Guerre of Jailys

“Oomph!”

Well, that certainly hurt. She grunted slightly and looked up at Hayden, the one she considered the biggest bully in her year-class. Hayden, with her somewhat violent tendencies, would no doubt end up with Guerre, just as her timid best-friend would likely balance her in Lumiere. Darrah’s eyes followed the energy balances disturbed by Hayden’s next move, which was indeed impressive for anyone with their schooling level. That was likely something that Hayden’s sister taught her. At the end of the very brief, but flashy, hand form, Hayden’s knuckles smacked the side of her face. She watched as the hand approached, then grunted once more as it connected, and she felt skin break and blood start to slowly leak from her lip.

“You really are pathetic, Darrah.” Hayden’s voice was nothing like the smooth tones that Kirryn had subjected her to those few days ago. Somehow, the girl’s shrill, gloating voice was less intimidating for that. “So stupid and timid that you can’t even volunteer to answer one question in class… and so clumsy you can’t even master the most basic of combat forms.” Hayden reached out and shoved Darrah sharply against the wall again, the bully’s best friend watching on in disinterest. “You know, if it weren’t for idiots like you, the class would be able to move faster. You’d think that the only child of the Leghmays wouldn’t be such a failure.”

Just as Hayden’s hand was coming down to snap against her shoulder, from its speed and energy disruption probably just hard enough to barely crack the collar bone, but not enough to significantly hinder movement and need medical attention, something else happened. A slightly larger, pale hand connected palm first with the hand that Hayden was holding her against the wall with, knocking that away… the hand then bent slightly at the wrist, snapping up to bounce away the one that Hayden was attacking her with, and then shot out to shove the bully-girl away. Darrah looked up to see a slightly aggravated-looking Kirryn.

Hayden was coughing roughly, and where the heel of Kirryn’s palm had connected with the younger girl’s collar bones and sternum was already starting to darken in a bruise. Darrah hadn’t even sensed the older girl approaching or moving. “Would you care to explain what is happening?”

“I…” Darrah had gulped, and was about to explain, before a single finger was raised at her, telling her not to talk. Kirryn was raising her eyebrows at Hayden, dangerous anger floating in her eyes.

“Just…” Hayden coughed again, shocked at how much that small shove had hurt. Nothing felt broken, not even cracked, but she could feel the bruise and it felt like she’d been hit with a bat. “just talking to my… *cough* classmate.”

“It looks like you were attempting to injure my young friend.” Kirryn’s voice was still pitched in that smooth, sweet tone that made Darrah shiver with concealed fear. Beautiful as that voice was, it was dangerous; she could sense that as easily as she had the polishing stones before. “I would mind you that’s a very unhealthy thing to do. Scurry along.” Hayden didn’t object, didn’t argue, didn’t attempt to defend her actions. She took one look at Kirryn, knew who she was, and turned to hurry off with her friend. When the older student turned to her, Darrah froze again. “Now you may explain why you were letting her hit you.”

Darrah was a little distracted as Kirryn reached up and absently brushed the blood from her lip so gently that she barely felt it, the older girl seeming to not even pay attention to the fact that she was even doing it. “I… It made no rational sense to fight back.”

“Pardon?” Kirryn was, once again, surprised by the younger girl, enough that it showed on her expression.

“Hayden’s techniques and skills are advanced beyond my own. Quite a distance beyond my own. It made no rational sense to fight back.” She replied in a slightly quavering voice, not stuttering once. That seemed to surprise, and confuse, Kirryn yet more.

“I could tell that you sensed her moves, saw you watching her movements in calculation. How is that above your level?” Kirryn glanced her over again, assessing for further damage and finding none.

“I am not yet talented in combative movements.” Darrah whispered, voice trembling again, in fear and shame. “Even should I sense and read the movements she made then, and managed to get out of the way fast enough… Hayden would merely move faster. If she thinks that I am better than that, she will use stronger, and faster, moves. Moves that, even if I could sense them now, I would not yet be able to dodge.”

Kirryn watched her closely for a moment, and then Darrah heard her sigh, and her bangs were brushed from her face again. “Foolish girl. It is common sense to get out of the way of something painful, especially if you know you can dodge it.” Darrah only looked at her. In demonstration, Kirryn flung her arm back faster than the girl had seen her move, and then swung it forward in a punch. It was no faster than Hayden had been moving to strike her this time, and aimed directly for her nose. A direct hit, even at that speed, would break her nose, she knew that. Sensed it. Nevertheless, she was well aware that Kirryn would be able to hit her easily, no matter what she did, and dodging would likely only bring more pain. When the fist stopped a breath from her nose, a flat stop with no other slowing of movement to warn her that it wouldn’t hit, she didn’t flinch or blink. “You… are either very brave, or very stupid. Do you like being injured?”

