Just Like You

Plat  

Today, Esredes is around at the other nochmal base amongst the forest backdrop. While that is normal on its own, the placement within the camp is not. He heard there was a batch of trainees graduating today, and with enough downtime being given to him, decided he wanted to watch. Graduation ceremonies were never anything large, but it's been ages since he's watched one and reminisced about his own graduation and how long ago it was, how excited he was, how proud he was of what was going to come, how he even matched Ceila in excitement and energy that day. If not for memory purposes, it lifted his spirits to see their young eyes sparkle with hope and determination for the future they were preparing for. The faction continues to move forward and grow.

He's placed himself more in the background, not wanting his large presence to take away from the focus at hand. He simply sits near the back of the gathered knochen and listens to the knochen at the front of the line of trainees as he begins to give a short speech.

Liam 

Enlai was bored. He knew he couldn’t show his boredom, but he hated such stiff and formal occasions. Not that he wasn’t excited to be graduating, not by a long shot! He was mostly just still sore and healing from his injuries.  He shifted uncomfortably, his bandages pulling at his raw skin. That fucking hurt. Wow he wasn’t going to move like that again.

His eyes travelled across the crowd in an attempt to find something to catch his attention even for a moment.  There, in the back. Was that...? No, it couldn’t be. Why would the second in command come to the graduation ceremony? He looked away, watching a bird and listening half-heartedly.

Plat  

Esredes observes the trainees idly as the speech goes on. Quite the diverse range of knochen appearances amongst the group. His eyes end up lingering a bit more on Enlai, however, if not for the bandages and missing arm. What happened to that one there...? He’d assume it was a human’s doing, if not for the bandages. That’s an indication it was still recent... how unfortunate to have that happen so close to graduation.

Liam 

Dammit, this was so boring! He itched at the bandage on his cheek, getting a bit irritated. It was hard to sit still when you were growing new skin, after all.  He eyed the girl who had burned him a bit frustrated.  Little shit lost her temper but still graduated? Not very fair.
His eyes travelled back to the knochen at the back of the room.  What cool colors. However, Enlai thought he looked cooler. Iridescent black-tipped scales with wicked, sharp tips? He was badass if he said so himself.

Plat  

Esredes’ eyes end up making eye contact with the kids’, just for a moment. He drifts them back to the knochen at the front a moment later as a natural reaction to the unexpected eye contact. Always a little awkward when you make eye contact with a stranger unexpectedly. There was probably no way any of the trainees would recognize who he was anyhow.

Liam 

Hm, the other knochen had looked away rather quickly.  Enlai liked a good staring contest, and was rather disappointed that he was back to having nothing to do.
He shifted without think again, and oops- he was bleeding again. Damn this stump, it was quite literally the bane of his existence.  It wasn’t bleeding a lot, but at least he had something to look at while the bandages stained pink.

Plat  

A few minutes later, the speech comes to an end and the trainees are dismissed, now full members of the faction. Esredes stands by a moment as he watches the knochen begin to depart.

Liam 

YES. Freedom! Enlai shook happily, though still carefully, to not jostle the bloody bandages on his half-limb.  He stretched his remaining toes out, before digging into the earth with the wicked claws. What would he be doing now? Maybe he could go hunt a human!! He had completely forgotten the older knochen, contemplating his next action.

Plat  

As the knochen continue to move out, his gaze drifts back towards the bandaged one. The bandages seemed more bloody than they did a moment ago. “Those things look like they need changing soon. You should see a healer.” Now that fewer knochen were around, it was easier to speak across a short distance. With his medical knowledge, he couldn’t help but point that out.

Liam 

Enlai turned his long neck, blinking at the other knochen. ....oh yeah, he was bleeding, wasn’t he? Guess the murder would have to wait a bit.
“Does it really look that bad?” He asked doubtfully, craning to peer at the bandages. “There’s only a little bit of blood. I’m not going to bleed out, or anything.” He looked back at Esrey for advice (even though he didn’t yet know esreys name).

Plat  

“It’s noticeable. They look like they’ve been there a while. Too long. Whatever made that happen, it’s better healed with frequently changing ones.“

Liam 

Well, he probably wasn’t wrong. Enlai knew literally nothing about medicine. Just.... wasn’t blood supposed to coagulate and scab though?
“It’s a burn, does that change things?”

