Lyv had been a mentor for some years and as Mistress of Trainees had taken on groups to train but since about a year she had dropped out of the system and focused more on her own training. Today, this changed as Ginae had asked her to share her knowledge again. The two had had tea one afternoon and Ginae had offered that she could set Lyv up with a guard who could do some Path of Water training, instead of a trainee who she would have to mentor during a longer period of time. As Lyv enjoyed anything to do with her chosen Path, she liked this idea and signed up for special courses to train her fellow guards and warders if they chose to.

 

Deneira had signed up for a class in Path of Water and they had started off with some basics in movement and philosophy of her Path. Deneira picked up quickly and now they were off to a more advanced level, where she would be learning how to wield her sword in different circumstances. She had told Deneira to wear light clothes that could get wet, because if she wore her woolen socks and three layers of shirts and coats and would drop in the water, she would not be able to swim back quite so easily. It was a nice day, the beginning of fall and brown leaves were picked up by a streaming wind as Lyv and Deneira walked up to the waterfall where Lyv loved to do her training.

 

They warmed up by doing a few rounds of running, then Lyv asked Deneira to follow her in a water warm up. They dropped weapons and boots on the grass and hung two towels on a branch. Deneira smiled at the sight of the towels but Lyv added with a wink that they would be needing those later. She dropped into the water and waded to the other side, the river got deeper towards the middle and as she started ankle high, her short height made her go to just over her belly under water. “Now run!†she called to her student and started to fight the water herself. It was not as easy as a well trained warrior might think, the water pulled in different directions and therefore the muscles had to be strained as far as they could go to land you on the other side safely.

 

“After you reach the shore, climb out and run up towards the bottom of the waterfall and cross again to the other side. Repeat this a few times to get fully warmed up,†Lyv instructed and then started herself as she liked this type of intense training before teaching the forms. Path of Water students channeled the strength the water gave them into their fighting skills and the balance training from having to battle the current in the river was not matched anywhere else in Lyv’s view.

 

Lyv Tylin

Master of Path of Water

OOC: Posting for Christine since she's at school.

 

IC: Deneira layed in her bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking she was insane. She had to be- there was no way under creation that she had logically thought she could handle taking a class with a Master of her path and soon to be GrandMaster, the ex-Mistress of Trainees. Granted, she and Lyv were friends of sorts, getting into trouble in her younger years, but this was self destruction. She was going to be worked out to the max and probably not be able to move for a month. She knew she had to do something, eventually, but she didn’t really want to. â€Come on, love. You know that Lyv is an amazing teacher, and that you can only learn from her.†Deneira sighed and got up from the bed, leaving Shawn alone. â€Hey, I didn’t say you had to go now!†he joked, and she gave him one kiss on the lips before getting dressed. “If I don’t go now, then I will be in that bed for the next few hours- the punishment would be unbearable.

 

Shawn had already taken the class with a master just a few months before while Deneira was in the full force of teaching, and now that her classes with trainees had slowed down, she was having her turn. She didn’t know what to expect, just that it would be a lot of work. After all, this was her training for Master. She pulled on clothes then grabbed a piece of bread and took a sip of wine from the dinner that had been left from the night before. Giving Shawn one last little kiss, she grabbed her scimitar and headed out to the pond in the Ogier Grove where she so often swam. She remembered Basic Movement and Philosophy for water, and that had been simple enough- running around with a weapon and being quick in mind and feet was something Deneira could do quite gracefully. Now, she would have to learn the advanced items, like how to fight in different settings and circumstances while still holding onto her grace and speed. Somehow, in Deneira’s mind, she had a feeling this would not be as easy.

 

Running now, so as to not be too late, she saw Lyv waiting on her. The waterfall that they walked to was beautiful and Deneira’s cheeks burned as she remembered a few occasions where she and Shawn had practiced and taken advantage of the small cave behind the waterfall. Thankfully, Lyv had not noticed. They ran for a few moments, trying to warm up their bodies, then they went to the water. Pulling off her boots and setting aside the scimitar, they both began slipping into the water. Getting into the water about waist deep, Lyv told her to run, and run she did try. The water pulled her back, but her feet struggled to run her closer to the land. She kept up right behind Lyv, her legs already sore after one time as they hit the land.

