Rangers: Training Grounds

[Rillewen]

@Pele Alarion @Lantaelen

Recruit Trastion Leithor
(with Pele and Abrazimir - some point before Midsummer)

Trastion grinned at the captain’s joke about grabbing sledgehammers to flatten Abrazimir. “I think I prefer lighter armor, too,” he agreed with her other comment. He’d only picked out leather stuff from the armory, because he actually didn’t expect to need to use the heavy metal stuff. He was relieved to be able to start taking the stuff off, at last. He was a little surprised that he hadn’t completely melted into a puddle by now. Under the gear, he felt like he was drenched in sweat. He tried to twist himself so as to undo the buckles on the side of the cuirass he was wearing, but while it probably wasn't impossible, it was a very awkward and difficult angle to achieve. For now, he gave up on that and focused on the smaller pieces that he could reach better.

As both of them expressed surprise to hear that it was his day off, Trastion paused. Hadn’t he mentioned that? Or had he only thought it? He couldn’t remember now, but apparently he hadn't spoken it out loud. He shrugged slightly. “Well, I didn’t actually come to the training grounds expecting to get drawn into a sparring match...” He explained, pausing as Abrazimir spoke again, seeming impressed with his dedication. Trastion hesitated as the knight went on to comment on him 'living like there was still a war on'. While that wasn’t exactly what he was thinking, there were also factors involved which he couldn’t speak about. So, he took a moment to think while he pulled off the arm gear and laid it on the table.

“Well,” He cleared his throat. “To be honest, I only planned to explore a bit since I had some time to myself, and check out the forest trails. But then, I saw you two, and saw you were using axes,” he said to Abrazimir, “and that was one of the weapons I had wanted to learn to use. But, so far, I’ve only had a little training with the sword. So, I thought maybe I could find out a little about using an ax, beyond just cutting down trees.” He laughed slightly. “Next thing I know, we were all sparring.”

[Pele Alarion]

@Rillewen , @Lantaelen
Captain Pele Alarion
Sparring with Abrazimir and Trastion

"Exploring, hmmm," Pele said, her eyes glinting with merriment. "You ended up exploring sparring, it seems, Trastion. But yes, maybe no more. Can't help you much with the axes, so you'll have to learn that under some other trainer."

Pele did not hesitate to take off her own heavy armour when she saw that Abrazimir had started to remove his. She could not deny that sparring had definitely taken its toll on her, so the idea of not continuing seemed welcome.

"I could still practice with my throwing knives," she thought out loud. "But after all this swinging around of shields and swords my aim might no longer be that accurate. Suppose you two do not want to join me for that?"

[Arnyn]

@Pele Alarion

Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen
With Pele, end of August

Arnyn slanted her head. "Your left hand is your off hand. You should be able to fight perfectly fine with a shortsword in your right. Longsword too. Your off hand would be used more to direct your arm. Or pull someone in or push them, or for your secondary weapon or a shield of sorts..." Arnyn smiled. "But I am telling you things you know already." Pele was experienced. Besides, they had discussed this before, hadn't they?

"Hand to hand is more than using your left hand with force," Arnyn told her friend and Captain. "It's actually not really about that, unless for specific kinds of styles. You just need enough strength for a good grip. So let's see what you've got, hm?" She gestured at herself before moving behind Pele. "Say I'm an enemy coming from behind you. Grab me. Throw me over your shoulder."

[Pele Alarion]

@Arnyn

Captain Pele Alarion
Sparring with Arnyn, end of August

"Well, yes..." Pele agreed, a sheepish smile on her face. "But it is very hard to get used to missing even such a little piece of me, and it seems that it makes me something less than I should be." She had worked hard to adapt and make the loss be felt as little as possible, but it appeared that it had made a greater impact on her mind than on her actual physical body.

Pele stood still for a while, and then laughed. "What? You want to be thrown around? Fine, I'll see what I can do," she said, and tried to get herself into a mood for just that.

Turning with her right shoulder towards Arnyn, Pele reached with her left hand to grab the sleeve under her friend's right elbow and lifted the arm up, so that she could slip her own right arm under and make a tight hook from under the armpit of Arnyn's extended arm. Swiftly turning her back again, Pele bent her knees and thrust her hips back as she worked to haul Arnyn up and over her shoulder.

[Arnyn]

@Pele Alarion

Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen
With Pele, end of August

Waiting, she chuckled and said "Yes" when Pele asked if she wanted to be thrown around. It had a purpose. She was willing.

She let Pele grab her. Then Arnyn slightly pulled away at first, then harder once Pele lifted her arm. But the Captain's grip did not budge. And soon enough, the Lieutenant found herself on the ground, looking up her friend with a silly little grin.

"See?" she said pointedly. "Your left hand serves you wonderfully. A good grip is all you need!" With a little grunt, Arnyn got to her feet and brushed off nearly none of the dust she'd picked up by being thrown to the stamped earth. "Maybe you should stop trying to regain what you used to have," she reminded Pele. "And focus on whether you still have what you need. And I believe that you do," she added matter-of-factly, gesturing at the ground where she'd been lying just a moment earlier. "Or what is it that has you so uncertain?" With a raised eyebrow and a little twinkle in her eyes, Arnyn regarded Pele patiently.

