Learning new skills (Open)

[Aleron]

  Aleron had picked up a katana, the first time in her life, and decided to go out to the gardens and see what she could do with it. The way she saw it, the more weapons she knew how to use, the better chance she had of defeating her nemesis and sire, Frederick, that and she had too much time on her hands and that lack of time was causing her mind to crack.
  ''Alright, let's look like an idiot and swing this thing around.'' She said to herself, no one seemed to be around and she had made her way to the far side of the gardens, the coven house away in the distance.

  Aleron held the long blade out in front of her, gripping the hilt with two hands. Looking down, it was a pretty katana, the simple detail on the hilt and guard had caught her eye, the hilt was black with blue woven around it and the guard was a striking silver with a cherry blossom tree etched into it, blue ribbon tied to the end and as she tossed the katana from hand to hand, the ribbon flew gracefully in the breeze.
  She was glad she had chosen this blade, she felt comfortable with it and she quickly adjusted to it's feel and weight. Positioning herself she held it out in front, her left foot slid forward and her right back, she had no idea if she was even taking the right stance but she felt comfortable this way.
  A small smile to herself and she lunged forward, swishing the blade out this way and that, twisting her body and slicing the silver blade through the air, her footwork was all over the place, poor and she could see that she would need to work on that.

  After quite some time of practise Aleron paused and glanced up to the moon, vowing to herself and her murdered loved once that she would first seek revenge and then join them.
 

[Deleted]

Thade moved out of the shadows after having watched the woman swing around the blade with a lack of skill or experience, he chuckled to himself at the determination etched into her face however.
''The only thing you'll succeed in doing swinging that blade around like that is to tire yourself out love.'' His hands behind his back and his hood up covering him, he made his way over beside her, looking up to the moon as she did to see if he was missing out on something, but no, it was just the moon. ''Your stance is fine, although your footwork is shocking.''

[Aleron]

Aleron was lost in thought and when a man appeared from the shadows of the trees she jumped a little, not from fear, she was just jolted back in to reality by his voice.
He came beside her, his heartbeat and scent heavy in her senses, she swallowed and glanced at him, he looked pretty well built, fierce almost and she instantly felt the need to put her guards up.
She turned her body to the side to face him, stepping back and holding out the blade before her, she had no skill with it, he seemed to know that but she would not let him kill her if that is what he wanted. ''Thanks, for pointing out the obvious. Now, who are you and what do you want from me?''

[Deleted]

A small grin crossed Thade's lips as the woman seemed to jump upon realising his presence, the grin grew enough to show his teeth as she swiftly stepped back and drew her sword on him, ''Now, now Miss. Did I say anything to threaten you?'' A lick of his lips and Thade sighed, tilting his head as his eyes trailed the little vampire before him. ''Fresh vampire. Am I wrong?'' He stepped back himself, scratching his hair before pushing it behind his ears.
''My name is Thedrikoth. And I want nothing in particular, I am merely bored.'' He pulled his arms above his head and stretched, arching backwards. ''You seem as though you may put an end to that boredom.'' A small chuckle and his hand swiftly clamped around the hilt of his sword at his back, pulling it free of it's hold.
Thade brought it before him in a motion as if he were putting all his strength behind the swing, but as his blade aimed to touch hers, he adjusted that strength and the blades would simply touch gently, ''Care for a spar?''

[Mindfuck]

Darkness crept along the grounds of the Coven, slithering here and there along the new fence and absorbed age-old essences. The shadows seemed to move about as if commanded to, raising from the ground and stabbing at the grass and the base of pillars, before slinking around the fence and through, following a set trail that swept along the gardens. These shadows brushed over the feet of the two in the gardens and stopped, turning around and seeping into the crevices between footwear and earth, and then moved around the ground some more. They darted toward the house, inspecting some of the foundation and brickwork, touched against the mortar, and slithered back. "Come." a voice hissed along the shadow's outside, words seemed to form around them, and they echoed in shallow whispers, moving back toward the garden and into the flowers, past the beds and along a weeping willow, moving to consume it in inky blackness. As every piece of the willow was covered, from its trunk stepped an odd creature. A white mask, spread even and smooth over the entire skull, without any definition save for a strange red smile painted along the front. From neck to toe, where mask was not covered, there were leather belts, as black as the shadows themselves. Near his shoulders, hips and knees were small, etched dials. His height was staggering, and he had to hunch to step from the tree's sickly shape. He was thin, almost without bones, and still stood nearly twelve feet tall. His arms were lengthy, knuckles touching against knees, though finer digits retained a humanoid shape.

