World of Warcraft®

The young girl waited patiently as she had been instructed to do so, her best friend who no one else seemed able to notice, Bubbles, waiting faithfully at her side. This was what her mother had wanted for her. Mama Lari had always wanted the best for her, and she knew that. Even though she may have been missing now, Lynnie wanted to continue on in the best way she could. She had to learn from the best, and there was only one man she could think of who was the best. Lynnie had sent him a letter, which she knew hadn't been taken very seriously. But she showed him just how serious she had been earlier in the day, and now it was time to wait, like she had been ordered to. She waited close to the entrance of the Undercity, looking around quietly until finally he approached. The elf-child smiled and waved to the undead man.

“Hi Mr. Vectus Sir!” She chirped excitedly.

Vectus gave her a slight nod in acknowledgment. “Do you have a name, girl?”

Lynnie quickly perked up to respond. “Lynnie! Well, I go by Lynnie but it's not my real name. My real name is Lyneah...”

“Very well, Lynnie. I hope you came prepared.”

Lynnie nodded quickly. “I think I did!”

“Very well, we shall see.” Almost immediately after he spoke, Vectus pulled out his two daggers. One quickly went towards Lynnie's throat, while the other went for her heart. Lynnie's eyes went wide as she saw the daggers coming, quickly sidestepping both blades as she lowered her hands to her belt, unsheathing both of her daggers. Her nose wrinkled as she spoke up.

“Hey!” She protested.

“Well, you said you were prepared.” Vectus stated matter-of-factly.

“Well,” Lynnie responded. “You didn't say what I had to be prepared for! An' obviously, I was!” She pointed out, sticking her tongue out at the end.

“Lesson One: Always be prepared. Always.” Vectus said.

Lynnie nodded, deciding that made sense. “Surprises?”

Vectus began to sheath his weapons, and then removed his red hood. “In time you will hone your senses, to pick up every detail of the environment. In time, there will no longer be surprises.”

“How can there not be surprises? Stuff always happens that people don't expect.”

“You don't expect them because you're not looking for them.”

“So I gotta look for 'em?”

“Yes.”

Lynnie grinned. “I can do that!”

“A fight is most easily won when victory is ensured before the blades are drawn. By knowing your enemy intimately, by anticipating their next movement before they themselves know what it will be, you will never be caught off guard.”

“But how do you know that stuff?” Lynnie asked, obviously unsure. “It's not like you're best friends with the guy you're gonna kill.”

“On the contrary,” Vectus said, offering a slight smile. “Before I strike a mark, I spend days observing them and learning everything about them. I know them quite intimately, as much as one can know a person.”

Lynnie seemed to be quite impressed with this. “Oooooh. Okay. So you learn everything about 'em and that is how you make it easy to kill 'em?”

“Well, that is one way of phrasing it. But yes, knowledge is a weapon. More powerful than any weapon or poison.”

At that moment, Bubbles decided to speak up. “Heh, I told you so, kid!”

Lynnie looked to her left, eying the man who was completely covered in pink. She frowned and quickly snapped at him. “Shut up, Bubbles!” The child glared at her friend for a moment, only snapping out of it when Vectus spoke up again.

“Bubbles?”

Lynnie's attention was pulled away, back to Vectus. She gave a small nod, motioning to her left. “Yeah, Bubbles! He's my best friend. He said 'I told you so!' about knowledge and stuff being important.” Vectus muttered under his breath for a moment, as the child began to try and ignore her friend once again. “So, knowledge and stuff?”

“Well, do you have any questions?”

Lynnie pondered this for a moment. She had a few that came to mind, but decided the first question should probably be relevant to their conversation. She gave a small nod. “Yeah. You said you have to observe people. Do you actually got to be best friends with them, or do you really only watch?”

Vectus sighed. “It would be difficult to make friends with an enemy, especially one who would sooner kill you than look at you.”

“Oh. Right!”