Plat  

“Not if it’s still bleeding,” Esredes responds. “How did you get burned?”

Liam 

“Some dumbass got mad I beat her and lost her temper.” He said it loud enough for said dumbass to hear. They glared at each other for a second, before she stormed off.
He turned back to Esredes, “She’s got nasty firepower.”

Plat  

“....That’s quite the intense retaliation,” he says. That is one thing he never heard happening back during his time. “She must’ve been very mad.”

Liam 

“Yeah.” He agreed, “she got away with it too.” He frowned at her receding form, before looking back at the knochen he was talking to. “I almost didn’t graduate, I was hurt too badly.”

Plat  

Did she really? That was mildly concerning to him. He tucked that information away in the back of his mind. “How horribly unfortunate. What a relief you managed to make it anyhow.”

Liam 

He grinned, teeth sharp and glinting in the light. “It takes a lot to keep me down.” He bragged, puffing up his fur a bit. It made him look bigger. What he didn’t know, was that he looked exactly like a feline when he did that.

Plat  

Esredes is quiet a second as he moves closer towards the new full member. “What’s your name, kid?”

Liam 

“Enlai.” He replied, watching him come closer. He flicked his tail in an attempt to hide his mold uneasiness.

Plat  

“Interesting name. It stands out. How long have you been in the faction?” The trainees varied in their time a lot.

Liam 

“I don’t recall not being here.” He admits, “I’m told my parents gave me to the faction? But who knows.”

Plat  

“Oh, really?” It wasn’t every knochen you encounter one raised within it. “You must’ve breezed through training then.”

Liam 

He nodded, puffing up again. “It was pretty easy.  It was fun to kill humans, even if I got in trouble for ‘showing off’.”

Plat  

I like the way you talk about it. “How many did you manage to kill in training?”

Liam 

"......Was I meant to count?"  He asked, a bit surprised.  ".....I don't remember, I didn't keep track."

Plat  

“Not really, just an estimate. If you killed enough to not be able to count that’s more than I did in training.”

Liam 

Enlai preened. He was that good? “I wasn’t technically /supposed/ to kill a lot, I just kept running into humans.”

Plat  

“They must be attracted to you like bees to a flower. Or perhaps more accurately, an insect to a spider’s web.”

Liam 

Oooooh, that sounded fun! He said as much to the other knochen; “I should lay traps next time. That would be exciting!”

Plat  

“It certainly would be,” Esredes says with a small smile forming. “I can tell you’re one of the more eager graduates. You’ll enjoy the work you’ll do in the faction. Just be careful not to get so eager you hurt yourself.”

Liam 

He raised his brow ridges. “Technically I already did,” he waggled his half-leg, “but yes, I’m much more careful now.” He kind-of had to be, he learned his lesson. (He did not fully learn his lesson yet, but he didn’t know that)

Plat  

“I’m not sure that was really your fault, but yes. Someday you’ll certainly have to fight other fire knochen.”

Liam 

He made a face. “I’ll get to that when I come to it. Gonna hate fire for a little bit though.”

Plat  

“I don’t blame you. It’s an element easy to get out of hand.”

Liam 

“Definitely.  Much more destructive than mine; I’m more of a hide-and-surprise kind of guy.”

Plat  

“I take it you mean obscura, then? Or possibly mind?”

Liam 

“Obscura.” He stated proudly, preening again.

Plat  

“I see. Useful for stealth for sure. Killing a human is much easier when they don’t see you coming.”

Liam 

He nodded. “I can blend into shadows quite well.” He sighed. “I can’t wait to kill another human... it’s been a good week and a half.”

Plat  

“Get those bandages changed so you can get back to it sooner. It’s only getting to be more demanding from here.”

Liam 

“Excellent. I can’t wait.” He nodded at Esrey, only just now remembering to be respectful. “I’ll go do that. It was nice to meet you.”

Plat  

“You as well, Enlai. Take care adjusting to being a full member, and congratulations. I’m sure someone else will help you along the way as well.”

