Shadow Children

[Ryujin13]

Annabel turned as the little girl joined her, and set her sword down on the roof nearby. She did this carefully as though afraid that she would hurt the sword, but in reality she just respected the blade to much to throw it around.

"Alright, your training starts now." She said, turning from the sword and facing the girl.

"In order to truly grasp what it means to be a hunter, you must have the physical capabilities of one." Annabel pulled her leg up so that her heel touched her head. She did several other stretches.

"Every morning you will join me at sunrise on this roof, or whatever is handy. We will do multiple excersizes that test your physical endurance. I do not expect perfection right away, but I expect you to try your best. Now, stand beside me and try to do as I do."

She turned and assumed a Tai Chi position then began to lead the girl through the steps of the excersize. She did the easiest positions she could, but knew that they would still work up a sweat and gt the muscles working.

[Silver_Voices]

Akira twitched and darkness started to surround her. Akira then said "Father wants INFO on them first! Then we can kill them and Aida! Now then... that one does pose a problem... Hm..." Akira started thinking for a sec then smiled and said "All we have to do is make it so that you look different. I'm sure Father can find a way to disguise you and wipe your memories. NOW GET GOING! FATHER DUBBED ME HIS RIGHT HAND! HAVE ANY COMPLAINTS? ASK HIM! Now I'd get to your resting. You have 12 hours."

 

Silviara again tossed the knife up high and caught it by the point, then hurled it in Akira's direction, purposefully missing her head by an inch. It buried itself into the wall up to the handle. "God, OK! Now leave me alone! You said I have twelve hours. Then I'll make my way to Father." The knife faded away, showing the reality. She counted to ten, calming herself. "My illusions aren't real, but they can inflect injuries on someone. If I create an illusion of a Shadow Child, and pour into the image hatred and death for me, then you erase my memory, the illusion will be able to hurt me. I'll try to go up to them for help, show them the child was trying to kill me, they will probably try to protect me, and the child will fight back, maybe causing them some harm. When they 'kill' it, it should 'die' and eventually fade away." She sighed. "If they decide to let me die, I die. I doubt I will be able to have control of the illusion if I don't know it is an illusion."

Edited December 3, 2011 by Silver_Voices

[akiraa]

Akira had to stop herself from hurting Silviria with the attempt of the knife. She gritted her teeth and said "Whatever works works in my opinion. And I'd watch it. I can't handle my anger forever. I have been a shadow child longer then you. I'd really watch it." Akira was already half tempted to throw her own knife at Silviria, and it would be much more than an illusion. Even if and illusion could hurt. Akira then said "Now, I will be watching you..." As she spoke a little mouse of darkness appeared and scurried into hiding to watch Silviria and Blake. She also was then engulfed in darkness and disappeared. She appeared a block away near a door, inserted her key, turned and went back to the shadow realm. She then headed to bed.

 

(Silviria really should watch it Akira has anger issues. And I have a feeling she could hurt Silviria if she tried )

 

---

 

Nalisha nodded then said "Um... sunny side up." She sat down then let out a small yawn and then said "It's... alright... I'm happy to finally be a real member... but it's also... odd..." Nalisha shrugged, she couldn't think of any other way to explain it. She then smiled and said "Onii-chan, since I am a hunter... I should help right? Can... Can you train me to fight more? Gain more control of my powers? I... Wanna help Onii-chan and everyone..."

 

---

 

Aida quickly said "Alright!!" before running over to Annabel and copying what she did. In her nervousness instead of the movements being flee flowing, they were more stiff and awkward. Especially since this stuff was new to Aida. Heck she only had basic training in how to use a knife, which she still had but was left in the room.

 

---

 

Kila decided to stop by Blade's again, only to see Annabel take Aida up to the roof. Curious Kila transformed into a cat and followed them. She promply sat on the edge of the roof and watched there Tai chi. She could tell just how Aida moved in it that she was not only nervous, but also that this was new for her. Kila shook her head a little, and watched again. Hopefully Aida would get a hang of it more.