“Although there are times when infiltration is necessary. But always under guise.”

“But that doesn't happen a lot?”

“No, we rarely are given the opportunity.”

“Okay, um.” Lynnie tried to recall what her next question was. She sighed, then quickly lit up as she recalled what she wanted to ask next. Obviously, the most important of all possible questions. “So, do I get to learn from you now? 'Cause you're already teaching me!”

“Are you dead?” Vectus asked promptly.

“Um...” Lynnie started, recalling the conversation of her state of undeath earlier in the day with the man, while Lord Aziel had urged him to take her one as a student.

Vectus sighed. “Not in that manner, I mean.”

The child grinned, her glowing blue eyes shining. “No.”

Vectus smiled with the proper answer- one that made the child quite proud. “Well then, you may consider yourself my student.”

“So what do I do now, Mr. Vectus Sir?” The young, undead elf asked, bouncing in excitement.

“Eager! Very well – your first task. I want you to keep a journal. I want you to go to a town or village in enemy territory, and pick a mark. I want you to observe them for two days, learn everything about them and their behavior. Every detail.”

“Just observing?”

“Yes, just observing.” As Vectus noted her frown, he continued on. “But I want you to select your mark carefully. I want you to pick someone you can imitate.”

Lynnie blinked, looking up to Vectus with curiosity. “Imitate?”

“Yes, imitate. After you are done observing them for the two days, I want you to kill them. Do so discreetly, and make sure no one finds the body. Then for one day, I want you to take their place.”

Lynnie nodded, a bit more excited now. “Okay, I got it! I gotta kill 'em and take their place for a day after watchin' 'em. Though I guess it kinda has to be a kid, huh?”

Vectus chuckled, giving a slight nod. “In your case, I suppose so.”

“Don't think I could look like a grown up.”

“Well, there are magical disguises, but that is for another time. I think what you have is enough for your first task.”

“Okay!”

“When you are done, come back to me and we will discuss what you have learned.”

Lynnie smiled, giving a small nod to Bubbles and then whistling for her pony. A sparkling pony, with large wings quickly flew down from the sky. Lynnie began to climb atop the creature, slowly followed by Bubbles.

“Dark tidings, young one. Wear the shadows well,” Vectus said to her.

Lynnie simply nodded, urging her pony up into the air. As she got up into the air, Lynnie began to think of all the places she could go, of all the possible marks that she could have. She took her appearance into consideration as she soared above the Undercity, beginning to head south. “My eyes are blue.” She stated, glancing back to Bubbles.

“Yes, they are,” he confirmed.

“We need to go someplace with blue eyed elf children then, right?”

“We sure do!”

Lynnie sighed, looking down to the ground way below her. “Well, we'll find somethin'!”

((Obviously, to be continued! :3 ))

((This is going to be awesome. Really looking forward to having a pupil for Vectus. *nods* ))

((I know! Wanted to look a bit more for where some High Elves might be before I went any further than that initial conversation! ))

((Moar plx.))

“Where did all the Elves go?” She muttered, as she continued flying south.

“What, you mean besides the ones that hate you, or the purple ones?” Bubbles replied, looking down to Lynnie.

“You're startin' to sound like Mr. Akuzul and Mr. Dree, you know. You don't say 'Purple Elves!', ya know.”

Bubbles sighed, lifting a hand up to pat the child on the shoulder. “Right, of course. Well, lets think about it this way. What's a place full of a lot of different kinds of people, that is in the Alliance?”

Lynnie went quiet for a few moments, keeping an eye on the ground as they continued south, heading into Hillsbrad. She shut her eyes as she considered places that she had visited in the past, until her eyes finally shot open and a grin crossed her lips. She had run errands for several people to one place in particular. “Stormwind City. They probably even have an orphanage there, huh? Like they do in Orgrimmar?”

“Good thinking, kiddo.”

“Stop callin' me kiddo!” Lynnie protested.

“Heh. Whatever you say.”

