| Be The Arrow |
| Summary: | Anais comes across Kain in the Terrick camp, and the huntsman offers to help her out. |
| Date: | 22/June/2012 |
| Related Logs: | None |
| Players: |
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| Terrick Encampment — Seagard |
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| Tents and stuff. |
| June 22, 289 |
Kain keeps to himself. He's a quiet guy and the Terrick tents, if you look around enough, you can find a little space to hide yourself away if you want some peace and quiet. He doesn't sit in a chair or a bench or anything, he prefers the ground. Not because he views himself as dirt or anything, possibly because he's simply used to it. Wearing the exact same camoflauged cloak that he always does, he biding his time with his bow. It's a hunter's weapon, something that is not only his lifeline but other's that depend on him to do his part. So checking it over for any damage, stress marks, or fractures because almost something of a religious experience. After that, he'll start the process of threading a new bow string on it.
Anais is not the most predictable of ladies. Or the most proper, for that matter. So when, as she's returning from a trip into the city, she sees Kain working on his bow, she simply walks over to the hunter and…stands there. Watching. And then she moves to sit down nearby, carefully spreading her skirts to make herself comfortable. It may be some comfort to Kain that neither her guard nor her handmaid seem to be surprised by this.
Nathaniel stops to check with the guards at the entrance to the encampment before he proceeds further down the path, keeping one hand on the leather satchel that is his constant companion, much as the bow is Kain's. He heads for Justin's tent and ducks into it. He is there for only a moment, long enough to deliver the herbs that Dania sent, along with instructions for their application. Soon, he is in the gathering darkness and quiet of another evening.
Looks like Anais is taking a page of Kain's book. Which is being quiet and watching whatever interests them. It's a honed skill you get from years upon years of watching prey animals….right before you put an arrow in their chest. The ranger sees the shadow coming up and for a moment dismisses it as some lady or handmaiden walking past on whatever chores they happen to be doing. But then, it doesn't stop, it hovers there just in the corner of his sight. The fingerless gloves that's fiddling expertly with the new bowstring slow, then stop. Then he sighs. "Mistress Lydia, there's no need to ask a third…" then he looks up. Oh, there's Anais. Blink. "…shit." he gapes, a bit wide-eyed, but he's quickly getting up to his feet, bowing. "Excuse me, my Lady, I thought you were somewhere else."
Nathaniel rounds the corner of a tent and spots Kain standing abruptly and bowing. Then he sees Anais. He is only a retainer, but where there are nobles, there might be some need for common services. So he advances to the place where they are standing. He also bows. "Lady," he greets her. "Welcome to the encampment." He glances to Kain. Noting the barely perceptible look of unease on the man's face, he adds, "Might we help you with something, lady?"
Anais grins at the cursing, looking up at Kain. "I was," she agrees with a low laugh. "But now I'm here. You can sit down, if you like," she adds, leaning forward to pat at the ground again. "I didn't want to interrupt you." Whether he sits or not, she considers his bow with open curiosity. "I think someone packed up my bow when the siege was broken. Probably on purpose," she adds with a brief wrinkle of her nose. As Nathaniel approaches, she offers a small, friendly smile. "I'm all right, thank you. Though I don't believe we've met," she adds, leaning forward a bit to offer a hand. "I'm Anais. And you are?"
"It's alright, I mean, you didn't, my Lady." Kain fidgets for a moment before returning to his seat on the ground. It's likely he's very thankful that Nate is there, otherwise he wouldn't really know what to say right now. He takes his bow back into his, one end of his bow having be strung, the string still dangling loosely about. "You work the bow, my Lady?" he asks after a moment's pause. Then he grows quiet, listening to the introduction between her and the courier.
Nathaniel straightens from his bow and meets Anais's studious gaze. "I am Nathaniel Corbitt, lady, retainer to the house," he answers. He, too, looks at Kain's bow. "A fine bow is a treasure," he notes.
