Disclaimer: See Ch. 1.
And a warm thank you to all those who reviewed; it makes my day. X)
Alright, Ladies and Gents. I don't know what else to say. Here you are.
' ---~----~-----~----~
Chapter 3
'All In All, You're Just Another Brick in the Wall'
--~--~------~------~---
After lunch the Slayers headed to their lessons. First was Horsemanship, so they headed towards the stables. Ava could barely contain her excitement. After all, in a world where there was nothing else familiar or comforting, horses would be a welcome and familiar addition to her new life. She also noted how impressive it was to have a stable and riding facility on board a flying fortress.
When they arrived, the rest of the slayers went to their practice as they usually do, while Ava stayed behind with Jed, the stout, hairy, jolly man who taught horsemanship and horseback archery. She was given a tall, very muscular and heavy-set horse named Toby. He was very sweet and obedient, and she couldn't help missing her home life with her horse, Stetson. Jed taught her the basic fundamentals of archery on horseback, and once he was satisfied that she had gotten the hang of it, she went to join the others. They drilled shooting a moving target, shooting while negotiating obstacles, and various other techniques.
Ava thought she was doing pretty well, and she pulled up alongside Ryoun to take another shot. As she was aiming, Ryoun stuck his bow out and jabbed her arm just as she released, causing the arrow to fly way off target, skimming the side of Dilandau's shoulder and dropping straight into the ground, causing Dilandau's horse to spook. Dilandau spun around, looking furious. "Who shot that? Someone needs to learn how to shoot a fucking arrow!" Ava looked stunned, but Ryoun peeked around her and pointed at Ava. Dilandau's eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything more, until he turned and rode away. Ava spun to Ryoun, both angry and embarrassed.
"What was that for? I didn't do anything to you!" He only smiled maliciously. "You wont last. You'll be eating our dust. By the end of the week, you'll be begging for a position as a cook. Bitch. "He rode away. Ava started to feel the stinging of angry tears, but she forced them away. Chesta caught her eye and gave her a sympathetic smile.
"Don't listen to him, you're doing well. He's just threatened by you. "His words were a little comforting. Ava grew up in a world where there was no gender bias; she did all the work, she was the person bringing home the 'bacon'. She couldn't figure out why she was getting so much shit from people.
At the end of the lesson, they dismounted and led their horses back to the stable. Ava's arms were a little sore, but she was in a slightly better mood, and she led the enormous Toby towards his stall. As she was untacking and brushing him out, she could hear muffled speech in the stall on the other side. Looking under Toby's thick neck, she saw Dilandau with his horse, a sweet, bouncy Thoroughbred mare named Ferox. He was stroking her silky neck and cooing softly to her, pulling a carrot from his pocket and feeding it to her. Suddenly he looked up and saw Ava watching him, and turned a bit pink, pretending that the brush he was holding had something fascinating about it.
After dinner Ava decided to bite the bullet and go take a shower. Besides, she couldn't stand it any longer. She was sweaty, sore, and there was a thin layer of grime covering her. And it's generally not a good sign when you can smell yourself without any effort. She grabbed her towel and shower bucket, as well as her night clothes, (which at this point were just a T shirt with the Zaibach insignia and a pair of boxers) and headed off to the showers.
When she got there, many of the stalls were occupied, so she chose one a little more off to the side. She carefully undressed out of her uniform, and finally, she let the scalding water wash over her aching body. The other lessons had gone much smoother, so she was feeling much better. Ryoun hadn't pulled anymore stunts, but he still shot her dirty looks whenever he caught her eye.
Tomorrow she was to have one of her private sessions, and then do Guymelef training. She was a little nervous, having never touched a Guymelef before, but Folken-sama said he'd be there.
After she had changed, she made her way back to the dorms. She entered her room, and saw a group of slayers huddled in a circle in the middle of the room on the cushion and beanbag chairs.
"I'll see yours, and raise you 5 more." she heard Miguel say. Ava wondered what they were doing as she hung up her uniform and put away some of her things. "Aw, crap, I fold" Guimel said. "Haahaa! Read 'em and weep." Dallet said triumphantly. Ava peeked between the bodies. They were playing some sort of card game, and Dallet had won, given the look of pride he had as he pulled a pile of multicolored chips towards him. Gatti saw her watching. "Hey, wanna play?" he said "Uum. I don't think I know how.." "Don't know how to play Poker? Whoa." Guimel said. Dallet shuffled over to make room for her. "Here, we'll teach you," he offered. Ava smiled gratefully and sat down, and listened to the 'Slayers go over the basics.
The next morning Folken led her to an enormous room. It was a huge training facility, in that it wasn't much different then the ones she had seen, but there were things all over the ceiling and walls. Hooks, ledges, bars, chains, ropes.. And there was a door on the other side that led to Folken's lab, where there was loads of scientific equipment. It was then that she noticed two cat-girls standing there, watching her and Folken. One was gold, the other was silver.