After only seconds of stepping from the shadowed tree, he placed his palm against the trunk and absorbed his shadows. He stood and stretched with a silent hiss, popping noises coming from various locations beneath his belts. He looked down at the two nearest to him, and twisted his head as though tilting it, until it was upside-down. "What have we here...? Peoples-s-s.." Fingers lifted as he crouched and touched the mask, wiping away the grin and placed the 'thumb' against the surface, print side, leaving a single dot. His index lifted and swept a curve and a straight line over the dot, forming a question mark as the mask without eyes stared and watched.

[Aleron]

Aleron glared into the man as he spoke, his very presence could be seen as a threat, his cool and calm demeanour, she knew that someone as laid back as he must have strength, although she could sense that he was human, there was something else there, a power that seemed to emit from him into the darkness of the night.
''Fresh? And what of it?'' So he knew of the supernatural beings, she wondered how blind she must have been in her former human life to have never noticed or believed in that stuff.
He stretched back and Aleron's eyes followed his hands as he pulled his blade free, swinging it with such speed she had barely any time to move, so she braced her hands on the hilt of her blade for the impact but he only touched his gently onto hers.

Something in the air felt different, did this have something to do with Thedrikoth? She didn't know, but her eyes glanced around a moment, almost as though sensing another but unable to locate them, perhaps it was just her imagination.
''A spar?'' A side smile left her lips, he seemed to be telling the truth, that he was merely bored, she wondered if he was intending to try and kill her, but whatever his agenda, sparring with him could allow her to learn. ''Very well.''
Aleron curled her blade around his own, aiming to push his back a little before she swung hers at his open side, putting some force behind it, but she knew he would probably just dodge it anyway, he seemed to have the experience whereas she did not, but she would keep track of the way he moved, the hand he used for his blade, his foot work, everything until she got used to his way of fighting.

[Deleted]

''Nothing of it, you just seem like fresh meat.'' To Thade, the woman looked vulnerable and unsure of herself. He smirked only slightly with his blade still out, waiting for her move but then she seemed to drift off momentarily, as though searching for something or someone, but Thade couldn't feel anything different in the air, perhaps someone else was around, he didn't know but nor did he much care.
A small nod as she repeated what he had asked of the spar, she seemed like she might be up for it, at least he hoped she would be. He had no intention to harm her, as he said before, he was simply bored.
True to his thoughts, the little vampire pushed his blade back, she put some force behind it it seemed and he smiled, moving quickly he blocked her attack with ease, his own blade putting a stop to the movement of her own, ''Nice, you should always take the first move, as the weaker opponent.'' He grinned, she was a vampire, he knew she was insanely strong but she seemed to be of a gentle nature for a blood sucker.

He put pressure behind his blade, trying to push hers back and away before he struck out to the side of her neck, she had so many openings, if he were fighting for real, she would have been dead already. He wanted to see that lighting speed of hers, that all vampires seemed to have.

[Mindfuck]

Their voices were as clear as day in the dead air, silence was shattered by soft notes as steel clashed and ground against one another. Like a violent love song, he watched the spar as fingertips tapped against one another. Sparks and flashes of light, causing the mask to tilt again, snapping back to right-side up. From his crouch, Mindfuck came to a stand and moved around the two in a wide circle, studying every angle. Although no 'eyes' were ever seen on his mask, he had a way of seeing things, even things that couldn't be 'seen' or 'felt' as others would. His body shook in small, rapid quakes that happened so fast, it would barely be visible at all. He was 'listening' to the air without having ears, being shaken by even the tiniest of reverberations through the air at each footstep, each flinching muscle, every slice through the air. Slowly the Shinigami made his way around the two, until where he'd started his circling was direct across from him, and a few more steps would intersect his right side closest to the manor. A slim hand moved over his mask, the leather bands that covered every inch of his 'exterior' wiped across his 'face.' There was no question mark now, and though, the dot remained.

Hunching over, he slipped closer to the two sparring individuals, one a vampire, and the other a strange human. His vibrations were far more intricate than the vampires. It was though he was a snake with two feet and arms, making him a lizard, but he had no tail to be seen. "Interesting..." he hissed quietly to himself, a hollow voice behind his mask whispered to the air around him. Fingers laid and brushed their backs against the grass and lifted, pulling underneath them a snaking shadow, curled and arched along his fingers like a silk scarf, though hissed and purred like a kitten adoring his touch. Mindfuck pointed idly to the stranger one, the not so vampiric male, and whispered to his shadow. "What is-s he, little one? S-see his s-stance... S-s-smell him..." He muttered against the shadow, nuzzled against the serpentine shape, and coaxing it to find out more about the stranger.

