Meet in the Barn
#1
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OOC here. /+000


Hadley happily stepped through the barn. The horses were warm and content in their new home, and while they were still occasionally let out to roam, they now had a more permanent home they could be cared for in. Petting their soft noses he walked through, making sure they had enough food. He filled some water pails and walked into some stalls to make sure it was all clean. Everything was right here.


One horse seemed to have something wrong with his foot. Stepping in Hadley lifted it up, examining the hoof. The horse nibbled at his hair while he did so, doing Isa the favor of helping to cut it short. Hadley chuckled softly, hand tracing over the hoof before he found the stone that had been lodged in there. Plucking it out he let go of the hoof. Stroking the horse's head Hadley stepped back out, heading towards the exit.


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#2
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Mobile post before bed~ Shall edit in a table later. Can we set this for the 19th EDIT: Added table.

Word Count → 272


Though Alyssum wanted Antebellum to reside in the barn like some of the other horses, the palomino mare refused to comply to her master's wishes. Whenever she had tried to lead her to the building, she had dug her hooves into the ground and refused to budge. The woman could only guess from what the horse tried to tell her through sorts that the mare felt too proud to rest inside of a cozy shelter. She was a hardened creature that braved the elements and battles. Taking her quarters inside of a barn seemed to offend Antebellum to some degree. Though she has allowed the blonde horse to do as she wished and let her sleep nearby her, she was still dead set on making the hard headed beast see reason.

So the hybrid decided to check out the building herself without Antebellum nearby, leaving the horse to her own devices for the afternoon; Macbeth took it upon himself to watch over the mare in case she went to look for her, wondering where she had gone to. Alyssum had thought that the barn would have been emptied beside for the horses that rest inside, and approached the entrance without much hesitation. After entering the shadows that the inner building provided, she realized that she was not the only one who decided to visit the barn that day. There was a brown-coated male that was backing away from a horse, and wondered if he worked with Wayne with the horses, but did not dwell long about what he was and was curious about who he was. "Greetings, there. Checking on the horses?"

Code by the Mentors; photo courtesy to Olli38

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#3
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OOC alright


The feminine voice startled Hadley. The hybrid flinched. Spinning around he looked to see someone that he hadn't met before standing in the barn. His heart immediately jumped. How had she gotten so far through the pack? She shouldn't have been able to do that! His nostrils flared, and the pack scent's finally managed to reach him. She wasn't enemy. Taking a deep breath he relaxed, the tension slowly easing off him.


Thinking back on what she said the scarred male managed to get out a nod. He didn't smile, still working on calming down from the fright she'd managed to give him. It was a subject that he felt comfortable in at least. Stepping over he pet the horse he'd been working on softly. Had a stone stuck. Just making sure that it was alright.


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#4
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occ here

Word Count → 350


Alyssum blinked in surprise herself as she seemed to frighten the male, and she tensed as he spun around to face her. She did not mean to scare him—but, she did not think through her sudden greeting, and saw that the fault was her’s. For a moment, she thought that he might attack her, predicting the worst case scenario, but he seemed to realize something and calmed himself. The woman herself readily relaxed, her tightened hands unclenching themselves. She doubted she’d want to risk a brawl with a confused wolf, much more a pack mate, and the confusion making the moves sudden and on the spot. She had confidence, if not arrogant pride, so did not feel much threatened anyway, though, but an apology was called for nonetheless.

“Sorry… I didn’t mean to spook you there,” she said plainly, deciding not to beat around the bush that she clearly noticed his reaction. She was quick to change the subject and she slowly approached the man, careful to show that she still meant no harm. “Really now? That’s good, that could’ve hurt the horse real bad if it had stayed there,” Alyssum stated obviously. “You know how to ride, or do you take care of the horses, too?” The woman’s eyebrows met at the middle for a moment in a grimace, and added quickly, “My name is Alyssum de Fonte, Prova—I actually joined the other day, in fact. What’s your name?”

