Biyu had a fitful night of sleep. The hut was cold, unlike her old room, and the people she shared with, despite being so quiet and still, were still there. She found herself constantly conscious of them throughout the night. Compounding on her bad sleep, she woke with the dawn after years of training to wake with her ceiling light. Pulling herself from her cot, she wondered what she should do.
Outside in the sun, the rising of which was impossible to see through the canopy, she started with the stretches and light exercises she had learned in her previous life. When she finished her routine, having nothing better to do, she practiced her dancing. It was nice, being outside and moving her body. The subtle shifting of the ground was a little unnerving, but she quickly learned to ignore it. The movement also helped to warm her body and ward off the cold.
As she danced, she took in her surroundings. Some Elves sat with long, slender sticks besides the edge of the raft. She wondered what they were doing. There were Elves with spears going through practice drills and spars. That interested her, because they looked like the steps of a dance despite the complete difference in intention. Limbered, a little sweaty, and warmed by her exertions, she looked into her hut to ask her Master's children what she should do.
Indu was laying in a sprawl, her eyes still closed. Hak was looking at her, but she wasn't sure if his eyes could close. Seeing no indication they were up for the day, she left them to sleep. Wandering away a little, she found a place where she could watch the Elves while knowing the way back to her hut. She took a seat to watch people going about their day.
"Enjoying your gawking, child?" a bitter voice asked. She looked up to see an old male Elf standing there, looking down at her with a severe expression. "At least you get up at a decent hour. Well, come along. Lady Serpent has commanded me to teach you how to fight." He looked her over. "At your size, I'm sure you've never touched a sword."
Biyu gave a polite curtsy for courtesy and thanks. The man merely snorted at her decorum. "Here we say 'thanks' Human. We ain't got nobles and all that crap. Just the Elders and the Chief. And you don't bow to them either. Be polite, but that's it. You wanna show thanks, then work when you ain't training. Go fish. Hunt. Pick some greens. Hells, I'd say play with the other children, but ain't no good mother gonna let you do that." He eyed her again. "Just how old is you anyway? Like ten years old? Eleven?"
There was no point in being anything but honest. "I do not know."
The man snorted derisively. "How can you not know? That is like not knowing your own name!"
Shrugging, she said, "I was told my name. I was not told my age. Is that how people know?"
The man looked at her skeptically. "What, they not let you out? How many winters you remember?"
At that Biyu frowned. She thought hard. She knew what winter was, but she had never seen one that she could recall. "I've never seen a winter."
That pulled the man short. "How do you not see the weather? It's all around you! Or you trying to be funny, sayin' yous is less than a year?"
Looking up at the man through her mask, she said, "I lived almost my entire life in a single room with a single door. The door was locked. They took me out…" she counted. "Maybe twelve times? Not including the time they brought me to Master's feast."
The man stared at her for a long moment. Suddenly, he looked like he got it. "Oh, 'cause of why you gotta wear that mask, huh?" He chewed on it. "I guess that does make me feel a bit sorry for you. I'm Weapon Master to you. Ain't no one here gonna give you their name. Don't know about your Empire magics, but our Shaman can use a name to do some very nasty things to you over great distances. If you do get a name, be polite and pretend you don't know it. We have given you guest rights. I'm sure even Imperials can be half-way decent guests."
Biyu recited the Imperial form. "A guest must honor his host. A guest must not trouble or threaten his host. A guest must grant his host aid, within reason and good sense, should he require it. One who has been a guest should not decline to be the host later."
Weapon Master snorted at that. "Right enough, I guess. In the mornings you are mine. I saw you, doin' them stretches, exercises, and that… was that a kata or a dance? I expected the former, so it felt all wrong until I thoughts about it."
"It was a dance."