"A pleasure to meet you, Nathaniel," Anais nods to the courier with an easy smile before turning her attention back to Kain. "I used to do it more," she nods to the hunter. "Saffron's father taught me when I was twelve or so, while the men were off to King's Landing during the war. I wanted something useful to do if the squids took advantage of their absence, and he figured I was less apt to hurt myself with a bow. And I've got sea eyes," she adds, as though that's an obvious term. "I mean, I see better far away than close up, which helps with archery."
"That's…huh." Kain utters. Well it didn't take Anais too long to throughly befuddle the ranger. Likely he hasn't met a noblewoman who knows anything about archery, other how the pretty the wood is. "My father told me the bow was the wise man's weapon." he replies, not sounding like there needs to be an explanation why. "I didn't consider you for knowing archery, my Lady, it's a pleasant surprise. You haven't practiced in some time you say? It's not as if you couldn't get your hands another though, right?" He nods at the sight term. "I've heard it, I grew up in Seagard. Something like that is useful when hunting parire lands, but it takes a bit when in a forest. You have be mindful of your depth perception with so many tress about."
Nathaniel nods now, first to Anais when she acknowledges his introduction, and then to Kain when he describes the bow as a wise man's weapon. "I am sure that archery could have its appeal to nobles, as a form of exercise. It tones muscles throughout the body and encourages poise. In hunting, it is the weapon of patience."
"It's been a few months," Anais admits. "Since Lady Evangeline died, I've sort of had to…Well, there's been so much do, I haven't really had a chance to practice." She plucks up a few pieces of grass, starting to braid them together without thinking about it. "And I don't think the Terricks approve of it much," she adds more quietly. "You're right, though," she nods to Nathaniel. "I always feel more focused after some archery. Calmer."
This is wild for Kain. This is, he almost looks like he's blown a fuse. This is not the woman that terrified him when he was made an impomptu guard when she met with Riordan in Stonebridge. "Of course, I can imagine things have been quite busy for you and rest of those who stay at the keep." He shrugs after a moment, rising up to a kneel to push down on the bow to slide the other loop of bow string over the end. "There's nothing wrong with archery practice, my Lady. I'm sure you could find some time for it once things settled down." The note about poise and patience, he nods at Nate. "Master Corbitt is right. To hunt, it tests more of your mind then your body at times. Because your body with fail you before your mind does." The hooded man considers. "Yes. You put all of your stress and anger into the arrow and once you let it loose," he gestures with a slow swipe. "It is out of your body. But I find such things naturally in the wood itself. Raw and untamed."
Nathaniel nods at Anais's comments about the calming effect that archery has on her. "Perhaps, lady, you should indulge the old hobby on those very grounds. It helps you to relax. Such a thing cannot be harmful." Then he shifts his attention to Kain and grins at the man's use of the arrow as analogy to purging stress. "The woods themselves do have a calming effect to those who will take time to observe," he agrees.
"That's how I feel about the sea," Anais says with a swift, small smile for Kain. "It changes, but it's always there." She considers both men for a bit, then nods. "I should," she agrees. "I could use some calm and focus right now. But I'm afraid my bow might be well out of my reach by now. Do you make them, Kain?" she asks, sounding hopeful. She's sitting in the grass between the tents, having what appears to be a casual conversation with two of the house retainers.
Restless, someone who's been laying down for a while in one of the Terrick pavilions comes out. Justin is settling his swordbelt back over his black surcoat, then his dagger. There's a small table set up there with chairs inside of the awning overhang. A bowl of apples is set out, one of which he snags. He steps to the edge of the shade and stands there, watching those few who are hurrying to go to the melee. Voices lure his gaze to the side where Nathaniel, Kain and Anais are seated.
