Dragxis stretched up towards the sky as to loosen up his body from the night before. Looking about the jungle for a bit as to keep his guard up he then looked down at the piece of paper that told him to meet his instructor in the jungle in the early morning and recalled and events he had yesterday.

The day prior, he was walking about in the city when he came across on the notice board that they were going to start recruiting for more people to help with the ongoing problems the Moon Elves, and by Association, the Crown has been facing in recent months. Figuring that this was more than likely his way to not only improve his way of life, but perhaps a way to finally start finding any information on his own personal agendas.

As he arrived to the meeting place from the quest board, he found himself along with a couple hundred other people wishing to do their part as well.  Each person was given a piece of paper that told them of their instructors and where to meet them. The majority of the people there seem to have been given an instructor that would either teach them how to use a sword or to hold a bow, or even learning how to use magics. He contemplated a bit if he would be put into one of those groups, figuring that it would be useful to know how to use a sword if he ever found himself in melee combat, or perhaps learn a type of magic that he could learn to help conceal his presence more. As he day dreamed on those kind of scenarios he was eventually called upon. When he came forward the one inspecting the recruits was a little taken a back by what he saw through the evaluation. He talked with a few others before coming back to Dragxis. 
"I'm sorry, but our recruitment is mostly for people who don't already have a set of skills. That said, while we can't help you here, I can definitely refer you to someone with similar skills to help you master what you have already." Said the instructor before writing down the instructions on the paper and gave it to him.

It was the rustle of foliage that snapped him attention back to the present as he tried to distinguish wether the sound was an animal passing through or a person.

Never discount the importance of imparting knowledge. Elder Sarafa's words echoed in her ears as her eyes fell on posters looking for instructors on the quest board, many already ripped away, undoubtedly because it sounded so easy to fools who have never had the displeasure of trying to teach music to what was by all measures, a group of cacophonous questing machinery. Thankfully, they were not recruiting musicians, but rather practitioners of more practical arts such as martial arts or magic. Should be good to earn some Solars, Ambika thought as she joined the long list of questers looking to hopefully drill some knowledge into some hapless newbie who may or may not be way in over their heads.

Imagine her surprise when she ended up being tasked with helping a novice instead of a newbie.
"My eyes tell me you'd be good at tempering someone with the same skillsets as yours," the evaluator said. Ambika looked around and saw that most instructors were nowhere near her age, some less than half of hers. She was slightly annoyed at the turn of events since she already had different education plans lined up in her head, but opted to concede once she saw the caliber of newbies she would have to deal with otherwise.

Ambika scribbled up a rough map of the meeting place she decided upon, and then pretended to leave citing other business, but in reality she stayed around long enough to assess the novice she would be tasked with training. It was a young Moon Elf who has some skill in archery based on the shortbow he had, and his footwork certainly had the markings of practice infused in them. Precisely her type of skillset indeed.

The following morning, making a point to be marginally later than the planned meeting time, Ambika made her way to the venue and was pleased to see the Moon Elf was already there. Made things much easier. She hadn't quite regained the senses needed to completely silence her footsteps, so she opted instead to use Minor Trickery to create a feint in the form of rustling plants, then carefully walked in from his blind spot once his attention was drawn to that to tap him on the shoulder.

Dragxis would feel the light tap upon his shoulder and would quickly pivot backwards on the balls of one of his feet clearly startled. He would look towards the direction of what startled him to find an elderly woman that was before him. Once he realized that it wasn't a beast or a monster he sighed and let himself relax a bit, his shoulders drooping ever so slightly as he sighed. After regaining his composer he looked over the elderly woman noticing her attire and her... instrument? The bow like protrusion on the bottom of her instrument would lean itself for archery though it definitely made him curious as to how she uses it.

"My apologies ma'am that's the first time in a long while that someone was able to sneak up on me. Most of the time it's the other way around." He says as he lets out a light chuckle. He then would straighten himself to stand at his natural height.

"Apologies, I suppose I should introduce myself, my name is Dragxis, it's a pleasure to meet you" he would say finally introducing himself to the elderly woman before him noting clearly that for someone to sneak up to him, she must be the instructor that was appointed to him.

"Word of advice: Always be cognizant of your blind spots. If someone were so inclined, they could have slit your throat there and then." Ambika would have grabbed kinder words, but this Moon Elf did not appear to be someone who needed her words minced.

