Footwork (Aerethryn)

[gavin]

What better way to practice footwork and fortitude than to train on ice in cold weather. This was Gavin's thinking as he did everything possible to maintain his footwork while still fighting off unseen attackers. Unseen, of course, being fictional. It was difficult to maintain traction, obviously, that was of the point of this exercise.

Of course, missing something like sleeves did leave his arms particularly numb and he found it difficult to continue to grip his sword. Investing in gloves for future endeavors might not be a bad idea. His teeth chattered but he pushed on, his fictitious life at stake.

[Aereth]

Like usual, Aeretheryn was allowing the wind to guide her travels. She had started out in the cool winds of Faron province. Oh, there she had some good times and she would certainly be returning it soon, but a temporary change of scenery had been at hand. Alas, she felt the desire to fly with the wind as her heart fluttered among the clouds. The cool air flowing through Faron eventually mixed with a rather cold current, which carried her off in another direction entirely. In the end, she wound up in one of the coldest climates she had ever ventured into. It was certainly a good thing she was a natural healer, as a fairy, for it was quite necessary to actively repair her freezing skin.

The cold did not fill her with the desire to immediately leave the area, though. No, the wind had long been a dear friend of hers, and it led her here. She was at least going to see herself around for a few hours before finding a warmer place.

Oh! And she did not have to go far before she spotted a beacon of warmth amongst the frigid chill. Upon a frozen lake far beneath her stood a humanoid male. At least, he appeared male from the distance. Curious, Aereth dropped from the high freezing current of air and fluttered closer to the individual she had spotted. How strange, it seemed, that he were standing in the middle of a frozen lake swinging his sword around as if battling unseen assailants. On top of it all, he was not wearing nearly enough for the climate. Sure, neither was she, but he seemed to be here purposefully, where she was simply wandering aimlessly.

Either way, he looked like warmth amongst so much cold. So, she naturally gravitated towards him. Nimbly avoiding the swinging of his sword, that tiny woman zipped straight for the warmth between his long hair and his neck. ”Oh, how delightful!” she chirped happily. The feeling of his warm skin, though dangerously colder than it should be healthily, was so relieving to her bare feet.

[gavin]

As he was swinging, he seemed to be attacked by a much more tangible force. Immediately he drew his sword to the ready, only to feel the unbearable chill of something against his bare neck.

"Ah! ah! cold! cold!" He exclaimed as in his surprise he fell on the ice. He didn't have the time to spread his wings, but he did have enough time to cushion his fall with this wings, which still hurt a considerable amount. Looking straight up and grimacing, he noticed a bright glowing ball above him. Reflexively, he tried to slide away from her and get to a safe distance. Unfortunately ice is slick, and he couldn't really do much in his current state of mind. Surprises were not his strong suit just yet, and in all his years he couldn't remember seeing anything quite like this before.

"W-what are you?" he asked, more cold than afraid. He tried to slow himself down, take deliberate steps to get up, but he ended up clutching his hurt wing. Now on one knee, he found himself in a great deal of pain. "S-sorry, it's m-my wing. I used it to c-cushion the fall."

[Aereth]

Aereth was as surprised as the stranger when he suddenly flailed and fell straight for the ice. Quickly, she fluttered up and out of his hair and hovered above him for a moment as she realized what had happened. There was such a look of surprise on his face as he fell (of course replaced by pain after the landing) that it made her giggle somewhat. His astonished reactions to her were even more amusing. Had he really never met a fairy? Or, at the very least, heard of them?

“Well,” she uttered before changing forms. That tiny ball of light extended for a moment, before clearing to reveal a scantily clad golden blonde before him. She was wearing even less clothing than he, with bare legs, bare arms, and low cleavage. “I am a Fairy, of course,” she chirped with such a bright friendly smile it could encourage even the infirm to mirror it. The dragon fly-like wings behind her fluttered happily as she knelt before him and looked up at his painful expression.

