Give The Women Some Discipline (Kella Greeran)

[Keldon Elsdragon]

Twenty Forth Brightening of the Second Cycle in the Month of Junctior in the Season of Fall; Era I of the Celestine Mandate, Era XIII
Post Fractum. The First Era of the Regency of Milo L'Evienne.

The sun was high over Alleria Prime, beating off the stone that lined the military district Keldon walked through the field rapidly. After reviewing some of the information in the files for those he was training with it was time he took a hands on approach as a superior officer and someone who had a change to effect the direction of the Imperial Legions. If someone wanted to enter service into the Intelligence Branch of service he wanted to make sure they were up for the job and not just interested in the level of power they would have.

Walking over to the group of recruits that where training in the field he saw them marching through the compound as per the brightening scheduled routine. As he moved forward he stopped off the side along the path they were going. "Legionnaire Greeran, bring that Vagaran ass of your infront of me now!" He blasted out in a deep, firm commanding tone. Standing up upwards his back straight. He meant business and expected his order to get a response right away.

Although everyone else in the group would keep moving forward as they were not ordered to stop. The women would have to fall out of formation and then scurry her butt in front of Keldon and fast.

[Kella Greeran]

(OOC: Hey thanks for setting this up, Keldon )

IC:

March March March March...

The inane song beat in Kella's skull, it matched the monotony of the motion they were compelled to do. Its pitch grew higher with each turn or variation of their commands, until Kella had to physically shake her head to disrupt its continuance.
She wasn't going to lie to herself, marching in circles was not her favorite activity.

Coming towards the herd was the pretty boy. He looked intent on something, which made her apprehensive. So far, whenever the higher ups had some novel idea it was unpleasant for some or all.

Gads, Kella thought. She'd forgotten how tall he was. What on earth did they feed rich people to make them look noble? The souls of poor ones? Surely not, those would be awful gamey and tough for a cultured palate. No amount of Andalouse sauce could smother the aftertaste of penniless abjection.

Kella huffed; this was no time to be class-cist. She ought to behave better if she was going to bear the standard of the Empire. How could she make a judgment call when she didn't know Keldon. Maybe he treated others beneath him with respect and dignity. Perhaps he appreciated differences. Perhaps in his blue, Elven eyes all creatures were blessed of the gods...

"Legionnaire Greeran, bring that Vagaran ass of yours in front of me now!"

Perhaps not.

Greeran slipped out of formation and dashed towards the officer while answering,
"Yes, Sir."

She contemplated standing with her back to him, as he did command to see her ass in front of him. But she was too wary to be entirely cheeky, so she stood at attention facing him.

[Keldon Elsdragon]

Keldon looked down to Kella no emotion on his face as he pondered his next move. If he knew what she was considered he would of likely broke out into a wide grin if she did it. Although he would of also likely inspected her ass to make sure it meet Imperial Standards. "What the feth do you think you do in front of a superior officer soldier!" He bellowed out, looking her into the eye. His hands resting in each palm behind his back.

If, and when she came to attention he would glance her up and down. "I suppose there have been more distasteful creatures in the Legions..." He said with a firm tone that was meant to be intimidating. In truth it really wasn't. Atleast not at the moment. Pausing for a moment he looked around the compound and then looked to her. "So why are you here missy?"

[Kella Greeran]

Keldon's first bellowed question was mildly off-putting. She was at attention, what was missing? Without skipping another beat, Kella gave a crisp salute. Maybe that would ease his prickled sense of superiority.

Distasteful?
Perhaps they did devour the less fortunate. And Kella felt she was far from distasteful. She'd at least have subtle notes of cinnamon, or so she guessed. Plus she was a member of the fairer sex, surrounded by oafish, ham-handed men.
She would not be goaded into any real sort of offense, her self confidence was resilient enough to withstand a standard military insult here and there.

The "missy" title did miff her a bit, but she had doled out less charming monikers. It was time to take her own medicine. And the term did have a youthful and spry connotation.

"Sir, in the grand scheme of things, I am here to serve my country and embrace some amount of stability. In the particular, I'd like to enter military intelligence."

