[open]

[letoldthingsdie]

WHO: Kylo Ren and YOU
WHAT: Day to day life; includes some training in the gallows, exploring Kirkwall and such
WHEN: Throughout the remainder of April/Cloudreach 9:44
WHERE: Gallows, Kirkwall, etc
NOTES: Nothing of note but I'll update if that changes

Gallows

With his lightsaber in hand, Kylo can be found training rigorously in various forms. He's careful to practice at a distance from anyone else, should they get too close. Starting his training, feet planted firmly and hand holding his weapon out as if to point it at an unseen target, he swings and swirls the lightsaber in his hands in fluid motions. Each time he avoids hitting the dummy directly, occasionally stopping his blade on either side of the target. The last thing he wanted to do every time he trained was to break a training dummy.

He focuses on more than just his blade work, however, practicing his breathing, the bend of his knees as he strikes, and keeping his body a firm immovable object against his opponent. Eventually he takes a break, brushing his messy shock of black hair from his eyes and shrugging his shoulders, the glowing red light withdrawn into the hilt once more.

During his point of resting, he stretches his arms, reaching down to his toes or crossing them one over the other to loosen each muscle. The rigors of training gave him something to channel his energy into, finding focus in his thoughts through the effort he expends with his blade.

Kirkwall

Having washed the sweat and grime from training away, Kylo can be found exploring the markets and other points of interest within Kirkwall. Lowtown was bustling with life as he browsed the Market District, winding streets drawing his attention now and again as he went from shop to shop. It was far from home, but it was starting to feel as such once the routine had set in.

Stopping at a food stall, Kylo turns over a piece of fruit with a careful gaze as he examines it for any flaws. Eventually he would make his way towards the the next shop, stopping to see the wares that Lowtown had to offer.

Wildcard

[ooc: Just hit me up on my journal or pm me at wishuponthenightskies if you want to come up with a different prompt for us to do!]

Comments

[aenseidhe]

Then how do guerrilla soldiers win battles against armies five times their number?

[ Certainly not fucking strength. And a point to note - the ability to strike before being struck isn't strength, it's speed, and possibly strategy, which is more what he's trying to get at here. Kylo is focused only on overwhelming an enemy, but he'll eventually get to the point where that just looks a lot like throwing himself against a wall, especially if that wall is someone like Obi-wan. ]

You're missing the point. It's a phrase - it means be tactical, brute force is useless after a certain point. Have the balls to do something different. [ To know a battlefield, and a body, and be creative, rather than just wail on it until it crumbles, the cave-man way. ] You have a brain, Kylo Ren. Use it.

[ Crossing his arms over his chest, Iorveth leans a hip back against a weapon stand, a short snort of a laugh coming from him. Kylo speaks like he's expecting the entire world to condemn him to death just for opening his mouth, assuming he'll have to fight his way through. Everything about him is a conflict, and it's so perplexing. ] I've survived a hundred years hunted by human armies, men that could break my bones and grind them into dust. I've been in their dungeons and their torture camps, so tell me, how am I still alive if strength alone is all that matters?

[letoldthingsdie]

[Iorveth's words give him pause. When it came to his TIE fighter, butting heads against the Rebellion fleet, he had a strategy in mind. Put a lightsaber in his hands and he went on instinct, letting the Force move him as it would. The thrill of battle, that question of whether he would die today or not, was what made him feel alive.]

You learned. [Strategy, as he so eloquently put it.]

You used their weaknesses against them. That is its own strategy, wouldn't you say?

[aenseidhe]

Exactly. Strategy.

[ Thank you, Kylo, for calming your tits long enough to listen. ] For strategy to be available to you, you must have options, and for options, you need more than just a powerful swing.

[ being the stationary piece that hits hard is leaving so much else to the wayside, limiting so much potential when someone with the skills Kylo has is capable of so much more. ]

Speed, dexterity, mobility. [ Pushing up from the table he's leaned on, Iorveth steps up close to Kylo, only about a foot between them, as he's squinting at the top of his head, trying to judge their heights compared against each other. He's 6'3", and Kylo doesn't seem far from that. More broad of shoulder than Iorveth, but besides that, largely the same. ] We're the same height, and your weapons are even lighter than mine - there's no excuse to ignore those attributes for strength alone. Only negligence. So stop practicing what you already know you're good at.

[ A pitfall of many warriors - training things they've already mastered because it's satisfying. A point of pride. They imagine they have to keep training them to keep them sharp, but it's already something ingrained in muscle memory. A difficult battle will leave little time to react with anything but reflex, so you must make all useful abilities into reflex. ]

[provenforce]

[ Rey was headed to the corner of the courtyard she likes to train in when she sensed Ben and altered her course to seek him out. She's been training with Obi-Wan, but training with Ben might give her some interesting new perspectives, if he's up for it.