"Right. You can do that too if you want, looks like it'll keep you fit, and I bet it's a skill you need to keep up. If you need a person to dance with, I'll get you some men who don't mind bein' made a fool of. After me, you get a bit of a cool down, then its two hours with a bow. You ain't never gonna be good with it, but it's good to know. You'll be able to fetch yerself some wild game that way. I knows Humans frown at such 'barbarism', but meat is meat. Those are the dailies. Every thrice day you learn to fish. Anyone willing can teach you that one, so find an instructor yerself. You have it today, in fact. Tomorrow you'll get to do butchery. Cleaning animals, taking hides, all the fun stuff." He gave her an evil grin. "When you vomit, don't do it on the carcass. It's done besides the water fer reasons other than a place to discard the extra bits we can't use. The last half day yer free to do what you like, unless your Master gives you a lesson. I suggest you try to be useful. Ain't no one gonna be yer friend here, Human, but no reason you can't make us resent you less. Get it?"
"Thank you for your kind words," Biyu said. She gave him another curtsy. When the Elf raised a brow to her, she told him, "Like dancing, this is a skill that will be useful to me when I return to the Empire."
"You'll be mocked, but have it you're own way. No on here is going to care what you do if you ain't a nuisance. Now, fer your training. Today, we'll do the basic sword forms. Well, you get a dagger and that's it. You are too small for a proper sword."
"I am Awakened," said Biyu.
"That so?" said the man. He just shook his head at the shame of it. "Guess you'll be small for a long time then. See, Awakened, they get strength and their bodies toughen, but you know what they don't get?"
Biyu dutifully shook her head no.
"Length. Yer a little thing. I give you a sword, and chances are you ain't gonna be able to swing it without stabbing the ground. If you've anything worth a trade, then get yourself a sword made, just fer you. Yer weight is a problem too. When you clash blade to blade, there's a chance your opponent can throw you, even if you're much stronger. Hells, if you ain't careful you'll throw yourself! But I'll teach ya. Two daggers will be a good start though. Practical weapons, the right size fer most anyone, and much of the art transfers to sword and dagger with a little extra work.
"You'll be taught sword and shield, or dagger and shield I guess. Spear with and without shield too. Last I'll teach you is hand to hand. Think it's useless?"
Biyu considered, then shook her head. "If I'm caught without a weapon, I will need it."
He smirked at her. "That's one part, I'll admit. Another, though, is that fer someone your size, there are great techniques for clinging to the opponent and stabbing him over and over. So yeah, you are gonna be a grappler. Part of your Master's way of fighting anyways. Enough prattling, the people learning with ya are waiting."
They began with sticks. Safe enough to whack each other with, and they could learn the katas with a stick as easily as with a real weapon. Most of the kids knew more than she did, having learned for a year already. She was stronger and quicker than them, but they were more than happy to humiliate her with their skill. Lessons were painful, and her bottom would hurt for a few days.
Bruised, Biyu left the lesson to go to the archery range. If others were practicing, she would watch. Otherwise, she would stretch her body and relax while waiting.
The range was empty. She was tempted to use one of the bows left on the range, but she would not disrespect her hosts like that. Instead, she started to stretch her sore muscles as she waited for the Archery Master, or whatever he was called.
When the Elf archery trainer arrived, she impatiently waved Biyu over to select a bow. The Elf woman picked a simple short bow, the weapon the only size Biyu could use, and she gave Biyu an arrow. She told her to try and fire the bow outright, and watched as Biyu did what felt natural. She held the wood vertically ahead of her, put an arrow against the string, then drew. When she released, the arrow tipped up into the air, flipped, then fell.
The archery master did not show her the correct form, but instead told her everything she had done wrong. At no point did she show her how to do it right. After the lecture, the Elf had her practice drawing without an arrow for an hour.
"Okay, one thing I will tell you right now: You will never be good with the bow. Passable? Yes. Capable even? Yes. But, me own son, yer age I'd guess, he will out shoot you nine hundred ninety-nine times out of a thousand, if not better. And I don't mean now, I mean after a hundred years. You Humans think the bow a barbaric weapon in the first place, so I don't know why I'm teaching you it. But, Lady Serpent asked, and I do owe her."
Biyu gave the woman a curtsy, and the Elf spit at the ground with a sour face. "You gotta be so Human? Bad enough you got that mask too. You know what no sane man does? Trust a man with a mask. But here you are anyway. Now, let's get you another hour on the range, so I can get rid of you for a day."
Again Biyu curtsied, and the woman ignored it this time.
