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carved chances - Deimos - 09-02-2024
If it was to be a season of reflection and growth, the Sword wasn’t going to wallow or sink. As tempting as it might’ve been to simply succumb to the apprehension filling his bones, it wouldn’t have done him, his family, or his citizens any good. So with ease and contentment, he slid into the familiar wake of the Barracks and listened as the world came alive – clanging metal, rushing feet, parallels of learning and instruction rampaging through protective thresholds and easygoing jibes.
They echoed even as he stared down the armory; easily swayed by things he readily understood. Enticed by the allure of blades and staffs, bows and axes; attachments to thresholds with long ranges and more opportunity to unfurl, unravel, from a distance. But if he often encouraged his constituents to reach out of their comfort zone, then he needed to do the same, and not dwell amidst the nuances of complacency.
Eyes narrowing, he snagged at a pair of knives, and then went to the nearest target, testing the shortened expanse upon the stuffed figure.
RE: carved chances - Elizabeth - 09-02-2024
Stepping into the bustling barracks, Elizabeth almost had trouble thinking. The overlay of ringing and clashing and talking and wind was a cacophony in her mind, making her eyes lose their focus as she crept around the edge, looking for a secluded section that might provide her some space to practice. She pulled her fur-lined cloak tighter around her with a shiver. Even the Longheat in Halo was cold, compounding with the supernatural chill that still settled in her bones. Hopefully the physical activity would provide some relief.
When she finally spotted the targets, a sigh escaped her, especially as she saw a familiar face. Smiling, Elizabeth approached Deimos, sure to stay visible to keep from startling him (not that she thought it was possible). Trying to keep from shouting, but enable to hear herself, she said, [say]"Hey, Deimos! Mind if I join you?!"[/say]
RE: carved chances - Deimos - 09-02-2024
He’d seen her sidling along the barracks out of the corner of his eye. But in between making broad slashes and adjusting the way he held the knives, he’d let her be – some often came in simply to train and practice on their own, without the scruples and analytics of his instruction and supervision, or the good-natured ribbing of the fellow soldiers. Unless they were being dangerous and ridiculous, the Sword permitted mostly anyone to occupy the space; that’s why it’d been built.
However, as she loudly announced her presence, he quirked a brow, ceasing the motions to step back and address her properly. [say]“Elizabeth,”[/say] came with a nod of his head. [say]“If you want – are you accustomed to using knives?”[/say] From what he recalled during previous conversations, the sharpened proportions hadn’t come up; but then again, she could’ve churned towards them in the seasons she’d been amidst Halo.
RE: carved chances - Elizabeth - 09-02-2024
Noticing the grimace, Elizabeth tried to decrease her volume, even as she had difficulty hearing Deimos through the ringing. However, she got the gist of his words enough to answer. [say]"Not really. I've held one once or twice, but that's about it."[/say] She glanced down at the weapons, considering the lack of experience with weapons overall. The staff was the only one she had semblance of skill with, but even that was mediocre at best. Knives? Even less.
Picking up one of the knives placed at the station, she let her hand wrap around the handle. It felt cold and solid, very different from the pliable warmth of the staff. It was heavier than she would have anticipated and she wondered how people managed to throw them with such distance and accuracies. Looking to Deimos, she gave him a sheepish smile, knowing that she probably held the knife like a dainty lady with a hammer. Completely out of her comfort zone. But how else was she supposed to grow?
RE: carved chances - Deimos - 09-02-2024
To be fair to Elizabeth, the hammer grip was the easiest to pick up by novices. Amused, he raised his own hand, maneuvering his fingers to demonstrate along the hilt of his own knife. “Close enough on the hold,” so he’d give her the benefit of the doubt on natural notions. [say]“That is the simplest way to use it, and will give you suitable control and force.”[/say] Thereafter, he moved back towards the target, showing a few motions that slashed at the air around it, rather than deeply embedding the knife into the effigy; not yet anyway.