The pair continued to chatter as they headed South,s ticking to the coast. It was much later in the day when they finally arrived at Stormwind, landing amidst the trees in the outskirts of the city. As soon as the pair got off the pony, Lynnie quickly waved her hands at it. “Shoo! Meet me back here in a couple of day!” She whispered, before looking up to Bubbles. “Bubbles, I don't think I can have you around right now. I gotta be quiet! Be quiet and sneaky, ya know?

“Yeah, yeah. Fine. I'll meet you back here in a couple of days. Just don't get killed, okay?”

Lynnie nods, lifting a hand up and quickly crossed her heart. “Promise! No dyin' here!”
As Bubbles wandered off, Lynnie took in a deep breath. She calmed herself, sinking into the shadows as she began to make her way into the city proper. She passed through the outlaying pumpkin farm as quickly as she could manage without being noticed. The child passed the pond, quickly up the stairs and by the two guards who stood outside the smaller entrance to the city. She noticed how bustling the Dwarven District was. People of all races running about some way or another, yelling to each other. The young girl hid her daggers in her bag, instead pulling out her blue rag doll. She held it by it's hand as she wandered through the area, making her way out and into the canals.

Lynnie noticed more guards, one of whom she simply flashed a smile to before running along, heading across the bridge. She could hear the laughter and giggling of some children as she crossed over the water, knowing that it must be the right direction. As she entered another tunnel, she sunk back into the shadows, creeping slowly. As her eyes went up, she saw the cathedral. As she inched around the building, she noticed some priests about, but then her eyes fell upon the source of the laughter. There was a small group of children, most about her height. Most of them were Human, but she saw what she imagined to be a Dwarven child. But then her eyes fell upon one particular little girl, one with dark hair, pointed ears and blue eyes. 'Her! That's the one!' Lynnie decided. The skin tone was different than Lynnie's pale, deathly looking skin. 'I can do this.' She reminded herself.

Watching the children for a moment, she decided it was safe to sneak across to a tree, that was surrounded by various bushes. She quickly moved, ducking into the bushes.

“Hey! What was that?” One of the little boys said, glancing in Lynnie's direction.

“Just the wind, stupid!” A little girl called out.

Lynnie did her best to remain as quiet as possible as she pulled out her sketchpad from her bag, then picking up the charcoal she usually used to draw and began to take notes. She noticed the girl's hair was actually a dark brown, rather than a black, and she kept it down and loose. She noticed that the girl had a few freckles on her arm. The sc##@*s on her right knee were pretty fresh, and that her clothes actually a separate light blue skirt and shirt, rather than a dress. The girl seemed to have a very slight limp in her right leg.

“Ariene, c'mon! I brought the dollies out!” One of the other little girls called out, lugging out a small crate that was overflowing with old dolls.

The High Elf girl glanced over to the human girl, nodding. “Okay, Sally!” She said, plopping herself down on the ground next to the wall of the orphanage.

Lynnie fervently took down notes, and not just about Ariene. She took note of how many kids were around, what their names were, what the other children looked like to go with the names. Hiding in the bushes, taking notes, Lynnie didn't even seem to notice the time passing by. Before she knew it, nine bells had rung and the children were being escorted inside the orphanage by the orphan matron. Shellene, the blonde one. Nightingale is the dark haired one. She repeated in her mind, watching as the children lined up and headed inside to lay to rest.

Once it goes quiet, I will see where she sleeps.

(( I was going to say, I know a gnome shepherd Lynnie could probably imitate. ))(( Also, Bubbles = Pennywise. ))

Another Tuesday night sitting by the cathedral fountain, Chance stretched her sore legs out while keeping an eye on the orphans running about playing as the day waned. She caught the eye of one of chief troublemakers (what was it about boys?) and gave him a stern look to keep him and his hoodlum chums in line.

