First Squad Division, meet the boys of the Blood Moon.

Riding down from the mountains, it had been several days' journey to reach Telgar River Hold. This place, for the time being, was their final destination. A select number of the Blood Moon Squad were given the directive to go to the Hold in order to serve the Heir Apparent Rihan; they would be assisting him in safeguarding his new Wife. Or some such like that. The boys had been told little beyond the fact that they would be receiving further orders from the Captain of the First Squad Division, Captain Toshiro, after they arrived. They'd also been made aware they would have to pass the Guard Exam required of all Guard Trainees once they got there.


Appearing somewhat weary from a long journey, Yeoun and the rest of the small band of Blood Moon boys passed through the grande gates of Telgar River Hold after what seemed to be endless kilometers of farmland outside of town. It felt as though much of the day had been spent passing by farmers and their carts along bumpy dirt roadsides. Over the noonish hour, the others had suggested stopping to eat, perhaps taking advantage of a goodly farmer's hospitality for a few exciting stories in exchange for a meal. More focused on arriving at their destination however, Yeoun insisted on the group eating what dry rations they had left in their travel packs while they continued on. If they wasted no time, they'd be able to make it to the Hold well before time for dinner and hopefully have more time to rest from their long journey. Of course, once they arrived at the Hold, they'd have to find the Guard Hall -which shouldn't be too difficult.

Yeoun's posture slouched a bit on runnerback as he rode at the head of the group of boys for the time being, cold dark eyes peering sleepily through the obsidian embrace of black bangs and longer hair about his face, the layers being rather wind-swept from a day on the raod though the top portion had been pulled back into a knot at the back of his head. Though he appeared tired -which was no lie- the boy was ever alert to the new surroundings of Telgar River Hold.

The streets of the Hold were still busy with locals and visitors both, who'd attended the wedding of their Holder the sevenday prior. As they rode, people made way for the runnerbeasts bearing their passengers, and then quickly filled in the empty street left behind, continuing about their business. The sights and sounds and smells were all a lot to take in considering most of Yeoun's life had been spent in what boiled down to an isolated cothold on a mountainside. Of Course, he'd spent a decent amount of time in the neighboring minor hold to not be completely uncomfortable in such a hectic place.


Yeoun assumed the Guard Hall they were tyring to find would be very near the main Hold itself. The road they were on appeared to lead directly there, as the rooftop of the large structure that housed the Holder could be seen from a distance, standing tall above all others, but he wanted to be certain that that was where they were headed to.

Off to his left a young woman with strikingly beautiful features but in terribly plain uniform caught his attention. She seemed to radiate warmth that attracted him, so Yeoun decided to stop and ask this woman for direction.

"Miss." Yeoun addressed Ariadne from atop his runner, coming to a halt, the rest of the Blood Moon group coming to a stop behind him. "Does this road lead to the Guard Hall?"

Days on the road were pleasant to him. He enjoyed the feel of freedom. Actually he loved roughing it more than he liked being in town with all the comforts a hold had to offer. He might have made a good Trader, that being the case, however his profession would require him to live in a rather large Hold for some time. Now that the Lord Rihan had married, the extra guard would be needed to protect the young woman. Not that he felt women needed any more protection than men. As far as he could tell they were much better at getting in trouble but they were also much better at getting out of it.

The runner beneath him was a solid yet light mount. He found the dark bay mare to be a bit moody and of course she would be being female. Moodiness was practically a requirement. Although he found her a lot more tolerable than women and a lot more trustworthy as she had proved herself an able and surefooted steed. As they entered Telgar River Hold he looked behind him at his brother and then urged his runner up close to Yeoun. Yeoun might be the leader but all leaders had a second. A person they turned to when they needed help. He considered himself that person and if Yeoun wanted him to pull back he could do so quickly.

The streets were filled with various types of people. He didn’t know why but he found himself scanning the crowd. At first he really didn’t know what he was hoping to find but another glance back at his brother and he knew. He was searching for Sorcha again. Any time they were in a Hold this large he seemed to think of her. He hoped beyond all hope that she was safe. The only woman who deserved his trust was his sister who probably thought they had abandoned her. He tried to take his mind off of it but he found it easier to deal with that than to deal with the crowds of people.

Scanning the crowd wasn’t limited to just searching out his sister. He noted if people were carrying weapons, what they were wearing etc. He was not pleased, at all when Yeoun stopped to ask directions from the prettiest woman they had come across. He ignored her presence as a way of not being a complete asshole. If he didn’t look at her it wasn’t because she was not attractive he just had no interest in showing any interest in her. She had a beautiful voice though and it was hard not to be sucked in by her. They had been away from women too much, was his conclusion, not that he really wanted to be around women but looking around at the others he could almost catch the drool that would be coming out of their mouths if they had them open.

“Oh hello. You must be new to Telgar River Hold. Not to worry there are a lot of new people here with the wedding just last sevenday. You must be the recruits? Isn’t that test tomorrow the one you have to pass to train with the Guard? Its been a while since I had to worry about that.” She paused and seeing the question in some of the eyes, like they allowed her to train, “Oh not for me. My husband was a guard. He was killed…”She shook her head, “But you will all do well I’m sure. Captain Toshiro won’t want you to be late either.” If they were staring she didn't take notice.

She smiled warmly in the direction of the young men. Then she looked up at the one who had spoken and nodded, “You are headed the right way but if you would like to follow me, I’m heading there myself anyway. I work for the infirmary and I have to check on the Captain’s injuries. You heard about the rescue of the Lady Eolyn from the rebel forces I assume…” She trailed, wondering if they were from near enough to the Hold to have heard anything about it. They would tell her soon enough. The story would be a good way to pass the time of the walk if they had not.

