![](http://cobalt-company.wdfiles.com/local--resized-images/writing:2025-09-08-white-squad-does-chores-s17-e4-white-squa/style="margin:/medium.jpg) |
| Details |
| Author: | Luridel |
| Summary: | White Squad, the morning after the welcome banquet at Tian Monastery, is put to work. Shun is always prepared for training. Estel learns about blushleaf. Gwen learns how to throw a punch. Azizia almost learns something. Ralaea decides that martial arts training is actually kind of fun. ~5.2k words. |
| Rating: | T for Teen |
Azizia joins the group, a deep frown on her face, her hair in a very lazy bun. "Hello, wh-… bl-… Squad."
"White." Shun states.
"Hm." Azizia answers.
Estel finishes up her breakfast and waves.
Gwen shuffles down to the dining area, her hat slightly askew. "Mmm…g'morning, everyone."
Azizia shields her eyes from the light of the sun and sits at one of the tables. Her frown deepens.
"G'morning." Estel rolls an orange towards each of them.
Ralaea joins the others with a nod of greeting.
Azizia takes the orange. She begins fighting with it to remove the peel.
Gwenivene gives Estel a grateful smile and starts peeling her orange. "I'm a little scared of whatever the pandaren put in their beer. I had the teeeeeniest, tiniest sip, just to taste…and I still feel a little wobbly."
Shun blinks at this, "…Duly noted."
"Milk is better anyway," Ralaea says.
"Yes, beer is very strong here," Azizia says, her orange slightly crushed in her hands.
Shun adds, "Or just tea."
Gwen nods. "Milk. Tea. Yes, I think I'll stick to those from now on."
Estel picks crumbs off her plate and eats them. "I'm with Rae. Tea is flavored water, milk has more texture."
Shun grunts.
"We have no mission for today, yes?" Azizia asks, her hands full of orange juice.
"Well…we have our continuing mission," Gwen explains. "To learn more about pandaren ways, and that means our training begins."
"Let me guess, it starts by having us run another ten thousand stairs," Ralaea says.
Gwen laughs dryly. "Probably. So, everyone eat up. I have a feeling we'll need our energy."
Estel looks at Azizia's orange in faint dismay.
Shun grunts and finishes his bowl of congee.
Azizia rolls her eyes and throws her head back. "We should never go to feast with pandaren again if we have mission next day."
Gwen noms a few slices of orange, then wraps up the remainder and tucks it away.
"Uh, do you need help with that?" Estel asks Azizia.
Shun goes to put his empty bowl away, then lightly rolls his shoulders.
"It's okay," Azizia answers. There's not much orange left to save anyway. "Have you found bread? I need maybe more consistent for stairs."
Gwen stands and stretches, and fixes the orientation of her hat. "Ready to learn, White Squad?"
"I am always prepared for training," Shun nods.
Estel fetches Azizia some buns to eat from the leftovers.
Azizia looks at Gwen very unenthusiastically at the idea of learning. She has bags under her eyes.
Gwen smiles brightly at Shun. "That's the spirit!"
"I hope it's new stuff," Ralaea says.
"Thank you," Azizia takes the buns and places them in her bag.
Estel wipes her hands on her pants. "Okay! Who's our teacher?"
"Someone quiet, I hope," Azizia rubs her eyes.
"Let's go find out!" Gwen strides forward.
Ralaea glances out over the tables. "The biggest one maybe?"
An enormous pandaren youth seated at one of the tables with five bowls of rice in front of him glances sidelong at the group. "The foreigners. I see you survived the banquet? That’s your first trial completed."
"Hmm?" Gwen pauses when the big pandaren addresses them.
[Xiao, the Enormous Pandaren]: "I should tell you we don’t have a lot of rules here, but the first one to remember is: If you want to eat, you have to work." The youth’s stomach grumbles loudly and he picks up one of his bowls of rice.
"Do people die at the banquet?" Estel asks.
Xiao chuckles. "Only in spirit." He eyes Azizia. "She looks like her spirit is teetering out of balance."
Estel flicks a hand and sends a renewing heal into Azizia. She can't cure poison, but it might help with a headache.
"Do we still get to continue if one of us fails the tests?" Ralaea asks, raising her hand.