It was a shame that the Pia Presidium knight and squire were not about tonight as she wouldn’t mind a little adult conversation. “What was her name again? Gentle? Something like that. And her squire? *sigh* My memory’s not what it used to be.” ((Sorry about not catching your name, side kick. *sheepish grin*))



Although, come to think of it, Chance was glad that their nasty, over-protective druid cat wasn’t around; she wasn’t in the mood tonight to tiptoe around another’s overly sensitive feelings.



“Billy!” she hollered out, as one of the boys lead a pack to the alley that lead behind the orphanage. “Get back around here where I can see you all! You know better than to head back there!” she glared at Billy and kept an eye on him until she was certain he would stay out front.

She took a long deep breath, rattled again thinking back on the notice from Ragefang that she had read (posted at the Call Board in the Trade District). She had to remind herself that she had retired from all that; she’d set aside her hatred of the orcs and their allies, her hatred of that abomination King of the North. She’d set aside her hatred like a piece of jewelry taken off and set atop a dresser to be looked at but never worn again. She was really just too old for it. War preferred the young: Its meal of choice was those of tender years, not old dried up meat.

She flexed her aching fingers, feeling once again the grip of her sword and shield that were residing above her fireplace back home.



No she would not be going to war again. She was better suited to things like this: watching after the orphans of Stormwind, keeping them fed and safe within the protecting arms of the City and Church.

((Bubbles =/= Pennywise! :P Also, spiffy post, Chancetta! Thanks for joining in! :) ))
She waited nearly an hour before there was a decent chance to sneak into the orphanage. There was less space than she imagined. Lynnie looked around, spotting the beds of the orphan matrons. She then looked to either end, seeing bunk beds on both sides. She moved quietly, going from bunk to bunk as she looked at who was sleeping in which bed. She murmured the names of each girl as she looked each bed over. 'Lani. Sally. Jaya. Anya. Ah! There she is! Ariene. Bottom bunk, third from the far side of the room.'
Lynnie looked everything over in utter silence. Where the tables were, where the clothes were, where the toys were stored. After she was sure of the layout, Lynnie sneaked out the door again, returning to her hiding spot in the bushes. The child pulled out her own rag doll from her bag, hugging it close to her chest as she closed her eyes to rest for the night.

-=-=-=-

The sound of soft footsteps is what woke her in the morning. Whispers between the children was what rose Lynnie. She placed the dollie back in her bag, once again picking up her sketchpad to continue taking notes. It seemed that they were beginning the morning with chores, being overseen by one of the matrons. She lifted her head up, staring out through the bushes to get an idea of where Ariene was. It took her a moment, but she saw the child holding a broom, slowly sweeping her way towards the door. Lynnie perked up some, watching as she moved out of the orphanage to get rid of the dust on the floor.
'I hope she does that everyday.'

Lynnie, once again, spent the day in hiding and observation. She noticed another orphan matron, a gray haired woman, making note of her name and how the children reacted to her. She watched the children play together, the boys wreaking havoc on the poor women who watched them, while the girls would tease them or play quietly among themselves. She took note of the routines, like when it was meal times, or when they had their lessons.

The day passed, and Lynnie rested once again. 'In the morning, when she sweeps again, I will do what I have to.' The girl decided. She made sure her sketch pad was hidden in her bag, then pulled out her two small daggers. She smiled slightly, closing her eyes to rest.

-=-=-=-

The soft patter of feet rose the child once again. She knew what to listen for, as she began to once again peer out for the bushes. Lynnie pulled her rag doll out, tossing it out onto the stone ground. As she moved into a crouch, the child grasped a handful of dirt and rocks. She raised out of the bushes for only a moment, quickly throwing the handful of earth towards the high elf. As soon as the girl turned to face her, she ducked back into the bushes.