After a morning of weapons training, Biyu was very sore. The sticks hitting her left bruises and welts. Her muscles burned from being strained using the bow. She did not look forward to tomorrow, but she did look forward to two weeks from now. By then she would be used to the new routine, and that would be wonderful. She was used to a life of routine, and she could not wait for this new life to become one.
Fishing was next on her agenda, but she did not know who to ask to teach her. Biyu knew what fishing was, but the techniques she had read about were abstract and used nets from boats. Sometimes one used a spear, or a spear that looked like a pitchfork. Looking around, she saw a familiar figure peeking at her from behind a hut. Indu was far too large to easily hide, but she was trying to anyway. Her upper body had the shape of a Human, and her coils were easily twice the rest of her body's length. Indu could probably hide in a forest, but not easily in a village. Or, since she lived in a swamp, she could hide in the water. That would be perfect. Her coloration would probably help.
Biyu approached the Kin, careful not to spook her. When Indu realized she had been found, she fidgeted with embarrassment as she slunk out from behind the hut.
Being a direct person, Biyu asked, "Can you teach me to fish?"
Indu perked up at the question, and eagerly said, "Of course!" She curled around Biyu, who was momentarily in a barricade of coils. Indu slithered off with Biyu following. Biyu did her best not to step on Indu's long tail.
Biyu discovered what the rods the Elves had been using at the side of the raft were for. Fishing. The line was made from worked plant fibers. Bait was applied to a hook made from bone. A stone pierced with a hole was placed below the hook to weigh the line down into the water. Indu taught her how to cast the line, test for a bite, and when something bit how to pull it in.
Biyu caught a slimy looking fish that looked unappetizing to her, but Indu stared at it with delight. "Oh, a mud whiskers. Those are very tasty. They are very good fried with spices, or with cream sauces." She actually started squirming in delight. That was… cute?
"What do I do now?" Biyu asked, holding up the fish still on the line.
"Oh! Remove the hook, throw the fish into the trough over there. The one with water. Then, do it all again!"
"For how long?" asked Biyu.
Indu consulted the sky. "Three hours?" she ventured.
Biyu did as she was bid with Indu beside her. "Is this the best way to catch fish?" she asked.
Indu shook her head. "The real fishers use nets and boats. This is… extra?"
"Supplementary," Biyu suggested.
Indu tipped her head in thought, then nodded vigorously. "Yes. Supplementary. Are you good with words?"
"No," Biyu answered. "I do know many, but I think you speak better than I."
Indu smiled tentatively. "Thank you," she said. They continued to fish. Sometimes, Indu would say something and Biyu would respond, but it never quite became a conversation. Still, Biyu was doing something for the first time with someone she suspected wanted to be her friend. It was perhaps the nicest three hours Biyu had ever spent up to that point in her life.
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The next day was a repeat of the previous, but with some differences. She knew where to go, so after her morning kata she headed to the practice field. Today she would learn the spear. They used a stick again, but today she learned kata alone from a put out boy. Everyone else did spars and advanced drills. Biyu learned the forms quickly enough. By the end of practice, the student grudgingly accepted that she could do the basic katas, and he would start teaching her the advanced ones after a few more days of practice.
During the break, before her archery drills, she went to the Forge Master. She dickered with her remaining baubles to get two bronze swords made for her. After their negotiations finished, he gave her clear instructions on the care of her swords, which he told her he would be repeating when she collected them in a few days. After that, he brusquely sent her away.
Biyu apologized profusely when she came to her archery lesson a little late. When she explained why, the archery instructor told her plaintively that she should have made the order after her lunch, when she would not be wasting anyone's time. That she was supposed to learn how to break down animals after lunch she kept to herself.
Archery went much the same as the first day. Her form was better, and her body ached less afterwards. The archery master conceded she was ready to take her first shot. After the admission, the archery instructor made her continue practicing the basic draw until her time was up. Biyu had suspected it with the poor instruction on the first day, but she was certain the archery trainer was doing her utmost to teach her as poorly as possible.
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For lunch, she joined Indu who was with Hak. Hak had a snake's face, so his mood was hard to read. He could talk in short, raspy sentences, but to make it easier for him to share in conversation Indu and Hak taught her an extended version of the hand signs used when hunters hunted in a group. Using both the hand signs and the words that were easy for him to say, it was possible for him to hold a conversation. Hak was not big on conversation, so Biyu practiced most often with Indu, who would sign while she spoke.