Though the woman would not outright admit it, but she had forgot her formalities; roaming around with either people who already knew you or did not care about your name, one forgot that they would need to introduce themselves. The hybrid felt a little embarrassed that she had jumped straight into conversation, but, eradicated the feeling as soon as it came to her. The way she worded her speech could have seem that she was getting to her introduction, and that she did not forget at all, and perhaps brown canine would not notice as well. It was a strange thing to fret over, but, she just did.

Code by the Mentors; photo courtesy to Olli38

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#5
He nodded his head at her apology, not making eye contact. He was a generally nervous creature, and he didn't want to make her think he was being dominant. Even if he was technically of a higher rank, Hadley never truly lost his submissive behavior, even before the newcomers to the pack. Her slow movements let a small smile appear as the conversation turned to the horses, happy to share something that he liked with someone else. He nodded his head. Wouldn't have stayed long. If I hadn't gotten it, Dixie or Wayne probably would have. They were much better with the horses than him after all.

The large hybrid shook his head at her question. I help care for them...but I'm not very good at riding. He'd been on horses a few times before, Wayne helping him with the basics and sharing a saddle with Selene, but he hadn't really worked on learning how to do it himself. Hadley. He didn't share his rank, as the timid male didn't actually know it himself, simply holding himself in a low position without much thought to how he should hold himself. I work with the horses here...and do some building when I can. That was what he primarily did, even if he was still learning.
#6
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occ here

Word Count → 331


She nodded at the mention of Wayne, knowing that he man seemed to be in charge of most of the horses that roam Casa’s territory. “But, a helping hand never hurts anyway. Besides, the horse seems happier now that its burden is relieved.” It was the half-truth; she did not truly know if the horse was happy, since she had not spoken a word to it, but her words were certain, and she wanted to male to think better of himself. She could see that he was the shy type, the way he wouldn’t look at her directly, and felt the slight urge for him to stop acting like such, since unnecessary weakness always bothered her in some way. But, Alyssum didn’t want to force him with words, so she instead had to rely on coaxing him into comfort.

“Well, there’s nothing to riding. If you want, I could show you how to ride sometime when you’re free,” she offered kindly, a friendly smile spreading across her face. She actually didn’t mind teaching him a few things, since she liked to spread knowledge wherever it would be received, and would enjoy showing the timid Fedele how to ride, especially knowing how fun it was to do. “Building?” she repeated, though it was mostly to herself. “What do you make? Like, small stuff or big stuff?” She was imaging that Hadley was a house-maker, but then remembered there was more than one profession that involved building, though she thought the former was the most interesting. Nonetheless, she was curious.

“I don’t do much around here yet, but I hope that I help out with hunting for the pack and protecting it; I could guess I’m not too shabby of a fighter. But, that’s basically only the uses I have, really,” Alyssum said, a tad bit humorous. Being in a pack full of warriors, having fighting skills must’ve been a run-in-the-mill, she guessed, and expected Hadley to be as such despite his meekness.

Code by the Mentors; photo courtesy to Olli38

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#7
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OOC here. /+000


Hadley glanced at the horse he'd been working with. He couldn't really see a difference in it, the horse having resumed eating the hay that was thrown in there, eyes looking at them half lazily. His tail wagged a little, hoping that her words were true. He liked the idea that he had made the horse happier, even just a little, from his actions. Asked what he made Hadley considered it. Bowls. Furniture. I've helped with the houses. Did a couple carvings. He'd been told they were fairly good, if that meant anything, though he didn't say that out loud.


He chuckled softly at her words. We could always use another hand around here to help out. I can't really fight much myself, but there's plenty of members that could train with you. He knew some self defense, but Hadley's timid and submissive nature kept him from going on the offensive, mainly because he couldn't stand the thought of hurting someone else. Perhaps he was getting in the way, but he was helping with building stuff. Right?


