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Post by June Kohma on Nov 16, 2015 21:57:26 GMT -5
For convenience, I am starting us at the Castle itself.))
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The flight wasn't too bad, and the drive was equally pleasant. It had been some time since June had been to Castle Mirroheart, which was right on Loch Ness. A beautiful view surrounded by beautiful scenery and a wonderful crisp air. Not quite as good as Russian air, but it was good enough. June noted that Luria had fallen asleep in her lap and stroked her hair, until the car pulled up. The driver got out, and took their belongings after opening their doors for them. This was the first day and the first step. Zephyra was in the same vehicle of course, and the trio would be greeted by an older looking castle that wasn't overbearing in size. It was busy though, to some surprise. Drey had many people living and working here it seemed, all of them dressed appropriately. There was a gate that they had crossed through earlier too, which had two suits of armor at the front. Were those also guards?
The people inside all stopped when the car approached and greeted Drey with a bow before returning to their various tasks. A butler saw them in, and from there, who knows?
"There's a bit less space than when you left June, but your room is still available." Drey motioned to a flight of stairs in front of them and to the right hallway of it. "Zephyra, you may stay in one of their rooms if they allow it, or you may sleep in the staff quarters. I'm afraid our guest rooms are currently occupied by the Amaterasu family."
"My room's open." June shrugged.
Both girls had dedicated rooms here, though only one actually lived here her whole life.
"I moved in with Drey after the Arcy thing, and he gave me a permanent room. If you don't mind, I can spare the space."
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Post by Zephyra Dónall on Nov 16, 2015 23:00:38 GMT -5
Having someone to talk with always made the flights go faster, but by time they started their car ride Zeph had felt the pull of sleep as well. She had slumped against the car window as they traveled down the Scottish roads. The slowing of the vehicle roused her from her slumber and she watched a gate and suit of armor pass by in her blurred vision. A hand raised to rub at her eyes and she glanced to the other passengers. She smiled lightly at the pair of them and looked back out the window to the castle in the distance.
Once out of the car, the Gael took in the full scale of the castle, trying not to look overly impressed. To pull her attention away from the beautiful structure, Zeph focused on strsightening her button down shirt.
"That's perfectly fine. I wouldn't mind sleeping in the barn." A soft giggle shook her shoulders. "I'm just glad to be here."
Zeph hadn't expected June to offer up her room so quickly and gave her a sideways look. "Are you sure? I don't want to impose. I'm sure the staff quarters would suit me just fine."
As they walked she drew her hair back into a low ponytail then pulled it over her shoulder.
"But if you're sure, I'll take the floor. I won't put you out of your bed."
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Fifth year
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Post by June Kohma on Nov 16, 2015 23:32:42 GMT -5
"Don't worry about that. I'll make arrangements." she waved off the bed concern and took in a deep breath. "I'm not gonna waste any time here. Let's dive right into something while there's daylight."
She thought for a moment while Luria made her way to her room, and decided maybe listing the options was the best course of action.
"Today's Sunday, so there's bound to be some thrown weapons going on. I could show you a bit of that. The forge is always open, but that would take all day so that's up to you. There's heavylist if we can fit you for armor right away..." as she went down the list she kept count with tilts of her head, before realizing that she was in a safe zone and rubbing her makeup away. She had only really had it on to leave campus.
"Luria is always looking for more reasons to make chainmail. And then there's Drey's library, where you can read up on some of the things we do here. The staff love teaching us how to do what they do so cooking, cleaning and fieldwork are always open."
Finally, she shrugged and turned back to face Zephyra.
"But whatever you decide to do is going to impact what sort of skills you pick up here. We only have a short time so make it count. Whatever we do, I plan on a bonfire to celebrate as soon as you find something you enjoy."
This was Zephyra's moment to split the paths. Her choices would affect the nature of the trip to a large degree, as any one thing would take up at least half of it, maybe more, leaving not much room to work with. Combat would likely result in a daily routine of waking up early and practicing drills before engaging in battle, then retiring for the night. The forge would be a dawn to dusk working experience. Anything else would be like a set of smaller activities that could take up their own slots of time easily.
"Oh, and there's Endurance Training. But I think you'd better learn the lay of the land first." she confirmed. "Here, we have a handy map that lists what events are when. Why not take a peek through that?"
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I'm laying this out like a choose your own adventure book. June has a few things in mind and the Castle has a few openings for activity right now. These activities are listed below. Generally, assume that they will be left to their own devices by everyone unless there's an event in that area.
