[OPEN] Isley & You!
Who: swordofthenorth and anyone else who feels like joining!
When: September 28, beginning at noon and going onward
Where: Isley's Home-Training Hall
Format: Individual threads please, in your choice of action or prose
What: Chatter, the clash of swords, and whatever else may follow
Warnings: None at present
( The training hall was as long as it was wide, and open to the public from noon until nightfall. )
When: September 28, beginning at noon and going onward
Where: Isley's Home-Training Hall
Format: Individual threads please, in your choice of action or prose
What: Chatter, the clash of swords, and whatever else may follow
Warnings: None at present
( The training hall was as long as it was wide, and open to the public from noon until nightfall. )
Comments 40
[Accepting an open invitation into the jaws of a beast! One could definitely call it living dangerously... which, in fairness, she is quite accustomed to.]
[And besides, it ought to be interesting.]
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She's aware of two ...beasts that reside here, but not of the beastly things that lurk beneath your smile, Roxanne.]
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[Roxanne arrives first and Isley turns to greet her, turning his back to the portraits of landscapes and men in arms he had been staring at a moment ago. Her footsteps are barely audible, like those of any well-trained Warrior.]
[And once she has made her way a little further into the hall, Irene is not long entering behind her.]
[Isley smiles at them both.]
Roxanne. [His head inclines in her direction, and then toward the other Warrior.] Irene. Welcome, both of you.
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[Roxanne gives a smile as bright and sweet as sunlight and honey. Which one of them it's directed at - indeed, which one she's speaking to - is somewhat hard to place.]
[Well, maybe to both. She holds her arms out in front of her, fingers interlocked, stretching her muscles.]
I have to admit, I'm surprised to find a soldier here, besides myself. Isn't socializing with awakened beings a little bit frowned on?
[Smile! That one was definitely for Irene. She tips her head and lets her curls brush against her cheek, fall over her shoulders.]
...of course, you are a little different than most warriors, aren't you? So open-minded! [And soft. Oh, she hasn't forgotten that spare-the-allies nonsense. But she'll refrain from rolling her eyes.]
Much like you, silver king. How open of you this is. And how generous.
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There's a basket on that arm, its contents covered by a printed cloth. And she's worn her best tunnelmen-made-gear-shoes (as flats) - is it a bad sign that they were eager to arrive here? Those things do kind of love a good disaster.
Also, she just sneezed a little.]
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[Humans can be so appetizing without meaning to be...]
Dawn? [The wooden swords are left to their woven basket and Isley flashes the girl a warm and welcoming smile.] Are you cold? [Well, she did sneeze!] I could light a fire if you like.
[No, he is not entertaining the idea of cooking her. Humans are better raw, besides.]
What brings you all this way and... [Pause.] Dressed so, with a basket. You haven't come here to train, I take it?
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[sneeze!]
---do that.
But fire's good. Unless you're on it...or it's on you. Generally I'm a fan.
Oh, I was just in the area, working on a thing [that thing being a calendar] and I thought I'd check out the wing. Oh god. That just rhymed. It wasn't intentional, I'm a way better rhymer than that. Wing, thing? Totally amateur.
[Kinda peeking around him.]
It's a special delivery for Rigaldo.
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[The warmth in his expression grows as he makes his way toward the fireplace. He draws some matches from the stone ledge and ignites one using the scratchpad on the back, then tosses it onto the small logs sitting in the fire pit. It takes several moments, but soon enough the flames begin to burn, and the smoke begins to rise up the chimney.]
[He turns to Dawn then and approaches her.]
Rigaldo isn't here at the moment. What special delivery could you possibly be bringing him?
[After all, he can't think of anything the other awakened being would want from this charming young girl besides her guts.]
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Isie!
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Yachiru.
[He offers a nod upon her arrival and makes his way toward her. Although displays of outward affection are not common amongst Awakened Beings, Isley feels almost compelled to let the small Shinigami know how much she means to him. His left hand finds her shoulder-length locks and musses them playfully.]
You've come with quite a load today. Such initiative!
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Yeah! I want to get stronger and stronger! And you're the best teacher around, Isie!
[She wriggles enough to pull her bow off of where it's slung over her back and looks up at him.]
Can we shoot first? I want to get really good at shooting!
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It pleases me that you think so, Yachiru. I certainly try to be the best that I can be.
[And it is true, he does. And it's not difficult to maintain his place atop the pantheon of warriors to arrive in Anatole, but there are many that also train their skills daily and continue to grow...so he must, too. Complacency at the top would certainly lead to defeat.]
We will begin with still targets, and then progress to those with movement.
[He goes to select one of the smaller boards from the branch room. Small, not to match Yachiru's size, but to increase the level of difficulty. Smaller targets are harder to hit, and he and Yachiru have practiced together before. He has faith in the young Shinigami's ability to hit her mark.]
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[Truth be told, she's not even certain whether she came to train or observe. But in either case, she lingers by the door, watching the people, and watching the room itself.]
[She's seen it before, of course, having been a visitor to Isley's home before he opened it to the public. Even so, it's different now - perhaps it's the occupation, or the atmosphere.]
[She leans against the door, silent and observant.]
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[Since the hall opened to the public early that afternoon, Isley has been instructing and watching those who have come to train. Unlike them, however, not one hair is out of place upon his head. His clothes are unwrinkled, the same as they were when he put them on first thing that morning.]
[As always, Priscilla's yoki is suppressed. Nevertheless, Isley is aware of her when she enters. Her presence, at least for him, is unmistakable. It is a lure that pulls him away from the task at hand and toward her.]
[He notices her sword and the white leather, but above all else, he notices the silent air about her, and the reflective look in her silvery eyes.]
Priscilla, I should not be surprised by your being here...but I am. You look as though you have something on your mind.
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[Priscilla smiles a little, just at the edges of her lips, and leans her head back against the wall, looking over his shoulder more than at him - her gaze lingering on the people there.]
I always have things on my mind.
[With that, she snaps her gaze to his face.]
It's different here, now. I don't mean bad, just different. The atmosphere... the air... It's lively.
And opening your home like this? It's very generous.
[Which makes her suspicious. So she gives him a little look, one eyebrow raised, half a tease and half genuine skepticism. If nothing else, experience has taught her that, with Isley, it's always appropriate to look for the ulterior motive.]
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Is it?
I find that I enjoy the presence of such activity in my home. The scents, the sounds...
[Finally he looks back toward her, and the set of his jaw is firm, the line of his mouth almost tight.]
This property is expansive. The absence of the living is notable. I find that, on a day when many have come to train, even into the long and late hours of the evening after they have all gone again...these halls do not feel so empty.
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[It was hard to be courteous on an empty stomach, anyway.]
[So he returns later in the evening without any announcement, and steps into the training room to see, at the very least, if it's still intact.]
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[Isley seems to be enjoying it anyway, but his smile disappears when Rigaldo enters. The silver-eyed man did not tell Isley where he was going or why, and while Isley does not require a full on report detailing these things, he has other business with which to discuss with Rigaldo. There is always business to discuss with him.]
[He wanders away from those still training, although there are not many left now that the evening is coming to a close. In a voice fit for Rigaldo's ears alone he speaks.]
You were gone for quite some time, weren't you? I hope the matter that drew you away was a fulfilling one.
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