Part 9: Before the Bow
The Lightbearer cast her eyes over the crowd before her. "Are you ready?"
"Ready!" The group called out, hefting their ammunition and preparing to let fly.
"Hey, no cheating." One small boy called out.
"My apologies, good sir!" The woman gave a little bow to the protester before she turned her back and pulled her cloak down to cover her eyes, drawing a chorus of high-pitched cheers and laughs. "Still ready?" She asked.
The children proclaimed their readiness yet again.
"You sure?" She laughed at their groans. "All right, all right. Three," The children raised their arms, eyes shining in anticipation. She tilted her head. "Two." She flexed her knees, lowering her stance. "One!"
In one smooth motion she leapt and spun, tiny darts of void energy forming around her fingers. The children's missiles flew through the air, and her hands flashed out, one item after another being darted and pulled into the Hunter's radius.
Her hands wove through the air, pulling from the void and releasing too quickly for the eye to track until she was surrounded by assorted projectiles held in stasis by thin threads of violet non-light. A few breathless moments later, and her feet once again touched the ground. She closed her fist and the void web she had created vanished, toys and stones and pieces of fruit following her to the earth with a soft patter.
"I didn't miss any, did I?" She asked with exaggerated concern, tossing her hood back and turning her wide silver eyes from the circle of items to the circle of children.
"No!" The children crowed joyfully, darting forward to reclaim their void-touched items.
She blew out a relieved sigh. "That will be all for today, then. Thank you for helping me practice."
"You're welcome, Miss Alia!" They chorused, some with more disappointment in their voices than others, before dashing away to find their families or caretakers. She watched them, mind occupied. The void darts were a good trick but one hardly effective in battle unless she could get the Fallen to throw small things at her. She flexed her hand. There must be a way to harness the energy... A larger dart, perhaps?
Finally, only a few remained searching for particularly small items that had lost themselves in the grass.
"Do you not find it a risk?" Alia stilled, taking her time before turning towards the source of the disapproving new voice, so different from a child's lilting tones. "Using the void in such close proximity to children?"
She looked up at the armored Risen who regarded her, his arms folded across his leather armor clad chest. The field she had chosen was far from the settlement's center so she had to assume that he had happened to be patrolling the perimeter when he came upon her 'practice session.'
"Mister?" One of the children, a tiny girl, took hold of the end of the red cloth tied around the man's waist and tugged to get his attention.
He immediately crouched, bringing his height more on the child's level. "Yes, what did you need?"
"I can't find my rock."
The man turned his glowing turquoise eyes to look to Alia.
She approached and crouched as well. "Was it a special rock?" She asked. She could feel the Awoken Risen's eyes on the side of her face, but she refused to look at him.
The child nodded and wiped one dirty sleeve under her equally dirty nose. "I didn't want to throw it, but Nierto made me."
Alia closed her eyes briefly. "Tell me about the rock."
"I found it in the river…" The child began.
Alia listened, walking to the center of her practice arena, turning to orient herself to where she remembered the child's position to be. If the child had been reluctant she wouldn't have thrown it far. Alia took a few steps forward and dropped to her knees, hands parting the grass. A few minutes later the raised her hand to reveal a smooth grey stone with a blue spot and a hole worn through the center.
"That's it!" The child cried, jumping off the seat she had taken on the Risen man's knee and dashing over to snatch the stone and clutch it to her chest.
The man rose and followed her, rummaging in his pocket. After a second he came up with a piece of red string. "May I?" He asked, kneeling again and putting out one large hand. The child ducked her head, leaning back against Alia's leg, apparently struck by a bout of sudden shyness. She glanced up at the woman for affirmation and Alia smiled and nodded.
The child held out one small fist and dropped the stone into the man's hand. Quickly he threaded the cord from his pocket through the hole in the stone and tied the makeshift necklace around the child's neck. "So you won't fear losing it again." He murmured.
The child stared down at her new ornament for a moment in wonder before threw she her arms around the man's neck, clinging tightly. His eyes widened in surprise before his expression softened and he laid one big hand on the back of her head, nearly engulfing her brown curls.
"Off you go now, Hana." Alia told the girl gently. "Your aunt will be looking for you."
She released the Titan and bounced off, turning once to wave. "Goodnight, Miss Alia! Goodnight Mister!"
Alia waved before moving to where she stowed her gear. She was aware of the Titan following her. "Do you fear it?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"The void." She said, picking up her pack before turning and giving him a comprehensive look. "You hear a lot of things about the void, and those who use it, but it's different for everyone, don't you think?"
He opened his mouth, shut it. Opened it again. "I do not fear it, but it is a tool for battle, not games."
"Only if you want it to be." The woman tapped her head, her chest. "Here and here, that's what matters." She turned her eyes to the silent orb hovering above them. Her eyes softened, then hardened, and she shook her head before swinging her pack over her shoulder and moving away from the sleeping Traveler.
"Wait."
She twirled, her cloak whipping at the back of her knees.
He glanced down, then up again at her. "Be safe."
She smiled at him, silver eyes glowing in the darkness beneath the trees. "Thank you, Zavala."
"I don't think we've been introduced?"
She chuckled. "Well, Shaxx is a bit of a gossip, and…" She looked him up and down, very deliberately. "You're kind of hard to miss." The woman chuckled again at his expression and, with a wave, pulled her hood up to cover her face before disappearing among the trees.