"Training, I do be thinking you need some."

 

The words lingered in Adela's mind as she stepped out. Nona's words, in her soft Illianer accent. For the past two weeks, Adela had found herself horribly bored. When she had first arrived, everything about the Ranch had been fresh and new, there were new grounds to go over and new people to cross sides with. Suspicions had arisen in her, lessons had been learnt but once such things had been traversed upon, what next? Herblore, she was learning speedily, and Nona herself said that Adela was a quick one. Adela had always known she had had it in her, but the truth was that learning about herbs was interesting. It amazed her how the most innocent leaf, if crushed could cause death quicker than the blinking of an eyelash, or that any wound she was subject to could be nursed effectively. It even scared her sometimes, but that was in her most private thoughts and definitely not something she would let any other at Rashad Ranch be aware of. Not even Nona.

 

Her suggestion was a wise one, though. Nona had brought it up gently, as she always brought up things that would cause a drastic Bela's Droppings in a Bag! in Adela's life. Gently, but now firmly. "Cari do be knowing all there is to weaponry. You should not waste such a chance, Adela." Cari Namere. Adela knew little about the woman, except what she had from Nona. Upon asking Nona for more, she had turned and said as a final end to the choice before Adela, that she should find out for herself. Sighing, Adela had agreed with a shaking head, claiming accussingly that Nona had a way with words that was much too persuasive for her beaming bakery skills. In return Nona had laughed. She would go to this Cari Namere, Nona informed her, and ask her to accept Adela as a student.

 

Today was to be their first day. Adela wondered with some level of nerves about what Cari was like. Never having been personally acquainted with the woman, it was natural for her to be curious. Would she be a strict teacher? What would she teach her really? Nona was friends with her though, which made Adela a little more secure about the lengths that the training could go to. Cari's house was diagonal to Nona's, and it was with a few steady paces that she found herself facing a door. Rapping it sharply, Adela waited for the owner to answer.

 

~Adela

 

 

Cari answered her door and found the girl that lived with Nona standing outside. Nona had asked her to teach her and Cari had agreed, it was part of her job, and the girl was learning how to be an assassin as well.

 

Cari nodded for the girl to come in. She didn't wait before stepping into the first lesson, she knew why she was here and now was the perfect time as any to begin.

 

"What do you know of weapons or of ko'di?"

 

Cari needed the answers before she could truly begin teaching Adela. She only knew the warderish way to teach it, and it was by far the best to learn if you asked her.

 

Cari

Bidding Nona goodbye with a smile, Adela stepped into the house with a level of caution. It would not be unlike one like Cari to start training immediately, for she reminded her a little in demeanour and stature of her previous teacher Kiserai. Kiserai, had proceeded to press Adela down on buckled knees a few seconds after she had introduced herself, and Adela much preferred the possibility of not having to do so a second time. Or at least at any rate, be a little more aware if such a case was to greet her path.

 

Cari however, surprised her by taking a different angle to teaching. The question wasn’t one that was unanticipated, but Adela had believed that different means would’ve been used by Cari to go about receiving her answer. If this would suffice for Cari though, Adela by all means was happy to oblige. She thought for a few seconds over what she knew- Kiserai had taught her little about weapons themselves, but Kane had made her learn a few grasping and throwing exercises with daggers. She said as much, without mentioning any names and then continued on to wonder about the other word she had uttered, that tinge of question in Cari’s voice now mirrored by Adela’s mind. Ko’di? There was something irritatingly familiar about the word, as if someone had said such a word to her before, but the memory slipped away like grains of sand, no matter how furiously she battled to remember.

 

She would not give Cari an empty stare though. Even if it meant she was to make a fool of herself, she would attempt an answer. “Is ko’di a technique weapon masters use?” Vague, she knew, but considering her vaguer memory, she hoped Cari would accept it with humour.

 

Cari smiled, some training but not much training in the void, or her teacher failed to remind her of the name given to the flame and void's purpose.  "Ko'di is a technique used by many warriors.  It means the oneness in the Old Tongue.  ko'di is a means to becoming one with the world around you so that you fight better.  Some people know it only as the Flame and the Void."  Cari didn't stop to see if the concept was familiar.

 

"Reaching the void may sound simple, and reaching it is, however maintaining is not always."  Cari motioned for Adela to sit down on the floor and she sat down where she stood, Adela was to sit in front of her.