"You do not know spirit of mine," Azizia says. "I am very fine."
Xiao shrugs. "That is not up to me. Groundskeeper Wu is waiting for you in the market, to the west. He’ll give you your chores for the day." He turns his attention to his rice.
"Curious what these chores may be…" Shun murmurs.
"Training chores?" Ralaea suggests.
"Probably, but that still has a lot of variety," Shun replies.
Gwen gives Shun a shrug. "Let's not keep Groundskeeper Wu waiting. The market…I think we passed through it when we first arrived?"
Estel bounces on her heels. "Washing dishes, maybe. Although if it's the groundskeeper… maybe sweeping."
Azizia takes out bread from her bag and starts eating. "Hm? Punch until all dust is gone?"
"Sweeping… the cobblestones?" Ralaea asks, wrinkling her nose. "Who sweeps the outdoors?"
"People who don't want to step on soggy leaves when they're training? Look, it was just a guess." Estel shrugs.
Estel cups her hands to her mouth and calls, "Groundskeeper Wu?"
Gwen mumbles, "Groundskeeper Wuuuu…where are yooou….?"
Shun looks up and around.
"I see someone on the ridge," Shun squints.
Ralaea glances warily at the tall peaks around them, as if they might fall down.
Gwen looks up, following Shun's gaze. "Oh! I think that's him!"
Estel sighs and climbs up some more stairs.
Azizia sighs at the stairs as well.
Wu waits on a terrace overlooking a little market square. He surveys White Squad as they approach, and addresses them sharply. "The foreigners. The High Elder’s new favorites. Yes, I remember you from the banquet."
"Good morning," Estel says, smiling at him. "We're here to do chores!"
Gwen blushes a little. "We're his favorites? Jeepers."
Wu gives Estel an appraising look, then nods. "I heard that you are staying to study. Do not expect any special treatment from me. You’ll be working just as hard as the greenest pandaren trainee here." Wu gives them a severe frown.
Azizia frowns back.
"I expect nothing less," Shun states.
"I didn't think pandaren came in green," Ralaea says.
"First things first," Wu says. "A proper trainee needs a proper weapon. And a scrupulous trainee builds his own… or at least gathers the materials. The switches which grow nearby should suffice for a respectable weapon. You’ll also need to purchase black walnut extract to treat the wood, and some ale for… well. You know what the ale is for." Wu eyes them. "Go on."
Shun raises his brow, glancing down at his blades for a moment, then shrugs.
"What is the ale for…?" Ralaea whispers.
"What is ale for?" Azizia says, a certain worry in her voice.
"Not for me to drink," Gwen says, with much of the same worry.
"Let's go find what he needs," Gwen says, counting off on her fingers. "Switches, black walnut extract, and ale."
Shun wanders off to go grab some branches he sees nearby.
"Oh, good eye, Shun!" Gwen praises.
Ralaea wanders in a different direction, to claim her own.
"I'll go buy the extract," Estel says, heading for the market.
"I am not buying ale," Azizia shakes her head. "I will let you all handle this part."
Azizia picks up a few sticks from behind some kind of stall, in the marketplace of the temple.
Yao the Collector yells at Azizia, "Hey…HEY! What are you doing? You're stealing my inventory aren't you? Don't make me stand up!"
Shun turns as he hears shouting.
Yao the Collector frowns. "I'll do it, I swear! I'm about to stand up! ….Here I go!"
Estel, holding a bottle of walnut extract, glances at the pandaren who is still sitting down.
Ralaea watches to see if he does, in fact, stand up.
Yao the Collector does not stand up.
Azizia deadpans him. "You are not doing anything, except lowering voice of yours." She puts back the switches. "I did not mean to steal."
Yao the Collector harumphs. "You are very lucky. I almost stood up."
"I don't think he was going to stand up," Ralaea says.
Gwenivene stifles a giggle.
Shun slowly shakes his head, then heads up the stairs with his switch bundle.
"Do we have everything we need? Switches? Extract? Ale?"
"'Almost' means 'failed to'," Azizia crosses her arms. "If this is training of pandaren of temple here, I fear I will almost learn something." She turns around and goes back to her group.