Today, Indu and Hak were whispering together and shielding their hands from her. It bothered Biyu a little to be kept out of the conversation. Hak made a sudden sharp motion with his hand, and Indu recoiled.
"Oh? Oh." She turned to Biyu, her head lowered. "I'm sorry Biyu. We were being rude. I can talk to Hak later."
"It is okay." Polite lies were hardly lies at all, and were necessary to get past minor indiscretions.
Indu looked confused. "No? You don't look like it was okay. Hak noticed."
Biyu was not given to fidgeting. The people she knew took one look at her face, and made their opinion of her was made. Experience taught her nothing she could do would change how they looked at her, so she ignored it until they inconvenienced or threatened her. For once, she found herself fidgeting. "It is wrong, to make you feel bad because I felt left out," she said.
Indu shook her head, and Hak joined. "No!" Indu said. "You made a point of joining us for a meal, and we were ignoring you. That's wrong of us."
Biyu supposed she had heard such a thing before. Still, she did not like feeling like she was owed attention. The mask she wore was to avoid attention, if one looked at it a certain way. It felt like a contradiction. "You will not hate me for it?" she asked.
Indu laughed at that, and even Hak managed to look amused. He lacked the ability to project his feelings the way his mother could, so Biyu could only guess by the shudder of his shoulders.
"I won't hate you for that," Indu said when her mirth passed. "It makes me happy, if you want to spend time with me. Not many people do."
Hak nodded his agreement.
"They don't like Hak because they can't tell what he's thinking. It makes him scary to them."
Another nod, although Biyu thought she read a glare there.
"They don't like me either," admitted Indu. "I gave some children rides on my back in the water last summer, and their mothers yelled at me. They hit me! Mother had to scold them."
Biyu thought about that. "Can I ride your back?" she asked. That sounded like something not many people got to do. It also sounded exciting. Maybe even fun.
Indu looked hopeful. "You don't find me disgusting? Gross to touch?" she asked.
Biyu reached out and touched Indu's forearm. The woman flinched at the touch, and Biyu drew back. Squirming, Indu thrust her arm forward. Her face was embarrassed at her reaction. Once again, Biyu touched the woman, after an assurance it was okay. Indu's scales were smooth to the touch, and dimpled under a press of her fingers. To her surprise, Indu was also as warm to the touch like a Human. "You feel nice," she decided.
"Then you can ride me! When it's hot! I promise, it's lots of fun!"
Hak discreetly made a sign behind Indu. It was the one for gratitude.
Lunch came to an end. Biyu said her goodbyes, and made her way to a small barge floating off the side of the raft village. It smelled of blood and offal. Carcasses from a hunt were dangling from ropes over the water. Elves were readying knives and other tools to break down the beasts.
Biyu started by watching. The Elves said nothing, but they did make a point of showing her how the cuts were made, how to handle and remove the organs, how the body parts were sectioned, how meat was cut from bone, and how bones were parted and cleaned before being set aside for craftsmen to use.
She watched two carcasses broken down, both rabbits, before taking a badly mangled rabbit to work on. That way, she could not make it much worse than it already was. The Elves looked disappointed she had no response to the gruesome task, and Biyu herself wasn't sure why it did not bother her. Following what she was shown, she broke down the body carefully. An Elf took the time to watch her, and made corrections where she saw her making mistakes. After the first corpse, they assigned her three more. She worked diligently, if slowly, to break down the bodies. It was past dinner time when she was done, but one Elf remained with her as she worked.
"Good work," the Elf allowed, before showing her where to bring the carcasses when they were done. The meat went to the dinner pots. Bones would be carved into useful things or ornaments. Other bits would be used in other ways. The waste material was dumped into the swamp to chum the waters for the fishers the next day.
Biyu ate dinner with Hak, Indu, and another woman. She looked like an Elf with a sour face. The new woman had curly brown hair kept short for a woman, and had plump curves that would be called matronly if she was a little older. She gave Biyu a quipped greeting. "I'm Invidia."
