aionlogs | Kenoma Team Training

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Kenoma Team Training

WHO: The Kenoma
WHAT: Training Activities
WHERE: Starts at the Citadel, varies per activity
WHEN: Starting on 6/4
WARNINGS: None yet...?

After a period of relative quiet, the Kenoma will receive a Communion post of utmost importance:

"Good day, everyone. This is Ciel. We may have received a passing grade from the Regent following the events in Venera, but they have sorely underlined how ill-prepared we were for a proper mission on Horos. Emet-Selch, Eustace, and I are in agreement, thus we have organized a series of training and teambuilding exercises. We ask that you all please attend, there will be... prizes."

OVERVIEW

When trainees arrive in the Courtyard after the Communion, a plethora of training activities await them.

The courtyard itself is sectioned off into areas, one for each training activity for the day. The activities vary from one subject to another, and still manage to be related to their tasks as a Kenoma while still leaving room for "fun". Weapons training, tag, survival training, and strength training are all provided. Kenoma is also welcome to spar on their own if they so choose. (This is not included as a specific prompt to avoid too much PVP, but you can add it in a TL if you like.)

Instructions on each activity will be provided to the participant before they begin. For those who can’t participate or choose to show up for moral support or to dodge the activities, water will be provided so that you may gossip around the proverbial "water cooler".

Each of the three trainers are on hand in some capacity or another to provide instructions on that activity or training on a specific skill.

These exercises can be done at any point and do not necessarily have to be done on a training day with the group. Characters can return after the crowd has dispersed to train on their own or with a chosen individual. The equipment will still be there and trainers (or fellow Kenoma) can be brought here at their leisure.

I. WEAPONS TRAINING

Racks of weapons are lined up on the far side of the courtyard. These range from swords to polearms and rather sizable knives to swords and tonfas. Feel free to grab a weapon of your choosing and have a trainer engage you to show you how to use it. Or, if they have experience, other students may also advise you!

The intent is to train on the proper use of several types of weapons and how to wield them effectively. It may also delve into how to most efficiently disable/neutralize/injure someone in a fight, depending on which teacher you wind up with.

II. AGILITY

There is an open part of the field that has been roped off specifically for...tag! Rope bridges, mud pits, chest-high walls of rock, and even a large wall of ice (?!) dot the field to give people plenty of places to hide and run. (If you would like your own obstacle, feel free to comment to ask so we can make sure it’s within reason of what our characters could do.)

Participants will be provided with a waxy paint to put on their hands which will stain whatever person it comes in contact with with a very luminescent purple glitter. (It washes out, of course!) The last person standing will get a prize of…dubious worth.

Now get running!

III. SURVIVAL

There’s two locations for this: the outdoor courtyard closest to the main citadel kitchen, and the kitchen itself.

For the outdoor location, bundles of tree branches and firewood are provided if needed, students are expected to start their own fire and cook wild game with what they foraged.

A - Foraging
Time for a field trip to the mountains and woods outside Achamoth! Students will be taught basic survival skills including: first aid without the use of magic, how to find and create shelter from natural terrain, how to identify and forage for food that is safe to eat, and how to create traps to catch wild game. Yes, you too can experience the joy of floor meat!

All foraged supplies can subsequently be used for Home Ec cooking lessons.

B - Home Ec
For the kitchen, there's a dedicated area where several Aions at once could attempt cooking with utensils and more elaborate ingredients. There are some servants keeping an eye out just in case and could be flagged down for help or assistance if requested/needed, but otherwise, Aions are free to make use of everything available to their own ends. Is this really useful for "training"? Cooking is a science that shapes and nourishes both body and soul, of course, it's important enough to have a part in the curriculum!

IV. STRENGTH

Step up to the starting line with one partner. One person will carry the other across a small section of the course to the finish line at the opposite end. There are a few minor obstacles such as walls and puddles. Nothing that you have to put too much effort into getting around. The person who can see will guide the person carrying them to the finish line using only their voice. Try not to bump into anything.

