Chapter 5 - 5. The first of many sleepless nights.

After her episode, she took a break choosing to rest against the tree until it was time to go, and fen had left her alone, seeing how she seemed not herself and knowing how little valk liked to open up about things, she left her be...thankfully, the thoughts bouncing around in her head so scatter shot nd unstable a conversation would've been difficult for her. After her day ended, and she had been in bee, tossing and turning with nightmares, Valk awoke with a jolt and a deep sigh, getting up, earlier than ever, the sun hours away from rising, and walking on silent steps, prepares for her day, dressing and sneaking out on quiet feet. The breeze cool and refreshing compared to the hot feeling she had woke up to, this was preferable. 'Yea, figured i wouldn't be able to sleep so easily after that episode...some things i wish i could forget, but guess its for a good purpose, i volunteered for this anyway, so suck it up and get it in gear you're almost in the maturing stages' this is her morning motivational thought, depressing as it sounds, its still cheerier than her previous worlds self. So with that, she tends to the farm animals, and works the farm through the night, not worrying about the time or about much else, though she does pause to watch the sun rise, through hues of pink, purple and red through the sky, a beautiful image with which she enjoys thoroughly, unfortunately she had no way to capture the moment, wishing she had a camera or something to savor it.Before her father could wake, and the roosters could croak their morning alarm, She gave herself a quick bath using the balmy cold well water to prepare for her day of school, with the farm tended and house tidied, maybe her family might have some respite today, but not her, never her for now, its too soon. On her walk to through town to the small youngling school, her mind is preoccupied with thoughts, memories, and and her wants or the thoughts of potential she could bolster in this world of magic, where nearly every being, even dragons and 'angels' awaken when they reach a certain point of their life. Her day passes in a similar fashion, engrossed in her own thoughts, even her training seems almost distracted, but she is still engaged, and manages to complete her trainings for the afternoon. Her friend, seeing her lost in thought doesn't pressure her, remembering just yesterday how she had fought ghosts with a speed that would have broken her if she had been valk's foe. By the time Valk reached home and the suns warm rays are fading on her back, her memories start filtering through all of the trades, hobbies, and skills she had developed in her previous life, as if acting like a refresher course, showing her what she can do now. And as she is eating her dinner, it dawns on her, something she forgot she could do, and it would possibly be easy to earn money here, afterall anyone can be a bard, and with that, she scarfs down her meal before sprinting out of the house, ignoring her parents' calls as she enters the wood working shed, moving about the place, setting several chunks of the most beautiful and most durable pieces of wood, and she goes about tracing several patterns out, slowly, the design of a strange looking bass guitar is traced out, and as if possessed with an almost obsessive gleam in her eyes, she starts carefully carving and chipping away at the wood, working tirelessly even as her father stands in the doorway, a lamp in hand as he watches her work, his eyes tracing every movement, every action Valk makes, his expression filled with curiosity, but having raised her and understood she isn't a very talkative person, he simply provides light and watches, at least for a little while before even he too goes to bed, leaving her to her own devices. As the howls echo in the woods nearby, and beasts prowl, Valk is locked away, in her own world, the tools and focus needed to work out her designs, grounding her, and slowly pushing back the screams,the pain, the phantoms that haunt her. As the sun rises, adding light to the tiny workshop, Valk is revealed, sitting at the table a cloth soaked in a wood staining solution in hand as she gently rubs along the wood, spreading the stain evenly, sealing and water proofing the wood, her hobby in a past life, giving birth to a new instrument with which hasn't been seen in this world, at least as far as Valk has noticed from the taverns and bars in this world she hasn't heard a tune using such a design, now all it is missing is the strings. Leaving it at this, she quickly prepares for the day, her eyes though tired seem more clear and focused than the last couple of days, as if she has worked herself into shape instead of the guitar. And with a somewhat pleasant surprise, at the beginning of her daily class, a new child is introduced, a beast kin girl, her form that more akin to a black panther, her fur adorning her as black as the darkest night, the shadows would make her disappear, but the most astonishing thing is the look in her eyes, this is what catches Valk's interest, her eyes are filled with the look of a warrior evaluating each persons strength and her likelihood of winning in a fight, it is one Valk is extremely familiar with, afterwards she sees it in every one of her own reflections. A grin, almost predatory spreads across Valk's face, her eye, the odd one with a rich purple color, slowly glows, a sign she isn't normal and never will be. But it causes the beast girl to snap toward her direction and focus on Valk as she introduced herself to everyone. "I am Scarlet, but my pack calls me scar..." The beast kin girl's eyes never leave Valk, afterall, the 'aura' Valk is putting off screams at her, as if daring her to look away, like a hungry predator watching prey. And in a way, Valk is, for she just found someone just like her, a born warrior, with instincts so deeply ingrained that she found Valk instantly in the class, and like that, the two spent a day of class staring at the other, one excited, the other cautious, and a half elf who tosses glances between the two, worried that Valk may have some hostility to other races afterall. But its farthest from the truth. As soon as the class is over Valk moves, a speed the class had never seen her move to leave, like a blur of motion disappearing out of the door in the blink of an eye, and out in the yard under the largest shade tree in the yard, waiting,watching,her body tense and loose all at once, her blood racing in her ears, thankfully she wasn't left waiting long when a black blur charges straight at her, making her react, dipping low as she brings her arms up, bracing just in time to catch a downward kick, that if she had been any slower, would've done a number on her. Pushing back, Valk pushes from defensive to offensive, throwing a sharp kick of her own, making the new 'friend' to block and move, giving Valk all the room she needed to press on, throwing punches and kicks that would leave lesser foes a bloody mess already, but the beast kin matches her speed almost perfectly if not just a hair faster than Valk, but like this the two spend engaged for well over an hour, locked into a brutal spar that from an outside or ill experienced view might look like an outright fight, but the two are grinning like the beasts they are, both fierce, but neither looking to escalate the fight simply letting out every bit of power and speed they can to press each other to a new realm. The teacher that discovered her the other day is nearby under another shade tree watching intently, though he knows he cant interfere, he is more so observing, afterall its not everyday two beings of similar mind find eachother. 'This....is a sight to behold, it seems we will be seeing even more people training with the odd ones, I should let the commander know, just in case.' This is what the old Teacher thinks, before disappearing,long before the two disengage, and when they do, they are both haggard and panting, having exerted a great deal of energy for so long, its left them both exhausted, but Valk is the first to recover. And all she can find the energy to do is laugh, and laugh she does, with tears running down her face, doubled over, as she relishes the burn in her muscles, the ache and throb in her arms, legs even her sides, from having traded hundreds of blows with someone who matches her in almost every way. "That! That was fun!" Valk speaks, making her half elf friend jog over, looking worried, but the smile on Scar's face says everything but upset, and Valk laughing made her sigh in relief, afterwards its not uncommon for people to be bigotted or even outright hate other races for one reason or another, but to see these two in good company sets her at ease, unbeknownst to her the two had engaged in an age old ritual of finding friends in the thicket of violence. "I am glad you two are not angry and all, but...care to explain what happened?" Fen asked,trying her best to keep calm. "Was just really excited to make Scar's acquittance is all,I took her for one of us from the moment I saw her, and saw i might have someone I can go all out with...and I was not disappointed in the least" Valk states, her eye, still glowing, casting an odd light on Fen's face.