"The forest is always changing. Most cannot see forest from the trees, they only see a mass of gree and brown. Don't see the life that's within it. When you are within the wood, nothing but yourself exists. The outside world, it is gone, and you are alone." Kain goes on to describe his relationship with nature. "It makes you feel small, for it is infinitely larger than you. It makes you feel frail, there are things within it that can easily take a man or woman down. It is because of these things that you fear it, respect it, but love it all at the same time." A pause. "I suppose that might be a similiar way you feel about the sea, my Lady? "It teaches the young, challenges the strong, and destroys the stupid." Then a nod at Anais. "I do, my Lady. When I am away from the Roost, like I am now, I tend to carry more than one bow, this one," he gestures at the one in his hands, which he tests the strings taughtness, "just happens to be my favorite one."
Nathaniel smiles while noble-woman and retainer speak of the wonders of archery, with which he is more than a little familiar, then of the sea, which is a mystery to him judging from his expression when the conversation comes to that point. "This is Seaguard. In all of my travels, I have never /seen/ the sea itself. Perhaps I should do that while I am here." he looks at Anais briefly. Then he nods. He turns his head at a faint but definitely roar front he grounds where the melee is in progress, and he frowns for a moment. "I should go to the lists as well, to see if someone is there. Please excuse me." He bows, and turns in time to see Justin emerging from the tent. "Ser Justin," he greets. "I know that your wounds are healing, but please be careful. Mistress Dania is worried that you might injure yourself."
"That is very much how I feel about the sea," Anais nods to Kain, smile flashing. "Though I wouldn't mind seeing the forest that way as well." As Nathaniel departs, she raises a hand to wave. "A pleasure meeting you, Nathaniel. Enjoy the melee. Do you think you could make me a bow, Kain?" she asks then, turning back to the hunter. "It wouldn't need to have a powerful draw or anything. Just…something to use."
Justin can hear some of what they are talking about. He has lifted the apple to take a bite out of it, listening but without comment. Until Nathaniel gets up and speaks to himself. "You may assure her that I'm not going to the second melee, either to watch it nor to fight." Justin lingers there in the shade of the awning to eat his apple, though he's listening to the talk of bows.
Kain considers this. He's been kinda nervous. But right now, about the only noble that doesn't put the fear of gods in him in Justin. You know, because Justin is a pretty awesome guy. "Perhaps one day I could show you…if, er, you wanted, that is, my Lady." he offers, setting his bow down to cough into his fist. "You know, if you ever get time, that is. I wouldn't presume or, stuff like that." Oh he can talk about bows and nature all day long. Other stuff, not so well. "Umm…" he looks over at the bedroll on the floor nearby. It's possible he could've been given a bed, but he'd rather sleep on the ground, evidently. Getting up, he hooded ranger takes a few steps to his things, which is more or less a single backpack as the man travels extremely light. But with that is another bow, which he plucks out. It's newer, perhaps made recently, it's bowstring left undone. Coming back, he extends it to her. "I can always make another one. It's a hobby. But if you don't have one and show interst, who am I to hold that back?" Just like that, he seems to have no problem just giving it away.
Nathaniel pauses between where Kain and Anais are talking, and where Justin is sitting with his apple. He bows to the noble-woman. "I am honored," he answers simply and with quiet reserve. "I'm … not sure how long I will stay." He glances to Justin again, and clarifies to Anais, "I do not want to be far in case I need to fetch more medicines." Then he looks to Kain and suggests, "If you fletch arrows, or can recommend a fine fletcher, she should have some fine shafts as well." He looks to Justin and explains, "I wish to visit the lists for a short time, to look for a person whose welfare concerns me personally. I shall return quickly, Ser."
Justin draws his attention back from the talk of bows, watching Kain stand up to pull out a bow from among his things to offer it to Lady Anais. To Nathaniel he nods, "Go enjoy yourself, Nathaniel. Tell Mistress Dania I'd like to speak with her, if you see her." He pulls out a chair to take a seat there in the shade of the awning, but with a view of Anais's reaction to the master hunter's attempted gift.
