RP:Concern for Crutches
Snowless Training Yard
Hildegarde had spent enough time dabbling in dealing justice and negotiating terms amongst feuding neighbour giants, now it was time to train and to enjoy the simple pleasures of sparring practice. There was a distinct enjoyment in practicing one’s art, the movement of a melee brought a certain satisfaction; especially the execution of a sequence of moves. Today, however, Hildegarde was treated to the presence of a Rynvalian noble. A young son had desired to come here and train amongst ‘the very best’. His family had already set up tables with wide parasols that bore their family crest, incredibly posh and flamboyant they were. The lad stood with his katana in hand, swishing it and swinging it about with a certain sense of pride and arrogance. The Steward had agreed to spar with the boy on the basis that she would serve as a teacher. “Your katana will not break my armour,” she warned him, knowing full well the blade was better at parrying and piercing than it was slashing through armour. But the boy dived in, immediately seeking to slash down on Hildegarde’s pauldron. However, the blade chipped slightly and her armour was little more than scratched. Finally moving, the knight rushed to a table to snatch up a parasol – most unorthodox, the family muttered – and took up a ready stance as the boy charged at her. Opening the parasol, the knight allowed the blade to pierce through before she moved her arms in a wide circle, wrenching the katana free and closing the parasol so she could slap his side and send him staggering. “Listen to me, if you want to fight with a katana ever again,” she said.
Satoshi isn't present to interfere, or even make herself especially known. Rather, the magus always enjoys taking a comfortable spot on the sidelines to watch Hildegarde instruct. The longer Satoshi goes unnoticed, the longer she is able to witness the confident and certain side of the Silver, a delicate and perfect blend of ruthless and gentle, in the manner of a mother bear teaching her cubs. It is one of Satoshi's favorite passtimes--that, and listening to the affronted huffing on Elven Nobles seeing their flawless son smacked so brazenly. It's enough to make the kit's whiskers curl in delight.
Hildegarde frowned for a few moments as the boy turned to his family, pointing and stamping his feet: “It isn’t fair! This she-beast is cheating!” Obviously, Hilde wasn’t used to teaching absolute babies. Nevertheless, she placed the parasol down and withdrew the katana from its folds; holding it out for the boy to take by the hilt. After a few moments, she accepted a katana from a family member. “I will not use a parasol, then. I will use a katana and you will use a katana. I will not charge at you and I will hold my ground, is that fair?” she asked, waiting for his consent. With a grumpy nod, the boy agreed and withdrew a few paces. The knight tested the weight of the blade in her hand. It was not a sword she particularly liked to use, but she could admire it for its skill: deadly when used right and an excellent choice for those who could strike with accuracy. It didn’t take long for the high elf to charge at her, screaming a rather high-pitched battle cry as he did! His sword curved downward, aiming to strike at the point where neck meets shoulder, but Hildegarde had raised her katana. With a hand against the flat of the blade to support it, she seemingly gently pushed his blade along the length of hers and aside. “Perhaps you ought to try a longsword! They’re made for battering into foes when one lacks accuracy,” she suggested with a winning smile. The boy had merely tossed his katana to the ground and stormed off, much to the embarrassment of his poor father.
Satoshi does love a well-done show of embarrassment, which is precisely why there's the faintest trill of a melody from her before the Elven boy finds a boot abruptly frozen to the ground. With a yelp, the lad crashes facefirst into the snow, obstructed foot already released, so that it appears he's done nothing more than trip over his own limbs while sulkily storming off. It can be said with certainly that Satoshi has little love for the high-and-mighty members of the Rynvale Houses. With a pleased chuckle, the magus settles in more comfortably where she's been leaning against the training yard wall, tails swishing with obvious malicious delight around her.
Hildegarde hefted the katana up just slightly as she turned to look at Satoshi, “You are a terrible one, m’lady,” she said, although it was said with a smile. The knight didn’t entirely appreciate students who were rude or had no desire to learn purely on the basis of status. Usually, she could work out underlying issues such as bullying or shame, but pride and arrogance were difficult. He might come around later. “Did you like my work with the parasol?” she asked with a grin.
Satoshi matches Hildegarde's grin with one of her own, filled with remorseless fangs. "It was lovely and humiliating all in one. Thoroughly deserved. He might realize you're a fair and kindly teacher, if Kasyr gave him a lesson or two." The kensai's lessons were ones Satoshi dreaded in her training with the katana, but the brutal methods proved victorious eventually. It had been a point of genuine pride when the magus finally managed to startle her Sword Saint husband after years of swordplay. The Elf would not have survived. The lad is better off with someone like Hildegarde, a teacher with some compassion and patience.