Pausing, his eyes narrowed, pondering over circumstances and any whys into Elizabeth’s criteria. [say]“Did you plan on learning for defense? Throwing?”[/say] Or simply because it was an opportunity to try something new? Was she planning on utilizing them for attacks and assaults? Either way he’d understand, but it would also strategize and alter the lessons while honing his own skills.
RE: carved chances - Elizabeth - 09-02-2024
Watching Deimos's movements closely, she began to move her body in a similar manner, letting her arm come down in slashes that brushed against the target. It didn't feel natural, but it also wasn't uncomfortable. Until her cloak fell off a shoulder and she had to pause to pull it up, trying to not shake to bad against the chill.
Elizabeth concentrated on the Warden's words, filtering out the ringing to understand their meaning. Her face may have scrunched a little as she did so, however, when she finally knew how to answer, she let the expression switch to one of consideration. [say]"I'm not sure. I just want to be able to defend myself in different situations."[/say] Tilting her head his way, she asked, [say]"What would you recommend?"[/say]
RE: carved chances - Deimos - 09-03-2024
[say]“I would always recommend self-defense.”[/say] Regardless of who the person was – his experiences across multiple lifetimes would eternally hone towards protection, shelter, and sanctity – for people and places. He watched her for a moment though, eyes narrowing as she seemed to be shaking, and it didn’t seem to be from a lack of confidence. Taking a second more, he unfurled further dominion over the brazier closest to them, so hopefully she wouldn’t be continually impacted by the chill.
Saying nothing about that, and instead honing his focus upon instruction, he kept another notion in the back of his mind for later testing purposes. Stepping towards the target, he opted for demonstrations first. [say]“Using a knife requires precise movements and careful aim, and there are four areas on a human’s body that would be most effective targets: the arms, groin, thighs, and neck.”[/say] He slashed over the air along the effigy in front of them, showing quick movements and motions along the specific areas; and then slowed them down so she could see the precision and technique. Stepping back, he nodded towards her, an invitation to try. [say]“Pick a spot to start,”[/say] gesturing towards the aforementioned dummy.
RE: carved chances - Elizabeth - 09-04-2024
Them seemed to agree on the importance of self-defense, and Elizabeth made sure to show Deimos a determined expression that portrayed how seriously she was taking the training. This wasn't just for fun. It could mean the difference of whether she lived or died.
Her eyes scanned each shift of his limbs, analyzing the way each strike was angled and how it correlated with the rest of his actions. Arms, groin, thighs, neck. Repeating the locations in her mind, she nodded before looking closely at the target before her. She didn't think the neck would always be an option for her, and arms seemed risky, what with all their movements. So Elizabeth settled on the groin, aiming for the femoral artery as she swiped her knife over the dummy. The blade slashed over the right spot, but it didn't go very deep, and she found herself too close to maneuver properly after the attack. She stood awkwardly next to the figure, puzzling over what she could or should have done differently and pulling her cloak even tighter around her as she thought.
RE: carved chances - Deimos - 09-04-2024
Brow arched, he watched as the silent scrutinizer over miniscule or momentous movements. Swiping at the femoral artery was the right idea; they’d bleed until they simply couldn’t anymore, but there were some intervals and exchanges to make the whole motion better. [say]“A good plan,”[/say] he noted, intending to grant her the strengthened areas. [say]“But, as you can see, you may only irritate them with this kind of slash,”[/say] indicative on the dummy, where the stuffing barely fluffed. [say]“And from here, they can still go after you.” [/say]
Pausing, he allowed her to step back, so he could demonstrate again. Manuevering forward, for he needed practice in these skills as well, he gave into the close proximity but intended for precision, rather than random hacking. [say]“Try with more power and speed. You want to hit, then get away.”[/say] Because while knives could work defensively, they’d never be able to equal or rival the conditions of a sword or a staff. Thereafter, he lingered off to the side, granting her access to the effigy once more – who was now sporting a critical injury to his leg.