[Lantaelen]

@Pele Alarion @Rillewen

Abrazimir Dimaethor
Sparring with Trastion Leithor & Pele Alarion, Training Grounds

”You came into the training grounds not to spar?” Abrazimir said with great incredulity, raising both his eyebrows. What…other purpose could there be? But slowly, Trastion revealed his intentions, which of course stemmed from simple curiosity. So, how else did one learn to use a weapon, except through training and practice? Seems like Trastion came to the right place and got what he wanted. Abrazimir turned to look at Pele next, as the officer spoke up with almost the same thoughts. ”I’m not much of a teacher for axes. Was trying to learn myself. Maybe we could figure that out together.” He said about axes and finding someone else to teach.

He recalled hearing something from Rohan and further on, about Shepards of the Woods not exactly being fireside tales. He wondered if it was a bad idea to be taking axes up forest trails, but he wasn’t going to ponder childish folktales aloud around warriors. Pele discussed the possibility of practicing with throwing knives and that seemed like a useful trick to learn, especially given the nature of foes Abrazimir found himself facing in this New Age.

”I’m game for that, as long as we aren’t throwing them at each other. Trastion will be here tomorrow for his actual training, why don’t we come back then and try it? Then he could join us too, after his sparring, if he likes.” He suggested to the two of them, though he invited Trastion because he was growing rather curious about where this young man came from. He said he came up from Lamedon. Stonecrest, was it? That was near to Ossarnen, where Abrazimir’s sister lived. Maybe Trastion had been there too. In any case, he wasn’t going to hound the young man about it today.

[Rillewen]

@Pele Alarion @Lantaelen

Recruit Trastion Leithor
(with Pele and Abrazimir - some point before Midsummer)

Trastion smiled. "Yeah, I guess I did." He agreed with the captain's comment, as he managed to get one of the buckles undone. While it would have been easier to ask for help, they were busy getting out of their own stuff, so he figured it would be better if he just did it himself. If he could, anyway. So, he kept at it until he managed to get the rest of the buckles and then sighed in relief as he pulled the thing off of himself.

Once the rest of his borrowed gear was put away on the rack in the shed, he got another drink of the cool water. "So, are you a ranger too?" He asked Abrazimir, though he found that somewhat confusing. He had thought he was a knight, not a ranger. But Tras had been away from home for a few years by now, and maybe some things had changed quite a bit. Also, being well-aware of who this was, Trastion made a bit more conscious effort to make sure his speech would match that of the common folk he had been around for the last few years, in Lamedon. It wasn't tremendously different from what he had grown up hearing, but it had enough differences to not be too close.

He paused in slight surprise to hear him suggest they could come back and try throwing knives tomorrow, at the time when Trastion would be here for his actually session. "Um, I don't mind that, but I might be busy doing whatever Lieutenant Dealedwen says to do." He mentioned with a little shrug. "So, it might be just you two. I think tomorrow is a sword day," He frowned, trying to recall if it was sword or archery. "So, we'll see." He suspected that his training session with Arnyn would leave no room for extra things like that, but he figured he could wait and see how that went, tomorrow.

"I think I'm going to go now and cool off, then change into some dry clothes." He decided, glancing down at his sweat-soaked clothes. "And try to enjoy the rest of my day off." He added with a little grin. "Nice to meet you," He added with a nod to Abrazimir. "And thanks for letting me join you, captain." He smiled at her, then waved to them both before grabbing anything that he'd brought with him, and then set off to return to the forest.

(Trastion out)

[Pele Alarion]

@Arnyn

Captain Pele Alarion
Sparring with Arnyn, end of August

Pele had started slow, almost overthinking each movement; luckily, Arnyn's resistance made her transition rather quickly from thinking over each movement hundred times to swift and efficient application of long-learned practice.

"Probably you are right again, Nyn," Pele replied, looking back at her friend with a small smile as she got up from where she had been deposited. "It's more that I still want to go back to what was and have trouble kicking the doubt out rather than anything really wrong with my physical abilities, after the slight adjustments made. Well, I am not sure how to explain that state of my being to you. It's like..."

For a few moments Pele frowned as she searched for the right words and then shrugged. "I'll get there eventually, to functioning in full current potential."

"So..." she tilted her head slightly, as if evaluating Arnyn to plot out her nest move, her blue eyes reflecting a mix of quiet laughter and stubborn intention.

[Arnyn]

@Pele Alarion

Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen
With Pele, end of August

"What it sounds like to me is that you are continuously underestimating yourself, Pelepele," Arnyn said pointedly. "You're physically there, I think. Just not yet ready to recognize that. It's a mental game." The Lieutenant crossed her arms, a little smile on her lips. "I think you might have been better off sparring hand-to-hand with someone who is a bit less advanced at it, though," she teased.