[9pmg5665]

" I'd say yes but it'l be hard. Your power is mainly fire. I'm with steel. I couldn't help any Hunter with their powers if I tried. But if mid-evil people could do it, we can to." Blade made the eggs for her and put them on a plate. " Here you go. Now we have to think of something to do. For starters, fire can melt metal down. My hands are numb when I form something with them so well. I don't know. Want to make some steel?"

[akiraa]

Nalisha started eating then blinked and said "Make steel? How?" She was now confused on how she could do that when her powers were fire.

[Silver_Voices]

Akira had to stop herself from hurting Silviria with the attempt of the knife. She gritted her teeth and said "Whatever works works in my opinion. And I'd watch it. I can't handle my anger forever. I have been a shadow child longer then you. I'd really watch it." Akira was already half tempted to throw her own knife at Silviria, and it would be much more than an illusion. Even if and illusion could hurt. Akira then said "Now, I will be watching you..." As she spoke a little mouse of darkness appeared and scurried into hiding to watch Silviria and Blake. She also was then engulfed in darkness and disappeared. She appeared a block away near a door, inserted her key, turned and went back to the shadow realm. She then headed to bed.

 

(Silviria really should watch it Akira has anger issues. And I have a feeling she could hurt Silviria if she tried )

((Oh no, don't worry. She knows. She just has problems with authority.))

 

Silviara flopped back down into the bed, sighing. "Well, that's that, Blake." She pulled herself up into a sitting position. She grinned at him. "Hey, wanna help me design the Shadow Child Illusion? This should be really interesting. I haven't really tried anything this big before, but I've been practicing."

[Ryujin13]

Annabel went through a few steps with Aida then stepped out of her own stance and moved closer to the child. She gently placed her hands on the childs problem areas and moved them into the right position.

"You are tense Aida." Annabel said, showing her the correct stance. "Fighting while tense will make you hurt yourself, not your oppenent. Books might say that a person tenses before combat, this isn't true. You prepare yourself, you move to a halfway point I suppose. You want to be ready to move, so your muscles can't be water, but you don't want them to be rock either. Mud is a good enough analagy I suppose. It can form a shape, but will also slide through openings if given the chance." She resumed her position and slid through a few steps, her feet and balance precise the whole way. When she was finished she returned to her spot and resumed her previous position.

"I do not expect you to be perfect, just try." She said, showing her the next move.

[akiraa]

Aida had to fight back tensing more when Annabel came to help her. She gulped then said "al...alright..." she then tried to loosen up more, only managing a bit. The movements were a bit less stiff, but still not even close to Annabel's movements.

 

---

 

Kila chuckled inwardly a little. Aida was rather cute and funny in her own way. Even if she was faking it, which Kila had a major sense she wasn't, she couldn't hurt them in anyway. She just seemed a bit to meek. A bit of training easily could help, but by what she saw, Annabel had her hands full teaching this one to fight.

[Ryujin13]

Annabel finished the excersize with Aida and turned to her pupil.

"Right, so as I said, we will do this every sunrise. Afterwards we will practice with this." She said, holding up the scabbard of her sword. She unsheathed it and twirled it around then held it out to the little girl hilt first. (This is what it looks like)

She showed the girl how to hold it then stood in front of her.

"Attack me." she said, holding her hands out to her side.

[9pmg5665]

Nalisha started eating then blinked and said "Make steel? How?" She was now confused on how she could do that when her powers were fire.

" Well, first of all, iron makes steel. I have different metals in me and iron is actually bad. Steel would be better. Chicago actually had one of the biggest steel making plants in america. Or wait maybe it was Pitsburg. Anyway, I know a place here that should suit our needs. But for now, lets use the sink. Fire can melt the iron. When its cooled, its pig iron. Heat it up again and it makes steel. But actually, if you really want help in combat, then you should see Annabel. She knows a lot about a lot and I think she's with Aida right now."