Yeoun's eyes seemed unblinking as he focused on Ari while she talked. The boy's features un-altering from the usual neutral, cool expression, Yeoun was surprised at the long-winded answer he received. But as soon as she mentioned the Captain's name, whom they would be serving under, it was with interest that his eyebrows elevated -even if only just.

Not being a man of many words, but more the type to speak out of necessity, Yeoun seemed to ignore her wondering out loud about events surrounding Lady Eolyn's kidnapping -after all, there were probably few by now who hadn't heard of it. After the silence that followed, Yeoun offering no words in reply, the young man swung his leg over the rump of his steed, dismounting from the beautifully chestnut coloured runner.

Seeing as Ariadne was headed that way herself, it would be rude of them to ride on runnerback while making the lady walk so, turning to face Ariadne, Yeoun finally spoke up, "Then please lead the way. Do you know how to ride a Runner?" Obviously he was trying to give up his own for her to ride in his stead.

The youths were so quiet that she actually wondered if they were used to being around many people. Maybe she had been talking too much for them. She was used to all the gossips in the infirmary and laundry areas. Young men weren’t generally quite as chatty. “Thank you. I do know how to ride albeit it has been a while. It is very kind of you to offer.” She said and mounted the runner without help and with graceful ease. The saddle was for a man and not for a woman in a dress so she sat on it sideways and hoped to Faranth the thing didn’t take off. If she sat the other way it would be completely unseemly especially in her current company.

She led them through the grounds to the training area, exactly where she knew Toshiro would be. It was actually amusing to her. Riding in on a runner with a squad of young men behind her and everyone staring was something out of a tale or story that she read to her little girl. Ari didn’t mind people staring it happened a lot lately anyway. No matter who she was with she received stares. She was single, she was not mourning as much and it seemed to those who were busy bodies, she should be looking for a new husband. The thought rarely crossed her mind though. She was handling things just fine on her own.

As they entered the training grounds, her eyes scanned for Toshiro. Once they settled on him, she found herself growing a little excited and nervous. She was supposed to be angry at him. Traitorous heart, whose side was it on? It ought to be protecting her from being hurt all over again. He felt nothing for her, he only cared about himself and his career which involved spilling as much blood as possible. Somehow despite his embodying things she hated, she found ways to like him for it.

“Captain Toshiro, I’m sorry to disturb you. These young men are here as recruits I’m guessing. They’ve been rather quiet on the whole topic. I also need to check in with you after you’ve had a chance to deal with them.” She didn’t want to say what for and have him send her away which is what he had been doing to Lyria. So the healer had sent Ariadne in the hopes that she could at least confirm how the Captain was healing.

--

He had followed quietly, trying to look for escape routes the entire way should this turn out to be a trap of some sort. Yeoun had to give his runner up for a woman like her feet were any less capable of walking. She was just as capable. She wasn’t old or weak or infirm. Shards his mother had probably run as far from their home as possible in the snow to get away from them and she was likely not any worse for having to use her own two feet to get there.

His relief was palpable when they reached the Training Grounds. The woman was almost casual in her speech to the Captain. They must know eachother then. Well he could rest peacefully knowing that this woman was a friend of the Captains. There was no reason to fully trust her but she had done what she said she would do, that gave her one point in the right direction.

Walking along side the runner, reins in his hand to guide it, Yeoun was as silent as the others on their trek to the Guard Hall. He was hopeful that at least one of their group would make some effort to strike up conversation with wtih the woman they’d picked up along the way; he might always be the quiet participant in such conversations, but he enjoyed listening to the banter of others. It amused him.


When they’d arrived at the Training Grounds, Yeoun brought his runner to a stop, glancing up at Ariadne for confirmation that this was the place they needed to be. Of course, Captain Toshiro had been there waiting on the top step of the Guard Hall for the time that trainees would begin showing up for the last practice of the day. As the Captain approached them quietly, Yeoun understood that the Captain was already measuring them up, gauging each of the boys with furtive glances as he walked over to them. Yeoun had imagined the Captain differently. Captain Toshiro was smaller in stature than he’d anticipated, though to his credit, the man was just as imposing as he thought.


By the cutting light in those eyes, Yeoun immediately sensed that Captain Toshiro was not a man to be reckoned with. Anyone in the Guard had at least heard of the Captain and his fearsome reputation, but Yeoun had somehow thought himself more closely matched in skill to the nearly legendary Captain of the Guard.. But no, he could tell he probably wasn’t.


Yeoun would have to fight the Captain to confirm that suspicion however, he got the instinctive feeling that this Captain was far more skilled than the Captain who had raised them in the Blood Moon Squad, and that this Captain was still several times more skilled than he himself was. Toshiro was a man whose skill he could admire then.


Becoming filled with respect for Captain Toshiro, though he still questioned the necessity of the requirement that they obtain further training and evaluation over the next two weeks before taking the Exam, Yeoun was beginning to look forward to that time -any time he might be able to learn from Captain Toshiro. After all, he would need to become an even greater swordsman than he was at the present time in order to seek out and defeat those responsible for the death of his parents. He wanted to think he could do so now, ...but if he was overconfident he wouldn’t likely achieve anything. To preserve his own life, he had to be prepared.



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Taking the scabbards of both weapons into his left hand, Toshiro rose from his seat on the top stair leading up to the Guard Hall. Going to the group of boys who’d come in Ariadne’s company, it was as he approached them that he gauged each of them in brief, measuring glances before finally resting his eyes easily upon the only woman in their presence.


It was apparent that the Captain was a very skilled man, as there was a constant, cutting light in those eyes of his, that was capable of easily diminishing the very confidence of even these highly skilled young men of the Blood Moon Squad. It was a gaze that struck fear into the heart of smart men, or those with enough intuition to perceive the killer instinct within them. Yet, as he was standing before them now, there was no such feeling of malevolent intention, as he had hidden his aura behind those eyes so that they alone spoke the truth of him.


