The Moondrops

~Nine~ First Training Session

After a long night of considerable thinking, I have come to the decision of joining the other moondrops for training. And that I'd only attempt battling an Unknown Evil if I ever end up actually mastering the powers I supposedly have.

The King and Queen were happy with this decision when I'd voiced it to them earlier this morning, and Queen Emulli had talked about asking Akriath to reach out to a fairie for help. She believes only a fairie's spell could conceal the characteristics that make me a moondrop, hence only a fairie's spell could undo it.

This new information makes me wonder if I'd been taken away from my parents by some psychotic fairie who then sent me off to the Human Realm. But the little dark voice in my head goes further. What if my parents didn't want me and gave me to the fairie? What if they'd already been killed?

I shake my head, trying to listen to the trainer's words again. I made this decision with hopes that I might actually be able to help people. My adoptive parents would be proud of me for this. And I won't let any negative thoughts break my will to fight, and possibly find my birth parents.

"...so I suggest you give all effort," the rugged-looking trainer, Vanwick says as he marches back and forth before us, with his clumpy brown hair and his well-defined muscles. "Training can only go halfway, the rest has to come from you."

We're out on the green fields of the castle, quite the distance from where we had our little meeting with the royals yesterday. In the middle of the gap and behind Vanwick, there is a large pond with a beautifully crafted bridge going across it.

Unlike yesterday, we're arranged into neat rows before our trainer. Zeeta stands beside me, Brynon's some where behind us and I assume Lyeme's at the other end of the crowd.

Vanwick studies us before continuing, "Now, I would like for each of you to come up and introduce yourselves before we start. Your name and what more your powers can do apart from the basics will suffice."

Vanwick's eyes pause on the girl standing on the other side of Zeeta, then he calls her up to start us off. She is the girl Zeeta had gotten aqcuinted to during the tour yesterday and who is now our third roommate, Jimena.

She walks to where Vanwick stands as he steps aside. She has her silky black hair in two french plaits that go into long ponytails at the nap of her neck. The left plait has a grey strand that goes along it and her right cheek has a symbol of two wavy lines, the bottom line curls in at one end. It's the symbol of air, of the Arviagon clan. And she is clothed in their colours, yellow and grey.

"My name is Jimena Cortwind," she says in her courtly tone, her round face and sharp eyes screaming I'm here for business. "And the winds I can make are sharp enough to cut through anything."

"Confidence, I like that. It's something you should all have. You have to be confident in yourselves and this mission," Vanwick addresses the rest of us then turns back to Jimena. "Could you demonstrate for us?" he gestures to the several wooden dummies a few feet to our right.

She positions herself to face the dummy opposite her from where she still stands, then, from the unseen pockets of her trousers - which looks more like a skirt with its neverending layers of fabric - she brings out two sticks. Sticks that spread into hand fans when she flicks them.

Jimena outstretches her hands to slice quickly through the air with her fans and strong winds are felt moving hastily towards the dummy. The dummy's head and neck and torso fall diagonally to the floor a second later.

"Impressive," Vanwick voices what I'm sure everyone else is thinking as he nods slowly. "That's going to be a good weapon along side the combat skills you'll be learning here. Who'd like to go next?"