[FIN] Trust Building Exercises (Pyr/Cey)

[Painted Moose]

Pyrrha was never a friend of training exercises.

After the incident with the Dretch the elders had pushed for all girls who were of age to be trained, and able to strike within a moments notice. So, it stood to reason that they were being trained with older elaria as well as their alkidike cousins; to 'show them the ropes' they said. That was all well and good to Pyrrha, but it didn't make leaving anymore appealing.

She still really wanted to check out those swamps...

Elder Ganora's voice cut through the din of her thoughts. The older alkidike cleared her throat, bringing the attention to her before loudly proclaiming,
"Today will be a series of paired exercises to build trust. That building said, you'll need a partner so...get to it!"

Ah, the dreaded group project. Groups of friends were already pairing off, leaving Pyrrha to wonder who, exactly, she would get. Surely one of the younger girls wouldn't mind a lackadaisical companion? It just seemed inevitable, since all of the older, more skilled elaria were sure to get snatched up quickly.  

[Orpheus Solon]

Painted Moose

It wasn't that she wanted to be here... but it was sort of the only option that she had at the moment since they were stuck in the village. She might as well take advantage of what training there was to be had even if it wasn't the sort that she cared for. She wanted to do something else, something more... but maybe having their cousins along would make this training more worth her while? Once it was done she could see about doing more on her own as well.

Of course the training was instantly made a few times worse when it was announced that they were going to paired off to build... trust? How that was supposed to help? She couldn't say but she supposed that she'd see once the actual training began. To avoid having to deal with a bunch of people rushing over to her, wanting to be her partner simply because she was one of the 'First Three', she reached out to catch hold of the nearest person to her. Her's was a title that tended to be more of a burden then anything. As such it was easiest to avoid such a thing by just grabbing teh closest available sister.

"Partner up with me?" She asked of the girl she'd chosen in a hushed tone.  

[Painted Moose]

Orpheus Solon

Oh my, but there was a rush, wasn't there? Pyrrha could see a bunch of younger girls clamoring around one, but as much as she tried to walk away from the rush she couldn't quite escape. There were too many bodies, dodging this way and that, and when she finally got an opening-

-Pyrrha found something holding onto her hand. She turned her head to look at the fingers clutching onto her own, slowly venturing up the speaker's wrist, arm and shoulder to their face.

Ah, it was...it was....what was her name? One of the first, Pyrrha knew that much, but the name..."Chrysalis? Cera?" She murmured, thinking she was being very quiet, but neglecting the fact that her softer tone would have been audible to the other. "Sure." She smiled anyway. Regardless of a name this one was going to be just as good as any other, and she looked muscly, which was something Pyrrha was not.

A murmur of disappointment went through some of the girls who obviously wanted to partner up with the older elarian. Pyrrha didn't quite understand it. Was she...better skilled, just because she was older?

"...maybe they'll balance each other out..." one voice sneered, coming from her left. "...the first with the reject...." Ah, yes, that was it then.  

[Orpheus Solon]

Painted Moose

Ceylinae turned slowly to stare at the girl that was trying to recall her name and seemingly coming up with a few random ones that weren't quite right. She blinked her aqua eyes slowly before she said, "It's Ceylinae, sister." Best to help her out since it seemed that otherwise she might end up with a nickname that she didn't really want.

As the other girl agreed to be her partner in the upcoming exercises she heard a bit of discent about them which made her wonder what was going on. She gave a glance around, her antennae twitching for a moment, and found herself wondering about the one she'd picked. Who was she to get such a response from those around her? A reject someone had said, which made her wonder that much more. Had she made a mistake in choosing this particular sister? It had been a random pick so she couldn't really blame anyone but herself... and bad luck she supposed.

Turning back to the one before she asked, "You name is?" Maybe if she knew her name she might recall why it was that the others were thinking such things of her? Maybe... not as though she knew everyone by name or anything, though maybe she should given her position in the tribe? Yet another thing for her to think about later, on whether it was something that she should endeavor to do or not going forward.  