If you feel *really* ambitious, extra weights will be provided. Or you can forgo the rules and carry two people (or more?). Your choice, really.

V. REFRESHMENTS

For those who are not athletically inclined - or claim not to be athletically inclined - a large chunk of ice with refreshments dotted throughout awaits you on the sidelines. They will take a little effort to free them. Most will be freed with a little pull while others are completely encased in ice and may not be worth the effort.

Feel free to hand out refreshments, gossip about the participants, or scheme to your hearts' content.

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Oh, lying by omission. Of course she knows what that is, it was basically all Ciel did during her undercover time in Japan when she pretended to be a third year student.

...That is. She's all ears and no judgment, here! He can react however he wants, she's still trying to piece together the sort of 'argument' they may have had. Though from how Howl is making it sound, why is she getting the impression that he's mainly upset about not being told something specific he feels entitled to know?

"That's... Still a bit vague, I'm sorry." Her brow knits in deeper concentration. Now how to rephrase this tactfully... "Is it like now that you know more, you feel like what you've exchanged about yourselves between each other before wasn't of equal worth?" He felt cheated or shortchanged by this lie of omission, in other words? Is that the sort of spat this is?

Howl goes quiet for a moment, pressing his lips together in a frustrated frown. As he'd feared... his curse is just as strong as it's always been. And Emet-Selch's ability to deduce parts of the curse had made it easier to "talk" about it, albeit through implication and innuendo. That isn't going to work here, with Ciel. He knows not to fight the curse too hard, lest he make a fool of himself with contorted faces and clamped-shut teeth, but the frustration is clear on his face.

"No, no," Howl says with a wave of his hand. "Me — I could never share 'equally', as you put it." And despite having said something so odd, Howl moves on without missing a beat.

"Oh, how to put it...? Imagine if you were once a sailor, but you were forced into early retirement after a band of wicked mermaids sank your ship and killed your crew. And then, those same mermaids have been hunting you ever since, trying to finish the job. Now, imagine making a new friend, years later, and telling them your story... only for them to conspicuously fail to inform you afterwards that they are actually a mermaid in disguise. Maybe not one of your mermaids — as far as you know — but a mermaid all the same."

That is, of course, just an analogy, but it's closer to why Howl is mad with Emet-Selch than one might think. He brings his free hand to his face to rub the bridge of his nose. The longer this goes on, the more apparent it is that a full explanation for Ciel is not really possible.

"...If you want to know so badly, Miss Nose, why don't you ask him to explain it to you?" The idea of passing this conversation on to the subject of his ire is appealing, and not just because Howl has such difficulty talking about this particular topic. After another moment of thought, he scoffs and lowers his hand.

"If he refuses, thinking I spoke to him in confidence before, just tell him the deserter sent you there himself to ask."

Edited (What an autocorrect ) 2022-06-22 04:19 (UTC)

Ah, right. He can't, even if it's clearly something he wants to talk about. She made the remark on the premise that he may have felt slighted for being shortchanged, and that's her mistake. Her demeanor does turn more sober at his comment, though she doesn't press and moves on along with him. Curse, geass, contract... The terms are many, but it's probably something on those lines, isn't it? For someone who otherwise loves to talk, wants to live. And 'mermaids', huh? That seems a little specific, but the point of his analogy comes across well enough.

She falls silent at his question, and takes a few moments before lifting her gaze to meet his again.

"I want to know what you want, Howl. We've talked about this before." His ire is met with quiet calm. "Emet-Selch is not very emotionally inclined, as you may already be aware. Knowing that, how would you like for this to resolve?"

She'll talk to the Ascian too, of course. But as the more emotionally driven of them two (his very behaviour now is proof), Howl should be handled with more care. Hopefully Emet-Selch will understand...

There's a sharp pang of annoyance when Ciel continues to press him. What do you want, what do you want, what do you want — can't she see how much that question irritates him? How much he doesn't want to think about it, put it directly into words? How much he'd prefer to simply live in the moment, indulging his whims as they arise, after a lifetime of coping with the knowledge that his future is non-existent?

