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Post by lilywilde on Sept 12, 2016 17:02:24 GMT -6
Lily squeaked as the girl patted her ears, her face turning a soft shade of pink. "S-sorry, I was worried that the lesson had started without me, and I just wanted to.. well, s'not important. I apologize for interrupting." She said feeling abashed. She was a little on edge. Both the teacher and the student had patted her on the head and both times she felt like fleeing, but she suppressed the urge. Such a stupid hangup wasn't going to be enough to cause her to lose her cool after all the embarrassment she'd just caused herself.
She felt even worse after finding out the teacher was going to completely change the lesson to reflect her own needs. She had started to protest, but stopped herself, she didn't know what to say, or how to say it. Instead, she just listened to the teachers instruction and sighed. She didn't want the other student to be driven off just 'caus she'd shown up.
Finally she figured out how to put that thought into words.
"Uhm, well, if you wanna go, you can, but I don't wanna be the reason that you leave. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have interrupted so abruptly. I could have waited on you guys to finish your exercise. Next time I'll just come up normally and ask."
After that, she decided to just do what the professor had said without any further fuss.
She dropped her center of gravity, taking up the basic mediation pose that her father had taught her all those years ago. It was one of sevearl, but this one was the first, and the kind which he had told Lily to take when he'd administered a nearly identical test during her training under him. He would have her do this once a day, for sometimes up to an hour.
She sat down, shifting her legs so that the knees were pointing outwards. she brought her feet together so that the soles were touching. She then brought her palms together so that they were pressed together in front of her chest. Closing her eyes, she began focusing on the aura that powered her every breath. The connection between her body, and her soul, and the thing that set her apart from the grimm. A brilliant white glow washed over the other two present, leaving them each feeling more at peace, and hopeful. It was a light that inspired hope for the day, and for the future. Her breathing was controlled, her body in perfect symmetry, and her mind clear.
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Post by Zari D. Thorn on Sept 18, 2016 19:52:59 GMT -6
Zari sighed as he began pacing around the Faunas girl with his staff now in his hands. He circled around Lily has she took her position on the ground. Anayluzing the form she used was easy for anyone to do. It was a simple meditative stance. Yet he looked at how fluid her muscles aligned into their respective places. To Zari it was obvious the girl was trained in meditation. She metaphorically snapped into position. Perhaps drilling from a young age by an experienced combatant. Hunter or otherwise. A moment later he would stop walking and focus on the way Lily released her aura around her. It was a decent display but it could use a lot of work in his book.
He waved his hand through the halo which developed around the young lady's body. It held a light texture and presence to it. "Hmm." He hummed before placing his hands back behind himself. "Your aura radiates a...perky wave. Releasing it gives off an energy that invigorates. Positive, hope, pluck up one's self. This is a reflection of your soul. I seem to have a way of attracting only the most star-ward students." Zari would place his staff on the ground before grabbing hold of his tonfa. "I must commend who taught you before now. Very good Lily. However try to tilt your chin up a little more. Like so."
Inching the wooden weapon closer to the girl, Zari would attempt to place the shaft on her chin. Then to slowly raise her head in such a subtle manner. If she did not freak out, and he was successful, Lily would feel a clearer flow of aura. "Slight adjustments to the body could release even more aura. There by resulting in more potent usage of the soul. I'll say this. You could be called a girl with talent. But I hate that word. Talent. It insists that people merely have something others can't gain. It is insulting."
Brushing his hair to the side, Zari could feel his face getting a little red from the excitement in his blood. Taking a moment to calm down, Zari once again paced around Lily.
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Post by lilywilde on Sept 20, 2016 13:14:23 GMT -6
Lily was calm. Normally things that reminded her of her parents would upset her. Cause her to mourn their loss. However, the few exceptions to these rules were when she practiced her father's meditations, and her mothers combat training exercises. Though her father had often emphasized stance and made minor corrections to how she would hold herself, he would stress the mindset that must be present when meditating above all others. A single tear rolled down her cheek, not of sorrow, but of fond memories. Her father had made the same correction that Zari made just now. She found herself mumbling in her tribal tongue.