"Biyu," she returned. Then they ate. Hak and Indu seemed subdued with the other woman present.
When they finished eating, Invidia told Biyu, "I'm a Kin too. You seem to be making friends with us, so I thought I'd say hi. There's more of us here, but not many. They don't usually let Kin grow up here. Hak they thought might 'grow out of it'. Indu here was too Elvish, and Mom thought she was cute. Me? I'm a mistake. Well, that's my little spiel. See you."
Hak relaxed when Invidia left. Indu sighed, and laid on the ground sprawled in relaxation. Watching them, Biyu elected not to say anything. Not really her business.
Hak made a gesture anyway, and she understood he was saying 'she is ill-tempered'. Biyu signaled her understanding, then she talked with Indu for the rest of dinner. Hak would chime in, but she could tell it was courtesy and her previous grievance at being left out. She had to admit, she appreciated it.
Indu seemed more ebullient than usual. They finished their meal, passed around the nightly revelry of the Elves to return to their hut, and went to bed. As they found their spots among the piled rushes and cot that made up their beds, Indu slithered over and quietly asked, "Can I sleep beside you?"
Biyu gave it due consideration. "Do not touch me," she said. Indu agreed readily, and then Biyu fell into an easy sleep.
When she woke up, Indu was coiled up close to her. The woman was as close as she could be without touching. She stirred as Biyu rose, but Biyu was sure the Kin would not get up until the day got warmer. She wondered if they hibernated through the winter. It was a long way away, so she put it aside for now.
Biyu's day started with her usual morning routine. This time, as she went through her exercises, she felt eyes intensely watching her. Indu was up early and watching her. When she got to dancing Indu seemed especially interested, slipping from the hut to watch openly.
"Is that dancing?" Indu asked.
Biyu gave a nod, not stopping her practice.
"Can you teach me?"
"This afternoon, when I'm free?" Biyu offered.
Indu beamed at her. She moved in rapid little circles in her excitement. This ended with her coiled up under her torso, making her a bit taller. Leaning forward, she readied to give Biyu a hug, but Biyu shied back. Indu's face fell. Moving back, she sadly said, "Sorry."
Biyu patted one of Indu's hands. "I do not like being touch," she said. Indu smiled wanly. Not good enough. Well, when they danced Indu might understand.
Then she was on her way to combat practice. Today was bare hands. She was paired with an older woman, a little taller than her, and the woman started by walking her through the basics of grappling. Biyu did not enjoy the fight, but she understood the need to learn. Her skin crawled as they struggled, and she almost asked for a breather a few times. However, in this hostile environment, she dared not show such a rudimentary weakness. It could easily lead to the situation her mask was meant to prevent.
At the end of the grappling session her partner sighed with disappointment. "Do better, or I won't bother next time," she stated.
Hearing this, Weapon Master stalked up, and smacked the woman hard on the back of the head. "Say anything like that again, and Lady Serpent is liable to EAT you."
The woman backed away, eyes wide with shock at the treatment. She glared at Biyu like it was her fault.
Biyu gave the woman a curtsy. It might have been mocking in context, but it was still the right thing to do. "Thank you for your instruction."
Weapon Master sighed, shaking his head, and went to finish instructing his other students.
Archery instruction proceeded to firing arrows. Stand correctly. Knock. Draw. Aim. Release. She was told to be slow, methodical, and with every failure she was given instruction on how she could fix her form. At the end, she was no better than when she had begun. She still did not know the correct form, just the minutiae of her mistakes. The advice she received throughout was useless and often competing, as there was no baseline to compare the advice with. Correction without proper instruction was useless. She was growing irritated, but there was little she could do.
Lunch that day was a quiet affair. Indu was too excited about dancing after lunch to try to make conversation. Hak was naturally quiet. Invidia did not join them. After lunch, Biyu prepared to teach Indu to dance.
Master approached them in her Human guise. She strolled over to Biyu, glancing at her children. "Ready for your first lesson, my adorable disciple?"
Indu looked at her mother sadly. Hak put a bit of space between himself and the Sacred Beast. Biyu gave a curtsy. "I would be happy to Master. I did promise to teach Indu dance. I would prefer not to renege on a promise. Will there be time for both?"