Kirryn’s thumb swept away another trickle of blood from her lip, and Darrah felt rather confused. She would have thought that the supposedly violent upper-schooler wouldn’t think twice about hurting her. “No… but if I have the audacity to dodge out of your way, you’ll begin moving faster until I can’t, hit harder until I can’t. I would rather take a lesser hit, than exhaust myself working up to a harder one.”

“You have a very strange set of logic, youngling.” Kirryn sighed, wrapping an arm over the younger girl’s shoulders and gently kissing her forehead. “But a great deal of potential. Come along.”

“I’m sorry?” Darrah’s voice only came out in a whisper, shocked again, as the older girl gently dragged her along to somewhere else.

They ended up in the same small clearing that Kirryn had first spoken to Darrah in. The small, stone bench was warm from the sun, and they could see the sun low in the sky over the green tree line. It was where Darrah usually went to think, or study, as few other students came out to this particular clearing in the forested area, it was a little confusing to get to. Kirryn had set her down on the stone bench, then sat down next to her, still leaning against her shoulder, though her arm had thankfully dropped. “I used to come here when I was in lower school, to practice. It’s nice. Quiet.” There was silence for another moment, and Darrah wondered what the older girl was going to do. After all, at the least, what she’d done should be considered payback for whatever small favor Kirryn saw the polishing stone as. It seemed more than payback to Darrah. “Why was she picking on you?”

“I… I hold the class back, because I cannot even learn the simple forms. The magi tell our combative instructor that I haven’t the wits to enter Lumiere after this year, so Master Harrien insists I learn proper combat.” It was a shamed whisper, and she hung her head from the beautiful sight of the sun starting to lower. Combative techniques had been her last class of the day, as it always was. They were probably missing supper.

“Do you know the poses that have been taught to you?” The sudden question startled Darrah, and she turned her eyes once more to the older student. Of course she knew the poses. She would not have passed into this year if she hadn’t learned the poses. “Movements?” That only received a few blank blinks. Yet again, it was obvious that Darrah should know those movements they were taught, the blocking and attack movements. She wasn’t good at them, but she knew them. Watching in her almost ever-present confusion, she saw Kirryn stand slowly and move to the grassy patch of land in front of the bench. Slowly, so slowly that a clueless citizen could have easily followed the exact movements, Kirryn slid into the beginning pose of the first form that unplaced students were to learn.

Darrah managed to keep her mouth from dropping, watching not just the older girl’s movements, but also the energy patterns and disturbance patterns made, she saw Kirryn move through the form at one quarter of the speed it was supposed to be done in. Merely being able to move through those poses and positions was a testament to the girl’s strength, balance, and muscular control. The form was repeated again in that same speed, Darrah still watching carefully, but still bewildered, and then again at half speed. By the next repetition, Kirryn had moved to full, combat speed. Darrah was just standing, realizing that she should probably be doing something in return, when Kirryn burst into a flurry of movement… double combat speed?

The girl’s heart was pounding. No wonder Kirryn was one of the best, perhaps the best, student within all of Guerre. An extra step here, and a slide there, and the older girl had moved over a full slot, allowing room for Darrah to join her, and had taken position again for the form, moving once more at half-speed. It took several repetitions, despite that Darrah had been carefully watching, before the younger girl’s body would cooperate for the entire form. After her first successful time through, Kirryn gestured for her to continue moving through the basic form, leaving Darrah’s line of sight. She managed to keep from jumping in reaction as hands carefully covered her own, a body moved against her back, and legs brushed lightly against her own. Kirryn’s movements were a perfect echo of hers, keeping them from jarring, and slowly, the older girl began to guide her to the most minor of corrections. Her elbow tilted downward just so, barely changing angles, her foot went just that much more forward, her hips angled just a bit differently.

It was near on full dark when Kirryn’s hand came down on her shoulder gently, bringing her to an abrupt stop without having to say anything. Wordlessly, still shocked at the… well… tutoring… that had occurred, Darrah stared up at her. “You will come here again tomorrow when you are finished with your classes.” Darrah began to open her mouth, boldly willing to ask, finally, why Kirryn was trying to help her. “You will do it because I told you to. A student much higher ranked, much stronger, and much more advanced. And tomorrow, if she attempts to hit you, you will dodge it.”

Darrah didn’t protest; she saw a glint in the older girl’s eyes that reminded her, once more, why she still tentatively feared Kirryn. As the older student brushed her bangs from her eyes again, then walked away, a shiver went down Darrah’s spine.

TBC