"Thanks Dad." Unless the teacher was familiar with the languages of the wilderness tribes, he probably wouldn't notice the slip up. In fact, it wasn't so much a slip up, as it was a prayer for the lost, a memory relived through words. She did not see Zari as a father figure. Though he did have some things in common with her father, she saw him more as a mentor, and perhaps if she were being honest with herself, an attractive male. She didn't have the mental capacity to deal with such thoughts as attraction and the opposite sex. It had never applied to her life, and she never had taken the time to consider that it might one day.
She could feel the Aura flow more readily as her chin was tilted up. She did one other minor thing that her father used to do, and perked her ears so the points were facing straight up into the air. This seemed to have a further enhancing effect on the aura being displayed. Her bright white aura shone a little lighter, and instilled just a little more pleasantness in those fortunate enough to bathe themselves in it's light. Were she in a position to be speaking normally, she would have thanked the teacher for his kind words. And, while she did register what he'd said, the words flowed through her much like each of her own thoughts. She held on to nothing, and let everything that passed through her mind leave as much impression upon her as the river leaves upon the bank. She felt the tension in her muscles draining away, the stresses of school life seemed distant. In rare moments like this, she seemed to benefit from the light of her own aura. Relaxing, and becoming hopeful that the future would hold better things.
After holding this position for roughly another minute, to give the teacher more time to survey her pose, she cracked an eye open and asked meekly. "May I transition to another pose? On the occasion that I reach this state my... father... would always have me move on to the next pose."
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Post by Zari D. Thorn on Sept 29, 2016 19:00:22 GMT -6
As Zari stared down at the Faunus girl he nodded in agreement. Lily held the pose long enough for him to obtain a rough estimate of her abilities while using that form. He needed to continue his analyzing however, so he would have liked to see her try a new position. "Please do so Lily. I'd rather see you in multiple positions so I can best gauge you. And please. If I get too distracting then stop me." Zari would move to face Lily. Once he was in front of her Zari would stand straight up and close the space between his legs and make his body straight. Once he was like living column he lifted his hands and placed them together. His middle and index fingers of either hands crossing those of the opposite. "Try to do this one. 'Standing Saint'."
The request was a simple one. Back in Pinnacle, he spent most of his first days practicing how to remain in multiple positions. But Lily, as she suggested, is familiar with some already. However something was bothering Zari and it needed to be addressed. He sat down on the ground and crossed his legs. "Lily. I have a question. If it isn't too much." He started before leaning in. "You mentioned your father. Tell me. Your parents. They aren't among us any longer, no? I could tell. From the way you spoke just now to the small bits of information I have gathered since your arrival."
"I am sorry if I touch a nerve. Its just that I have been wanting to form a stronger bond with my students. Admittedly your generation seems much more streamlined than the prior one. Focusing on either gaining strength, charisma, or a group...Forgive me. I'm rambling again." Zari looked up into the morning sky; wishing to glance away from Lily. The young wild woman and student was an oddity. Varies things he had gathered through the school's system and word-of-mouth made her seem so. But he didn't know her personally. Zari didn't know many students personally. Perhaps it was better like that. The man would close his eye and move his hand around his collar bone. He could feel his tattoo there. That patch of deactivated Void Dust.
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Post by lilywilde on Sept 30, 2016 13:56:28 GMT -6
Lily studied Zari's exact details for as long as she could before he finally broke his own stance. A picture of what it should look like firmly in her mind, she emulated it as well as she could. She stood straight up and down, the space between her legs became nonexistent and her spine was straighter than an arrow. Her hands met directly in front of her chest, each index finger jutted out to cross the other at a perfect forty-five degree angle. She could feel her aura radiating bright as she held this pose.
