+- Court of the Fallen (https://cotf-rpg.com)
+-- Forum: Out of Character (https://cotf-rpg.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=26)
+--- Forum: Important (https://cotf-rpg.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=27)
+---- Forum: Archives (https://cotf-rpg.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=38)
+---- Thread: [Training] dreams where you're murdered (/showthread.php?tid=2661)
dreams where you're murdered - Sunjata - 01-26-2020
He’s chosen the Military Barracks again to continue Maea’s training. Some place that was made for this sort of thing, shifting from the still somewhat tattered but open bar and away from the Advocates Guild – seeing as Nate was there and that certainly made things complicated. And now it didn’t matter so much, he finds, no longer married and out of fucks to give. He still comes prepared, a member of the militia at the very least, a few different sized daggers in hand that he sharpens, as well as two wooden ones to start off with.
He wasn’t in the mood to get stabbed, at least.
It was a planned idea, before he works on fixing the Temple, before the trip to Torchline yet again to uncover more of the sunny beaches. This, at least, takes his mind off of everything else. Arriving early, he sets aside a room for training, cups and glasses for water, running a finger along the edge of a blade to check its sharpness while he waits. He looks a bit more tired, but not as exhausted as he has in the last few days since everything. Not quite such dark bags around his eyes, a sore back that was slowly getting better the more he got used to the bed of the Guild again, and things of the like. At least the bar was up in working order, one small relief off his shoulders.
RE: dreams where you're murdered - Maea - 01-26-2020
If Sunjata looked less strained, then the opposite was true for Maea. She was early when she arrived to the appointed training, and looked to have been up before dawn again. Already the braid down her back was tousled and disturbed, her too-big shirt stained with sweat from prior exercise. Weeks of pushing herself to run, train and strengthen her body was starting to show result, but it was not in added muscle or rounded ribs, as it ought. Indeed, the girl just looked tired. Washed out, face more gray than pale under the painful flush of sunburned skin, where the only splash of color were faded bruises under her eyes. No doubt she had been up late again, studying until the night grew old.
There was nothing wrong with her mood however, and the smile she gave him when she approached across the yard was light and keen, more comfortable by far than before. The quiet night they'd spent together - in separate beds, thank you - had eased some tension in her, applied a soothing balm of confidence over the insecurities of before, at least in part.
[say]"Morning!"[/say] she greeted cheerfully, and leaned in to look at the practice weapons with interest. [say]"Daggers today, then?"[/say]
It would be quite the challenge. The bow was something she had at least tried before, but this was something entirely new. He would have to start right from the beginning on this. A completely new experience; Sunjata had provided no shortage of those, since he swept into her life like a thunderstorm.
RE: dreams where you're murdered - Sunjata - 01-26-2020
His gaze lifts when she whirls in, alight in emotions, yet so… Exhausted looking that he can’t help the briefest bit of concern that crosses his face when he goes to stand. He steps over toward her, offering her a bright smile in response, though it’s tinged with that very same concern. “[say]Mhm, daggers today. Don’t worry, I won’t let you stab me.[/say]” He teases her, flashing a wink before he moves to go and grab the wooden daggers he’d brought, offering her one.
But before he lets it go, he uses it as an opportunity to try and get her attention. His steel gaze scan over hers and he raises his brow to her with a tilt of his head. “[say]First off, though, are you okay?[/say]” A quiet question, one for only her ears. A hum of worry hidden beneath the typical flirtatious façade. “[say]Have you been working too much?[/say]” His eyes linger on the bags and bruises beneath her eyes, the way her clothes hang about her as though she’s lost a lot of weight.
And while muscle might be filling in some spaces, it wasn’t enough. He knew that intimately.
RE: dreams where you're murdered - Maea - 01-26-2020
[say]"A fortunate thing for both of us,"[/say] Maea laughed. It was such a bright and cheerful sound that clashed with the marks of wear on her. She reached a hand to take the dagger he offered her, and looked up with raised brows as he kept holding on to it, not yet relinquishing it to her. The concern puzzled her, beacuse in perfect honesty it was the first time in years she had felt this well for so long.
[say]"I'm fine,"[/say] she assured him, tugging a little on the wooden dagger to make him let go. [say]"Just haven't slept well, is all. But I never really do, so it's nothing out of the ordinary."[/say]
He would know that, if briefly, after that night spent in the Advocate's hideout. The restless shifting, the nightmares... and that had been a good night.