Yes, she was aware of his injuries, but it did not concern her so much to ruin her mood. They were easily taken care of. “Being a fairy provides me with the privilege to perform such an act as this...” While her knees grew cold to the ice and snow beneath her, her hands reached back to the clutched wing. It appeared it had broken in one place. Her hands hovered over the area as she turned her focus toward it. It drew from all the focus she had placed in actively healing her own body from the unkind weather, causing her to instantly grow nearly unbearably cold, but resulted in bones mostly re-fused. She had to stop with only a few fractures remaining in order to repair her own composure. Though she shivered against the violent cold, her smile was not driven away for a moment.

“B-better? I apologize for surprising you...”

[gavin]

As she healed his wing, he could feel the effects of her magic putting the hollowed bones back together. It felt considerably better, and when she was finished, he stretched it out and back. The bone was fine, if a bit sore. Standing up tall, he addressed the fairy.

"Ah the white magic of fairies, there is no replacement. To be honest, I have never seen on of your kind in such a form before. You have my gratitude, miss." He looked at the blonde wonder, very easy on the eyes to go with her kindness.

"You're a bit bare to be on snowpeak, if I do say so myself. Come, let me help warm you." Rather than give her any of his clothing he turned and wrapped part of her in his soft feathers, a way of saying thank you for the help she had just given him, even if she was the one that caused it.

[Aereth]

It pleased her so very much to see how appreciative the stranger was for his newly healed wing. As he stood, so did she, all the while smiling happily up at him as if her good mood could never be taken away. It was truly a wonder if she ever did stopped smiling. She was hardly ever given a reason to.

She agreed with his statement about the importance of fairy-kind’s white magic, though she simply nodded as he clearly had more to say. Her expressions changed only slightly, showing a slight amount of surprise as he moved to wrapped her in comfortably soft feathers. It was such a sweet gesture, to be sure, and she could not refuse it. Now that she had finished healing his wing, though, she was free to focus on healing herself. Then again, it was slow to start and she was indeed still very cold.

“Indeed, I must appear rather strange to be dressed so in a place like this,” she concurred. “What of you, though? Are your hands not cold?” As she asked this, her own hands reached to grasp one of his. They were so cold it pained her to simply hold it! Surely he had to be absolutely miserable! ”In my prior form, it is very easy to travel very long distances by simply allowing the wind to carry me. I assure you, I was in warmer climates not long ago. Is it this way for you?”

[gavin]

Gavin realized seeing a man swinging a sword upon a mountain must have been very odd. He didn't have any combatants and no one lay defeated at his feet. He was alone up here, and he liked it that way. However, he was not about to shy away from company. His hands were feeling soothed in the soft embrace of hers. Made him feel better, even if part of him was training through the numbness.

"My hands are indeed cold. Quite, in fact. But in that lies the ability to get stronger. If I can effectively grip a sword with my hands this numb, it should be effortless in combat. Training in extreme elements is something I try to do regularly. Before this I was testing my stamina in the desert against extreme heat." It was also odd to hear of her traveling method. Just simply floating around didn't seem to be an effective way of improving oneself, though he could only speak from his own mind, and hers was clearly different.

"Name's Gavin. I'm a warrior, ex-soldier for my people. I suppose at this point I could be considered a mercenary, but I prefer to simply be a swordsman. What about yourself, wandering fairy? Surely you must be doing something other than traveling with the wind, no?"

[Aereth]

Aeretheryn’s looks of concern for the man’s frozen hands faded so quickly. It was a wonder that her smile had ever gone away at all. Her emerald gaze moved up to watch his own expressions as he spoke – all the while sporting a sweet and gentle smile. His explanation was quite intriguing, to tell the truth, and it did make a great bit of sense. In the end, though, she wondered why he did such practices all by himself. What if something went wrong? He was training his endurance, but what if in his training he pushed just a little too far and stepped too far? Who would save him? He was not a fairy... if he could heal himself, he would have done so on his wing. What was his fail safe?