"Ambika. You know why I am here," Ambika stared straight at Dragxis' eyes, making a mental note that he made no mention of his surname, so she omitted mention of hers as well.

Ambika removed her crossbow from her back and loaded a bolt, then pointed at a nearby tall tree laden with fruit of both the ripe and unripe variety.
"Stand under the tree. Watch where I aim, and attempt to catch the fruit that is shot down." She instructed. "Observe the tree as much as you need to. Let me know when you are ready."

Once Dragxis' gave his signal, Ambika would circle around the tree, raise her crossbow, and then quickly swerve her crossbow to the other side of the tree she was aiming her crossbow at and taking fire. She'd made sure her eyes were actually on the other side the entire time; it was up to Dragxis whether he'd manage to catch her fake out.

"A pleasure to meet you miss Ambika, I'll make sure to take the lesson to heart." He would say and nodded towards her. Her words to him may not have sounded nice but to him they seemed logical and with no hint of malice from her words. He watched her as she pulled out her crossbow and began to load it noting how it was loaded and the number of bolts loaded in. It was then she pointed out the tree with the fruits hanging from them. He did as he was asked of and went over to the tree and inspected the fruits. While inspecting the tree he thought to himself how his own father did a similar exercise with him and would on occasion trip him up by trying to make him go one way and shoot the other.

Once he was satisfied looking at the tree he gave the signal to start the training letting his eyes watch her shoulders and her eyes. Once he was able to spot the direction her eyes would be looking he would crouch slightly ready to react the moment she twist her shoulders to try to dupe him. He then launched himself towards the direction she aimed for with her eyes and jumped into the air a bit to catch the falling piece of fruit which happened to be on the far edge of the tree. He landed on the ground with the fruit in hand.

In the time it took for Dragxis to catch the fruit, Ambika had deftly reloaded her crossbow and trained it on where his head would have landed. Only for a mere instant before lowering it immediately, but enough for the young man to register that he had screwed up somehow.

"What would you have done were I not who you thought I was? Reflect on that. Never assume." It was a cruel lesson to impart, but Ambika had no desire to see someone under her tutelage - even if only for a day - depart this world over misplaced trust. The deserts had been harsh, and her hometown especially so. A hidey-hole made by, of and for people with questionable backgrounds and their descendants, one could argue that morality was only taught so that you would know how to exploit it. A person could be a friend one day, and the next they would steal from you to sate their own needs or wants. It was an ugly place, but it taught well on how to survive at all costs. Though it was also very much part of why she left and never stepped foot on the place again until she had lost everything.

"Your turn. Show me your skill with the bow." Ambika slung her crossbow on her back and gestured her right hand towards the surroundings, and while doing so, discreetly removed a crossbow bolt from her pouch with her left hand and hid it on her palm[1]. "You decide what you feel would best demonstrate your ability to me."

---

[1]Quick Palm (Stealth Skill)
A simple technique that allows you to hold small items in the palm of your hand with no effort at all. You have mastered the skill of holding an item in your hand and making it look natural. In addition you can hold the item in a way that makes it look like the item is not there, concealing it within your palm. This does not work on large items like a sword or shield.

Dragxis smiled warmly as he saw her pointed her crossbow momentarily at his face before she lowered the crossbow. "I understand your concern." He would say once again noting her penchant for trying to distract him and going for a kill. So far this is the second time. This time however he had been cautious and kept an eye towards her direction. He understood what she was trying to get at through her rough lessons, which he showed no sign of agitation or aggression simply chalking it up to the conditions that she was raised in.

"Alright, as you wish, your test did remind me of something similar that my father and I played, if you would be so kind to stand in front of the fruit tree, I simply have to have my turn to shoot and you collect the fruit. I'm sure someone like yourself shouldn't have a problem catching it after all" he said before chuckling and bit. "Go ahead and take a look around the tree and send me a signal when you are ready"

He waited a bit gazing over the fruits while he pulled out his Shortbow and a arrow from his quiver. once he saw Ambika gave the signal he ran towards one side of the tree his eyes seemingly to look not at one fruit in particular but the tree itself as he notched the arrow drew back the bow and fired the arrow what looked like was wide and to the opposite side of the tree but as shot flew the arrow began to curve, aimed at at fruit he could see back in front of the tree but not no longer really in his line of sight.