Indeed, the Captain was perhaps a different creature around his trainees, as he tended to have every concern over them, being protective of them, caring for their every need as far as the Guard was concerned. But he was still strict. Perhaps he would become the most strict instructor they would ever pair with. They would each have to see for themselves...


“I’ve been waiting for you.” Whether those words were directed at Ari or the Blood Moon boys, or perhaps both, was left unspoken. Either way, he had looked up to where Ari sat mounted side saddle upon the Runner, now tucking both weapons under the left hip of his belt. He was able to do so without much discomfort now, as his wound had been healing well enough; and once his hands were free, he reached up to take both his hands at Ari’s waist so that he could assist her down from the runnerbeast. Setting her back on her feet, he stepped back only enough that he could regard each of the new trainees.



“It’s good you’ve arrived safely. Fortunately, it’s in time for the last training session of the day, so I’ll lead you to your barracks where you will have enough time to change into your new uniforms before attending with the regular class. Afterward, dinner will be served in the mess hall and then then you will be free to rest and bathe.



“You’ll have to attend two weeks of sessions with me for both group and individual practice and evaluation before you can take the Guard Exam. In front of the Guard Hall here, there is a announcement board where you will find the results of your Exams and new rankings based on their outcome.” The Captain nodded for them to follow him to the barracks. Speaking nothing more to Ariadne, but turning his eyes upon her once more before he turned to lead them away, he figured she’d be looking for him later anyway, so if they needed to speak, they could do so when that time came.


Taking the boys to the barracks, Toshiro found a drudge to assist them by taking the runners to be stabled nearby with food and water. “Here is where you’ll be staying for now.” Currently the barracks were empty, “You’ll be staying with the regular trainees until after the Exams. You’ll have time to settle in tonight, but drills start soon, so please hurry to change into the uniforms left on your bunks and make your way back out to the training grounds.” The uniforms were paler blue, almost cerulean in hue, than the regular duty Guard uniform.



BBefore the Captain left them to be changed, he added, “Since you are all members of a special squad, compared to other trainees you must exhibit great alertness, sincerity and loyalty. After your Exams, it is likely you will be given special assignments apart from regular Guard duty. There are reasons you few were chosen to come here...so apart from continuing to enrich your skills, be vigilant at all times.” Those words he chose held the suggestion that there was a reason they would need to be more vigilant than the others, as if some danger could possibly lay hidden within the Hold, but he said no more of it.




“If there is anything you need, see me.” Leaving it at that, Toshiro left them and returned the Guard Hall in front of the training grounds where he waited inside of the Hall out of view from other trainees as they began to gather. (Does he meet Ari outside along the way? If so, she can go with him to the Guard Hall and speak with him there.)

When the Captain spoke at first, mentioning his waiting, he felt a twinge of guilt. They were late! He knew they shouldn’t have stopped to swim in that lake on the way here. However, they smelled less gross because of it and weren’t offending the locals. And hey there was tons of traffic on the way in! All the excuses that came to mind were immediately dismissed; a man like Captain Toshiro would not listen to excuses of any kind.

He looked away when the Captain helped the woman off of the runner. Yeoun was the type to do that too. He figured she got on the runner without help, she could get off of it that way too. He reengaged listening to everything the Captain said. He couldn’t really hide the excitement in his blue eyes. Kevarre loved to train. His hand instinctively went to touch the strap that held his bow to him. His runner pawed impatiently at the ground.

“Sir, where do we bring the runners?” The words were no sooner out of his mouth when some very young boys came to take the reins from the runners. There must be a Guard Stable. “Nevermind.” He said quietly, dismounting. Captain Toshiro led them to the Barracks where they would change. The man gave them a warning to be vigilant which sent Kevarre to looking around him.

Shouldn’t take too long and perhaps the lake wasn’t such a bad idea after all. His brother walked with him, steadily at his side. He could always trust him to be around. Somehow it comforted him to know he had his brother with him. He’d been left on his own so much; he could get almost desperate whenever he couldn’t find the familiar face of his little sibling. He would gladly die for his brother and his sister if they ever caught up with her.

“Better change fast. I don’t think the Captain likes to be kept waiting.” He said quietly to his brother, quickly claiming two bunks close to the door for them. Within minutes he was changed, his weapons were ready and he was out the door.


Ariadne wasn’t so sure his words were for the boys but then, she assumed it was about her because she wanted him to miss her. Her eyes locked onto his for a brief moment causing her to wonder if perhaps it really was directed at her. How could he have known she was coming, unless he had asked Lyria to send her and the Healer had had no choice in the matter. Ariadne did have a choice though; she could have easily said she wouldn’t come. He could not have known she would come at all. These thoughts came from overthinking simple words, directed at whoever was present.

Her eyes never left the Captain as he moved toward her, putting his weapons away to help her off the runner. Putting her hands on his shoulders, so that she could balance on the way down, she took them away as soon as he had planted her firmly on the ground. She tried not to think about how nice his touch felt.

He was preoccupied with the young recruits so she didn’t think much of it when he started giving them their orders. She was fine with waiting, it wasn’t like the Healers expected her back at a certain time especially not after Lyria explained how difficult the patient was. Then lately they had all accepted that Ariadne could come and go more as she pleased than other drudges. Ever since she attended the Wedding with the higher ups people had treated her a little differently at work. As she had been giving her full attention to the Captain, his glance back at her did not go unnoticed as he led the boys to the Barracks.