The strong presence of her aura, and the peace it brought with it, were the only reasons she was able to maintain her composure as her parents were brought up. She gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod, desperate to change the subject though, she spoke instead of her aspirations as a student. "I'm not here to gain charisma, strength, or friends. I am here to gain all of those things. I cannot succeed as a huntress without them. I... I see that now." After that small admission, she kept quiet. She became truly statuesque, letting the pose she had adopted become her entire focus. She emptied her mind of all the misery of the past three years, and all of the pain drain out of her. If not in a real, permanent way, at least in an artificial temporary way that would allow her to complete the training exercise without breaking down. Some days, continuing without breaking down was all that she could manage. Today was likely going to be one of those days. Even if a little bit of openness about her parents and her past would do her a world of good, she had so much trouble speaking about it to anyone. Preferring just to stay in her own little bubble where she made the rules and she looked after her own well being. Contrary to what she'd said before about needing others, she did not know what the words truly meant. She did not know what it was to be a friend to someone because she had never experienced true friendship.
She continued to focus on her meditation, the thoughts that trickled into her mind were just as quickly gone from it. Not through her own will, not really, but simply because that was what meditation did for her. It had always been a place of peace where she could leave the troubles of the world behind. Her aura flared up each time a negative thought passed through her. It's projection of peace and well being defending her mind from the onslaught of negative emotion that threatened to break down her walls and leave her bare.
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Post by Zari D. Thorn on Oct 3, 2016 19:34:57 GMT -6
Zari closed his eyes as Lily meditated beside him. He took in a deep breath before tapped her head with his tonfa. "You see you saw. Typical." Zari place his hands behind his back before looking into the sky. "Strength is to fight when you are confronted. Or to rebel when an enemy has you against a wall. Friends are to back you up on missions. And to keep the loneliness away and ease the pain of being a warrior. Charisma is to rally those you meet to fight with you. Either under your banner or beside it. Also, perhaps to disengage from a fight and to make the enemy see clearly the error of their ways. That is less than what you need."
Zari took hold of his staff and pierced it into the ground. "You need knowledge. The ability to know how things work, where things go, who is who, and why things are. Wisdom. The ability to use your knowledge and experience to make the correct judgement calls. To keep others safe and yourself safe." With a leap the professor took post atop of his staff. He stood with one foot on the other. Keeping himself balanced seemed almost effortlessly. "In addition, you need Technique. With it you can properly move, cutting down on wasted movement, energy, and time. And not fight like a wild animal. Insight. Knowing your limits; physically, mentally, and emotionally, so you don't over burden yourself nor teammates." After saying all that, the man stood there in silence for a moment.
Was it okay for him to tell Lily all this? Beside being a teacher, who was suppose to teach her all this anyway, he was also a former criminal. Zari wanted to rip his own tongue out for saying all he had to the young woman. In flat terms, he was telling her to be smart, strong and kind to others. What a load of bullcrap. At least that is what his past self would have said. The only thing that matters in this world is how hard you hit. And if you can kill with that hit. How much fear you install. And how much money its making you. The memory of his past actions caused the man to waver slightly. This caused his hand to visibly shake for a few seconds before he made it into a fist.
The man still had to grow if he wished to leave the shadow of his youth. His bloody, misguided youth. "That is enough stationary meditation for the time being. I am impressed with you so far Wilde. Most students complain and start messing up. I got a good feel of your Aura control. Now I'd like for you to show me your combat skills. Just a light sparring with me. Oh and try to go easy on me. I am turning old and rusty."
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Post by lilywilde on Oct 4, 2016 13:07:04 GMT -6
Lily listened to his diatribe patiently. Considering his words. It was his job to teach. She had a very long way to go yet before she'd be ready to fully embrace his words, but she knew that he made sense.
"The knowledge part is a work in progress... I spend a lot of time at the library." She admitted, though without displaying a hint of satisfaction. In truth, she spent so much time taken with books that her eyes were sunken and shadowed with dark bags. Though she got an appropriate amount of sleep, abuse of her semblance allowed her to stretch her days out well beyond what the average student could handle. While a common day might seem to be twenty four hours to the average person, when she would employ her semblance to put the rest of the world on pause and read through as many books as she could, she might feel as if the day had lasted forty hours before finally getting some proper rest. Couple that with her intense daily training sessions, and each and every day left the poor faunus exhausted both mentally and physically. It was not an easy thing to catch up to her peers, and she was aiming to surpass them. "The rest of what you mention most certainly needs work." She said completing the thought. "If you can teach me how to fight more efficiently, I'll do my best to learn from your methods. If a spar is what you want, it's what I'll give you."