“What's that?” Ariene asked, frowning as she turned. Her eyes fell upon the blue rag doll, and she frowned slightly. “Now what are you doing out here? We always put all the dollies away at night. Guess we missed one,” she murmured, putting the broom down as she wandered closer to the bushes. Ariene leaned over to pick up the doll, as Lynnie quickly moved behind the girl and knocked the back of her head roughly with the grip of her dagger. Ariene dropped to the ground with a thud. Quickly looking around, Lynnie grasped both of the girls arms and dragged her off and out of sight, before any of the patrolling guard could catch her. 'Almost light outside, people might see me soon.' She thought as she dragged the girl towards the side of the cathedral.

“So you got her, huh?” A familiar voice spoke up as Lynnie knelt over the unconscious body.

“Hush!” She responded, as she quickly began to remove the girls clothes.

“I remember when he did this to you, kiddo. Don't you? You weren't unconscious like she is, though. That is awfully nice of you.” Bubbles said, leaning over the child.

Lynnie smiled slightly at the thought, then leaned over Ariene's body. She looked at the girl's face for a moment, shaking her head as she whispered. “I'm so sorry, but, this is important,” Lynnie assured Ariene in what was barely a whisper. She pressed her hand against the girl's forehead, while grasping a dagger in her other hand, which she quickly pulled across the girl's throat. Lynnie then grabbed her hand, cutting off the pointer finger from her left hand.

'You helped me when this happened to me, Bubbles. But you're mine. You can't help her.'

Lynnie quickly cleaned off the dagger, hiding both in her backpack. She quickly changed in the bushes, removing her own clothes and putting on Ariene's. Then, she knelt down, and with both of her hand began digging in the grass beside the cathedral. She wasn't sure how long she was digging for, but she finally covered up the body, in the bushes between a tree and the cathedral. As she was finishing, she heard a call for Ariene's name. She looked up, looking up to Bubbles for a moment.

“That's your queue, kiddo.”

“Ariene, where have you been? I saw the broom just lying there. You know better than just to run off like that!”

“I’m s-sorry, Mother Nightingale. I saw this bunny over there, and so I wanted to get a better look at it! I followed him, but I came back when you were calling!”

The woman sighed, looking over Lynnie. “Ah, well, back to your chores, Ariene. You know better than to run off. Just don’t do it again, okay?”

The small girl smiled brightly, giving a nod that she understood. She quickly moved over to the broom, picking it up and began to sweep. ‘This is really easy!’ Lynnie decided, as she quickly swept the ground. The other children were doing their fair share of chores. The day began at a slow crawl, but Lynnie found that she was thrilled by the excitement of it all.

After playing throughout the morning, lunchtime came. She sat down with the others, but she felt no urge to eat. Instead, the child began playing with her food, crumbling up the bread and trying to make small sculptures of rabbits out of the bread and cheese.

“Ariene! Stop playing with your food and eat, dear! There are starving children Westfall who would love to have that meal, and you’re just going to let it waste!” One of the Orphan matron’s commented.

“But I’m not hungry!” Lynnie whined, mimicking the voice Ariene had used once while complaining about one of the boys who had gotten dirt on her skirt.

“That is enough out of you!” The woman said, moving over to the girl and gently touching her shoulder. The woman blinked, moving her hand down and touching Lynnie’s bare skin. Her eyes went wide. “My goodness, child! You’re chilled to the bone! No wonder you’re not hungry.”

Lynnie went wide eyed. She had not been prepared for if someone had touched her shoulder; nonetheless felt that her body temperature was different. The child did her best to play along, and shook her head. “Nuh-uh! I’m fine! Really!”

The orphan matron moved her hand to Lynnie’s forehead, and shook her head. “No, this is not well at all, Ariene. Go get back into bed. I’ll come over with some extra blankets, and we’ll see about getting one of the healers to come and visit you,” the woman insisted.

Lynnie sighed, standing up and moping with her head lowered and eyes on the ground. She slowly walked to Ariene’s bed, lifting up the sheets and moving under the covers. She curled on her side, closing her eyes. ‘Please don’t let the healers come, please don’t let the healers come…’ Lynnie thought, making a chant of it as she continued to repeat the words over and over. Moments later, she felt blankets being thrown over her.