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#8
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rambleramblealyssumramble

Word Count → 334


Her interest became perked at the mention of the few things he would craft. She wondered for a moment of herself making such items, but she came up as blank. Like, with the bowls; she doubted that she’d ever made a simple item as that, and the more she thought about it, she also wondered how one goes around making such things. The same with the furniture, houses, and cravings; all were foreign to her, but all the same, sounded quite useful and was glad to hear that the Cavaliers had a man with skills that were not as common as warriors.

“What kind of carvings do you make, and furniture?” she asked politely, and continued with one more question she had in mind, “Also, do you by chance make weapons? Nothing metal and complex, of course—particularly, arrows? I’m an archer myself, but I make the most awful arrows, and it would help if I could find someone to trade with to make me a dozen; the ones I have now a fine, but their points are getting dull and becoming small from all the sharping I do for them.”

Alyssum blinked in surprise as he mentioned his lack of battle finesse, and she her head at his words. “Well, now, we can’t have that. You must know at least a few moves yourself—what if you’re attacked, or our friends? You must know how to at least keep off the enemy… If you really don’t know how to fight, I’d be willing to teach you a few moves, easy ones that’ll help you out in the end.” She thought about it for a moment, and continued, “You could help out more around the pack if you knew a few moves yourself.” She hoped that her words would be enough to entice the man to learn; she was not one to force herself upon others, but was keen to coax others into what she wanted to do, being the stubborn coywolf she was.

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#9
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OOC here. /+000


He listened to the inquisitive words. I can do it without trade. We're pack. Reflecting on her questions Hadley spoke slowly, hoping it wasn't too doubtful. I've never made arrows before, but I know someone who can help me make some so I can give you good supply. I've made pendants for pack members, and carved a door. Furniture, I've done chairs and tables. Not much beyond that. He hadn't felt that more was needed, as beds hadn't been needed, and he'd just repaired the available cupboards.


Asked about battle he nodded his head. I can defend myself. They help me out. It's not anything offensive, but it's enough to keep those with me safe until they can escape. Hadley certainly didn't believe he was nearly strong enough to aid and protect others on his own. It was simply buying time. He wasn't gifted in battle, his nature too gentle to really be able to do a proper attack.


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#10
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boop, if you want me to change the last bit, pm me <3 i just thought this was totally how Aly would "convince" someone

Word Count → 370


“Please, I insist,” Alyssum pressed, though she was not nearly as emotional as she was with the battle moves. She did not want to have what she would consider an unfair trade with the man, and wished he had a straighter back bone, finding his friendliness to be a bit unnerving in a sense. But, the slight annoyance to did not bother her, if not make her all the more stubborn to sway his thoughts to what she thought was right.

When he mentioned pendants, she thought about the swallow that rest under her clothing, the metal suddenly turning cold at the thought of it. She frowned a little, but her brash smile returned as soon as it went, and it may as well have been unnoticeable if Hadley was not paying attention to the woman’s face. “I’d have to see them one day. I’m not much of a crafter myself… But, I can at least appreciate them. Maybe one day I’ll ask you to make things for me one day, so I have to make sure they are up to par,” she said jokingly, anything to get her mind off of the weight that hung around her neck.

Again, she frowned, but this one was with more pout than it was depression, as Hadley kindly rejected her offer. Like the ox she was, she was not going to budge until they came to a conclusion that she wanted. She opened her mouth to speak again, but quickly shut it, another thought coming to her. It was a rash one, but nonetheless she went with it; actions spoke louder than words.

With a quick movement, she raised a hand that was molded in a fist, and flung it in the man’s direction. But, before it could even get close to Hadley, it quickly redrew back to her side, then crossed over her chest, a simple feign in an attempt to surprise the man. “In that time, I could have been able to knock you on your back when you weren’t watching your feet. That wasn’t enough time for our friends to escape.” She gauged his reaction, and again asked, a bit more sternly, “Do you want to learn or not?”

