lie awake in bed at night and think about your life do you want to be different? try to let go of the truth the battles of your youth because this is just a game it's a beautiful lie
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Kazuki had always adored Vendi Druri. Perhaps it was because of the peaceful atmosphere, or the sounds of the birds in the trees, or the fact that as a hunter he had spent many long days safe in the embrace of the mighty tree that held his- er, the clan's- treehouse. But he liked to think of himself as an honest creature and he knew, deep down, that it was because of the solitude. Sure, the animals shifted endlessly and his hunter brethren stopped by upon occasion, but it was away from the hustle and bustle of camp and the more commonly visited forest clearings. And less people meant less random visions of things he really didn't need to be seeing, and so when the flashing images and the headaches began to become too much for him this was where he found himself.
He wasn't even here on a hunt, not really- the clan didn't particularly need much food at the moment, and if there was anything he had learned it was to not let kills go to waste. He'd brought his bow and a small stash of arrows along, sure, but that was really only just in case. Even now they laid unmoving across his lap, as he stretched his legs out in front of him and was content to simply watch the world go by in his hard-fought peace. Sure, he'd heard rumors of some sort of festival coming up, and there were certainly productive things he could be doing, but at this particular moment there was nothing he urgently needed to attend to and that was perfectly alright with him. He leaned back against one wall of the treehouse, multicolored eyes fluttering shut as he took a deep breath and let it out in a loud, relaxed sigh. Heck, he could probably sleep better out here than in his den in camp- wouldn't hurt to try, right? Wasn't like there was anyone who was going to bother him. He hoped.
words: 333 tag: yume
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Things had been running smoothly for the Solarisclan deputy; all tasks Maware assigned and oversaw to had been completed for the day, and he was free to do whatever he liked with the remained of his time before complete sundown.
Though he could have lounged around for the rest of evening, Maware felt up to practicing his aim, since he had been much more of a close-range fighter to begin with. The first place that came to his mind: Vendi Druri. The large tree house would suffice in locating enemies such as birds to target, and Maware was all for anything he could kill. The thought of lighting an arrow on fire using his very own ability to kill his prey sounded like a great idea in his head, same with allowing it to light the path and see whatever flocks were out there when it got dark enough; however, he hadn't realized that if he missed- or even if he didn't miss- he could almost accidentally light the entire forest on fire.
Maware didn't take long to head over to the large tree house, and started up it, climbing and forcing himself to the top. He wore rather heavy armor- no matter what, practically- and it wasn't helping his problematic situation with gravity making it all the way up the tree house.
Once at the top, Maware found another face, another soul inside. He stared at the Hunter, rolling his eyes at the note that Kazuki was only using the area as a get-a-way resting place of peace and quiet. Maware had done the same, and escaped there whenever he felt the need to do so, growing up.
Maware let out a quick chuckle, "Using the bow and arrows you've got there, or are you just here to lie around all day?"
lie awake in bed at night and think about your life do you want to be different? try to let go of the truth the battles of your youth because this is just a game it's a beautiful lie
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He was just about starting to drift off, the peace lulling him into a drowsy, half-conscious state, when a great racket shook his- er, the clan's- treehouse. His eyes blinked blearily open as he fixed them warily on the ladder- a little put-out that his peace had been intruded upon, but not particularly worried by the stranger making their way toward him. No one who meant him any harm would make that sort of sound, and it didn't take a clairvoyant to figure out by the great clashing of metal that their armored deputy was the one making the ascent. He gave a somewhat formal nod of acknowledgement in that serious way of his, not looking entirely pleased to see his clanmate though he did his best to be polite. "Not at all, just keeping an eye on things." A pause, followed by a look of slight distaste. "Unless you came here to give me a task, of course, in which case I'm at your service."
But he didn't think that was the case, not really; he eyed the bow and arrows that the other carried with the faintest hint of amusement, corners of his mouth quirking up into the slightest of smiles. Such was the motivation of their deputy, that he'd spend free time training in a weapon that clearly wasn't his. It was admirable, really, though Kazuki wasn't positive of the safety of such an endeavor- although no one could doubt his loyalty or his brilliance as a warrior, the hunter wasn't exactly convinced of the wisdom of giving Maware a long-distance weapon. Combined with his love of fire, and the flammable nature of the wooden treehouse or, goddess help them, the entire forest... It was probably extremely lucky that a hunter was here to watch over him. "I could ask the same of you." A pause, as he regarded the other with a mixture of amusement and alarm. "Try not to shoot yourself in the foot. Or burn down the forest. Or any combination thereof." Kazuki himself wasn't quite sure whether or not he was joking- his smile, despite his best efforts, came out somewhat strained. "Please."
words: 360 tag: maware
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Hearing Kazuki's comment of concern, Maware couldn't help but to burst out laughing. He found it nothing shorter than hilarious. Even if Kazuki had been joking or not, what he said was still true. Maware hadn't taken a second to consider the possibility of something going wrong with his practice, even if he was unaccustomed to using such a weapon as a bow and arrow. Nonetheless, he wouldn't diverge from practicing what he had intended to do in the first place, and shrugged off any doubt.
