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slaytoprotect-blog · 8 years ago

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Tour Around || Second Interaction

Doroon:

Doroon eventually had to pick himself up off the path, dusting himself down as much as he could. The tumble he took was a bit intense considering how fast he was going, but it wasn't anything to the immediate embarrassment that he felt knowing there was no way the blonde boy didn't see it. Still, things seemed to end on a good note. There was still hope. For the time being, however, Doroon had to get back to Sir Christopher and find out what all the hub-bub was today and why he'd been awoken so early and rushed off to do his chores earlier than normal. Approaching the camp, Doroon gave a few extra wipes at his face with his arm, praying to get most things off, and maybe shake out his hair for good measure. He neared the castle and climbed the hill, his legs giving a faint protest as he did so all the way up to the open yard where diverging paths led to the various areas of the grounds, and where a good portion of the training went on. It wasn't like Sir Christopher to wait around, even for his apprentice, so when Doroon spotted the blonde head and beard of his master, he gave a wry chuckle and sped up his approach, "Sir Chris! I fetched the supplies you wanted! What's the big rush on it, though? You usually don't mind if I wait until evening to get them." The smiling man turned, revealing a second figure he'd been talking to, "Doroon! There you are, you're a bit behind schedule, kid. I'd like you to meet someone..."

Vaughan:

Finding Sir Christopher proved to be a little difficult and it was only after wandering around the camp for the third time, looking confused, that he finally managed to bump into the man. He approached the scene cautiously, seeing a very familiar speckled face standing next to the blonde Knight. Oh no... Was that...? He didn't even know this kid's name and he was filled with dread. Did he know Vaughan tripped him and was ratting him out? Was Vaughan going to get in trouble for that? The prince had no idea how things worked, but his chest was still filled with anxiety. “Oh ho! There he is,” Sir Chris smiled and waved Vaughan over with a big smile, “I traveled all the way to Iskra to get him,” He winked and Vaughan held back an eye roll. “Doroon, this is Vaughan. I recently decided to take him on as my other apprentice.” “Other?” Vaughan quickly replied and looked over at Doroon, hiding the dread on his face. Sir Christopher didn’t tell him he had ANOTHER apprentice??? That felt like valuable information. Not to mention, Vaughan was 90% sure he just raced and /tripped/ who he thought the other apprentice was.(edited)

Doroon:

Doroon smirked, all thoughts of his dirt-snack mostly pushed to the back of his mind as Sir Chris's excitement felt contageous for the new person he was to meet. Then, just like fate, that person walked up. Doroon peeked around Sir Chris and his eyes went wide with shock. This couldn't be that much coincidence, could it!? The red haired boy's head snapped to his master as the words 'other apprentice' flew from his mouth. It was a shock, that was clear on both of their faces. Usually witch hunters didn't take on more than one apprentice at a time, but this was Sir Chris! He was the best of the best and would certainly prove it even in his training of two recruits instead of one! A glimmer of excitement overtook Doroon as he looked back at the boy with a wide grin, "Hey, what do you know? I met him on the running path. The woods one." He said, looking between Vaughan and Sir Chris. "Oh? Good, good. Then you know each other. Well, that finishes my job for now. Doroon, how about you show Vaughan around while I finish up some papers to make it all official?" The freckled boy nodded and produced a thumbs-up as he made his way to Vaughan. "Wow, so I guess we're both apprentices of Sir Chris! How crazy, right? Hey, at least we know we like running, huh? Sorry I fell behind. Must have hit a rock or something weird."(edited)

Vaughan

Apparently, the other apprentice didn’t know Vaughan was showing up either. The Prince looked over at Sir Chris, annoyance being visible on his face, but he chose not to say anything. It made sense that Sir Chris already had an apprentice, since he wasn’t expecting to take in Vaughan, but he could have at least told him about it! And did it really have to be this kid? As Doroon walked over, Vaughan shifted his gaze toward him and looked at him with worried eyes until he spoke up about his “accident”. Hit a rock? Vaughan had definitely tripped him on the running path, but apparently this kid had no idea. Maybe it was better this way? Maybe Doroon was just acting and planned to rip him a new one once they were alone. “When you said apprentice, I kind of assumed it was for this, but… I didn’t realize it was under Sir Christopher. I suppose it is a coincidence.”(edited)

Doroon

"Unbelievable one, actually, but I think that's pretty par for the course with our jobs. I didn't say Witch Hunter's apprentice right away because... well the locals here all know us, but outside of here it's not always seen in the best of ways. I thought you were just a newcomer to the town and not an apprentice at all!" He laughed, giving a small look about the place, already attempting to decide what to do first.

Vaughan

Doroon seemed ever cheerful and Vaughan wasn’t sure how to take it. Normally when people acted this way, they were trying to hide something. No one was nice for a reason, or at least, that’s what he grew up believing. “Yeah, I wasn’t sure if it was the type of thing you mentioned to random people,” He commented, mostly talking about why he didn’t say anything either. He should have, it would have saved him the dread he was feeling. “How long have you been around here?”

Doroon

Well, at least not running they could have an actual conversation, "Oh... I think I said seven before. Basically since I was eleven. I got sent here in place of my brother, and I trained to be a witch hunter for a while with the new recruits, and... well eventually Sir Chris picked me up as his apprentice." The details were spared for now, but Doroon couldn't help but feel his chest swell with pride at being chosen by Sir Chris. Vaughan had to know how impressive that was."

Vaughan

He did say seven before, but Vaughan didn’t realize he had spent the entire time here. Being 11 years old at a hunter training camp sounded rough, especially since it didn’t sound like his family was anywhere nearby. However, he decided to ask those questions later, as it didn’t seem appropriate to ask at the moment. “Long time then,” Vaughan commented, “Does it normally take that long to become a hunter or?”October 20, 2017

Doroon

Doroon thought on the question. "It varies from person to person and their skills, really, but... No, not usually that long. People often come later though. Like fifteen? Fourteen? That's usually when they make the trip or get picked up." Looking about the yard Doroon set on the path he wanted to take and gave a wave to Vaughan to follow. They we're going to see the rooms first, so at least vaughan knew where he could put his stuff. "You grew up in the capital, right? You know any sword work?"