“We sent Shellene to see if we can get someone to see you,” Nightingale said softly as she straightened out the blankets. “Just rest for now. I know you want to go out and play, but you’re ill and this is what is best for you right now,” the woman assured her.

Lynnie rolled onto her side, giving a half smile. “Okay,” she said softly, before rolling back to her side.

The day continued to pass, with every once in a while one of the matrons coming to check on her. “The healer can’t come to see you today, Ariene, but if you are still not well tomorrow, they will come and check you out. They have been very busy recently,” Shellene assured the girl.

In the evening, warm soup was brought over to her. Lynnie pretended to drink some of the broth; setting aside the majority for the matron’s to retrieve when she was finished. She closed her eyes again, waiting for the right time to come for the children and matrons to be in bed. After two hours had passed in complete silence, Lynnie slowly removed the covers from her body. She stretched her legs, then silently moved like a mouse across the orphanage and out onto the street, sticking to the shadows to avoid any of the guards patrolling the way.

Lynnie first stopped where she left her bag. The child assured herself that all of her belongings were there before trekking her way back across Stormwind under the cover of night. Drunken men were leaving taverns and heading back to their houses, and patrollers seemed to ignore her once she had her ragdoll out and hugged closely to her chest.

When she finally made it to the meeting point, her pony, and Bubbles were already there. “Bubbles!” She chirped excitedly, skittering across the remaining grass to hug her dearest friend. She felt a pat on her back, and then pulled back, raising one of her hand, which was curled into a small fist. She punched the pink clad man in the leg. “You were gonna screw everythin’ up, standin’ out there and talkin’ to me like that! We gotta be more careful! They almost caught me, ya know!”

“But you’re still here, right? I think I was just helping you, kiddo.”

Lynnie grinned, pulling herself up on the pony. She made room for her friend, and the pair quickly took off to flee from Stormwind.

((Went back and re-read this in its entirety after the last couple times running into Lynnie at the Ratchet tavern. Lynn, this story is adorable, chilling, creepy, and...just brilliant. I LOVES the character concept, and I think the writeup you've done is absolutely fantastic. Well-written, and well-done!))

((Thanks a bunch, Drake! There should be more coming after she talks to Vectus again, and I believe there might be a response from Chancetta incoming at some point. :3 ))

The last few days had been rather exciting for Lynnie. Upon her return, she had stopped by Brill to celebrate Noblegarden. Despite her undeath, the young girl was unable to resist the allure of chocolates and rabbits. She even wanted to assure the happiness of everyone else in Modas, by making several trips to various towns and villages where Noblegarden was being celebrated to gather bunnies for everyone in Modas. She received a scolding from several people, and others wanted to eat the little creatures, but she was pleased with the result. She had even picked two special ones, specifically for Lord Aziel and Vectus because they needed the most cheering up. Neither of them wanted the ones she got, but she was thrilled to hear that they at least appreciated the offer.
 
When she had first returned, she had offered the finger of Ariene to Vectus as proof that she had done the deed. After being brushed off and told to return later, she continued with her celebration of Noblegarden, running around the sanctum with bunny ears on and talking up a storm to everyone she encountered. It wasn’t until after she had offered the bunny to Vectus that she was allowed to take some of his time. They first met outside of the sanctum, but Vectus insisted on a larger place with more privacy. Calling for her pony, and following Vectus on his frost wyrm into the sky. They landed in an open patch of forest, where a large circle of mushrooms sat.
 
“There, this should do for an arena. Now, let me see the journal you kept.”  Vectus spoke, looking to the child.
 
“Okay!” She chirped in response, taking off her backpack and pulling out the sketchpad that she had used as a notebook. She offered it to the man with a large smile, partially obstructed by her mask. “Here you go, Mr. Vectus Sir!”
 
