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Post by JezusBagels on Jun 6, 2009 13:56:26 GMT -5
"Lots of practice. Get back to it," he said, returning to the stump and starting to eat his bread. He looked over to Jaeado and noticed the pony watching as well. He smiled at him and liked to think that he was smiling back... in his mind.
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Post by ivory on Jun 6, 2009 14:18:24 GMT -5
Marina grumbled a complaint before heading back to practice. Arrow after arrow flew toward the target, the majority of them hitting the bull's eye. She bit the bottom of her lip in quick decision, taking a step back and then fired. She repeated the process three times before her arrow came up short. She stayed there, working on getting her aim better, her arm stronger. Her brows pulled together in concentrated frustration as she released another arrow and watched it come up short.
Her jaw clenched as she nocked another arrow, brought it up and let it fly. She scowled as it brazed the top of the target and quickly nocked another one. Her luck didn't hold and in a temper, she turned on the man. "I'm done doing this alone. Show me how you did that." She glared at him to hide the hurt in her pride.
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Post by JezusBagels on Jun 6, 2009 14:21:24 GMT -5
Monkuta smiled.
"What's this? She wants to learn? That's new. I was perfectly content with letting you just do it over and over again for the next four years until you got it right," he said, resisting the urge to laugh at the end. He saw the look on her face. "Oh, don't be so stubborn. I'm your teacher. I'm supposed to be better at this than you."
He nodded, putting his hands on his hips.
"Show me your form. get into the stance, but don't shoot."
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Post by ivory on Jun 6, 2009 14:41:49 GMT -5
She gave him a glare, mumbling that she already knew how to stand correctly. She wanted to know how to shoot damn it.
Irritated, she took her stance. She planted her feet shoulder-width apart and twisted her upper body to face the target just slightly. It was the same form she took when fighting hand-to-hand, only instead of being on the balls of her feet, she had them flat on the ground, and instead of having both her arms up to protect herself, she had the left one extended to hold the bow and the right pulled back to nock the arrow. She'd started out holding it with her thumb and forefinger, but overtime had learned that using her middle and fore-finger did a much better job with her aim.
She raised the bow to where the arrow was parallel to her shoulders and drew back, her elbow coming straight out.
Satisfied that she'd done it right, she flicked her eyes toward her 'teacher' and waited for him to comment, not that he'd find anything wrong she knew.
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Post by JezusBagels on Jun 6, 2009 14:47:53 GMT -5
Monkuta looked over her stance, pushing both of her arms up about half an inch. He also turned her torso to a more dramatic angle than it had previously been at. Then he stepped back. He looked her over again, then nodded.
"Fire."
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Post by ivory on Jun 6, 2009 14:55:49 GMT -5
She scowled at him, though didn't change her stance. "You had no reason to do that, you're just jealous." Before he could answer, she released the arrow and grumbled out a 'see?', not expecting it to fly true. Her jaw dropped the second time that day as it did.
"No way!" she exclaimed. "I've perfected my stance for years!" She turned to glare at him, blaming him for altering a strong part of her life, a part that had been with her for years, had 'become' a part of her, a part she didn't want to change.
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Post by JezusBagels on Jun 6, 2009 15:02:15 GMT -5
Monkuta laughed. So did Jaeado.
"Yes, yes. Little Marina, always trying to beat the boys at everything, spending her entire childhood getting to be the best at everything so no one could make fun of her."
He stopped laughing.
"I am much older than you and I am much better than you. Understand?"
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Post by ivory on Jun 6, 2009 15:06:21 GMT -5
His words had hurt, but she covered it up majestically with her ever-present glare. "I am better than the guys," she growled, albeit with lesser force than her usual.
She turned away from him, ignoring his question of understandment, and stood back in position. She adjusted herself to what he'd showed her, and fired. Her arrow once again flew true. She wasn't above taking someone else's wisdom as her own if it was better, regardless if they were jerks to her or not. She wasn't stupid, she knew that she didn't know everything. That's why she learned.
Glaring again, she nocked another arrow and released.
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Post by JezusBagels on Jun 6, 2009 15:09:19 GMT -5
"I don't care if you could beat the king in a duel to the death. You are my apprentice and you will learn from me. That's why you're here," he said with apparent frustration.
He pulled an apple down from a nearby tree and started munching on it.
"I think that this is evidence enough that listening to me can only benefit you."
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Post by ivory on Jun 6, 2009 15:16:44 GMT -5
She did her best to show him that she wasn't listening. She didn't even answer in a harsh retort, nor scowl at him as was her usual choices of resentment. She simply nocked another arrow, pulled back, and released. She even ignored the growl of her stomach and the smell of bread as she just remembered she'd forgotten to eaten in her shock of watching him shoot and hit.
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Post by JezusBagels on Jun 6, 2009 15:40:28 GMT -5
Monkuta frowned and shrugged. She would get tired and stop and then they could continue. It's not like they were in any rush. He retrieved a bucket and brush from inside the cabin and made his way to where Jaeado was eating the last of the apples on the branch he'd pulled down.
"Good meal, buddy?"
Jaeado whinnied.
"Thought so. Let's get you clean. Wouldn't want any dead rats hiding in your fur like last time, would we?"
He chuckled and started scrubbing down the pony.
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Post by ivory on Jun 6, 2009 15:59:10 GMT -5
Her stomach growled as she let loose another arrow and she flicked her eyes wantingly to the bread. She wondered briefly if he'd let her stop and eat. And then she glared. It wasn't as if he controlled her. She could eat if she wanted too. Hell, she head home right this second if she wanted too, but she knew she wouldn't. One, her pride wouldn't let her, and the other, she was curious and wanted to perfect her shot.
She laid down her bow and stalked over to ther bread. She shoved it in her mouth, which watered at the feel of it upon her tongue. She chewed slowly, taking her time to eat just to irritate the man before picking her bow back up.
She shot until she figured she'd down enough, but not wanting to be the one to call quits, she decided to add some spice to the mix. She dropped and rolled to the left, grabbing an arrow from the quiver as she came up. She nocked it quickly and released, glaring at the arrow as it went completely off. She tried again.
This time she rolled to the left and as she came up, the quiver started to slide off her right shoulder and she wasn't able to grab an arrow.
She tried again.
Her arrow sailed closer to the target by about a foot, but still had a ways to go.
She tried again.
And half-smiled as it thudded into the tree a few feet above the man's horse.
She quickly moved to try again, acting as if she hadn't realized her near miss.
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Post by JezusBagels on Jun 6, 2009 16:06:04 GMT -5
Monkuta watched marina practice out of the corner of his eye, not stopping his current task. He smirked, amused as she started rolling and shooting and nearly missing Jaeado. Jaeado was not as amused.
"Perhaps you should work on being able to stand still and should before trying to roll and shoot at the same time. If you're lucky, you'll never have to actually do that. It's hell when something like that is actually necessary."
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Post by ivory on Jun 6, 2009 16:11:40 GMT -5
"I can stand and shoot." She lowered her bow and glared at him. "It's just for some odd reason you seem to think I can't. I've been shooting all day and only a few arrows actually missed the target," she continued hotly. "I haven't seen you doing anything so why don't you shoot the damn bow."
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Post by JezusBagels on Jun 6, 2009 16:13:24 GMT -5
"I'm not the apprentice," he said, shaking his index finger in the air, still not turning away from Jaeado. "Do as I say, not as I do."
He rolled his eyes, wondering if all apprentices started out like this or if it was just her. After a few seconds, he concluded that it was probably just her.
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