Vaughan

Vaughan wanted to ask why Doroon was sent when he was so young, but before he could, the redheaded boy asked him about his swordsmanship. He followed to where Doroon was gesturing and looked over at him, "Yeah, I've practiced swordplay for most of my life, actually. In fact, I think that's why Sir Christopher took me on as his... one of his apprentices."

Doroon

Doroon have a sigh of relief, "Oh good. Well you're already ahead of a lot of the other newbies, then. We don't get a lot of nobles, due to the hardships of the life, so usually when people first get here they need to learn the sword. So you might be less than the average, for that--assuming you're any good." Doroon said with a playfully teasing tone, already making his way inside the large stone entranceway and immediately winding his way through the familiar corridors to his room.

Vaughan

Was this kid challenging him? The one who ate dirt after he easily tripped him? Vaughan raised his eye brows a bit, continuing for follow Doroon, "I was one of the best ones at the," Vaughan almost said castle, but he stopped himself, "In the other training grounds."

Doroon

Doroon smirked, "Okay. We'll see how well you do. Maybe we can help each other out now with sparring? Always helps to have a partner rather than just a dummy." he wanted to make some joke one of the older hunters had used on him about some sparring partners being dummies, but he withheld it. If Vaughan wasn't as good as he seemed to think he was, he'd hear enough of it later. "Hrm... Alright... Well... I guess as far as day to day goes, you know how to do chores? like... cleaning armor, polishing boots, cooking, sewing? That sort of stuff?"

Vaughan

"Yeah, I guess so," Vaughan wasn't that thrilled to have Doroon has his sparring partner, but he wasn't going to say anything rude... More rude. When the topic of chores came up, Vaughan winced a bit. As a Prince, he was never required to do anything. The only thing he had any real skill in was cleaning and that was just because of his complex. Even then, he took his time and made things flawless. "Just polishing and cleaning."

Doroon

Polishing and cleaning. Well, it was a start. Doroon felt his eyes glance at Vaughan, a look of concern not unseen across his face. "Wait--you've never like... sewn a patch or cooked? Nothing fancy, just like... soup or something? beans?" It was mind-blowing that such simple things were just unknown to him. The red-head couldn't help but give a wry chuckle, "What did you all do at the capital then?"

Vaughan

"Nope," Vaughan replied, his pride taking a small hit. He was a competent fighter, in excellent shape, and handsome enough to win most people over, but he didn't know a lot of basic skills. He never had too. Someone was always there to help him and it seemed like that was going to happen yet again with Doroon. When the other boy asked what he did, Vaughan took a moment to respond. Did he lie? Did he tell the truth? Did he tell half the truth? He was sure his past would catch up to him eventually and he wasn't sure if he wanted to start his new life with a lie. This was a chance to escape corruption, he just had to take the first step, "Well, I.. um..." He struggled to figure out how to say it, "Lived at the castle."(edited)

Doroon

The freckled boy blinked at him, not actually expecting the answer to be 'no.' These things were... well common life necessities. It was knowledge on how to survive out in the world that everyone needed--or apparently not everyone. Of course, as he seemed to puzzle over how in the world someone couldn't know this stuff, and how to even teach someone how to do it, Vaughan explained his position. Doroon's head whipped about and stared at him with wide eyes, "The castle? like... THE castle?" he said, ensuring they meant the same one. After all, technically where they were now was a castle, at least in the farm-boy's limited knowledge. "Golly! You must have met the royal families then and all those other nobles that go for courtly stuff! Sir Chris talks about it, a little. Wow!" he laughed, "No wonder. If stories can be believed it's practically heavenly there." He commented, clearly believing in the glittering balls, handsome princesses, wild entertainment, and mountains of food in every peasant's mind when they thought of the royalty. "Well... It's no captial palace, but we definitely live above the norm here. I was shocked when I first came, so maybe it won't be too far from what you're used to. Make things more comfortable." He said, nearing their room among the other rooms of the apprentices. The hall was generally unlit, save for a few dim cracks of light through the small windows, and it was rather bare in terms of decoration. The stone itself felt drafty, even in the summer months and it wasn't long before Doroon turned to one specific wooden door and opened it leading into the 'cozy' quarters he called home.

Vaughan

“Yep. /The/ castle,” He confirmed and when Doroon didn’t ask what position he was, he chose to keep silent. If he was going to be dealing with this kid a lot, then he was sure it was going to come up, “And yeah, you can pretty much get whoever you want to do stuff for you if you have money. You can get them to do /anything/.” That much was true. Even the heavenly pleasures were true, but it was more like a heaven set up by demons. The materialistic things were real, the people were not. At the comment of the castle’s being similar, Vaughan scoffed, “Yeah, this is pretty much brick for brick for the castle’s dungeon. Better than sleeping outside I suppose,” He commented and once Doroon opened the door he peered inside. The room wasn’t empty, in fact it looked like someone was already living there. Clearly, this was the wrong room. “Is this your room?” Vaughan asked, unsure of why Doroon brought him to it.

Doroon

"Anything?" The boy blinked, "Like show off talents and stuff? or juggle?" he thought harder, wondering what he'd even imagine trying to get someone to do, and becoming excited by the prospect, "Oh! Or get everyone to play a huge castle-wide game of... I dunno... any childhood game!" The redhead frowned as Vaughan called it like the castle dungeons. He thought it was pretty okay. Not nearly as warm as a barn, but still living within a castle, which was a step above a lot of people. "I mean... we will sleep outside if we go on a hunt. But while training this is our place." Doroon nodded in response to Vaughan's question with a grin. Sure his things weren't fancy, but they were at least his. "Yes, but Sir Chris told me to set you up in here as well. Each hunter who plans to train an apprentice really only gets one room to fill. This is Sir Christopher's apprentice room and... well having two apprentices isn't normal, so... I guess the situation isn't exactly counted for. But don't worry! There's definitely room for another cot and your trunk."(edited)