1- The courtyard. This is where the combat happens, as well as where the thrown weapons range is.
2- Inner Castle. This is where the kitchen and library are, as well as June and Luria's rooms and some other named guests have residence here as well. The dining hall is also present, and connects to the courtyard for the occasional outdoor banquet. There are also bathrooms at each end of the building on all three floors.
3- Outer Castle. This covers the areas that are for anything other than housing and dining. This is where the forge and the armory are. It's generally locked at night to prevent dangerous intruders from stealing and using the weaponry, and has a guard at all times. This guard is the only one on site with modern weaponry, so be careful.
4- June's Room. This is an almost mirror image of her bedroom in her apartment, but it's walled with stone instead of drywall.
5- Luria's room. Same as June's room.
6- The docks. This is where the family has a small party boat as well as fishing gear.
Progress as you see fit.
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Post by Zephyra Dónall on Nov 17, 2015 6:57:09 GMT -5
Heavylist, it was what had caught her attention the first time they spoke of coming here and since they had been sitting all day she itching to move. Zeph grimaced a bit and rolled her shoulders back, trying to deftly ajust the wrap around her chest. This movement could easily be seen as a stiffness stretch.
"I'd like to try Heavylist, truthfully and maybe if there is time I could glance around the forge?"
She tried to take a deep breath and grimaced, maybe getting a looser wrap would have been a good idea before leaving.. Too late now. She would just deal with it. The redhead smirked at June.
"I've always wanted to wear a suit of armor."
Yet all of the options seemed so interesting. Her mouth almost formed into a pout as she realized they definitely didn't have enough time to explore each thing June offered, but there were things at the top of the list. Anyway, she was sure this wouldn't be the last time she visited Mirroheart castle if she did well with her choices this time.
"I haven't been to a bonfire in a few years, that sounds like fun. I can't wait. I doubt it will take me long to find something I enjoy here."
As she grew more comfortable in her surroundings, Zeph reached up and undid the first few buttons of her shirt to give her some breathing room. She gave a sigh of happiness as she looked around at their surroundings. This place was glorious and she felt as if she had stepped into one of her dreams.
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Fifth year
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Post by June Kohma on Nov 17, 2015 21:54:34 GMT -5
As Zephyra chose, June internalized and visually smirked. That was delightful. Exactly what she was hoping for.
"Heavylist is just our slang for it, since we have literal lists of weapons to choose from. It's formally called Heavy Combat." she confirmed. "You'll be fitted for a suit of armor and then put against me with your choice of weaponry. I should warn you, I've been moving in armor most of my life."
She offered a hand and then practically dragged Zeph to the stockpile where things were kept for combat. They would be left to their own will, so naturally she had the reign of the place for now. That was perfect, because this was where things would get a bit on the embarrassing side for those who didn't know what was going on. June began to size Zeph up, circling her and scanning her, one could assume she was either undressing her with her eyes or trying to get a scale for what type of armor she needed. There were some points that she leaned in and poked at her arms and legs, before she crossed her arms and nodded.
"You're tall enough to use one of my spare sets, but we'll have to fit it regardless." at that moment she turned her attention to the small section next to them with June's name above it on a board. Everything in that section, one could assume, was hers. There were two fairly identical looking customized suits of armor as well as two others that looked standard and a few practice weapons hanging on a rack next to the real deal. Most of them were claymores or other two handed swords, but there were some shorter ones in there. Without hesitation she approached the armor stands and turned back to Zeph.
"These are mine. The flashy ones are for my personal style, and the standard looking sets are for a more traditional approach. All we'd need to adjust for them to fit you is the bust."
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Post by Zephyra Dónall on Nov 18, 2015 3:17:36 GMT -5
After placing her hand in June's she let out a squawk of protest and shuffled her feet to keep up.
"I've never worn armor before. Don't be too hard on me, okay?"
It didn't take long to get to their destination since June had practically dragged her there. When she was released she took some time to look around them. Doing this made her miss the first scan June did. But her attention was soon drawn back to the girl and her arms lifted to cross over her chest as she blushed. It was to be assumed that June was just sizing her up, yet she still felt vulnerable under her gaze. Like a small animal circled by a hungry beast. All that was left now was for June to lick her lips. The tightening of her belly left her confused and she shifted trying to push the feeling away. When she was poked, the redhead had to fight the reaction of swatting her away, so instead she swept herself to the side and snapped her teeth together at the prodding finger. A light, playful smirk pulled at her lips.
