Rogue Firefury

TIME

Music:   Vor í Vaglaskógi by Kaleo 

The passage of time saw Tiene diligently meeting with Louvel when Sauren was away on business. She had tremendous respect for the noble rogue.

His preference for operating as a lone wolf was firmly anchored in love for his family. Everything he did, was for his wife and son, Lewis, ensuring their lives were comfortable and safe.

Lewis, now a young man, regularly wrote to his father - care of Capital Inn - and occasionally asked if the 'lady who had liked his butterfly' still had it in her possession. Louvel advised his son that indeed she did, and it was kept safely with other precious items.

From the noble rogue, Tiene learned the ways of the Shado-Pan monks. Louvel was a good teacher, although he was inclined to be silly at times. He'd made Tiene panic when she'd thought she'd seriously injured him and one time, even believed she'd killed him. When he'd jumped up, shouting 'Boo', she was furious - stamping her feet and pointing an angry finger at him for scaring her so. But he'd pulled her into a hug and eventually when she'd calmed down they'd ended up laughing about it.

He taught her about pressure points in the body which, when struck, would paralyse an opponent, not just disorientate or stun. Areas to strike were on the arms, just above the wrist and on the chest. He explained it was all about applying energy - either 'putting it in', or 'taking it out' of someone's body, using an upward or downward motion.

Some moves, he told her, worked better if executed at certain times of the day, requiring less effort in the strike than at other times.

Tiene's constant questions of "Why?" often left Louvel flustered - he did not have the answers to everything, he'd told her. It reached a point when he sensed she was about to say it he cut in quickly - "Don't ask!"

Nonetheless, she learned plenty, but something was missing. That was when Lexie came into the picture.

Louvel had no qualms in teaching the rebel some techniques as well. But when Lexie offered to be a marmot, to allow Louvel to demonstrate the effectiveness of the strikes, he was unwilling to oblige.

The girl argued Tiene needed to witness and practice 'putting the energy in, and taking it out again'. "Never do things by half measures," Lexie said. She assured Louvel it was the best way for Tiene to test the theory and - Lexie trusted Louvel not to kill her in the process. He agreed, albeit reluctantly.

Tiene almost passed out from panic when she first saw Lexie hit the ground, rigid as a board - the only things moving were her eyes. Louvel told Tiene to calm down so he could show her how to undo it, expressing time was of the essence unless she wanted to see her friend turn blue. Her friend survived, much to Tiene's relief.