Anais' brows rise as Kain brings the bow over, and she stands quickly, brushing off her skirts. "Are you sure?" she asks, though she doesn't hesitate to reach out and take the bow, running a hand down the stave with a surprisingly knowledgeable touch. "I mean- You don't have to, you know?" Not that she looks like she's going to let it go.
Nathaniel bows to Justin, and assures, "If she is at the lists, I will speak to her first, before pursuing my won errand. If she is not, my next duty will be to find her for you, Ser. My own concerns can wait." Once more, he looks toward Kain and Anais, and inclines hsimelf toward them before hurrying from the camp.
"My Lady," Kain's hooded visage is hard to read, but his voice makes up for that. "I have seen much loss in the Roost. I see in the farmlands beyond it. I have seen the families, I do what I can to make their lives easier. Everything that I have, everything that I am, I give for the people of the Roost, noble and smallfolk alike. That is the sum of my life. So I look to help where I can, to bring just a bit more joy in one's life. Wether that's providing food for a family that can hunt or buy it themselves, to hunt down bandits that do damage to the land or to giving a noblewoman a bow that might bring a bit stress away from her life." His head tilts. "I know I don't have to, if I didn't want to, I wouldn't. But I do, I ask nothing in return. Only that you use it."
Hmm. Justin starts to open his mouth to say something to Nathaniel's eagerness to please about how it's not pressing in the least, but the man's away. So he takes another bite of his apple instead. Chewing it, he looks back to Kain and Anais. Once he has swallowed it, Justin speaks up quietly, "We could take her hunting."
Anais holds the bow to her shoulder, her smile warm as she looks to the hunter. "Thank you," she says with quiet sincerity. Luckily for Kain, she'll hug the bow instead of him. "I suppose we should make sure I can draw it first, though, shouldn't we?" she laughs softly, slipping one end of the bowstring to the end of the bow. She's stepping across the bow when Justin speaks up, and flushes quickly, automatically trying to hold the bow behind herself before the sensible part of her kicks in. "Justin," she greets, smile flickering sheepishly. "I didn't see you there."
"Thank you. I am happy to help, even if I don't always show it." Kain replies. The visable part of his face, that being his mouth and lower jaw, does crease into a smile at Anais' apparent joy at being reunited with a bow, any bow. "It's a lighter one. My backup is always lighter one, to reduce weight when I travel. That always means it's pull is usually much weaker. You get get as much distance out of a hunting bow like mine, but if you just wish for target practice, it should do just fine." A nod at Justin. "Good evening, Ser Justin. And…er..uh," he glances back at Anais again. "If she wanted to, I see no problem in that. But…um, I wouldn't recommend a dress."
"I was trying out my Kain impersonation. Glad you liked it." That whole standing in plain sight nearby and not being seen thing. Justin wasn't even trying, now seated and half way finished eating a crisp apple. Seeing Anais stepping over a bow to bend it for stringing doesn't so much as raise a brow on him.
"Dresses are not ideal for hunting," Anais agrees with Kain, glancing down and tucking a piece of hair behind her ear as she takes the bow out from behind herself again. Trying to pretend she wasn't trying to hide it. This time, she moves smoothly through the motion of stringing the bow, though even that takes a careful arrangement of skirts to keep the fabric from getting caught in the process. "I'd like to go hunting," she says, looking between the two men. "Though it would have to be all right with Jacsen, of course."
"If you would ever like a few lessons to…'shake the rust off', as it were, I could make myself availible to you." Kain replies, taking a step back to watchin Anais string the bow. "And of course, but if you could, I think you might enjoy it. Ser Justin I've noticed always seems to enjoy it when he travels the wood, he…er.." he pauses at Justin, shoulders dipping. "I don't do that purpose, you know. It's, uh, just something you do after so long. Don't even know I'm doing it most times." he sounds, sounding a bit embarassed of his sneaking abilities, even when he's not realizing it. Being flustered sucks, damn women.
