Wednesday, March 30, 2011

From the diary of Lyta Lassander (1918-1920)

10 Winter, 1918

Torgath asked me today if I could train with him on the drevis. He's only doing forms now, but he needs someone to do the counter-attacks, and Luk is busy. I never used a drevis before, but Paresh showed me how to hold it and how to do the counter-attacks so that Torgath won't hit me.

I thought the drevis forms were really beautiful. I don't think Torgath would want to hear me say that, though, because it's supposed to be weapon training. But it's also beautiful. I wonder if anyone else thinks the forms are beautiful too, or if it's just because I'm a girl. I asked Paresh if he could show me how to do them, and he said he would if it was okay with Bestha and Amaraa. I don't want to compete in the drevis forms in the Imti'qhaan. I just want to learn how to do them.

Torgath is pretty good. And Paresh is really good. I watched him doing the forms when we weren't counter-attacking and it looked like a dance.

Lyta

*****

14 Spring, 1918

Looks like I'm on my own again on the B'ti'atta. Kitesh hasn't come in a few days, and I finally found her taking care of the springers. Hamma says Kitesh is all interested in the springers now and doesn't want to do gymnastics anymore. I guess I'm not surprised. I mean, it's not like she can run the B'ti until she's almost twice her age. When I was doing gymnastics, at least I could compete, even when I was little like Kitesh. But she can't. There's no reason for her to keep training.

Still, I'm sad about it. I'd hoped that she would keep training and keep me company. It's lonely training by myself. But at least I know we'll be in Junira Loresh in a season and then there will be lots of other B'ti runners to talk to.

Lyta

*****

28 Summer, 1918

I watched the advanced drevis matches with Torgath. Some of the competitors are really good! When you get up to the high enough levels, you start doing sparring with blunted drevises, not just forms. The high-level people look like they're dancing together, but it's super-serious. Paresh says that you have to be concentrating all the time, kind of like in the B'ti. Torgath says that there's no one who can do the highest drevis levels, just like there's no one who can do the highest B'ti levels, except maybe Jireni one day. But he says that there used to be. He seemed sad that there's no one who can do them now. I wish I could watch the twenty-first level. I bet it would be mesmerizing.

I watched the B'ti runs, too. I did the fifth and the sixth levels this cycle, which Grenden says is pretty good. I don't know how I can do the seventh until I grow more, though. I tried but there are handholds that are just too far for me to reach. I hope I grow more before next cycle.

Today was the eighth levels and I couldn't run, so I watched with Kitesh. She was so excited, like I haven't seen her since last cycle. She asked if she could run the course, but I had to tell her she was too young. Then I had a crazy idea that maybe they'd let me run the first level with Kitesh piggy-backing on my back. I won't be able to run it in seven minutes, obviously, but maybe it'll let her see what it's like. I'll have to ask Jonas if it's allowed. I think she'd really like it, and it would be a fun challenge to run the course with that sort of weight on my back, so long as I'm not trying to beat the qual time.

Lyta

*****

22 Autumn, 1918

There's a white sand storm outside, so we're all hunkered down in the tents. Jonas knew it was coming, and he made sure that everyone dug the tents really well and that we were sheltered in the outcropping. Amaraa says we're not allowed to leave the tents until it's completely passed, because the white sand is corrosive and can rip our flesh off. I hope the springers are okay, but they're in their own tent and Bestha says they'll be fine.

I hope Torgath is okay. He's out scouting with Ipshar. They left last week. I don't know how big the white sand storm is, but I hope he's not in it. Amaraa says not to worry because the scouts are very well trained. He says Ipshar knows what he's doing and even if he and Torgath were in the white sand, they'd still be protected. I'm worried anyway. I hope Torgath is okay.

Lyta

*****

25 Autumn, 1918

Torgath is back now. He says they were caught at the very outer edges of the storm and couldn't come back until it was gone. I asked him whether Ipshar showed him how to survive outside in the sand storm and he said yes, but he didn't tell me how. He doesn't really talk much anymore. He used to talk all the time about his books, but now he doesn't. I don't think he and Ipshar talk very much when they're out scouting.

Bestha helped me make a cake for my birthday and Torgath and Luk shared some with me, but neither of them talked much. Or maybe I just talk too much. Maybe it's because I'm the only one of us who has a family here and has people to talk to all the time. Torgath is always off in the desert with Ipshar, and Lukas really only talks to Jonas. Or maybe I'm just a chatterbox like Bestha says.