Liam 

He sends a toothy grin in esrey’s direction before flying off towards the medics.

Plat  

Some time later, Esredes is present at the base once more walking around. While still in the middle of the tasks given by the Thiessen battle, he was afforded a little time here between it all. So he weaves his way around, but a passing face in the midst.

Liam 

Enlai is resting off to the side, snout on his remaining foot. He is laying flat against the ground, looking like he was abandoned by the world. Because he technically was. At least his wounds were mostly healed? His shorter limb still twinged with an ache if he moved it too far or leaned on the burns, but at least he didn’t need bandages anymore?
....at the very least, he preferred to be unbandaged. He most likely should’ve still been wearing them but he had torn them off in annoyance earlier in the day.
He huffed, eyes scanning the crowd.

Plat  

Esredes is easy to pick out in the crowd, given his size and long neck. He has yet to notice you as he leisures about his business.

Liam 

Ah!! Was that? Yes, red guy, the guy whose name he had completely forgotten to get. He was really stupid sometimes. He gathered himself up and half-slithered-half-flew over to the other knochen.

“Hey, long time no see. Whatcha up to?” He asks, coming to a stop next to Esrey- a reasonable distance for once, not too close.

Plat  

Hm? Who was that he heard— Oh, it’s the kid he talked to at a graduation. He remembers that one. “It has been a while,” he says as he turns his head to look at him fully. “I’m between tasks at the moment. I take it you are as well?”

Liam 

He snorts. “I haven’t had a task in ages. I’ve been sitting on my ass since graduation.” He sighs, settling on his one leg carefully. “What’re you up to? I haven’t seen you around.”

Plat  

“...Wait, really? What do you mean you haven’t had a task. You’re a full member now.” That wasn’t supposed to happen.

Liam 

He nods. “All my fellow graduates are ‘too busy’ to even acknowledge me.”

Plat  

Is it because of the arm? Don’t tell me it’s because of the arm. It’s not like he’s completely immobile now. “That’s unfortunate. Well, if you want to know, I’ve been busy dealing with an ongoing investigation.”

Liam 

He hummed, interested. “Anything exciting?” It totally was because of the arm.

Plat  

“I wouldn’t say exciting as much as I would say horrifying.”

Liam 

He tilted his head. “What kind of horrifying? As horrifying as being burned alive?” That was his frame of reference of horror now.

Plat  

“I would say so, yes. It’s pretty bad.”

Liam 

He whistled lowly. “That’s bad. Any chance you can share details?”

Plat  

“If you want to hear the horrors I’m alluding to, there’s nothing to stop me.”

Liam 

“Might as well. I need some excitement in my life.”

Plat  

“I suppose you haven’t heard yet, but the faction’s trying to hunt down a human scientist woman who’s been harvesting knochen for their body parts and putting them on humans. The more clues we find about her, the more horrifying she gets.”

Liam 

“.....” he contemplated this for a moment. “....I knew I hated humans for a reason.”

Plat  

“She’s pretty much everything wrong with them in one body. It’s insane, really.”

Liam 

“And we’re gonna kill her? Good.” He really HAD been left out of the loop, hadn’t he?  “....any chance you need some help?” He knew better than to hope, but the little pricklings of adrenaline were starting.

Plat  

“The ongoing investigation parties could probably benefit from it,” Esredes responds. “You should talk to some of the people that’ve been conducting them.”

Liam 

He sighed. “I’ve been trying, but everyone just looks down their snout at me. You’re the first person to actually have a full conversation with me since graduation.”

Plat  

“...Are you serious?” Now he was even more concerned. “Has everyone else just been avoiding you?”

Liam 

“Pretty much, yeah. I was pissed off at first, but now I’m just bored.” He scratched an itch on his nose, seemingly not bothered, but he was. He was very bothered.

Plat  

“Hm,” Esredes says, swishing his tail a little for a moment. “Is it because of the arm?” Now was the time to ask.

Liam 

“No ones said as much, but I don’t know what the hell else it could be.” The anger was apparent in his voice. “It’s pissing me off, quite frankly.” He’d normally be upset if someone just brought up his arm, but it was a valid question in this case.