"Well then. What are we waiting for? We're burning daylight. What do you need me to do? Can I wear this under it?"
She looked down at her clothing then glanced around the room again. On her first inspection she hadn't seen anywhere she could change if that were necessary.. Another blush lit up her cheeks at the thought of stripping down to her garments infront of the girl. But, they were both girls so why did she feel so embarrassed? A hand reached up to scratch at her jaw as she always did when caught in an embarrassing thought. To take her mind off of it she moved toward the weapon rack and studied each sword. Instead of the two handed swords she favored the shorter swords. Long digits gently traced the handle of one of two matching blades.
"What are your preferred choices of weapon?"
Zeph looked over her shoulder to June, hoping she had trained her attention elsewhere so the butterflies that filled her gut would go away and stay away. She turned around fully when June said something about letting out the bust.
"Uh.." Her face felt like it was burning again. How had her bust size been noticed when she never left her room without binding it as flat as possible? She had even avoided the swimming pool like a plague. Maybe she meant tightening the bust area.. Yeah, that must be it.
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Fifth year
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Post by June Kohma on Nov 18, 2015 4:02:18 GMT -5
There wasn't really time for June to go over everything and stand perfectly still, so she decided to explain it all as she got suited up. First, however, she needed to get into the proper gear underneath. She removed her blouse without hesitation or concern and quickly replaced it with something to cover her entire torso and arms. A thicker, white shirt that probably had more layers sewn into it. Of course, she did have to find that first, and that meant she was without the blouse for at least a minute or two. again, no feeling of nervousness at all came to her when she did this as she wasn't thinking in those terms. "What you have is too light. It'll tear under the weight and pressure." she explained, holding her arms out in a sort of 'look at me' pose to display the shirt. "This is the optimal clothing for under the armor I personally wear. It's thick but not rough, and it prevents the belts from digging into my skin too bad." She also decided to forego traditional pants in favor of leggings that matched the shirt, and again did not make hesitation in changing. The shirt was actually a tunic and held belt loops, so she grabbed what looked like a pile of chainmail on the armor stand and strung it along her waist like a belt. At this point she was in a thick white shirt/leggings and accented with a chainmail skirt and brown belt, but that was it. She decided to stop here and comment about the armor fitting for Zeph. "Bindings can be dangerous in armor. It's already hotter'n Elfire in that armor, you don't want to constrict your lungs on top of overheating. You and I both know we both bind so it's from experience that I say this; get a well fitting sports bra instead." Something she had no reason to make note of, as it was likely already noted. "Also, you'll want a hand putting it on the first time. It's not easy." As she made that comment she effortlessly wrapped a steel sheet that met the chainmail skirt which had a cloth sheet underneath it that went to above her ankles over the chainmail. This was apparently her hip guard. It was attached with a second belt which clasped over the first, making them seem like one belt. From there since her torso plate was already properly sized, she threw that over her head and slid it on, then went about tying the straps for her pauldrons in place - one pauldron having a lip that covered up to just below her ear to protect from arrows. Finally came the gloves, which had both protection and function and matched the outfit entirely. She would finish her explanation while strapping her boots on. "Me? I'm a claymore girl. If it's big and long and I need to use two hands, its my best friend." she stood from her boot tying and made her way to a particularly noteworthy claymore. It seemed to have an amethyst in the pommel and a grip made from red leather. "Torrent here is my baby." she sighed in content, striking some sort of pose with it. "All of this? hand made here. Not all of it by me, but all of it for me. We can do the same for you, too." (( The set of armor is here; i180.photobucket.com/albums/x125/ryogaman1/Juneofficial_zpscmn2mfn9.png ))
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Post by Zephyra Dónall on Nov 18, 2015 7:03:37 GMT -5
She whipped her head back around toward the weapons rack as June started tugging her clothes off. The redhead gently removed one of the swords from the rack and tested the balance. It was perfect, but she expected nothing less. Her gaze locked longingly on its matching blade but returned the weapon when she heard the soft rumble of June's shirt falling into place. She really needed to pay attention so she knew how to do this. But.. One eye closed as she nodded, taking in the padded clothing. It seemed appropriate. After all metal would tear right through normal clothing. When June removed her pants she didn't bother looking away since the shirt was long enough to cover most of her body. She cocked her head to the side as she watched her don the chainmail and took a small step closer so she could see a bit better. Her embarrassment was almost forgotten by this time, almost.
