whatever you do, just don't fall asleep // bonding with lucinder

[XANTI]

straight for the throat you’re like an animal!

in for the kill, like you're an animal!

[align=center]

Out in the swamp less but close to the town, Ximen lazily practiced telekinetic knife throwing. Pick up a bone knife from his bag. Thunk it into the target. Not a tree—he liked how bones didn’t rust, but he never liked chucking them at thick bark—but a soft target. A thick piece of furniture, waterlogged and soggy, abandoned here perhaps by a Tangler.

Ximen didn’t care where the sofa’d come from. He just enjoyed piercing the upholstery with his bone knives.

He selected the last in the back, one of the smaller ones, and spun it to test the balance. Light. Bit top-heavy, but passable center of gravity.

His golden eyes focused on a pink chamomile in the dirty sofa. The bone knife stabilized, then shot off in a straight line towards the target.

Grumbling to himself and rubbing his muzzle, Ximen summoned the bone knives back into his bag with a flick of his paw. Conjuration, this time; they vanished from the sofa while his bag inflated.

Another knife lazily rose from the bag. It wavered; not because his concentration slacked, but because his eyes half-closed from a toothy yawn.

[member=18240]LUCINDER XIU[/member]

[LUCINDER XIU]

EVERY OCCASION HAS ITS DISCUSSION—


he remembered. it had been a day, just like this, where ximen and he first met. ximen was, as usual, reclining on a rock, then had beat him up so hard he'd seen stars for a while. and now lucinder had grown up and learnt some tricks for himself he was sure once they started sparring again he could win this time.

however it didn't seem like ximen wanted to spar. he was relaxing, again. lucinder waved his tail in greeting. he was playing with some knives and lucinder sat down close by and watched him. this was really interesting, how he could manipulate magic like that. lucinder couldn't do it. lucinder had flames. flames that went crazy when he got angry.


—AND EVERY GENERATION HAS ITS MEN

"SPEECH"

ROUND UP YOUR SOLDIERS, QUEEN—
lucinder x — tanglewood — 7 months
[color=#C178B7]—BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY CALL STRENGTH

[XANTI]

straight for the throat you’re like an animal!

in for the kill, like you're an animal!

[align=center]

After the bone knife thwacked into the upholstery, Ximen turned his head to nod at Lucinder. “Hey, kiddo, you here for training or listening to the slowest drum beat in the world?” He said it with a lopsided, toothy grin.

‘Course he knew Lucinder hadn’t been an apprentice in a long while. Even longer since Ximen taught him how to work with bones and antlers to create sharp weapons or comfortable handles for blades. His nephew was probably too old to call ‘kiddo’ anymore, but habits die with their users.

Ximen levitated another bone knife, spinning it in the air. “What I mean is, what’s up?”

[LUCINDER XIU]

EVERY OCCASION HAS ITS DISCUSSION—


he watched with curiousity as the knives thudded into the upholstery. he faintly remembered ximen teaching him how to make somethings like that, but didn't really remember how it all worked. ximen greeted him, calling him what was the equivalent to a kid, and he mock wrinkled his nose. "i'm no kid anymore, ximen. but you can call me kiddo if you want." he lifted a shoulder in a shrug. ximen then asked what's up, and lucinder shrugged again. "to be honest, i'm kinda sad. i miss my parents.."


—AND EVERY GENERATION HAS ITS MEN

"SPEECH"

ROUND UP YOUR SOLDIERS, QUEEN—
lucinder x — tanglewood — 7 months
[color=#C178B7]—BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY CALL STRENGTH

[XANTI]

straight for the throat you’re like an animal!

in for the kill, like you're an animal!

[align=center]

As the topic turned serious, Ximen’s bone knives stilled in the air. If he wasn’t so practiced, he might’ve dropped them. His sorrow was plainly written across his muzzle.

“Yeah, I miss Els every damned day,” he said, after a long pause. “It’s why I practice with my bone knives so much. The tribe we grew up in had a long list of traditions on bone jewelry and weapons; when I practice, I feel closer to those times when we were growing up, training side by side.”

Ximen dropped his bone knives back into his satchel, then rummaged around with a paw until he found something from the bottom of the pile. It was worn down, old, but still deadly.

He held it out to Lucinder—using his paw, not telekinesis, this time. “This knife is from a batch of bone knives your mom and I carved, years and years ago. Miraculously, it hasn’t broken on me… you could say it’s my lucky charm. Take it.”

[LUCINDER XIU]

EVERY OCCASION HAS ITS DISCUSSION—


with the mentions of his mother ximen suddenly became sad, too. just how close had the both of them been? ximen was like an uncle to him, and if he had been close friends with elsweyr and had grown up with him, then having known her for longer would definitely pain him more.

he dug around in a little satchel, then handed something to lucinder. a beautiful knife, aged with wear and tear. lucinder didn't know about the traditions, but if that was a way that he could get closer to his mother, he'd like to learn too. he looked up at the older male and accepted it with a bow of his head, glancing at it forlornly. "do- do you think you could teach me how to use it? i'd like to practise with you, so i can maybe feel a bit closer to mother.."


—AND EVERY GENERATION HAS ITS MEN

"SPEECH"

ROUND UP YOUR SOLDIERS, QUEEN—
lucinder x — tanglewood — 7 months
[color=#C178B7]—BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY CALL STRENGTH