[akiraa]

Nalisha blinked then said "alright... I'll first help you make Steel! Aida should probably have some alone time learning for now..." With that Nalisha finished up then smiled and said "When can we start Onii-chan?!"

 

--

 

Aida looked at the blade in her hands and held back with a shake, but when Annabel said to attack her Aida shook her head and said "N...N...No I couldn't... I'm... I'm sorry.... I can't bring myself to do so.... An... And can't we practice with something sm...sm...smaller..?" She didn't want to hurt Annabel, and the sword felt so heavy to her. She was way to used to the smallness of her dagger. She wasn't great with it but she was used to it. She was shaking from fear of somehow hurting Annabel, though she doubt she really could, and with holding such a dangerous weapon. She wanted to help, but she had a meekness and still couldn't get into the right mind set to go so soon to a sword.

 

(Yeah... Aida is scared of using the sword, and she doesn't want to hurt Annabel. She also feels that how could Annabel ever come to trust her if she was so quick to actually attack. Subconsciously though, it's there but not a blaring loud voice as you could say )

 

--

 

Kila sighed and shook her head. She could even see that might have been a bad move on Annabel's part. Deciding to step in and help maybe Kila, still in cat form patted over and as she shifted to human said "Annabel, Aida is in your care, true, but think this over. Do you think your trust could truly build if Aida was so quick to attack for one? And two, It is easy to see Aida is... er...." Kila had to try and think of a good word then sighed and said "Meek... I have a feeling she has had no training but her own before, or have you?" She turned to Aida and Aida was getting over the shock of Kila suddenly appearing but managed to say "N...Not any real training... More like learn as you go... only with a dagger... uh..." Aida took an unconscious step back from being so startled. Kila sighed, shook her head, and said "So I was right... Anyway, Maybe I can help just a bit? At the very least if you want to start her off like this so soon, use me as the 'dummy' it'll be easier, and I can at least spar back a little since I can make me a weapon myself from blood. Of course I'd go easy." She smiled and said "If you don't want my help, alright. I'll just watch in silence. I must say it's kinda funny to watch Aida." Kila started snicking. It really was rather funny just to see how WEAK Aida seemed. In her opinion that at least showed not ALL Shadow Children seemed overpowered freaks.

[Ryujin13]

Annabel looked at the cat sharply as it turned back into a human. Damn she hadn't payed attention and could have payed with their lives. She sighed and gently pryed the blade from Aida's hands, resheathing it and placing it back against the chimney.

"There actually was a point to this." she said, squating down so she rested on her heels and could look into Aida's eyes at her level.

"I needed to see if she would do so without hesitation first, and if she would do it at all second. She did neither which tells me that she won't stab me in the back immediatly, and that we have something to work on." When Kila started to snigger, Annabel looked hard at her, a frown upon her face.

"Please leave. Aida does not need an audience." She turned her attention back to her pupil and smiled.

"Now we will take a little break and talk a bit I think." She said, gently leading the girl to a wall where she sat down and gestured for the girl to join her.

"There is no shame in being 'meek' as Kila so helpfully pointed out." Annabel said kindly.

"Not liking combat is good, it shows that there is hope for the world." She said smiling again.

"What we need to do is teach you how to defend yourself so when the time comes you can defend yourself. This job involves killing, it's part of the deal. I had the unfortunate duty of choosing this life for you. I chose for you to become a hunter because any other choice was a death sentence. So, here we are. We will start with some sparring first. We will use shinai first, and later metal sparring swords. For today though, I think we will call it and maybe go get a doughnut?" She asked quietly.

[akiraa]

Kila sighed and shrugged. There went her fun. She couldn't help it. Aida just seemed so different, especially to those who had attacked and killed her best friend and family. Kila sighed then said "Fine..." before turning back into a cat and padding off the roof. Maybe she could find something else to do...