Hildegarde chortled at the remark, “Remind me never to try and fight your husband, then!” The knight had heard enough to know she didn’t particularly want to go against him. In fairness, the knight didn’t particularly want to fight against anyone. Some things just couldn’t be helped. “How have you been, anyway?” she asked fondly, finally looking at Satoshi properly to try and assess her. The perpetual look of worry, courtesy of a loyal Queensguard.
Satoshi, for all the good it does, tries to wave off the look of worry. That expression seems permanently glued to Hildegarde's face, whenever she realizes the magus is nearby. Sometimes Satoshi finds it almost flustering, knowing someone is anxious about her wellbeing in a genuine and honest way. "Well as can be expected while helping Kasyr navigate the stormy waters of Cenril Church's desire for war. They are determined to wipe Vailkrin off the map merely because 'vampires are pure evil'. Y'know, same old Holy script they always spout." The manner in which Satoshi speaks suggests it is a nuisance more than a genuine concern, as if she were remarking about having to walk home in a light rain. "And what of yourself? All well in the North?" Not that the foxkin hasn't been keeping on ear on things. She trusts Hildegarde, but Satoshi likes to be informed at all times by her own means.
Hildegarde is merely one who worries often about her loved ones, it can’t be helped. As armoured as she is, she does wear her heart on her armoured sleeve. “Hm. I trust you and Kasyr will be able to handle it just fine,” she said, as if almost trying to be reassuring, “but you know where I am if you ever have need of me. Not that I imagine you will!” she was well aware that Satoshi and Kasyr were more powerful than she could ever hope to be. The Silver offered a little nod of her head, “I think all is well. There is a rumour that my eye is magical,” she chortled, “but beyond that there seems to be nothing else. I know someone tried to cause trouble between us and Trist’oth, yet I think I have handled it well enough. If not, I know I can call upon you for strength. I also feel better being the Steward, now that I have this,” she said, pulling the Xalious Tree amulet from behind her gorget, should Satoshi wish to inspect it.
Satoshi's ears give a twitch at the mention of Trist'oth. She had heard about that incident, although it had not been one of large concern. Again, she trusted Hildegarde. That, and Satoshi has a considerably high respect in Tiphareth, she sincerely doubts that he wouldn't come to her with any concerns long before he'd declare war over a conflict in Kelay Town.It is not uncommon for violence to break out among individuals over matters of race. With these thoughts in mind, Satoshi perks up and leans forward then to peer at the amulet, expression plainly curious. "My, my. What a lovely piece~."
Hildegarde was certain that Tiphareth was a man of sense and wouldn’t start a war over the actions of another. She had already written to him in any case, to offer her cooperation in finding the true culprit, in the spirit of Frostmaw’s alliance with the Underdark. “The Lady Leone crafted it for me!” with just a faint hint of divine magic, the tree shaped blue amulet had tiny little runes on the inside. “It helps me,” she confessed a little more quietly.
Satoshi doesn't lift a hand to poke at the amulet, as would be her norm. The quivering of her whiskers suffice for an answer, having scented divine magic, and thus made wary in making contact. Satoshi's had enough taste of the Holy to last her a lifetime. Nonetheless, she does not need to touch the amulet to sense the basis of the enchantments within, feeling no malicious energies or undead-hating intent. It is a piece to aid, not to harm, so far as Satoshi can tell--and is confirmed by Hildegarde's remark a moment later. Glancing up at the knight, the magus wears an unspoken question on her face.
Hildegarde ’s voice had dropped to a total conspiratorial whisper at this point. “After the war…” she frowned, “just losing my temper and myself all the time. The tremors in my hands, the buzzing in my mind, it’s all gone, thanks to this little amulet.”
Satoshi frowns. The lines of worry are an uncommon thing on Satoshi's face, creasing an otherwise smooth forehead. "Gone... as in, this amulet blocks them? Or aids you in facing them?" Suspicion creeps into her voice as she asks. Such trinkets can be dangerous, if they serve only to cover the problem. "In the manner of a broken leg, does this amulet serve as a splint, helping you heal. Or does it mask the pain, so that you continue to walk upon an injury that should not bear the weight alone? You can imagine how crippling the latter can be in time, however pleasant it is to be pain-free now."
