Training Continues

[Ashlle G. Rainier]

It had been a long day for Ashlle. She'd been in and out of classes all day, had been interrupted twice with letters with updates on the Wanted lists. Things were getting out of hand.

She had skipped dinner In the Great Hall so she could clean her Weapons while Chance made dinner. After dinner she levitated her whole Hunter Trunk (including a new sword & dagger set form the BFC) up to the school & into the Dueling Hall.

She really wasn't sure if Kezaa had gotten her note as her Madagascar Red Owl had not returned, but she may as well be there just in case.

[Kezaa (retired)]

"My, aren't you an anxious pupil?" came Kezaa's now unmistakable voice as he leaned against the corner in his same pose, almost as if he had not left.

Kezaa blew a tuft of golden blonde hair from the front of his face, and he now came dressed in his usual atire of blue open jacket and pants with a white button up shirt underneath.

Resting tip down on the ground was a rather cheap looking sword, poorly maintained as it was ancient. It must have been close to twenty years old, and its luster from ages past ceased to exist. The edge was almost completely dulled, and cutting through tape might have been something to be called into question. However, no ordinary person was weilding this ceremonial and now, all but ornamental blade. This was something that though he had cut up everything he could see as a child, he took tenative care in preserving it as it was today.

"Well now child, shall we get started?" he inquired with an easy going smile which rested on his decievingly young face.

[Ashlle G. Rainier]

Ashlle's brow knotted in question. She was not about to deny she was a child at eleven years of age, but she was also the Last member of a great Pureblood family. All the Shopkeepers in Diagon Alley called her 'Miss Rainier', instead of 'Young Miss Rainier'.

But, she figured, she wouldn't get upset as of yet, after all, Kezaa was her training Master &, she supposed, they could call you what ever they wanted.

"Yes, Master Kezaa. But I was wondering, Sir, why must they send me Wanted Updates in the middle of a class? Don't they know I'm not yet fit to carry out my first mission let alone capture the dreaded Michaela?"

She held out the latest edition of the wanted list, which had Michaela’s name emblazoned on the very top.

[Kezaa (retired)]

Kezaa raised his hand up to cradle his chin in contemplation as he skimmed through the article. His brow also furrowed, except this was because he was slowly starting to recollect his and Michaela's estranged aqqaintanship. He had not really given it any thought since he had returned.

"Well Ashlle, how about we put away those nasty forwards and concentrate on the here and now?" he inquired, giving his sword a bit of a top spin.

"Tonight we're gonna work on melee. Until someone discoveres the spell for infinite ammo, your firearms will limit you in many ways." he announced quickly as he briefed her.

"You have something to fight with, correct?"

[Ashlle G. Rainier]

"Indeed" said Ashlle taking her brand new, Silver Coated, Blessed Sword form it's scabbard in the trunk.
But just as soon as she'd shown it to him, she realized she'd used a word she'd never heard before, at least in that context.

"What the heck is melee? Isn't it a crowd of people?" She asked as she put the sword back in its scabbard, & prepared to buckle both new weapons around her waist.

How do you 'work on' a crowd of people? thought Ashlle as she straightened her BFC Dueling Uniform & buckled the Weapons on to her small waist.

[Kezaa (retired)]

"Silly, melee just refers to weapon or hand combat. It can be applied to fighting single opponents or groups of opponents." he said, resting his single edged weapon against his shoulder.

As he watched Ashlle don her training equipment, he could not help but let a contented grin escape. She reminded him so much of a certain unforgetable femme fatale named Iria. She had come here a spell back to find her brother, but he never heard from her, or her results. Shaking the reminiscent memory to the back of his mind. he stood there silently and awated Ashlle to complete her preparations.

[Ashlle G. Rainier]

OOC: sorry but the stupid thing didn't tell me you'd replied!!

BIC: Ashlle soon finished, & smoothing her uniform once announced:
" I've never been in a fight in my life. Threat was always enough for the boys at the Orphanages. I think I may look scarier than I am."

