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<blockquote data-quote="Drusilia Nailo" data-source="post: 558782" data-attributes="member: 2062">The next several decades go by in much the same way, with Drusilia receiving knife fighting lessons from her father, getting into trouble with her friend Kilat, and being hidden from Tensin's many enemies whenever there is an outbreak of fighting. Life is, during this time, as humdrum as it gets for the daughter of a crime lord.&nbsp; We pick up when Drusilia is on the verge of womanhood, and is starting to show some of the tendencies of the watchman that we all know and (hopefully) love...The sound of shattering glass filled the room. Drusilia could hear Kennic's feet running down the hall, and seconds later, he burst into the room, sword drawn.&nbsp; &quot;What-&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; He stopped, looking at her.&nbsp; Her arm was still poised in a throwing position, and a telltale pile of glass shards lay across the room.&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Drusilia,&quot; he said with a frown, &quot;What has gotten into you this week?&nbsp; You're strung tighter than an archer's bow.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; She dropped her arm, trembling with the exhaustion that only comes after a truly explosive outburst of temper.&nbsp; Sighing, she dropped down into a sitting position, and put her head into her hands.&nbsp; After a moment of collecting herself, she said, into her hands, &quot;I'm sorry, Kennic.&nbsp; I didn't mean to worry you.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; There was silence, and she could feel her long-time guardian staring at her.&nbsp; Finally, he crouched beside her.&nbsp; Reaching out to touch her shoulder gingerly, he said, &quot;I just wish that I knew how I could help you.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; She looked over at him, not bothering to hide the tears that had welled up.&nbsp; &quot;It's been a month since Papa has come to see me,&quot; she said bitterly.&nbsp; &nbsp; Kennic nodded, looking saddened but not surprised.&nbsp; &quot;Drusilia,&quot; he said wearily, dropping into a full sitting position, &quot;He would see you if he could.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Yes, yes,&quot; she said, waving his words away.&nbsp; &quot;We've been through this enough times that I know the routine.&nbsp; I know all the reasons for it.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Those reasons don't seem to be enough.&nbsp; Would you rather that he put you in danger, by associating with you?&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Yes!&quot;&nbsp; Drusilia jumped to her feet, pacing the floor.&nbsp; &quot;It would be something.&nbsp; I feel like I'm going to spend my entire life shut up in this house, not seeing my Papa, not seeing anyone except for you.&quot;&nbsp; She sighed, looking at him.&nbsp; &quot;I like you Kennic, but-&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; He chuckled.&nbsp; &quot;Don't try to explain yourself.&nbsp; Believe it or not, I do understand.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; She smiled at him, looking rueful.&nbsp; &quot;I suppose that you can think of better things to do than to be shut up in the same house, not seeing Papa, not seeing anyone except for me.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Kennic smirked at her.&nbsp; &quot;Perhaps better is not the word that you're looking for.&nbsp; Some variety would be nice, though.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Drusilia nodded vigorously.&nbsp; &quot;I know exactly what you mean.&quot;&nbsp; She made a fist, letting her fingernails dig into the meat of her palm.&nbsp; &quot;I hate sitting here every day, not learning any more knife techniques, not doing anything besides reading and pacing, and looking at flowers in the garden, while there are people who are out there hunting Papa like he's some kind of&nbsp; wild animal.&quot;&nbsp; She scowled fiercely, punching into the air once.&nbsp; &quot;I wish that I could kill all of them, Kennic, once and for all.&nbsp; I want them dead, so that I can have my life back.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Mmm.&nbsp; A life for a life?&nbsp; Is that what you want?&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Yes,&quot; said Drusilia, glaring at him.&nbsp; &quot;You might not approve, but that's the way that I feel.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Well,&quot; said Kennic, &quot;It is the way that you were raised to be.&nbsp; I suppose that I shouldn't be expecting a demure elven maiden, hmm?&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Drusilia shrugged angrily.&nbsp; &quot;It's not like I've had an opportunity to rid myself of the maiden problem, now is there?&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Kennic smiled faintly, but looked uncomfortable.&nbsp; &quot;Well, perhaps that's for the best.