Vaughan

“I mean, I guess you could, I was talking more about…” Vaughan looked over at Doroon and pegged him as a virgin, “Nevermind.” Vaughan listened to Doroon’s explanation and when he confirmed it was his room too, the prince looked at him in shock. He didn’t even get his own room??? This was already the size of a broom closet and now he was going to have to deal with this loser all the time? Vaughan needed his privacy and he needed a clean, neat area to live in, otherwise he would go insane. “Are you kidding me?!” He asked, his eyes looking at the room, and not being able to find the “extra space” Doroon was talking about. God… this was so compact he was going to feel the other boy breathing on him. “Oh my god…”October 21, 2017

Doroon

Doroon shrugged off Vaughans slip up with explaining how the palace worked. It was his first day, so nerves we're bound to come into play. However, at the blondes outburst about the room, Doroon couldn't help but cast him a curious and wary glance. "Uhm... no, no joke? Everything okay?" He asked, eyeing up the room looking for a sign of something amiss. "Honestly, I think we can make it work. Shift things around a small bit and it'll be fine. You'll be busy enough with training so honestly you won't be in here at all unless it's to sleep or if you're taking some quick notes, but even then the library has better lighting..." He smirked, "So pretty much just to sleep."October 22, 2017

Vaughan

Just to sleep. Vaughan used his room for a lot of things and sleeping was only a small part of it. He used his room to escape his family, practice dance moves, sing, brush his hair, and have a little bit of fun with someone else. Now it seemed the most he could do in this room was brush his hair, especially since he was going to have a roommate. He couldn't help but frown and let out a dramatic sigh, "Yeah, just to sleep, I guess." If that. Hopefully this kid didn't snore or have night terrors.

Doroon

Another sigh. Doroon caught a glance once more to his future roommate and wondered what was so wrong. "I mean... You can potentially do more here, if you really want? I write letters to my family on the desk--" which was really more of a very small side table, "--but I'm also not one for staying in the room long. If you are I'm sure we can arrange it however you want."

Vaughan

"I wouldn't really call this a a room, but... Yeah, we'll have to change all of this," Vaughan gestured to the entire room, "and I actually have two trunks of stuff, so... We'll have to see how that fits."

Doroon

Not a room? The redhead was almost insulted, looking about the place that he called 'home' for the past seven years. Well, maybe it was just palace life that affected Vaughans judgement. Still, Doroon forced a smile out and shrugged, "well, I think we can manage. Still, welcome home, I guess." He said with a chuckle before heading out, "so next I can show you the stables, kitchens, dining area, or library. Whichever you want."

Vaughan

Despite Vaughan's rude comments, Doroon continued to smile and be positive. The Prince was fully aware he wasn't being nice and he was curious if he could get the other boy to break. Granted, it wasn't anything he wanted to do the first day in town, but maybe if he continued to rub him the wrong way, he would wear him down. He wanted to know what this kid was really like, not this pleasantry bullshit. "Whichever is closest, I don't really care. Where do you spend the most time?"

Doroon

Doroon smiled, preferring to be happy or at least kind as much as he could. Stressed, annoyed, or upset; being anything but nice to people never got anyone anywhere. Smiles, being polite and friendly was what often did it. Honey over vinegar, his mom used to say. "Closest is the kitchens and dining area, and I tend to spend a lot of time either in the stables or on the training grounds. Sir Chris says I need to practice my sword work above all else. I got polearms down, but swords... I could use a bit of work." He confessed, honestly. He wasn't the best at them, and compared to the others he wasn't much good even. Still, he could best just about anyone with a polearm, but sir Chris always said that one specialty was just not enough.

Vaughan

When Doroon admitted his swordplay could use some work, Vaughan pondered over if he wanted to help him or not. No doubt Sir Chris would force them to duel, but he couldn't force Vaughan to give Doroon tips. He claimed had skill with the polearm, so the prince was curious to see what he could do. "Yeah? How much work?" Vaughan asked, looking over at him, "Swordplay is one of the few things I have talent with, depending on your level, I could give you some pointers. Though, it also depends on what type of sword you use."October 23, 2017

Doroon

"Ah..." He said, trying to think up a scale. Truth be told, Doroon's swordwork wasn't good enough in the slightest, but it wasn't quite as bad as the newest-greenest boys. He had the strength to hold and swing it, he just had no finesse for the blade the way he did with the polearms. "A decent amount? Again, I'm much better at polearms, so Sir Chris gave me a longsword, but he doesn't have a ton of time to help me practice." His smile widened, his eyes re-filling with that overwhelming kindness that went beyond the general pleasantries he'd given before. "Really? You'd help? I bet you've been training since you were little! It would help a lot. Also help to have a sparring partner. Actual practice is always better than just whacking at a straw man."

Vaughan

"Yeah, might as well since I'm here," Vaughan started, reluctantly signing himself up for training, "You might want to swap to a smaller sword, though. The polearm, I assume, is mostly for reach and powerful blows. If someone gets too close, you need to have something you can move quickly with. Granted, they get past your guard." He replied, attempting to figure out Doroon's problem without even seeing the boy in action, "I prefer short-swords or broadswords. They're light enough for you to use one handed and you don't get tired as easy, plus you can use a shield,"

Doroon

Doroon nodded, taking in the information with a nod, "Exactly! That's what I said, but Sir Chris insisted I go for the longsword and just keep a silver dagger with me." He sighed and shrugged, "I suppose it's better to keep the reach when it comes to monsters. So many are definitely bigger than us and the distance they can cover even without their speed is much greater than ours. And... he mentioned something about durability. I don't know how true it is." The boy chuckled, "but he's the expert, right?" The boy wanted to ask Vaughan about what Sir Chris said to get him to leave his comfortable life in the palace, but that seemed rude, and not quite a good first impression. Perhaps in a week or so, depending on how things went. "Ahem... anyway. So... We can do kitchens later since we gotta do lunch anyway. So stables then training grounds, or skip to the main fun?" A twinkle entered his eyes. Despite everything he was still a young man at heart. The idea of games wasn't so far from his head yet

Vaughan

"Well, everyone has different strengths. Personally, I'd rather take down a giant with a smaller sword that allowed me to move quickly, than one that hindered any movement." Vaughan replied, "Though, I'm sure each monster is different. We might have to use crossbows and stakes for some of them." He commented and then listened to what Doroon was saying. There was still much to see and Vaughan really didn't care which thing they visited first. He would see it all eventually. "What's the main fun?"