Lyta

*****

33 Summer, 1919

I met a boy today. I was watching Jireni run the B'ti (she's still working on the nineteenth -- she's SO good!), and he was watching next to me. He says his name is Tarooq. He runs the B'ti too. He's tenth level, which is two higher than me. But he also competes in everything else: drevis and open-hand and all the rest of it. The only one he hasn't done so far is the one where you have to go out into the desert and do tasks, but he says he'll do that one next cycle. He says he's going to try to do three or four tasks at once so he can start higher-ranked in the Askar. You have to be really strong and focused to be in the Askar. There's only two Bathani in the Askar, and they get to sit on the council.

Tarooq lives here in Junira Loresh. It must be wonderful to live in Junira Loresh all the time. I'm sad that we have to leave in two days. Jonas says we need to get moving again sooner than usual. Tarooq left after Jireni ran because he needed to attend to his duties. I don't think I'll see him before we leave, but I hope I can find him next cycle and spend more time with him.

Lyta

*****

7 Winter, 1920

I'm worried about Torgoth. He keeps going on longer and longer scouting trips with Ipshar, and he always seems sad when he gets back to the tribe, like he wishes he were still away. I thought that maybe he'd feel better if he knew his friends were waiting for him, so I cooked him dinner for when he came back tonight. I asked him all sorts of questions about what he saw out in the desert, but he barely answered them. He said he liked the food, though. And he listened to all my stories about what had been happening in the camp while he was away, but he barely talks anymore.

I talked to Jonas about it, and he said that I shouldn't worry, that scouts tend to not talk very much. But he didn't know Torgath when he was just Todd. He talked more than me, and that's saying something. I hope Jonas is right and that I'm just worrying for nothing. But I wonder if Torgath keeps going on his scouting trips whether he'll stop talking altogether.

Lyta

*****

2 Spring, 1920

When I woke up this morning, there was blood all over my bedroll. I was so scared. I think I screamed. I thought I was sick or dying or bitten by some deadly insect or something. But Bestha says it's normal. She seemed happy, which was so weird. She said it means my body's ready to have babies. She brought me to Maraja and all the women elders of the Bathani and they did this ritual. Bestha says it's a blessing so my babies will be born alive and not stillborn. I tried to tell them I don't want to have babies, but Bestha told me to be quiet because one day I might.

It's weird. Part of me wishes Lukas was a girl and not a boy. If I had an older sister, she'd be able to tell me not to freak out so much. But I can't tell Lukas. Bestha said men don't like hearing about it. I'm just glad Bestha says it's normal. I still don't want to have babies. though.

Lyta

*****

18 Summer, 1920

Back in Junira Loresh! I saw Tarooq almost right away -- he was part of the welcoming party today. He's so much taller than I remember, and I don't remember him being so handsome, either. He left the welcome party so that we could spend some time together. I hope he doesn't get into any trouble for that.

It's funny, I usually hate it when people call me Hippartha, even though it's my competition name. But when Tarooq says it, it sounds so exotic, like it really fits me and everyone else is just saying it wrong. He rolls the r like it's almost a growl.

I thought we'd have a few days to spend together because I'm not competing for almost a week, but Tarooq needs to leave on his desert quest almost as soon as the Imti'qhaan starts. Only three days! It's not fair! But at least he'll be back after that. I hope he's not gone too long!

Lyta

*****

19 Summer, 1920

There's a secret waterfall here in Junira Loresh. It's so beautiful! I've never seen anything like it! Tarooq showed it to me today. He says that usually only Ferah are supposed to know about it, so I promised to keep the secret. I wish I could tell Torgath and Lukas how beautiful it is, but I keep my promises.

Tarooq is going to turn 21 just after the Imti'qhaan, which means he's going to officially be a man. When he comes back from the desert quest, he'll have competed in all seven competitions, so he plans to take the Askar pin right after his birthday. He's so brave!

Lyta

*****

20 Summer, 1920

The Imti'qhaan starts tomorrow, and Tarooq is off preparing all his equipment. He says he needs to meditate and cleanse himself. He says he shouldn't be gone longer than three or four days. When he comes back, we'll have another few days together before I compete. Maybe he'll show me more of Junira Loresh. I don't really care where we go, so long as he's with me.

Tarooq's got these gorgeous black eyes that when he stares at you, it's like he can see right into your soul. I bet Jonas would like him. He's so intense and focused.

I'm going to make sure I see him off tomorrow when he leaves. The desert quests are the only ones you can't watch, obviously, because they're out in the desert. But at least I can be there when he leaves.

Lyta






Heavy Gear Roleplaying Game

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