A Life Unchained

[Gharen]

Gharen inspects a couple of old barrels that had been cast out in the refuse pile while she speaks "Oh, I've seen this tendency te overthink tha ye have, might have te work on ways te destract ye from tha'. Otherwise I'm jus' brainstorm'n ideas fer tomorrow."

 

He picks the barrels up and sets them aside and checks that they sit level. "I think we'll be workin' on yer skill with a shield tomorrow, perhaps some other things as well. We shall see how th' day treats us."

[111]

Evangeline nods, watching him work curiously, "That reminds me, we've never spoke of payment." She smiles, "If you are spending so much thought on this, I must give you something in return."

 

Holding up a hand, "No need to say it now, but think on it. I am more resourceful than you might think."

 

She heads back toward the city, "Thank you for the lesson, Master Wolfsong. I eagerly anticipate the next."

[Gharen]

For the third day in a row Gharen waited for his student on just the outskirts of the refugee camps, as he did so, he sat quietly in meditation. A makeshift training dummy stood behind him made out of the barrels scavenged from the day before. Filled with the plentiful local resource of rocks and sand for ballast it wasn't going to be moved easily.

 

He thought about how he might best tailor todays lessons to Evangeline's particular approach to things, he would need a way to distract her from over-thinking things so much, a task he surmised would be more difficult to do than with previous students.

[111]

Evangeline tromps outside the city, a look of supreme irritation on her face. Each breath punctuated by a small cloud of fog in the crisp morning air. She'd been humiliated, arrested, cheated on, and mocked, all in the span of a single night. Fatalistically, Evangeline wondered what torments this new day would bring. She'd wanted nothing more than to simply stay under her covers, and wait for death to claim her, but unfortunately, she'd made a promise.

 

And Evangeline always kept her promises.

 

Spying Gharen's form among the morning mists she walks up and plops down in front of him. "Good morning..." She says, lacking the normal honorifics, "Can I ask you a favor today, beyond anything else you had planned."

 

"Can you teach me how to endure?"

[Gharen]

Gharen looks up to his student, remaining in his kneeling position, the request was sudden, it's tone, the look upon her face, and demeanor whether she knew it or not spoke volumes. For as oblivious as he could be for social cues even he could see that something was the matter.

 

It was a look that he was also possibly all too familiar with.

 

"Well, fer starters, what's happened? An' what are ye lookin' te endure lass?"

[111]

She looks up, sighing, "A lot happened, some of which was even my fault. To start, I lost someone important to me." She smirks, "Then I was arrested, searched, and would have died from a poisoned meal, had my neighbor not eaten first."

 

Evangeline laughs bitterly for a moment, "I almost fear I am losing my path, mere weeks after setting upon it." She looks across at him, "It is a humbling thing, finding that your love was an illusion."

 

She tips backwards, resting her head on the packed, dry earth, "...Humbling."

 

Indulging in one last sigh, she rises, "I wish to be able to endure the things which would push me from my path. I always thought a Paladin, a Knight, must let life's misfortunes glide off of them like rain."

 

She smiles wryly, "Though I suppose such things are easier said than done."

[Gharen]

Gharen listened to her story quietly, and when she finished he remained so for a moment as he sought the words that may aid her and unfortunately they did not come to him easily.

 

"Yer right, tis easier said than done, we all have our own ways o' dealin', some take te drink, others te solitude, as a Paladin yer expected te stand strong against those tha' would cause harm, te be th' hand tha reaches out when hope seems lost." He pauses as he considers his words for a moment. "..an yet, we are every bit as fallible as those we wish te help, so who helps us then?"

 

He stops for a moment to both to let her consider the question, and choose his next words carefully.

 

"Ye'll endure best by surround'n yerself with people ye care fer, family, friends, an loved ones. Tis those people tha' will remind ye o' who ye are, an th' path ye've chosen. Do tha, an time will take care o' th' rest lass."

[111]

Evangeline grimaces, "What if I do not have those, or if my sorrows spring from such a source?"

 

"My goals are mocked, and my companions betray me..." She sets her shoulders, "It is no matter, I shall stay true all the same. Eorzea little needs another disillusioned soul."

 

She smiles at him, "Though, I believe I speak untruly, there are those who help keep me true, and I did them disservice with those words." Her smile takes a wry turn, "I believe Master Wolfsong even finds a place among them."

 

She bows slightly, her face looking cheerier, "I thank you for your words, I needed them more than you know."

 

Stretching slightly she looks at the implements arranged behind him, "Well then." She grins, "Shall we proceed?"

[Gharen]

A slight grin crosses his face as she speaks, "I thank ye Miss Primrose, I'll be sure'n te try an talk sense into ye when yer in need. Far as trainin' goes? Lets begin, t'will help ye focus." He pushes himself to his feet He turns toward the makeshift training dummy and puts his hand on what could best be called it's "Shoulder" and gives it a shake to make sure again that it's stable.

 

"An' another thing Miss Primrose? "Family" needn't be only those related by blood, tis a bond tha' can be forged, they'll gather te ye o'er time, an' ye'll know th' ones worth havin'."

 

Satisfied that the training dummy would be able to take a beating he gave her a look, "Today's lesson Miss Primrose is goin' te be one o' defense, this here'll be yer ward, and tis yer job te protect 'im or 'er.

[111]

Evangeline laughs, "That is good news, Master Wolfsong. If I could only count my family by blood, it would be a lonely life indeed. Dalamund itself would need to fall a second time before they'd deign to speak to me once more."

 

Walking around the dummy a few times, she turns back to Gharen, "Defend it from yourself I'm guessing?" She pulls out her weapons, giving them a few practice moves.

 

"Before we begin though..."

 

She flashes a grin, "Is this instruction or sparring?"

[Gharen]

Gharen grins in return as he walks over to his makeshift table. His sword and shield lay there, though today a lance accompanies them, he picks it up and quickly inspects it, ensuring that it is straight and balanced, he begins to wrap the dual silvered bladed heads with a leather strap.

 

"Le's jus' call this sparr.." Gharen was cut off by a sudden scream emanating from within the refugee camps, his head snaps in the direction that it came from.

 

>Continued Here<