"So..." Arnyn uncrossed her arms and fell into a balanced, wide stance. "Are you going to try and hit me anytime soon, Captain?" She resisted a grin.

[Pele Alarion]

@Lantaelen , @Rillewen
Captain Pele Alarion
Sparring with Abrazimir and Trastion

Finally having rid herself of the heavy armour, Pele was glad to remain only in her own light training equipment though she did not show that much of the relief outwardly. She took a few more sips of cool water, listening to Abrazimir and Trastion respond to her offer.

“Tomorrow might do, though I would come very early since I have duties later on,” she laid out the circumstances that could not be changed. “I wouldn’t mind company if you want to join me.”

Checking that Tras had shed his armour without needing any assistance, Pele nodded slightly in satisfaction. “Well… if I know anything about Lieutenant Dealedwen, you are likely to be very busy indeed, Trastion. I hope sparring with us didn’t leave you too bruised.”

She looked after the Recruit as he left, and then turned towards Abrazimir. “Taking the early morning offer, or would you rather not?” Her blue eyes glinted with quiet amusement.

---

Captain Pele Alarion
Sparring with Arnyn, end of August

“Huh,” Pele huffed when she admitted to herself that Arnyn was pointing out something she had been struggling with much of the time even before Umbar, and it was likely that it showed now more visibly after the captors had been keen on playing on this once they discovered her flaw.

“What? Should I go and practice on recruits?” Pele stuck the tip of her tongue out at her friend and then offered a somewhat silly grin.

The Captain observed Arnyn switch to a ready stance, and shook her head. It seemed that her friend mostly preferred to wait for attacks and then play off of those rather than be the first to attack. A smart tactic.

“Let’s see what I can do against your legendary skills, Nyn,” she said, lifting fisted hand up near her face and tucking her chin. Catching herself with tense and somewhat hunched shoulders, she rolled them back and down. Without any dancing around in circles, Pele moved in and snapped a quick hit with her right hand towards Arnyn’s nose to test out the water, so to say. She intended to retract her arm just as quickly to avoid it being caught and switched her stance to aim a kick with her left leg for Arnyn’s right side.

[Arnyn]

@Pele Alarion

Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen
With Pele, end of August

"Nooo," Arnyn laughed. "Recruits would be too easy..."

When Pele called her skills legendary, Arnyn resisted rolling her eyes and instead narrowed them at her friend. She knew Pele liked to distract and attack out of the blue. Arnyn wouldn't be falling for that. She knew it was coming, after all.

Therefore, she didn't quite trust the very direct, very forward jab toward her face. The Lieutenant moved her torso and head out of the way, to her right, moving her left foot back to pivot and evade the quick punch. She saw Pele's side kick coming a little too late to evade that as well. Instead, Arnyn grabbed at Pele's ankle with both hands. She would try and catch it with both hands, pull Pele's ankle over to her left side while stepping toward the Captain with her left foot. To finish the move, she'd hold onto the ankle with her left hand and stretch out her right arm in front of Pele's chest while trying to land a dangerous kick to the back of Pele's right ankle. Arnyn would try and maintain her hold on the leg Pele kicked with and push Pele's torso back with her outstretched right hand. The combination with the kick would send most adversaries tumbling backward, falling onto their back or butt.

[Pele Alarion]

@Arnyn
Captain Pele Alarion
Sparring with Arnyn, end of August

It did not surprise Pele that she could not really pull off an unexpected attack on Arnyn, at any rate not when they were facing each other in full readiness; and it was difficult to come up with something new to startle and distract her friend with.

Her foot was caught, not quite surprisingly, and Pele jumped around on one foot to try and adjust her weight distribution slightly according to Arnyn's movements. Instead of struggling to pull her captured leg out of the grip, Pele accepted the unavoidability of the fall, and as she felt her supporting leg kicked out from under her, she forced herself not to flail her arms around like a chicken trying to fly, but attempted to grab Arnyn's right arm with both of her hands as far up as she could reach to see if she could pull her friend down with her.

[Arnyn]

@Pele Alarion

Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen
With Pele, end of August

Pele grabbed onto her right arm and pulled it down. Instead of resisting, Arnyn let her. But she lowered herself down with the movement, turning toward Pele by stepping in with her left foot. Meanwhile, Arnyn tried twisting her right arm in such a way that it would break out of Pele's grasp, like a lever that using the opening between Pele's thumb and index finger to force its way out. Doubtlessly it woudl have worked if Pele had been grabbing her lower arm, but the Captain had managed to grab onto the upper arm instead, and that gave Arnyn less leeway.

The Lieutenant was grinning as she changed course and decided to lower down further to aim dropped her right knee in Pele's stomach. "Fun!" she commented, on the way down.

[Lantaelen]

@Pele Alarion @Rillewen

Abrazimir Dimaethor
Sparring with Trastion Leithor & Pele Alarion, Training Grounds (finishing up)

So, are you a Ranger too? ”Used to be.” Abrazimir replied. ”Did a lot of my training here, when I was younger. About your age. But I transferred over to Dol Amroth once I was ready to get my knighthood. I still come here. Memories.” He shrugged with a smile. Lot of memories, some good, some bad. And a lot of friends. And in this day and age, who knows, he might even get to see the King or Queen. That was certainly new and exciting.