Master looked at Indu for a long moment. "Do it during revelry. You will have time then. This is important, Biyu. You will be learning your first technique."
Biyu turned to Indu. "Can you get up in the morning when I do?"
She nodded slowly.
"Then I will teach you in the mornings."
Indu licked her lips. "But, don't you need to do your practice?"
Biyu shook her head. "I will keep my promise to you. I cannot do it now. I will do it every morning you wish to."
Indu shyly flicked the tip of her tail. "Okay. I'll forgive you. And… third days, when we fish?"
Biyu offered a smile in agreement. She went with her Master to learn the techniques she had been promised. They went to a clear little spot in the raft village. "Can you guess your first technique?"
Biyu shook her head.
Master looked disappointed. "It is [Poison] of course. It is the cornerstone of all the techniques you will learn, except [Heal Self]. Learning a technique is a strange thing. You know rituals?"
Biyu gave a nod. "I know a couple of charms I was taught, but I do not know any proper rituals."
"It is the shape of the thing that is important. A ritual has symbols, shapes, and objects. A technique only has the shape. The symbols in a ritual represent shapes we cannot draw. The objects represent concepts with very complex shapes associated with them. It is… not a shortcut, but a substitution. However, what you must understand is that a technique has a shape. That shape is a sculpture you draw using the mana in your mana pool. So, how do you think you learn a technique?"
Biyu thought about it. "You learn the shapes?"
"Yes! This is the hard part. You must learn the shapes for the technique. Until you do, it will not work, or, worse, do unexpected things. Now, if we were Human Wizards we would use a fancy language to describe the shape, along with illustrations to fuel the imagination. We are on the step before that. What is it?"
Biyu tipped her head. Master waited while Biyu thought about it. What would be an answer to this question? She had to draw a shape in her mana pool… "I need to learn how to manipulate my mana pool?"
"Yes!" Master said. "So I will give you a simple shape, and you will attempt to make it in your pool. And then I will give you another shape, and you will attempt to make it. Eventually, we will put the pieces together, and you will have a technique. I think it will take at least a month."
Biyu gave a nod.
Hours later she was inducted into the first secrets of the Awakened. She learned not only how to make shapes in her mana pool, but after that she learned how to empower her body with mana. It was a trickier proposition than it sounded like, for she had to bind it evenly into her muscles, bones, and skin. Skill was involved, and that skill required practice.
Empowering bound the mana into her body, tying it into her flesh and bones. In some ways, it was like embroidery. Just as annoying as embroidery, except it was not the dexterity of her fingers but the focus of her mind that directed the needle. That was a boon in some ways, as she thought of herself as having good focus. However, it meant that hours would pass as she made her bones a little harder, her muscles a little stronger and quicker to react, and her skin a little harder to cut. When she was done, her body was poorly balanced, and the mana she used was permanently spent from her pools total until she released it. There was no reason to release the binding, not if she did it properly, except to free the mana for other uses. Therefore, once she was skill enough, she would leave herself empowered until her pool expanded enough she could spare a bit more. Empowering had a limit. Much like a person who tried to shift a weight that was too heavy could do themselves injury, her body could only accept so much empowering until she would strain her body too much.
She also learned what it was like to run out of usable mana, and how to gauge her level of power. Controlling mana caused a strain on her mind, whether it was binding mana into shapes to create a technique, or directed it into her body to empower it. Her body was what the mana channeled through, so when she empowered her body it caused a minor strain. She imagined it would be worse when she started using techniques. When her body was empowered, or a technique was completed, she could relax and admire the work. That too took focus, but it was like difference admiring art and creating it.
Techniques had two mana costs. The first was the shape of the technique, which like the mana used to empower her body was a permanent cost to her mana pool. She was excited to learn how to use a technique, but she was not that far along yet. Her Master cautioned her from over investing mana in her body or techniques. Most techniques did nothing themselves. Mana from her pool would run through the technique formation in her pool, channel into her body, and become expressed in the world as an effect. That meant she had to keep mana free in her pool to use her techniques.