"I'd still like to know what the ale is for…" Ralaea mutters.
"Extract, check. I can also buy the ale, I guess," Estel says. "Meet you up there."
Estel climbs up the stairs carefully, holding multiple mugs of ale and trying not to spill anything.
Ralaea goes to help. "You got it?"
Azizia stands as far away as possible from Estel and the mugs. She will not go anywhere near the smell.
"If I try to pass you any I will definitely drop one," Estel says, and grins at Rae. "I got it. Thanks."
"Groundskeeper Wu?" Gwen offers a little bow. "We have what you asked for."
Wu stands with his arms folded, waiting expectantly. He surveys the materials White Squad has brought. "Well, then," he says with grudging approval. "I will have weapons prepared for you by the end of your training. Now, on to the real work."
Estel sets the mugs on the ground in front of Groundskeeper Wu. And then the extract.
"The black walnut extract you purchased from Miss Whiteblossom is but one of many extracts we keep in stock for various purposes. Blushleaf extract can be gathered from the flowers in the Waxwood Forest to the west. Several measures can be extracted from one flower, but only those with calm nerves and steady hands can remove all of the extract from one flower," Wu says. "Let us see how you do."
Azizia looks at Estel. She has the steady hands required, and Azizia does not. She struggled with an orange peel.
Shun slowly nods. That sounds simple enough.
"I'm an alchemist," Estel says.
"Blushleaf," Ralaea repeats. "I bet Colson would be great at this, speaking of calm and steady."
Wu grunts and nods at Estel.
"While you are in the forest — the greenwood sprites pose no direct threat to us, but their numbers have increased of late, as have their wily antics. Part of our duty as wardens of the forest is to maintain its balance. Your duty is to do so by returning these sprites to the earth." The Groundskeeper looks them over.
"Oh, for sure." Estel nods to Rae. "Maybe I'll mail him a flower or two for fun."
"Oh. Good," Shun says, a little flatly.
"And some of our trainees have… larger than normal appetites. We have occasionally had difficulty supplying enough food for all of them. In times like these, we have to ask for help. A kindly older woman, who lives in a small house to the northwest, has agreed to make some stew for the trainees. All you need to do is go and get it." Wu smiles broadly.
Estel gives Groundskeeper Wu a thumbs-up.
Azizia narrows her eyes. There's a catch and she doesn't know what it is yet.
"Sounds easy enough," Gwen says…to a knowing smirk from Wu. "Shall we?"
"Which way is northwest?" Estel asks.
Shun turns around a few times to get his bearings.
"This way!" Gwen heads off eagerly.
"How… much stew are we talking?" Ralaea asks. "I've seen some of those pandaren eat, and…"
"Probably all of it," Shun grunts.
"Probably a lot," Estel says. "It'll probably be crazy heavy."
"Oh," Gwen mutters, "Maybe it won't be so easy."
"Maybe we can replace this pond with stew and call it good," Ralaea says.
Estel snort-laughs.
"And what is catch about stew?" Azizia narrows her eyes again. "Dragon with stew of fallen fruits in pit? Or elementals witch with steam and vegetables inside?"
Shun deadpans, "Maybe it explodes if dropped."
An armored pandaren youth stands gazing uneasily at the forest ahead. He startles at White Squad’s approach. "Oh! Oh. The foreigners. Are you — going into the Waxwood?"
[Shun]: "Eh?"
"Yep!" Estel grins at him. "Morning chores."
"I am Shan Long," the pandaren tells them. "Before I came to Tian Monastery, I was a stranger to battle. During my time as a trainee, I performed adequately, but I was never placed in any real danger. Now, as a graduate and a wage-earning guard, I am called upon to protect this perimeter at all costs. I can handle the greenwood sprites, but the tigers in the western Waxwood are a different matter. Would you mind taking care of them for me?"
"You mean killing them," Ralaea says. "Right? Not feeding them stew to lure them off?"
"Stew? Shan Long suddenly looks hungry. "No…I mean, yes. Killing them. We must cull their numbers to keep the Waxwood safe."
"Why don't you come with us?" Estel offers. "You can get some experience. I'm a healer." She places Shan Long in a safety bubble to demonstrate.
