Kalush could not believe what he had said, she had to get Aran to help her find information not just tell her what he knew about her mother? How was she ever going to stand being around him long enough to find out any thing? Turning she walked towards the stables, that was her first chore that she needed to get done before she could go to the armory and work there, maybe after she was done with both of those then she could go talk to Aran and get this over with as soon as possible. Working at the stables gave her a little bit of relief where her temper was concerned but not enough to blunt it completely, one of the stable lads made a comment about her being there and she almost took his head off. Realizing that doing work likes this was not going to be enough she hoped that working in the armory would give her an outlet for her temper. It took her several hours to get the work done in the stables, her temper was still simmering because it was not the work out she was expecting.

 

Moving on to her next chore she went to the armory and looked around, moving to the back she went to the first smithy there and told them why she was there. They all smiled at her and nodded for her to go over to one of the bellows and start working it, it took concentration to work the bellow and not burn the smith or what he was creating. After about 10 minutes she realized that this was no better than working in the stables, it was not physical enough for her to be able to work out her temper with out killing who ever she was pumping the billows for, and that was not an option. Well unless it was Aran but she did not think that he would ever come in to the armory and actually work at creating some thing. Hours passed while she worked in the armory, she could hear the clang of metal on metal and the easy banter between the smiths and their apprentices, but since she was there as punishment she did not feel right about joining in. In most cases she did not speak at all unless it was a direct question to her or one of them telling her what to change in what she was doing.

 

Time passed and when she was finally sent away as being done she grabbed some thing to eat quickly before cleaning up and heading out to find Aran. It took her a little longer to get cleaned up because she was still smoldering, she wanted more than any thing to pick a fight but that would only upset Shawn more. After a long shower and fresh clothes she left her room to find the one person that she never wanted to have any thing to do with. Finding him was not as easy as she thought, after going to his room and not finding him there she started to ask around if any one had seen him. It seemed like hours and several ladies rooms before she found out where he was spending his night. It took a lot of control to be able to stand out side of the room and knock on the door, only there was no answer. Growling under her breath she turned form the door and started to way away from the room.

 

When she was several feet away from the door it opened and she turned, Aran poked his head out to see who it was that was at the door. Just as she went to take a step back some one called out to Aran and she saw some woman's arm pulled him back in to the room before Kalush could say any thing. Again her temper exploded and she stalked out and went back to the barracks, she would get up early and do her mothers work out before Shawns and then she would do her chores. If Shawn asked if she had been able to get it done her answer would be No as she passed.

Shawn went to the Training Arena to meet with Kalush. He wondered if they would be training today. There was much he could still teach her but only after she'd learned her lesson. He knew for fact that in her mind the worst part of the punishment had been that she would learn nothing new during this time. Well, that and the fact that the manual labor was neither exciting nor painful but was the most boring work he could think of. He'd seen already how she used pain to control her temper, but she needed to learn to control her actions and emotions without such measures.

 

Shawn doubted that the lesson would be learned so soon but this punishment would hopefully push her in the right direction. As he approached he saw Kalush running laps around the track. Not knowing where she was in the sequence he certainly didn't want to interrupt. So instead he just climbed up on the fence rail and watched her run.

 

As she ran toward him he called out to her, "Well Kalush, how'd it go? You get Aran to help you? Are we training today or not?"

** Ooc Gonna span this over a few weeks just to kinda pass the time other wise it might take months to finish *grins* **

 

The morning light was not even starting to show when Kalush got up and got dressed, she knew that what she was doing was not was Shawn wanted but she had been doing her morning training before training since she had arrived and was not about to stop it now. On the training grounds she had found a small clearing that gave her privacy from every one else who was up that early. Here she was able to do the training her mother had started her on before she disappeared, which helped her a lot with some things. Making sure not to be seen she worked her way to the spot she had found and did though her normal warm ups. Once she was warmed up it was time to start the forms, she started by going though each one of them slowly making sure form was perfect. This time though she did more by adding in the forms that Shawn had been teaching her before she had gotten in to trouble. Fumes started coming from her as she thought about it, she had to get her task done and that was going to mean using a lot of self control. She wondered if she was going to be able to control her temper long enough to get though this and not kill Aran in the process, which at this point she doubted.