The assassin took the notebook from the child, turning and heading towards a tree. “Now, girl. Please tell me about what happened.”
 
Lynnie followed after him, plopping down beside him under the tree. “Well. I wasn’t really sure where to go first, but after a bit I decided to think of where all the Elves went! And they went to Stormwind, I think. So I went there!”
 
Vectus thumbed through the pages. “An orphanage?”
 
The child gave a nod. “Yeah! They have a really big one right by the church place!”
 
Vectus looked at the girl for a moment, considering this. “That is very impressive. Yes, I know where that is. The Stormwind City Watch has an office there, and that is a very busy location. Very good.”
 
“Yeah! No one noticed me. I could even go and walk through the streets sometimes and no one would think twice! I would just pull out my dollie and hug ‘er while I walked, and everyone just though I was a normal little girl!”
 
“Hmh, very impressive! I believe Lord Aziel was right in the use of a child.”
 
“Yeah! So I found that there was a little elf girl there with blue eyes! So I hid in the bushes! And I watched and learned everything, what she looked like, the names of the matrons and the other kids. I also found out that she did sweepin’ for her chores in the mornin’, and would go outside for that! So I decided that would be the best time to get ‘er.”
 
“And how did you do this?”
 
“Well, I distracted her with my dollie. And then I hit ‘er and knocked ‘er out! I dragged her off and then took her clothes off first.”
 
“For your disguise?”
 
Lynnie nodded, grinning. “Yeah! I took ‘er clothes off and slit ‘er throat.”
 
“Again, a very good idea, girl! Well done,” Vectus praised, as he continued to thumb through the pages of the journal.
 
“So then I buried ‘er and put ‘er clothes on. One of the matrons started calling for Ariene, so I ran back and started pretendin’ to be Ariene. They didn’t think nothin’ of it! And it worked pretty well! I did a good job.”
 
Vectus nodded, continuing to flip through the girl’s notes. He frowned slightly as he noticed something. “You let them touch you?”
 
Lynnie looked down to the ground for a moment, giving a small nod. “Yeah, I didn’t have a choice! They were eatin’ and I didn’t have a way to avoid it. I was scared that they would find out, but they just thought I was sick! So I tried to play along, you know! Like, how all little kids don’t like being sick, they argue they aren’t and wind up just goin’ to bed.”
 
“You should not have let them touch you, but it sounds like you handled it well enough.  Go on.”
 
“Well, they tried to get a healer guy but I guess he didn’t want to come. So I just stayed in bed all day! I waited a long time, and then left once it was quiet for a long time! I was scared of the healer guy comin’, ‘cause he would know that I wasn’t sick.”
 
Vectus closed the sketchpad, handing it back to Lynnie. He looked her over. “You made some mistakes, but you did quite well. It’s to be expected, but you certainly did adequately for your first time.”
 

Lynnie grinned widely at the praise. “Thanks, Mr. Vectus!” The child listened quietly as the man went into a short lecture on places where she needed improvement.  She kept glancing over to the ring of mushrooms, curious as to what the use would be. Vectus eventually stood up, beginning to lead the way to the ring.
 
“Come, girl.” He said as he stopped for a moment, motioning with his hand. Lynnie quickly bounced up, scurrying across the grass to catch up with Vectus.  Droplets of rain began to fall to the ground. “Oh, this should make this easier for you,” He murmured, continuing on. “Now, we are going to be trying a bit of an exercise. You are going to fight me, but-“He went quiet for a moment, his hand searching through pouches until he produced a bandana. “Ah, this should do!” He said, holding it out to the girl. “You are going to put this over your eyes and try to dodge attacks, while making attacks of your own. I will not be armed, only using my hands.”
 
Lynnie looked at the bandana. “But I won’t be able to see nothin’ when I got this on!”
 
“That’s the point.”
 
“Oh.” Lynnie frowned. “What about weapons? Do I gotta use ‘em?”
 
“You can, if you wish.”
 
