In the Courtyard

[smallestopener]

It's been a long morning already, or so it feels to Ingress. She's showed Lan all the forms and long-practiced movements she remembers from Arithon's rigorous instruction. A lot of time has gone by, though, and she doesn't remember what some of the steps were called. She just goes by rote through everything she can recall

Comments

[taishar_malkier]

"Not bad."

Lan doesn't give compliments unless he means them.

But he'll unbend rather more for a nine-year-old girl than for a teenaged farmboy with Trollocs dogging his footsteps.

"Tom said you'd kept up your practicing. I see he was right."

[smallestopener]

She smiles and wipes her sweaty brow.

"I like using the sword. I used to train every morning, first thing. It was my favorite part of the day."

[taishar_malkier]

"A good habit. The more you practice, the better you will learn what you need to."

Lan takes his own advice here.

A lot.

"Put your sword back on the rack, and tell me what other fighting skills you've learned. The bow, or knives, or hands and fists?"

This is Lan's version of a break to let her catch her breath.

[smallestopener]

She replaces the sword as instructed and sits down on the ground.

"Um, let's see. I've done lots of lessons. I'm practicing bowing, because I started archery again with Marian. She's going to teach me how to shoot while on horseback. I've done a little dagger throwing practice, and slingshots, but that was a long time ago. I've done some fighting, too, but more like ducking and using my weight against the opponent and throwing dirt in their faces for distractions. It was a while ago, too."