 

Once her pre work out was done she made her way back to where she normally met with Shawn to start her training with him only this morning she was early it seemed. Shrugging to herself she started running her normal morning laps and began thinking more about Aran and her task. All the work she had done before went right out the window as she became angry about it all over again. Finding him alone seemed to her to be the hardest task because there was never a time when he did not have some woman hanging all over him or pulling him back in to a room to do who knew what. Maybe on her next try she could find him alone and just ask him, that's what she would try or even if she could catching walking from one place to another that would work. As she finished her last lap she turned and saw Shawn waiting for her on the fence heading over to him it was not hard to guess what the first thing he said to her was.

 

"Well Kalush, how'd it go? You get Aran to help you? Are we training today or not?"

 

The look she gave him told volumes and increased her simmering temper to a boil, how could she tell him she failed because he was never with out some one hanging on him. She had trouble taking any one serious who could be with one woman then turn around an hour later and be with another. Kalush had trouble believing that any of the women would allow their man to be so open with his affairs. Fidgeting slightly she looked away from Shawn before answering him.

 

"It did not go well at all, it seems that Aran has a lot of activities that keeps him from being available for any one to talk to him unless your wearing no clothes and have plans for using a bed. As to getting him to help me, no I have not asked yet because it took me half the evening to find out what bedroom he was in and when I did knock on the door no once answered. I started to walk away when the door was opened by Aran, I was about to ask him if I could speak to him when some one's arm dragged him back to bed. So in answer to your last question no we are not training today, but I will try again after I am finished with my chores."

 

She was not sure what to think of the look on his face but that did not stop her from walking off to start working at the stables. She did not even notice some one else coming up to talk to Shawn, her mind was back on the problem at hand. The work was slow in the stable again, she cleaned stalls, cared for the horses that came back and got the others ready for those who wanted to ride. It was meaningless work but she still worked hard at it, well as hard as she could since it was not very intense work. The stable boys left her alone for some reason but she could not let that bother her since she was here to work and that was it. The work was done after several boring hours of manual labor, once the stable master told her she could go she headed out to the armory to continue with her chores. The day seemed to drag no matter what the task she was given, pumping the bellows, holding metal still for an apprentice, or cleaning up a mess some one made all of it was meaningless work. But since this was her chores she did it with out complaint and worked hard at keeping every one from knowing that her temper was not completely under control.

 

Although there were some things that seemed to cause it to peak once in a while, like seeing Aran walking by and knowing that she could not talk to him until she was let go for the day. Several hours passed and she was asked to take a note to one of the other tower guards about a piece that was being worked on, she took the note and went in search. After finding the guy and giving him the message she was on her way back to the armory when she saw Aran again, she called out to him a few times but he did not turn. Growling under her breath she hurried her pace to see if she could catch him but when she rounded the corner he was no where in sight. She did hear giggling coming from behind a door and rolled her eyes in disgust, unaware that Aran was not even in the room she continued past and went back to her chores. After that incident she snapped at several people before she was released from her chores and allowed to leave the armory, she had no idea that a few of the men there were amused by her temper. Or that the things that happened were reported back to Shawn each day, if she had known that she might have worked a little harder to hide her temper. Kalush was barely civil to any one while she ate her dinner and left as soon as she was done. She had to get this task completed other wise her training would never continue if Shawn has his way.

 

A week had passed and every time Klaush tried to catch Aran or get his attention to ask him some one always interfered, he was either busy in some ones room or he ignored her when she called out to him in passing. By this time Shawn could take one look at her face and know that she did not get to ask him because even with her mothers work outs in the morning she could not curb her temper enough to be polite to her Mentor. The longer it took the more control she lost and it was becoming a strain on her not to blow up at the smallest things. Finally one night while eating she thought of a plan and decided to talk to him no matter what, even if it meant busting in to his room and yelling at him. So she finished her food again and went on the search for Aran to complete her task and get back to training.

