Dangerous Lessons: The Arena | 2-23-99 afternoon

[Kione and Zandyr]

Continued from Class In Session

Across the roof tops Avera is watched, though unless she looks up a lot she probably won’t notice. Griffons hop across the roof tops or fly overhead all the time. Some even walk the streets. Zander waits for her to go into the building where she is staying, and watches for her to come out again. He will then follow her to the arena.

[Avera Yenis]

It did not take her long to collect the items she needed. While in her room getting a few books, she decided she would need writing utensils and some paper. It took a little longer then she had first thought, but she was ready now, making her way out of her place and back into the streets.

She would get to the arena just when a match was ending. This was perfect timing for her. She would be able to get her things out and start reading. When the next match began she would remain studying, though from time to time she would stop to watch.

She had her books spread out on the bench next to her, as well as, in her lap. One slipped off the bench and slid under the bench ahead of her. She furrowed her brow and bent down to get it. Stretching her arm out as far as she could, fingertips just barely touching it. It was at this time a large shadow cast over the floor about her. She paused and glanced up. ~ Griffins ~ she said to herself, they were all over the city. Finally managing to get her book, and return to watching the duels and studying.

[Kione and Zandyr]

Zander enters the arena behind Avera, but from a higher door. There was a special entrance griffons could use to fly into the arena, but they still had to pay like everyone else. One copper piece gets you into the arena for an unlimited amount of time though, so it wasn’t really an issue. He sees her take a seat and lands on the set of bleachers behind her. She’s found one of the few wooden benches in the stands, but the bleachers are all deep and most without benches so that the griffons and centaurs which make up half the city’s population can also come and watch the duels. Below them in the arena a dragon half female and a gnome male enter the arena from opposite sides.

[Avera Yenis]

Avera sat watching the duel for a bit. Her plans to study were not at all good, though the intentions were there. She felt that if she had at least tried she could forgive herself from not studying. She would have to learn better tactics for her duelling classes; this was the best form in which to learn. Tapping her writing utensil against her chin, she watched the duellist dodge and parry, and thrush. She marked their stances and the way they drew their opponent in, and the struck. It was not long before the one match was over and she found herself cheering with a few others close by, though her enthusiasm seemed to be louder then those about her. She blushed and sat herself back down and buried her head into her books.

[Kione and Zandyr]

“Hey. I got us a couple of programs.” Kione is walking right up toward where Avera is sitting, with the programs in hand. The griffon behind her makes some strange clicking sound she most likely would not be able to decipher.

[Avera Yenis]

Avera was looking into her book when she heard someone said something. She collected her books and turned so to let the person by. Not thinking that they were speaking to her. She barely knew anyone, except those in her class. It was at that time she looked up hoping not to be rude and snubs anyone from her class. It was then that she saw Kione standing there looking down at her holding a program.

“Uh…” she lost all power of speech as she looked at him. A book held from her arms. As she moved to collect it more fell. “oh….”

She quickly dropped to her knees to collect her books. Thinking that she was dreaming Kione there. ~Has to be a dream, yes.~

She remained upon the ground for a moment o two trying to collect her books. Picking one up and only to drop another. She could feel her face heat up and her hands shake.

“It’s a dream yes…” She uttered softly to herself.

[Kione and Zandyr]

“I’d say it has to be a dream.” The griffon behind her suddenly says in his rough griffon voice. “That gnome totally pounded that huge dragon-half into the sand.”

“Really?” Kione asks curious as he climbs past Avera and up to the griffon on the stand behind her. “Wow, sorry I missed that.” He hands one of the programs to the griffon and then sits down holding the other and watches Avera picking up her fallen books.

“Hey, Avera. Have you met my partner, Zander?” He slaps a backhand into the feathered chest of his winged friend to which the griffons responds by giving himself a little shake and fluffing his feathers back out.

“Greetings, Avera.” Zander responds, looking down from where he sits towering over her on the bleachers that are one rung up from hers. Griffons are strange in that they’re taller when they’re sitting and the stands are designed so that the next one up can see over the head of a griffon below if there so happens to be one there, which is part of the reason for benches so humans can elevate themselves slightly. Kione sits on a bench next to Zander.

[Avera Yenis]

She stares at the ground, not wanting to look up. But when the she glances up at her words being repeated she sees the griffin. Her eyes widen and she forgets one book upon the ground. Her eyes shifted from the griffon to Kione. ~ By the gods. ~ she uttered to herself so that no one heard at least that she thought. The griffon had heard her least comment. She would have to remember to be silent. ~Yes silent, as the dead. ~

She lifted her form upon the bend looking at the towering form of the griffon that Kione introduced. “Pleasure Zander.” She said staring at him. Sure she saw them walking about, but she had yet to meet one personally. Her being as shy and so busy she had never thought to stop and introduce herself. She extended her hand upon impulse and not thinking. Just a simple shake to be polite, but her face reddened at her mistake, or at least she felt that it was. The entire time she tried not to look at Kione, in fact she forgot he was there, but only a moment.

[Kione and Zandyr]

Zander isn’t unused to humans trying to shake hands or not knowing how to greet a griffon. Griffons have very sharp talons that can not be retracted like a cat’s so shaking his hand could be dangerous, not to mention his paw is the size of her head. He does raise his paw to her however and gently puts the back of one of his talons into her outreached hand to shake it.