She waited for him to leave the Barracks and followed him quietly to the Guard Hall, where he had a few minutes to spare for a healer talk. Even if he didn’t want to hear anything she had to say, she was here for a purpose and she had promised Lyria she could coax him to allow her to examine the injury at least. Maybe she couldn’t. He had been fairly angry with her before, “Toshiro, I really do need to talk to you if you can spare a few minutes?”

Her question may have sounded like she was going to wait for an answer but she had no intention of waiting for a refusal. “Lyria sent me. She said you aren’t letting anyone check on your wound. If you let me examine it and let me ask a couple questions I can promise you she won’t bother you again unless you want her to come.” She hadn’t really thought that maybe he liked Lyria’s attentions. Maybe he did. It could be lonely living in the barracks with all the men around. The thought made her dislike Lyria a little more than she thought she could. The other woman had been nothing but kind to her.

As quickly as any of the others, Yeoun had brought his travel pack with all his belongings to a bunk and left it there while he changed into the nicely pressed blue uniform. Tying the wide sash about his waist to belt the long garment, he grabbed his sword and made his way to the door, following after Kev and his brother as they left for the training grounds first.



When they arrived there, a few of the other trainees had arrived, but the Captain was nowhere to be seen. Yeoun glanced about with casual interest, while more young men about their own age arrived for drills, grouping together with friends conversationally. The boys of the Blood Moon Squad had stood away from the rest of them in general, though not necessarily for any reason, they just didn’t know any of them, so didn’t want to intrude.



Somehow, even by keeping themselves out of the way of others, there was reason to find offense -or perhaps it was simply a need to feed ego- because one of the taller boys in the regular trainee class turned to approach them. His manner was perfectly snide, “I haven’t seen any of you around here before. Why aren’t you making your way to the back of the class where beginners belong?”



As always, being the quiet participant, Yeoun said nothing, though he did glance between the tall boy and Kev, who was closest to him, watching for his response.



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Toshiro went inside the Guard Hall with Ariadne where he listened to her concern about how his wound was healing. Standing with her now, he must have seemed like a completely different man than before. His anger was not apparent and he seemed to have some sort of intense focus that kept himself from losing the battle against his own rage. His eyes just as intense as ever, shimmered with emotion as he watched her. Was it apology? He felt terribly sorry for those awful words he’d spoken to her those weeks prior that ended up driving her away; in her absence, he noticed much more keenly how deeply he was beginning to care for her.



Those weeks they’d been apart, he’d spent a lot of time meditating and even left the Hold for a short time just to get away from everything since he was unable to participate with the Guard as usual. He had spent a lot of time alone remembering the things that his Master taught him when he was young. He’d been trying to decipher just exactly what it was that commander Kondo wanted him to know; what change was supposed to come over him before he returned? Toshiro still hadn’t figured it all out, but he hadn’t given up on his quest for such personal growth though it was frustrating he felt as though he hadn’t made any headway.



For now, Toshiro could be happy. He was in Ariadne’s presence and quietly, removing his weapons and his belt, he loosened the top of his uniform and let it come off his shoulders. Removing it and the shirt beneath it, the Captain held onto them with his left hand.



Meeting Ariadne’s eyes it was still without words that he revealed the wound on his side. But as he stood there, he lay his right hand on her shoulder and as if he were falling into her, let his body slump forward so that he could feel himself against her with his bare skin. Toshiro did not let this full weight onto her, but it might have seemed as though he were about to collapse.

Kevarre was talking quietly with his brother about a new bow he wanted to try out while they were in training, see if the Captain could give him tips on it, when some asshole decided to come over and pick a fight. Kevarre didn’t stand for anyone talking to his friends or family in a way that displeased him.

So while Yeoun was quiet, Kevarre was not. Sometimes he found his mouth working before his mind caught up but he really didn’t want to start off training on the wrong foot, so he waited like a second longer than usual. His response therefore was a second better than usual, “Well hello asshole.” His voice was quite chipper and demeaning at the same time.

His brother was behind him with a broad grin on his face so perhaps the other trainee should have taken it as a warning for what was to come but as Kevarre had already figured, the guy was a total moron. “We can stand where we like. Captain Toshiro said we were to come to this and we are here. He never once mentioned that we would be standing in the back.”

He paused getting a half inspired, half sarcastic smirk on his face, “You know, you are pretty tall… why don’t’ you stand in the back. It should be tallest people in the back so everyone can see around you.” And there was a lot to try to see around.


He was so quiet. While the rage that had overcome him last time they had spoken made no appearance she could see a struggle there inside of him, behind the cool calm of his exterior. She wished she knew how to help him but when she had given him advice before he had grown quite angry with her and had sent her off wanting to hate him because she couldn’t find a way to hate him at all. And now she had asked him to comply and he was doing so, for her and not for the healers, she knew he would not have done so for anyone else in the infirmary.

Ari found herself watching him as he took his shirt off, her eyes scanning his injury as well as the rest of his now bare upper body. Faranth forgive her, she couldn’t help it. He came towards her and put his hand on her shoulder and suddenly he had shifted his weight onto her and she could feel how exhausted he was, emotionally not necessarily physically.

She felt her body back up toward the wall for support, but she didn’t want him to let go of her. Her hand went to his head, she brushes his hair back with her hand in a soothing way. “Toshiro?’ She hoped he was alright and that he was not about to collapse because even though she was a young woman she had never been known to be very strong. Her heart was pounding in her ears. She kept thinking about what to say and found that words were not easy to come by in this moment.

The weeks seemed to melt away and any anger she had was gone, long gone. It had been gone shortly after their interaction and had been replaced by a new grief because she though he had no feelings for her at all. Maybe she was misconstruing this too. Maybe he didn’t care for her but he needed someone to lean on and she was there. Ari pushed that thought aside for thoughts she favored more.

“I missed you.” She said softly.