Doroon

Doroon considered what Vaughan said for a moment, nodding and taking in the advice. "Movement is pretty key in polearms." he offered, smirking, "but I see your point. You'd rather be quick and mobile." Well, now that their discussion was over, it was time for something a bit more interesting. When the blonde asked what the main fun was, Doroon's freckled face twisted to a sort of mock grin, "Oh come on, what were we just talking about?" He let out a puff of air and shook his head, "You get to show me how good at a sword you are. Come on. You said you were good in the castle, so means you practiced a lot, right?"

Vaughan

That's what Vaughan thought he was talking about. He felt a little silly asking, but he wanted to make sure they were talking about the same thing., "Well, maybe you could have been talking about how great the library is, I don't know," He replied, a playful tone in his voice. "And yeah, I practice a lot. Are you going to use the sword or the polearm?"

Doroon

Doroon rolled his eyes, dramatically, falling into an easy candor with his new bunk-mate, "Oh yeah, because everyone has a hollerin' time pouring over musty old tomes studying how to make decanters for Asghouls." He said, letting out a small snarf and waving back out of the hallway and toward the courtyard, "Come on, nerd. You'll get to the library fast enough, trust me." It wasn't common for anyone except hunters to have studied the methods to kill them, and Vaughan didn't seem the type to really be trapped indoors pouring over books all day. Being the age he was, it would be quite a bit of studying and reading to catch up to the rest of them. "hm... I think it's best if I use the sword. Polearm versus short-sword, like you said you liked, seems unfair. Also makes it a good experience for both of us." He said, grinning, "Probably partially why Sir Chris wanted two apprentices anyway."

Vaughan

Vaughan didn't know what "decanters" or "Asghouls" were, but he figured he would find out eventually if it was something that Doroon named specifically. A small smirk tugged at his lips when Doroon called him a nerd and he followed behind him. "I'm not saying that /I'm/ looking forward to it, it's was more just me assuming /you/ were," He bit back before raising an eye brow at Doroon's other comments. "It's only unfair if you're better than me," Which Vaughan heavily doubted, "But the sword should be fine for now, since Sir Chris told you to practice on it."

Doroon

The redhead couldn't help but shrug and keep that same friendly smile on his face as he proudly puffed out his chest, "With polearms, it would be unfair." it didn't take long to reach the grounds once more, and it was easy to see most of the others were off conducting a series of errands to start their mornings, or taking care of their horses. Doroon's one mare was well fed and cared for already, making his morning a bit easier. Still, dropping in to see her when he showed Vaughan the stables was something he was looking forward to. For now, though, he strode over to the weapons rack and gestured to it, "So here's the training swords. Heavy as normal ones, but they're not sharp enough to actually hurt us. Well... I mean you can bruise super well and if you tried hard enough I suppose you could kill someone.. but essentially nothings going to actually slash an arm off or something." he laughed, looking over the weapons affectionately and choosing one of the many longswords. It was a favored weapon for the hunters, according to Sir Chris, so there was quite a few of them to choose from. "hm... short swords are... ah! Here. Pick yours and we can do a little practice."October 29, 2017

Vaughan

He knew what training swords were, but instead of cutting the other boy off and making a sassy comment, he just nodded along. Doroon of course, went with a longsword and Vaughan smirked a little as he went to the short swords and picked one up. If the redhead could manage a hit on him, he was going to be highly impressed. After a minute of testing out the different weights, Vaughan selected a sword an made his way to the arena. His heart was starting to race, just at the excitement of being able to show off what he could do. He held up the sword and weaved it through the air as he took a bow, signally he was ready for the sparring to begin. "Whenever you're ready," He also commented.

Doroon

Doroon watched Vaughan test things out, and already could tell he was familiar with blades. He wasn't just faking his tests and seemed to know more than most newbies, which was favorable. Of course, it did give the taller boy some amount of nervousness for his own swordwork. "Alright." He nodded, taking his own place and hefting his longsword ready to attack. He turned, circling Vaughan carefully, watching him closely to see if he followed. The first step was always steps. Footing. A cornerstone to judge whether an opponent was going to be a lot of work or only a little bit. Doroon's own footwork was geared toward his polearms work, but he was capable of movement with the heavy weapon, that much was certain. Beneath all that sun-tanned skin, red hair, and freckles was a boy who had trained hard for seven years.

Vaughan

Vaughan watched Doroon's feet seeing where he stepped, and matched what he was supposed to do. Vaughan was a master at footwork, so much so, that he decided to speed things up a bit and quickened his pace. The redhead didn't seem to want to make the first move, so Vaughan lunged forward, going to tapp him on the shoulder with the sword. They were just sparring after all.

Doroon

Doroon felt himself seemingly slow down, and checked Vaughan's footwork briefly to see why. The other had sped up, and Doroon increased speed to keep up. Thankfully, the blonde boy got the hint that Doroon wasn't going to make the first move and moved in for a shoulder move. It was no great feat to shift his footing about and block with the much larger sword, but as soon as he did, the two were close enough for follow up attacks. The red-head, with his new footing, dropped his blade down and went for a slash, increasing the distance in an attempt to use it to his advantage. If he could keep Vaughan a bit further away, maybe the difference in the sword uses would help him a bit in this little sparring match.

Vaughan

Doroon went for a vertical slash, to which Vaughan quickly side stepped. The length of the sword made it close, but Vaughan had a lot of experience going against larger weapons. While they had length and weight, it didn't really matter that much if they couldn't land a hit on you. Vaughan took a few more steps around Doroon, knowing it would take him a second to pick up the sword, and he slashed at his sides, holding back any force if he made a connection.October 30, 2017

Doroon

Vaughan was quick, Doroon would give him that. Instantly he thought at minimum he'd get some distance, or at best he'd get a hit; but neither happened. Instead, Vaughan flitted about to the side, and before the red-head could lift his sword back far enough to make a difference, he saw the flash of the blade heading toward his side. The metal hit him, even as he attempted to leap away, catching a small bit on his shirt. It didn't hurt as far as wounds went, but had it not been a training sword he might have had a good slash on him. "You move as fast as a monster!" He said, a bit astounded at the speed and keeping a smile on his face. His weapon was up now, and he knew he could swing it a bit more and had to maybe outmaneuver Vaughan. The red-head swung once, expecting Vaughan to go back, and without missing a beat he followed through arching the blade to keep his momentum going as he went for a downward slash across the front of the other. Naturally, he was keeping a close eye on where the blade was actually heading for the new recruit. Didn't want to bruise him up right from the get-go, if he could even land the hit.