That makes Justin lift a brow at Anais, "Why would Jacsen object to your going hunting with a bow? Hawking may be more appealing to many women but using a bow isn't taboo. And I've seen women shoot sidesaddle wearing dresses. Usually for birds." That whole open ground thing makes it easier. He may be slightly less sure about her going in pants to trapse through the woods after deer. Justin takes another bite of his apple, then smiles a little at Kain, "I have a love of the woods, aye. I'd forgotten that I also have a love of the sea and cliffs of home, until I saw them again. Very different from Riverrun."
"I don't know, but right now I think it would be better if I asked first," Anais admits to Justin with a small smile. She straightens then, settling into a stance that, while not perfect, is more than respectable enough for the average man at arms. "And I'd be glad for a few lessons, Master Kain," she adds with a small smile, testing the bowstring with a stroke of her thumb before slowly drawing it back. She has a little trouble with it, elbow wobbling with a wrinkle of her nose. "The practice would do me well, it seems."
That whole thing about asking spouses what they can do and can't, Kain has no idea about any of that. Probably safer for it. So he's mute on that subject. What does interest him more is the form Anais takes up, and it's at this point that he withdraws his hood, exotic cerulean eyes looking over it with a scrutinizing gaze. "You're lifting your elbow up too far, you want it straight." He keeps an appropriate distance and he doesn't touch her, but a fingerless gloved hand does point that out. Watching the wobbling, he seems to take something into account. "Your arm strength will return in time, my Lady, it's just a matter of practice." Picking his bow up, he stands next to her. Then he pulls his back, he draws his string back. "For a full draw, you want your hand pulled to your ear. But there's no rush." Then he can only guess how her feet are set. "Your feet look be positioned right. Straight back, head straight, line of sight moving past the middle of the bow to where you wish to loose. You'll…just have to imagine an arrow is knocked."
Justin finishes his apple, then hefts it out through the air behind the tents towards the bushes. Only, fugh, that wasn't his best idea of the day. He winces but says nothing, watching Kain showing Anais how to keep her fingers, wrist, arm and elbow all in a straight line for the least strain and greater strength of pull. Very faintly he quirks his mouth to almost smile. Justin pushes himself up to his feet and quietly, saying nothing to interrupt, he goes back into the pavilion to try that sleep again that had eluded him earlier.
Anais grimaces, adjusting the position of her elbow…and tilting her chin up in the process. She winces before that can even be corrected, forcing herself to lower it once more to a more neutral position. "That's a bit embarrassing," she murmurs, pink-cheeked as she gets her thumb to the corner of her lips before she can't quite hold the bow steady. Rather than maintain the tension, she slowly releases it, shaking out her string hand afterwards.
"Not at all, you didn't expect to be just as good as you were after so long of not using it?" Kain replies with a small shrug. "The smart person acknowleges their flaws and limitations sees them as challenges, breaking them. It might be uncomfortable at first, but after time it'll become clear." Another example, he holds outh is arm stragith griping the bow. "You see my fingers, my Lady?" It looks like he's holding the bow very lightly, perhaps only by his thumb and two fingers. "Many archers make the mistake of gripping their bow completely from the side." He displays this, all his fingers wrap around the handle. "They do this to be able to tilt their forearm out of the way when they release, but you know what that does?" Again, another display, his wrist is slightly bent. "When you do that, you make it easier to break your wrist by accident when holding a draw. When done like this," he goes back to his own grip, now. "You force the bow to be held the flat of your palm, thus making it more steady, as you can see by the bones in my wrist point directly at the center of the bow. This incerases accurracy greatly." Then he blinks. "Uh…er, sorry. Maybe I'm talking too much."
Anais falls silent as Kain explains, listening attentively. "No, not at all," she shakes her head when he apologizes, looking back to the hunter and stepping up next to him. "Show me again?" She adopts her own stance, all the better to echo each step. Granted, she echoes the right way as well as the wrong way, but that's just to make sure she knows what each feels like. Probably. "The bones of the wrist," she echoes to herself, looking at her own arm and then back at his.