[Keldon Elsdragon]

Keldon shook his head and then nodded briefly. "Congratulations Miss Greeran! You just told me the same question every single person in this entire district would tell me if I asked them the same damn question. Your file states there is a possibility you are capable of serving in the the intelligence branch. However I am asking YOU why you are here." He said shifting his weight slightly. "Why do you think you are qualified for such assignment?" He asked, in truth he did not want to be this sharp with her but if he was going to give her, her orders then he wanted to learn something about her and see if she was correct for such an assignment.

[Kella Greeran]

By Diana, did the military really endorse soul- searching? Was this the part where she was going to have some great revelation, a spiritual kick to the head and then pour out her heart's desires to a commanding officer?
Kella wasn't real keen on that, especially since her motives were surprisingly simple. As far as she was concerned, there wasn't much to unearth. Which made the whole affair mildly frustrating.

She spoke carefully and almost softly.
"Sir, I meant what I said. It is easy to disregard the wish for stability when you have tasted it. And a noble desire to serve is not beyond me. I am common, not base."
For Kella, this answer was surprisingly sincere in its delivery.

"If you want smaller reasons, Sir, I would like to accomplish goals through not just the will of the sword, but of the mind. It is a woman's territory. And I want my performances to mean something more than another meal."

For all her bravado, it was hard to articulate what made her worth a position. She thought on it a moment before continuing.

"My previous profession taught me how to measure men and think on my feet. I am no stranger to maintaining a mask and being discreet without seeming so."

[Keldon Elsdragon]

Looking down to Kella he nodded his head very briefly. "Sometimes the best answer is the shortest one. However the only concern I notice is your seemingly defiance of authority which concerns me given the nature of intelligence and the army as a whole. The question I must asked if given an order that puts your life at risk or those who you care about will it be followed?" He said firmly and with a serious tone.

[Kella Greeran]

It was a rather grave question to answer on the fly, but Kella's mind worked quickly.

"Sir, I joined the Legion knowing my life would be at risk, hopefully the training I receive in return will bolster my odds."
Her expression grew sardonic with a half cocked smile, "We all have to go sometime, Sir."

But those she cared about? That coaxed a more contemplative tone.
"As for those dear to me being in danger, I could accept that, Sir, in pursuit of the greater good. Even if the greater good is not accomplished."

The next leg of her answer was the miry one, and was not simple to express. It was the idea of crimes against humanity. War and battles meant killing, she was no stranger to that idea, and she was not opposed to it. Yet there were some contexts in which a greater law than the martial law forbidded certain actions. Death was expected for enemies, comrades and sadly bystanders, but it should not be inflicted on innocents on behalf of men with twisted minds.

"However, Sir, there are some crimes that as a creature made by the gods I will not commit. Empire or no. A man's mind can be twisted towards evil, and I will not abide by commands that would tend me towards the same. If the empire is mostly good, as I think it to be, then it will not ask such things of me."

[Keldon Elsdragon]

Keldon placed his hand onto Kella shoulder and looked her square in the eye. "Good, because anyone who serves under my command I want to be able to entrust my life, and the lives of those around me with." He said, his voice no longer firm or trying to enforce authority.

With that said Keldon turned around and motioned for Kella to follow him, "With me Miss Greeran" he said as he led her through the compound towards the officers area, specifically the training section. He would lead her between two large stone buildings that opened up into a courtyard where several weapons racks were lined up. Several of them contained weapons of fine grade, obviously live steel. But there were also a rack or two of training steel which is where Keldon walked to.

Picking up two training longwords he threw one to Kella who he assumed was still behind him. He would either hear nothing from her catching it or the metal hit the stone flooring. Regardless he unsheathed his sword and placed it in the spot where he had just taken the training sword from. Turning around expecting to see Kella behind him with the longsword in his hand nodded. "Defend yourself Legionnaire" He would say rapidly taking a step forward, drawing the blade from a left to right slash. Little force in the attack, he wanted to test her reaction and reflexes.

[Kella Greeran]

Well that was surprising. He was being marginally nice to her, and taking her to a fancier looking locale.