Still she stood before Kezza ready to try anything he told her at least once, if not as many times as was required.

[Kezaa (retired)]

"Well, that's going to change very quickly in a career like yours. Heck, my brother didn't even hunt demons as a career, he did it just because no one else could. It was practically a pastime." Kez said as he rested the blade onto his palm.

"Anyway, how about you try and attack me? Don't worry about any harm that you think might come to me. Afterall, I haven't even taught you about slicing. All I need you to do is hit me."

[Ashlle G. Rainier]

"Er ..." To night she wasn't to worried about herself seeing a Kezaa was all better from their last fight. She was very worried about herself though. That blade looked dull enough but It looked like it could deliver a massive bruise. Still there was no time like the present.

Ashlle Quickly raised the sword and brought it down on Kezaa's shoulder. Then she maneuvered to block whatever would come next.

[Kezaa (retired)]

Kez let his sword travel just an inch or so over his shoulder, stopping Ashlle's sword from going down any further. He then pushed her off with a mere extension of his elbow.

"Again." he said, raising his sword in the same defensive posture.

[Ashlle G. Rainier]

Ashlle decided to thrust this time.
As quick as she could she thrust her sword toward Kezaa's belly, careful to avoid leaving herself open for an undue period of time.

Thought her sword was light this was harder than it looked. She wished she could have been like her friend Ashlee's friend Harry Potter who just last year had killed a Basilisk. It had been the very first time he picked up a sword. Not that she wished to kill Kezaa, far from it.

[Kezaa (retired)]

"Nice thrust Ashlle, but can you be quicker than that?" he asked with a warm smile as he peered down at her. He watched her almost trip over herself in that thrust, especially when he sword did not find him there. Instead, he had jumped onto the blade, and crossed both his arms behind his back.

Kez then jumped off the blade, and landed next to Ashlle, with his back turned to her. He then whirled around with his sword, aiming for her throat. As God as his witness, he WOULD teach that girl to commit fully to her attack, regardless of whom her sword was directed at.

[Ashlle G. Rainier]

When Kezaa has jumped ONTO her sward he was so heavy she'd almost dropped it. She had actually been forced to her knees, and for a moment, thought her hands and wrists were going to break. But then Kezaa has jumped off with unimaginable skill.

Suddenly Ashlle felt (rather than heard) Kezaa's sword heading straight for her throat. For a split second she panicked, then she quickly raised her own sword to block. The swords clanged together with a brilliant crash.

There were tears falling from Ashlle's eyes as she got to her feet and pushed Kezaa's sword back with her own. She didn't notice but she was openly sobbing, when she took a swing at Kezaa's head and very clearly missed, cutting off some of his long blond hair.

[Kezaa (retired)]

"Eh?" Kez pondered aloud as he saw the glimmer of watery particles float off Ashlle's cheeks. Was she crying? Kez took her forceful blows in stride, each one becoming more predictable than the next.

"Ashlle, what's wrong?" he asked after a final deflection and stepped backwards. "This is just a training exorcise. There's no need to demonstrate so much force, especially with such a blade." he said, nodding towards her raised sword.

[Ashlle G. Rainier]

"I don't know what's wrong." She sobbed, letting her hand holding the sword fall to her side. "I just, I --- I can see how badly I'm doing in your eyes and it hurts me, and makes me angry at the same time. I -- I guess I want to prove I'm not a loser. I want to be good at this damnit!" and she beat her fist on her leg like a child.

She had always thought that when she finally came to school she'd just be a genius at everything. Hadn't it been her that the Muggles had said was off their IQ chart? Hadn't she been the one they tested and retested. Wasn't that one of the reasons they send her to the last and best Orphanage, The one for Gifted Orphans?

What would her father say if he were here? What would her mother say? She had a hunch they wouldn't bee to happy with her.

"AAHHRRRRRR!" she yelled, frustrated with her own inadequacies.