---

Also open to Nakhtmin !

Warrior skill thread.

Out in the expansive courtyard, Aiesha had sought out Khusobek and demanded his attention; as he was busy with the medjay of Satriya, a woman named Taliba, Aiesha was left to her own devices before too long.

It had been a day or so since her last conversation with her father, and it was known by now she had been placed in her own quarters far from him, upon her own request. Whatever commentary spread among the fellahin was pointedly ignored by the girl, who was focused on her training.

Aiesha was pacing and practicing various drills, to get her heart-rate up. Her emotions were under better control now. It helped to have something physical with which to distract herself, and the more she worked the less time she had to consider the past couple of days, or her poor behavior in regards to her family.

It was noon, but heat was weak in the all-too-frequent absence of Ra above. Nakhtmin should be taking rest, and found he was not tired in the least. So he strolled between ancient pillars and painted stone, until the sound of exertion struck his ears and the oryx wandered toward the courtyard.

The arrival of so many new (old?) faces had sent the palace astir. But Nakhtmin had little use for listening to rumour and gossip. He was, primarily, hopeful that this influx of newcomers would provide him more opponents to test his mettle with and so hone himself into an ever-better warrior.

And so, Aiesha's scandals went unnoticed by the oryx, but certainly not her fighting stance. From across the yard, he watched her drill with blatant curiosity.

---

Still open to others if they'd like to join!

---

A series of stones had been placed in a line, each a different spacing from the next. The drill was simple: to charge the line and use footwork to weave between them. The first pass was the simplest—it was a weaving drill—but it was the next that became more difficult, as the body was made to swing haunch-wide; then the third pass was the hardest, as different stones were called out by a voice and the runner was meant to stop and duck or reverse, only to continue again.

Aiesha did not find it particularly difficult, however she was distracted, and could not do sufficient enough work to progress from that second level to the third. Frustration burned inside of her, and no amount of practice with her steps could cull it. Finally she became incensed by her failure and too frustrated to continue, and the lesson concluded as had become common: without advancement. Her heart raced, her emotions risen to a fever-pitch.

She withdrew from the drill and paced the central gulley of the training area, where it was most open and away from others.