Vaughan

Vaughan watched the direction Doroon swung the blade and rolled in the opposite direction. Since his blade was smaller, he could easily move. Rolling was one of the best way to dodge attacks and in this instance, it worked pretty good. Once the blade hit the ground, Vaughan popped up and went to poke the other boy in the side. "Have you sparred with Monsters before? How do you know?" Vaughan couldn't help but smirk.

Doroon

Shit. Doroon let out a small frown, really wishing his second attack would hit. Of course, once Vaughan was up he went for a poke, Doroon slipping to the side only barely letting it miss him as he brought his own blade up to knock vaughan's own blade to the sky. "Eh, not really. Smaller ones. Ran into some super small ones and I've seen Sir Chris in action."

Vaughan

The sword connected with Vaughan's, but the prince had a tight grip and used it to fight the upward force. The only way to avoid his blade from being knocked out of his hand was to move backward, so he did. "You're pretty good with that, at least, better than you said. You move a bit slow, though," he twirled the sword in his hand and waited for Doroon to come at him.

Doroon

Doroon felt the weight shift as Vaughan moved backward, letting his blade soar upward as he was thrown off-balance. thankfully, Vaughan didn't attack him, and Doroon was able to re-gain himself just in time to hear the compliment. Better than he said? The red-head looked at his opponent with a look of confusion, "Yeah? Well, guess training paid off. And yeah." He said, nodding and debating how to attack next. Vaughan's sword spun, and Doroon took the opportunity to rush forward and go for a poke, keeping the distance.

Vaughan

"You're better than some of the pages at the castle, so there's at least that," Vaughan replied as Doroon did another jab. He easily sidestepped it and closed the distance between them. Instead of using his sword to counter and leaving himself open to get backhanded, Vaughan dropped to the ground and did a sweep kick, hopefully Knocking Doroon off his feet.

Doroon

Doroon rasied a brow, curious as to how different knight training was to that of the hunters. He'd always assumed based upon the way Sir Chris talked, that the hunters were much better trained than even the knights. A king could send a small army after a Griffin but a lone hunter or two hunters could take it out given some time to prepare themselves. Before he could comment, though, the red-head found his feet swept clean out from under him as he let out a small yelp falling onto his back against the ground. That was the second time today.

Vaughan

The sweep kick was successful and Vaughan popped back up to his feet, proud and feeling accomplished. He went to kick the sword from Doroons hand and pointed his sword at his neck. "Did you want to go again or should we continue the tour?" He was smirking. He thought about putting his foot in the boy's chest and keeping him down, but he didn't want to completely insult him. Maybe he would if Doroon tried anything while he was on his back.

Doroon

Doroon swallowed, hard, as he felt the cold metal against his throat and spotted Vaughan standing over him with his sword kicked away. So much for being better than the pages, or was Vaughan truly that good? The red-head stared up with a look of bewilderment before nodding and holding his hands up. Of course, it was a bit of a ruse. As soon as he worked himself up to it, Doroon smacked the flat of Vaughan's blade to the side, going for a roll for his own weapon that was kicked aside.

Vaughan

When Doroon put his hands up in defeat, Vaughan decided to move the sword away and let him get up. However, the moment his guard was down, the redhead smacked his sword away and made a move for his weapon. That dirty bird!!! Vaughan should have put his foot down on his chest while he had the chance. Acting quickly, he chased after the boy and went to strike the sword that Doroon was picking up, if for no other reason than to give him a scare, "Are you going to hit me with a /longsword/ from the ground?"

Doroon

Doroon scrambled for his blade, wasting no time in grasping the handle as he did another roll to put distance between himself and Vaughan, and hopefully his sword. Thankfully, he had another tactic in mind as well. "Nope!" Quickly flicking the weight off the end of his sword, he tossed it at the other boys chest in an attempt to simply distract him and give the red-head a chance to regain his feet. He was up, and instantly he went for a basic slash, diagonally.

Vaughan

The ball hit Vaughan right in the gut and he staggered a bit. It hurt, and while he would probably get a bruise, it was soft tissue, no bones. He stumbled back, just barely avoiding the slash. "What the fuck!" Vaughan snapped, mostly upset that the other boy had /thrown/ something at him. He wanted to fight dirty? Fine. Vaughan would stop going easy on him. He narrowed his eyes and adjusted the grip on his sword before he charged the other boy. Right before he ran into him, he rolled to the side, sprung up behind him, and went to deliver a (spiteful) wack to Doroon's side.

Doroon

Shit, doroon didn't even hit him after that? The red-head smirked, "What? We don't duel the wraiths away!" He said, readying himself for an attack. Vaughan was sure to come after him, and he was right. Thinking he enraged the blonde, Doroon readied a party, hoping to send a jolt up the others arm and stagger him. Unfortunately, he wasnt ready for a roll and a pop up next to him. The younger boy only began to turn to follow, attempting to block and a bit encumbered by the sword. He was too slow, and instantly Vaughan hit his side that drew out a grunt as the air was partially knocked out of him. Doroon continued his swing, though, hoping to either hit Vaughan in the shoulder or get him back.

Vaughan

Doroon had momentum on his side, so while Vaughan whacked him on the side, he didn't actually slash him so the blade kept coming. The side of the sword hit his shoulder, and he took a step out to steady himself. He then brought his own sword to Doroon's to push it up and away, but not before bringing his free hand up to pop him in the throat. If he had a shield, he would have thrust it into Doroon's head but boop in the throat would have to work for now.(edited)October 31, 2017

Doroon

Doroon felt a small surge of relief when he whacked vaughan successfully in the side. The victory was short-won though, as his sword was sent upward. He pushed back against the new direction, glad in the weight of the blade for once, coupled with his own strength until... A gag and his blade went up, throwing him far off balance and nearly tossing him back as his body automatically attempted to flee from the attack and stabilize itself from the shifting weight. He grunted at the thing, just barely remaining standing.