Code by the Mentors; photo courtesy to Olli38

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#11
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OOC here. /+000


Darkness clouded her face briefly as he talked about his carvings. His ears flattened down, unsure what to make of the show. It disappeared as rapidly as it had come, making him edgy around her. If she could hide what she felt so well, how could he trust her? Taking anything of hers would be dangerous. Not that he even knew what he could possibly take as a trade from her. He nodded his head, thinking he'd have to concentrate his carving a lot more if he was going to be showing it to this warrior.


A fist flew towards him, the hybrid instinctively moving. Leaping back he crouched down, arms braced up to catch any blows that might hit him. No offense, no attempt to catch the blow, just pure fear and an attempt to keep from being hurt too badly. Her words came across, coldly informing him of the consequences. His ears flattened. Maybe...I could use help... The words were quiet, a little bit unnerved, remaining curled up.


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#12
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occ here

Word Count → 279


Alyssum wanted to frown even further when he quickly went on the defensive, finding his lack of offense to be appallingly pitiful. But, her face remained pouty until Hadley seemed to accept her offer after being overwhelming, and her expression became friendly again, with added excitement and eagerness. Though, it did have the slightest hint of smug victory, which could have been interpreted any other way that expressed happiness. “Let’s do it outside, then—we don’t want to be knocking into anything on accident, just in case,” she chirped, and stepped out of the barn, though she made sure that Hadley was close behind her before walking too far.

When she made it a good distance away from the building, she turned to the man, her arms now resting against her side though they were tense. “Now, I want you to come at me, in any way you think an enemy would attack you,” Alyssum stated, and added, “and, don’t worry about getting hurt, Hadley. This is just practice, no roughhousing, since you’re learning something new.” Despite her earlier action, she sincerely did not want to injury the man or to scare him, though she was intent on helping him and showing him the reality of a real fight seemed to be the only way to convince him.

She shifted her feet a bit to a stronger stance, though her hands remained at her side, and nodded to show that she was ready whenever he was, this time not pressuring the man. Teaching required to go at the student’s pace if the learning was going to be successful, and she thankfully had patience when it came to teaching others.

Code by the Mentors; photo courtesy to Olli38

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#13
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OOC here. /+000


That was quick. He wasn't too sure how they'd gone from horses to sparring, just knowing that somehow he'd ended up dragged into something and wasn't too clear on it. Hadley hesitated a moment before stepping out after her, wondering what it was exactly that she was planning. Clearly she was the one in control, despite the fact that he was the one who knew the pack better, easily taking control of what was around her.


Asked to attack her Hadley's face fell blank. Attack? He could envision dozens of ways for someone to come at him, but acting it out himself wasn't something he could bring himself to do. He just stood there, fidgeting a little. How could he do that? Her words didn't reassure him, actually worried about managing to hurt her, rather than himself getting hurt. He didn't want to hurt her with his attack, even if she was more skilled. He just couldn't do it.


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#14
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occ here

Word Count → 233


Alyssum sighed through her nose after a few moments, but was barely bothered by the fact that Hadley did not want to attack her, just resigning to the fact of how unwilling her “student” was being. Usually, she talked to males who were more than willing to spar, though some were uncertain with her being a woman, but soon realized her prowess and were eager to let out some energy. She rarely talked to people like the man before her now, usually feeling pity and uncomfortable around them, yet that was when she was not in a pack, and they were not her concern. Now, it felt like showing and passing on her knowledge was expected from her, and was determined to so. It was just going slower than she would have preferred.

“Do you want me to come at you instead?” she asked, hoping that this would please Hadley more than the first option. She did not like this method, but if he liked it more, she decided that she would have to work with it. “I’ll move slowly, nothing fast. You can try to respond in whatever way you think is right, whatever will keep me from ‘hitting’ you.” She began to approached him, but at a calm pace to show that she was not going to pull a stunt like the one that convinced him earlier, waiting for his answer.