 

--

 

Aida followed Annabel once she took the sword away. When Annabel started to talk to her Aida nodded and said "al..Alright... a doughnut sounds good... I've never had the chance to have one... But I heard they are really good..." She then smiled a little then said "And... I guess meekness is alright... with the right people seeing... if... if I was still with Father and had to do something like this... If I showed how weak I was... I.." She shivered then said "I'd probably be put into... solitary... for awhile, then forced into rigorous training.." Aida shivered again at the thought of what could have happened if that did happen with Father. Solitary was bad enough... it was so cold... and very very dark... She was only ever there once, and that was enough. Aida quickly shook the thoughts off then said "s...sorry... I... Shouldn't be talking about my past..." She averted her eyes a bit feeling bad for even bringing up her past.

[Ryujin13]

Annabel sighed and looked at the little girl carefully.

"Talking about your past is not something to be ashamed about. Doing so is actually good for you, it keeps you sane, keeps you from becoming bitter. I prefer not to do it for obvious reasons." she said, tapping the side of her head with a finger. "But I still do because I know that to not do so would make me even more of a killer. I already lost myself to this fight. I don't want to lose the rest. I'm not saying you have to talk about it with me, or even right now, but I am saying that talking will help in the long run." She stood and offered a hand to the girl.

"Cmon, nobody should live without having tried a doughnut."

[akiraa]

Aida nodded and then smiled and said "Alright!"And took Annabel's hand and stood up to follow her. She did still want to avoid talk of her past. There were things she didn't want to talk about. Admittedly in all actuality it would be nothing that would actually make her look bad in anyway, it was just events that she wished she could forget. Such as the reason why she was put into Solitary... and her time in solitary.

[Ryujin13]

Annabel led Aida out of the building and down across the street then down a couple of blocks. She didn't really know where anything was, but doughnuts weren't hard to find in the big city. Eventually she spotted a dunkin doughnuts and went in.

"Pick any kind you like." She said to Aida, already pulling out one that she loved. It was a huge doughnut flavored so that it was chocolate and peanut butter, just like a reeces.

She paid for the doughnuts as well as a drink for both then led the way back to the apartment.

"I love this kind of doughnut." Explained Annabel. "Always had a thing for peanut butter, but peanut butter and chocolate is just bliss." She smiled down at the girl.

"How is your first doughnut?"

[akiraa]

Aida picked a rather long one with Chocolate icing and multi colored sprinkles. She then followed Annabel out took a bit of the doughnut, and not only was it good, but cream filled! Aida's eyes widened and she said "It's delicious!" She then took another bite, enjoying every last bit of the taste.

 

(My favorite kind of doughnut personally )

[Ryujin13]

Annabel smiled and bit into her doughnut again, wondering what to do now. She had a small child who still had a lot of growing up to do, and not all of that just included killing things. She didn't know if Aida could even read or write, both of which she would need no matter what.

"Aida, tell me about your schooling." She said to the little girl. "Do you know how to read or write?"

[akiraa]

Aida thought and said "Yes.. a little. More of common knowledge probably before I went to Father that didn't get wiped. Such as I remember how I was shunned by humans before he found me. But only a little. I haven't really been able to practice other than reading signs." Aida sighed and said "We never really had time in between soul collecting, and resting usually." She shook her head then said "But I do know how to a little. I know a bit of math, but that's about it." Aida nodded sure she remembered what she had learned/remembered.

[Ryujin13]

Annabel smiled a bit and finished her doughnut, carefully licking her fingers before looking back at the small girl.

"Well, sad that it will be, all your training will not consist just of the physical arts. I'll have to make sure your mind is as sharp as your sword." She smiled and led the way across the crosswalk, idly wondering how it had come down to straight up parenting instead of recruiting.

[Quasismiles]

(Ohmygods.... Recap...?)

[9pmg5665]

(( We got to Chicago and now everybody is training for an upcoming battle scene))

[Silver_Voices]

(Ohmygods.... Recap...?)

Ooh My God You're Back! *glomps BloodyKisses*

[9pmg5665]

(( And she left. Happy days.