[Painted Moose]

Orpheus Solon

Pyrrha smiled softly, "I was close." At least, she thought she was. The same generally beginning sounds were there, it was just the last she forgot. Perhaps if she didn't get bored so easily, and drifted off in the middle of other's sentences then she would have known that.

Or maybe Elzira just wanted Cey to speak the words herself.

The wonders of the world never ceased to amaze...

"I was named Pyrrha, though I respond to most names." The lackadaisical elarian looped her fingers with Cey's and gave them a little squeeze. "Perhaps you've heard of my twin, Pruu? She's a more...accomplished warrior than I am." Meaning that out of the two the one who showed up to more training sessions was Pruu. Her sister was ever present in the village, making a path for herself in the world while Pyrrha chose to hide herself away in the trees, enjoying nature without ever really coming around anyone.

"Alright!" The elder called out. Pyrrha turned her direction, and noted that the older woman had begun walking through their ranks, handing out a single strip of cloth to each pair. "Now that you've paired off one of you will blind fold the other, and act as her eyes. We'll participate in a series of challenges where your blindfolded partner will have to complete the tasks given to them based on your direction alone. You have the option of swapping positions after each task, should you choose." She paused before the two of them and handed Cey the blind fold. "The winning pair will each receive a custom dagger, forged however they wish."  

[Orpheus Solon]

Painted Moose

"Pyrrha it is then." While the girl had claimed that she responded to most names it wasn't something that Ceylinae would do. She'd once been told that nicknames weren't a good thing and it was a lesson that she'd taken to heart. No reason to use a name that wasn't Pyrrha's own. At the mention of her having a twin she gave a nod, her antennae giving a bit of a bounce as she thought about the girl that Pyrrha had mentioned, "Yes, I've trained with Pruu before in the past. Not during a gathering like this but on our own time."

Glancing around she found herself wondering what exactly it was that they were supposed to be doing. That was when she spotted the blindfolds, one of which would be handed over to her sooner then she was ready for. They were going to be doing what now? How would this aid them battling the Dretch? They had to act like each others eyes but why? Now blind fighting practice she could understand but this? Hmm... well, she supposed that if they were blinded by something that it would come in handy. The idea of relying on someone else entirely though was a bit nerve wracking.

Giving a shake of her head she looked over at Pyrrha and asked, "Do you want to lead first or be led?" The blindfold had been given to her but she wasn't sure which one she would rather do. To be honest it was neither since she was so used to training alone... but she was here so best that she participated or else she'd look weak or as though she wasn't a team player.  

[Painted Moose]

Orpheus Solon

"Oh, this will be fun." Admittedly Pyrrha was actually looking forward to this sort of training. It wasn't the normal hack and slash physicality that she liked to avoid. This would require more thought, and would build bonds of reliance on each other; something that would come in handy if they were blinded or in an area with low visibility. At least, that's what she assumed, but really just getting to play around while blind folded sounded like a fun afternoon.

"I can try being led first. I would fear for your safety if I was the one calling the shots." She smiled sweetly before taking the blindfold. Pyrrha brushed her bangs away from her eyes and slipped the ribbon around them, pulling it taught in the back before securing it in a solid bow.

"Your first task, once everyone has chosen who to blindfold, is to successfully shoot the target three times." The elder motioned to the targets behind her; each stuffed and fluffed up like 'fake' earthlings. "Which ever team can make the most shots, with the best aim, will win this round."

"Oh, archery? This...sounds deadly." What if someone were to shoot someone else on accident? She guessed that was part of the exercise, but...Pyrrha just laughed it off. "Ah well, ready to go?"  

[Orpheus Solon]

Painted Moose

"Alright, then I will lead first." Ceylinae said, certain that it would be easier to lead then follow. She didn't much like the idea of doing anything with her eyes covered, feeling that it would be too much of a burden. Leading would be far easier. At least that was what she thought before they were told the task at hand. It was something that made her aqua go wide before she turned to look at the elder, starring.

