Tried and True (Arasen/Open)

[Tamaya]

Tamaya sat on Shikoba near the outer gates of Bulgar, Mphezi-Manja in her hand and a mischievous glint in her eye. Slowly and deliberately, she drew an arrow back, then aimed and let it fly, watching as the crackling bolt shot off. The projectile hummed, soaring through the air and then embedding itself into the meat of a target on the archery range with a crack and a sizzle. The wood nearby was fried, as if a small bolt of lightning had hit it, and blackened. The Nomad smiled and proceeded to repeat the process, loosing arrow after arrow and creating a nearly vertical line on the target of her runite arrows. With that finished, she refocused her aim and drew a horizontal line, creating a cross shape. Tamaya exhaled. To shoot so accurately had taken a lot of concentration and focus.

She dismounted, walking to the target and removing her arrows one by one. The smell of the burnt wood hung in the air, and Tamaya smiled, her bow crackling happily on her back. Indeed, they were growing strong together. Mphezi was a good balance of offense and attack, of rashness and boldness, to counter her instinctual desires to wait, have caution, to retaliate and refuse to make the first strike. Together they were more versatile than separately, and together they were stronger.

It was unusual for the range to be this empty, however. Normally, bowmen of all sorts were firing on the targets, and there were myrmidons slicing at dummies, executing their forms in brilliant and elegant succession. Today, the archery range was empty save her, though a few swordfighters were hacking away and one lonely man was throwing javelins. He was pretty pitiful, though, as none of the strikes hit the target. Perhaps he was learning a new weapon. An admirable pursuit.

Tamaya turned her attention back to her target. It needed another coat of arrows.

[Arasen]

Arasen had arrived at the range just in time to see the female nomad's performance. When she got back to her own horse he got an idea. She may be good at the rapid fire, but perhaps he could show her up. Picking up his own bow and drawing an arrow he started to level the shot. He was about another hundred yards from the target than she was and he was a few degrees more up hill than her. He figured he could make the shot though, he'd hit such targets before, and sometimes they were moving. He pulled the arrow back and closed one eye before letting it go. The arrow flew past the woman's head and struck the target, just shy of the center. Dismounting his own horse and taken the reigns, he walked over to the woman, bow still in hand. "Darn...Not quite the center." He muttered, glancing over at Tamaya to see how she reacted. This part of the city was one he hadn't really been to before. Looking around the range, Arasen was wondering if the place was always this empty or if today was just a slow day for the range. "Hey, that's a fancy bow you've got there. Where could someone like me get something like that?" He said as he pointed to the strange bow in her hands and then at his own iron bow. "I saw what you did with it, pretty neat stuff. I must say though, just a plain bow like this can still do a really good job."

[Tamaya]

Tamaya focused on the target when she heard hoofbeats. Remaining still, she refused to turn her head, expecting to be hailed. Instead, an arrow flew by, striking the target near the center. Turning, she saw another Nomad approaching her, and dismounted as well to meet him, allowing the bowstring to relax and returning the arrow she had drawn to her quiver. The man was typical of the plainsmen, save his dark red hair. Unusual. She did not recognize that as a trait of any tribes she knew of well. She would ask him about it, when the time came. But first, he questioned her about Mphezi-Manja, complimenting her shooting ability and commenting briefly on his own. She nodded. Indeed, she had begun to shoot with a basic bow just like his, and was probably about as skilled as he. Actually, she might have been more accurate, but she would not debate history. The fact was, she was much more experienced than she was when she began her work as Ambassador, and her trials at the City of Heroes and elsewhere had improved her in many respects.

"This is Mphezi-Manja. It is a bow of the clouds' rage, imbued with the wrath of Father Sky and possessed by a spirit of lightning. It was forged for me, made for my own hands by the master smith Mr. Johnson of Lycia. To get a bow like this, you would need about two thousand gold coins, and the skill of a master smith. I am very grateful to him for his help in creating this weapon, for it truly does have a mind of its own and a personality. Together we have fought and grown and become stronger. Mphezi-Manja is one of my partners, just as Shikoba is my partner and mount. We are all a team, fighting together.

Indeed, though, I too started with merely a simple bow when I left my tribe to fulfill the role of Ambassador. I am Tamaya of the Cathecassa. It is good to meet you, friend. Who are you, and do you come from a tribe? I assume so, but your hair is unfamiliar to me. I do not recall any tribes possessing the trait of red hair."