There were Paths that used techniques completely internal to the user, so that they had no need to keep mana free. Others specialized in body empowerment, and had few techniques. Instead, they focused on building the body with mana enhancement, so that the whole pool could be bent to that use. Shishi's Path had a single technique that did not require mana to express itself, [Poison]. It was a knowledge technique. When she ingested poison or was injected with venom, the technique would absorb the knowledge into it.
Now that she had her first lesson, Biyu had a better sense of what it was like to be a Knight. Or, given her weapons training, perhaps she was closer to an initiate or squire.
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The next morning, Biyu grumbled at how close Indu was. She was surrounded by the not-touching serpent girl. Stepping lightly over Indu, she started her stretches while waiting for Indu to get herself up. When Indu did, they began with the most basic steps. There was some irony that Indu was unable to take a step as they danced, but she could still sweep across a dance floor. Also, Indu had a horrible trip hazard attached to her.
Biyu remained patient no matter how many times she was tripped. While they danced, Biyu held Indu like a man would hold a woman. Indu held Biyu in return as Biyu instructed her to. Tail aside, Indu was a good student. It was not long, maybe an hour, then Biyu had to go to her combat lesson. Still, Indu seemed very happy, and they parted with her cheerful goodbye.
Today, she learned the sword and shield. She empowered herself a little bit, to make it easier to keep up with the forms she was taught. It also helped her withstand the blade smashing against her shield as she learned deflection. She was forced back a step, her mass not enough to keep the blow from affecting her. Weapon Master seemed surprised she withstood the blow that well. Then he yelled at her for the angling of her shield and failing to properly rebuff the strike. Unlike in archery, he showed her what she did and what she was supposed to do so she could see her mistake.
Archery was still archery. Biyu felt that today confirmed that her instructor did not like her, and was intending to waste her and Biyu's time rather than train her properly. Biyu empowered herself a little to help with her bow work, making the draw a little easier.
With lunch came a surprise. Indu gifted her a new mask. Instead of a full face mask, this one was carved to leave her mouth unobstructed. The mask was carved and painted to look like a stylized snake's head, with the hint of scales and two short dull fangs to the sides of her mouth. Her cheeks were covered to the jaw too, leaving very little other than her lips and chin visible. There were no bands to fasten it to her head, though.
"How do I wear this?" she asked.
Shuffling a little, Indu said, "I've been trained in shamanism. It will 'glue' itself to your face. You just have to use a little of your mana on it. To take it off, choose to stop empowering it. Um, Mother has taught you how?"
"It will not come off if I don't want it to?" She was amazed.
Nodding, Indu gently took the mask to show the inside. There were symbols etched there. Biyu did not recognize it as the kind of ritual magic her people used. It looked more like a poem using unknown characters. "It won't come off, not even when you sleep! Not unless you want it to."
Biyu knew the best way to show Indu her appreciation for this gift. So, she put her arms around the other woman's body, and gave her a hug.
Indu hugged her back with surprise. "Is it okay? Touching?"
"Just this once," Biyu said. Her skin did not crawl. Not like it had when questing hands had touched her in the past. Still, she felt uncomfortable.
Parting from the hug, Indu told Biyu, "Oh, it was Hak's idea. Um. He suggested it, and that's what we were talking about during lunch the other day."
Hak made a denying gesture, but Biyu thanked him anyway. He seemed to share her dislike for touch, so she expressed herself in hand gestures and a curtsy. Unlike the Elves, she had a sense that her curtsying amused him. Perhaps she was starting to get a handle on his body language.
Biyu went into the hut to change her mask. She did as Indu had instructed her, and found the mask easy to use. It clung snugly to her skin. A part of her worried Elf magic would not work for her, even if she was Awakened by a Sacred Beast. Biyu was surprised to find that her vision was not hampered in any way. Testing the mask, she moved her head around, did a push-up, and even went through one of her more vigorous kata as fast as she could. Satisfied, she moved her jaw, looked in all directions without moving her head, and made a variety of expressions. Only wrinkling her nose proved difficult, and that was an expression she rarely made.
When she returned to the siblings, she gave Indu another hug. Hak she clasped hands with, a greeting she'd seen some of the Elves use. Armed with new confidence from her mask, she went to fish with Indu. Today was a joyful day.