”You better listen to Lieutenant Dealedwen, then.” He chuckled, understanding Trastion’s other obligations if he couldn’t make the next unofficial session they might have, alongside Pele who made a similar comment. More like a warning. ”Well met, Trastion.” Abrazimir said, when the younger Recruit made his farewell and took off, leaving the knight and the Captain behind. Young man certainly had talent. And he did remind Abrazimir of someone, he just couldn’t quite place his finger on it. It felt like the name was at the tip of his tongue, but Abrazimir knew that man had passed away in an unfortunate accident.

He rolled his shoulders and pulled at his arms, one hand grabbing the other wrist to stretch them out before him. ”Oh, I wouldn’t miss it.” He assured Pele with a grin, about the next day’s training session, very early in the morning. ”I’m still here for a few days. Not much else to do. Everything alright with you then, Captain?” He inquired thoughtfully, before he would take his leave for the day.

[Pele Alarion]

@Arnyn
Captain Pele Alarion
Sparring with Arnyn, end of August

Pele saw the danger involved in the attempt to pull Arnyn down with her as soon as she hit the ground and saw that her friend was no longer trying to get rid of her grab and instead was working with it. She let go of Arnyn's arm and simultaneously attempted to scoot sideways using her elbows, shoulders, and heels.

And then, it seemed like Arnyn's single word - "fun" - had a strange effect on her. There was nothing truly fun in training itself, and yet Pele grinned back at the Lieutenant, and suddenly burst into a hearty laughter. She willed herself to stop, and yet kept laughing for a good long while as if the joy she had held locked up for years had decided that this was the exact moment to burst out.

"Ah... it may as well be," she finally concluded, still between short bouts of laughter, even as her eyes keenly looked for a way to transition from the unexpected lapse of attention back to sparring, assessing if her merriment had thrown Arnyn off of her constant battle readiness.

---

@Lantaelen
Captain Pele Alarion
with Abrazimir only now

Pele brushed some stray hair out of her eyes and then splashed the cool water on her face some more as it still seemed to be very much hot after all the effort.

"Right then, I'll be expecting you tomorrow morning," she smiled at Abrazimir. "And I'm all right. Just weary and perhaps a bruise or two, but that is not much to complain about. No?" She had gone through many much longer and rigorous sessions before, and this one fell somewhere in the middle difficulty.

"Should we meet in this same spot then? Well, near this shed?" she offered.

[Arnyn]

@Pele Alarion

Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen
With Pele, end of August

Her knee ended up on the ground rather than on Pele, but that was quite alright. Especially since her friend was backing away and... laughing. Arnyn grinned as she got back to her feet fluidly, never abandoning a prepared stance. She did take the opportunity to glance around them, but there was still no one to be seen anywhere nearby.

"Alright, Captain," Arnyn brought Pele back on task with a residual half grin. "Let's see whether you've lost anything else along with that pinky finger of yours." The Lieutenant followed up on her statement with a sudden approach and a series of kicks and jabs. Pele was fast to respond, evading what she could and blocking what she could not - but there was little to no time to get any counters in, it seemed. Arnyn pushed Pele back, yard after yard, even though the Captain took no direct hits.

Despite the fact the Captain was 'losing ground', she wasn't losing the fight. And since punches and kicks were clearly not getting her anywhere anytime soon, Arnyn abandoned that approach. Instead she stepped right up to her friend, her right arm hugging Pele's torso, and she moved her right foot around and behind Pele's own right leg, before trying to unceremoniously use her arm and body weight to push Pele backwards.

[Approved by Pele]

[Lantaelen]

@Pele Alarion

Abrazimir Dimaethor
Sparring with Trastion Leithor & Pele Alarion, Training Grounds (finishing up with Captain Pele Alarion)

Abrazimir grinned at the Captain’s remarks. Nothing too serious, that shouldn’t be expected in a training ground where swords, axes, and all manner of weapons were used. He could feel a few aches and throbs of his own, though he treated them more as…rejuvenating, than points of pain to be avoided. ”Hopefully it’s not as hot tomorrow morning as today was.” He wiped at his brow.

”Same spot works for me. I’ll find you here, perhaps an hour or two after dawn.” He nodded, picking up bits of his gear that he had removed so far, getting ready to head back to his lodgings. ”I’ll see you then, Captain. Be well, farewell.” He beckoned, a finger to the side of his brow, then snapped off in her direction in a brief salute and acknowledgement.

