The rest of the conversation was a blur, consisting just of casual and polite talk to pass the time. Amadeus never felt comfortable being the 'guest-of-honor', and was always uncomfortable around authority. He was glad when the Chief excused him from the table.

Wanting to get far away from the crowd, he limped away from the campfire slowly to find a quiet spot to sit down and collect his thoughts. After many years of being a loner, he found that being around crowds drained him. Conversely, time in solitude refreshed him from the demands of daily life.

He passed several shops etched into the base of the trees selling all assortment of things. The store keepers seemed to be cleaning up their shops for the night. The sounds of jubilation and dancing grew faint as he put as much distance as he could between him and the crowds, hobbling along as quickly as he could.

He soon passed by a training range for hunters. Straw figures were bundled together and strung up on a system of moving pulleys. They juked left and right while moving gradually forwards and backwards. Their movements seemed random to mimic the erratic behavior of beasts. There was a straight counter that separated the straw figures from the trainees. They had to stand behind the counters and attempt to hit the constantly moving straw figures. Amadeus paused for a while to observe some young hunters practicing late into the night. He felt admiration for the Izenth peoples' dedication to advance and improve. A trainer was observing from the sidelines and authoritatively giving advice to the trainees.

After a moment of watching, the young trainees were dismissed. Amadeus sheepishly approached the trainer. "Do you mind if I give it a try?"

"Go right ahead Amadeus. We're done for the night but you can help yourself to the icicles on the fifth counter." He pointed towards a belt of icicles left on the counter.

"How do you know my name?"

The trainer laughed. "The whole town is talking about the commoner who helped defeat the invading Nobles. You are an inspiration to us all. I have to get back home now, but feel free to use the training range as long as you want." He slung a bag over his shoulder and departed with a wave.

Amadeus stood behind the fifth counter and held the belt of icicles in his hand. The Izenth weapons intrigued him. They felt light yet sturdy. He had seen firsthand what they could do when he defeated Waldo with an icicle. Waldo was standing still when he attacked but these were moving targets. It couldn't be so different could it?

Amadeus stretched his fingers. His hand felt better after the Aloe ointment had started taking effect but his fingers still felt stiff through the layers of bandages. He held an icicle in his hand and took aim. He focused his vision on one of the larger straw figures. This should be fun. He imagined Waldo's face on the straw figure and swung with all his might. The icicle went wide of the straw figure and fell to the ground.

"Good try."

Amadeus spun around quickly and was face-to-face with Izumi. "Uh... thanks, I think." Amadeus had not expected anyone else to be wandering around at this time of night; understandably, he was surprised - pleasantly surprised.

"You'd come closer to the target if you aim at where the target will be; not where the target is," she advised. "Like this." She picked up an icicle from the belt and immediately launched it at a target without looking twice. It hit its mark, and the straw figure swung back and forth from the impact.

Amadeus picked up another icicle from the belt with unsteady hands. He took careful aim at the straw figure and studied its path of movement. He tried to imagine where the straw figure would be a split-second from now and flung the icicle towards the imaginary target. As it weaved through the air, he tried to will the icicle to hit the target with his mind. Please, please, please... hit the target! Unfortunately, the icicle only grazed the straw figure he had hoped to hit and went off trajectory. He looked down in disappointment.

"You have to be one-step ahead to predict where it will move to. Don't look at the straw figure; look at the pulley holding it up. It's just like in real life. Don't focus on the torso; focus on the legs. The legs move before the torso even starts changing direction." Izumi offered an encouraging smile.

"Alright, let me try that again," Amadeus said with renewed motivation. He gently pulled another icicle from the belt. He focused on string and pulley system that was jerking the straw figure around the range. Left and right; front and back. I think I'm getting the hang of this. He saw a pattern in the way the pulley clicks just before it changes direction. He waited for the right moment, his entire body tense. A click whirred as the straw figure was flung around. Amadeus saw the opportunity and threw the icicle towards his target. It hit the mark, but failed to pierce it. The icicle flipped and toppled onto the ground and the straw figure swayed weakly back and forth from the impact.