Shun slowly shakes his head to himself but keeps silent.
"Ah, you are very kind." Shan Long bows to Estel. "But, as I said…I was adequate in my training."
Azizia sighs loudly.
"Yeah okay, we'll kill your tigers," Ralaea says.
Shan Long bows to them gratefully. "Thank you, friends."
Estel shrugs and gives him a thumbs-up.
"He reminds me of old me," Azizia shakes her head. "Oh, I am too weak, I cannot do this, do not give me responsibility, I cannot bear weight of responsibility."
Shun grumbles as they move on, "I just hope he is not the average representation of those who graduate from their studies here."
"Maybe it's another test," Ralaea says. "Imagine a guard who couldn't do their duty properly. I don't buy it."
"Oh." Estel snaps her fingers. "It could be another test, yeah. Because otherwise, uh, we'd just be doing somebody's job for them and they'd get paid for our work."
"At least he has a realistic sense of his abilities. Maybe he'll gain more confidence in time." Gwen shrugs.
"A shopkeeper that cannot keep his shop, a guard who cannot do his duty, maybe we're about to meet masters who cannot teach properly," Azizia shrugs.
Gwen clears her throat. "I think we should try to be respectful. Even when not in our hosts' presence."
Shun grunts.
Someone at Blizzard does not understand how extracting oil from flowers actually works, so it's time to suspend your disbelief.
As Estel works with the blushleaf, she finds it is leaving deep blood-red stains on her gloves.
"Is this why they call it blushleaf?" Ralaea asks, noticing the staining.
"I think you might be right about that," Gwen says.
"Yeah," Estel says. "I was thinkin' of mailing a flower to Cole for him to see, but now I'm thinking that he'd open up a bright red envelope."
[Shun]: "Most likely."
Gwen snickers.
"I would not," Azizia shakes her head.
"Maybe he'd think someone was murdered," Ralaea says.
"Not the right sort of red for that," Shun notes.
"At least he will know it is not Draenei blood," Azizia stares at them blankly.
"Maybe he'd think someone was trying to make him think someone was murdered, but was bad at it," Raleaea says.
"I'm still putting together a bundle for Niris," Estel says. "Mostly it's a bunch of rain poppies at this point."
Gwen points. "Oh look! That must be the old woman's cottage."
Azizia squints. She must make sure this is a regular old woman living there and not a fire-breathing creature.
At the little hut at the end of the path, an elderly pandaren woman sits outside on a bench. She smiles at White Squad’s arrival. "Ah, did my son send you? There is plenty of stew to go around! Please help yourselves."
Wu didn't tell anybody that the 'old lady' was his mother.
"Yep! Thank you," Estel says cheerfully.
Ralaea stares at the giant… oven cauldrons?
Shun stares at the large cluster of cauldrons in the building.
Azizia stares at her. She will find the catch. She will find it. This nice old woman is suspicious and she will find how.
"Um…are there bowls? Or…?" Gwen nibbles her lip.
The old woman just smiles. "No bowls."
Shun tilts his head.
The cauldrons are comically large, heavier than any normal human should be able to lift without the aid of magic.
It seems the only way to move the stew is to drag the cauldrons by a rope tied to each one. There's the catch, Azizia.
"How are we to take one…?" Shun asks cautiously.
"Okay," Estel says. "Time for enhancement potions, I guess."
Azizia takes the potion and ties herself to a cauldron. She keeps glaring at Mother Wu. She will find something suspicious about her.
Several sprites run up, attracted to the smell of the stew. "Smell good! MINE! I want to eat it!"
"Oh good, now we're going to get ambushed the entire way too," Ralaea says.
Shun grunts and throws a dagger at them.
Gwen puts one of the sprites down with an arcane blast. "I guess this is the test."
Estel passes a yellow vial of elixir to each person. There's blushleaf-red smudges on the vials.
"Up. Hill. Too," Shun grunts.
Estel drinks her own potion and starts dragging the cauldron by the rope. Slowly.
"Did you see? She was suspicious," Azizia says. "She was wearing purple, green and orange. This is unacceptable outfit."
"Uphill both ways in the snow…" Ralaea mumbles breathily.