[Pele Alarion]

@Arnyn
Captain Pele Alarion
Sparring with Arnyn, end of August

Pele would have continued in her playful mood; however, Arnyn's onslaught left no room for it. At first she just warded off the incoming kicks and punches on an instinctual level, her body moving according to patterns engrained during seemingly endless training sessions and fighting experience while her mind was catching up to the sudden change of pace. A particularly difficult series of strikes made her revisit the desperate feeling of having to fend for her life, but she swiftly brought herself back to reality. This was not Umbar. She was not fighting an enemy. She was not handicapped due to starvation and thirst. This was Gondor, and she was testing her skills against those of her ally, her close friend in fact. She had been retreating step by step until she eventually came to settle mentally on the here and now, able to analyse and think strategically. Even when she was finally present with the whole of her being, it was difficult to find an opening to slip in an attack of her own.

After a while, it appeared that her friend had decided to change her mode of attack, moving in close. It was too late to avoid such close quarters now, and perceiving Arnyn's intent Pele moved her hips back slightly to give her a wider base for balance. When she felt Arnyn's leg against the back of hers, she moved the leg with the pressure initially and then lifted it up and over to position it out of reach of immediate repeated attack. At the same time she tried to push back against Arnyn to see if she could unbalance her friend. Neither appeared to have an immediate advantage, and they engaged in what looked like some sort of a dance with an intricate footwork and the parties mostly working along and off each other's moves rather than in direct opposition.

Eventually they did end up on the ground, causing a small cloud of dust and sand to rise about them. Even though Pele found herself with her back on the ground and Arnyn looming over her, she had no intention of giving in. She focused on trying to capture Arnyn's waist with her legs and tried to keep her arms close enough to protect against any choke hold or incoming punches while aiming to land an elbow or two anywhere on the Lieutenant's torso whenever she saw an opportunity.

/Bearing Arnyn's seal of approval/

[Pele Alarion]

Captain Pele Alarion
Intending to train with Abrazimir @Lantaelen

The following morning Pele made sure to wake up early enough to go down to the training grounds and do some exercising and then take a break around the time of sunrise to watch it paint the white stone of the city in most beautiful colours making it look as if it was blushing. Without much hesitation she got out of bed, got herself ready in forest green and brown clothing and light leather armour, making sure to have her throwing knives on her, as well as a few necessary items in the small pack she carried almost always. With a small visit to the little mess to grab some on-the-go breakfast, she set out the door only to find gentle rain drizzling from overcast sky. If it persisted, there might not be the sunrise view she craved. But rain or no rain, down all the circles she went at a light trot.

Greeting the guards at the gate of the training grounds with a hearty salute in return for theirs, she continued towards some of her favourite trails which were still hidden in the morning dusk. Playfully she jumped over the puddles in her way and avoided collections of mud as best she could; and refreshing showers from overhanging tree branches caused a grin to settle on her lips, and a merry twinkle in her eyes.

When the Captain deemed that it was about time for her to head back towards the shed to meet up with Abrazimir, she did so by deciding to take a small detour by tackling some obstacles of the obstacle course. She happened to come unto the ladder which she climbed swiftly yet cautiously being aware that the wood might be slippery. When she reached the top, she sat there a while and assessed the sky. It was still raining, and the clouds covered the sky, yet she could spot a few specks of lighter blue and a few rays of the rising sun seemed to press through the thick blanked here and there. Satisfied with the view, Pele climbed back down on the other side, slowly and carefully walked over a balance beam, and then found herself facing the rope netting under which she knew the mud bath to form in rainy weather. She hesitated only a moment doubting if it was worth getting dirty, frowned thoughtfully, shrugged, and then swiftly dove under the ropes. She came for training, so train she would. When she got out on the other end, mud was all over her clothes, on her hands, and on her face, and she did not bother attempting to brush any of it off. A quick splash of water at the shed would do to rinse the worst off her face and hands.

She headed towards the shed at the same easy run she had maintained for most of her visit to the training grounds, and looked for the familiar form of Abrazimir. A mischievous thought of finding a hiding place and springing an attack from ambush on him came to her mind should he not be present yet, and she would be more likely to act on it than not, if the circumstances were just right.

[Arnyn]

@Pele Alarion

Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen
With Pele, end of August

When Pele wrapped her legs around her waist, Arnyn straightened her back. She was sitting on her knees between Pele's legs, the Captain's legs now around her waist, and she knew that it would be folly to lean forward. If she did, Pele would have all the power. So instead, the Lieutenant kept her back straight, as if she were a sword plunged down vertically into stone. It kept her in a good position to ward off Pele's attacks, and Pele could not pull her forward to try and get her into a different hold. Arnyn knew how to hinge her hips forward to keep any of that from happening.

All the Captain could do was come up to Arnyn, by grabbing onto the Lieutenant and pulling her own torso up and off the ground. That, in turn, gave Arnyn the opportunity to easily break the hold of Pele's legs around her waist. Within the space of a breath, Arnyn was free and away. She'd returned to her feet, about a yard back. Looking at Pele with a knowing smile.

"I do not believe the lack of your pinky finger is hindering you much anymore, Captain," she noted drily. Arnyn offered Pele a hand to get up. "If I may... speak freely? Pele?"