Ambika took a moment to walk around the tree to refresh her memory of the fruit tree, then stood by the side of the tree where she had a clear view of Dragxis before giving her signal to him that she was ready.

A curve shot. Definitely more on the trickier side, but nothing Ambika hadn't seen before. A useful choice for demonstrating marksmanship, all-in-all. She never said they had to catch the fruit by hand, however, so she took out an improvised hookshot[1] and threw it at the fruit with her right hand before forcefully tugging at the spidersilk wire. Following that, she would grab at the flying fruit as it flew over her head and do a curve toss with her left hand, sending it flying around Dragxis, then pulling it back before it ran the possibility of harming him in the process. All without ever breaking eye contact.

"Anything can be a weapon in the right hands." Gods know her second child, Semaini ran the gamut of improvised tools in her constant competition to one-up her unflappable brother.
"Learn to do curve shots while moving and it should help you some. What do you say to that?" Ambika casually walked over to Dragxis' left as the words left her mouth, then once she was close to his shoulders, she gently brought her left hand towards his stomach, her secret crossbow bolt sandwiched between her middle and ring fingers as though she was simply looking to touch him before moving it away making sure the bolt never touched him. She trusted he would be observant enough to learn something from that.

He watched how she would catch the fruit with her hook shot. A trick he had seen his father use. Indeed,  she was quite the veteran of her craft but her actions now were starting to become readable especially with it being thrown rather than it being shot. He took a step inward as she was about to pulled the fruit away from harming him and extended his hand out catching the fruit within his hand before pulling the hook shot out of the fruit. Upon checking to make sure there was no poison around the areas that the hook shot was lodged in he took a bite of the fruit on the other end.

"Yes anything can be a weapon, but it matters if you don't hit your target." He said after swallowing the piece of fruit. "To be fair, you wanted to see my skills with the bow, you never said that I needed to show footwork. Which is why I didn't continue to run." He said as he watched her movements. As he reached out to touched is shoulder he noticed the glint between her fingers on her left hand. He ever so casually reached out for her left wrist and with a flick of his own wrist would with fluidity rotate her wrist inward as he would pivot around her left as he would hold her arm locked down and away from her side, not so hard enough to harm her though after all, she held back on him. The least he could do is show that kindness in return.

"You learn well. Let us do some actual shooting practice, then we may return to the city." Ambika gently pried herself from Dragxis' hold and walking slightly further back before turning around while taking out her crossbow and subsequently pulling a three-in-one shot. She would then give advice on his equipment, stances he could benefit from learning, and some other tips and tricks she had learned from her older days, even moving to demonstrate them as needed, while bringing up the differences in their builds and how it was up to him to find what fit his needs best.

Sunset was soon upon them, and it was time to return to Eclipse City. As Ambika walked along the roads with Dragxis, rumours about the political unrest and happenings in the Crescent Isles echoed frequently in her ears. It wasn't a surprise, since Moonglade was the closest region in proximity to said islands and society is wont to discuss worldly affairs that ruffled their feelings of fragility. The negativity may be grating, but the information itself was certainly useful to her since she will be travelling there at some point.

The two eventually arrived at the recruitment zone, where the evaluator was just about to wrap up for the day.
"Oh hey, it's you two! How'd your secret meeting go?" Ambika tilted her head slightly. This was for Dragxis to answer.

Dragxis would watch her pull out her crossbow and would step backwards as he watched her perform her three in one shot out of the line of fire.  Afterwards he would converse with Ambika about his equipment and stances. Some of the stances she showed him were definitely familiar as his father would have used some of them. He took note of her tips and tricks, after all one doesn't seem to get to her age without learning quite a number of tricks and would practice the forms she would show him obviously as his build was different than hers he would try to adjust them so that the forms would be easier for his frame while still being as efficient as she taught him.

As the sun started setting in the sky the made their way back to the city. As they walked the streets the commotion around was obviously focused on and around the crescent isles and the current situation.  Normally he probably would have let his mind contemplate a bit but walking side by side with Ambika was too dangerous to even remotely consider.  Eventually they made their way back to the recruitment area and came across the evaluator. He glanced over to Ambika who apparently was waiting for him to answer the question. He then rubbed his chin while he thought on his words.