His questions sent her off in thought for a moment. Her gaze wandered off to the side as her mind floated away into memories. Truthfully, she had only ever considered herself an adventurer, but her definition of the word was often different than that of other races. She was an aimless wanderer to them, but she liked it that way. She thought of all the things she had done and experienced lately. She watched people... participated in games at a festival, helped strangers...met gorgeous fairies and claimed them as her own for a night. All in different places and different days. She was an adventurer.

Pulling away from the embrace of his comforting wing, Aereth gave herself the proper amount of room to give the man a respectful bow. “I am Aeretheryn, adventurer,” her voice cooed smoothly. “What better way to experience the world than to let nature surprise you on where you’re going? There is much to be enjoyed in this world, and you cannot always predict where I will be. I can imagine you are not a fan of surprises, but I assure you it is quite thrilling for me. I put my fate in the hands of the skies. She is kind to me.”

Aereth pushed golden locks from her face before continuing her speech. ”She is my most reliable companion. Have you ever a companion, Mister Gavin?” she questioned, poking at her curiosity of whether he ever trained with back up.

[gavin]

"I guess one may be pleased by the nature of the surprise. Typically for me a surprise involves a sword and few pleasantries. Even the nice surprise of finding someone on the mountain resulted in me breaking one of my own wings. Thanks again, by the way." Her being out of the grasp of his wings gave him the opportunity to stretch them out a bit, make sure once again that nothing was broken. It seemed the fairy was indeed thorough.

"Companions? Not recently, most of my traveling has been alone, though I have been known to entertain the idea of company. Back in the City in the Sky I had my fellow soldiers. So yes, I have had companions in the past. Not now though, few are crazy enough to follow me up here." True, he didn't imagine seeing a friendly face during his time here. "And those who do don't look like they're up here to train with a sword." He didn't notice any weapons on her straight away, and it wasn't like she was hiding a war axe under the layers of clothing she wasn't wearing.

[Aereth]

Aereth’s head tilted at the man’s thanks. She was not sure if he was being sarcastic in thanks for a broken wing or sincere in thanks for her repairing it. Her mind did not linger on the thought long, she simply brightened her smile and nodded in response to say ’you’re welcome’.

As he answered her final question, she felt the urge to move around. Her feet were uncomfortable standing still on the snowy ice. In full form, her wings beat against the cold air to lift her off her feet a few inches before she changed into something more convenient. She snapped back to ball form during his last words. That little ball of glittery light zipped around his head a few times before she dove back for the warm cover of his hair, walking on his shoulder lightly.

“What a shame, that is,” that chirpy voice hummed near his ear. “Having company surely is quite the gift. Especially where it concerns keeping one another safe.” Aereth grasped onto a lock of his long hair and spun in a circle around it as her thoughts wandered to her memories. She had been company to a great adventurer who was even greater with the aid of a fairy’s magic in their arsenal. In the end he was taken to a tragedy not even she had the power to heal...but that was in a place far more dangerous than this.

The woman giggled a little as she thought of Gavin’s last comment. “I suppose this is true. Our wings give us a great advantage, though. Any fight you would rather avoid can be,” she commented, forgetting for a moment that she also could change size, where he could not.

[gavin]

As she shifted back into ballform, Gavin had to chuckle. It was quite a marvel to see the transformation so quick. He had a transformation of his own, but one he was not very proud of. One he would certainly not be showing off to a relative stranger.

"My companions know the value of looking after themselves. I can't always be there to safeguard them, and they better know how to block. I always say that only I have ever hit me. If someone makes contact, then I should have blocked. Or..." He turned his slightly to catch her for a fleeting moment upon his neck. ""or perhaps the contact is not undesirable." The girl was growing on him. She was certainly a playful sort, a kind of person he was not used to. His joking around was someone he rarely got to do, and he relished the opportunity to do so.

"Don't tell me you run away from a fight. Even the greatest of conflicts provide us an opportunity to improve. Do not use our blessings to run, rather, use them to become greater." A veiled supremacist comment, as he greatly enjoyed his wings. What he would do without them, he did not know.