[Aleron]

Aleron smiled only a little at the weaker opponent comment from Thedrikoth, then he hastily pushed her back and she found his blade at the side of the neck, he was fast, so fast, she hadn't expected that from a human.
She quickly ducked, knowing that if he were serious, she would have been dead in that instant. She swished her blade out towards his lower legs in a crouch before pushing herself up from the ground once more, taking a two handed stance before him, ''You are fast, for a human.'' Her eyes remained on his but her gaze faltered as she looked around, she could have swore she heard something unnatural around, the second time now, what the hell was it?

[Deleted]

A curl of the lip as his blade pressed lightly against the skin of her pale neck, then there it was, that vampire speed and in an instant she was slicing out at his legs, he jumped before they contacted however and regained his stance with ease before holding his blade out to hers, her footwork was getting better already, but the two handed stance showed him she was still unconfident. ''Are you ambidextrous? Or are you too weak to use just the one hand?'' It was a challenge from him, she had the strength and the clear speed, it was her lack of confidence letting her down, experience came into it of course, but your opponent was nothing if they were 'shy'.
He met her eyes with his own, swishing his head a little to move the hair from them, ''Blood runs through my veins if that is what you mean.'' A small smirk, she left herself wide open by looking around, shaking his head he jumped forward towards her in a un-human way, sheathing his blade as he did.
His hands aimed to grasp around her, he could sense another presence now and almost hear a snake like whisper on the wind, but that did not matter, ''You should focus on your opponent. You trust far too easily, what if I were trying to lead you into a false sense of security before I would strike?''

[Mindfuck]

Mindfuck raised his glance, his head popping on the 'discs' of his spinal column and neck as the movement of a leap took his attention. His mind focused in split seconds of the movement created by the stranger one. His shadows hissed loudly and darted across the ground, slicing through the blades of grass and stems of flowers. Petals fell on dead ground, left behind by his shinigami shadows. As fluid as water, thin as paper, and though, thick as steel, his shadows lifted in tendrils and struck against the lunging male's hands batting him away with the force of a curled branch. A third tendril whipped up and wrapped along his abdomen, propelling the male back further still. The Shadows hissed and writhed angrily at the man, then retracted fully, and slipped back to center themselves around Mindfuck's crouched form. The faceless mask looked up, which would appear down seeing as his skull was still twisted the wrong way, and nuzzled against the shadows. His throat rumbled idly in a strange growl, before the creature straightened into a stand. Hands lifted and grasped along the scalp and chin of his own form, and shoved, twisting his skull rightly with a sickening snap. The sound echoed into the silence, like oak popping in colder temperatures. A hoarse sigh followed after, and from the distance, soft footsteps along the ground walked toward the two.

The slender man appeared, staring down at the male first as his hissing voice touched the ears of his mind, "And one s-s-should always-s be open to greater threats-s-s." Mindfuck turned his head toward the female, and gave her a subtle nod, his voice not touching anything of hers. His shadows lifted along his feet, waving around his body and licked at the air like a flame. The pale mask stared endlessly, void of sockets or any other sharpening definition. It was the face of madness and fear itself. His body was the shape of an urban legend many of the mortals had come to call the Slender Man. After a long moment, Mindfuck spoke again, addressing both minds, "It s-s-seeks one of cold blood, one of blood that does-s-s not flow. She... S-she wears a mas-s-sk and has many blades-s-s." His crude interpretation would not so easily be understood, "An assass-s-sin of mortal and immortal coils-s-s. Her name is-s-s that of Death... Do prying eyes-s-s see her?" The head turned and looked between either of them, awaiting his answer in broad silence.

[Aleron]

Aleron listened to Thedrikoth and smiled a little, ''Ambidextrous.'' Her eyes still glanced around but her senses were also on the man beside her. It was true enough though, she did not know how to hold the katana correctly, she just held it how she felt comfortable with it, a two handed stance allowed more powerful strikes, for her anyway, perhaps when she gained in skill she would better hold it with one.
A small glance to him as he met her eyes, he may have blood running through his veins and a beating heart, but she still thought there was something else there, perhaps she was just being paranoid from all the things she had discovered in this new life, but then maybe not.
Soon he jumped at her, sheathing his blade as he did so, she turned with little time to spare, trying to step back a little but his arms found her, she thought for a second that she had misinterpreted his intentions but his words said otherwise, it was as though he was trying to teach her.
Within a second, shadow like tendrils crept out of no where over to her opponent, she stepped away from him as her eyes watched them retract to a faceless man, his mask seemed to move to readjust itself and Aleron found her feet step towards Thedrikoth once more, whoever the being was, he had no right to intervene in a spar.
So she was right after all, there was someone else around, she watched him curiously as he eyes Thedrikoth before herself with a nod, did he think he was helping her? She didn't know, but he didn't seem to want to cause any harm, to her at least, or so it seemed anyway.
His voice broke the silence, but it was spoke within their minds, she glanced to Thade with a quizzical look a moment before looking at the shadow user before them, Taz had told her once of the ability to use shadows. The man spoke as though an echo in her mind, a snake, but she didn't know who he was asking about, she shook her head, she had met few here so far and couldn't think of any that held his description.