They were supposed to help one of their sisters blind fire a bow at a target? The idea was one that sounded difficult but it was made even more so when one took into account that half of those gathered would be firing blind and the others would be shouting orders. This was going to be a mess she thought to herself, her antennae setting to twitching in a displeased manner. Glancing over at her sister she said, "We will go about this carefully... and I will be sure to keep an eye on our other sisters so that neither of us gets shot during this... test." She didn't sound as though she liked the idea in the least but but who was she to argue with an elder? The title she had as one of the 'First Three' wasn't really enough at the moment, not while she was still considered quite young.

Turning back to Pyrrha she said, "Let's make the best of a bad situation, Pyrrha. Lift your bow when you're ready but don't draw back quite yet."  

[Painted Moose]

Orpheus Solon

After fixing up her 'blind fold', Pyrrha made sure she couldn't see by wiggling her fingers in front of her face. Nope, nothing there! "I will be as careful as I can, Ceylinae. I've never been without my sight before so I might be...off." She knocked an arrow, though she wasn't as graceful as she might have been. The process was more 'touch and feel' than anything else, but at least, the arrow was now nocked and ready.

She lifted her bow once she had it situated and held it, just as Ceylinae said. The tip of her arrow was off; if she shot now she wasn't likely to hit anyone, but the arrow would sail past the right side of their target. "How close am I? Is my stance good?" It felt off, but then again, everything about this felt strange. "...do you think there are any blind archers? How do you suppose they do it?"  

[Orpheus Solon]

Painted Moose

"Yes. It makes sense that one might be a bit off when they have their sight taken away." He said, turning to look in the direction of the elder that had decided upon this particular test for a moment. Shaking her head she turned her attention back to Pyrrha once more. As much as she disapproved of this sort of test she wasn't old enough to nix the idea, as such they would go through with it as safely as one could.

As the girl did as Ceylinae asked her to do, she moved to stand behind her, getting a feel for where she might shoot were she to do so presently. She then stepped back, giving her a once over, and said, "Stance looks fine, though you will want to shift slightly to the right to have a chance of hitting the target, sister."

As she was asked about blind archers Ceylinae's antennae gave a twitch before she said, "I doubt there are any. It seems irresponsible and dangerous to give someone like that any sort of weapon... though I am sure there are things they can do." She just didn't know what those things might be since everything Ceylinae did seemed to rely heavily upon her sight as well as all her other senses, all of them working together. Giving a humming sound she said, "Now if an archer started out fine and then lost their sight... I still can quite see how it would work."  

[Painted Moose]

Orpheus Solon

Pyrrha jerked a little when Ceylinae's voice came from behind her. She hadn't been expecting it and almost fired on instinct! Thankfully, Pyrrha didn't move too much off the mark with her little jump, and was able to correct herself, following the other elarian's words to get better aim.

"I saw a blind earthling once; he had a sword and he was doing quite well," Pyrrha pulled back exhaled, and shot the arrow, "until one of the alkidike cut him down. It was the only time I've been outside the camp with others, and I- Oh, right, did I make it?" She questioned, almost as if the task at hand didn't mean much to her.

And make it she had; while the arrow didn't hit dead center, it was close enough.

"Or did I perhaps hit the elder instead?" That was asked with far more enthusiasm.  

[Orpheus Solon]

Painted Moose

Ceylinae lifted an eyebrow before she said, "Can you really say he was doing well if he was cut down in the end? The blind, especially among the Earthlings, should stick to their villages. They are all small and weak already, killing a blind one can't be seen as worthy of our cousin's skills... if anything it should be a blow to their pride doing such a thing." She had zero care for the Earthlings but it seemed almost pathetic for one of their sisters or cousins to dirty their weapons cutting down such an Earthling.

