Eiyuu Kishi Den

"Thank you." Xian said to both Cian and Kylia in turn. He started to eat slowly, better to take his time and avoid getting an unnecessary cramp from food intake. The ex-farmer took in the smell of the food. Earlier in his life the smell and vapors would be sustinence enough for him, and old habits were hard to break. He almost forgot about the actual food, and chuckled as he found the food the food hadn't disappeared yet. With slight amusement, he returned to eating.

"Your welcome."

Kylia gave Xian a light nod in reply, she was busy at the moment talking to her horse. Pulling out her remaining remedies and poisons, she seemed to be taking stock of what she needed to procure and what she had to make more.

"Cian, how would you like to polish those skills before you need them? I would like to see how proficient you are, I could even help you learn a few more tricks to use on your old master."

She asked him as she looked over to him, armor was a hindrance to her and obviously him at times. Though he could benefit from all the knowledge he could gain, it was something that she was hesitant in the past to let go to another.

Ciprian Tremas wrote:"Well, I see nothing wrong with using your old skills 'creatively'," Ciprian said with a wink. "We're going to need those skills for this mission," he added, a little more seriously.

Cian grinned at Cip’s comment and immediately ate more heartily, quickly finishing his bowl of broth then wiping his mouth with the back of his hand the boy looked up at his mentor and spoke, “You’re great Cip. You know I think Emir would choke if he knew his favorite student of thievery was training to become a knight. He always…always said I’d be nothing more than a street rat. I always tried my best to prove him wrong, and I intend to keep doing that and see him brought to justice.”
The boy laughed then looked at Cip, “Ha!! I’m even starting to sound the part.”

CrimsonJustice wrote:"Cian, how would you like to polish those skills before you need them? I would like to see how proficient you are, I could even help you learn a few more tricks to use on your old master."

The boy looked at Kylia and smiled, grey eyes looked at her closely as if he were taking an appraisal of the young woman then he spoke. “I’d like that. I really would, I need to polish up my skills a bit before we encounter Emir…he’s a dangerous man. A former member of the twelve daggers… I know a bit about his past only in pieces. But not his time as an assassin, anything you can teach me would be great. And thank you Kylia.”

Xian wasn't listening to intently, but his brows furrowed. "Shouldn't the boy be learning how not to use old skills, but how to learn more honorable skills?" The unintelligent mercenary shrugged. "I'm not one to complain about sword skills, mine are essentially farming skills put to weapon practice. Good for breaking ground more than breaking guard, but good enough for someone with my strength." Xian sighed. "It's like an old saying someone I knew said: 'the farmer's battle is to protect the crop to feed the people, while the knight's battle is to protect the people that feed the land'. Or something along those lines."

She replied calmly to Xian, she was still a long way from atoning for her past. She let some of her emotion show however, her voice seemed strained with some sadness as she spoke of her father.

"Xian, my father was a knight. Had he also been skilled as a thief, my family might still live. I truly believe that, I see nothing wrong with Cian still using his old skills when there is no other options. As long as their used to just and honorable means, then there should be no problems."

Kylia knew Xian was right, but part of her also felt relying solely on the skills of a knight was not enough. Her father had been example, she looked to Cian next and replied to him. She wanted him to realize these skills were a last resort, when no skill a knight possessed could help.

"Your welcome Cian, though Xian is right about a knights duty. Will you swear an oath to me, only to use what you learn when it is the only thing left in a situation? Facing an assassin is more dangerous than any other enemy, perhaps we should all learn something of his past as well. It may give us an idea of where he will be found, and where he will run to."

Her face was serious about the skills, and she had to bring herself to using her own skills against humans. Even if they were slavers, she still could not do much against anything that was not a demon.

"No offense, but I believe you are full of shit." Xian spat. "Knights need honour, not cheap tricks. If your father died as a knight there was no honour lost, if he fought with the skills of a thief and still lost, then you couldn't say that. He'd be a cheat, and as a cheat he would be disgraced. Life matters a lot, but honour is a thing that exhalts you in the eyes of your peers, and honour outlives the person who held it." Xian downed the last of his soup and wiped his mouth with his grimy hand. "At least your father died instead of abandoning you to work off his debt."

Ciprian overheard the conversation between Xian and Kylia and shook his head. Kylia's offer to train Cian in assassin's skills bothered him, and Xian was absolutely right. The knight stepped behind Cian and placed his hands on the boy's shoulder. "Xian is right, Kylia. For Cian to learn those skills would be dishonorable when he becomes a knight. He already knows how to fight as a thief, but now I must teach him to fight like a knight. The Holy Knights of Valis are the most honorable knights in all of Lodoss, and for Cian to further enhance his more dishonorable skills would only lose him favor in Falis' eyes," Ciprian explained. "Now Cian, let's get to practice."

Kylia's response was sharp and swift, almost like she was holding back anger. They had no idea how her parents died, or that her father was truly a good man. Her voice sounded really strained right now, almost like she hated when she got like this.

"He died in chains stripped of honor and respect at the hands of demons, how can you say that the fact he died was comforting. I watched them die before my eyes, killed because I tried to escape at their urging. I can't begin to realize how hard life must have been on you Xian, do you even realize what I experienced?"

She choked back her anger and hung her head a little, resting it on the neck of her horse she seemed to have some humility in her life.