"I have some with me. I'll make sure to wear them instead. I can tell.. It's a lot more complicated that I expected."
She grinned and slid her hands into her pockets, watching as June lifted the claymore and stood at the ready. It was unlikely she could ever handle anything that large, she was more of a one handed girl. Or two if there were an availability to do so. Zeph had practiced at home with two short swords before, but not to the extent she had with an Epee.
"I would like that. I've never had anything made specifically for me, except a jacket or two. Maybe if I get the basics down I can work in the forge at home. I'm sure the blacksmith wouldn't mind if I took over for a little while. Maybe even make something for Cana too."
By now her excitement had completely taken over and she bounced on her toes as she thought of all the possibilities.
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Post by June Kohma on Nov 18, 2015 11:22:28 GMT -5
"There's plenty of time to play around with ideas. Getting a feel for the medieval is not something most people encounter, so it's naturally a bit scary at first, but give it time and you'll see it isn't so different from now."
It was hard for June to grasp her own words sometimes too. Living in a castle and being a knight was just a fairy tale, but it was her life here. She still had a formal education and kept with the times, but she had roots in the oldest of English traditions despite being so very obviously Russian. The armor also naturally matched her, not just in the way that it fit, but in the way that it looked destined for her. A true knight, if ever one existed. There was a helmet with it for obvious reasons but she left that off until the fighting began.
"Before we get you making stuff, let's see how well you use it." she commented, approaching the girl.
"First off, if you're wrapped up right now we're gonna start you with the lightest set, because short of just taking it off and having some other issues there's not much to do about that here." she took the girl by the hand and raise their arms up to a horizontal. "You've got the right size for a bastard and anything lighter, too." And finally, she took a step back to the sets of armor and started looking them over. "Of course, you should probably learn some stances before we set you into battle. So I'd pick out one of the wooden replicas of one of your favorites and we can get started on something."
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Post by Zephyra Dónall on Nov 18, 2015 18:24:16 GMT -5
A smile lingered as she nodded. Of course she was fairly acquainted with medieval times. Her room at the Gable was furnished in the Victorian style and most of her attire consisted of frock coats and leather riding pants. Not that she needed to note this since June had seen her attire more than a few times. This piece of history was rather new to her though. She had seen others wearing such gear, but not as close as June was standing now. Her gaze slowly roamed over the armor, giving it her full attention as she took in the craftsmanship.
When June moved toward her Zeph nodded briskly to show she was ready and perhaps a little overly excited. Her body moved easily with her guidings and she held the position for a moment after the other girl moved away. She wasn't exactly sure if June was muttering to herself or talking to her, either way something caught her attention.
"What exactly is a Bastard?"
Since June seemed to be more interested with the armor choices, she took up a more relaxed stance then she stepped up next to the whitette to take a closer look at the suits.
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Fifth year
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Post by June Kohma on Nov 18, 2015 23:17:38 GMT -5
Seems things were moving a bit fast for this. June was also excited she could finally do this again after so many years in Astraea, so she was jumping the gun and not sitting herself down to explain things. But now that she had thrust so many topics into the air, she was starting to forget where she started or where to expand. A sudden blush crept its way onto her cheeks which she was aware of and had no reason to hide, but she did avert her eyes a bit.
"Ah... I should slow down." she decided to begin from the most recent question. "A bastard sword is, ironically, a bastardization of a description for any medium to heavy weighted two handed sword that is within length of a standard longsword. Some longswords are even mistaken for them."
She held her claymore straight out at her side, which nearly touched the wall since the space wasn't that large, and used that as example. It was worth noting that she held it straight out in one hand.
"This is definitely too long to be a bastard. You'd need to shave off at least seven inches of this, but probably a whole foot." and as if to confirm the point, she rested Torrent against the wall and grabbed a smaller sword that had a similarly sized grip. "This, however, qualifies. It's actually just a Scottish longsword made for two handed use, but modern day fantasy would label it a bastard sword."
It was hard for her to really get more specific than that without better examples, but she did what she could before she continued to another topic.
"Now, depending on what suits your fancy we will fit you for armor. But before you handle the fight in armor you need to learn how to use the weapon without it. So, go ahead and pick something out. I'll guide you through stances and ideas."
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Post by Zephyra Dónall on Nov 19, 2015 7:03:19 GMT -5
Once her head was to turned to the girl an eyebrow rose slightly. This was the first blush she had seen mark June's cheeks, obviously the girl didn't do it often.
