towerofanimus | Archery is hard

Entry tags:

Archery is hard

Characters: Nesir Aeser and Diarmuid
Setting: Forest (the not safe one)
Format: Either
Summary: These two meet, also there is archery fail
Warnings:

The bow Nesir had looked as terrifying as it's wielder did not. Though it had been crafted out of wood found in the forests here, or perhaps because of that fact it looked evil, as if it wanted to do you harm.

A fitting weapon and Nesir was pleased with it. With the look of it anyways, it was still a bow and bows were still the most stupid weapon ever created. But she had promised Ganondorf she would become competent with one, and so here she was, in the forest- she had thought this the safer forest and was a little confused at the amount of monstrous animals. Not that she minded, they made good targets.

She hadn't hit one yet. Except one squirrel that had mocked her so much she had given up and threw a dagger at it. The anger of the last month had faded into a muted annoyance with everything but she forced herself to focus. Dipping in and out of the emptiness, pausing every so often to touch the scarlet ribbon that held her hair back.

She still hadn't decided which side was best. A right handed grip had the obvious problem; her index and middle fingers were missing on her right hand, reducing her ability to draw the string properly. Left handed though was a disaster and the arrow went spinning off to the side, luckily it probably didn't have enough power to puncture anything.

"Darkness be taking his eyes." She hissed, sometimes; despite her loyalty, she really hated Ganondorf.

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Diarmuid smiles, bowing his head slightly, "I don't wish to sound like I am too proud of my skills, but I do know a great deal about weapons. Swords, spears, shields. Duel-wielding is actually a specialty of mine. It is just unfortunate that I don't have most of my weapons available to me here." He lightly touches the swords he is carrying with him--one at his waist and one across his back, "Weapons like these, even when well made, are just film when the glamour is down. That is a lot different than actually having a real weapon."

Which makes him realize that he should talk to Waver and see if between the two of them, they can make a set of swords out of the weapons that he has gathered from his monster hunts. That way, he can be using real weapons instead of film ones.

Nesir frowned when he mentioned glamour, the source of most her anger at the moment. But at least weapons could still cut, still do damage even when made of foil.

However it is his earlier words that made her eyes light up, "You do be duel-weilding?" She shifted her cloak so he could see the daggers at her belt, "I do be being much better at daggers than archery, throwing them as well as fighting and did be training in duel wielding. I did be being a warrior acolyte, so I do only still be learning." She didn't mind admitting that, she was still better than most the idiots here and there was no shame in being a student.

"Better a student who knows there is still much to learn, than an 'expert' who knows nothing and thinks he knows everything," Diarmuid smiles, happy to have found another who duel-wields even if knives are not exactly his area of expertise. He is much more apt at using blades of a longer variety. "I have been fighting for a very long time. Even so, almost daily I learn something new. That is one of the few blessings in this place. So many different people means there is never a shortage of things to learn."

"Are there other weapons that you know besides the bow and your knives?"

Nesir nodded, exactly. Unlike some people... Sephiroth... she at least knew she must learn more and therefore improved every day. She liked this mans attitude though.

"No, I did be thinking of learning the sword this year..." If she hadn't ended up here anyways, the warriors hadn't quite been able to work out how to teach a small for her age twelve year old how to weild the large heavy swords that they used, but she thought she probably had the strength now. "I can be fighting with no weapons as well."

Yes, Sephiroth. Let's not talk about Sephiroth...or maybe they should.

"It sounds like you are quite talented. In that case, I am sure the bow too will cave to your skill in time even if you are unable to find a teacher," Diarmuid falls silent for a moment. Even though he already has several students, if there is someone who he can help teach--especially one who already seems so skilled--he can't help but offer.

"Do you still wish to learn the sword? While I may not be able to help you with the bow, sword is something I can teach."

She grinned and looked down, "I do be hoping it will be." She doubted though, she wasn't sure the time they had left was enough time for her to master this stupid weapon.

She blinked at the offer and nodded, "Would you be?" Hopefully she might be better with a sword than a bow and she was always up for leaning more even if it was not a range Weapon like Ganondorf wanted her to learn.

"While I may be best known for being a warrior, I have always enjoyed teaching people. There is just something about passing on my knowledge to others that I really take pleasure in," Diarmuid takes a moment to look her over, for the first time seeming to notice her missing fingers. For some reason, he thinks that should mean something to him, but he can't remember why.

"Do they hinder you much? Or have you become use to their absence?" The missing digits may slow her ability to learn a new weapon, but then again they might not if she has become used to adapting for them.

Nesir looked at her fingers and shrugged, "They seem to be hindering me with the bow, I did no be being this bad before I did be losing them. Mostly though," She shrugged, "It has been being a long time, because I can be dual wielding I did just be switching to my left hand at first but now I can be using both again though my grip do no be being as strong."

He was the first person who had asked about her fingers this whole time, her tone was practical an assessment of her capabilities.

An assessment had been really all he had been looking for. A good teacher takes into account everything about their student when planning how to teach. It is the only reason he had asked, "Thank you. I did not mean to pry, but if I am going to teach you I wished to be aware of how it might affect the lessons. However, you seem well aware of how to compensate for it."

Diarmuid smiles, "I should not be surprised. You already seem like a quick and capable student. I expect you will take to the swords very well."

"You did no be." She shrugged, it was not prying but a valid question if he was going to teach her. "I might be having to play with hand grips, but I should be being alright."

