expiationlogs | October was always the least dependable of months.

[Ethlyn has two saddled horses out in the paddock outside the city today: her own beloved Venture--whether he is "real" or not, he is still her trusted mount--and a smaller, less spirited fellow named Sooty. Currently he's busy sniffing at Ethlyn's beltpouch in hopes that there might be apples there.]

This is Sooty--he's quite friendly, if a little spoiled. Do you need a hand mounting up?

[Ruca is nervous about it, but he's also always eager to learn something new, especially when it would help out with the work they need to do.

...His experience with horses is close to none, though. He remembers Illia adores them and she often talked about horseback riding. If he learns how to do it, he'll have another topic to discuss with her, right? Additional motivation!]

Huh? Um... [He got lost in his head again. He quickly gives Ethlyn an awkward smile, before slowly getting closer to the horse.] I... I may need some help, yes.

All right. We'll start with a mounting block.

[She ducks into the stable to bring out what looks like a short set of steps--it is a short set of steps, enough to give him enough more height to boost himself easier over the horse's back.]

I'll hold him steady for you. [She takes the reins, giving Sooty a reassuring pat.] Once you have your first food in the stirrup, you'll take hold of the saddle's pommel and swing your other leg up and over.

[Ruca gives a slow nod.]

Foot in a stirrup, then hold the saddle's pommel, then swing the other leg up and over...

[He can do it, right? Ruca looks at the horse, then at his teacher and nods to himself, this time determined. He's good at learning new things, he can't fail this time either.

And so he slowly follows the instructions. He's not the most graceful about it, but eventually he manages to get into the saddle and stay there. A smile quickly appears on his face.]

I did it.

[And then he straightens up. This is only the beginning!]

I-I'm ready for the next step!

Well done.

[Ethlyn considers for a moment whether to let him go on his own--it takes a little effort to recall how her own riding teacher did it when Ethlyn was a little girl.

Probably carefully, Ethlyn decides. The up-and-down movement of a horse's shoulders can be startling.]

I'll hold onto the reins for now--but give him a nudge in the sides with your heels to set him forward.

[The tumult of the summer seems to have finally cooled down in time with the autumn temperatures. In the end, not much seems to have changed--not like at the turn of the year, when the town had sprouted into a full city almost overnight. The locals have grown cool, but Ethlyn has seen that before, and she's not overly worried by it.

If it's a return to routine, then she's going to try her best to do that so that she'll be prepared for the inevitable next crisis. So she takes herself to a park in the morning, before the workday starts, dressed in comfortable sweats for sword drill. She stretches, then she unsheathes her sword, inspects the blade for any signs of rust, and settles into her stance to start going through the basic drills.

She's done this before a thousand times, but she does her best to go through each motion as if it's the first and under the eye of her stern instructor.]

[Teaching someone wasn't an experience Yuri expected to have. His style has always been unorthodox, a mixture product of being self-taught and being taught back when he was at the knights. Even then, many never agreed with the way he fought - too bold and too brash, lacking any efficiency or practicality.

Oh, if only the Imperial Knights could see him now.

His first student has proven herself to be the dutiful kind, considering how Ethlyn has already been practicing before he showed up at the practice spot they discussed beforehand. So Yuri decides to see her form is without commentary - at least, until she's done with her drills.]

Your form is definitely good, [Not exactly the most polite of greetings, but Yuri has never been one for pleasantries.] But it looks a bit too practiced. You're good enough for a moving striking dummy to keep your skills sharp, I think.

[Well, it's good to know that she isn't rusty... just a little stiff. Ethlyn straightens up, tilting up and down on her toes to stretch out her legs a bit.]

It's been a little while since I had to exercise my skills against an actual foe. Not that I intend to complain about that. [His looks--mainly the long dark hair--still put her in mind of Ayra, the princess from a fallen nation of swordmasters.] You don't actually have moving striking dummies where you're from, do you?

[Probably not, but if people can cross the space between the stars...]

[True. They say that rusty fighting skills is a sign of peace. Yuri doesn't want to say that he actually would be sad if there would be nothing left for him to fight in the end. Thank goodness his world was full of monsters that would satisfy his cravings for battle.]

Hmm... [He places one hand by his waist as he thinks.] You can technically make them with blastia, but I don't have the faintest idea on where to get those in here. It'll be a hassle to make them from scratch, too.

Which leaves us one option left. [And to that, he flashes her a smirk.] You try to land a hit on me.

I'll have to ask you about what blastia are in a moment, because it sounds like something you'd call a bomb, not make a moving doll out of.

[But this takes precedence. Yuri is standing there all casually, but Ethlyn's seen that cocky expression on her brother's face. She knows better than to trust it.

The way to begin is to begin, and so she goes for a thrust--plain, simple, just so she can see how he'll move to not be hit by it.]

You can use them to make a bomb, along other things. How about this -

[He flips his sword to grasp it at the handle, sheath still intact. This is just a spar, after all.]

I do have one with me. I can show it to you as a prize.

[The first move is never meant to be the last in such duels, and Yuri smirks at the form. It's good and proper, much like the movement he has seen from her while practicing drills. The way he deals with it is anything but.

Instead of parrying, Yuri dodges - a quick step to the side, eyes gleaming as his light footwork veers him out of the thrust with as minimal efficiency as possible. It's not an expression of his style by any means, not when he prefers to be flashier and more acrobatic, but he's not meet it with unnecessary amounts of effort. At least, not yet.]

I'll let you try another swing before I start fighting back. Deal?

October was always the least dependable of months.

Ruca

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Yuri Lowell

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