Vaughan

As Doroon stumbled back, Vaughan slashed at him diagonally, before dropping down to his feet again and going to trip him. He might have gone easy on him before, but now there was no hesitation.

Doroon

Doroon felt the scrape against his chest, grunting at the effort as he already began to fall back, his feet flailing beneath him. He just barely got a foot back to stop himself when suddenly they were out from under him again and he flopped to his side, grunting. the match was all but over, his sword once more from his hands and his chest and side in pain from the whacks and scrapes, not to mention his throat taking a small beating that he was still recovering from. It wasn't hard, but with a throat attack things didn't have to be to still cause a gag. In one final last ditch effort Doroon attempted to roll to at least get out from under Vaughan and have a chance to get back on his feet, sword or no.

Vaughan

This boy didn't give up. Vaughan let out a huff as Doroon attempted to roll away from him and he quickly acted to stop him. His foot stepped down on his chest and sword pressed into his chest a bit harder than normal, "Okay! We're done here. I swear if you try anything I'll try to cut your head off," he was mostly joking, mostly.

Doroon

Doroon felt a foot land on his chest as he was forced down to the ground and kept there. Vaughan's sword pinned him as well, forcing a catch in his breath so that the dulled tip didn't poke him as hard. "Alright, alright!" He said, holding his hands up defensively with a light chuckle, "Kept you on your toes though."

Vaughan

Vaughan kept him in place for a moment, not sure if Doroon was going to pull something again. After it passed, he took his foot off and then lifted his sword up. "Yeah, only because I thought we were done," he replied and touched his stomach where Doroon threw the ball at him, "that hilt part fucking hurt by the way."

Doroon

Doroon groaned as he sat up, also holding onto his chest, "Yeah, well... the whole point was to catch you off guard." He sighed and tested his throat with a rub, "Mhm. It's a good trick. You got me in the throat though." He tested it once more and sighed, standing up, "Just pray it doesn't bruise or I'll get even." He said with a wink and a laugh. Of course Doroon's version of getting even was simply giving Vaughan an extra chore the next day.

Vaughan

"The throat punch was me getting even for you throwing part of he hilt," Vaughan smirked and then mocked Doroon a little "did it catch you off guard?"

Doroon

Doroon couldn't stay mad for long, or even irritated. His smirk came out as he relinquished a sigh, "Yeah, it did. Good job. And I probably deserved it after the hilt toss."

Vaughan

"You did," Vaughan replied, joking with him and setting the sword back on the rack. "But I suppose I know what you fight like now, so it was a learning experience."

Doroon

Doroon moved over to pick up is blade, making his way to the rack and setting it aside just as Vaughan had done. "Eh, at least how I fight with the sword." Doroon said, attempting to give himsself some hope, "But, generally... Sir Chris always says it's best to never give up until it's all actually over. Monsters won't pause for you or show mercy, and they use everything they can to fight you. Might as well use everything you can to fight back." he said, regurgitating a lesson from their master-hunter.

Vaughan

"Well, maybe you could have said that first before you surrendered and then threw the hilt at me," Vaughan replied, nearly rolling his eyes at Doroon's enthusiasm. If Vaughan knew Doroon was going to pull shit, he wouldn't have let him get up the first time. "Whatever, where to next?"

Doroon

Doroon smirked, "Got you to let your guard down." He said, defending himself a bit sheepishly. "I am sorry it hurt. I tried to chuck it lightly, but... well I hope it doesn't bruise or anything." It was a sincere wish, at least. While it helped him win, Vaughan's complaining about it made Doroon feel incredibly guilty. "Next... we can check out the smith's area--which you might need to run errands to--or the stables where we have to care for our horses and Sir Christopher's."

Vaughan

Doroon apologized and Vaughan looked over at him, not saying anything. He didn't have to be sorry, Vaughan got him back. When the redhead asked him which place he wanted to go, he quickly answered, "Well, some of my gear is still with my horse. We should probably see where the smith is first and then view the stables."November 1, 2017

Doroon

"Your gear? Oh, well alright. We'll just swing by the blacksmith so your horse can get a break sooner." He sighed and waved Vaughan on, already patting out the shoe print the other left on him. The Smith's place was larger than normal, filled to the brim with odd bits and ends and some things not usually seen in shops. Of course, also unlike other shops nothing but small repair items and various bottles of flecks seemed to be pre-made. He wasn't serving the general populous, he served the hunters exclusively. Another abnormal feature we're two furnaces. One burning red, the other blue. "So this is our master Smith, Lamen. He repairs the armor and builds out swords and other things like silver dust and flecks and our swords." The gristled man turned and peered at the two from some sort of sorting he was doing. "Hello, Doroon. Orders Are almost ready. You forgot the other half of the introduction. Who's this?" "Oh! Good I'll pick them up when I'm done. And this is Vaughan. Sir Chris decided to take on two apprentices!" He sounded excited, and though the Smith attempted to smile, it was a bit forced. Instead he held out a hand and nodded with a gruff hello."Your gear? Oh, well alright. We'll just swing by the blacksmith so your horse can get a break sooner." He sighed and waved Vaughan on, already patting out the shoe print the other left on him. The Smith's place was larger than normal, filled to the brim with odd bits and ends and some things not usually seen in shops. Of course, also unlike other shops nothing but small repair items and various bottles of flecks seemed to be pre-made. He wasn't serving the general populous, he served the hunters exclusively. Another abnormal feature we're two furnaces. One burning red, the other blue. "So this is our master Smith, Lamen. He repairs the armor and builds out swords and other things like silver dust and flecks and our swords." The gristled man turned and peered at the two from some sort of sorting he was doing. "Hello, Doroon. Orders Are almost ready. You forgot the other half of the introduction. Who's this?" "Oh! Good I'll pick them up when I'm done. And this is Vaughan. Sir Chris decided to take on two apprentices!" He sounded excited, and though the Smith attempted to smile, it was a bit forced. Instead he held out a hand and nodded with a gruff hello.