 

It did not take her long this time to find him, he was heading back to the barracks and Kalush called out to him again to see if she could talk to him before he reached his room. Her frustration mounted when he did not turn or wait to see who was calling out to him, it was all she could do not to throw some thing at him to see if that got his attention. She was about three steps behind him when he opened the door to his room and walked in closing it right in her face. Tested over the last week way beyond her normal control she did not even knock when she threw his door open. Just as she was about to yell at him for every thing she got a good look at what she walked in on, rage and embarrassment caused her face to heat several degrees. Aran had a look of surprise on his face but she was not sure what the reason was and the woman who was naked and about to pull the rest of his clothes off had a stunned look on her face as well. Not sure what she should do at this point Kalush stood there for several seconds before she closed her mouth, her eyes gave her emotions away easily. Loathing and disgust were evident along with hatred, it was hard to control her voice but she managed to get a few words past all the emotions boiling though her.

 

" I can see why I can never seem to get your attention Aran, I am always dressed when I try and talk to you."

 

His name was said in away that would have gotten her slapped by her mother because she was being disrespectful in the only way that she could. She was almost to the point that her body was trembling with the emotions she left, but she would never let him see her in that condition. No one had ever seen her that way accept for her mother once and the only way she was able to get past I was to do a training session that lasted all day and all night. Knowing that she could not do that here did not help her temper at all, spinning around to leave she did her best to keep her voice even to make her request.

 

"I formally ask for a few moments of your time if at all possible when your finished here."

 

Not waiting for an answer from him she strode out and slammed the door shut to his room, she left the barracks with out any one questioning her maybe it was because she looked like she had a purpose or maybe it was just the fact that her eyes were alive with a storm of emotion. One thought ran though her mind before she was completely out of the barracks, some times you learn a lot if you don't knock on the door of the person you want to speak too, then again sometimes its better not to know what happens behind closed doors.

 

Knowing the tower grounds a lot better now she made her way to one of the back areas that most did not work in. She picked up a lathe and found a training pole that was solidly in the ground, looking pleased for the moment she started swinging it. Since doing the forms right was not her intention she just swung the lathe over and over against the pole, wanting to brake the lathe or the pole either one would have worked for her. Hours pasted as she continued to swing the lathe with all her might, wanting one of them to give before her temper was spent and she could stop.

ooc: Certainly took me long enough!And in typical for me fashion - I will get straight to the point.

 

Daemon was rather surprised to see Kalush swish pass him. It was not the fact that the girl did not greeted him as much as two other things. First was that once Kalush learned that Daemon was her mother's trainee, she often asked him about Akira, and the second was the pure rage, clearly visible in Kalush'es eyes. Obviously something, or someone, has enfurieded quite a bit, and Daemon could think of only one person who can do that. Still he decided to follow Kalush, and see for himself how she manages to control her anger. He had to admit that the girl had the promise of Ren'Shai in her, however would she realize her potential or not was yet to be seen.

 

Daemon followed Kalush to the practice ground, where she proceeded to take up a lathe, and pick a training dummy. Or actually, choosing a victim would be a better choice of words, as Kalush began to batter the dummy. Daemon was ready to bet his yearly wage that she was imagining that the dummy is Aran. For quite some while, Daemon just observed Kalush. And while she seemed to have master how to use anger as a power source in a fight, there was still something to be desired in the department of controlling anger, channeling it as you see fit. Her strikes were powerful, but they were just that - powerful. It was like she was trying to piledrive the dummy into the ground or knock it out instead of killing it. Come to think of it, that might be just what she was trying to do, but still that wouldn't do in a real fight. Taking a lathe himself, Daemon decided it was high time for him to check if his hunch about Kalush making a good Ren'Shai was right. And there was only one way to check that. He slid in the path of Kalush'es lathe, and the rest happened really fast. Daemon struck at Kalush'es lathe, and with the training weapon out of his way, he struck at her side. Daemon did not put everything into the strike, but it was not held back either. They were not any held back strikes in Ren'Shai.