[Deleted]

A small grin to her ambidextrous comment, that was a handy skill to have, if she was speaking the truth, of course though, the skill to be such could be trained and gained through practise.
He caught a hold of her, but only gently, to be ripped away from tendrils of shadows clasping around his body, his eyes glared to the source before the shadows went back within it, ''And maybe you should not interrupt another's battle.'' Thade always hated it when others intervened, he saw it as dishonourable, he was a solo fighter and he saw other's intervention as an insult to the people involved.
Whatever this guy was, Thade was not interested, he seemed cocky, sure he was probably powerful but everyone should remember that even a mosquito could kill an elephant, strength had nothing to do with the will to win, to survive.
Thade glanced to Aleron as she took a step towards him, there was that easy trust of hers again, foolish woman, luckily for her, he had no intention to kill her at the moment.

The thing before them seemed to speak in their minds and Thade shrugged his shoulders as Aleron seemed to look to him for answers, she wouldn't have any luck with him in regards to anything about the man. ''I don't know who you are asking about but even if I did, I wouldn't tell you considering your entrance.''

[Mindfuck]

Mindfuck lifted one of his idly swinging paws, and rubbed the belted fingers across his mask, clearing it of all painted emotions. After a moment, two fingers painted a crescent shape from ear to ear, with the sharpened points facing up. Those same two fingers sliced crooked and jagged lines that slipped past the edges of the crescent shape. The male's words amused him, and his hands moved along the masked skull before twisting his body to a normal shape. To be equivalent to their height, he had to crouch, and so he did, placing one foot behind him and kneeling slightly. Neither of his knees touched the grass, as he kept balance. He could already tell the male didn't care much for him, or his presence. "S-s-still dreaming of a moonlit showdown between s-s-samurai... Battle... War... You know nothing of it. The bloodshed.. S-s-so beautiful. There are no rules-s-s of engagement." The mask was fixed on the male, and although there were no eyes, it would feel as if there were, and they were piercing right through that body of his. Mindfuck was cocky, certainly, and with good reason. His purpose in the world was not to fight, but he would if challenged or asked to. The statements made by this man, was not a challenge. After centuries of living and watching many souls, he could read people as easily as one could read a book. Mindfuck lifted a finger and twitched it side to side, as if following a tempo, before he hissed again. "My entranc-c-ce is what entices-s-s her. She has-s no mind for the bland and mundane, and patienc-c-ce for little els-se. Your reply begs-s to differ of the ans-swer I s-seek. Your hos-stility begs-s attention." Mindfuck tilted his head slightly and looks over to the female, then back to the male. "But I am s-saddened, to know that you s-speak the truth."

Mindfuck shifted on his heels, and gazed against the woman, that same feeling of eyes growing strong on as his silence was deafening. He wasn't reading her mind, nor was he breaking into her thoughts. He was, in a way, reading her. His belted fingers lifted and extended slowly, until they touched just below her neck, at the crest of her chest. The creature giggled quietly, before letting his finger fall away. "I do not apologize for interrupting your 'battle,' but for dis-s-sres-specting, I extend the apology. Give my regards-s-s to S-s-sauri Matashina." He said quietly before his muscles, coiled in the legs pushed against the weight of his body and lifted him to a standing hunch. He stepped forward, and his shadows extended to match his shape along the ground. As he stepped forward, his shadows did not move, though, they did ripple as he sank into the ground, descending an invisible set of stairs.

[Aleron]

Aleron watched the strange man intently, she had not experienced anything like him before, he reminded her of death, what he was she did not know. She glanced to Thade every now and again before stepping away from them both, she knew neither of them, she wasn't being cautious enough.
Her eyes met the man's, or what she assumed were where his eyes were, when he gazed to her, she wondered what he was thinking, although he was odd, she couldn't sense much hostility from him.
He looked to her again and she did not turn away, his gaze was almost as though he was reading her very soul, a strange sensation filled her but her eyes widened as his fingers touched her, she glanced down to his hand and frowned at the giggle that left him, what was he trying to do?
She watched him as his shadows moved unsynchronised with his body, what the hell was he?
The name he spoke caused her to tilt her head a little, so that was who he was after, ''What do you want with Sauri Matashina?'' She had not directly met her, but knew who she was through Ajax and Daton.