light & motion

[ladyofthesands]

Arha drew a breath in, focusing on the curved discs before her as she moved through a graceful set of katas to warm up.  She stretched, letting the sunlight that streaming into the red tiled practice hall warm her back, it glinted of the metal and set her hair afire as she spun through another set.  It was a dance, one she had always enjoyed

Comments

2/2: the deadliest game of DDR you've never played

[worm_dancer]

...It seemed a little against the point of the exercise.

She stopped dead still and stamped.

One. Two. One. Two. Like a thumper. She could almost feel the phantom eyes of The Tyrant's priest on her, watching from the safe distance of a thopter.

They turned, insomuch as the term was applicable since they were in a constant spin.

And pursued her.

She flung herself down. They came over top, a cutting wind. A foot lashed out behind her, scorpionlike, as she sprung up on her hands. One hit the floor but the rest had her sighted. She was forced to scramble and sprint to get to the other side of the floor.

She dropped into a crouch to allow another one to pass over her head and embed itself in a pillar again. A strip of her wild, dark red hair hit the floor too.

Two opposed rolls brought her behind the pillar, with five blades now embedded in it. Two whirred menacingly at her from about chest height to her small frame. She was out in the open and they were too low to duck under.

She lept. A foot came down on one and she followed it down. She landed on it as it went skidding away...along with her balance. Her own foot was suddenly no longer in position to support her, having been on the now nonfunctional blade. She tucked her head in and found herself on her back, the wind leaving her lungs.

The final blade bore down.

Fraction of a second to react. She caught it between her palms. The edge kissed the tip of her nose then sputtered out.

She sucked air in with a smirk.

[ladyofthesands]

Arha watched without comment, taking in the movements, how they worked in the space of the hall and against the blades. Wild and Fremen and rhythmless, bladeless. Interesting. Arha pulled the basic principles in, turned them over in her mind, and nodded once.

"I see," she murmured, folding her arms. And she did see; the non-patterns, the use for them, the way it all came together.

[worm_dancer]

There was a small red line across Sheeana's nose that should have been bleeding. Fremen blood coagulated fast.

She got awkwardly to her feet, still breathing hard. "Darwi said...I could eventually teach it."

[ladyofthesands]

"Such would be handy," Arha said after a moment of silence, "and obviously useful." Like a sandstorm, it was wildly unpredictable as well.

[worm_dancer]

Sheeana dropped the blade and it clattered to the floor. There were more marks on her palms and they stung. She cocked her head in silent offering.

[ladyofthesands]

"I could get rid of those," Arha said, her lips twisting is a faint smile. She was already stepping forward, ready to both learn more of this technique and offer to take the sting out. It was the least of things to do.

[worm_dancer]

She nodded in silent thanks and held her hands out. "Leave on on each hand, please. As reminders."

[ladyofthesands]

"Of course," Arha murmured. It was not a difficult thing to do to take minor things from others. A tug, a wash of heat, direction, a soft, hazy weariness. That was all. There were two marks, the rest were healed. Arha let out a sigh and sat, rubbing her hands together to dissipate the heat left in them. It was never a thing she could use upon herself, but her own abilities allowed for faster than common healing.

It was fine.

[worm_dancer]

She felt her hands tingle, then suddenly itch madly. The accelerated healing...It was an irritant as well as a blessing.

She looked at them, suddenly clean of marks except for two.

"Are you feeling up to trying it?"