 

"You need to be aware of your surronding, Kalush, or or you might find yourself impalled on an ally's blade in the chaos of battle"

 

Daemon Ronshor

Still alive

"You need to be aware of your surroundings, Kalush, or you might find yourself impaled on an ally's blade in the chaos of battle"

 

Blind instinct had her shifting her stance just enough that the practice blade slid along her side instead of running her though. As it was she would have one large bruise that covered her side and she knew that it was well deserved for not being as aware as she should have been. Daemon's words spoke true, even in rage she should not have forgotten that one rule that her mother had taught her on more than one occasion. Her eyes glittered at him, no one but a ren shai could see the shift in her as she brought her lathe around for her next attack. The movement was slight but the change that came was impressive as her forms took shape and flowed more smoothly while still keeping all the power that she was putting in to them. The dance started since his experience was far above hers she had to work for every strike of her blade against his and each block of a blade that could have killed her easily if it was a real blade.

 

Challenge...... the words shimmered in her mind and every thing changed all at once, the strikes because more calculated and a lot more accurate. One form flowed in to another where as before she was just trying to drain herself and expend the rage she was feeling. Now she was honing her forms and using them how they were meant to be used in a spar or battle. She watched his blocks and attacks looking for places that she could use to her advantage, which there were not many in number. He was her mother’s student and that meant that he had a lot more experience than she did in fighting and the ren shai style.

 

A few more hits were exchanged before Kalush’s style started to really show itself, where her mother’s style was pure Ren Shai hers was different in a very strange way.  As the two of them came together again she left herself open for an attack that would have killed her if the blow landed. To any one who did not know her it looked as if the mistake was accidental because of her inexperience, but for her it was planned. As he came in to take the bait she waited, pain flared though her as his hit landed with enough force to stun most trainees. She was not most trainees though and he was about to find that out, using the pain she shifted her stance as if favoring where she had been hit. This caused him to loose sight of her other arm, doing two things at once she was rewarded with a slight widening of his eyes. Her sword arm came up to slash at his lathe her other arm came up and landed a hit against his ribs. What was hidden in her hand gave her a harder impact when she landed a hit. With any one but Daemon it would have at least cracked his rib, but he shifted at the last moment so her blow glanced off him.

 

Her strategy was nothing like her mothers, Akira would have continued to attack with full force and never stop. Kalush on the other hand used more of a give and take approach to battle, use every advantage no matter what the pain or cost to you. All the while weakening the one you are fighting against by the use of pressure points on the body.  Using them against Kalush did not help in a fight because she was like her mother, pain was an asset not a hindrance to her, that and she had been working for some time to over come the effects of some one using them against her.

 

After that hit she jumped back continued to spar with him looking for any where else that she might be able to land a blow that might cause harm. All the while her rage started to settle, the harder she worked at control and focus while sparing with him the calmer she became. With that calm came a more focused attack that showed her skill and ability to its fullest potential. Circling she watched him with an intense gleam while trying to guess his next move so that she could counter it.

 

  Kalush'es style of fighting wasn't Ren'Shai, at least not a pure Ren'Shai. In Ren'Shai you just pushed and pushed your opponent toward making a mistake until he made one, it was as psychological attack as it was a physical one. Kalush however did not went for that all out attack. Instead she waged a limited war based on what her mother has taught her of Ren'Shai, if you would excuse Daemon using strategic terms.And while it was nice to see her taking her own view on the teaching she had recieved, Daemon did not compleatly approved of what she was doing. There was nothing wrong with building on the foundations, but first you need your foundations to be complete. As Kalush pulled back a bit with the intention of keeping Daemon in check the man pushed his attack. Kalush had the right idea, however, she had underestimated Daemon's speed. For a man in his fourties, fourty four to be precice, Daemon was amazingly fast. Daemon's blade lathe slided along side Kalush'es, pushing slightly off the centre line, then the lathe was quickly raised and brought down, Daemon stopping it less than a centimetre from her head. His movement did not stop though and he ramed into Kalush, pushing her further back.