[Pele aproved]

[Lantaelen]

@Pele Alarion

Abrazimir Dimaethor
Sparring with Pele Alarion, Training Grounds

Abrazimir enjoyed a long and comfortable slumber after the day of sparring with Captain Alarion and the new recruit, Trastion. It was no difficulty at all to arise very early in the morning, practically with the dawn, to begin yet another day on the sands of the training grounds. This time, Abrazimir elected to not break his fast until after the session, and chose also not to wear his heavy armour. He wore a long leather tunic over dark trousers, tucked into his armoured boots, with a coat of chain mail and gauntlets to match, along with his swan-helm and another surcoat upon it all depicting the White Swan of Dol Amroth, along with a cloak to keep dry from the rain. He looked more like a common foot soldier in the line than a knight. It would help even the score, he figured.

He arrived at the Training Grounds not long after the Captain had, nodding to the guard and continuing his way inwards. He expected to find the Captain in all the authority of her rank. He would never have expected to see her covered in mud. He made his way to the appointed spot for the meet and looked about him, frowning a little as he noticed a few stained by the mud and wet sand that morning. He realized too, with a frown, his outfit would become equally filthy by the end. But if it didn’t, could it really be called a proper training session? He wondered where Pele was, wondering if he got here too early. Or perhaps too late.

[Pele Alarion]

@Arnyn
Captain Pele Alarion
With Arnyn, end of August

It had been a difficult task to come up with some way to move Arnyn from her well held position, and as soon as Pele gave her the smallest opportunity – off she went. Pele ended up sitting and looking at her friend with a little bit of suspicion, prepared to stand, or rather sit in this case, her ground.

But the reading of Arnyn’s body language, words, and finally the outstretched hand told Pele that her friend probably had seen enough to make evaluation.

“Well…” she started, with a smile of her own as she took the assistance of the provided hand and was back on her feet in no time. “I certainly trust that you would speak freely, Nyn. I am not sure others would be willing to do that for me.”

“At any rate, it seems that you just might be right since you did not finish me off, so to say,” she chuckled softly. “Anything else you would like to say freely?” Pele ran her hands over her attire to dust herself off a bit and glanced at the sword briefly – she did not quite feel like doing much more training.

“There’s something else I’d like to discuss with you, if I may take my turn to speak freely,” she said after a while, and then added as an afterthought: “Not Umbar related, for once.”

---

Captain Pele Alarion
With Abrazimir @Lantaelen

On her approach, Pele spotted Abrazimir already waiting – he could be easily spotted even without his usual armour, or so it seemed. Unless he was carefully hiding it under that cloak to keep it safe from rain. She made towards him but noted that he did not seem to recognise her even though he looked her way a couple times.

A grin formed on her mud-stained face, and she turned her steps away towards the far corner of the equipment shed and at a light trot ran around it. Waiting until Abrazimir’s back was on her, she made for a couple barrels as lightly as she could and hid behind them. Her hand found one of the three apples she had brought with her for a snack.

When an opportune moment came, she sprung up from behind her barricade and with a flick of her wrist sent the apple on its way for Abrazimir’s broad back.

“Aha! What’s this? Have I caught a knight unprepared in his post?” she called out to him and chuckled softly, as she leaned her forearms on top of the barrels and watched carefully to determine whether it was safe to come out into the open or should Abrazimir decide to leave behind his noble act and retaliate.

[Lantaelen]

@Pele Alarion

Abrazimir Dimaethor
Sparring with Pele Alarion, Training Grounds

When the projectile struck Abrazimir on his back, he nearly leapt out of his armour and his skin from the fright of the surprise. His first thought was it must be a bunch of little squires thinking they could get away with playing a prank on an unsuspecting knight. A whack with the training sword would show them. But when he turned, he saw it was not a gaggle of snickering squires, but only one…mud covered Captain, who was totally allowed to get away with such a prank.

Abrazimir though could not help but grin. Pele was covered in mud and hardly looked like an officer. But he still gave her a salute. ”You caught me.” He admitted freely. ”Good morning, Captain. I’m afraid being weary of flung apples was not totally covered in my earlier training regimes.” He retorted in light jest. He wasn’t going to retaliate, at least not with an equal prank of some kind. They were on the training grounds. Such things could be dealt with in more practical means.

”You’ve been rather busy this morning, I see.” He said in reference to the caked mud on her outfit, coming to stand on the other side of the barrels. He’ll probably be just as covered with the mud and rain after a good hour or so here. ”What is on your mind for today’s training?”

[Arnyn]

@Pele Alarion

Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen
With Pele, end of August

"You think?" Arnyn asked Pele with a doubtful smile. She, for one, thought many people trusted Pele enough to speak freely with her. "People like and respect you," she countered. "And they trust you. Perhaps the rank makes it a bit harder to speak without any kind of filter," she allowed. "But I think many are willing to do much more for you than you believe."

She nodded at Pele's assessment, and then slanted her head when Pele added she also wanted to discuss something. Speaking freely. With a curious frown, Arnyn nodded a second time. "If I were less experienced, you might have made me sweat." Arnyn flashed Pele a grin as she gestured for them to get whatever things they had lying around together and then head for the exit. "But yes, of course you may. As for my part..."