Well, there's a green light for Kain to feel maybe a bit more comfortable, even when Anais gets a bit closer to him. "You have the advantage of have thinner arms than a man, you probably won't need to wear an armguard. the grip will not feel right when you don't have your bow drawn, it will feel like the bow is about to slip out of your hand. That's something you'll have to ignore at first, it'll come with time." He keeps his bow drawn the entire time, because well, he can do that all day long. "Watch my arms. I want you imagine a line, my Lady." he says, pulling back again. "When you draw back, your other wrist also has a tendency to want to break, which is why your elbow lifts up. When it's stragiht like, you're putting less pressure on your wrist. Do you ever remember practicing and your wrists being sore a day later because of it? That's why. It'll prevent you from relaxing your fingers and it'll force you to yank your hand off the string when you want to release. That'll foul the shot and make the strike against your forearm. And we both know how painful that can be. Also, when your elbow is high, it introduces a downward force on the bowstring, making the draw also unweildy and reducing accuracy."
Anais reaches out to set just the tips of her fingers to Kain's elbow as he draws the bow, nodding along quietly. There's nothing particularly /intimate/ in the touch, so much as she seems to prefer a more tactile understanding of things to a visual one. Once she's felt how he moves, she assumes the proper stance once more, trying to echo the placement of his hand on the bow as she draws. There's a wobble at first, the wood shifting against the curve of her thumb, but she pauses, closing her eyes to better feel out the balance of bow and string as she draws again.
Intimate or not, it does cause him to glance back at her, but her generally doesn't seem to really mind it. Likely that guy isn't touched by anyone all that often, so it's a different pace. If it wasn't for the instruction, he'd be nothing but a puddle of 'uhs' and 'ums', so the flush in his cheeks isn't nearly as red as it should be. Upon taking her stance, he lowers his to eyeball her progress. "Let the bow push itself against the palm of your hand, don't force it, you'll only cause it to come back and smack you in the face. "Another thing you need to be aware, is don't 'chicken wing' your drawing arm. Er, what I mean is don't stick that elbow out. Not up or down or out, just straight back." Seeing he close her eyes, he nods. His voice dims down to a whisper, like fog rolling over hill, smooth and velvety. "I want you see two lines going through your body when you pull back. One starting from the top of your head and ending between your feet. The other is the arm that hold your bow. The line starts at your fingers, moves along your arm, across your chest and your other arm. Two straight lines. Ease your breathing until you can feel your pulse in your fingertips. Ignore the burning in your arm. Count the beats in your heart. Listen to it slow down. Inhale, exhale. You are rigid, yet you bend with the wind, but do not break. When the noise in your ears, in your mind, and your heart still, you know you're ready to let your arrow go."
Anais is practiced enough to connect the dots in Kell's instruction, nodding slightly and keeping her eyes closed. It's clear she's out of practice, and has lost some strength, but she seems to have the basics of not trying too hard down. As he speaks, her breath starts to fall into the cadence of the words, and though she can't quite draw the bow back fully, the quivering in her arm stills somewhat, grip steadying as she starts to find the balance point between her hands.
"Whatever problems you have, in your heart, in your mind, in your soul, they don't matter right now. This life, this land, they are only the physical, they do not exist in this place in your mind. These things are transitory and only temporary. As fire claims wood, as water clenches fire, as the sea errodes the earth, nothing is permanant. But for now, it is just you and the bow. You and the extension of yourself." Kain continues, watching carefully how she's fareing. No reason to interrupt. "We all hold pain, anger, regret and loss. Imagine the arrow knocked, create it in your mind, craft it out of those very feelings. This body holding you, all this pain is an illusion. Here, you cannot be harmed, only you and bow. But every time you draw, the two must become one. Every time you draw, you must go to that place. If your heart is a caged bird, fluttering in your chest, you must learn to still, until wind dies down and nothing stirs you." Only now does he take note of her shaking hand, holding the bowstring. "That arrow, everything that drags you down, it is time to release it and free yourself." Oh, he knows he's going to regret this, but he really doesn't need her straining her arm. He sets a gloved hand lightly on her shaking one. "Release. And open your eyes." He pauses. "Do you feel better?"