He looks back at her with a scowl. If only he could simply disappear in this moment and not say anything at all! He needs to figure out Horosian invisibility magic as soon as possible. Or at least the potion iteration...

"What I want is to stop talking about this," he says bluntly. "But you're not going to let me do that, are you. Fine. If you want to help me so badly, go tell that old emperor that I'm not sorry for what I had to say and do, and that I'd love to hear what a laugh he's had every time I told him the slightest detail about myself."

And Howl seems set on leaving it at that. Are you happy now, Ciel?

The severe backlash Howl displays this time does have Ciel stiffen on the spot, the ~~despair~~ anger roiling off him in waves that is almost physically felt. She knew it was a difficult question for him since their talk after his return, but asking him what sort of outcome he may want out of his conflict with Emet-Selch?

That... was also too much, it would seem.

Lowering her gaze, she breathes out a silent exhale.

"Understood. Please excuse me."

With a bow, she withdraws without further ado. It's not her place to apologize, this is probably not the sort of thing that only apologizing will fix anyway. It wasn't her intention to upset Howl further, but as things are, there's nothing she can do about the situation other than worsen his mood further if she sticks around. But... Will Emet-Selch be willing to tell her what happened? No God will hear her even if she prays, suppose all she can do is take her chances and seek him out. Onward to the Ascian's quarters, then; hopefully it's where he's retired to, and if not, then she will have to reach out via communion. It is so that some time later, there will be faint knocking at Emet-Selch's door.

"Emet-Selch?"

She doesn't need to declare herself for her voice to be recognizable. Is he in...?

There is a very long pause. So long, in fact, that it could seem like he may not come to the door.

But eventually, the door does creek open and Emet-Selch answers. His hair is somewhat disheveled and the look on his face radiates exhaustion. By all accounts, it looks like he made good on his word to try and rest for a while.

"What is it." He asks flatly, tiredly.

...Well. She should have brought something with her, in hindsight, but it's a little late for that now. She does wait the silence out patiently, telling herself she'll give it... ten minutes should be reasonable, hopefully? So it wasn't THAT long, in hindsight. He is old, and clearly tired when he left the training yard.

"I apologize for the interruption. I came to check up on you." He looks even worse off than usual... But that much is the truth. She considered what to say on her way over, and frankly, she's lost track of how many openers she's thought about only to discard within the next moment. There was no going at this 'gently' or subtly, no way Emet-Selch wouldn't already be aware of why he's getting his rest interrupted in person by her of all people. After a small pause, she continues with a silent exhale.

"Has it been like this since Venera?"

A far cry from delicate, but it cuts straight to the point. No need to make this even more exhausting and painful than it already must be with pointless fluff, right?

Being 'checked on' earns a - somehow - even more disapproving glower. The idea that his sleep had been interrupted to be fussed over without direct concern only stokes his crankiness.

To her second point, however, he steps aside and motions a single palm to the inside of his room to 'welcome' her in. "Whatever questions Howl's demeanor has prompted, they are better asked without tarrying in the hall for all to hear." He answers without answering.

Inside she would find a luxurious room with many added flourishes: Borrowed books are stacked on tables, sandwiched between papers and bordered with all manners of fountain pens; paintings and custom tapestries hang on the wall and ceiling, obviously commissioned from some of the artists in town; and there are a few trinkets dotted around on shelves and tabletops, some ornate sculptures of globes or abstract art and others simple objects like sculptures of animals.

Inside is somewhat messy yet personable. There is certainly something to be said about his space reflecting his personality.

She offers a low bow of her head at the motion of his hand, then steps past the door's threshold at the invitation without further ado. Ciel wouldn't have minded staying at the door, but it would have been strange and impractical for more reasons than just a few. As for the Ascian's room, it's with a muted sort of awareness, like trying to perceive sound underwater, that she realizes this is the second time she's stepped into another Kenoma's room. Just like last time, this space too is very reflective of its occupant, and despite the ~~clutter~~ amount of things here and there, it does decidedly give a uniquely... homey air that only Emet-Selch may be capable of assembling. Quaint.