"From what you have been showing me, from what I have experienced here on the grounds when sparring with you..." Arnyn looked over at Pele as they walked. She spoke quietly, so no one would overhear, but her voice was determined although also sympathetic. "You have no reason left to doubt yourself physically. None. If you still think or feel like there is, I want to tell you..." She shook her head. "I want to impress upon you... it is all no more than an illusion. An illusion they wanted to force upon you, so you might be less than you are, even if you ever made it out of there. Pele -" Arnyn reached over for her friend's arm. "There is nothing left for you to fix. It is no more than this illusion, this idea - that they have shoved into your mind. You can let go of it. Underneath everything, you are not broken. You are more than 'good enough'. You are whole. Let go of this idea that you still need to fix something about yourself." Her plea was genuine, and the love and care she felt for Pele was right there in those dark eyes of hers. "Please. Realize that there is nothing to fix."

[Pele Alarion]

@Arnyn
Captain Pele Alarion
With Arnyn, end of August

“You might be right, perhaps the rank causes some hindrances and there might be things I do not realise, but then again… I am not supposed to be everybody’s buddy either way, no?” Pele allowed, buckling her sword back on and fetching her belongings. “Honesty and trust always, though. And some friendship to stave off loneliness.”

“I assume you have not done anything to deserve scolding if you are not sweating at my words,” she returned Arnyn’s grin, falling alongside her as they set off from the sparring area.

The Captain walked in silence as she mulled over the Lieutenant’s words, turning them over and over in her mind, and when Arnyn reached for her arm, she stopped and turned to face her.

“You know how hard I have been on myself, constantly driving myself as hard as I could, constantly striving,” she began in response, and her blue eyes darkened with a hint of resurfacing anguish. “But what you said… They managed to break through my defences. I’ve been driving myself so hard not to improve or master new skills but in an attempt to get rid of feeling broken, soiled, dirty… trying to escape the shadow of Umbar still hanging over me.”

She searched her friend’s eyes for confirmation and assurance, and then lifted her chin as a spiteful glint replaced the pain.

“You know… why should I give them a foothold in my life? Angmar take them! I choose to live!” turning again to start walking she added, “If you see me ever depart from this decision, I give you permission to kick me or whatever else it takes. Yes? Satisfied?” she glanced back at Arnyn with a grin.

---

@Lantaelen
Captain Pele Alarion
With Abrazimir

Pele moved from a step away from the barrels to return Abrazimir’s salute in all sincerity, though a grin remained on her face.

“Morning, Abrazimir,” she watched him come over to her side of the barricade. “It would have been bad to shoot an actual arrow at you, right? Apple did not harm at least. Though can’t blame you for not being overly wary in the middle of Ranger training grounds – the chances of an enemy sneaking up on you right here are slight, though not impossible.”

The mischievous grin had turned into a small smile as her words had gained a bit of seriousness, and now she considered the options for training.

“I went for a run on my favourite trails and did a part of the obstacle course,” she explained, and her hand moved to brush some of the mud away from her attire as she spoke. “I demand a lot from my Rangers, but nothing that I would not do myself. Including crawling through mud on my belly. The training then…”

She looked out across the training grounds and then continued: “I figure a bit of throwing knives at first, and then…” Pele’s eyes returned to Abrazimir. “Perhaps spears? I assume you are good with those? I could do with brushing up on my skills as it is neither my first or second weapon of choice. Perhaps learn a couple new things. What about you, Abrazimir? What would you want to do?”

[Arnyn]

@Pele Alarion

Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen
With Pele, end of August

"I don't know if I'm satisfied," Arnyn said with a smile, still holding onto Pele's arm. "I want you to realize you can really leave that doubt and shadow behind you. You have proved that you can. You've proved it with Mourgan, at the barracks, when he was so grievously wounded by Relic. You chose life then, Pele. So I know you can do it now. And you know it too. They don't have anything over you. You belong to yourself, and no other. And even if Keket were to stand in front of you tomorrow, you could choose to cut him down, or to have another Ranger do it - and the result will be the same. Just one more dead man. You - however. You will still be Pele Alarion. Kind. Wise. Trusted. Strong."

Arnyn gently let go of Pele's arm then. "But alright. I will kick you - or whatever else it takes - if I think you are sliding back into doubt." She raised an eyebrow. "You cannot be upset about it, though..."

"Now... What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

[Lantaelen]

@Pele Alarion

Abrazimir Dimaethor
Sparring with Pele Alarion, Training Grounds

Not impossible? The comment had Abrazimir raising his eyebrows in amusement and curiosity. Now how would that opinion have come about, if it had not actually happened before? It was a sign that he should have been on guard even in the most friendliest and guarded of places. And thus was the purpose of the Training Grounds, to teach and impart such wisdom.