Turning to look at the target she studied it before she said, "Clipped the edge of it. I think if you go more right and a tad more up that you will hit it next time." At the mention of hitting the elder she muttered in a tone that only Pyrrha would hear, "If only, it would show what a terrible idea this is." The only thing she could think of that might make this a useful session down the line would be if it was applied to hunting beasts at night... but even then it felt like it was too risky. What if one heard a sound they thought was a beast and ended up shooting at a sister?

She just didn't understand this lesson. Unless it was something along the lines of just learning to obey the elders no matter what they came up with?  

[Painted Moose]

Orpheus Solon

"From his perspective yes, I'd say he was doing just fine." She readied another arrow, musing over the topic as she did so. "I think that so long as he wanted to fight, why not let him? They were all going to die anyway; so, isn't it a little better to defend yourself instead of just giving in?" It had been a remarkable sight. She'd wanted to keep him around a little longer to figure out how he'd managed to do what he'd done, but like some kind of test subject; one she could clinically inspect and then be done with as soon as it had served it's purpose. The act itself had seemed needlessly cruel so she'd let her arrows fly.

"Go more to the right," She murmured, lifting her bow to aim once more. Pyrrha corrected herself as best she could, then let it go; this time at least sinking into the center circle. She couldn't help smiling at Ceylinae's whispered words. Even though she was having fun she knew that the older elarian wasn't, and probably would have preferred a more intense training session. Pyrrha, however, was just enjoying the day. "I don't know, I think it's nice. I haven't thought about the dretch once and I got to meet you; so that seems like a pretty good day to me."

And maybe that was the purpose behind all this? The real reason behind something so goofy? That it would lesson the fear in their hearts and give the younger members of Zinris something new to focus on, if just for the day?  

[Orpheus Solon]

Painted Moose

Ceylinae's antennae gave a bit of a twitch before she just shrugged a shoulder in a way her blindfolded sister wouldn't be able to see. In her opinion it was a giant waste of life... but then again her sisters just saw the Earthlings as things to be killed off. While Ceylinae held no love in her heart she didn't want to kill them per say, if anything she just wanted to toss them off of Yael and claim the place for her sisters and cousins only. Better then having to deal with the storm that would likely occur if they did just start killing off the Earthlings. What if they got together and came at them in force? They didn't have enough warriors on their side to make a good standing after all.

After she realized she stayed silent for a while she replied, "Yes, more right." She watched as her sister did so and was actually able to hit the target. Giving a nod of her head she said, "Very good! Now, let's see... from here I'd said still a tad more right and then a little bit up."

Giving the elder a glance she nodded, "Hmm, you could be right." Was that why the elder had set up such a strange thing for them to do? It was possible she supposed. Looking at the target again she asked, "How close to the center do you want to get before we trade spots?" Ceylinae would want to hit dead center herself but she couldn't speak for everyone. Even if she thought the whole thing was a bit of a waste of training time she still wanted to do her absolute best at it just to be safe.  

[Painted Moose]

Orpheus Solon

Pyrrha followed the instructions one last time. She lined up her shot as best she could given the circumstances, unknowing that when she fired the arrow it would sink dead center. She could hear several others around her; some where happier than others at their own results, and one pair sounded as if their bickering was quickly escalating. At least we're doing better than they are.

"I'm ready to trade out whenever you are, Ceylinae. I'm eager to see which of our sister's is calling the other a crusty pile of limbara....droppings?" She lowered her bow just enough to peel up one eye of her blindfold. Pyrrha gingerly made her way closer to Ceylinae, completely ignoring her own target in favor of watching the 'show' unfold in front of them.

"You couldn't hit the broad side of a cliff even without the blindfold!"

"Well maybe if you would actually give better directions instead of telling me what I'm doing wrong-!"

Pyrrha passively took off the blindfold, and held it loosely in her hand. She'd never seen two sisters look at each other like that; like they were so mad at one another to the point of drawing that much attention to one another. She'd seen it enough times on her mother's face, but never on an elarian. It was obvious that the fighting was getting to Pyrrha. She didn't like the loudness of it, and she antennae kept flicking back, almost as if the girl were trying to shrink inside of herself.

"Thank you, for not being like that."