Plat  

“I would be mad too. That’s... not what I would expect from the faction members. Every member is valuable.”

Liam 

He nodded. “I used to have a bunch of people who wanted to mentor me. Now they don’t want to anymore. I don’t think that’s very fair.”

Plat  

“Well you’re not going to learn or help the faction sitting around and being ignored by everyone for it,” he says. He pauses a quick moment. “I have an idea, kid. If you’ll follow me towards a less occupied part of the base.”

Liam 

“Sure?” Why not, maybe something exciting would happen for once. He gathered himself up and followed the older knochen.

Plat  

Esredes leads the young knochen away from the other knochen. The atmosphere gradually quiets to only his heavy footsteps. He finally stops when they reach a small clearing, observing the surroundings carefully. “This should work...” he says, half to Enlai and half to himself. He then turns towards Enlai, his gaze on him in full. “You must have a lot of pent up energy from all the time you’ve been forced to lie around. And I know you have an advantage over some other trainees, if you’ve been here much longer. Would you be up for showing me your training?” His tail makes a swish to the left.

Liam 

!!! Seriously?! God he hadn’t stretched his body or mind in so long-! He expressed this sentiment to the other knochen, his own tail swishing viciously back and forth. He dropped into a battle stance immediately.

Plat  

Esrey’s mouth formed into a little grin, glad to see this idea was met with enthusiasm. He too settled into a battle stance. “Go ahead. And don’t worry, I don’t have fire as an element.” Not that he was planning on using his elements, except maybe his illusion. Either way, he wasn’t going to give the kid his all, not yet.

Liam 

That actually did reassure him. He was going to have to get over his new fear soon, but he gave himself a moment of relief.

...okay, now it was time to fight. His eyes narrowed, and he assessed the surroundings. Were there any shadowed patches? What angle was the sun at?

Plat  

The time was late afternoon, casting shadows that were on the longer side in the forest surroundings. With all the trees and bushes around, shadows were plentiful.

Liam 

Nice! This wouldn’t be too difficult then; he was a shadow master! He quickly slithered into a shadow in an attempt to be nearly invisible.

Plat  

Esredes watches him slip away into the shadows, and keeps his attention around the spot he slipped into. He focuses on his hearing, anticipating he’ll try to move behind him to attack.

Liam 

Although Enlai was less visible, he hadn’t yet accounted for how the earth moved under his feet. Esredes can most certainly pick up the sound of shifting under his feet.

Plat  

Esredes continues to listen to the shifting, not moving his body. He wants the kid to think he doesn’t hear him. Had he gone all out, he could’ve just shook the earth under him.

Liam 

Yes, it was working!! He slithered through different shadows in an attempt to reach around the back to esrey’s left side.  Although he didn’t know it yet,  he subconsciously considered the left side weaker now that was injured.

Plat  

Esredes purposefully looks towards the opposite side as he hears him approach. He’s anticipating the moment of strike.

Liam 

There! He jettisons himself at Esrey, wicked teeth and his sharp claws bared.

Plat  

With surprising speed, Esredes whirls his head back around and lifts his arm up to strike back at Enlai in midair, avoiding using his claws of course.

Liam 

Well, shit.  He doesn't quite react fast enough, and is sent lightly sprawling.  Disoriented and surprised, he takes a second to regroup before attacking again.

Plat  

Esredes pushes off the ground to leap back and avoid his attack. “You have to move more quietly,” he says after landing. “I could hear you shuffling around.”

Liam 

He tilts his head before nodding.  He heads back towards the shadows, being mindful of the sound of his slithering.  Maybe he should try an approach from the air?  He flaps his wings once, before gliding through the darkness in the air.  He's still relatively easy to spot, but not quite as easy to hear.  Where should he attack next?

Plat  

This time Esredes makes it apparent he can see him by following him with his head. He positions himself to be crouched and ready for an aerial attack.

Liam 

Damn.  Well, it was to be expected; this man was no trainee.  However, he was a lot more astute than Enlai had originally thought.  How was the larger knochen finding him so easily?  He gathered his long body like a spring, and sprung off a shadowed tree towards Esredes.

Plat  

Esredes allows him to make a hit before he attempts to retaliate by throwing his arm towards him.