Hildegarde nodded, “It blocks it, yes,” she answered. Always an honest one. “I can recall my memories or my feelings about friends dying and no longer does it send me into some… some shaking rage where I may not remember who I am or where I am,” it was obvious why such a trinket was valued, when this is what it prevented. “I can take it off for a while, before the sort of buzzing comes back.”
Satoshi's ears fold back. "Be careful how much you rely upon it, Mithril. Crutches are meant to assist you as you regain the strength of your feet, not carry you indefinitely, or replace your damaged limbs. I can see the benefit in using it to work through your thoughts and feelings. At the same time, I can see the threat of using it to hide from what has been. Do not become like the veterans who descend into their drinks seeking escape, because no matter how pretty an item it is, this amulet would be no better at that point." Satoshi's expression darkens, hinting at a flicker of sadness in the amber flecks of her eyes. "I've seen it happen to some I hold dear. It is a treacherous path to tread."
Hildegarde would always take the advice of Satoshi to heart, “Then tell me honestly, Satoshi, do you think I ought to be rid of it?”
Satoshi shakes her head vehemently. "No, no, don't get rid of it. Clearly it is of use to you. I only advise using it to limited extents. Do not -rely- upon it. Do not use it as your only means to coping. It will become no better than the ale, wine, and other substances folks use to escape their pains. View it as a bandage. A bandage does not heal the wound, a bandage wards against further harm while you, your body, tend to the wound itself. We see too often the wretchedness that comes of folks relying upon the powers of magical items, addicted to the benefits while oblivous to the physical wasting way around them. I don't pretend to know this Leone who gave you the item, but I will carry the benefit of the doubt that they did not intend you to use it as a wall to hide behind until you're unable to exist without it."
Hildegarde sighed gently, finding her fingers having gently curled around the amulet as if for safe-keeping. Perhaps she was too reliant upon it. “I do not know how to wean myself away from it,” she said quietly. “Or more I would rather not, but I understand your meaning. Perhaps it is best to leave it alone and use it only in times of war or fighting, so these thoughts cannot plague me then… What do you think?” If it wasn’t already obvious, it would be obvious now that Hildegarde held Satoshi’s opinion in the highest of regards.
Satoshi echoes Hildegarde's sigh. "What do I think? I think that I cannot give you sound advice, as I am not in your boots. I do not know, feel, or understand what it is you're going through. I never can. We are built differently. What I do know is that I have seen too many times what becomes of those who rely solely upon an enchantment to shield their minds. This amulet is good for you, clearly, but just as clearly it can be so very bad for you." Another sigh follows and the magus' frown deepens. She is silent a moment, hands fluttering as she searches for the words she wants. "Perhaps, those times when you remove yourself from the amulet's protection, you should seek out others who have been through ordeals such as you. I am sure there are many within this academy's very halls. I've heard speaking about trials with others who understand can help the wounds to heal--the couatl too, are skilled in the realms of thoughts and emotions." Emielle especially, the oddly colored couatl determined to become a mental healer. "It may be better for you to seek them out for the majority of the time, and use the amulet when you are alone and need a barrier. A shield is well and good, but you cannot survive by taking refuge behind it. You must step out and strike, too."
Hildegarde nodded along, quietly considering what Satoshi had to say about the matter. “I shall try to consult Leone about it. I wouldn’t like to be so dependent upon it,” she said thoughtfully. But then she had other thoughts about it too: maybe she was meant to suffer, maybe that was Aramoth’s punishment for her. Who knew. “Kenway is in part why I did this. Why I wanted this,” she answered, “so I can protect him from… from that poison in my mind.”
Satoshi's head half turns toward the east, as if she's heard her name being called. Unconsciously, a step is taken in that direction before she draws herself up short. An apologetic bow is given to Hildegarde here. "Forgive me, Mithril, I am needed elsewhere, it would seem. But don't for a moment think I'll be forgetting this topic. We shall discuss it again. Your well-being is one of my highest priorities." Satoshi flashes a grin then, the fanged and crooked sort that gives an impish tilt to her features. Even as the expression crosses her face, it becomes obscured by a rising flurry of snowflakes, carried by an unfelt breeze. "But something you should consider, when it comes to Kenway and the rest of us: Perhaps that poison would not be so potent, if you let us carry some of it for you too. You are not merely a shield." A flick of the kit's myriad tails, and she vanishes from sight, the snowflakes settling upon the otherwise snowless ground in open defiance to the academy's enchantments. Satoshi loves her dramatic and ethereal exits, after all.