She grinned, "I shall be hoping to no be disappointing." She gave a formal bow, a little awkward with the bow.

"Somehow, I don't think you will disappoint me," Diarmuid motions to her knives. "I know your purpose coming here was probably to work with the bow, but would you mind showing me your skill with your daggers? It will give me an idea of where we should start with the swords."

In addition to that, seeing how she holds and works with the knives will help him get an idea if he will need to do anything special about the hand grips on the swords he makes for her to use. Though...if she knows someone who can make a bow like the one she is using, perhaps he won't need to make her anything after all...

"Usually I craft swords for those who I am teaching, however you already know a talented weaponsmith," he motions toward the bow. "Will it be necessary for me to do that for you?"

Nesir nodded and went to put her bow down carefully, she had indeed been meaning to practice with it but she saw no reason not to pause for a moment to fight with her daggers.

She pulled a face though, "I do no be thinking he will be approving." The point had been for her to learn a range weapon, and she didn't even want to think about actually asking Ganondorf for a Weapon.

She busied herself instead in drawing her daggers.

Diarmuid pauses at her words, worry crossing his face, "Is it truly all right if I teach you then? I do not wish to cause strife between you and your friend. Bonds are very important in this place. They are how we survive. If dividing your focus will anger him..."

Of course, if Diarmuid knew it is Ganondorf she would be angering, he would be a lot more willing to see him angered.

She wrinkled her nose, a childish gesture. "He do no be being the boss of me." She was doing what he had suggested, didn't mean she couldn't learn more things as well.

Diarmuid laughs lightly, recognizing that rebellious gesture, "In that case..." He pulls his two swords free of their sheaths and falls into a relaxed fighting stance. "Come and show me what you can do with those knives."

She grinned and flipped her daggers so they were pointed towards Diarmuid, she noted his stance and paused a moment before darting forwards, a flick of daggers towards his wrist. Just testing, wanting to know how he fought and moved before she made a proper attack.

Diarmuid shifts slightly to avoid her attack, but doesn't immediately move to make one of his own. He recognizes a feint when he sees one and can't help but grin in approval. So many fighters he's run into in this place seem to forget how important it is to feel out an unknown opponent instead of just charging into things at full tilt.

Needless to say, Diarmuid is quite pleased to see that she isn't going to have to be taught that lesson.

After a moment, he darts in for a few feints of his own, one slash aimed toward her head and the other aimed lower--a test to see how well she splits her attention when multiple attacks are coming at once.

She grinned back, enjoying herself. She liked fighting it was something she was good at, it was different than just killing. Killing was easy she had done that since she was a small child, torture, stealth, killing secretly. It all came to her easily. But fighting, a fair match, that was relatively new. She had known enough to defend herself and escape but the actual art of fighting was different.

When she fought like this, a test of skill and not for survival or out of hate or to kill, for a mission. In this she was all Nesir.

Her hands came up and down quickly, one blocking the slash to her head, the other moving to stop the other, moving out of the way first.

"Good!" Diarmuid's exclamation is really unnecessary, but it shows how glad he is to see that she had been honest about her ability to deal with her missing fingers. Both movements had been quick and without hesitation. While he hadn't doubted her words, he also knows all too well how tempting it can be to overplay one's abilities.

He presses her, then, delivering a set of more serious strikes. One is a hard strike toward her chest. At the same time, he spins the smaller sword bringing the hilt in to try and drive it into her wrist to disarm her.

Nesir stepped out of the way to avoid the chest strike, going low and using her smaller stature to her advantage as she tried to attack the second arm before it his, driving her dagger upwards.

She wasn't planning to stick around though, in and out and moving to a safe distance.

Diarmuid shifts the direction of his second strike to avoid her blow, redirecting it at her head and then pulling back as she tries to open distance between them. It is a tactic he often uses, which is why he does his best not to allow her the space, pressing forward to stay near her. However, he doesn't just stick with following her. As he draws near, he spins to the side in an attempt to get around behind her to launch a pair of quick slashes at her back.

She sucked under his blow to the head, feeling his knuckles move her hair. He was fast, as skilled as any of the master warriors in the temple. As he moved around her she changed direction, changing her momentum into a sideways roll, coming up into a crouch.

Far from being disappointed that she has ducked away from him, Diarmuid grins widely. When he fights others, he usually only uses a fraction of his speed but even that little bit often intimidates the person he is fighting. There is no intimidation in this girl and that plus her obvious skill is quite exciting.

Usually, Diarmuid doesn't press his attacks so relentlessly, preferring to duck in and out, but in this case he finds himself continuing to follow her not letting her have the distance she wants. Only this time, instead of approaching her from the ground, Diarmuid launches himself into the air and strikes at her from above.

She rises out of her crouch as she sees him approach once more, but keeps her knees bent as she brought her daggers up to block him, trying to use his momentum to push him off to the side. Her daggers slash at his arms, trying to get a strike in whilst he has less control over his movements.

Any lessening of control visible on Diarmuid's part is a carefully crafted illusion. He is completely in control of his actions even though he is in the air. In fact, he is almost more comfortable in the air than he is on the ground.

There is a reason he is so often compared to a hawk after all.

He moves as little as he can to avoid her strikes--indeed one blade just cuts the inside of his wrist, but he ignores it in favor of using his weight and momentum to drive her back. Pushing him away won't be so easy as she thinks.

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