Liam 

Enlai avoids this completely, though the air displacement of esredes' action sends him slightly to the side.  He corrects this quickly, before attempting to wrap around the larger knochen like a snake.

Plat  

This move he does not expect, and before he can try to move his limbs out of it he’s successfully wrapped around. “Clever move,” he says to this. “Of course, if this were a real fight I would probably try to bite you about now.”

Liam 

Enlai grinned, squeezing just hard enough to hurt but not unfairly so.  "Yeah, I figured.  You're really strong,  It's pretty cool."  His guard was down again, Esrey could catch him off guard easily.

Plat  

“All right,” he says as Enlai squeezes tighter, “Let’s pretend you clawed into my neck and I’m dead. Get off.”

Liam 

Enlai laughs, the sound actually happy for once.  "I dunno, I kinda like it here."  He was being a little shit, and he knew it.

Plat  

Esredes sighs, and suddenly the ground beneath them shakes violently.

Liam 

"Okay, okay!"  He lets go, barely keeping himself from sticking out his tongue at the other male.  "That was fun."  He exhales happily, flopping onto the ground.  "Thanks!"

Plat  

“We’re not done yet,” Esredes says as the ground stops. “I’m still in easy mode.”

Liam 

Ooh, even better!  He readied himself again, almost vibrating in excitement.  He loved challenges!!  What was the other male going to do next?

Plat  

Esredes crouches down once more, and lunges right for Enlai.

Liam 

Well, shit!  He manages to mostly avoid the attack, but gets a nice smack on his not-bad shoulder.  Thankfully, he only stumbles for a moment, and attempts to lunge in return with bared teeth.

Plat  

Enlai's attempted nip barely makes contact with Esredes before he retaliates with a fisted hand.

Liam 

Once again Enlai gets a nice smack; this time on his side.  It knocks the breath out of him, but he recovers relatively quickly.  He side-eyes the other knochen, and lunges with his whole body in an attempt to physically bludgeon.

Plat  

This makes contact with Esredes, who takes the blunt of the hit, leaving him open to attack as he attempts to recover.

Liam 

yes!!  Enlai takes this moment to attempt to curl back around Esredes; tight enough to hold him but not so tight the other knochen is in significant pain.  This was so much fun!

Plat  

You start wrapping around him too quickly for him to grab you, but he does make the earth shake once more to try and make your job harder.

Liam 

That certainly made things more difficult. However, he removed himself fully from the ground.  He tightened slightly, in an attempt to stop the shaking.

Plat  

Esredes winces a bit as he tightens, but keeps his voice even as he speaks. "Well done that time, young one." He knew he dropped his guard the last time. He was going to see if he would drop it again.

Liam 

Hah, not likely!  He wasn't going to fall for that again.  However, he wasn't used to fights that lasted this long, and it was starting to show.  His grip was weaking at a slow rate, unbeknownst to Enlai.

Plat  

“I can tell your training still does a lot for you,” he continues, feeling the grip loosen slowly. “Now you can prove you should be out there with the rest. You are—“ He manages to break one arm free in a quick motion; and grabs his body, curling his hand around it. He then tries to pry him off forcefully.

Liam 

He definitely was not expecting that, so he's easily pried off.  He's completely startled, and flinches slightly.

Plat  

Esredes holds him up, making him even with his face. His grin has become amused in nature. “But I’d still win, of course. I won’t throw you like I would a real opponent. But we’re done for real now.” He sets Enlai down.

Liam 

"....for real real?"  He questions, side-eyeing him once again.  he didn't quite trust that, it seemed too easy.  It hadn't been that easy last time, after all.

Plat  

“For real,” he says, sitting down. His tail curls around to one side, his muscles relaxing. “I mean what I said, though. I’ve seen enough to know your training pays off.”

Liam 

Pleased, Enlai relaxes.  "I gave training my all."  He's quiet for a moment.  "We should do that again sometime."  he states, completely unaware of esrey's plan for him.  He's expecting to wander the village as a leper forever.

Plat  

“Oh, we will,” he says. “Your determination isn’t faltered by your injury, yet the rest of the faction seems to have abandoned you for it. I don’t think that’s acceptable either. But I know how to fix that.”