Vaughan

"Nice to meet you, Lamen," Vaughan replied respectfully and gave him a firm handshake. However, the blacksmiths hands were stronger and Vaughan felt it. He noticed the different colors in fire, and decided to ask Doroon once they left so he didn't look completely clueless.

Doroon

Doroon stood for a moment, hands on his hips in the silence, proud of the introduction and slowly growing more and more proud of Sir Chris getting a new apprentice. This was great! It was like mystically obtaining a best friend or brother that came pre-grown-up. That's when he wondered how close they actually were in age. "Well, I think learning what Lamen makes here is more on-the-job sorta work, or for longer lessons." He chirped, eyeing Lamen and giving a little salute, "See you! And I'll be back later to pick up the orders, alright?" The smith nodded, "Good. Two or so hours should do it. If you come too early I could use a hand with this sorting too." Doroon forced out a grimace at the thought and led the way to the stables with Vaughan. "Lamen's great. Super friendly for someone around hot iron all day. Oh, I wanted to ask... how old are you? something I just thought about... 16?"(edited)

Vaughan

The two talked back and forth. Vaughan wasn't really paying attention until they were walking away and Doroon guessed his age. And he was completely off. Vaughan shot the boy another glare, "16?! No, I'm 19. Why? Is that how old you are?"

Doroon

Doroon caught the glare, but it almost went over his head as to why it was a problem. He blinked at the blonde boy stupidly for a moment, "Wait--19?! Ugh, no, I'm 18. I just... you're shorter so I assumed you were younger. I mean, not by a lot, just by a year or two. Figured it was better to guess lower than higher, you know?"

Vaughan

"By an inch," Vaughan replied and rolled his eyes, "and why is it better to guess lower than higher?"

Doroon

"Really? Only an inch?" Doroon said, curious as to how accurate the other boy was. Of course, the follow up answer as to why lower than higher sprang forth from his mouth before his brain had a chance to filter it. "Well girls always want you to guess lower rather than higher."(edited)

Vaughan

This kid was ridiculous. Vaughan growled a bit, "I'm not a girl, though!"

Doroon

Doroon's smile dropped from his face, which was about as close to a frown as his freckled cheeks got, "I know you're not, but--" Doroon's brain paused him, finally kicking in and realizing just how far his foot was going into his mouth. "--Look I don't guess ages often. I just went lower rather than higher cause I thought it was more flattering or something. Cool it."(edited)

Vaughan

Cool it? This kid was rubbing him the wrong way and Vaughan was not in the mood for it. "Whatever," he said simply and looked away, ready for Doroon to take him somewhere else.

Doroon

Doroon sighed, taking that as a win for him. Frankly he didn't get why age was such a big deal. It seemed silly to be offended over it, but Vaughan did seem like the testy sort. Perhaps it was different in the courts in terms of ages? Better to guess higher rather than lower. The red-head tucked that information away as they reached the stables, "We're here. So... I'm not sure where a free stall is, but you can ask the horse-master. He's around here somewhere... hrm... You need to handle your horse's grooming mostly yourself as well as stable care. The horse master handles the sick ones or if the hunter is away or hurt or something, but he's already got his hands full there. You... know how to handle it, or do you want a quick how-to?" He asked, the question coming off as tentative. Doroon was worried that it was another soft spot for Vaughan, and he didn't want to make it seem he thought the courtly-boy incompetent.

Vaughan

Vaughan was still highly annoyed, and while he didn't want it to show, he couldn't help but voice it, "Hm, alright," he said flatly, and looked to see which stall housed his horse, ignoring Doroon's question. Sir Chris told him he would take care of it so Vaughan could "explore" the camp. He walked in, not following Doroon, and looked at the stables. Eventually, he came across a horse with a golden mane and he stopped, giving the horse a pet on the nose. He then, opened the stall and started to grab his stuff. The horse wasn't carrying the trunks, but just the random bags Vaughan had.(edited)

Doroon

Doroon let the air hang silent as his question was ignored, and rather than push it, he shrugged and watched Vaughan begin looking through the horses. Maybe he'd already gotten a stall? It would be more efficient. Doroon shrugged and left him to his devices, turning about and making his way to the opposite end of the stable toward his own horse, Stella. Plain as the day was long, Stella was dappled grey with brown spots, and though well groomed couldn't be called anything but plain. Still, she was an absolute sweetheart and gently stuck her nose out to the apprentice's hand as he approached. Affectionately he patted her, reaching into his pocket for a rather crushed carrot that she was quickly slipped. Her long lashes bat happily about as she munched it, the red-head pet her, peeking a glance at Vaughan down the end once in a while to ensure he was doing alright.(edited)November 3, 2017

Vaughan

Vaughan's horse wasn't holding a lot, but it was enough for the Prince to not want to ignore it. He slung his sword over his shoulder and put the bags on the ground outside the stable. Once most of his stuff was off, he untied the saddle and his stallion nodded his head happily. It was probably a good idea to come back and brush him, but he wanted to put his stuff away first. With that, he started to pick up all of his bags and slew them over his shoulders and hands.(edited)

Doroon

Doroon continued petting Stella and keeping the quite content horse even more calm. Her eyes seemed to roll, even, soothed by the petting until he stole one glance toward Vaughan and his horse. Well, that looked like more than what one person could handle, even if it wasn't more than what a horse could. Without any hesitation, the red head made his way over and silently began picking some bags up and aiding in the whole process. It was more than he expected. Frankly, he came with far less, and that was with the knowledge that Vaughan likely also had a case or two on the way! The small room was going to get cramped, that was certain.

Vaughan

Doroon walked over and helped him and while Vaughan was relieved, Doroon also managed to pick up the one bag that was fragile. "Thanks, but careful with that one," Vaughan pointed out and heaved the last bag over his shoulder. There was a lot of bags, but they were fairly light. All but the one Doroon was carrying.

Doroon

Doroon paused, eyeing the bag with a look. "Fragile? What's in here?" He didn't think it was such an odd question, considering the fact that they were going to be living together. All the same, he did decide to hold it in his hands rather than sling it over his shoulder like he was initially planning.

