Bellowyn leaned her aching shoulder against the cold stone wall, panting. She had finished practicing with her knives, an activity that often took up to three hours a day. Her practice dummy had slash and stab marks, marking each time she had been sucessful with her daggers. Near the end of her training session, she had tripped on a rock and landed on her shoulder. Looking back, Bell realized that the stone hadn't been there before her training.
Bell glanced around her warily. She was standing in a dark alley way, her temporary home until she could find a better spot. Dark shadows surrounded her on all sides, kept at bay only by the glowing embers of her burned out fire. It was very possible that someone was hiding in the darkness, but it would be hard to keep still for so long. Bell narrowed her eyes, tossing her hair back and sheathing one of her knived, keeping the other ready.
Out of nowhere, a fist-sized rock came flying toward her face. Bell sidestepped, only to trip over yet another stone and land on her back, her blade knocked out of her hand. How had these rocks suddenly appeared without her hearing? She sat up, making no sound as she slowly picked up her fallen knife. A hooded figure stepped out of the shadows in front of her, holding another stone.
The figure knelt and took a long stick form the edge of Bell's fire, stirring the coals and setting fire to the stick. The person was obviously a female; Bell had learned to detect small things that would reveal one's gender. The hooded woman held the torch up to her face slightly, revealing a smile. She had a jagged scar on her left cheek. Bell gripped her knife, staring. This woman could only have been a teenager, and no older. The girl stood and held out a hand to help Bell do the same. Bell stood on her own, not trusting this stranger.
They stood, watching eachother, for the longest time, identifying the other's weakness. After a while, the girl chuckled quietly. "Aren't you a bit young to be handling knives as weapons?" Her voice was light, revealing that she couldn't be much older than Bell. When Bell didn't reply, the girl shrugged. "Fair enough. You handle your knives well, you may be able to help me with something...What is your name?" Bell knew there was no point in being defensive now. "My name is Bellowyn, but you can call me Bell. Who are you?" The girl snorted, either a sign of amusement or anger; it was nearly impossible to tell. "You can call me Jazilin. I need you to help me with my job for a bit, and maybe I could teach you a few things." Bell thought for a moment. Jaz was obviously the same age as her, but she acted as if she had a full lifetime of experience! But Bell was so lonely in this dark corner. She nodded, greatful for the company. Jaz pulled her hood down to cover her face.
"Exellent. Your training begins now."
