LESSONS: Anticipation
The gray light of dawn filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows that ran the length of one wall of the third floor of Elessaria's building. Just to the right of the landing the elfess had placed a weapon's rack for the wooden "wasters" and the beautiful rapier she had decided to dub "Wrath". The matching main gauche, the sheathes and sword belt hung neatly from pegs there, as well as a couple of wooden staves. After finishing her daily routine of stretching and executing a couple of weaponless forms, she glanced up and marked the time by the rosy streaks she glimpsed through the skylights.
The empath knelt on a sapphire cushion next to a low table and poured herself a cup of tea while she waited. Her trepidation was outweighed by a mixture of excitement and curiosity at what her lessons might entail. On the low table, next to a tray set with light breakfast fare that consisted of freshly baked brioches, fresh fruit and cheese, lay two partially read books — The Idiot's Guide to Rapiers and Swordplay for Dummies. Neither of the volumes were very helpful, so she spent her free time simply carrying the wooden practice blade to get accustomed to the feel of it in her hands. The way Kalamere described the blade work as a dance was very appealing to her as the violence that tended to surround the sport was difficult for her to endure. The few times she had watched him duel, it was very much a beautiful dance to behold. The man moved like a dream both in and out of the ring; whether it was due to his elven heritage, his training or his less known vocation, Eless did not know. She only knew she would learn much from him.
And as the elven mage sipped her tea, she realized he would inevitably learn more about her. The man was highly intelligent and missed little to nothing. Kal might not always comment on what he's observed, but he definitely knew more than he let on. Although he seemed to balance concern with respect for her privacy pretty well. Only Rena had made it to the second floor of the building and Kal would be the first to be welcomed to the third floor of her retreat. The room's design with its oak floor and full-length mirrors were an obvious reflection of its purpose. Eless would be honest and share that she has had some training in hand-to-hand techniques, but like the rest of her education, it was never completed. In addition, she made a mental note to warn him of the permanent portal that inhabited the far end of the salle. It was now keyed to her aura alone, so he would not have to fear being accidentally transported somewhere; but, he might get a nasty magical shock for crossing its wards. "Definitely nay the way to start off our lessons," Eless mused, flipping through the daily paper to check the times of the performances of The Nutcracker and A Christmas Carol which she hoped to see before they ended. The wards surrounding her home would let her know when Kal arrived.
The gray light of dawn filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows that ran the length of one wall of the third floor of Elessaria's building. Just to the right of the landing the elfess had placed a weapon's rack for the wooden "wasters" and the beautiful rapier she had decided to dub "Wrath". The matching main gauche, the sheathes and sword belt hung neatly from pegs there, as well as a couple of wooden staves. After finishing her daily routine of stretching and executing a couple of weaponless forms, she glanced up and marked the time by the rosy streaks she glimpsed through the skylights.
The empath knelt on a sapphire cushion next to a low table and poured herself a cup of tea while she waited. Her trepidation was outweighed by a mixture of excitement and curiosity at what her lessons might entail. On the low table, next to a tray set with light breakfast fare that consisted of freshly baked brioches, fresh fruit and cheese, lay two partially read books — The Idiot's Guide to Rapiers and Swordplay for Dummies. Neither of the volumes were very helpful, so she spent her free time simply carrying the wooden practice blade to get accustomed to the feel of it in her hands. The way Kalamere described the blade work as a dance was very appealing to her as the violence that tended to surround the sport was difficult for her to endure. The few times she had watched him duel, it was very much a beautiful dance to behold. The man moved like a dream both in and out of the ring; whether it was due to his elven heritage, his training or his less known vocation, Eless did not know. She only knew she would learn much from him.
And as the elven mage sipped her tea, she realized he would inevitably learn more about her. The man was highly intelligent and missed little to nothing. Kal might not always comment on what he's observed, but he definitely knew more than he let on. Although he seemed to balance concern with respect for her privacy pretty well. Only Rena had made it to the second floor of the building and Kal would be the first to be welcomed to the third floor of her retreat. The room's design with its oak floor and full-length mirrors were an obvious reflection of its purpose. Eless would be honest and share that she has had some training in hand-to-hand techniques, but like the rest of her education, it was never completed. In addition, she made a mental note to warn him of the permanent portal that inhabited the far end of the salle. It was now keyed to her aura alone, so he would not have to fear being accidentally transported somewhere; but, he might get a nasty magical shock for crossing its wards. "Definitely nay the way to start off our lessons," Eless mused, flipping through the daily paper to check the times of the performances of The Nutcracker and A Christmas Carol which she hoped to see before they ended. The wards surrounding her home would let her know when Kal arrived.