Code by the Mentors; photo courtesy to Olli38

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#15
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OOC here. /+000


They both stood there, Hadley unable to attack, with Alyssum standing there, looking very expectant. He couldn't imagine anything to do, didn't want to touch her. If his attacks succeeded, what could he do? Hadley knew some first aid stuff, but he couldn't set broken bones, and it would still take time to heal. Explaining that he'd landed a new member in the medical room from a sparring practice would be terrible as well, insulting Casa's standards with his aggressive actions. A small sigh finally escaped from her, the hybrid wondering if she'd given up.


Of course it wouldn't be that easy. At least being on the defense was something he was used to. The scarred male nodded his head, ready to defend against anything that she chose to throw against him. His arms raised, blocking his face and chest to the best of his ability. I can do this. His words held a slightly confident edge to them, tail swaying. He'd fought with Isa when she tried to give in to her darkness, he could certainly defend himself against someone moving more slowly.


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#16
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occ here

Word Count → 234


Alyssum was also used to defending her; being smaller than some of her opponents, she certainly had to pull measures to perverse herself. She always preferred it that way because then she could better predict what someone would do, and then make a move to counter it. On the offensive side, though, she would have to look for a weak point, watch out for the counterattack, and also make sure to keep herself in check so it would not be easy for her to be struck down in a real fight at the same time. While it sounded difficult, she was confident, and felt no different as she stepped towards the male.

She smiled in approval at his self-assured tone, and stepped up a bit faster to show that she was going to “attack” him. Raising a relaxed fist, she slowly creped her hand towards his lower right side while a foot slid towards his left leg as if to knock it from under him. “First thing to know is to always watch your feet, even if there’s an attack coming from above to distract you from them. Balance is your friend, and you best not to lose it,” she stated, pausing for a moment as if she was in a freeze frame. She waited to see how he would respond, wondering if he would flinch away again like earlier or try something different.

Code by the Mentors; photo courtesy to Olli38

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#17
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OOC here. /+000


His ears flicked back, a fist rising on his right. He could handle that. A forearm raised to meet it, ready for the block. If that was supposed to scare him it wasn't enough. Then again, she was going easy on him. What she'd shown him before was enough to tell him that. Eyes flicked again, arms barely prepared for the fist as a leg swung up to knock him off balance, hitting the floor. His heart sped up, thinking about his options.


Nodding his head Hadley pivoted, moving out of reach. The fist hit his forearm hard enough, making it difficult for him to think about his reaction to the kick that had whizzed past. One arm scooped down, ready to grab her leg and twist her body to knock her to the ground. Simple self defense, a handful of lessons in the past, even if he had never gotten the full hang of it. He just wasn't a violent guy, no matter how hard he trained.


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#18
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sorry for the long post. ; ;

Word Count → 554


As she had predicted, Hadley fell for her punch and she managed to distract him from his feet. She noted how he blocked, and decided he was still not a fighter, even unconsciously. As the male was processing her words, she decided upon how she would teach him from then on, knowing that his personality would shape how good he will fight.

When he retaliated, Alyssum had first assumed that he would try to aim for something other than her legs, but he unexpectedly aimed right for her legs. If that had been a real fight, she may have reacted faster, but being “relaxed”, she easily fell onto her back as her leg was pulled out from under her. Once she hit the ground, she was quick to tuck her arms by her body and roll away from him. She bounced back up onto her feet, with a grin on her face. “Very good! Balance is your friend, and your enemy’s. If your opponent is not expecting it, it’s the fastest and best way to take them down without much of a fuss.”

She approached Hadley closer, but stopped when she was about two meters away from him. “There’s three different type of fighting styles, otherwise called energies. It’s the options that one choses to direct their energy, both internally and externally, when in battle or off the field. They are called positive, negative, and neutral—but, all you really need to know for now is positive and negative energy,” she stated, and knowing that he must have been lost, continued without a pause.