 

“After you reach the shore, climb out and run up towards the bottom of the waterfall and cross again to the other side. Repeat this a few times to get fully warmed up.†Sighing, Deneira began running in the water, her whole body working. It took another full time around before she got used to the pull, usually only swimming through the water. Four times, she repeated this exercise, then swam back up to the shore. Her calves and thighs ached, but she felt like she had accomplished something. Falling onto the shore in front of Lyv, she stood, her muscles feeling that they were falling off her body. “Now what?â€

 

Deneira l’Spada

Disciple of Path of Water

Deneira seemed to be shaken up by the cold water, as if her head had still been asleep when they started but Lyv did not mind. She found that people who worked hard at training should not be pushed by others, Dene could push herself before Lyv had to. After all, this was their warm up round and she could tell that the other woman was doing her best. Lyv did not expect, nor less from her and was glad that the woman kept increasing her pace as Lyv led the way. They then took a short break and watched in silence as the water flowed down from the waterfall. “It’s beautiful, don’t you think?†she said softly and smiled at Dene. “Come on, on our feet, the day is too good to leave it lazing about,†and with a grin she took up her quarterstaff and waded into the water, a few feet downstream from the waterfall. “We’re going to do some simple forms, just follow my lead and after that we can do a short spar in the water,†she could already feel the water stream picking up as she waded a little deeper and ended knee high.

 

Then Lyv started her lessons and flowed through the forms, letting Dene adjust to the water current fighting her to pass through. The water wanted to go wherever it could and Dene and Lyv were definitely in the way, they had to fight to keep standing and added to that the balance exercises that some of the forms proved to be, they had a hard time confronting the water. “Yes, keep going,†she called to her student and flowed into Hummingbird kisses the Honeyrose with quick thrusts at nothing in particular. The Low Wind Rising proved a bit more difficult as Lyv did the form both from standing as from a crouching position. Having to jump up, move quickly and then still keep the water at bay was exhausting but very good practice. “Alright, your turn Deneira,†she called towards her student and explained how Dene was to start at least four different forms, “Try to find different forms that can pose a different challenge to us,†then she followed as her student started to move.

 

Lyv Tylin

 

OOC: Be as creative and broad descriptive in the forms as you like. :) You can also start the spar that follows in the water so we can have some fun with that too. I'll follow your lead on the next post!

OOC: sorry for the long time before posting. I went on LoA for school and then heartache, then lost my muse to the heartache, then slowly began writing again, and it hurt too much to write Deneira (as the idea of her came from my muse...) so now I am back and writing again. I hope we can continue this!

 

IC:

As the water began flowing around her, she felt her body wake up more and began cursing herself for starting off the morning poorly. Lyv was almost a GrandMaster and she didnt need to embarrass herself like this. Light, Lyv had been the Mistress of Trainees when Deneira had first joined and been alot of trouble back then. It was poor of her to get so little sleep the night before and now struggle before her teacher.

 

As they climbed up onto the bank, Deneira fell backwards, trying to wake up her body more as they took a break. They did a few simple forms through the water, trying to practice as they got knee high. The water current fought her at first, but then the wayer seemed to help some as she moved from form to form. Keeping up with the moves Lyv was doing, she twisted and turned her body, trying to think of herself as one with the water. Lyv would do a move and Deneira would repeat it. A few times, she almost lost balance, but she stayed on her feet nontheless, and felt proud, albeit sore.

 

After a few more movements, Lyv offered a spar. "Alright, lets do it..." said Deneira, trying to warm up her body a little more. She bent her body into the guard position, letting the water flow around her, ready to move into any defence that was thrown at her.

 

Deneira