A thrill of danger surged through her. She'd just agreed to face an opponent she knew nothing about. She did not know his style, whereas he could have most likely picked up on the fact that she was incredibly quick.
She did not know his strengths, or his weaknesses, nor was she striking from an advantageous position while he was unaware. These were not her ideal circumstances. However, she'd been forced into a lot of less than ideal circumstances in her time as a student thus far, and she knew that each time she was, she learned something about herself, about how to fight, and how to think on her feet. While she certainly wouldn't call herself 'ready' she was definitely more prepared than she would have been prior to her attending Vytal. She'd been here for less than a month, and was already starting to grow. She did not believe him for a second when he claimed he was growing old and rusty. He barely seemed older than some of the students.
She put a fair amount of distance between them, her eyes scanning his body, looking for weaknesses in his limbs or joints that might be exploited, attempting to judge relative strengths of his different parts, and scanning him for any openings. Her eyes finally came to stare into his. She knew that an opponent would give away the most information by where they looked, and if she could anticipate his movements, she could at least make a fair showing in this battle.
"I look forward to learning from you Teacher." She said, hoping he wouldn't go too easy on her and that she'd be able to learn a fair bit.
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Post by Zari D. Thorn on Oct 9, 2016 20:45:28 GMT -6
Zari slowly placed both of his weapons into his mouth to free up his hands for other tasks. Preparing to face a student was something he forced himself to take time for. There were times a student would exceed his expectations. Those were not good times for him. Not because he was losing to the student but because his old instincts resurfaced. That killer instinct that demanded for lethal action. He thanked the gods that nothing of the sort has occurred in the last three years. Though then again, what did that say about the students? It meant nothing to Zari. A cub today will grow into a mighty beast the next. It was part of life. At least the girl was worried and thinking about what she need to accomplish. Preparing for the future was always important for success. Yet living in the present was perhaps more important than that! He'd have to part those words on to her.
As Lily backed away, Zari closed his eyes and rolled up his sleeves. Before he fought Zari liked to ensure all articles of clothing were either off or tight. Loose articles could be easily grabbed or used to your disadvantage. With his sleeves rolled to midway-up his arm, the clothing was tugged to ensure tightness. Next, he adjusted his gloves and redid the top buttons of his dress shirt. After words, he threw off his vest and pulled his hair backwards until it stayed in place. Once done a soft smile appeared on Zari's face.
Zari quickly spat out his dual tonfa and grabbed both as they fell to his sides. As he exhaled a deep breath his eyes opened and landed on Lily. The professor took in another deep breath and bowed to his student. "Lily. You are young and have a long way to go. But never push your self too far. If you do. You'll never find yourself again. You'll forever be disconnected. That is why for this fight you are not allowed to use your semblance. If you unleash your semblance even once, you will fail." A bright light began to surround the professor as his aura became activated. It was for an instant, but Lily could see a white and lavender halo form around Zari. Suddenly it vanished as though it was never there.
The man kept his eyes trained on Lily's. "And do not call me Teacher. I am Professor Thorn or just Thorn. If you win, you may call me Zari." The older sir offered a gentle smile to Lily before dashing off his staff. His face darkened as a wave of stern replaced any expression he last had. He ran with long strides while keeping his body low and arms close to his body. The man ran full speed at Lily. Because she had by distancing herself, Zari had gained a decent view of area she stood in. Mostly flat without debris. Good for him.
As he ran, Zari began to make his strides shorter but more frequent. Without a breaking his focus on Lily even once. When he was within six steps away from her, the professor would drop his body and slid across the grass. If Lily didn't react in time, a kick to her lower gut awaited her along with a jab to her femur.