"Thanks for the advice, Kid," He referred to anyone and everyone younger than him in this way, "But if anything goes wrong, I'll just deal with it then. No big deal!" Maware had always been an optimistic thinker, so he pushed back the thought of something failing and ending in disaster for the clan. Although, he did take Kazuki's words somewhat seriously.
That aside, he brought over his borrowed weapon to a window and fumbled to figure out how to use the strange object. He had seen Hunters use it with ease, and usually being able to pick up the usage of any weapon easily, he thought it would be just as simple. Unfortunately for him, he looked like an idiot that had no idea what he was doing.
Maware coughed, asking to draw attention to himself, "Sorry to disturb you from your sleep there, but hey, any clue how to use this?" He smiled to hide his embarrassment, and slightly laughed, though he knew that wouldn't help his situation. "Not like I don't have any idea, but uh, yeah, could you please help me with this? Just for a minute. I pick up quick."
lie awake in bed at night and think about your life do you want to be different? try to let go of the truth the battles of your youth because this is just a game it's a beautiful lie
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That laughter was... rather concerning, really. Kazuki stared at the other, somewhat shocked by the outburst though he really should be used to it by now; the chuckle he tried to give in return was quite obviously strained. Should he go and get a mender just to be on standby? Chase all of the apprentices out of the woods and back to camp in case of a fire? ...but that was ridiculous. He was just being paranoid, right? Their leader knew what she was doing; all laughter and joking aside, there was no way she would pick a deputy who was truly an idiot. So everything should be fine. Yeah. He could just lean back against the wall and try to return to his nap, trusting that the other would wake him if he needed anything.
But the hunter wasn't stupid, either; though he knew their deputy was brilliant with a weapon, a bow was more of a tool than anything else. Once again, Maware was predictable without the clairvoyant having to make use of his abilities. Kazuki shook his head slowly, smiling a little to himself, and turned to eye the warrior's posture. He had hoped that he could watch the other's technique from a distance, maybe give him a tip or two- but it became clear by the fumbling that the other was a complete rookie. Ugh, this would take more direct intervention. "No problem. Better to wake me this way, before you accidentally shoot yourself. Or me." He rose to his feet, scooping his longbow into his hands and leaning against the wall beside his deputy. "So, ah. You're going to want to hold it like this..." He demonstrated the correct posture, swinging the bow out in front of him and drawing back the string in a single smooth motion- no arrow, not yet, because though he trusted the other with his life and his clan he didn't trust him with a long distance weapon.
He let the tension back out of the string, lowering his weapon and turning to look expectantly at Maware. "Hold it in your weaker hand. More control over the string that way." Sure, he might have been using the same tone of voice he'd use on a small apprentice, but hey- it was actually sort of nice to be useful in a more direct way than simply putting food on the table.
words: 400 tag: maware
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Thank the sun goddess that Kazuki was there to help Maware. The bow he held may have looked as simple as it was, but with no experience on his belt, he would have messed around for hours trying to figure the strange tool out, ending in failure and wasted time. In his vision of the object, the bow was the assisting tool, and the arrow was the weapon.
Only when Kazuki stood up did Maware realize his presence was probably more trouble than it was worth. For a Hunter to try and teach something only a Hunter would need to know to a Warrior, and a Deputy at that was absurd. Then again, Maware was just the type of person to want to know everything, and to know a bit of everything in case it was ever needed. For whatever reason, learning how to use a bow and arrow was just one of these things. Besides, this could be a fine time to evaluate Kazuki in case he could ever have an apprentice for himself. That is, so long as he ever wanted one. Everyone was somehow evaluated sooner or later.
"Shoot us both? Nah, I don't think I could cause that much damage by only trying to figure out how to use this.Just holding it? Even less of a problem." Maware rolled his eyes, a dumb grin still clear on his face as he gestured to the bow in his hands. He set the accompanying arrow down and focused on the task at hand, obscuring his face to get better concentration.
"Like this, huh..." Maware mumbled to himself, as he reflected what was directed for him to accomplish. A quick glance was all he needed to mirror the posture and position he needed, as he had a known tendency to rapidly pick up skills right away, yet forget them some time later. Which was practically his only excuse why he couldn't figure the tool out right from the start.
Upon Kazuki's last comment, Maware switched hands and inquired, "Got any fancy moves up your sleeve? Or just shoot and aim this thing is all you can accomplish?" With any weapon, Maware figured, there was special techniques that a person could create of their own accord. Though by all means, Maware was not asking to give up secrets, but merely an unusual technique that only a full-fledged Hunter could accomplish. Seeing the Hunter in action could only better help his own understanding of how to use the bow and arrow, anyways.
lie awake in bed at night and think about your life do you want to be different? try to let go of the truth the battles of your youth because this is just a game it's a beautiful lie
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The Solarisclan Deputy had a bit of a reputation for being obsessed with weapons. The only thing the Hunter found surprising about the whole thing was that the Warrior hadn't come in search sooner- bows were quite useful things, if only to pick off enemies from a distance before switching to a hand-to-hand weapon later. Even Kazuki kept a sword on him, after all; Hunters were quite versatile, and it made sense for Warriors to be as well... Though Kazuki had to admit, that grin was a trifle off-putting. Was Maware really serious about learning, or did he just come out here to mess around with things? It was hard to tell, sometimes, with Maware- not that Kazuki was the best with these 'emotion' things, anyway.