&nbsp;&nbsp; I have a feeling that your father will not handle that sort of thing very well.&nbsp; &nbsp; She flushed, and shook her head.&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;He's so protective.&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp; Mock glaring at Kennic, she added, &quot;You are too.&nbsp; I don't have one father, I have two.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; She saw a brief flicker of something strangely akin to joy flash across his face before it was hidden again.&nbsp; &quot;What you are saying,&quot; he said, his tone making it clear that he was changing the subject now, &quot;Is that you are worried about Tensin, and that you're bored.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; With a sigh, Drusilia nodded.&nbsp; &quot;I suppose that describes it well enough,&quot; she admitted gruffly.&nbsp; &quot;And I feel so useless sitting here.&nbsp; A piece of window dressing, except that no one is allowed to look at the window because we're afraid that they might try to break it.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Nice analogy,&quot; said Kennic.&nbsp; &quot;I think that I have the solution to your dilemma.&quot;&nbsp; He looked hesitant, and then added, &quot;If you're interested.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;What, you've got a plan for destroying the enemy so that we can get Papa back?&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Kennic grinned at her.&nbsp; &quot;I only wish,&quot; he said.&nbsp; &quot;However, I've been giving it some thought.&nbsp; I was going to suggest that Tensin teach you how to fight with a sword, in elven style, when he was able to return.&nbsp; However...&nbsp; it looks like he's going to be gone longer than we'd expected.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;I would like to learn to fight with something other than knives,&quot; Drusilia admitted, feeling almost like the statement betrayed Papa.&nbsp; &nbsp; Kennic nodded, rising to his feet.&nbsp; &quot;You should,&quot; he said.&nbsp; &quot;If you choose to stay with knives, like Tensin does, that's one thing, but you should at least know how to wield a sword properly.&nbsp; He can, even if he doesn't usually choose to wear one. Besides,&quot; he continued, &quot;Tensin doesn't expect for you to learn nothing but the knives.&nbsp; He was just waiting for you to grow tall enough, and strong enough, to learn the sword.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;I suppose you're right...&quot;&nbsp; She couldn't picture Papa wearing, let alone using, a sword.&nbsp; She'd never seen it.&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Anyway.&nbsp; Since Tensin isn't going to return soon, I think that I should teach you how to use the rapier.&nbsp; It's a traditional elven weapon, after all.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Drusilia laughed aloud, and ran at Kennic.&nbsp; She threw her arms around him and then kissed him on the cheek.&nbsp; &quot;Oh, Kennic!&nbsp; I would love that!&nbsp; Won't Papa be surprised when he gets back, and finds that I can use a sword.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Kennic grimaced.&nbsp; &quot;I hope that he doesn't think that I've been too presumptuous,&quot; he said, frowning.&nbsp; &quot;But it's my duty to take care of you, and this is the best way that I know to do that.&nbsp; Come on, child.&nbsp; I have a wooden rapier for you to start out on.&nbsp; We'll progress to the real thing when I can trust you not to accidentally impale yourself.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; At Drusilia's disgusted look, he laughed, ruffling her hair.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Drusilia Nailo, post: 558782, member: 2062"] [i]The next several decades go by in much the same way, with Drusilia receiving knife fighting lessons from her father, getting into trouble with her friend Kilat, and being hidden from Tensin's many enemies whenever there is an outbreak of fighting. Life is, during this time, as humdrum as it gets for the daughter of a crime lord. We pick up when Drusilia is on the verge of womanhood, and is starting to show some of the tendencies of the watchman that we all know and (hopefully) love...[/i] The sound of shattering glass filled the room. Drusilia could hear Kennic's feet running down the hall, and seconds later, he burst into the room, sword drawn. "What-" He stopped, looking at her. Her arm was still poised in a throwing position, and a telltale pile of glass shards lay across the room. "Drusilia," he said with a frown, "What has gotten into you this week? You're strung tighter than an archer's bow." She dropped her arm, trembling with the exhaustion that only comes after a truly explosive outburst of temper. Sighing, she dropped down into a sitting position, and put her head into her hands. After a moment of collecting herself, she said, into her hands, "I'm sorry, Kennic. I didn't mean to worry you." There was silence, and she could feel her long-time guardian staring at her. Finally, he