got my head spinning, no kidding Who: Cressida Karth & Juliette Coulombe What: A little training never hurt anybody, right? Where: Bahamut When: Monday afternoon Rating: Tame Status: Complete!
Cressida panted hard.
So much for taking it easy. Ever since being cured, she'd found herself gravitating toward the training yards, first with her bow, now with just herself. The illness had ravaged her immune system, so now her body ached still, but it was a good ache— the sort that came with a strenuous training regime. She peeled off her gloves and stretched out her aches, throwing those gloves into her bag as she abandoned the room for a short walk.
Best to keep moving. Keep the heart rate going.
She sighed. As she did, a squire rounded the corner.
"Good morning," Juliette said automatically, before she had gotten a good look at the archer.
She had trained with Cressida a number of times now, and they had made soup together besides. Now, though, she was reminded of their first meeting in the weight room, when the archer had clearly overexerted herself and had required assistance to get to the nearest clinic. She did not appear to be moving in the way of someone injured — had she, perhaps, been ill? The slightly gaunt paleness was reminiscent of Alys.
"Are you well?" she asked, just in case.
The older girl's face brightened at her appearance. "Oh, hey. I'm alright, I'm only really just getting back into the swing of training. It's been a while, so..." She laughed, breathless. "Someone is going to tell me I'm overexerting myself, I think, but I feel okay. It's—" Wait. Did Juliette know? She rephrased. "I wasn't well a few days ago," she finished, by way of explanation.
"Oh," Juliette said. She understood immediately that she had been correct; obviously the archer had indeed been among those affected by the illness that had overtaken the city the week prior. "My sister has also been... unwell," she offered. "The white mage said it would take some time to recover her strength."
Giving it some consideration — and noting the archer was not armed with a bow (with which weapon Juliette could do very little) — she offered, "May I assist?" They had done some hand-to-hand together previously, and the aforementioned weight training, even if that had not ended particularly well. "I have also been away from the guildhalls for some time, and am attempting to re-establish my regimen."
Cressida's smile was bright, brighter than it might've been days prior. She understood the concern. "Yeah, of course." With a wave of her hand, she led them toward the training grounds, working at realigning her ponytail before asking a gentle, "How is your sister now?" While some of her friends had suffered as she had, her family, it seemed, had been untouched.
Juliette fell into step with her, glad for the unexpected good luck. It seemed a few months with a mentor had spoiled her; she was challenged now to drive herself in solitude the way she had done for years prior. An unplanned training partner would help to pass her free time in a productive manner.
She answered the question with a look down and a small smile. "Recovering." The depth of her relief could not be adequately expressed in words. When she had feared she might lose her only family a second time, she had barely managed to keep herself from coming entirely undone. "She is not at her full strength, yet, but she is improving steadily."
That little smile didn't go unnoticed, and it forced Cressida's to widen. This being a budding friendship, she didn't know much about Juliette's sister, but that smile alone spoke volumes. With a nod, she said, "I feel about the same. I shouldn't be here for too long, but I get very restless if I don't train often. I find a lot of us in the guild feel the same way."
While she was still learning about the squire next to her, she was certain the feeling was mutual.
"I understand the feeling," Juliette agreed. "I... feel guilty for shirking my training these past few weeks," she admitted after a moment. She did not say, and now, with my mentor indefinitely indisposed, I feel a little lost.
"Are you still working on your hand-to-hand?" she asked instead. "I know it was an area of focus previously."
The archer nodded, enthusiastic regardless of the illness that had plagued — oh, so funny — her less than a week before. "I definitely need to keep working on my stamina and strength, and I like having something to focus on. My progress with Divina seemed to be going well." Finally, the two reached the room, where she'd abandoned her water bottle. It was swiped from the floor, and uncapped.
"How many rounds do you want to go?" she inquired, before sipping.
Juliette considered for a moment — the archer still looked pale — before asking cautiously, "Would you perhaps... like me to show you a kata?" It would be lower impact, and teach blocks and attacks besides. Best of all, she had done this sort of demonstration in Sister Felicity's class before, so she thought she could manage all right. "It is a good form of exercise," she hastened to add, "and useful for attack flow."
With the water bottle paused at her lips, Cressida considered the offer, her initial instinct being a resounding yes. Anything was better than laying around in bed useless. Nodding, she tucked the bottle away, rearranging her tanktop before facing the younger girl.
"I've heard good things, but I don't know how good I'll be." Her smile was sheepish. "I'll probably be famished after this, if I can thank you with food?"
"I believe it may assist you in future spars," Juliette said. She considered the subsequent offer — a proper young lady would have declined, of course, but she was stepping further and further away from those rules recently, it seemed. "I would like that," she responded, having considered it. It was nearly lunchtime, and she hadn't had time to make anything this morning; besides, she liked the archer, what little she knew of her, and the idea of sharing a meal with her was not unappealing.
"If you are ready, then?" she asked, settling into guard stance. The walls were mirrored, so she hoped that following her would be moderately simple.
This movement wasn't unfamiliar, per se, to Cressida, but she didn't know quite enough to be seamless at it, so she mimicked the other girl's stance and offered a quick, appreciative smile.