Gwenivene mouths 'thank you' and takes the potion. There was little hope she'd be able to move her cauldron without it.
After a bit, Estel moves around behind her cauldron and pushes it, leaving two messy blushleaf-red handprints on the back of the cauldron. This is fine.
To make matters worse, it starts to storm.
"And now… it's raining," Ralaea says looking up. "Think they planned the weather too?"
"I think you give them much more planning abilities than they have," Azizia shakes her head.
Shun grunts as he reaches Shan Long, "We took care of your bloody tigers."
"Thank you," says Shan Long with relief. "A thousand times, thank you."
"They weren't that bloody before we started," Ralaea adds.
Estel grunts as she pushes her cauldron past him.
The cauldrons just barely fit through the gateway. At least each one has a lid. Rain isn't getting in the stew.
"Wait," Ralaea says. "We're going to have to get these…up the stairs, aren't we?"
Gwen makes a withering sound.
"The cauldron pulling seems easy peasy lemon squeezy for Azizia. "They will handle stairs by themselves. Pandaren, not cauldrons."
Azizia's face drops when she sees a very round bridge they have to cross. "Wait!"
Estel stops and looks hopefully at her. "Water spirits?"
[Azizia]: "Let's just cross water," she says, calling for the river spirit to allow them to pass.
Gwen grunts as she tries to tug her cauldron up the steep bridge.
"You're the best," Estel says. "Gwen, Azizia's got us."
"Oh…oh that's a lovely idea." Gwen says.
[Gwenivene]: "I don't suppose you know any staircase spirits."
"Still not sure how to get these up stairs. Unless… Can you levitate, Estel…?"
[Azizia]: "… Maybe we can levitate again?" She turns to Estel.
"I can levitate us, but not the cauldrons," Estel says. "Why don't we take 'em one at a time?"
"Be nice if they had handles," Ralaea says.
Gwenivene nods. "Yeah. Cooperation is a valuable skill, right?"
Estel nods, shaking out her hands. "Okay, who's struggling the least? It ain't me."
Azizia looks at her hands. "Me, but I feel effect of potion going down. Let us hurry."
[Azizia]: "Draenei metabolism is too powerful," she says, in a tone that shows that it is a blessing and a curse, to be a draenei.
Estel nods and moves to support Azizia with her cauldron.
Gwen nods firmly. "Everyone get a grip on Azizia's rope."
Shun nods as he goes to assist.
Ralaea steps in to help.
Azizia pulls the cauldron with their help. They can do this! They walk up the stairs!
Estel pushes the back of the cauldron, making sure the lid doesn't fall off with each step.
One by one, White Squad hauls each of the five cauldrons up the stairs. It is a long and grueling task.
Azizia's help is growing weaker with every cauldron. The potion's effect wears off, and she instead uses the earth to create little steps behind her hooves so she can push the cauldrons properly, no matter where she's standing.
There are now blushleaf handprints on EVERY cauldron. Hopefully that'll wash out. Right?
Groundskeeper Wu is waiting with bright-eyed expectation. "Ah, my friends," he says, and rubs his hands together. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you. Supervising is hungry work! I will distribute the stew to our trainees. After setting aside a portion for myself, of course."
Shun lowly grunts as he rubs his arms.
Estel grunts. All of the cheer she had earlier this morning is fully gone.
Gwenivene smiles, trying to look enthusiastic through her sore everything.
"You may place your blushleaf extract there by the crates. Be sure to wash your hands. Blushleaf can stain forever." Wu grins at them.
Estel sets the jar down, then removes her gloves and lays them out in the rain.
"Maybe you should not wash hands, Estel? To show how hard working you have been for pandarens," Azizia crosses her arms.
"Nope, don't care," Estel says. She uses a cloth and a small spray bottle of soap to wipe at the cauldrons.
"You have done a satisfactory job," Wu says. "I will report as much to the High Elder. And now that you have warmed up, you are ready to begin the day. I imagine Instructor Xann is wondering where you are right about now. You’d better hurry!"
"Satisfactory?" Azizia grumbles.
"Ah, so that was the… ten thousand stairs part," Ralaea says.
Shun just huffs at that.
"Begin the day…" Gwen echoes. "Um…where do we find Instructor Xann?"
