video; unseelie.

[survivra]

Well, now that that silver nonsense seems to be sorted out, I think we need to start talking about things we can actually fight back when they attack us.

[ About as direct a greeting into the topic of this message as you can get. Katsa sits somewhere outdoors, cross-legged in the grass with her locket angled to show the sky clear behind her: fitting for the mismatched colors of her eyes, unusually bright green and blue. ]

I know our High Majestic King and Queen [ the titles spoken with a hint of irony ] don't seem to care always how old someone is or how much experience you've with weapons or fighting when they decide to claim you. Whatever you think of this war, whether you'd rather run right into the Void right now or wait for it to come to you, everyone here should have the skills to unlock their own strength. It's better that you've the ability to jam a knife into a man's eyeball and never have to do it than find yourself at the end of an attacker's blade with no way to get out of it. You shouldn't have to rely on anyone else.

So I'll teach you if you've no experience of your own. I usually teach young girls—children—but I'll not turn my back if you need it. That includes how to use your shard—the thing that Seelie will try to take right out of your chest.

[ She moves to close the locket—then halts, fumbles, and picks something off the ground to hold flat in her palm to show anyone watching. ]

And what in the name of the Middluns am I supposed to do with this?

[ WHO HAS TURTLE CARE TIPS???? ]


( dated after boon delivery on the 25th! )

Comments

» video

[skjalf]

( Things are admittedly awkward still between them. But Elizabeth has been concerned for her, and there are no words to accurately capture the immensity of her relief when she sees that Katsa is looking and sounding much better. Those beautiful eyes capture her as always, and it is nearly difficult to maintain the courteous distance she has placed between them.

Breathing out a soft sigh, she directs a pleasant expression at her. It lacks the warmth and emotion of before, though she finds it difficult to keep in place. She has missed her. )

A wise offer, lady. And I might vouch for the greatness of your skill as well as the quality of your training. There is none to equal you.

I would like to request some assistance with shard magic, if you are willing to offer it. ( She smiles, then, small and faint. )

It is good to see you quite recovered.

» video

[survivra]

Don't be absurd, Elizabeth.

[ Elizabeth might attempt a courteous distance, but Katsa has no desire to maintain it. She still does not quite understand what caused it, but even for all her misperceptions when it comes to others, even Katsa can tell Elizabeth is still acting—a little differently, perhaps. And Katsa grows impatient with it.

With this impatience comes her brushing off Elizabeth's courteousness, choosing to speak to her as they always have, her own attempt at making things as normal as possible. The silver is gone. Po is here, and Elizabeth has returned. Katsa has not felt so happy in a very, very long time. ]

Of course I'll offer it to you, though I don't pretend to think I'm the best here. Truthfully, I thought you already knew. But you'll learn it quickly. And with no fear of either of us turning into any sort of statue, either.

Video

[notavirtue]

[The last time they'd had a discussion about training people, Katsa had hung on him. Maybe he'd deserved it, but right now there were more pressing concerns.]

Put it back in whatever swamp you found it.

Video

[survivra]

That's what I think of you, sometimes.

[ Katsa's in a good enough mood that she's being blatantly rude to Javik hello ✌️ ]

I don't make a habit of picking turtles out of swamps.

audio;

[zerotohiro]

Well that was a great mental image. [Not that he minds. It's one of the things he likes about Katsa, truthfully, and when he listens to her speak he can't help but grin even if she can't see him. He watched the video. It's enough to know what she's talking about.] I didn't know you knew how to use your shard though.

[Not that he needs training. Well, he does, but he'll tackle that with Loki later. Right now he's more concerned with wrapping things up in Redgate and preparing to leave the next day, but there's always time to check the network and catch up with friends.]

I was actually going to tell you I just recommended you to somebody for weapons training, but I think there's something more important we should talk about. What's with the tiny turtle?

audio;

[survivra]

I've known for some time now—more than a year—but I've only had real need to use it a few times. Others could use it, though. Are you hoping to learn it? I can teach you, and whoever else it is you're sending along to me.

The turtle is... a gift. Whether it's from our Lady Queen or the imps thinking they're funny I've yet to discover.

Video

[benumbing]

See if you can find a good soup recipe while it grows.

[He's only half serious with his turtle advice, thinking more of something else that she said.]

Who taught you how to use your shard?

Video

[survivra]

Oh, very funny. I'm not going to keep it just to eat it later. [ But she's not offended. ]

I learned from someone who's no longer here. He was trained by the best. I'll have to do for now.

video.

[uneulogized]

Y'know, it sounds like you know more than me about this. [For all that he's looking into shards, he only knows a little about them himself. Though he has learned magic here, he knows his knowledge in magic will not be helped by his shard.

And it's not like he has any magic back home.]

But if you don't have anything extra to draw on, what does your shard do for you? Got any ideas? [He isn't asking her to train him. If she says she prefers children, he'll go with that.

(For now, anyway.)]

video.

[survivra]

About shards? Maybe. I only know a little. My teacher left the Drabwurld not long after he taught me how to use it, so I've mostly been fumbling with it for a year or so.

[ She bites her lower lip and frowns, thinking. ]

Hm. I might have something. What do you mean by extra?

video

[chaoticwhimsy]

That...is the tiniest adamantoise I have ever seen.