"It's okay. I've understood most other things. I had simply never heard a sword referenced like that."
A tilt of her head was given as the claymore lifted to be held out. One handed at that. It made her question if she really knew the girl's strength at all. Then she lifted another sword, one of the ones she was explaining. It was still a bit longer than her normal choice of weaponry, but looked easier to handle than June's own preference.
"So basically something like a Reitschwert?"
Zeph crossed over to the weapons rack and lifted a similar wooden sword to what June had held. If the point was pressed to the ground it would easily come to her ribs, but the plain leather grip was long enough to place both hands on. She lifted the sword with one hand, testing the weight in her hand. Of course, since it was made of wood it wasuch lighter than what it's original metal form would be. Zeph lowered her stance, spreading her legs to shoulder width so she could bring up the other hand to wrap it around the hilt.
"I believe this will be my choice."
The blade seemed to fit her well, but truthfully any blade could. Her training had left her with the ability to adapt herself to any weapon, making it an extension of her body. It was true that she had not had a teach quite as well off with weaponry as Drey, but Bridgette had done her best to make the girl as flexible as possible with what she could get her hands on.
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Fifth year
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Post by June Kohma on Nov 22, 2015 12:16:46 GMT -5
"Something like that." June nodded and decided to test the stances of her friend. Which ones could she do? The ideas mulled in her head steadily. She could try quite a few standard stances, so that seemed like a reasonable thing to go with. However, she desperately wanted to get the girl into the more robust and fun tactics quickly, so she decided that a mix of speed and technique was a good idea.
"First then." she drew the blade up and to the 'outside' while standing sideways. This stance was very popular in fiction for Samurai despite being German. "Ochs. I don't doubt you know the basic four positions of longsword, so just go through them to get a feel for the weight and length of the blade. Get to know the weapon intimately by going over the basics again." she then shifted stance, without altering grip she lowered the sword to her hip. "Pflug." And again moving without changing grip, she pointed the tip at the ground. "Alber." Once more, she raised it above her head as if to strike with power. "Vom Dach."
It was pretty basic stuff, so she was worried she may come off as insulting, and thus refrained from approach on the chance that Zephyra needed assistance in reaching the stanced alignment precisely. Instead, she sat the blade at her side and her hands against her hips.
"Impress me."
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Post by Zephyra Dónall on Nov 25, 2015 7:04:17 GMT -5
'Impress me.' Hm? Well, alright then.'
She checked the distance around her, guaging with just a quick glance. It would be easy to stay away from the walls and equipment if she placed her steps right. A slight nod was given and she lifted the blade to the ready position. Instead of simply remaining planted in one spot, the redhead moved fluidly from one stance to the next. Outside, the ox, leaving the blade horizontal to the ground which then blended in a sweep to the plow, blade centered but the pommel close to her right hip with her hands crossed. A step forward and she twisted, drawing the blade up and over her head, so the blade descended behind her in a rear guard, or tail. This then swept forward into the roof, ready for a powerful strike but another step set her into the lower fundamental stance, the fool.
Instead of pausing to see June's reaction, Zephyra swept back into the steps. She whirled, imagining a foe before her which needed parried. It always helped when she was at home, so she kept up with the action here. Now that she had a feel for the blade it was easier to keep her body moving from one stance to the next and when she finally stopped to look at her friend she smiled.
"These stances were always more fun than fencing ones. Doing it with a proper length blade is even better. I've only had a short sword. Father didn't find it necessary to wield anything larger."
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Post by June Kohma on Nov 29, 2015 0:33:15 GMT -5
It was time to be more playful but also truly test her partner's strength. She gave a silent nod and turned away, rummaging through a trunk at the corner of the storage section before returning with some kind of heavy looking bands. She dropped them next to her which created an audible and noteworthy thud, the sound pleasing to her ears and allowing her a smile.
"Ten pounds each, cutie. One for each limb." she joked, offering them to Zeph with a gesture toward them. "You may have the stances down, but in armor it's different. This'll simulate the weight you'll be facing and the bulkiness of your body when you're in that armor. A good place holder while we fit your fot it. Which reminds me..."
She allowed herself to hold a momentary pause before immediately stepping forward and holding out her arm as if to offer a hug.
"Come here. I know my own measurements and I don't have a measuring tool on hand, so I'll use my body as a guideline. Press against me and I'll calculate."
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