Wu points to the southwest. "At the Ring of Balance."
"Sounds ominous," Ralaea says.
"Ring better have beautiful stones. Preferably gold," Azizia looks southwest.
Estel grunts again. Satisfied that the cauldrons are no longer stamped, she puts her things away.
Gwen takes a deep breath to try to bolster herself. "Alright, we can do this. We're Cobalt Company, after all!"
Estel gives everybody a tired thumbs-up and refreshes her blessing of [Fortitude].
Gwen points down the hill. "I think that must be it?"
"Maybe we could offer massages too?" Azizia says. "Massages and chores from Cobalt Company."
"Gwen?" Estel asks hopefully, pointing straight down.
"Please let us fly down and not walk down," Azizia stares at Gwen.
"Oh, yeah, I see pandaren down there," Ralaea says.
Gwen looks back at Wu, who's attention is on his stew. She quickly casts slow falling spells on everyone.
"Wait no, someone go check if it is place first," Azizia bites her lip.
Estel steps off the cliff and lands in the brush. Branches snap.
Estel brushes herself off. She looks wet and tired.
Azizia sees that they're all gone already. She sighs and follows them.
Shun watches the Pandaren practicing drills as they go past.
"Just a few more steps…" Gwen leads them up to the instructor.
The stern pandaren instructor stands on the terrace overlooking precise rows of pupils drilling below. He turns to survey White Squad’s approach. "Ah. The foreigners. So you linger at the banquet tables until all hours and then come late to practice, do you? It seems you are already adjusting to pandaren culture."
Shun narrows his eyes.
Ralaea opens her mouth, then frowns and closes it. Was that… a compliment?
Estel stares at him flatly and grunts.
Gwen pinches her lips to stifle a giggle.
Azizia glares. "We had to help very helpful guard and groundskeeper. We also had to help tanukis find places to sleep."
Instructor Xann looks the group over, then points to the lines of trainees below. "Perfection can be achieved through repetition. Every single one of those students will eventually perfect his or her form… assuming they don’t give up first. This is a fact. I encourage you to join them. As honorary guests of the monastery, you are not required to perform the requisite ten thousand daily strikes. Simply follow the leader’s example for a few minutes."
"… Only for a few minutes?" Shun almost sounds disappointed.
Estel smiles softly for the first time since the rain started.
"We can come back, I imagine," Ralaea says. "Right?"
"Yeah," Estel says to Rae. "For sure."
Azizia looks at the ranks and goes to stand behind someone. We'll see what this training is about.
Estel takes her place and follows along as best as she can.
Shun keeps up. He's fully dialed in.
Ralaea does especially well at the growling part.
Azizia keeps up as well. She's not very enthusiastic, and her growls are very, very soft. She's not about to growl for nothing like that.
Gwen…kinda flails? But she flails in unison with the pandaren students.
Estel literally cannot see the instructor from her place in the back rank, so she's following along a beat behind the other students, watching them instead. This turns into watching Shun instead after about thirty seconds.
After a few minutes, Gwen steps back. "I think Instructor Xann is beckoning us up again." She grins at Shun. "Star student, here!"
"Oh," Estel says, and shakes her wrists out.
Shun grunts.
Azizia walks up the stairs blankly.
"That was actually kind of fun," Ralaea says.
Instructor Xann is smiling broadly. "This isn’t your first time fighting, is it, friends? Your form may not be perfect, but some of you are certainly practiced." He bows.
Ralaea nods along with this assessment.
Gwen returns the bow. She's getting better at it.
Shun tries not to appear dismayed at his form not being perfect.
"Definitely not our first time fighting," Estel agrees.
Azizia scoffs at the idea that her form wasn't perfect.
"Your next test also involves concentration and attention. I want you to practice your abilities on the training bags in the pit below. The bags are hung in groups of two. When I call out ‘left,’ attack the bag on the left. When I call out ‘right,’ attack the bag on the right. If you fail to attend to my simple directions, this task will become much harder."
"Got it," Estel says, nodding to Xann.
Estel punches some punching bags according to the instructor's instructions.
Gwen repeatedly hurts her hands punching the bags. "Ow…ow…ow…"
Shun keeps focus as he strikes according to the instructions.