Lynnie shrugged, lifting the bandana up and tying it in place. She turned to Vectus, who leaned in closely to inspect it. When she felt him pull away, the child quickly waved her hand in front of her face. She closed her eyes, just in case.
 
“Now, when you are ready, Lynnie.”
 
Lynnie stepped forward a few steps, her hands out in front of her making sure she was not heading into one of the giant mushrooms. Once she was satisfied, she stood still. She felt the rain on her skin, listened to it hit the grass as Vectus began to speak again. She could hear his voice moving in a circle around her. She tried to follow him, turning in his direction. When he stood still and spoke, she quickly turned to face him.
 
“I am going to attack now, try to defend yourself.” He said calmly, then going quiet once again.
 
Lynnie waited for a moment, but she soon heard footsteps rushing across the wet grass. The next thing she felt was a hand on her shoulder and a foot kicking her feet out from beneath her. The girl squeaked as she fell on her back, slowly sitting up. She pushed herself up, reaching out to feel for Vectus. Vectus began to instruct, and Lynnie swung for him, not even reaching as far as he was away. He returned, attacking her in the same way on the other side.
 
Lynnie began learning, allowing her body to adapt to being unable to see. She listened to Vectus move, though she was having trouble going completely off of what she heard. For some length of time, Vectus would attack her, and she would stumble, or in several cases, she would completely fall. The child began to grow impatient, but she persisted, swinging her fist or trying to kick his legs from beneath him.
 
“Enough,” Vectus finally said, noting improvements in her. “You’re doing well enough,” He spoke, as the little girl pulled down her blindfold. She looked up to him, then down at the ground and sighed. “But you are only lashing out and attacking. You are not being defensive, or attacking in a manner which allows you to easily defend yourself.” He looked her over once more, frowning. “And you need some work on your balance.”

Lynnie sighed, holding up the blindfold in offering to her teacher. She looked down to the ground, giving a small nod to show that she understood.
 
“Do you know why we are doing this?” Vectus asked, seeing the girl shake her head in response. “Well, what happens when someone practices only with one arm, rather than two? The one arm becomes stronger and more skilled to compensate for only having one arm. He is able to defend himself with only one arm, and attack with only the one arm.”
 
“But two arms is better than one!” Lynnie chimed.
 
Vectus gave a nod. “Indeed. So when he starts using both arms again, he has an advantage. He needs only one arm to ward off attacks and defend him thoroughly, so he is even more skilled when using both. Purposely disabling yourself-“ Lynnie began glancing back to her bag, and Vectus gave a slight nod. “You may take notes if you wish, girl. I’ll wait.”
 
The child grinned widely, skittering off to get her backpack. She took out the sketchpad and charcoal, glancing up to one of the large mushrooms. Bubbles sat there watching her, giving her a smile. Lynnie grinned back to him quickly, then ran back to sit on the ground near where Vectus was standing. She propped the sketch pad up and looked at the paper, murmuring what she was writing for a moment before she looked up to Vectus to continue.
 
“Purposely disabling yourself is a way to get you stronger.” Vectus continued going into his lecture as Lynnie furiously took notes, writing every word he spoke. As her attention was starting to go, he concluded with her next task. “I am going to arrange to have you spar with some of the Ebon Reavers in the same way you have fought me. But I want you to come up with other ways to disable yourself, just like how you wore the blindfold today. Be creative with this.”
 
Lynnie grinned, closing her sketchpad and jumping up to her feet. “I’m gonna come up with lots of ideas, Mr. Vectus Sir! You’ll see!”
 
Vectus smiled, nodding. “I’m sure you will. I can see you do not want to disappoint me, and I trust you will not.”
 
The child nodded in agreement. “I’m gonna go write up that list now!” Lynnie chimed, quickly running off. She grabbed her bag and slipped the sketchpad in it. She whistled for her pony, motioning to Bubbles to follow after her as she took off into the air.