”You’re a good Captain, ma’am.” He remarked with a wide grin, when Pele stated she would not ask of her Rangers anything she would not do. Including…playing at worms. He heard her suggestions and peered out on the grounds, weighing up the options. ”Throwing knives would be a good start. Get the blood flowing, at the very least. Nor is it something I’ve had much chance to do or try.” He agreed at first, nodding his head.

”Spears? As much as any mounted knight. It is the primary weapon we use on horseback, until they’ve been broken on a foe or shield. Though, I’ve always considered mastery of the spear to involve teamwork, such as on horseback or apart of a shield wall. I’ve never fought singly with it. Always had something more…suitable, like a sword. That too would be something new. I’m agreeable to that.” Being at a disadvantage with his inexperience, it might allow the shorter woman a chance to knock Abrazimir into the mud a few times, especially given he chose not to wear his heavy armour today.

”Afterwards? An exchange of swords and regular dueling would be a great way to close out the training regiment for today. What do you think, Captain?”

[Pele Alarion]

@Lantaelen
Captain Pele Alarion
Training with Abrazimir

"Then I would guess you would prefer simple practice of throwing knives and not attempting to do it while going through the obstacle course, right?" Pele asked, a twinkle in her eye. The constant drizzle of rain already made it slightly more difficult, and the muddy and slippery course would likely make the weapons slip out of grimy hands and to the ground rather than hit a target. "Should we make it into a little competition of sorts, or just use it as a warm up?"

"I figure spear can be quite formidable even when not in formation. Or... we could use a quarterstaff to spar with instead of a spear," she offered another option to Abrazimir. "Or is that not familiar to you?"

Pele turned to scoop some water from one of the barrels and clean off the remainder of mud from her palms to make sure her grip on throwing knives would be good, and she simply shook off the water instead of drying her hands on her trousers which was her custom when out training - considering her garments were rather muddy and would make the washing of hands a useless exercise.

"Sure, don't mind ending with some good old sword practice," she agreed to the offer. "Shall we had over and prod some holes in one of the wooden targets then?" she nodded towards the row of three round wooden targets supported on human-height poles.

[Lantaelen]

@Pele Alarion

Abrazimir Dimaethor
Sparring with Pele Alarion, Training Grounds

The idea of going through the practice course while training with throwing knives…she meant hitting targets or being the target? Abrazimir had a feeling the Captain was up to some mischief today. She wanted to make a competition out of it too. He looked her up and down…no way, he was going to lose! But, he was a good sport. It would make do as a warm up. ”Quarterstaff, that would be new. But what is a Training Ground for if not to practice such things, starting from nil experience? Quarterstaffs we can do.” He consented to that idea, for now.

She offered to head over to the targets then for some practice, but he shook his head. ”No, let’s do this…obstacle course, throwing knife challenge of yours first. After that at least, we will be equal in being caked with mud. It will make for a good warm up too.” He chuckled, taking off his gloves. He would have the same start as her. And maybe an equal number of calluses gained at the end. ”What did you have in mind for that? Fastest time to complete the course, with most bullseyes hit?”

[Pele Alarion]

Captain Pele Alarion
Training with Abrazimir
@Lantaelen

"So, you don't mind the obstacle course? Fine!" Pele lifted her chin slightly and looked at Abrazimir with a grin. "There are target boards fastened to trees alongside the course, so it would be an exercise of making it through the course quickly, while retaining the ability to spot targets and hit them. Speed and accuracy, yes."

She then reached to pat one of the knives. "However, I am rather fond of this set of throwing knives that I have; five trusty blades. Can you promise me not to lose any? Or should we borrow the practice ones from the storage?" she asked, and then continued. "Besides, I might have to do the course as well since I only did a part of it and without throwing any knives."

Pointing the finger up as if she was about to share an important point, she suggested: "How about the loser doing fifty press-ups? Or... a lap around the running track, flapping arms like a chicken?" Her blue eyes glinted with laughter, and she figured it would be all good fun even if she herself ended up on the receiving end of the consequences for losing.

[Lantaelen]

@Pele Alarion

Abrazimir Dimaethor
Sparring with Pele Alarion, Training Grounds

Abrazimir felt he was getting into the thick of it, first thing on this rainy morning. The way the Captain was grinning and challengingly was frightening in a way. But too late. He was committed now. ”Speed and accuracy.” He nodded. The first he could do. The second…might be a problem. ”If the knives are precious to you, we should certainly use the training ones. I don’t know where they might go if I threw one and missed. Over the wall maybe.” He grinned apologetically. They were nice knives she had. He’d hate to be the reason the family of blades lost one of their members.

He pouted his lips and raised his eyebrows, when Pele lifted a finger to continue on another point, Abrazimir falling quiet like a school boy in class. At her terms and conditions for the loser, he gave a laugh. ”Fifty press-ups it is. I don’t think I could do justice to the chicken run.” He shook his head, still laughing. That’s not a story he’d want going around about him. He then gestured to the Captain.

”Care to start us off then, Captain? You know what they say, age before beauty, but you got both of those things more than me, so…” he shrugged casually, putting the burden on setting the trend and opening score on her.