If the Ascian doesn't do it first, his guest will make sure the door is well closed behind them before following him further in. She'll remain standing too, unless he sees it fit to direct her otherwise.

"I recall you two getting along well, before Venera."

She begins, and it's not a question. Will he be willing to talk about his side without acute needling, or...?

Emet-Selch makes for a countertop where he has some tea warming. It is poured into an ornate purple and gold teaup which looks to be much too luxurious to be drinking out of so casually. He hesitates briefly, pours more into another cup, and then turns to make for the main living area again.

One teacup and saucer are set on the far end of the coffee table. He takes the other for himself and sits in the adjacent chair which - again - may just look a little too ornate. It's a nonverbal invitation for Ciel to sit.

"So it seems." Suppose he had to acknowledge that their mutual accord seemed to be 'purely' before Venera. It had taken him some puzzling to put his finger on why Howl was so upset to begin with - given what Howl said about his memories of Garlemald had no bearing on Howl personally - but then he had been able to settle on the likely 'why' after some consideration.

"Howl has difficulty with figures of authority and has struggled with his place in Achamoth because of it. In Venera, He discovered that I once wielded similar power to those whom he repudiated." Emet-Selch takes a sip of tea - pinky so nonchalantly raised. His next words are said with a little more dramatic flair, "To wit, I am sure his oh-soooo-delicate feelings are eminently aggrieved." He spitefully adds, "Again."

Edited (transitionssss) 2022-07-04 15:46 (UTC)

As unimaginable as the tea set's price tag may be, it doesn't look particularly out of place in the Aions' rooms that are already exceedingly luxurious and lavish to begin with. The ease—or rather, casualness with which Emet-Selch handles the set is what hints towards his status and habits from his home world, though his position as emperor was already known to Ciel since the newcomers' welcome party thanks to the speeches they both gave. Which, come to think of it, Howl had been absent for, hasn't he? The way how he spat out 'emperor' earlier, too. (Was he not previously aware...?)

She doesn't need to be shown twice, and at the Ascian's wordless offer, takes her seat at the designated spot with a small bow of her head. Ciel thought she's had enough experience dealing with highly eccentric individuals to be able to roll with anything, but... Hm. She's still a commoner through and through, as she finds herself quite conscious of the cup served to her and how she SHOULD be mindful. Not that she's clumsy, but no pressure...

Details aside.

"'Again'?" She asks innocuously, leaving her cup untouched for now as her attention is purely focused on Emet-Selch with an attentive but neutral expression. Hearing him word it like that does make Howl sound like... Ah, she should remain unbiased. It's evident nevertheless, than an emotionally repressed wizard and an emotionally overflowing one (repressed too to a certain degree maybe, but not by choice) were going to clash the moment they get into a significant disagreement. Oh dear...

"Though if you don't mind me asking, what do you think had drawn him to you at first, to begin with?"

Ciel would guess that upon their initial meeting, Howl was likely the one who approached Emet-Selch first. Just a guess.

"Well, I certainly know how to make a memorable first impression," Emet-Selch says humorously eluding to the banquet with the Regent. It seems the event was remembered still, even by those who were not present at the time.

The statement, while true, makes no mention of their first meeting. Emet-Selch had been able to discern Howl's curse at a glance and that certainly seemed to make a lasting impression. Even if Howl is being quite unreasonable now, there is no reason to divulge such secrets that he considered to be said in confidence.

All humor aside, he offers a more serious explanation. "What likely attracted his attention is that I am a practitioner of magic. Howl seeks out those who provide him a sense of reassurance and stability. Someone who wielded familiar magic, along with someone he may have perceived as dependable, would make an apt crutch of which to lean on."

He breathes out a sharp huff of air, nearly indicative of a laugh. "He certainly made quite a fuss when I 'dared' not be at his side during the Regent's banquet." So much so that he had burst into his room without asking.