The taller boy who'd confronted the group from Blood Moon seemed to be recognized as the top dog to rest of the class by his attitude. Maybe he even considered himself the most skilled of all of them. Whatever the case, he certainly could have been no more haughty about introducing himself, especially after Kev's remarks in return. He seemed to ignore the scalding remarks toward the end though.


“We can stand where we like. Captain Toshiro said we were to come to this and we are here. He never once mentioned that we would be standing in the back.”


"So you like to stand hiding behind the Captain? Well if you haven't noticed, he's not here right now, so he can't protect you." He smirked smugly at that, "Hiding is the sure mark of a beginner -which is why you'll be at the back of the class...unless you want to prove what you're made of? You'll have to earn a place at the front." The boy egged Kevarre on, glancing between he and his brother and the others in the group of new arrivals, curious to see who would either bow down to him or throw the first punch; and he fully expected it to be Kevarre.


Yeoun by that point had tucked his sword under the left hip of his belt so that he could watch, folding his arms over his chest. With each word spoken by the tall class lead, he found himself lifting dark brows even more with amusement.

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Ariadne's hand touched upon his head, combing through his hair as he'd rested his head at her shoulder. When she backpedaled against the wall due to the fear that he would let his entire weight fall onto her, he let himself lean forward until he'd pinned her against the wall. As if it was all on accident.

Controlling his breath to conceal the pleasure of being so near to her, he failed to respond in words when she spoke his name, wondering if he was OK. It was OK not to have words then. Perhaps..it was better that way. So Toshiro dropped his clothes to the floor, using that left hand to take hold of her arm and bring her right hand to rest over the location of the stab wound.

“I missed you.” She said softly.

At the appealing sound of those words, Toshiro nearly looked up at her in surprise -though he did seem to hold his breath for a number of seconds to follow; but somehow he couldn't let her know how much it pleased him to hear that. Staying quiet for a moment longer, he let those words replay in his mind with great appreciation several times before he pressed her hand against his side more firmly.

"How is it? I felt like I healed more quickly with you...but Lyria has been nice to me..." The thought broke and then he wanted to continue, but had a hard time doing so, like always. ...but it was without you that I got lonely....

Someone probably should have stopped Kevarre when they saw the wide grin come on to his face. “I do hide rather well, don’t I guys?” The other boys chuckled, except for the ever silent but deadly Yeoun. Kevarre who was perfectly happy to put this guy in his place which would most certainly not be in front of him, didn’t take the time to weigh the direct consequences. After all as the other boy pointed out, Captain Toshiro was not there.

“I thought you’d never ask.” Kevarre said. He immediately took up a defensive position, his feet were moving, he was ducking the incoming punch that he saw heading his way. Kevarre was fast, agile and nothing like the lumbering idiot who was swinging at him.

Kevarre took openings to hit the other guy as they came, eventually getting past his blocks, and hitting him square on the jaw. “Faster.” He said, as if he were the one training the other guy. It seemed to make the pompous jerk less inclined to listen. Kev wanted him to be faster because he was so used to practicing with Yeoun who was decidedly the only one in the group who could beat him when it came to agility.

Now, put an axe in his hand and he was going to slow considerably. Hand to hand wasn’t really his specialty but he could certainly fight hand to hand better than this lout.

As another opportunity presented itself, he did a maneuver which involved sending multiple punches to the other guy’s face. He could probably end up knocking the other guy out, if he continued but Kevarre fought this boy because he had wanted to so being a fair guy, Kev would give him the opportunity to back out. “Is that proof enough or do you want me to knock you out? Course we could move on to something more challenging for me if you wish…” Any challenge made Kevarre happy. He wanted to push his limits, it was exciting.


Ariadne started to feel hot as he took her hand. Her whole body seemed to ache for him to come nearer. It had been a long time since she had feelings of a physical nature as well as the emotional and it took her back. She was nervous not because of what he might do. She trusted Toshiro more than she trusted herself at the moment. Her judgment was compromised then again she had to think of how she had gotten into this position?

That was Toshiro, trying to communicate but he wasn’t so good at communicating his feelings was he? And she couldn’t or wouldn’t communicate her own because she didn’t feel confident in how he felt.

They were stuck and while he wouldn’t say anything about how he felt, she wanted to believe he had feelings for her. Her hand was resting on his wound, “It has been healing well. Lyria is very talented and kind. Besides I don’t know if you noticed but she has a thing for you in particular.”

As much as Ari might dislike it, Lyria and Toshiro were both single and able to make decisions based on their own feelings. Even if she was hopeful that Toshiro didn’t return any feeling for Lyria it didn’t mean he had any true feelings for Ari either.

She left her hand on his wound, not thinking about how it might be painful for him. “Are you able to move around like you used to? It’s not impeding your training much anymore I hope?” She had to talk like a healer because anything she really should say, she couldn’t. Her body was no less turned on for the conversation but she was keeping her body in check and her heart. This conversation was going to be more exhausting than she thought.

The tall boy from the head of the class exchanged swings with Kevarre, finding that he himself was being dodge more easily than he'd expected. Having to accept several punches, the boy finally found himself bowled over on the ground. In a silent growl, he stood, eyeing Kevarre as if he couldn't believe that the other boy possessed so much skill.



No, that couldn't be it. It was beginner's luck, that was all.



“Is that proof enough or do you want me to knock you out? Course we could move on to something more challenging for me if you wish…”



The tall boy angled his body into a fighting stance again, and ignoring the jibe, shot warry glances between Kevarre and the rest of the Blood Moon boys.



It was then that Yeoun stepped up, allowing his arms to fall back to his sides, his generally neutral expression filled with amusement. "Well, it's no fun if we take them on one by one. We may as well take them all on at once." A sidelong glance sent Kevarre a purely knowing look, as they both knew that no matter how many in the regular class came at them, they couldn't lose.