[Because the turtle was the important part of this, right? Lumina actually finger-waves at the little guy.]

video

[survivra]

The tiniest what?

[ The turtle is definitely the most important. He waves his tiny little feet right back. ]

( video. )

[atoned]

[ zuko's a little concerned about the whole ... knife in an eyeball thing, but he's squinting at his locket, trying to discern what that turtle is. his face looks a little angry, sort of like what he supposes a lion turtle looks like, but at the same time ... ]

What is that?

( video. )

[survivra]

[ katsa's stuck knives in worse places. shhh, don't be concerned. ]

A turtle. At least, I think it's supposed to be. I've not seen one so small.

[andallbite]

[ As Katsa may already know, Eren is already a fairly experienced fighter, so he doesn't need much in the way of learning. He does, however, pop in with some commentary of his own: ]

What're you keeping a turtle around for?

[survivra]

It's supposed to be my boon from the lady queen. I've been told it'll have all sorts of uses, but it doesn't seem to have much of them now, does it?

[unafraid]

[ oh. so this is the woman Hiro told her about. ]

What do our shards do? I thought we were just supposed to protect them. Y'know, not get killed so people couldn't take them. There's more to it?

[survivra]

[ Katsa fidgets. She knows more, far more than she is at liberty to say, about what the shards can do. She wants to tell, too, but what might come of talking about what she knows about them scares her far more than almost anything.

And Katsa is rarely afraid. ]

Imagine yourself at your most powerful. Your shard can make you twice so.

If they're going to think to force us into a war, we might as well be able to use the things we never asked to be stuck beneath our breasts to our own advantage, shouldn't we? The shard has power; that's why people want them. So you ought to learn to use it for yourself instead.

text.

[metalica]

I want to learn.

text.

[survivra]

I'll need more than that to know what it is you wish to learn.

[ofmyth]

You're a fighter, hm?

[Thor's trying to keep an inventory of all the fighters in the Unseelie court. He's always pleased to discover more.]

Do you spar with those who are not learners?

[survivra]

[ katsa suppresses a smile. ]

I'm always looking for something new to challenge my Grace. What makes you think you can take me on?

voice

[grandemalion]

Should I volunteer as an example for your new students or do I not have a choice?

voice

[survivra]

We could use you as a model. I'd rather not bruise any of my students in necessary demonstrations.

[ Taking that as his volunteer offer right then and there. All in the illusion of choice. ]

video.

[semiurge]

Oh wow, what a cutie.

[ It's the turtle. He's talking about the turtle. ] Did you name it yet?

video.

[survivra]

No. How many turtles am I going to be keeping in my pocket?

[ meaning she doesn't know why she needs to name it ]

video;

[boutant]

Name it, for starters.

video;

[survivra]

That seems like the least important of things, doesn't it? I don't much care what it's called.

video;

[hawkethat]

[Aww, baby animals c:]

Construct a tiny pond for it and fatten it on table scraps and insect larvae.

[Please excuse his weird priorities, it's been a weird couple of weeks for him...]

video;

[survivra]

That's the most helpful thing I've been told, and yet...

[ why does that sound concerning ]

I've an estate not far from the sea, but I expect if I let it wander on the beach it would float away before I could bring it any crumbs. A pond in the courtyard would be better.

text;

[wasteofbreath]

[Oh, this is something that's been on his to-do list. Although he already has someone to teach him how to use his shard, but...]

I've already got some fighting experience. Hand to hand and all that, but I all I know about sword fighting is what I've seen in the movies. And I'm betting that's one weapon of choice around here. Bows and arrows, too.

[He doesn't iwant to kill anyone, of course, but it's better to know than to not. The knives he has will be more useful if he can use them properly. Or if he gets himself a regular sword.]

text;

[survivra]

[ Katsa still doesn't know what movies are, but she's heard the word thrown around often enough that she simply ignores it now and doesn't bother wondering. ]

You can do a lot with hand-fighting even against an opponent's sword, but I can help with what changes when you've a blade in your hand. And it wouldn't hurt to learn how to shoot, either, even just for hunting your dinner.

video

[ziggyzoggy]

[Vol'jin seems to speak as much to himself as to the locket. It's hard to tell if he's indoors or out; there's a stone wall behind him and it's shady, but there's enough people-noise that it's just not certain one way or the other.]

Been meanin' to start shard trainin'. Have ya much experience teachin' the very old?

video

[survivra]

[ She needs only a moment to stare. WE’RE GETTING USED TO THIS ]

Not much, but I’ve already agreed to teach one grandfather. It wouldn’t speak much of me if I refused another.

video;

[fulminants]

Still open, even if I'm not a young girl or child? [ Because he's hankering to learn, and like hell anyone's going to take his shard away from him.

He laughs at her perplexed expression, however: ] Feed it vegetables, Katsa!

video;

[survivra]

[ a smile ]

For you I could make an exception.

Perhaps you ought to pay me in turtle food.

[digophelia]

What strange timing. And here I was saying to Miss Grell I must have grown rusty with my knife.

[ This is her thought process, anyway. ] So, you figured out to work it, have you? [ She's referring to the shard training. ]

[survivra]

Not really. I was taught. I’ve just had practice since then.

I didn’t realize you had an interest in learning knife skills, Alice.