"Sir..." He began, "... For starters, I don't know if it is classified as secret training as you were the one that set it up, but what I do know is that this woman would have probably been a waste on teaching the new recruits that were here. Many of the exercises and training that we went over through out the day were probably a little on the dangerous side if you aren't paying attention but overall she's the kind that would definitely keep you on your toes but because of that,  I'm sure any other students she would get would definitely turn out well. So thank you Granny Ambika for taking the time to train me today." He said as he gave her a big bright smile, a genuine smile that showed he really did enjoy the day training and hopes to be as good as her or better one day.

"Granny... Ambika? Pfft," the evaluator couldn't resist the full mirth of the laughter that resulted from that comment, before gathering himself and asking Ambika, "How would you speak of him, Granny?"

Ambika's left eye twitched in annoyance. She was so horribly tempted to snap at Dragxis angrily, but her professionalism won over her personal desires, and she replied, "This young man should do well in further honing his craft and surviving. He learns fast, and with the world as unpredictable as it is now, a little edge is a necessity in making sure we do not lose more than we already have." News of adventurer deaths were sadly nothing new, though her tone quivered slightly as it came out, as though she had been referring to something else entirely. "I would like to thank you, Dragxis, for staying in the training until the end."

"Well then, that settles that. Here's your payment, Granny!" The evaluator had a full smile on his face, and Ambika put on an unamused expression as the pouch of Solars landed on her palm. "I hope you'll find the time to train another fellow sometime soon!" The evaluator then left to attend to other last minute participants, and Ambika turned to Dragxis.

"Do not call me Granny." Ambika's eyes were sharp like daggers, and her tone vaguely threatening. For one thing, she never had grandchildren, so she really loathed the idea of being referred to in this manner. Taking a moment to collect herself, she then continued. "Would you like to join me for a meal?" She was interested in picking up more information on the Crescent Isles, and putting aside his untoward nickname for her, having a fellow to converse with was better than otherwise.

Dragxis would watch the interactions between Granny Ambika and the evaluator. He would try to remain straight faced as best as he could but it seems that his little joke worked a little too well. What impressed him the most was seeing her professionalism at work, giving him a passable grade. He would give her a gentle smile and would nod his head towards her. "It was my honor and privilege to have had an amazing instructor such as yourself Ambika I learned quite a bit and I'll definitely make sure I put what I learned to good use. I honestly hope that I have the chance to learn more from you in the future." He said smiling warmly, genuine with the words he spoke 

As the evaluator left for his other duties, he noticed that slight tone shift from Ambika warning him about calling her a Grandma. He gave a soft chuckle and nodded. "If that is what you wish, though it wasn't in jest I can assure you. Simply at your age,  one generally might have grandkids no?" He asked a bit curious to know more about the lady that had trained him today. "Would you still snap at a little kid if he came up to you and asked for your help calling you Granny in the process?"

When she asked him to join her for a meal he nodded, "I would be happy to, besides, there's a few things that I would like to ask you if that's alright with you while grabbing a bite to eat."  he said as he would turn to head back to the busy part of the city "what kind of food are you looking for?"

"I do not. And I likely never will." Ambika stated blankly. Even without the tragedy, she could never imagine herself as a grandmother. Kishan was too devoted to the family to the point she could scarcely imagine him demonstrating genuine interest for an outsider, Semaini too much of a free spirit to allow herself to be shackled, and Cordelia... She could not take care of a child even if she wanted to. While Ambika would not dare place blame on Cordelia for her condition, taking care of her for all of 22 years has without a shadow of doubt, taken its toll on her. While she would have taken care of and cherished any grandchildren she might be blessed with to the utmost of her ability, she could not pretend that freedom from the endless domestic labour that was family life was something she never craved for. Had she known the price she had to pay to be free of those obligations, she would have gladly swallowed those desires a million times more. 

"But I suppose you have a point. I am old enough to have grandchildren." The youth in her hometown all retracted any statements about her age once she collectively showed them how spry she was at her age, but a stranger anywhere else were not deserving of her ire.

"That will not be an issue. I have my questions too." Giving and taking was part and parcel for information gathering, after all. "I have no preference on food, but I do want somewhere lively." Ambika replied, and allowed Dragxis to take the lead.