Liam 

Delighted, he flicks his tail and puffs his furry mane happily. “How are you going to fix that?” Really, how could one knochen change an entire faction?

Plat  

“It’s relatively simple,” he says. “You said earlier others lost interest in mentoring you, correct? I think I’ve only become more interested.”

Liam 

Enlai gaped at him.  “....really?!” Holy shit, what an exciting day!! A guy as high up as the other knochen was interested in him?!

Plat  

“I haven’t mentored someone before, but I think it’s about time I did.” he responds. “I have a lot I can teach you.”

Liam 

“I’d love to be taught!!” He couldn’t control his excitement, and wriggled. He hadn’t expected this at all; he wasn’t as good as the other graduates anymore, and it would be a challenge. A fun challenge!

Plat  

Your excitement is cute. “Allow me to introduce myself properly,” he says. His tail unravels and raises itself up on the side. “My name is Esredes. Second in Command of the faction.” Unaware he knew this, he was anticipating a shocked reaction.

Liam 

Regardless of his knowledge of Esrey’s rank, he hadn’t quite understood the severity of his power. He also hadn’t known his name, to be perfectly honest. He hadn’t connected the name he had overheard over the years to the Second in Command.
“Second in Command is super cool!” He all but gushed, happier than he’d been in a long time, “I’d introduce myself again but that would just be silly.”

Plat  

“It would be, I remember. Enlai, right?”

Liam 

“That’s me!” He was a flurry of motion, still vibrating in excitement and happiness.

Plat  

“I’ll continue to remember that, then. But yes. I’m just under Aclyone herself. Once the faction knows I’m the one mentoring you, you won’t have any more problems.” He wasn’t sure if Enlai completely understood this, so he chose to explain it.

Liam 

Wait, really? “You mean people will actually interact with me again?!” What a great day!! “Actually look at me instead of past me?!”

Plat  

“Most certainly. They’ll likely stare.”

Liam 

"Excellent!"  He had enjoyed being seen, especially in a positive context.  "I'll give them something to stare at!!"

Plat  

“You certainly will,” he says. “Let me ask this right now, do you have a human form? And do you use a weapon with it?”

Liam 

He nods, "It's easier to trick humans into trusting me if I look like them."  He paused for a moment, "Then I can stab them in the back and watch the betrayal!"  His smile was entirely too cheery for this conversation.

Plat  

“I like the way you think,” Esredes responds. “I like to do that sometimes myself. It’s satisfying.”

Liam 

"....do you enjoy watching the life drain from their eyes as well?"  he asked hopefully, most people looked at him oddly when he said that.

Plat  

“Every time I get the chance.” He grins. He thinks back to the recent times he’s been able to do that. The humans at the lab were satisfying, but he was too focused on killing them off as quickly as possible to enjoy it. He didn’t really enjoy the potion maker either. But the hunter he killed at Alise’s place... now that was satisfying.

Liam 

Finally, another person who enjoyed it!  For a faction of knochen who killed humans, a lot of his fellow graduates had thought he was too cruel.  He told Esrey this, before continuing with "I mean, humans are like bugs."

Plat  

“Too many of them, annoying, and often easily disposed.” Yeah, he saw the parallels. “The only difference is bugs are necessary.”

Liam 

He nodded. "Yeah, that was rude to bugs."

Plat  

“They probably don’t care,” he says. “So what weapon do you backstab them with?”

Liam 

"True."  He hummed.  "Well I used to use a sword, but I can't really grip it anymore.  So now I'm relying on daggers."

Plat  

Oh, good, a sword. “Why can’t you grip it? Is it meant for the missing hand?”

Liam 

He shook his head, and moved so he could show off his remaining foot; the place where the back claw was is now a rather vicious looking scar.  "I was in human form when the accident happened; she got my left side but my sword in my right hand raised temperature so fast I tossed it.  It managed to get my thumb and my cheek in the process."

Plat  

“Oh dear,” Esredes says as he observes the scar. “So you can’t grip it without a thumb, I see. I think I know a way to fix that too, though.”

