lack of sound only every once in a while, brushing through the sparse canopy overhead.

Kyros watched the elf, studied his face and shook his head. A short laugh left his throat when Desparrow winked at him, and for a brief moment, he found himself studying the other's motives. He'd only been winked at a few times in his life, and only by women in a suggestive manner. This was new to him, and he couldn't decide at first whether to say something or not. It seemed he decided not to, though, for his eyes dropped low, and he shifted to lay on his back near the tall flames, canting his head up to look at the elf curiously. "Where do you stay? Perhaps you should go before it's been dark for too long," he said slowly.

Desparrow chuckled a bit, seeing the reaction of the male before he did lie on his back, contemplating the events of his life. It was quickly interrupted when Kyros asked him the question about where he stayed. “I live wherever I choose to go. I wander this land, and other lands away from here. But I like this forest, I like to sleep here, I don’t usually take to a bed, not unless I have reason.” He laughed, but it was quickly subdued before he continued and then looked at him seriously, “I live wherever I decide, for this night, I will sleep here most likely, tomorrow I don’t really know, but I enjoy the outside and I enjoy the wild. I thrive in this environment.”

Kyros raised his brow, nodding as he looked at the elf, and then he lowered his head down onto the grass. He was relaxed, thinking, lettibg the warm of the fire bring a natural shade back to his skin. He sighed slowly, his eyes closing. Finally, his skin was beginning to dry, and the pants he wore, too. "I would sleep here, but I'm afraid I'd get cold, even with the fire," he said, his head tilting to watch out of the corner of his eye as Desparrow got comfortable again. "But I suppose I can stay for a little while." He turned onto his stomach now, getting more comfortable and closing his eyes then, chest rising and falling steadily.

Desparrow stretched out against the ground, the fire feeding off his mana. Good thing he had enough to keep it going through the night into the early morning, otherwise he might be in trouble. Usually he had Goyjio keep him warm though. Speaking of which, where were they off to? He sat up abruptly, looking around, his eyes not meant to pierce the night as it was. With a sigh, he heard something rustle by the water… Was someone trying to rob him? Doubtful, for they would find nothing but heavy armor within his bags. Unless of course it was what he thought it was and the twins were rummaging for a place to sleep. Meandering over to the edge of the spring, he located the trembling bag and opened it, finding Gyakuu choking the life out of Goyjio. He grabbed them both and kept them apart, shaking his head slowly as if chastising them. “Here you go, they should keep you warm. That is if you want to stay. I don’t care either way, I have slept alone many nights and I am used to it.” When he tossed the fire imps Kyros’ way, Goyjio transformed into a warm crimson blanket, while Gyakuu just cackled and landed in a small patch of grass. Desparrow then sat back down, leaning on his elbows while looking at the sky, his cerulean eyes glistening in the firelight

Kyros sat up when he heard the rustling, though he felt a bit safer than he normally would have for the simple fact that Desparrow was there. There were two of them, and he'd seen the elf in battle; he knew how capable he was. Besides, Kyros thought, if someone were to attack, there was always strength in numbers. Sighing, he watched as the two imps emerged from the bag, one in each of their master's hands. Kyros couldn't help from laughing. He leaned back on his elbows when suddenly the creature transformed into a blanket and, unable to deny the invitation to stay, he nodded, scooting onto his side and wrapping the blanket around his lower half, pulling the dry shirt onto his upper half. "Alright. I'll wake when the sun rises, and perhaps after breakfast, you can train me in archery again," he suggested, propping his head in his hand, his eyes watching Desparrow quietly without faltering.

Desparrow nodded to the other male and stretched out, before placing his hands behind his head and rest in that position, finding it very comfortable. “Sure. We can train some more in the morning after breakfast.” Inhaling deeply, his chest rose and stopped, before shrinking as he let it out slowly. It was necessary for him to do this, if only to quell his thoughts enough for sleep. However was Kyros looking at him? He wouldn’t return the gaze, instead he would just act as if wasn’t happening and drift slowly into a light but restful slumber.