Tall boy's ego wounded more than his body by the hits Kevarre had landed, shouted to the rest of the trainees on the training ground, eager to have his vengeance, "Let's put these sharddin' sons of whores in their place. Get 'em!" Of course none had what it took to defy him, and so the entire rest of the class (at least 25 boys) jumped into the fray.



The difference in the level of skill between the two groups of boys became quickly noticeable as the regular class rushed in. Two of them coming at Yeoun one right after the other, he spun clockwise, using a grappling technique to grab hold of the first boy’s right arm while he tried to punch, making it so that he was unable to move. Using the boy's body as a shield so that others wouldn’t come at him from the opposite side while he had his hands full, Yeoun drug his first opponent with him, stumbling to keep his footing every time Yeoun moved. Yeoun ducked under another incoming swipe, thrusting a kick into his attacker’s diaphragm, which sent the next boy tumbling over backwards.


Turning his attention back to the body-shield he still held captive in joint lock, Yeoun used that captive arm like a lever, flipping the boy through the air to ground him solidly on his back. Jarred, and unwilling to get back up, neither boy returned to fight him again right away.



As the next pair of opponents closed in, a third young man standing back out of the way but ready to jump in at a moment’s notice, Blood Moon’s Yeoun went into the air. Instead of dodging kicks and punches, Un sailed over them, his body twisting into tight spins and aerial kicks with great agility. His trainee’s uniform lifted about him, catching the air in circular fashion as he whirled. His movements flowed seamlessly around those who attacked him in effortless anticipation of each of their moves. Every time they struck out, he was no longer there, but somewhere in the air, exchanging a kick or knife-handed strike of his own.








Toshiro sill leaned his weight partially onto Ariadne where her back was against the wall, his head next to hers with forehead bowed almost to her shoulder sleepily. Here was not the appropriate place to be close to one another nor was it really an appropriate place to be confessing to each other –which is one reason why Shiro now held onto his words. But he needed to use the excuse of her checking his wound to be close to her. Ari ‘s presence made him feel revitalized. And he had missed her while they were apart.



“Are you able to move around like you used to? It’s not impeding your training much anymore I hope?”



“I’ve been building up my strength again and working on keeping that side stretched so that I don’t lose any flexibility. It’s been slow going though. The cut doesn’t bleed anymore…” He’d paused, letting his thoughts be sidetracked by Ariadne’s touch. But just as he was about to say something more, there were sounds of the trainees in an uproar outside. Taking only a split second to realize that it must be a fight breaking out, Toshiro smirked wryly, from one corner of his mouth, lifting his head at last, so that he could look into Ari’s eyes. His right hand came off her shoulder, leaning into it a bit as he planted his palm against the wall behind her, keeping her cornered.



“Do you have any treatment to administer? If so, you might consider doing so quickly, though.. I don’t think we have to worry about the boys killing eachother.” That sorry group of misfits. Inwardly to himself, he was shaking his head in wonderment. If those were the sounds of this current round of trainees getting into a fight with the new trainees from the Blood Moon in order to determine some heirarchy amoungst themselves, he already knew who would win; and there was no reason to hurry and interrupt them. Toshiro knew how to keep discipline, but above discipline at times, it was more important for boys to be left to discover how to respect eachother on their own terms.



If things had already boiled down to a confrontation between the two groups, then it needed to happen; sometimes those conflicts could turn into experiences of personal growth. Perhaps the run-in between the two groups would help his these less skillful trainees realize where their abilities stood in comparison to others their age and humble their egos a bit; maybe it would give them a new goal to shoot for as far as practice went. Of course, there were limitations as to how far he should let that conflict go, so Shiro didn't want to leave them unattended for too much longer. The only reason he felt comfortable letting them be for the time, was because they were young adults now, not children. He had to respect that and cater to the needs of the maturing young adult in them just like he demanded respect from them as their teacher.

“How’d he know we were sons of a whore?” Kev’s brother said with a smirk similar to the one Kevarre was already wearing. “Lucky guess.” He said.

His brother had taken a position at his back, swinging the axe around from behind his back. “This would be better if it were a fair fight.” His brother said, as Kev answered him, “Yeah we should have told half the boys to sit out.” He laughed as he dodged the tall guys coming at him. For some reason he seemed to have decided that Kev was the man to take out because he had been the one talking.

So some of the bigger guys had come to take him on, which suited Kevarre just fine. He and his brother did two forward rolls to get out from the five who were trying to surround them, once they had more space they were able to move more freely and were consequently able to take on more than one opponent at a time. He wasn’t going to say it was easy, but it was fun and he found himself lost in the moment. Finishing off his second and then third adversary.

He and his brother took care of at least five on their own (but who was counting?) before they had a chance to check around to see how the others were faring. Kevarre caught sight of Yeoun who was dealing damage enough on his own After a quick sweep of the area Kevarre came to the conclusion that this fight wasn’t going to last long.

Besides if the Captain couldn’t see them it didn’t necessarily mean he could not hear them. Kevarre had his suspicions that the man would arrive at any moment and end this madness.


Ariadne finally took her hand off of the wound, mostly because touching him and being pinned to a wall were probably not a good combination for her right at that moment. Her mind went on to think over his words on how he was healing. “It is good to take things slowly. I wouldn’t want you to reinjure yourself from pushing the limits too far.” Of course she had not wanted him injured in the first place. She had as good as told him that before he left.

Now he was physically on the mend but she didn’t dare ask about how he was faring emotionally. She could tell just from coming to see him and his actions that he was not healed from those injuries. In all fairness she could not judge him for that. She was not whole emotionally, even now that she was beginning to feel that she could have a life without Evander and another man could be part of that life. Still the fact that Toshiro had been so hurt by his Master’s words that he had lashed out at her, someone who had always been supportive of him and tried to be a good friend, made her worry.