Liam 

"I can't balance the weight without a thumb."  he frowns, lips pursed.  "How can you fix that?"

Plat  

“A sword custom made for someone without a thumb,” he says. “I know someone who could do that.”

Liam 

Ooh, that would be cool!  "Who?"  He didn't know anyone who could do that personally, but Esredes knew a lot more knochen than he did.

Plat  

“Weapon making is a human art, but some knochen in the faction take it up for our sake. I can easily talk to one of them.” He had a false response prepared.

Liam 

He accepted this, having no reason to distrust the other.  “I can’t wait!!”

Plat  

“Let me also ask, are you happy with the sword you have now? Because if so, I should take it with me so it can be replicated as best as possible. I won’t ask for it until right before I have to take it, though.”

Liam 

“I’m content with it.” He replies, “maybe something lighter, however?”

Plat  

“Same model, but lighter. All right, got it. You’ll have to show me another time. I’m a sword fighter myself. I wonder what type of sword you use.”

Liam 

“It’s a Jian.  The only thing I have of my parents.” He fluffs his fur up a bit again. “I’ll show you next we meet.”

Plat  

“It must be special to you, then. I can relate. Mine is too.”

Liam 

"Very special." he replied, "we have to fight with swords next time."

Plat  

"Definitely. I would love to test your skills in that area too." It was the best part of a human form for him, after all.

Liam 

"Mmm, I used to be able to do a bunch of tricks, too.  At one point I could juggle four knives!"  He spent most of his younger years trying to learn silly tricks.

Plat  

"Really? I would have loved to see that. That's impressive."

Liam 

"I am largely right handed, luckily, but I could switch hands and trick my opponent as well."  he grinned.  "I need to learn some new tricks."

Plat  

"I'm not sure what ones I can teach you that don't involve my abilities," he says. "You should consider it on your own time, though."

Liam 

"I will!"  He replied, swishing his tail again. "....Hmm, maybe I could be a ninja!  That would be fun."

Plat  

"If you improve your usage with that shadow ability, I suppose you could call yourself one."

Liam 

"I'll work hard!!  His tail swishes a little faster as he thinks over how to get stronger. "You mentioned that I need to be quieter.... I'll practice that!"

Plat  

"That and I can still see you when you move. You need to fix that."

Liam 

He blinks, completely caught off guard.  His tail stops abruptly.  "....how well can you see me?"  he questions, a bit put-out, "I thought I was hard to see when I was in shadows..."

Plat  

"Harder to see, but still noticeable if you're paying attention. You're not entirely invisible."

Liam 

"....So, I should use that as a first attack when they're not paying attention."  He considers this. "I wonder how else I can learn to use shadows...."

Plat  

"I'm sure you can find a lot of use for them. If you want to see what true invisibility looks like, look at this." He projected into Enlai's mind and stood still.

Liam 

Holy shit.  ".....Uh, are you invisible or actually gone?"

Plat  

"Just invisible," he says, making it sound like his voice is nowhere with him not being visible. "This is a mind ability, though. I don't think obscura can replicate it."

Liam 

".....That is SO BADASS."  He nearly shouted, barely keeping the words at a reasonable decibel.  "I wonder if there's a way to MOVE the shadows?"  If I pull the shadows around me, I might disappear?"

Plat  

Esrey smiled at his excitement over his ability, even despite the volume. "I'm pretty sure I've seen that ability before," he says, before removing the illusion and reappearing.

Liam 

Enlai startled a little as Esrey reappeared.  "You can do a lot of damage with that!"
"Oooh, I'm going to try that next time I train!"

Plat  

"It's a little difficult to use properly, but it helps in certain situations. And you may as well try it. It could probably help you out."

Liam 

He looked at the long shadows cast from the environment seriously. “Everyone has a shadow. What if I could use that against them?”

Plat  

“That might be crossing into Arc Nacht territory, I’m not entirely sure, but I’m sure there’s ways to utilize that. Perhaps creep into someone’s own shadow to kill them.”

Liam 

“Oh.... that’s true.” He shifts, starting to feel a bit stiff. His arm injury was twinging, but he was trying to ignore it completely. He didn’t want to look weak right now after he had just proved himself. “Maybe, that sounds interesting!”