But the other's skill in copying his position soon wiped away all doubts. He'd heard that they called their Deputy a genius, and he'd believed them, to a point. But being several years younger and a Hunter meant that the two of them did not cross paths all that often, and Kazuki had never seen the other's skill for himself. Seeing really was believing, then- he really did have to give the Warrior credit. There wasn't much point to his teaching, then, if there was anything to teach; all he had to do was make sure the other didn't hurt himself, right? Surely the brilliant one didn't need that much help. Yet the clairvoyant was proved wrong yet again as the other asked a question- a good, insightful question, that brought a slight smile to the reserved Hunter's lips. Alright, he hadn't been giving the Warrior enough credit; now, how to answer? He had plenty of tips for a young Hunter, but he would imagine that the other was more interested in a fighting perspective, rather than picking up a spare bird or two. Which made things... interesting. "Well." He eyed the other contemplatively, running his bicolored gaze over the particular weapon the other was wielding.
He brought his own bow close to his chest subconsciously as he hummed softly to himself. "It depends on what you're hunting. Or, well, who, in your case, I suppose." He shrugged- he'd be open to questions, but 'tricks' was such a broad category, and he doubted the other was interested in listening to him ramble on about tracking techniques until sundown. Besides, a good bit of it was muscle memory, difficult to explain- instinct and reflex and intuition, combined with the things he'd learned subconsciously over the years. But, well, he had to start somewhere, right? "If you don't mind my asking, whose bow are you using, anyway?" Maware was a good, strong warrior- he could afford to work with a monstrosity of a weapon. Heck, Kazuki's longbow was nearly as tall as some of his clanmates; Maware could probably wield one taller than that, though of course those could be hard to come by. "A lot of it is feeling... at one, with your weapon. I suppose." He cocked his head to the side; how to explain to someone who was used to the brute force approach?
words: 521 tag: maware
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"You've gotta know what I'd be aiming for, right? A live, large as in human type of target. Any ideas on how to handle those?" Maware yawned, his smile finally disappearing. About time. Though he enjoyed speaking in great detail about such topics as the different methods of seeking out the final attack and the last strike to a person's life, he wasn't quite sure if the younger Hunter felt comfortable enough to outright say so and talk about it.
Just in case, Maware switched the topic to answer and gestured to his bow, "This thing? Takuto made it for me. A hell of a genius, finding a way to light this thing on fire and not having the entire thing burn and all at once. No idea how the kid does it." He stared at it for a moment before obtaining an idea.
How about he just test the thing out? Get some pointers; he had the technique for holding it down, right? Then all he had to do from then out was just aim the bow and arrow, shoot it, and improve with some comments after a first attempt. The idea tempted Maware quite a bit.
One with the weapon? This thought interrupted what Maware had fixated his mind on doing. A sword to him was always seen as an outward extension of his own body. To think of it as one with him was quite strange. Not impossible, but strange and what he would find rather unordinary.
Maware didn't dwell long on the subject before returning back to his original thought to shoot off the arrow as an example. That was decided in his mind, and there wasn't a thing anyone could have done about it. He picked up the arrow and quickly took aim before Kazuki could have another say about it.
"Just lemme know what could have gone better with this. " Maware requested, lighting the very tip of the arrow on a bright mixture of red, orange, and yellow colored fire. It was mesmerizing to the look, but before its details were discovered, the arrow was sent flying into the air, and towards a bird perched in a nearby tree.
The arrow had missed, and spun rapidly and without course with a flaming tip all the way to a lone tree, causing the impact to light the tree on fire. Just a matter of seconds the tiny flame went from a small issue, to a big problem. The tree caught instant fire, and exploded with gray smoke overhead. The dark smoke rolled out and into clouds that actually formed what seemed to be a human face. No- not a face- but a skull.
Maware watched his mistake in horror as the tree left abandoned to the smoke barreled up into the air, and disbursed into nothingness. The tree was the only thing effected by this event. No other fire-related damage, or damage by the cloud of smoke shaped into a skull. Just one tree, and a strange cloud of smoke.
Oh no. He knew what something like that was. That didn't look like a positive sign in the least. To validate that his eyes hadn't betrayed him, he whispered to Kazuki, "You saw that too, right? Couldn't have just been me." Being deputy, first things first to rush and tell Yomi about the sign. Whether the goddess pranked the deputy or not, a sign was a sign and he took it surprisingly seriously.
Clunks of armor rushed down the tree house, urgently seeking out the leader, Yomi. The goddess spoke to him, and it didn't look good.