Anais is stubborn, holding on to the string for as long as she can, until that slight quiver starts to turn to a shake. And then she holds it just a little longer, until it stills once more, until the burn is as much as she can take. And then, when Kain sets his hand on hers, she releases the string with a twang of gut and an outward breath, eyes still closed. After that pause, she opens her eyes, looking up at the hunter with a faint smile. "Much, actually," she says quietly, slowly lowering the bow. "That…You're right," she says after a moment. "I should absolutely start doing this again."
Cerulean gaze at her slowly, but after a moment Kain nods. "Good. If that's the case, my Lady, you taken your first step into a larger world." he says, watching her lower the bow. "This is the world I live in. The things we do and say, the people we meet, our goals and aspirations, they are nice, but we forget how small we truly are. We see our problems, both inner and outer and all we hear is noise. It prevents us from thinking. I hunt because I can exist in that world. It allows me to see an unique perspective on the world in which we live. And that's something we all need sometimes. Perspective. It allows us to see things for what they truly are. It only depends on the kind person you are. Would you shy away from the truth or acknowlege it?" He let's that question hang in the air, setting his bow down. "I don't give out advise very often, my Lady, mostly because I never believe any pay attention to it. But if you truly wish to learn the bow, to be one with your bow, remember this one thing and think how you can apply it to your life." Getting back up, he smiles a little. "'And this too shall pass.' Many say it, but how many embrace it?" He let's out a breath of his own, as if 'coming to' in a sense. "I hope I have helped, in my own small way."
Anais holds the bow to her chest once more, a faint smile curving at his advice. "That I know well. That's a Banefort. Things may change around us, but we'll stand firm. And when it's over, we'll be where we always were. Like the sea." Quiet, she rests her cheek against the curve of the bow, drawing in a deep breath of the scent of the wood. "I'd like to say I wouldn't shy from the truth, Kain. I don't think I do, but I understand the temptation to ignore the truth. I just…" She trails off, banishing more worrisome thoughts with a small smile. "When can we plan to do this regularly?" she asks instead.
"Remember, my Lady, nothing lasts forever. You, I, the forest, the Banefort, even Westeros itself. It is slow, slower than either of us could preceive, and it will not happen in our lifetimes, or our children's, or even our children's children. But it will happen, though, that is nothing you nor I need to concern ourselves. I only say this for…" he gestures at the word he comes back to, "..perspective. But you are right. There is only one truth in this world, and that is change is constant, it merely happens at different speeds. But it never stands still." Then, he shakes his head. "You need not defend yourself to me, the question is, if you cannot face whatever truths you encounter in your life, will you be able to sleep at night knowing you could not? I…hehe, I don't mean to lay such heavy matters to burden. My father claims I should've been a Maester, but I just read and think. A lot." At the matter of training or at least working with the bow, he nods. "I cannot skirt my duties to your House and of the Roost in bringing in food, but yes, I will make time for you, my Lady. I can tell this means a great deal to you."
"Thank you," Anais says quietly, running a hand over the bow. "It means…Yes. A great deal. With everything being so difficult right now, I'd forgotten how much a little time with a bow could clear my mind and help me focus." Shifting, she moves to unstring the bow once more, being very careful with and respectful of the weapon. That, at least, must have been drilled into her early. "Although if you're going to be teaching me, I might have to ask you to use my name," she adds, looking back to the hunter with a small smile.