Kione leans forward a little bit as if to share a secret or a rumor. “Did you know he could take your head off in one snap of his beak?” He motions up toward the powerful beak of his partner with his thumb. He sits on the right side of Zander and it is Zander sitting directly behind Avera. The griffon makes a clicking sound created by his tongue off the roof of his beak.

[Avera Yenis]

She stands and looked wide-eyed at the talon Zander offered to her. She shakes it carefully. Her face heated the entire time that she does so. When Kione leans toward her and whispers his little fact to her. She slowly released then talon and chuckled nervously. She would turn about and take a seat. The click of Zander’s beck causes her back to go rigid. She always toppled of her bench.

~oh can this day be over.~ she spoke in her head that time for fear of them hearing her.

[Kione and Zandyr]

Zander makes a small series of noises that are again formed of his tongue off his beak. To anyone that doesn’t know these noises often sound scary. Kione however smiles. That noise is Zander laughing.

Kione sits back up right again on his bench. Avera can’t see what’s going on behind her at this point but there is a slight sound of movement. “What?” Kione demands a little annoyed but if she turns to look again he’d be smiling.

“Who’s up next?” Zander asks.

“Oh a debut match. Guess we’ll be seeing someone in action for the first time.”

[Avera Yenis]

Avera sat silent and still. She could hear the noise behind her, and she did not wish to make any sudden movements in case Zander got the idea she might be dinner. She swallowed hard, clasping her hands tightly together as she sat there. Her pale gaze locked upon the duellist arena ahead waiting for someone to come in to fight to distract her from the large griffin clicking its beak behind her.

It is only the strange movements behind her that caused her to turn only slightly, before she realized she even moved. She faced frontwards once again and waited for the next duel to start.

[Kione and Zandyr]

Kione lets out a laugh. There is more sounds of movement behind her, and then suddenly Kione is coming to sit down on the bench next to her on her right and Zander hops down to land next to her on the left side of the bench. If there were any books in his way, Kione would pick them up and hand them to Avera. Kione pulls out a small orb and leans in toward Avera after he’s taken a seat. “Do you mean any harm to anyone in this city?”

[Avera Yenis]

Hears the laughter behind her. When Kione jumps down to the space next to her. He hands her the books that were on the other side of her. Which calls for some adjusting and shifting in order to hold them all. When Zander comes to sit on the other side of her, she is glad Kione had moved the books. She would have hated to have to replace them. Zander caused a little ripple in the bench that made Avera lift a little off her seat. Now she was between the pair. A strange feeling came over her.

“What?” she said when a shiny orb is thrush in her face. She looked to Kione and furrowed her brow at him, almost forgetting that a large griffin sat on the other side of her.

[Kione and Zandyr]

Kione is holding the orb almost straight out with his left hand, but he is holding it to be sort of in front of her so that Zander has a clear view of it as well. “Someone in our class is an assassin. Do you mean harm to anyone in this city?”

“Oh, that’s real subtle.” Zander snorts, smacking his beak in protest.

[Avera Yenis]

“Assassin?” She said abruptly and looked at Kione. “I’m no assassin, and no I mean no one any harm.”

She looked at the orb finally realizing what it was. “Is that a truth orb?”

She felt her feelings hurt, and a little embarrassed by Kione. Here she thought that perhaps he might sort of find her interesting. He came to the arena and sat next to her. But that was not the case. His friend, a rather large griffin was there to make sure if she was an assassin that he would do whatever they had planned to do. She abruptly got up and glared at Kione. “Excuse me.”

She then pushed her way passed Zander, making sure not to disturb his seating. She wanted to convey that she was very mad. When she turned into the isle that would lead her out of the arena one of her many books dropped. She sighed, bending slightly to extend her arm down to get the book. Which only caused the other books to shift against her and topple to the ground.

She sighed, pushing strands of red hair back as she bend down to one knee and started to pick the books up. A sniffle escaped her as she did so.

[Kione and Zandyr]

Kione frowns and sighs and lowers the orb back down, looking far away and thoughtful. He starts to answer Avera, but she’s suddenly pushing past him and heading out.

"Real smooth." Zander comments, almost laughing at Kione.

[Lyvira Mather]

“You’re an idiot.” A girl suddenly voices up behind Kione. Someone near Avera gasps and points in the direction of this girl that is speaking, the person near the pointer quickly forces them to lower their arm and speaks in hushed whispers about not angering the MAGE. The girl is in the robed and masked uniform of an agent of the secret organization called M.A.G.E. She has her weapons in hand and slams the rod upside the back of Kione’s head.

“Keep better control of your partner and find that assassin.” She says directly to Zander. “And stop telling people about it.” She thinks about smacking Kione again, but doesn’t. Instead she heads over to where Avera is. She waves her staff about and utters a few magical words. All of Avera’s books gather into a very neat pile into her arms. The MAGE girl lowers herself to speak privately to Avera.

“Please do not repeat any of this to anyone. The assassin can’t know we are onto him or he’ll be harder to catch.” She’ll wait for Avera to nod then or give some sort of indication she was heard and understood.

[Avera Yenis]

Avera was knelling or at least part way kneeling to collect them when her books start to float about her then neatly pile into her arms. She is actually thankful for the help. Though she is then surprised by the girl that steps toward her.

~Please do not repeat any of this to anyone. The assassin can’t know we are onto him or he’ll be harder to catch.~

She nods and glances back at Kione and Zander before she heads on out of the arena.