RE: carved chances - Elizabeth - 09-05-2024
Nodding at his distant recommendations, Elizabeth watched his demonstration again. Obviously she'd been too gentle in her attack. When compared with Deimos's slash, hers looked laughable. It probably wouldn't have done more than piss off her target. As the Warden said, she needed more power and speed.
The next time she stepped forward, she lunged forward quickly, shoving her weight behind the strike before spinning away to the side. Her knife twisted, tearing the fabric where the artery would be. She ended up behind the dummy, glancing to Deimos with uncertainty. [Say]"Like that?"[/say]
RE: carved chances - Deimos - 09-06-2024
A dash and a twist; gleaning far deeper into the effigy’s makeshift leg. This application yielded exceeding results – the stuffing flinging and spilling outward. [say]“Better.”[/say] He gave a firm nod and a slight smile at her approach, pleased with the performance; she’d know where to press and how far – on an immobile target. [say]“I am going to move this now, slowly. I want you to find another area to hit. You should know how to try on someone coming at you.”[/say] After all; how many times would someone simply stand there and permit themselves to be maimed?
As promised, he began utilizing his Air incantations towards the mage – sluggish at first, arms swinging, stuffing still falling out of its ‘artery’, legs shuffling along, as if it were merely someone sauntering down the street, scoping out potential victims.
RE: carved chances - Elizabeth - 09-08-2024
The compliment was one thing that didn't get swallowed by the ringing, eliciting a smile from Elizabeth. It would take time, but she felt confident that, with help, she might actually be able to defend herself. However, when Deimos suggested making the target move, she immediately lost all confidence. The languid shifting of its limbs wasn't threatening, if anything, it was humorous, yet the way each possible vulnerability shifted with the movements had her eyes narrowing.
Elizabeth tightened her grasp on the knife, analyzing the sights. Arms, groin, thighs, neck. She repeated the advice over again in her head. A mantra to focus her thoughts. It didn't prove very helpful as she continued to stare at the figure, uncertain how to approach, but it didn't seem she had to as it made its way closer with each second. She had to make a choice.
Finally taking the initiative, she ran forward, slashing the blade across the dummy's throat. It was difficult to reach from her angle, but she tried to use the spinning of her body to add force again, hoping it would be enough to do something. During the attack, she kept her body moving, attempting to make herself a difficult target for a counterattack.
RE: carved chances - Deimos - 09-09-2024
The dummy’s sluggish momentum had to have been somewhat humorous – or at the very least, it amused him – barely assembling motions but waving its arms under the Sword’s power and mischief. It was meant to prove that she could hit something maneuvering, and not just sitting there ready to take a hit, and soon thereafter, she’d done exactly that.
Her quick motions swung towards the effigy’s throat, and were it actually alive, the blood would have spilled unceremoniously across the floor. Instead, the stuffing bore down, spewing in tufts, until Deimos ensured the target died dramatically, falling to the floor, making a few sudden jerky movements, and then succumbing. [say]“Very nice,”[/say] he offered with a nod of his head. [say]“Do you want to go again?”[/say] An inquiry for her as he righted the dummy, already beginning to contort stitches back into the proportions – if not, he had another idea.
RE: carved chances - Elizabeth - 09-13-2024
Glancing back at the dummy, she couldn't help but laugh at the sight. Death wasn't funny, but the small jerking motions of stuffing and fabric was indeed comically. Apparently, Deimos had a flare for the dramatics that she hadn't seen before. Elizabeth straightened, pulling her cloak tight around her body again as she watched the target still in 'death.'
She accepted the praise with an embarrassed nod of her head. It didn't feel like she'd done much, and she had no doubt that a skilled opponent would have prevented the fatal blow, but it was still nice to hear that she was making progress. [say]"Thank you,"[/say] she said, quieter than her ringing ears could hear. His next question had her considering the options. Seeing the gleam in his eyes, she gave him a warm smile. [say]"I wouldn't mind going again, but I get the sense that you have a better idea."[/say] As much as she wanted to go curl up by a fire, she waited patiently for the man to give her further instruction.