With the ruckus caused by the young men and his question about applying anything to the wound she answered, “No, Lyria said if it needed anything she’d be by tomorrow to assist.” Ariadne changed the topic quickly because she didn’t like to think ill of the healer who had been so very kind and accommodating to her and Toshiro. “If we were to bet marks, those new boys are my favorite to win. And I do know how to pick good fighters…” She said with a smile. Ari knew he needed to leave and get back to work but a small part of her wanted him to stay there and just be with her. No words or anything, just being around one another. It would be enough for her today.

Duty however was duty and Toshiro would have to deal with the new Trainees. “Can I ask you something?” She said pausing long enough for him to agree, “Do you think we could have one of our talks soon? You know when there aren’t boys trying to kill eachother and neither of us is technically supposed to be working…”

Grounding the opponents he'd been working on, they all soon began to stagger back to their feet. Seeing as the regular class was beginning to understand that to make any headway with the Blood Moon Squad they'd have to work together a little better, Yeoun dashed toward Kevarre, landing a spinning kick to a classmate's jaw who'd been about to reach for him. Yeoun stepped in behind Kevarre to provide defence for his back side, figuring they themselves could work well together, too. Hands coming up in a defensive posture, facing away from his friend, he couldn't help but grin. "They just can't get it through their heads that they're outmatched."


Just then, Yeoun noticed that the tall boy and others were beginning to pull out their weapons. Apparently, if fists were ineffective, a little test of martial skill with weapons would have to do the trick. Glancing back at Kevarre, Yeoun didn't want to have to be the first one to draw a weapon for something like this. He didn't want to have to draw a weapon at all. With great uncertainty about the whole situation now, he decided that he would continue defending himself with his bare hands; not only because he didn't want things to turn too serious, but because he wasn't willing to put all his energy into an unnecessary battle of egos.

So, while he and Kevarre were standing back to back, ready to fight together, Yeoun simply held his stance, letting the regular class regroup themselves and make the first attack.



“If we were to bet marks, those new boys are my favorite to win. And I do know how to pick good fighters…” She said with a smile

Toshiro took a breath to respond, but as she went on, he remained quiet, releasing that breath slowly in consideration. Of course he would want to be together with her again soon. Finding himself appreciative of the request, a faint smile formed upon his features, but it took only a fraction of a second for the expression to turn rogueish. It would have been unlike him to let an opportunity slide where he could be the mischievous rogue, right?

"We can talk...but only if you answer me this:" Since he wondered with genuine, if not worried curiosity, the light in his eyes dimmed a little bit, "Since you said you know how to pick a good fighter," he paused with evident insecurities, "do you think that you would ever pick this one?"

The Captain watched Ariadne's eyes for a response even before she would be able to voice one, eager to know how she felt. No matter how she answered though, he would talk with her if she wanted to talk; even if she doesn't answer 'right', he thought smugly.

The insanity was they didn’t know when they were beat. Instead of taking things in a way that was, as Kev would consider, honorable, they were taking out their weapons. Glancing back at Yeoun and his brother, the youngest of the three stepped forward. “I got this.” His brother said, stepping in front of the two light weights. From his back he pulled out his axe and twisted in around in the air above his head in an intricate wave, as if the axe weighed no more than a feather.

Kevarre was in no way allowing his brother all the fun and already had his sword in his hand. He said he was going to make things more fair, they should be glad he hadn’t used his bow or knives to drop them where they stood now. “So Yeoun, how do you like practicing in the front row?“

The young man was purposefully toying with the others. It was fun and as much as Kevarre liked to taunt them, he knew better than to truly insult them for anything other than the fighting. He wasn’t pulling out insults to their mothers or their sisters which was actually good behavior for Kev. They had no intention of using their weapons for anything other than to defend themselves and since Kevarre was the main target, he was going to have to use a weapon.
“Ready little.”
“Ready big.”

The brothers said to one another as the next onslaught came to them. This was a fun training practice. His brother was crazy with that axe, he even broke one guy’s sword in half with it, while trying to block it from coming to Kevarres shoulder. No help for poor blacksmithing. Kevarre was dodging most blows, using his sword to block them when need be. That Captain Toshiro could show up any minute now cause he really didn’t want to have to knock out his new class mates.
He sounded like he wanted to but there was something in his agreement that made her wonder why he would put any contingencies on it. He wanted to see her again, she knew that for certain. So if she didn’t answer she would be in a sad state and so would he. When she heard the question she read his emotions better than she thought she would. Ariadne’s cheeks flushed ever so slightly at his question.

"Since you said you know how to pick a good fighter," he paused with evident insecurities, "do you think that you would ever pick this one?"

How to answer that without sounding desperate or mushy or completely crazy? She didn’t take too long though to answer because she could sense the answer meant quite a lot to him. “Toshiro, you should know the answer.” She said, her voice growing soft, “I already picked you.” At least her heart had already decided not to settle on anyone else around. She had chosen him before she even realized she had. He might not have noticed that she had and he might not believe her because she was slow to show him how she felt.

As strange as it might seem to him, she knew what she was feeling, she’d felt it once before. Moving her hand to touch his chin and tilt his face up to her, she looked into his eyes, trying to read them. Did he truly not see her growing love for him? It should be obvious. She had given up time with her family, her daughter who was the world to her, to spend time with him. What did he feel for her? Did he feel for her? Was it all lust for him? She didn’t know and she didn’t dare to ask just yet. They could talk when they met up later.

Ariadne's admission nearly made his heart jump through his chest. It made sense to him somehow, what she'd said, because somehow he'd known it all along, yet had been unable to consciously let himself realize it.