[Aereth]

Aereth stopped her twirling only to use the man’s hair as a tether so that she could lean over the edge of his shoulder to look out at his face without using her wings for balance. While she understood what he was trying to teach her, it did not quite compute for her personality or skill. Not only had she no personal desire to engage in combat regularly, but she was not exactly built for it. She was true to the phrase ‘lover not a fighter.’ Oh, and did she like her lovin’.

It was clear that there was much about her he was unaware of. She understood the purpose of battle at times in certain situations, but for the most part she much preferred to simply avoid not only being hurt, but hurting others. Her smile widened into a grin and the glittery glow around her tiny body dissipated so that she could be visible to him as she spoke without having to go full size and put her feet back on that horrid ice.

“I have no need to become greater in the way of fighting, Mister Gavin, nor do I quite have the power. I was never predisposed for battle,” she admitted cheerily. Though she disagreed on the subject, at least for herself, it did not harm her composure in the slightest. “No, I am a born companion. I use the blessings I was given to become greater in different ways than you preach, sir.” Twisting just right, her body spun in a small circle before she fluttered up off of his shoulder to hover a foot away from his face. “I am better at helping others than simply helping myself by causing harm, and I cannot complain for it. I very much enjoy it, I assure you.”

Her grin faded down into a much gentler smile. “I would rather be remembered as the stranger who stopped to save a life for no personal gain than the warrior who has the power to strike one down in a single blow.”

[gavin]

Gavin knew the quality of a healer. The ability to get the wounded back up to snuff.

"If I'm lucky, I won't have to strike down anyone. Swordplay, while a method of warfare, is also an art. One I am proud to be a student of." Outside of the occasional monster or group of bandits, he did not kill. Wound, occasionally, when it was needed, but good swordsmen were to be respected, not killed.

"The art of healing is not one learned easily. My understanding is that fairies have an intuit knowledge of such a craft. No wonder your race is so valued." If he had a fairy to heal him after every injury he took he would be a highly potent force. Perhaps he should invest in some training. In that field.

"To be fair, you do not possess a warrior's build. An adept mage, perhaps, but not a warrior." He almost chuckled when he thought of her trying to swing his blade. She didn't appear weak, per se, but she certainly didn't seem to possess a world of upper body strength.

[Aereth]

“Hmm” she hummed in thought. His very initial sentence rang as such an agreeable statement in her mind. It was one of her habits to try and avoid any sort of confrontation. She did not see the purpose of confrontation when life should be enjoyed with smiles instead of scowls. “It is very good that you are proud of your skills, as I am proud of mine. It would be ignorant of me to not respect you for it.”

Just then, a cold wind rushed past them, catching the little fairy off guard and pushing her off to the side. The unexpected breeze was a difficult one to battle when so unprepared, but still...it did not damage her resolve. It seemed as if it were only more proof to how true his final statement was, although she was in such a miniscule form. In an attempt to avoid such a complication again, she transformed back. Surely, it would be a more pleasant form for him to look upon than trying to zero in on a bug-sized woman.

Brushing her bare shoulders of non-existent filth, she looked up at him with a silly smile. “You must be completely numb by now,” she commented, realizing that he had been standing still for quite a while since their conversation began. At least before his body was in motion, generating the heat that would keep his limbs alive. Now he was risking them. “I understand you are a respectable warrior, Mister Gavin, but I would like to provide you with my aid if you will have it.” With a friendly smile, she held up her hand in offering – still only but a foot away from him.

[gavin]

As the wind kicked up, Gavin protected himself from the breeze while Aeretheryn was flung back with the wind. She had to revert to human form in order to not be blown away. It was getting a bit worse, the wind was beginning to kick up and it was about time for Gavin to move on.

"I am starting to get a bit numb, and I imagine you are as well. I think my time up on the mountain is done. Let's make our descent exciting." Pulling his dagger out, he took it and threw it at the nearby tree. Sticking it into the bark, a few of its frozen leaves fell to the ground.

"Let's race to the bottom. I could use the excitement. What do you say?"