"The knights of Valis are truly noble Ciprian, so if you need somebody to handle the shadow work I will until this is over. Cian you are going to become a knight, I spoke in error and you need to focus on your training. Forgive me for that, and for yelling at all of you. I just find it difficult to deal with certain memories, I know none of you knew that until now."

She was still angry and hurting, but knowing that they were released from their suffering was always a solace. Hopefully they would forgive her for this, she hid alot of her past for this reason alone.

Xian took to his feet. "At least you have the assurance of his death." The bulky mercenary yelled. "My parents may be alive somewhere, starting over, having another family." He couldn't control his voice. "You think just cuz you saw your parents die that- that gives you the right to whine about your past? That's bullshit!" He glared at her through tear soaked eyes. "My parents wanted me dead since my birth! They used me as bait for forest predators until I was too old and strong for the wolves to want to attack. Then they put me to work in the fields, giving me no food or water until the earth was tilled. I was treated like a common animal, and then to show how much they loved me they threw me away with the farm and left me for a different sort of wolves. Tax collectors, debts that they hadn't paid, and I was evicted from my own home. Pushed to the streets I joined the militia to go fight in the invasion of Marmo but I got washed off the ship in the midst of a storm and washed ashore!"

Xian caught ahold of his anger and sat down. "Sorry." he stated in the direction of Sil and Cip. "There was no reason for me to yell."

~Sil~

"Eesh, ya both 'ave some nasty wounds there." The mercenary said, watching the start of what looked to be a fight. Well, she had wounds to, but she wasn't about to bare them so openly. She was a fighter for hire, not suppose to be a friend, despite any fondness she felt. "Well, theres the thing. Can't use most of 'is old skills. Sneakin' around, stabbin' in the back, and ta run away, eh?"

Approaching Cipirian, she looked him over. "Thieves are suppose ta be perceptive. Take yer master, for example. Can't stab 'im in the back. But think; when he is in full armor, where are the weakest points? Where does he lack it? Might be the only trick ya can use from yer old life, so I suggest ya use it well."

"More wounds that I'd care to recall, and that is why I'd rather not. Please don't think I am selfish, it's just that I feel responsible for their deaths."

She replied to Sil and everybody after listening to Xian's past and realizing he had been through just as much, now she had to try and fix this situation before it got worse. Looking Xian in the eye her head was tilted upwards, she had few words to say.

"I can't say anything to help the past, but look where you are now. You have your life and freedom still, but what they did truly was cruel. Can you accept my apology, I never meant to get you angry like that.."

She was trying to speak as little as possible, this confession gave her even more respect for the strong merc. Though she was still a little upset, she was trying to remain calm.

Carianna hung silent, flinching at every shout. By the time Xian was done, the priestess looked like she was about to burst into tears. They all had such horrible pasts. During the first year of her priestess training, she heard so many sob stories and, for every person, she cried with them. Even today, she showed how she cared for others by crying for them and sharing their pain. It wasn't something she did on purpose, though. It simply brought tears to her eyes. Part of it was her own history which sent her to sleep crying for so many nights.

Sitting next to Sil, she whimpered quietly. Xian was so harsh and Kylia tragic. No one seemed to be getting along. In her temple, no one argued as they did. No one trained in fighting and no one competed for who had the worst history. Could they not be happier for those who did not suffer and more respectful of those whose fates were worse than their own? Why did they feel this need to vindicate themselves by feeling like they were treated worse by existence?

Ciprian breathed a sigh of relief as the conflict quickly burnt out when the two apologized to each other. He was about to step in, but apparently he didn't have to. After hearing Xian's story, it felt like he was the only person in the camp without any serious trauma in his life. He knew Cian and Kylia's past, and Cari seeed to be suffering from something in her dreams. No doubt Sil had to have some psychological wounds to go with her physical wounds.

"Come on, Cian," Ciprian repeated, since the fight had stopped them in their tracks. "Go get your training sword." He pointed to the clear area they would be practicing in. Cian's training sword was already waiting for him there.

Ciprian Tremas wrote:"Come on, Cian," Ciprian repeated, since the fight had stopped them in their tracks. "Go get your training sword." He pointed to the clear area they would be practicing in. Cian's training sword was already waiting for him there.

“Sure thing, I could use a bit of exercise right now.” He thought about the tirade of shouting and pain he’d just heard, he wanted nothing more than to concentrate on anything other than bad memories than possible.
The boy took his practice sword then moved out into the area where Cip indicated and stood at the ready still trying to figure out the proper way to hold the thing. “I’m ready when you are Cip…sooo what first?”

-Tags-

Cian

~Sil~

Giving a light tape on the back of Carianna, he glanced at Xian and Kylia, one that provided a look that said 'you idiots'. "If we're all done playin' the 'my past is worse than yers' game..."

She gave a light wave as Cip and Cian went to train. "Get some ground rules out of the way. We probably all have somethin' we have that can give us some angst. Never met a person a person who isn't a soldier who didn't pick up a weapon fer one reason or another. But whatever your reasons may be..."

She ran her unbandaged finger across her neck, and in obvious reference. "Cut it. Those reasons are yer own. Next time I 'ear either of ya talkin' about such things, and bickerin' over it, i'll settle it meself and beat both of yer asses ta Alecrast and back fer being such fools."

Sitting down next to the priestess, she gave a light sigh, continuing to stroke Carianna's back. She wasn't much into comforting someone, after all. "Do I make meself crystal clear on that subject?"