Vaughan

"Just glass jars and shit," Vaughan replied with a shrug, "Some are filled with stuff for my hair, skin, and some are more medicinal. I... brought pretty much all I had since I didn't think I'd be going home again." His tone was a bit different at that last part. He seemed a little upset, but it wasn't anything he could help. This was a big life changing event and he wasn't even expecting it.

Doroon

It had been a while since Doroon had been home, and even longer since he'd dealt with his own homesickness. His usually smiling face went a bit somber as he nodded, "Well... I don't know how much use those are going to be outside of the castle, but for now I suppose we can set them up on the desk. Make it feel more like home for you." He'd set up a few things on it, completely covering his work space with a few small trinkets to make himself feel better those first few months. Hell, he still even had a wooden toy that was his brother's. "Uhm... Hey, Vaughan? You know... If you family is willing to pay for your travel, some of the hunters and the apprentices head home during the Yule festival, or at least one trip during the year. Uhm... If we both end up doing the 'journeying' test this year, we can also swing by where you live? Plan a route that way so you can stop in and say hi? There are ways to see it again." He smiled, trying to be as comforting as possible. Though the memories were vague, Doroon did remember that he cried a lot of the nights when he left home. Some Sir Chris was even kind enough to get him out of the meal hall once or twice and back to his room so that the others didn't see.

Vaughan

Vaughan was going to say that he was still going to have his hair and skin outside the castle, but he decided not to say anything and just take one or two jars with him on trips anyways. "Sure, sounds fine," he replied and started to walk out of the stables. At Doroon's offer, Vaughan couldn't help but scoff. It was a sweet thing to say, but he wasn't sure if it was a good idea to visit or not. "Yeah? Maybe once my father calms down or dies," it was a dark think to joke about, "He was fucking pissed at me when I left. It would have to at least be a year before I went back, I'm sure my mother would love for me to visit, though," He then turned to Doroon, "Are you planning on visiting your family?"

Doroon

Doroon couldn't figure out how to react to Vaughan's situation. It seemed horribly personal, but he just blinked and smiled as he led the way back to their room. "Wow. That's intense. At some point you need to tell me what you did, but... maybe we can swing by and see her, at least? I'm sure we can work something out. Send a letter and meet outside of the house or when he's out?" The question about his own, however, drew a wide grin from Doroon, "Oh gods yes! I haven't been home since... well since I got here. If I get permission from Sir Chris to do the 'journeying' test I definitely want to plan a route to see them. I can't wait to see how big my little sister got."November 4, 2017

Vaughan

Vaughan smirked at Doroon's suggestion. 'When the High King was out'. It was a little funny since the boy had no idea he was a prince. "Yeah, maybe. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it," he shrugged, knowing it was going to be a great while before he contacted his family. His mother was already sneakily sending him money, he didn't want to write her thank you letters and expose her to her husband. Vaughan continued to walk out the stables, but looked back when Doroon mentioned his little sister, "How old is your little sister? Mine is/was four when I left. Plus I think my mother is having her baby soon, maybe she's already had it."

Doroon

Doroon nodded, know that he was probably much further along than Vaughan for training. Likely, the courtly boy had some time before he had to worry about going out. "Her? She's... Well I left when she was four or five so that makes her... Twelve?" He said, having to do the minor math on his fingers, a bit. "Aww... She's having more? So you're the big brother?"November 5, 2017

Vaughan

"It must be hard not seeing her for that long," Vaughan replied, putting some of his own worries on Doroon, "My little sister is probably the best member of my family." If Vaughan was going to miss anyone it was going to be her and his mother, specifically in that order. "And I'm a middle child. I have an older brother who is an absolute pain." Vaughan responded as they made their way back to the room to drop off his stuff. "What about you? Are you the oldest?"

Doroon

"A bit, but... It wasn't like she was two. It would be harder if she didn't know me at all." He replied, trying to allow some amount of comfort into his words. Talking family and who they'll miss was touchy, and personal, and usually something people struggled not to cry about when first coming here. "Yeah? Well then she'll remember you, no problem." "Middle? Yeah? I feel like older brothers are always meant to be pains. And, I'm far from the oldest. Youngest of five brothers until my sister came along. As a little sister goes she was great, and my brothers... Well they played their pranks and such. All but the closest one to me. He didn't. He was pretty nice. Rhundorig was his name."

Vaughan

Five older brothers was a lot. Vaughan could barley handle one and he didn't want to think about what it would be like if he had more, especially if they were like Torveny. "That's a lot of kids," Vaughan replied, "My mother probably wanted that many, but having a large family when you're... in the court is tricky. Siblings kind of get pitted against each other." Vaughan heard Doroon refer to his brother in a past tense, and chose not to say anything. He only just met the boy so he didn't want to press into any emotional back stories. He was sure there would be plenty of time for that later.

Doroon

"Do they really? Over what? Ladies?" Doroon shrugged, "Well, I don't think we had much in ours. Pretty clear who takes over my dad's holdings and the rest of us just need to figure out a trade. Still, takes a lot to run a bit of farmland. My dad's a proud owner of his own land, with a blacksmith and cook on staff." He smirked, nearly reaching their room, "Doesn't sound like much, probably, from someone who grew up in a court, but it's a big deal outside of the cities. Supposedly we had some distant ancient relative that was a knight once. Not that we really have a title that I know of, but... sometimes my father used to talk about it." The red-head smirked, happily opening the door with a careful hand and holding it wide for the blonde boy. "I can leave you to get settled, if you want? I have some chores I need to do, and... maybe you want the time to yourself?"(edited)

Vaughan

"Power, mostly," Vaughan replied and smirked when Doroon explained his situation and how sure he was that his oldest brother would take over the farm. Vaughan didn't want to go into it, but if the older brother died then someone else would get the land. The more siblings you had, the dirtier the job. When they reached the room, Vaughan walked through the door that Doroon held open and plopped it on his cot. He then offered to grab the stuff the other boy was holding, "Yeah, that's fine. I'll get my other things and set up the room."

#para #vaughan #second interaction #tour around

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