Aura - Mountainside Training
Jan 13 14:37:52 2003

"Aiyah!"

Aura landed in a crouch upon the grass that grew within a
small glade, high atop the Lofty Mountains. For the past
few days, these rigorous training sessions had kept her
occupied, not only to keep her at her peak, but also as
a source of entertainment when she journeyed on alone;
a few people though she could call 'friends' at this
point, they weren't always around, of course. And just
as well, too, for she couldn't allow herself to always
be reliant on others when she got in a jam, anyway.

She sprung up again, giving a fantastic leap into the
air, enacting first one, then two forward flips be-
for landing on her feet, mere paces in front of her
takeoff position. She hunched down momentarily,
brushing the midnight blue strands from her eyes,
which scanned the immediate surroundings almost of
their own accord, which served well to keep her
out of (most) danger.

"I've done well enough so far... and I man-
aged to complete my first trial... there's
no reason to slow down now."

She rose to her feet, turning to watch the evening
sun as it set upon the horizon far beyond the
mountains. The skies were aflame with color,
each shade of red, yellow, and orange brighter
and more vivid than the ones preceding them.

"Absolutely beautiful..."

Training momentarily abandoned, she sat down near
the cliff's edge, her violet eyes locked on to
everyday-yet-seemingly-amazing event taking
place so far away.

"I know I ought to keep going, but a quick
break never hurt anyone, right..?"

She giggled to herself, partly at her own lack
of ambition, and partly because she was talking
to herself again, even if it was a constant.
She thought of it as a bad habit, but it was
just simply something she learned to do with
no one around; after all, her best friends were
her weapons, at this point, and THEY very well
didn't make good conversationalists. At least,
she didn't think they did; she'd never really
attempted it, herself.

Within a few minutes, the air had changed to
a deep shade of pink, as the sun ever-so-
slowly slipped out of sight, and the jewels
of the night sky began to show themselves.

With a deep sigh, she was on her feet, trodding
back over to reclaim her dropped pack and wea-
pons.

"Its not a big deal. I'll have more time to
train in the future."

She nodded to herself reassuringly, and slung
her bag over her shoulder, looking up the path
as the dusk approached around her.

"Just a little further... then I'll call it
quits for the evening."

And so she started forward again, left hand
resting instinctively on its corresponding
hilt at her waist. The mist enshrouding the
mountain's summit loomed on ahead, quickly
becoming engulfed in the oncoming darkness...