 

"To reach ko'di you need to remove all emotion from your mind.  There are other ways to do this, but this is the only way I know and will be the only way I can teach you. "  Cari closed her eyes.  "Close your eyes and imagine a flame.  Feed each single emotion into that flame and watch it burn like paper in a fire until there is none left.  And you have obtained the void."  Cari's voice changed on the last sentence.  It was emotionless, cool and quiet.  She had long since mastered ko'di and how to teach it.

 

"Keep trying until you can hold it enough to talk to me, and then tell me what you feel."

 

Cari

bumping... you still want to continue hun?

The floor she sat down on was welcomingly cold, after the dust and swelter of the Ranch. She listened to what Cari had to say carefully, because unlike the first impression her teacher must’ve received-which was undoubtedly one of doubt about just how much Adela knew, or how much her previous trainers had taught her on- Adela was determined not only to make a good record, but also to take every drop of knowledge that she could procure from the woman sitting before her.

 

As Cari explained the meaning behind the word, Adela tested it on her lips. Ko’di. Oneness. The way Cari explained it, Adela found herself drawn to the technique, in the same manner she would’ve been to any means that would better her currently not so brilliant polished skills. Adela had always thought that her greatest weakness was how easily her emotions changed her manners and actions, be it doing risky but brave acts under anger, or cowardly attempts to run away while fearful. If this philosophy would teach her how to sift between the two and find balance, or as Cari had titled it, Oneness, then Adela would do her very best to learn it. Quickly.

 

Eyes closing the instant she was instructed to do so, she followed the steps as they came. A bright flame crackled and burned in her mind’s eye, shifting colour from red to orange just the way it had very early this morning, when she had risen. When she heard Cari’s next direction, the flame flickered and Adela frowned as she concentrated. How do you ‘feed’ emotion into anything, came the question and as her focus on the puzzle grew, the flame flickered little by little. It was only when, while wandering through various possibilities that Adela remembered what another had told her. It had been in relation to control her temper, a suggestion from a charming woman who had told her that rather to let it go by lashing out, Adela should learn to ease it out of herself, by focussing elsewhere. Would it work if she attempted to use it for something else?

 

She tried it now.

 

Curiousity, which always overrode all else in her case. Around the fire stretched black oblivion, and while she could not actually see her emotion get absorbed by the fire, she felt it. It seeped in, little by little. Pushing as only the last gap remained, the flame steadied as she fed in the last of her emotion. Spirited so by success and the strange experience of…freedom, she continued. In the end, she felt calm she hadn’t known when she had first submitted to Cari’s teachings. Pleased, she made to open her mouth and tell Cari that she had achieved it.

 

And then it vanished, and emotion flooded back as if it had broken through a dam. Shock filled her as she realized just how quickly it left a person. Easing her face of the tightly knit brow and the frowning mouth, Adela tried again. This time she was more considerate, more careful with each emotion as she led it into the Flame. There was admittedly a far larger quantity to tackle this time round after her initial shock, but it was not difficult. While it took longer the second time, she was still pleased with her success.

 

Clutching the Void tightly, Adela still pictured the Flame at the back of her mind when she opened her eyes. “I feel…nothing. Does that make sense to you?” She had not intended to sound so detached or calm, but even while saying the words she’d been unable to change it.

 

Cari smiled.  "Perfect sense.  You are doing well.  Stand and we will tax your concentration."

 

Cari grabbed the void with ease and her voice was cold and quiet.  "We will first attempt the basic movements.  While doing these exercises if you lose the void stop and get it again.  The more you practice holding the flame, the easier it will be to maintain it."  Cari smiled, "And as you've already seen losing it can be rather shocking.  In the middle of a fight that would be your down fall, so practice it until you can do it in your sleep."  Cari knew it was a figure of speech but in reality you would learn to grab it in your sleep.  Cari could maintain it in her sleep, she had done so for many years living in the Tower, now she choose not to, and that was the beginnings of her problems...

 

Cari instructed Adela on Advancement and Retreat, the girl knew the motions but she would have to stop to grab the void.  It wasn't about the movements only making her tax her concentration.  Once upon a time she would have used different methods, as she had done with Demus, but she was here to learn to fight, and it was time to treat these would be assassins how to fight but more importantly how to survive and Ko'di would become their best friend while they did the Great Lords bidding.  Cari smiled at the irony of the White Tower teaching those who were to destroy them.

 

You grow darker by the day my dear. May shivered inside and the annoying wailing of Meaghan began again.  It was becoming hard to focus with Meeghan's attitude towards life, afraid of everything and so submissive.  It was starting to grate at Cari's mental well-being. -What well-being?- echoed from Kayla as they continued to advance and retreat.

 

Cari