"Naria, Eriya," Folken said. "This is Avalon. She will be joining in some of your specialty training. However, she isn't going to be an intensified luck soldier like the two of you, she will remain a Dragonslayer. When Folken said the last part their gazes softened noticeably. It appeared as though they didn't want to share Folken too much. Folken then turned to her.
"We're not going to get into too much today, but I'd like to start off by having you three do the usual warm ups, and then later, Ava, we'll work on your powers." Folken removed his cloak and clapped once. "Alright, lets get to it. But first, Ava, you're going to have to get out of that clunky armor and into this."
Folken had brought her a suit much like Naria and Eriya's, except it was black and blue instead of white. It was stretchy, comfortable, and totally un-inhibiting, which was a pleasant change from the bulky armor she had started to grow accustomed to.
The 'warm-ups' that Folken had them perform, Ava found out, were nothing short of torture; they had to stand on one foot atop a long, thin wood post in a fighting stance. Not only that, but the three of them had to hold that position for over an hour, rock steady. Later on, Folken got them to flip over onto one hand. Naria and Eriya were much better at it, probably due to their feline blood. Ava, on the otherhand, was much less graceful. In the beginning she'd always fall off. Finally, after what seemed like hours of torture, Folken released them from their balancing exercise.
After a moment's rest and arm-rubbing, Folken brought Ava to his lab and sat her down at an empty table, while Naria and Eriya sulked at Ava's luck in the main room. Folken placed an empty bottle infront of her.
"See if you can crack it, using your abilities. Close your eyes, clear your mind, and let it flow through you." Ava shut her eyes and placed one finger on the side of the bottle. She let herself go. The same tingling feeling rose within her chest. Willing it, she felt it spread down her arm slowly, into her digits, and finally into the glass. Frost formed down her finger and spread onto the glass, with in a 2 inch radius of her touch. Dimly, Ava was aware of a shattering noise, followed by a sharp pain that caused her eyes to fly open. The bottle had exploded, and shards were lodged into the table, and the wall beside her. A stinging sensation in her arm caught her attention, and when she looked at it, she nearly fell out of her chair. A large, jagged piece of glass was embedded in her forearm. Blood trickled down her sleeve, and a mildly bewildered Folken stood infront of her.
"Well. That was very impressive." He was at a bit of a loss. "I think we should get you to the Medical ward."
--~--~--~
Oh, Folken. You're so cute! He takes good care of his girls..*giggle*
NEXT CHAPTER: An intense fight scene, gossiping about Dilandau, and the plot thickens! OooOoh!
Please R & R. You know you wanna. (
And thanks for your scrumptious review, Jessica!! *hug*
And a warm thank you to all those who reviewed; it makes my day. X)
Alright, Ladies and Gents. I don't know what else to say. Here you are.
' ---~----~-----~----~
Chapter 3
'All In All, You're Just Another Brick in the Wall'
--~--~------~------~---
After lunch the Slayers headed to their lessons. First was Horsemanship, so they headed towards the stables. Ava could barely contain her excitement. After all, in a world where there was nothing else familiar or comforting, horses would be a welcome and familiar addition to her new life. She also noted how impressive it was to have a stable and riding facility on board a flying fortress.
When they arrived, the rest of the slayers went to their practice as they usually do, while Ava stayed behind with Jed, the stout, hairy, jolly man who taught horsemanship and horseback archery. She was given a tall, very muscular and heavy-set horse named Toby. He was very sweet and obedient, and she couldn't help missing her home life with her horse, Stetson. Jed taught her the basic fundamentals of archery on horseback, and once he was satisfied that she had gotten the hang of it, she went to join the others. They drilled shooting a moving target, shooting while negotiating obstacles, and various other techniques.
Ava thought she was doing pretty well, and she pulled up alongside Ryoun to take another shot. As she was aiming, Ryoun stuck his bow out and jabbed her arm just as she released, causing the arrow to fly way off target, skimming the side of Dilandau's shoulder and dropping straight into the ground, causing Dilandau's horse to spook. Dilandau spun around, looking furious. "Who shot that? Someone needs to learn how to shoot a fucking arrow!" Ava looked stunned, but Ryoun peeked around her and pointed at Ava. Dilandau's eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything more, until he turned and rode away. Ava spun to Ryoun, both angry and embarrassed.
"What was that for? I didn't do anything to you!" He only smiled maliciously. "You wont last. You'll be eating our dust. By the end of the week, you'll be begging for a position as a cook. Bitch. "He rode away. Ava started to feel the stinging of angry tears, but she forced them away. Chesta caught her eye and gave her a sympathetic smile.
"Don't listen to him, you're doing well. He's just threatened by you. "His words were a little comforting. Ava grew up in a world where there was no gender bias; she did all the work, she was the person bringing home the 'bacon'. She couldn't figure out why she was getting so much shit from people.