When she spots him standing face to face with an elf the same height as him she quickens her pace, worried she might have to break up a fight. She doesn't sense anger in Ben, at least no more than usual, but still. It's a sight that someone from the outside coming in on might get the wrong idea about. ]

Everything alright here?

[letoldthingsdie]

[She might pick up on the subtle way his energy picks up within the Force, just from the sound of her voice. It was an unconscious thing, just like when he brushes his hand through his hair to push it out of his face. He wasn't nervous per say, but he didn't reach out for her hand as he might have if they were alone.]

Yeah. We were just talking about a few things. Strategy, technique...

[He shrugs, pressing his lips together and puffing his cheeks slightly. Nope, definitely not feeling like he should expect a scolding. This was just a chat between two warriors.]

Have you two met before?

[Just so he knows whether or not introductions are needed.]

[aenseidhe]

[ Iorveth, used to a world where every opportunity to find an excuse to lynch an elf is always taken, immediately expects this interaction to go another way when a human shows up with the words "everything alright here" on her lips. the both of them, likely Kylo more for his familiarity with Iorveth's general disposition, might sense him tensing defensively, eye darting to the girl suspiciously. ]

Judging the worthiness of size as an excuse for lack of mobility.

[ He murmurs, distantly, while pacing a few steps back, arms crossing over his chest and a seemingly casual, idle glance to the right that's more calculating than it appears, surveying his literal blind spot for any others that may have taken interest, as well as escape routes. ]

No. We've not.

[provenforce]

[ Rey recognizes wariness when she sees it, has been that person on more than one occasion. Thedas has oddly enough made her more open, more willing to introduce herself to strangers, rather than immediately assuming everyone is a threat.

In contrast she relaxes a little, when neither one replies with 'no we're gonna beat the crap out of each other now.' She shakes her head at Ben's question, focusing her attention on the elf. ]

Being bigger can be imposing for a smaller combatant. But sometimes that's not enough.

[ Rey knows that first-hand. She lifts a corner of her mouth, holding her hand out to Iorveth. ]

I'm Rey.

[letoldthingsdie]

Maybe, from a certain point of view.

[He almost gives her a knowing look, glad she hadn't mentioned beating him quite soundly or that her size had been somewhat an advantage. It also didn't hurt that what ever had changed for her during their exchange, that surge of energy within the Force, had happened.]

Rey is from the same world as I am.

[He elaborates, hoping Iorveth might be less wary because of it. He knew the elf wasn't fond of humans. It was a wonder the two of them even had the conversations they did. Somehow it had become a meeting of kindred spirits.]

[aenseidhe]

[ it's true - there was a much higher chance for kylo ren to be someone iorveth would rather cut open than speak to. it was the nature of their meeting, the necessity in working together for survival, and the fact Iorveth saw in him something too broken to be the same brand of damnable that most humans are to him. as with helena. these few, small exceptions. they aren't many, but since geralt, they've started to exist. ]

Iorveth.

[ He finally gives, after a long moment of looking between the two of them, and finally taking Kylo's implied vouch for the girl. reaching out, he clasps her forearm, as he's still from those ancient ass times when allowing a half-ass dagger search meant meeting in peace. His head tilts to cast a sidelong look to Kylo. ]

You have friends. Wonders never cease.

[provenforce]

Maybe tell that to your face?

[ Rey teases Ben lightly, a corner of her mouth lifting before she turns her attention back to Iorveth, clasping his forearm in return. Her smile widens a little at the possibility that Ben could have friends. ]

I don't know that friends is the word I'd use?

[ Which is true enough. They'd never really been friends. They'd had a mutual understanding, a truce, and then... what they are now. Which is definitely not friends. ]

[letoldthingsdie]

Well, we haven't tried to kill each other in a while.

[He croaks the words out, clearing his throat to cover up the surprise at her words. Nervously, he runs a gloved hand through his hair. Why did she have to put it that way?]

I wouldn't say I'm someone who makes friends.

[aenseidhe]

[ Their bickering on the subject makes them look like young children making their first attempt at flirting, clumsy and half failed, but pure in its innocence. ]

That's more a qualifier than I have with some I've called friends.

[ trying to kill each other lately, he means. sometimes your friends get in the way, okay? you fight a good fight, leave them a little alive at the end, buy them a drink and say sorry but not sorry next time you meet. ]

It's a start nonetheless. Look at you, growing up. [ Kylo, he means, a tease with a smirk to his scarred lips. ]