Emet-Selch takes another sip of tea while he considers the situation further. "I suspect he thinks that I aim to control him and his power, as other figures from his home have tried to do. Yet he plainly ignores the fact that I have never given him orders. The only instructions I sought to provide was so that he could better defend himself if he chose to throw himself into battle again, which he aptly refused and I have not pursued since."

"That you did, yes. It was very much an unforgettable one." She agrees with a nod, according his sense of ~~drama~~ humor the seriousness it deserves. It could be inferred that Emet-Selch most likely spoke to the Regent later to get his mark removed, one WOULD wonder what else they may have talked about. That's Emet-Selch's business though, and as much as the topic may be more attractive than the one they're all stuck with now, THIS is what they have to deal with at the moment.

As the Ascian finishes offering his perspective over the matter, Ciel takes a longer silence to digest it all. He... Really isn't human, is he? The clinical and utilitarian analysis he provides from his point of view does highlight Emet-Selch's thought process, and it's one that does NOT account for human feelings (irrationality), that's the sense of what she gets when she considers his lack of humanity. 'Crutch'. 'Control'. The lack of empathy is rather glaring. Howl is highly emotional, she's witnessed it herself, but reacting like he had towards Emet-Selch simply 'because I'm a figure of authority'? She already knows that's not the case, or at least, not the full of it. Howl had said it himself: 'He lied to me. Over and over.' She resigns herself to the fact that she will probably not get a simplified version of events from the man she's having tea with either, though speaking of which, she will take a careful sip of the tea while she mulls over what she knows more thoroughly.

The sailor analogy Howl made. That she's never going to find out what really happened, because both these men are simply Like That. She'll need to address this without facts then, is that even possible? She's already upset Howl with being too direct also, though thinking on it, she actually knows him better on a personal level than she does Emet-Selch...

The cup is gingerly put back onto the saucer plate with a quiet clink.

"Is that why you think he's upset with you? Because you may control him?" She's already aware that this is NOT why Howl is upset, but after talking with him earlier (and arguably messing it up, but she DID get valuable information too), it would seem that relying on their individual subjectivity may actually be key.

"If you have reason to suspect differently, then by all means, speak your mind." He says succinctly. The question she asked goads him to repeat himself or offer a different solution. He is in the mood to do neither.

Emet-Selch crosses one leg over the other, leans back in his chair, and sips his tea.

So that IS his conclusion, there was no ambiguity or anything else there to misconstrue. Folding her hands onto her lap, she takes a small breath before speaking again, looking at him straight in the eye for what it may do to convey her own take.

"He's upset you lied to him. It may have been a lie through omission, but from the conversation we had, that's his most grievous gripe with what he's discovered about you."

A brief pause.

"He may have fussed over you after the Regent's banquet because he was worried. About you." The emphasis is mild, but it's there. "Do you believe his concern to harbor ulterior motives?"

His disapproving glare softens and tone turns reflective. "I know Howl's concern to be genuine."

Despite his complaints, those very mannerisms are what goaded Emet-Selch to push himself just a little more as he stood at the injured wizard's bedside to heal his wounds. It prompted him to slow his pace as he walked, to smile faintly as they ate, and to try and make sure he would have the abilities to keep him safe instead of letting him be. How he wished he didn't as his mind whispered that this one would betray him. Give into the weak, frail, shortsightedness that they always have.

"I have not lied to him nor did I intend to omit that information. If my intention was to do so, I would not have shared what I had in front of the whole of the Kenoma." An instance that, initially, he wasn't aware that Howl was absent for. Not until the end.

There is the faintest look of wistfulness. What Howl saw was much more... personal than what he had shared with the Kenoma - A facet of that Imperial experience he would rather no one see.

A silver lining then, if Emet-Selch can recognize the emotion in others even if he himself seems utterly allergic in expressing any that's not exasperation or fatigue. Goodness, what is she ever going to do with them both...

"He was not present the evening of that party due to the Regent's orders." She reaffirms with downcast eyes, easily believing Emet-Selch to be genuine in his admission. Isn't the irony palpable though, that Howl may have found out about Emet-Selch's position in a much less explosive way if he was present for that speech? Yet he couldn't because he was facing disciplinary actions, and Venera likely presented the worst stage for revealing that information in a most visceral and personal way.