At the end of the lesson, they dismounted and led their horses back to the stable. Ava's arms were a little sore, but she was in a slightly better mood, and she led the enormous Toby towards his stall. As she was untacking and brushing him out, she could hear muffled speech in the stall on the other side. Looking under Toby's thick neck, she saw Dilandau with his horse, a sweet, bouncy Thoroughbred mare named Ferox. He was stroking her silky neck and cooing softly to her, pulling a carrot from his pocket and feeding it to her. Suddenly he looked up and saw Ava watching him, and turned a bit pink, pretending that the brush he was holding had something fascinating about it.
After dinner Ava decided to bite the bullet and go take a shower. Besides, she couldn't stand it any longer. She was sweaty, sore, and there was a thin layer of grime covering her. And it's generally not a good sign when you can smell yourself without any effort. She grabbed her towel and shower bucket, as well as her night clothes, (which at this point were just a T shirt with the Zaibach insignia and a pair of boxers) and headed off to the showers.
When she got there, many of the stalls were occupied, so she chose one a little more off to the side. She carefully undressed out of her uniform, and finally, she let the scalding water wash over her aching body. The other lessons had gone much smoother, so she was feeling much better. Ryoun hadn't pulled anymore stunts, but he still shot her dirty looks whenever he caught her eye.
Tomorrow she was to have one of her private sessions, and then do Guymelef training. She was a little nervous, having never touched a Guymelef before, but Folken-sama said he'd be there.
After she had changed, she made her way back to the dorms. She entered her room, and saw a group of slayers huddled in a circle in the middle of the room on the cushion and beanbag chairs.
"I'll see yours, and raise you 5 more." she heard Miguel say. Ava wondered what they were doing as she hung up her uniform and put away some of her things. "Aw, crap, I fold" Guimel said. "Haahaa! Read 'em and weep." Dallet said triumphantly. Ava peeked between the bodies. They were playing some sort of card game, and Dallet had won, given the look of pride he had as he pulled a pile of multicolored chips towards him. Gatti saw her watching. "Hey, wanna play?" he said "Uum. I don't think I know how.." "Don't know how to play Poker? Whoa." Guimel said. Dallet shuffled over to make room for her. "Here, we'll teach you," he offered. Ava smiled gratefully and sat down, and listened to the 'Slayers go over the basics.
The next morning Folken led her to an enormous room. It was a huge training facility, in that it wasn't much different then the ones she had seen, but there were things all over the ceiling and walls. Hooks, ledges, bars, chains, ropes.. And there was a door on the other side that led to Folken's lab, where there was loads of scientific equipment. It was then that she noticed two cat-girls standing there, watching her and Folken. One was gold, the other was silver.
"Naria, Eriya," Folken said. "This is Avalon. She will be joining in some of your specialty training. However, she isn't going to be an intensified luck soldier like the two of you, she will remain a Dragonslayer. When Folken said the last part their gazes softened noticeably. It appeared as though they didn't want to share Folken too much. Folken then turned to her.
"We're not going to get into too much today, but I'd like to start off by having you three do the usual warm ups, and then later, Ava, we'll work on your powers." Folken removed his cloak and clapped once. "Alright, lets get to it. But first, Ava, you're going to have to get out of that clunky armor and into this."
Folken had brought her a suit much like Naria and Eriya's, except it was black and blue instead of white. It was stretchy, comfortable, and totally un-inhibiting, which was a pleasant change from the bulky armor she had started to grow accustomed to.
The 'warm-ups' that Folken had them perform, Ava found out, were nothing short of torture; they had to stand on one foot atop a long, thin wood post in a fighting stance. Not only that, but the three of them had to hold that position for over an hour, rock steady. Later on, Folken got them to flip over onto one hand. Naria and Eriya were much better at it, probably due to their feline blood. Ava, on the otherhand, was much less graceful. In the beginning she'd always fall off. Finally, after what seemed like hours of torture, Folken released them from their balancing exercise.
After a moment's rest and arm-rubbing, Folken brought Ava to his lab and sat her down at an empty table, while Naria and Eriya sulked at Ava's luck in the main room. Folken placed an empty bottle infront of her.
"See if you can crack it, using your abilities. Close your eyes, clear your mind, and let it flow through you." Ava shut her eyes and placed one finger on the side of the bottle. She let herself go. The same tingling feeling rose within her chest. Willing it, she felt it spread down her arm slowly, into her digits, and finally into the glass. Frost formed down her finger and spread onto the glass, with in a 2 inch radius of her touch. Dimly, Ava was aware of a shattering noise, followed by a sharp pain that caused her eyes to fly open. The bottle had exploded, and shards were lodged into the table, and the wall beside her. A stinging sensation in her arm caught her attention, and when she looked at it, she nearly fell out of her chair. A large, jagged piece of glass was embedded in her forearm. Blood trickled down her sleeve, and a mildly bewildered Folken stood infront of her.
"Well. That was very impressive." He was at a bit of a loss. "I think we should get you to the Medical ward."
--~--~--~
Oh, Folken. You're so cute! He takes good care of his girls..*giggle*
NEXT CHAPTER: An intense fight scene, gossiping about Dilandau, and the plot thickens! OooOoh!
Please R & R. You know you wanna. (
And thanks for your scrumptious review, Jessica!! *hug*