 

  "Never give the opponent the initiative unless you have the said opponent firmly in check. Pulling back for concentration was a very good call, Kalush, but concentrating should have taken place prior to the fight, not during the fight itself. Still what you've just done is very commendable. ( I have no idea if I used the right words here )"

 

Daemon's words came along with strikes, as he did not stop his attack while he was talking. His strikes came from all directions, with different speeds and strenght and had one goal  - to teach Kalush to react according to the situation. And for now, the daughter of his mentor was doing quite nicely!

 

  Daemon Ronshor

 

P.S. Well not the best of posts but the best I can come up with at the moment

There was nothing to do but give ground, she should have known that he would strike back but she was not ready for the force behind his attack. Her eyes widened in shock when his lathe came close to splitting her head open, next she found herself almost knocked on her back side when he shouldered her.

 

"Never give the opponent the initiative unless you have the said opponent firmly in check. Pulling back for concentration was a very good call, Kalush, but concentrating should have taken place prior to the fight, not during the fight itself. Still what you've just done is very commendable. ( I have no idea if I used the right words here )"

 

His words as well as his strikes sent shame coursing though her, her mother may have just been starting to train her but that was no excuse for not giving it her all. Growling softly she used every ounce of skill and power to counter his never ending attack. Several of his strikes came close to hitting her and that made her realize that she did not have the knowledge or skill that Daemon had. With narrowed eyes tried again to get the better of him only to have her efforts tossed back at her in a very painful way.

 

In all of her sparing she had never had to work this hard to keep from being hit, then again she had not been up against one who was considered a master of his style. Her mother was a master as well but it was different to spar with her because she had been teaching her each form and how to use it. They had never spared with the intent of killing each other, Kalush wondered briefly why that had been but her thoughts were forced back to the present again quickly.

 

Cursing she did not get her blade up soon enough to block Daemon’s attack, her lathe slid to the side as he pressed in on her again. A soft cry escaped her lips right before she took the pain and used it as her mother had taught her. With the added boost she managed to get him to take a single step back, each time she moved pain flared from her ribs. One deep breath told her that at least one rib was broken; she would not let it hinder her attack or stop her from meeting his next volley of strikes.

 

(ooc not my best but up lol )

 

  It was time to end this. Kalush had suffered so many strikes that a visit to the Infirmary for a good number of days was inevetable. The test has served it's purpose though. Kalush showed two vital qualities for a Ren'Shai - adaptivity and a never say die attitude. He would continue what his mentor his started, but first this fight had to end. And an end to it he will put.

 

  The lathe once again found contact with Kalush'es body, this time it was her wrist. Swiching pass her, Daemon turned around. To see Kalush comming at him. If she thought she could caught him by surprised when he turn she was wrong. A quick thrust and the leather covered tip of Daemon's lathe found it's way to Kalush'es chest. She staggered back and Daemon pressed his attack. Kalush was not done yet though. Stepping back she let Daemon's  attack fall into the where she was just a moment ago and in turned aimed for his head. Daemon's reaction was immidiate. It was Kalush'es lathe that sliced empty space this time, as Daemon has simply jumped back. He smiled  at her

 

  "A few secrets of the trade, secrets which I will teach you one day"

 

  Both launched themselves forward, their weapons meeting at the  ... argh what is the word for that part of the sword, between the blade and the hilt, ment to protect your hand ... and both fought to throw the other off balance. Now was the time. Daemon's knee suddenly connected with Kalush'es stomach, leaving her breathless. Daemon moved away to the side swiftly and as Kalush was falling down his lathe was being raise, it began to decend while Kalush was still falling.As she fell down on her knees and her hands supported her weight, Daemon's lathe came down on the back of her neck. Kalush has just lost her head, it was all over. Putting his lathe  aside, Daemon picked Kalush up. He knew from personal expirience that after such beatings one needed to be carried to the infirmary. They walked in silence. Only as Daemon laid her down on a bed in the infirmary and the yellows took her in their care he spoke.