"He may be very emotional, and it must be all the more frustrating to be unable to speak of things he wishes he could. But I don't think he would feel this hurt and betrayed either, if your companionship isn't of great significance to him."

It's not the most compelling case, she's painfully aware, but the fact that Howl is emotionally fickle and volatile is a well known fact, one that she can at least attempt using for this argument's sake.

"The fact that emotional capriciousness would distort what may be considered typical aside," Emet-Selch notes for the sake of consideration for the proper amount of theatrics he has seen, "Yes. Greater importance yields a greater return."

He spares a thought for the other details she has covered. The lack of presence due to the Regent's orders, being unable to speak of things he wanted to, companionship. All warrant their own questions and thoughts.

In practically the same breath as he subtly complains about Howl's theatrics does he lean back against the chair, puts a hand to his face, and sighs. "I will speak to him further on the matter, but doing so while others were meant to be training is not the time for it."

She nods, choosing to gloss over his exasperation at the irrationality of human emotions to offer a small nod in response.

"I've asked him several times what he wants. 'Be mindful of everyone's efforts and their motivations', as you put it." Emet-Selch did give that advice, and in a way, it's also the reason why Ciel is seated in his room having tea with him over a difficult subject, right now.

"Even after he came back from Dionys, he struggled to answer me for his own reasons. I asked him that again earlier, as how he hopes this resolves between you two. It worsened his mood and made him angrier."

She doesn't offer theories or speculations, only facts.

"Please take your time as you see fit, I will also check in with him again and can keep you updated if you like. In the meanwhile, may I ask you the same, Emet-Selch?"

What does he want, or hope, for this to resolve? Is he willing to make amends and meet Howl somewhere in the middle, or is he really seeing this as a bridge already burned? As both their allies, is it not only right and proper for her to be concerned?

At the mention of Dionys, a slow picture of possibilities begins to form in his mind as he weaves certain instances together. Orders from the Regent, was it.

"What do I want." He restates contemplatively. Emet-Selch looks off and considers. "I want to be able to work together. That is all I ask." His expectations of others have withered over the years, so much that 'friendship' is too high of an expectation.

"I will extend the olive branch and let him do with it as he sees fit; I do not expect friendship if he is not willing to supply it."

A remarkably practical and grounded answer, for all the theatrics the Ascian is also prone to indulging in.

"Understood. I... will pen him a letter. He needs more time to himself, and it wouldn't do any of us good to try pushing him further now."

She acquiesces in turn, then takes another sip of the cooling tea. Something like this will take time to work through, but at least there's a starting point now, she knows enough. As for the rest...

"Indeed." At least that will provide some measure of resolution.

Emet-Selch stands from his chair with a small noise of effort. "If it's all the same, I think I will return to my rest."

Though he will have to return to the training field in short order.

"Of course."

Gingerly replacing the (empty) cup back onto the saucer, Ciel draws to her feet before tucking the chair back beneath the table. She should get back herself, they've already left the fields unattended for long enough.

"Thank you for your time. Please excuse me."

With a low and polite bow, she withdraws without further ado. The door closes with a soft click behind her, and she thinks of what to write to Howl on her way back to the training field. A letter would be ideal, or at the very least, her best shot at trying to communicate anything to him without straining the situation any further. What will ultimately come out of this will be up to the wizarding men, but this much at least she can do, so she has to make sure that she does it well.

As the door clicks shut, he finds himself in an empty room once more, and his glance falls on the cup which lingers on the table.

So much effort to address some discontent. So much effort to bother with meals. So much effort to be a mediator. One has to wonder what value she finds in it all.

Emet-Selch sighs faintly. A puzzle to consider another time.

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Kenoma Team Training

OVERVIEW

I. WEAPONS TRAINING

II. AGILITY

III. SURVIVAL

IV. STRENGTH

V. REFRESHMENTS

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