Ralaea is very enthusiastic about attacking the punching bags.
Azizia fights only one punching bag, completely forgetting the instructions. She has a lot of pent-up anger and she's evacuating it now.
"Gwen, hang on," Estel says, and comes over to her. "You want your thumb on the outside of the fist, always."
Gwen blinks, looking down at her very awkwardly held fists. "Oh…" She blushes deeply.
"Good way to break your thumbs otherwise," Shun nods.
"Have you never had to punch someone?" Ralaea asks, awed.
Gwenivene grimaces at Shun's words, then shakes her head to Rae. "No, never."
Azizia covers her hand with rocks and punches directly at the wooden part instead of the punching bag, breaking it.
Estel takes the time to show Gwen how to throw a punch, waiting until she seems to have it down before returning to her bag. She does put a fresh pair of gloves on, though.
Gwen punches less painfully, but the bags still barely move when she hits them.
"My father taught me how to punch. Not… the Admiral, but, the other one," Ralaea says. "Sometimes you run into someone who deserves a good punch. This'll be useful, then."
Gwen speaks between punching bags. "First time I ever…got in a fight…I was already a studied mage. Didn't…really need to punch!"
Estel glances over at Azizia at the sound of wood snapping and winces.
Up on the terrace, Xann palms his face after Azizia breaks the post.
"Well, if you get mad… like really mad? It can help to do the punching yourself," Ralaea says.
Azizia watches the two training bags on the floor, dusts her hands from the rocks by slapping them gently and joins with the others. "I have defeated both training bags of mine. They are defeated and on floor."
"…" Shun furrows his brow.
"I have a feeling they're gonna make you replace that," Estel mutters.
"You think so?" Gwen chews on her lip, considering it. "I guess it's a good thing I'm learning to punch! Though…I still don't really want to punch anyone."
"Well it will just be one more chore on list," Azizia shrugs. "It will be satisfactory job, with imperfect form."
"I guess we know what chores we'll get tomorrow, then," Ralaea says, eyeing the downed punching bags.
Estel pushes her wet hair out of her face and looks towards the instructor.
Xann lifts a hand and makes a beckoning gesture when Estel looks up at him.
"Think he wants us back," Estel says, and trudges over.
"Very good," Instructor Xann approves. "You may not be full-time trainees here, but I promise you the skills you study with us will prove valuable to you."
"Mhm," Azizia says absentmindedly.
[Instructor Xann]: "You have made a good start in the training here. I dismiss you for now. Feel free to continue exploring the monastery… or, perhaps, to practice what you have studied here. Only through practice do we attain perfection."
The old pandaren’s eyes twinkle as he bows again.
Shun nods, then gives a light bow.
Gwen smiles at the pandaren's praise, bowing. "Thank you, Instructor. We'll do our best to honor your traditions."
Estel looks relieved that Azizia is not in trouble, and she bows as well. "Thanks."
Azizia sighs. "I am going to inn, there is lot of shouting here." Azizia turns to Gwen. "Are we dismissed by you too?"
"Oh…right!" Gwen nods. "Dismissed, squad! Fantastic work today. I'm very proud of all of you."
"Cheers," Estel says, and smiles at Gwen. "If anyone feels like they've broken any bones, tell me immediately."
"I'll probably see what else needs done after a short break," Ralaea says. "If you don't work, you don't eat, after all."
Gwen looks down at her hands. "Um…maybe if you have an ointment or something for my thumbs?"
"Mhm," Azizia starts marching off. "Very proud of very imperfect work, maybe standards have lowered in Pandaria." She tries to make her little jab sound cool by leaving but she stops in front of the nearby stairs and sighs. She… Very slowly leaves.
Estel reaches out for Gwen's hands, and then just heals her thumbs very selectively.
Gwen watches Estel's magic with a look of awe. "Oh wow, thank you. That feels so much better!"
Estel smiles at her. "No problem. You can rest if you're tired. I know they're tryin' to push everybody at the same pace, but we aren't all the same, and that's just a fact."
"Too true," Gwen agrees. "I think a little rest is a good idea. I'll see you soon!"
"Later, later!" Estel waves and heads off for lunch.