"I can only imagine." Kain replies. Yeah, can only imagine alright, as he makes it a point to stay out of those kind of weird and strange noble relationships. He's just the guy that brings them food, it's shocking enough that some of them actually know his name. Odd, that. "It may mean nothing, but should there ever come a point that you wish to speak about whatever it is that troubles you, listening comes naturally. The offer is there should you ever wish to make use of it." Okay, so nobles might still make him a bit figety, but at least he's devoted to his job. Using her name? "Um, uh…" he stammers for a moment. Well, he does call Justin by name, but he's about the only one so far. "I'll work on that, my Lady."
"Anais," the lady notes, amusement tugging at one corner of her lips. "Or Annie, if it's easier." It certainly sounds less like a lady, at least. The offer of an ear seems to take her by surprise, though in a surely pleasant way, her smile softening with gratitude. "Thank you," she says again. "I may take you up on that. Though I hope you'll forgive me for being terribly boring when I tell you about terribly boring things. And I'll speak with Jacsen about the hunting. I'd very much like to join you, even if it's just for an afternoon."
Kain kinda gapes a little. "My Lady, isn't that little…improper?" This is just a wild idea, one that flies in the face that everything his bitter father told him about nobility. Don't trust a damn word they say, they're not your friends, and you're little more than a tool to them. It's words like that's kept the ranger aloof, drop his food off and delves back into the woods without any giving him a second look. So with her being so friendly and downright -personaable-, it's just a tad confusing. "Everyone needs someone to talk to. Even me. If it's to rant, or complain, to get what they need off their minds or chests. For someone at least understand whatever plight they're going through, so they don't suffer alone, in whatever that might be. But, I'm sure you have many friends for that. I only wish to help." Another nod, agreeing to those terms. "Of course. Speak with your husband, should he require to verify things with me, I will speak to him as well. I know you are anxious, but let's focus on your marksmanship before we go trudging through the woods."
"What's improper?" Anais asks, smile crooked. "Going hunting, or calling me Annie?" Carefully, she starts to coil the bowstring into a neat circle, taking her time about it. "Honestly, if I'm going to vent to you about some of the more ridiculous things in my life, I think the least I can do is let you use my name." She takes a step toward the hunter, then checks herself, looking sheepish. "A thousand thanks, Master Kain," she says instead. "I couldn't put a price on what you've given me."
Okay, Kain, man who likes to think himself a man of logic, can't really fight that. The ranger, so steady, so passive, so sure of himself in everything he does, finds himself sorely conflicted. Is it trap? Is he being duped? Why would he think that? Aren't hunters needed at the Roost? Is he overreacting? After a sigh, he relents. "Alright…..Annie." After saying that, he almost seems to wait for the chastissment from her guard, but it never comes. "I suppose that is fair enough trade." Collecting himself, he shakes his head. "No need to thank me. To impart knowlege to someone willing is a reward in of itself. I'm just glad I can help."
Anais grins swiftly when he uses her name, like a ray of sunshine through clouds. And since hugging the hunter would likely frighten him off, she settles for hugging the bow again. "Good, then. It's settled. I suppose I should leave you to your work now," she adds, though her smile doesn't dim. "Tomorrow morning, another lesson?"
"There is little game to be hunted in an encampment." Kain muses, finally showing a little bit of humor. "I've been asked by a few people to stay in Seagard instead of returning back to the Roost to hunt. I feel guilty to holding off my duty but…here I am. I will simply have to work doubly as hard when I do return. For now, I will return to my sculptures." Though the smile of her's is a bit contagious, and he can't help but return it with a small one of his own. "But yes, another lesson tomrrow. Before you go to bed when you rise in the morning, I want you to stretch your arms, back and sides. You won't want to stiffen up."
Anais nods obediently at the mention of stretching, slipping the coiled bowstring around her wrist like a bracelet. "I will," she promises, slipping the bow against her shoulder and taking a few steps back with a cheerful smile. "I'll see you in the morning, then, Kain." And with that, she takes her new bow - probably to squirrel it away somewhere safe.