crouched beside her. Reaching out to touch her shoulder gingerly, he said, "I just wish that I knew how I could help you." She looked over at him, not bothering to hide the tears that had welled up. "It's been a month since Papa has come to see me," she said bitterly. Kennic nodded, looking saddened but not surprised. "Drusilia," he said wearily, dropping into a full sitting position, "He would see you if he could." "Yes, yes," she said, waving his words away. "We've been through this enough times that I know the routine. I know all the reasons for it." "Those reasons don't seem to be enough. Would you rather that he put you in danger, by associating with you?" "Yes!" Drusilia jumped to her feet, pacing the floor. "It would be something. I feel like I'm going to spend my entire life shut up in this house, not seeing my Papa, not seeing anyone except for you." She sighed, looking at him. "I like you Kennic, but-" He chuckled. "Don't try to explain yourself. Believe it or not, I do understand." She smiled at him, looking rueful. "I suppose that you can think of better things to do than to be shut up in the same house, not seeing Papa, not seeing anyone except for me." Kennic smirked at her. "Perhaps better is not the word that you're looking for. Some variety would be nice, though." Drusilia nodded vigorously. "I know exactly what you mean." She made a fist, letting her fingernails dig into the meat of her palm. "I hate sitting here every day, not learning any more knife techniques, not doing anything besides reading and pacing, and looking at flowers in the garden, while there are people who are out there hunting Papa like he's some kind of wild animal." She scowled fiercely, punching into the air once. "I wish that I could kill all of them, Kennic, once and for all. I want them dead, so that I can have my life back." "Mmm. A life for a life? Is that what you want?" "Yes," said Drusilia, glaring at him. "You might not approve, but that's the way that I feel." "Well," said Kennic, "It is the way that you were raised to be. I suppose that I shouldn't be expecting a demure elven maiden, hmm?" Drusilia shrugged angrily. "It's not like I've had an opportunity to rid myself of the maiden problem, now is there?" Kennic smiled faintly, but looked uncomfortable. "Well, perhaps that's for the best. I have a feeling that your father will not handle that sort of thing very well. She flushed, and shook her head. "He's so protective." Mock glaring at Kennic, she added, "You are too. I don't have one father, I have two." She saw a brief flicker of something strangely akin to joy flash across his face before it was hidden again. "What you are saying," he said, his tone making it clear that he was changing the subject now, "Is that you are worried about Tensin, and that you're bored." With a sigh, Drusilia nodded. "I suppose that describes it well enough," she admitted gruffly. "And I feel so useless sitting here. A piece of window dressing, except that no one is allowed to look at the window because we're afraid that they might try to break it." "Nice analogy," said Kennic. "I think that I have the solution to your dilemma." He looked hesitant, and then added, "If you're interested." "What, you've got a plan for destroying the enemy so that we can get Papa back?" Kennic grinned at her. "I only wish," he said. "However, I've been giving it some thought. I was going to suggest that Tensin teach you how to fight with a sword, in elven style, when he was able to return. However... it looks like he's going to be gone longer than we'd expected." "I would like to learn to fight with something other than knives," Drusilia admitted, feeling almost like the statement betrayed Papa. Kennic nodded, rising to his feet. "You should," he said. "If you choose to stay with knives, like Tensin does, that's one thing, but you should at least know how to wield a sword properly. He can, even if he doesn't usually choose to wear one. Besides," he continued, "Tensin doesn't expect for you to learn nothing but the knives. He was just waiting for you to grow tall enough, and strong enough, to learn the sword." "I suppose you're right..." She couldn't picture Papa wearing, let alone using, a sword. She'd never seen it. "Anyway. Since Tensin isn't going to return soon, I think that I should teach you how to use the rapier. It's a traditional elven weapon, after all." Drusilia laughed aloud, and ran at Kennic. She threw her arms around him and then kissed him on the cheek. "Oh, Kennic! I would love that! Won't Papa be surprised when he gets back, and finds that I can use a sword." Kennic grimaced. "I hope that he doesn't think that I've been too presumptuous," he said, frowning. "But it's my duty to take care of you, and this is the best way that I know to do that. Come on, child. I have a wooden rapier for you to start out on. We'll progress to the real thing when I can trust you not to accidentally impale yourself." At Drusilia's disgusted look, he laughed, ruffling her hair. [/QUOTE]

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