"I don't think I'm going to be able to do this," commented Amadeus. He scratched the back of his head embarrassedly.

"Don't give up just yet. You're getting better. It needs more force though. Use your entire arm to get more power behind the throw. Your arm should always be in a straight line to the target at the end of the throw. Here, let me show you." Izumi picked up an icicle from the belt.

She pulled her entire arm back, arching her entire body in anticipation for the throw. Izumi was born petite like most Izenth women. However, she was athletic and well-toned from all her hours of scouting duties. Her muscles glistened under the glow of the torches as she straightened her arm and flung the icicle with full force. It pierced cleanly through the first target, and went through a second target before striking the far end of the range. She turned to Amadeus only to catch him staring at her with his mouth open. He turned away quickly.

"Um... I'll try," responded Amadeus nervously. He wished he had been more athletic. The only thing he had been good at all his life was running away. He picked up another icicle from the belt. He gripped hard on the icicle and pulled his arm back; mimicking the stance Izumi had demonstrated earlier. He held his breath and gritted his teeth, focusing on the target and trying to recall everything Izumi had taught him. He held the icicle so tightly that he hands shook. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face.

Suddenly he felt Izumi's hand gently on his. "Relax, and breathe out," she said. Amadeus gulped and let out a breath. He started to breathe slowly and eased his grip on the icicle. "Okay, now focus on the target and release when ready," she whispered before taking a step back and watching.

Amadeus' entire being was focused into the moment. His mind and body became one as he heard the pulleys whir and click, flinging the straw figure like a rag doll. His focus made everything seem to move in slow motion. His body no longer tense, he released the icicle in a single smooth motion. The icicle raced through the air and embedded itself on the targets head with a soft thud.

"Nice!" cheered Izumi with an approving smile.

Amadeus was so relieved that he actually managed to hit something, threw his hands open wide in triumph and gave Izumi a celebratory hug. She felt warm in his arms.

"Thanks, I had a good teacher!" he beamed, looking deeply into Izumi's blue eyes. They seemed to sparkle. Her cheeks started to turn scarlet. He suddenly realized he still had his arms around her. He quickly let go and took a step back, coughing nervously. It was his poor attempt at diffusing the situation.

Izumi was the first to break the awkward silence.

"Amadeus?"

He quickly turned towards her, wanting to apologize for his hasty actions but she started talking before he could. She had already put on her 'trainer' voice, brushing off what had happened only moments ago.

"It was a good throw, but your enemy will see it coming a mile away. You need to draw and release in one motion."

Amadeus nodded nervously, just glad that she didn't push away from his embrace or reprimand him for it.

"We call it a quick draw; let me show you." Izumi sheathed an icicle on her belt and stood next to Amadeus. In a single fluid motion, she drew the icicle and flung it. It was less than a second; the icicle found its way and embedded itself in the straw figure's chest. "It's less accurate, but you gain speed as well as the element of surprise."

This is going to take a few tries, thought Amadeus as he filled his entire belt with icicles. Izumi laughed as he fumbled the first few tries and almost stabbed his own foot when one of the icicles slipped out of his hand. As the night progressed, he got slightly better at it and managed to pull off one or two decent quick draws. Izumi sat close by and chatted with him as he practiced.

A bright stream of lightning cut through the night sky and the sound of thunder rolled loudly interrupting his thoughts. The rain drops made pitter patter sounds as they hit the leaves of the tree tops.

"I'm heading home. You should go back to the Healing Chambers too. You need to rest for your journey tomorrow." Izumi offered her hand and he gave her his arm.

She supported his arm as they made their way back the Healing Chambers together. The raindrops fell lightly on their heads, making streams of water along their faces. A perfect ending to a perfect day, he mused.

Author's Note: So this is a softer side to the story. Was it too obvious/cliche? Let me know. As always, vote and comment cause every little vote counts :D