 

  "You passed, Kalush. Once you recover, I will begin your training as Ren'Shai, if you'll be willing to take that path"

 

** ooc I guess this is the last post in this thread unless James wants to post as Aran. **

 

The feel of the lathe against her neck proved that she had a lot to learn; Daemon was testing her and trying to see what she could do. As she turned her head to look up at him her vision clouded and her head swam from the pain. Fire raced across her chest when she breathed a little too deeply, sure sign that she would need healing before she could go see if Aran was able to talk to her. When Daemon picked her up to carry her she tried to protest that she could walk on her own. Being true to Ren Shai he put her down and stood there waiting for the inevitable, Kalush took one step and landed flat on her face. Groaning she did not say any thing again or try to be more than her own limitations allowed.

 

She had never been to the building that he took her but seeing the beds and injured laying around gave her an idea of where they were now. A Sedai wearing a yellow dress came over to them and instructed Daemon on where to put Kalush down. Kalush was a little irritated at the woman for hovering but one look from Daemon silenced any thing she might have said. The Sedai excused herself for a moment and Daemon spoke.

 

"You passed, Kalush. Once you recover, I will begin your training as Ren'Shai, if you'll be willing to take that path"

 

“I am willing to take that path, but what of Shawn’s words before he left? I have to talk to Aran and get him to help me or else no training until I do.”

 

The Yellow sister came back and did not even say any thing she just grabbed Kalush’s head and her body came off the bed. Gasping in shock there was nothing that could keep her from slipping in to oblivion. If any thing else was said she did not hear it, sleep took her for several hours. When she woke she was starving hungry and weak as a kitten it seemed, growling in frustration she tried to get up and leave. She made it a single step before an accepted in white blocked her path and ordered her to lay back down and rest. A mound of food was placed in front of her when she complied and she was shocked to realize that she had eaten it all in a matter of minutes.

 

Two days she had been detained by the yellows, for some reason her first healing had taken more out of her than normal. Finally they said she was ok to go back to training and she headed back to her room to clean up before going to find Aran again. She hoped that she could talk to him and get her task done and over with so that her training could continue. For some reason as soon as that thought came to her a certain dread filled her as well, she just knew that today was not going to be the day.

 

Several minutes later she was back in front of Aran’s door knocking, behind it she could hear muffled voices before the door opened. The woman she has seen half naked three days before was standing there with little clothes on and looking at her expectantly.  Clearing her throat she tried to find her voice while hiding her temper behind a wall of ice.

“Is Aran here?”

 

“Aran? There is a trainee here to see you….”

 

A giggle and shout came from farther in the room.

 

“Aran isn’t two enough for you? Is she cute and want to join in?”

 

“Tell her to come back later I am busy.”

 

Heat flooded her face as the meaning of what the unseen woman said registered in her mind. In only seconds the calm that she had achieved though her spar with Daemon was shattered. She looked away form the woman and tried to gain some control but it seemed totally out of reach. Fire blazed in her eyes again as she looked at the woman, some thing must have caused her to step back.

 

“Tell the Ase Sedai’s whore that I have tried for three months to speak to him but what is a few more days. If this had been an emergency then I am sure those involved would have loved to know that it was ignored because he could not keep his pants on long enough to hear what was said. Good Day.”

 

Kalush spun around and stalked away, there was nothing she could do about Aran but she had to do some thing about her temper. Inspiration flashed and she turned heading away form the tower and towards the City itself.