[Training] when the sun goes down

At least a bruise. Alys snorted, then stuck her tongue out at Deimos. Childish? Perhaps. But perhaps a bit of levity was needed in times such as these. Still, however much the seer might joke with her friend, she knew, too, that he had a point. Thus far, nothing she'd done would have even touched a real person, and without knowing exactly what they were up against, she did want to be prepared. Just in case.

Alys took a step back to watch as Deimos shifted here and there, stalking the training dummy as though he were a predator and it was his prey. When he punched, it was precise and wounding, leaving the dummy looking a bit worse for wear. She'd hate to see what he could really do when provoked, if this was him offering a restrained lesson for her sake.

She approached the dummy again, squaring up to it and attempting to move around as Deimos had instructed, before offering a punch towards its off-kilter jawline once more.

ALYS GLASSE

Deimos

The Sword had always been a restrained individual in training – knowing full well the impact his true nature, vehemence, and incantations could contain – they were rarely unleashed upon the rest of the world. Instead, he fostered control and moderation, ensuring his knowledge was extended and his actions reserved, so no one was harmed or maimed in the process of education. Eventually, they’d have to go beyond his sagacity and methods, and into the wakes of the real world, but by then, he trusted they’d have the wherewithal, experience, and muscle memory from these repeat, rote machinations.

Alys’s childish endeavor earned her an eye roll and nothing more; he wanted to concentrate on what her efforts stoked and refined. She maneuvered, not as polished, but certainly in a tried and true attempt to become a predacious wake; snagging at the dummy’s already-off kilter jawline. It smacked and snagged, and probably would’ve more than enough to bruise, but he wasn’t about to let her off that easy.

With a grin, he upped the ante. “Now, I am going to move it as though it may attack you in return.” She’d be the one to come up a new plan, a new strategy, as his actions did exactly that. The target rotated around, its unseeing eyes focused on her, and the Air magic whirling it forward, snagging towards the Seer’s direction.

you're all bronze and bite
all venom and fistfight

Deimos's restraint was probably warranted among most people; very few could hope to match his strength and prowess in battle. Certainly Alys was not one of those individuals, seeing as how she knew hardly anything about the ins and outs of warfare. Still, she was eager to learn, if only for the sake of being able to defend herself. If she could handle her own battles, that meant that she would be less of a distraction to those she cared about, making both herself and her loved ones safer.

With her last punch still reverberating in her bones, Alys watched Deimos's grin with some trepidation. Not only a moving target, but one that would come after her? Of course you are, the Seer might have complained, but the dummy was moving towards her too quickly for words. Borne on air currents and aiming right for her, Alys stumbled back in momentary surprise before moving quickly to one side to jab at the dummy's exposed neck.

ALYS GLASSE

Deimos

Deimos held respect for anyone who yearned to grow and hasten defensive motions. It didn’t have to be for warfare, bloodshed, ruination, or devastation, but the simplistic act of being able to protect oneself - a monumental feat some still couldn’t be bothered to hasten. Isilme and Helovia ensured his own mindsight was clear in those accords and directions, and Caido, with its penchant for disastrous and chaotic maelstroms, seemed to be of similar ilk. He’d be grateful if more persisted and pursued similar goals; which was why his barracks were eternally open.

He twisted his incantations around, scrutinizing Alys’s maneuvers around the dummy. He was content to see her move, just as they’d practiced before, and the exposed neck received a well-earned jab for the notions. So he nodded, a complimentary extension, before pursuing once more, instigating a set of movements amidst Air enchantments, bolstering the effigy towards the Seer’s right side, as if to bump her off course or down to the floor.

you're all bronze and bite
all venom and fistfight

Alys was not a violent person by nature, which was, perhaps, a shame, given that she had been born into the violent world of Caido. She'd always viewed the world through a realistic perspective, in which she knew that bad things existed and were possible, but she had been fortunate to avoid them. Still, she knew better than to rely on luck forever. Darkness was coming once more to Caido, and unlike in her past, she had more to fight for now.

So she moved and struck, and was satisfied when her blow landed squarely upon the dummy's jaw. But there was no time to pause and celebrate, hardly even time for her dark eyes to flicker to Deimos, searching for approval. For the dummy was moving once more, this time aiming for her right side, as though attempting to shove her out of the way. Her instinct was to try to move to free up her right side, seeing as it was her dominant side and therefore the one she had been punching with, and so she attempted to sidestep the dummy's approach, turning to the side to try and give herself room to maneuver. Sadly, this proved more challenging than Alys had anticipated, and her next punch - aiming for the dummy's jaw once more - missed.

ALYS GLASSE

Deimos

One didn’t have to be violent to learn defensive procedures. While some of them were instinctually drawn towards the tangible threads of brutality, barbarity, and ferocity, they could also be tethered into lines of calm and compliance. Deimos included – for he wasn’t always seeking out the vehement ends; the intensity and ruthlessness stayed under cloaks and daggers much of the time. Only when his world, his people, or other ventures were provoked did he become a pitiless force of nature. So could be said for multitudes, who’d learned through desperate means what it meant to survive.

And he wouldn’t condone anyone who hadn’t been immersed into those worlds either. Perhaps, wish, above all else, that they would reach out to learn and be educated.

Alys moved again, but the dummy pursued, and so she’d have to think and mull over another possibility as the punch missed. He paused the effigy momentarily, giving her a few instances to breathe, compose herself, and start anew. “You do not have to target the same place. The jaw is certainly weakened, and perhaps broken, but it is not stopping it from coming after you.” He lifted his brows then, insinuating something else for her to carve a niche through. “Again.” The Air machinations and incantations unfurled back to life, and maneuvered the makeshift cretin over to her left, altering courses.

From there, they could practice and persist, continuing on ritual and rote until Alys simply had had enough.

{FIN}

you're all bronze and bite
all venom and fistfight