Plat  

“Move their shadows toward you when they aren’t looking, then slip in and attack them from behind. That sounds like a good attack plan to me.”

Liam 

He nods. “I’ll definitely try that. Do you have any other tips?”

Plat  

“Make sure you trust yourself and not just the shadows. Don’t over rely on them.”

Liam 

This was true. “I need to work on my swordsmanship skills to make up for the weakness in my left side. Will you help me with that?”

Plat  

“Of course,” he nods. “I have much I can teach you in that area.”

Liam 

This was going to be wicked! He swishes his tail again in anticipation. The little fluff on the end was gathering debris as it dragged on the ground but he was too excited to notice the mess. “What else can you teach me?”

Plat  

“Some of my more advanced tactics for throwing off the enemy. For example, I pretended I couldn’t hear your shuffling to give you false confidence in your attack.”

Liam 

“Oh, I didn’t think of that!” His tail swishes slightly faster. “I could let them think they can overtake my left side but then surprise them when I expect that!”

Plat  

“Exactly,” Esredes says, pleased he thought of this. “Use your apparent disadvantage as an illusion, another trick.”

Liam 

“I wonder if I could hide a weapon in my left sleeve.... something I can aim and release at a target?”

Plat  

“Hm,” Esredes thinks it over a moment. “A crossbow is much too big for that... I’ll ask the weapon maker about it.”

Liam 

“A latch system concept would work, I’m pretty sure.  Something with a trigger?” He mulled this over. “Maybe I could put a dagger trigger system on my right wrist.” He just really liked daggers.

Plat  

“Sort of like a dagger gun of sorts? Maybe you should find a way to draw the idea out.”

Liam 

“Yeah, I’ll have to hunt up something to draw on... I don’t have anything artistic in my room.”

Plat  

“Show me when you do so I can pass it on.”

Liam 

“I will!” He says decisively, “I want lots of weapons hidden everywhere.”

Plat  

You might be getting a bit bold, you might not. Hard to tell. “Well, your ambition is what I like to hear.”

Liam 

Probably a bit bold. He grinned, “I haven’t had someone to talk about this stuff with in a long time!”

Plat  

“It’s fun to talk about,” Esredes says. “And you’re clearly thinking of all the ways to utilize your missing arm. That’s what you should be doing.”

Liam 

“I’m glad I’m doing something right!” He replied, completely self-deprecating but not really realizing it. “I’ll think of more!”

Plat  

“Good. All right, Enlai, I will try to be around to have a training session with you in the next couple days. But for now, why don’t you walk back with me to where we were before. Let people notice.”

Liam 

Enlai's grin became much more feral.  "I can't wait to see their faces."  He shook himself a bit to gather himself.  "Let's go~"

Plat  

Esredes allows Enlai to walk closer to him than he did coming to here as they go back. As they come back into the more occupied area, a few knochen do glance over and take notice.

Liam 

Good.  Let them notice.  Enlai holds his head up high (as high as he can for a relatively short but long knochen) and grins at them when they stare.  Assholes.  "What are you going to do until we meet again?"  He asks, conversationally.  Also, to show a level of familiarity so those staring can wonder about their relationship more.

Plat  

“Keep on with my investigation duties. I also have a village raid to start preparations for. Perhaps you’ll end up being a part of it.”

Liam 

He perked up at that. “Oooh, a raid? That sounds fun!” Damn, he was super excited now! “How big of a village??”

Plat  

“Not sure yet. I have to get someone to scout it out. But there’s a couple knochen who need it destroyed.”

Liam 

“Hmm. How do you usually send out to scout?” He asked, curiously, “we trained a bit how to do that but they decided I wasn’t... subtle enough I think the word they used was?”

Plat  

“We pick those who can survey the place without raising suspicion. It’s a task that takes a lot of care.”

Liam 

“Yeah, I’m not the best at that.” He sighs, “I need to work on my patience.”

Plat  

"You'd need someone else to teach you scouting, too. But you have a few things to do between now and next time i'm around, so I'll leave you to it now."

Liam 

“Alright!” He replies, “I’ll go train right now!” He flew off, excited to better himself.