Mentally, Kella was doing a double take, but her face was a mask of calm evaluation.
Her eyes trailed over the live steel, they seemed a finer grade then what the recruits dealt with. Her attention turned back towards Keldon, and just in time to see a sword moving towards her.

A brief thought flashed through her head: "Just another ball."

She had juggled for years, her hands knew when to reach out and grab if she let them. So Keldon didn't hear the twang of falling steel. The sword was in Kella's hand, and she was getting used to its weight, when he turned to face her.

Kella responded to his abrupt command, by falling into a proper stance. Her emphasis was on a lightness of foot, though. She did not brace herself to withstand blows, but prepared herself to ebb and flow with a fight.

Her response to the oncoming blade, was not a solid, forceful block, but a hopefully graceful parry.

[Keldon Elsdragon]

Or was it just another ball, she didn't think that if she didn't catch this 'ball' and the steel should hit the ground it would catch her by chance and cut her.

When his blade met with hers he smirked and took a step back, looking at her and the current stance it was obvious she just learned how to wield a blade. However with time comes skill, and with skill comes improvement.

Keldon took up an offensive stance and moved around her, going in a circle around her left flank. Moving slowly, he would move his sword forward as if he was going to attack one or twice however he did not advanced. It took several seconds before he started to move right but instead he stepped forward and brought his sword up and curled it downwards which originally started as a downward strike curved into an upward strike which was aimed to her right armpit. He would continue to move the sword to see if she could come up with a way to block or avoid the strike.

[Kella Greeran]

After the first feint, Kella changed the way she observed Keldon. Instead of marking his body language, as he was wont to deceive with it, she shifted most her focus to his blade. That was the thing that could do her the most damage at this point.

When he raised his sword and began to descend, Kella didn't waste energy trying to block it straight on, but slid to the side. Thankfully this allowed her a greater freedom to escape the shifting cut that rose upward.

There were two options, Kella could act quickly and try to beat the blade coming up by stopping it with her own before it got too close, or she could simply take a large enough step back to avoid it entirely. The latter move wasn't especially fancy, or impressive, but it could get the job done with minimal effort. Kella knew she was not the strongest, tallest member of the Legion, so she avoided power based tactics with the heavier longswords.

Keeping her balance in mind, Kella opted to take a quick jump back, twisting her body slightly to the side so her arm was even less of a target.

[Keldon Elsdragon]

Perhaps Kella watching nothing but his blade was the correct move, or it was a mistake. Something only time would tell, although she could only hope that it was is when her life is not in danger that she would find out that fact of swordsmanship.

Keldons blade pasted Kella as she moved sideways. The metal swishing through the air as her frame moved into the sides of Keldons eyes. A smirk came to Keldon's face although he was not about to allow the young women off so easily. As the blade came upwards he turned his right foot outwards slightly. When the blade rose he started to curve it inwards then down, his body turning as he moved to make a sideways strike at the center of Kella's chest this one would either contact and leave her with a nasty sore or she could move out of the way. Or if all else fails she could attempt to block it, the decisions one had to make...

[Kella Greeran]

Kella managed to slide out of the first slice, but the man was relentless. Even lifting his sword he tried to take another swipe at her.

A nasty sore would not be Kella's version of a good time, things were bad enough as is in the military. She was hoping that most her painful injuries would come from something just a teensy bit noble, and training would be reserved to bruises and minor cuts.

She'd tried dodging, perhaps she ought to attempt an actual parry, see how effective it was.

Kella took a slight step back to give her enough room to move more smoothly, and twisted her body to meet where the force of the blow was coming from. Her sword was integrated into the motion, drawing in towards her center to hopefully deflect the blow.

[Keldon Elsdragon]

Important Note

Posting will halt hence force for Keldon Elsdragon in this thread as I will be unable to access the internet for a unknown amount of time. My expected return date is not clear however I am aiming for no longer then a month if possible.

I look forward to the role-play when I return, hopefully the thread is not one of those pesky old grandfathered ones from ages ago when I get back. If you need me send me a e-mail at canadianfrodo AT hotmail.com and I will respond A.S.A.P.

-Derek