He'd gazed into her eyes then as she willed it, with something akin to longing though somehow his stubborn self wouldn't allow him to speak of it. Recognition was there though, and wasn't that always the first step? Toshiro began to feel a bit foolish then, having posed such a question to Ariadne, but the feeling waned quickly as he considered her response; he should be glad that he had asked it.

Leaning forward again with his lips nearing her ear, Toshiro kept his hand posted on the wall behind her. He wanted desperately to kiss her. He wanted desperately to hold her, but now was not the time. It even pained him to think that at this very moment he had to walk away from her in order to calm the sensibilities of a bunch of miscreants given to his care. Unfortunately for them, that only worsened his mood before practice began; which made it all the more likely they would suffer for it later.

Toshiro's left hand lifted to gently rest along the side of her neck where his thumb stroked over her cheek and his fingers disappeared into her curly mass of hair. Just before he pulled away from her, he spoke softly, "You'll have to let me go this time." He had to get back to work.

Stepping back from her reluctantly, Toshiro reached down to pick up the uniform top at his feet from the floor. He swung the wrap-around uniform top over his shoulders to slide his arms through the sleeves and then tied the garment loosely about himself. "We'll have a talk though, right? In three day's time?"



===================================================================================
When their conversation had ended, Toshiro went from the Guard Hall, down the steps and onto the outdoors training grounds. Without stopping in walk toward the rowdy group of boys, the Captain shouted as he neared them. "HAAALT!"

And when only the outer edge of the crowd ceased in their activity to regard him, the others obviously too distracted by their conflict to hear him, the Captain walked straight into the midst of their confrontation.


Yeoun was regarding Kevarre's remark about being at the front of the class with a smirk when he heard the Captain's shout over the ruckus. He barely had time to do anything else before Toshiro had carved a path through them all, leaving a trail behind him of fallen and disarmed trainees in his wake. It must have taken him no more than ten to fifteen seconds to have at least seven of the boys on the ground, rubbing various joints and body parts sorely.

By that point, everything had stopped, and almost every one of the regular class members had turned to stand at a loose attention in his presence, somewhat guilty expressions coming over a few of them.

With a warning glance, the Captain glanced about the lot of them. "I can already tell who won the first round of fist fights."

The only reason he'd hurried himself to make his way here was because he'd heard the distinctive sounds caused by the drawing of weapons, and now, even as several of the boys still picked themselves up from the ground, he started their evening lesson. "A crucial part of swordsmanship is knowing your own strengths, and also knowing those of your opponent."

Sidestepping so that he could turn to see and meet the gazes of more of the class, he continued, "Those of you who drew your weapons: were you ready to die for the cause that you drew them? Because the moment you draw a weapon is the moment you've decided it's OK to have to give your life up."

Letting his words sink in, he gave them something else to think about, pointing out their sorry cowardice. "If you aren't ready to die, then fight fair and honourably without them." The expression of the Captain's eyes turned cold, leaving a deeper impression behind them of just how unforgiving he might be in actual combat; then he completed that thought with a tone of the the same feeling. "You only drew your weapons to compensate for your fears...because you don't really want to get hurt."

Dangerous insight is what allowed him to so quickly put down so many opponents. In the case of rowdy miscreants as it were, it would be no different. He wasn't about to let them think they were tough shit by being the first to swing a weapon.


Leaving it at that, not caring for what started it all, Toshiro commanded them to all fall into their lines for drills, with the Blood Moon Squad coincidentally, at the front of the class. There was a purpose for that however. He was aware of their advanced training, and the drills they would be doing with the regular class were several turns behind them in skill level, so they would be able to become the example for how the patterns of the drills were done correctly. It would also allow him to observe them more.

The Captain stepped up to the head of the class then. "The pattern you'll work on today is the same we began adding onto yesterday: Intermediate Form Two. Don't forget to watch the placement of the back foot after both circular kicks. Make sure to come back to the original placement of the stance you took off from." With that, he signaled the trainees to begin their hand-to-hand Form drills.

Toshiro didn’t answer her for a good while. He had been fairly quiet for the entire conversation. She wondered if maybe he had not been quite ready to talk with her but then that’s why she was hoping their talk later would be able to get some of what they were thinking out in the open. His proximity was making it hard to think about anything other than him though. As his lips came close to her ear, she felt as if her heart was loud enough to hear a mile away. Was it any wonder that she had lost all sense of what was appropriate in his presence?
His touch on her cheek made her wish he did not have to go. She would not be able to wait to see him with anything akin to patience now and she had already begun to look forward to that talk before he had touched her. “Three days.” She agreed, watching him move away from her.
(Closing Ariadne’s part)


Kevarre was doing fine, listening for Yeoun’s answer when the Captain arrived. Damn it. He had almost knocked another one out. The Captain looked a bit pissed really and no wonder, they were really acting poorly. This would not have been allowed at home, at least not the part with the weapons. Still he and his brother had every right to use them in defense. At least that was his feeling on it. With the Captain there, everyone seemed to come to terms with the fact that they were here to practice and that they were in fact on the same team.

When Toshiro had the Blood Moon boys come to the front Kevarre couldn’t help but shoot Yeoun a glance and a smirk. That other guy was probably seething on the inside. From that point on though, his attention was fully on the Captain and his orders. They were working on things he and the gang had done before but that didn’t mean they could not improve.

Kevarre was always trying to improve and he took the Captain’s words from earlier to heart. Captain Toshiro had a reputation. They should all try to emulate him. Kevarre knew Yeoun would be the best at this particular drill but he himself was not too shabby either. Turns and turns of practice, he should at least look better than the guys behind them.

He repeated the drill over and over; trying to be sure he was keeping his position accurate. It was important not only to know what direction one wanted to go in but to visualize the space and know how one’s body could move through it.