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Post by lilywilde on Oct 10, 2016 9:11:26 GMT -6
Zari's words touched Lily, but she would not have time to reflect on their true meaning immediately.
Lily felt a tinge of fear as she was forbidden to use her semblance. Her speed was the one factor that ever gave her a true edge over other students. Without it, she was still fast. Abnormally so, but she would not be able to deliver the coup de grace strikes that her style relied upon. She had to fight smart if she were to win this.
Lily never considered for a moment that she might lose. She was of course aware that it was a possibility, if not likely even. However, she had to try to win if she was going to impress the teacher for a moment. Fearing loss would slow her down.
She thought for a moment on how she should adjust her style to compensate for the lack of semblance. She almost missed the white lavender that emanated from Professor Thorn for a moment, but she still caught it. A peculiar but beautiful hue for an aura to take.
She mentally prepared herself, strategy formed in her mind, and prepared herself. She kept her body low like a tiger ready to pounce. When Zari entered his slide, she did just that. Leaping at least ten feet in the air. As she sailed over head, she never stopped facing the teacher. Her body twisting in the air to always keep her staring straight at the teacher.
She was still far too unfamiliar with his fighting style to engage him directly. She had to learn. The speed of the slide indicated a maneuverable fighting style. One that she would have to look out for. She was used to being the most mobile fighter in the room, but that wouldn't always be the case, especially when her semblance was stripped from her.
Lily had no weapon to speak of. She had her claws, but she was waiting until a prime opportunity to bare them. If she were going to land an attack with them, they had to be a surprise. If the teacher didn't already know to expect them that was, which was perhaps hoping for too much. She clenched her fists, jumping backwards to put a little more distance between her and the agile teacher.
She gritted her teeth, her white aura radiating out of her like a flare. It's glow reassured her that all was well, everything was alright, and there was a path through this somewhere if she knew where to look for it.
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Post by Zari D. Thorn on Oct 15, 2016 20:17:56 GMT -6
Zari smiled as Lily evaded the sliding attack. She was fast enough without her Semblance. Check. And had a great deal of athletic skill to boot. Another bonus. The professor would not be taken lightly however. When Lily jumped up, Zari broke eye sight and scanned the girls body. He checked every spot and crack of her outfit. Every nook of her figure to see the appearance of a weapon. She had not displayed one since they had begun their interaction. Was it possible she was hiding one from him and others? If so it would be unwise to take it out in the middle of just a sparring match. Especially against an experienced fighter. However given the fact she was a Faunas and found in a savage state, it was possible she relied on her physical abilities. There was also the chance she used some form of special trait. Such as claws.
With all that in his head, Zari devised a battle plan. Before he could enact it though, he'd have to stop and launch another attack. With the momentum from his run, he could keep sliding for yards and yards more. However Zari dug his tonfa into the ground to halt his advance. Dirt shot into the air, along with both of Zari's feet. Has he brought them back down, he pounded the earth to send the force through his body. Using this, his own strength, and the aid of his weapons, Zari stood back up almost instantaneously. He spun on his heel in order to face Lily before he once against charged at her.
In order to push Lily to her max, he was going to have to force her aura to the max. At the same time her stamina would need to become ragged. Her lithe figure promoted a weaker entity. Shamefully, he would have to over power her. Which might be easier said than done. Who knew what kind of training she did in the past. Her form might be a deception. The girl could actually hit like a truck. Lastly what was her resourcefulness like? In order to find all this out he'd have to engage her in a grand test. In a way, this spar would be like a meditation. Meditating on skill.
"Plan set and go." Zari muttered as he approached Lily. Her aura was impressive but mattered little to Zari. He radiated his own before tossing both tonfa into the earth on either side of Lily. Clenching his fists, Zari would launch both towards the Faunas. His aim was to either land a double hit, wrap his arm around her to hold her in a pin maneuver, or possible even take a hit to test its power. Whatever the outcome, as long as she didn't run again, he'd gain some knowledge on her.
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