“Positive energy is aggressive fighting, attacking with strength, advancing the battle and exerting their energy onto their opponent. This is usually practiced by people with willful natures, hostile or not, or otherwise strong personalities. They are the ones who make the first strike, and are coupled with sheer power and weak points. If you can find those weak points, they are easily disabled, but never to be underestimated.

“Like the name suggests, negative energy is the near opposite of positive. Negative personalities wish to avoid conflict altogether, evading the battle and otherwise simply retreating from the fight until it’s only their last resort.” She paused her speech for a moment to add, “You seem to have a negative energy when it comes to fighting, because you went on the defensive every time I attacked you.

But, there can be a mix of the two, like your demonstrated just now by making me fall over. When you combine negative and positive, push and pull, you are using your opponent’s offensive against them. With a balance between these energies, you can conserve your own stamina while your enemy exerts their own, turning your defense into an offensive.” Alyssum hoped that she was simple enough with her words for Hadley to follow along, and gave him a look to show that she was open for questions; she learned this over a course of weeks, and she was trying to explain it with only a few words. The reason why she was explaining all of this was strategy; without the knowledge of how to analyze an opponent, one would surely lose against them.

She stepped slowly towards him, to show that she was going to come at him again, and aimed her left fist for his right shoulder, stating, “This is positive energy—you can either chose to be negative and retreat, or be a balance of them and redirect.”

Code by the Mentors; photo courtesy to Olli38

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#19
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OOC here. /+000


Alyssum rolled away as she hit the ground. Hadley stood at the ready, body braced in case another attack would come. He didn't want to hurt her, simply working to keep himself safe. That wasn't the point of this exercise, knowing that she was working to help him improve, but that was still what rested in his mind. Stepping out into a training mode was extremely difficult. A sigh of relief followed as she stood up, uninjured from his attack.


He nodded his head as she spoke, making sure to remember what she was saying. Hadley's balance was fairly good, fighting as he was to keep himself protected. He usually had a strong grip on himself, knowing if he fell he'd be vulnerable to the opponent, open to being sliced open. That was enough motivation to keep him standing in a fight, no matter what was going on around him.


Energies? His ears flicked in confusion. Weren't they talking about fighting? The scarred male listened politely as she spoke, not quite understanding all of it. Positive equaled weak points. It happened when someone started the attack. That must mean that Alyssum was a positive. The negative energy didn't sound very good to have, negative in nature, but his mind quickly changed as she explained, accepting it as something to protect himself with. It was good that he only fought as a last resort. He didn't want to be violent.


Mixing the energies didn't sound as good. He could hurt someone doing that. No matter how Alyssum tried to make it sound nice, it wasn't for him. Hadley had been worried when he'd used that maneuver on her, even knowing she was trained. A fist came towards him, ears focused as she spoke. Hadley lifted an arm, blocking the punch and moving so that the momentum would carry her past him.


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#20
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(271) OOC Ending: Alyssum continues to show Hadley some moves and other advice for fighting. :]

She could tell he was at least getting the basics of what she was saying, and could not help but smile that she was teaching someone when not but a year ago she was a teacher. She never thought of herself as a mentor; while she was well versed in battle and strategy, she felt there was still so much she did not know about the world. But, what she did know, she was somehow passing it along to Hadley, whom she thought was a great learner despite his initial unwillingness. The woman found that she enjoyed showing and telling new things that people did not know, and became more immerse with her lesson.

When she went at the male once more, she saw him take in her words and watched as he readied himself. Like what she expected, he blocked her advancement, her positive energy with his negative move. Then, he pulled away, and she had to stumble a few yards to keep herself from falling flat on her face. When she turned around, Alyssum had the biggest grin on her face, and stated loudly, "That's it! That is how you mix the energies--not that hard, right? You turned my attack into an opening, that's very good!"

The de Fonte raised her clenched hands again, her smile turning slyer. "Now, let's see how you handle this." She stepped up against Hadley once more, and this continued many times as the day went on. Many moves were shown, advice and words spoken, and at the end, with the sun beginning to descend towards the horn, the teacher and "student" departed.

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