As for working too much? Maea thought she still could do more, if she tried. Once she got her reading up to speed, and moved past the basics in her training, there was an endless list of things she wanted to do. Possibilities that would open up before her. Was it so strange that she wanted to get there as quickly as she could?
[say]"Shall we get started?"[/say] She looked at him expectantly. Bright, eager, impatient. Burning just a little too quickly.
RE: dreams where you're murdered - Sunjata - 01-26-2020
Her laugh is bright and cheerful and it does work to inspire a brief hint of a response from him as his lip twitches. But ultimately, it’s his question and hold on her end of the wooden dagger. She tells him she hasn’t been sleeping well, and he gets it. Remembers that specific tidbit from when he too couldn’t sleep on the couch any longer and slept at the foot of the bed in his panther form.
He gives her a light smile and a tilt of his head as he lets the wooden dagger go. “[say]Just take care of yourself, okay?[/say]” He rumbles, trying to convey it. “[say]You’re going to burn yourself out.[/say]” He knows what that’s like, he’s done it before. And so when she has the fake dagger ready and he has his own, he sets the sharp real ones on the table beside him before moving toward the center of the room.
“[say]Tell me when you think daggers would be a better choice in a fight.[/say]” He says, shifting his stance a bit to favor a left hand strike.
RE: dreams where you're murdered - Maea - 01-26-2020
[say]"Oh hardly,"[/say] she grinned, waving off the warning with a free hand. [say]"I've never felt better in my life, there's nothing to worry about."[/say] Maea's expression suggested she appreciated the concern, but also that she took him not at all seriously. There was a rush to being able to run and move without being down sick the next few days, a giddy sense of power over herself that she couldn't get enough off.
Testing the grip of the dagger mockup in both her hands, trying to get a feel for holding it, Maea followed her teacher out onto the floor, mind already focusing on the lesson at hand.
[say]"In small spaces?"[/say] she suggested. [say]"Where there's not enough room to swing a sword, and the target is too close for the bow."[/say] Measuring Sunjata, the length of his arms and far superior height and strength, she added, [say]"I'd say there's a disadvantage in terms of reach though, especially for someone my size."[/say]
Then again, save the bow or perhaps a spear, Maea would always be at a disadvantage when compared to most people. Only the Fae were generally smaller, and they had the advantage of flying. Which would be an interesting challenge in itself... how would she fight someone she couldn't even get close to?
RE: dreams where you're murdered - Sunjata - 01-26-2020
He wants to tell her that he is a bit worried — but it feels almost too hypocritical at this moment, the way he’d been a mess (still is) and had refused help when offered, had made terrible decisions and was content to lay in the grave he’d dug himself. All he does is nod to her instead, dropping the subject in favor of training.
She answers his question, and he nods to it at first with a hint of a smile on his face. “[say]They do have a disadvantage if you know they’re there. They’re one of my favorites for surprise, however.[/say]” He situates his weight to wiggle his foot a bit as though she may remember the hidden one he always kept in his boot. “[say]It’s a more intimate weapon, not one you would usually flaunt around.[/say]” He explains with a wave of his hand. “[say]Good for if you get grabbed or trapped and you need to get out.[/say]” He approaches her then, to get into her space.
“[say]And always go for the vitals.[/say]” The faster you could take your opponent down, the better off you were. “[say]So give it a shot, let me see where you’d attack me first.[/say]”
RE: dreams where you're murdered - Maea - 01-26-2020
Maea was pleased that he did not contradict her on her guess, meaning she had been somewhat correct. It was satisfying, knowing that her head was of use here even if she had no practical experience yet.
Grasping the dagger firmly in her right hand so that the blade pointed upwards from her thumb, Maea tried to mimic his stance and shifted around until her weight was on the toes and heels barely touched the ground, knees a little bent and body slightly forward. Nodding and humming in response to show she heard him, she focused on Sunjata as he moved into her space, and did as she was told without objections, or indeed any trace of hesitation.
Shifting forward, she tried to intercept him head on and aimed for his stomach as she let her hand shoot forward, marking an intent to stab the wooden blade into his guts. It seemed the most obvious target, as it was clearly in her line of sight and larger than any other spot she could think of - she'd need a ladder to get to his neck and the vulnerable throat.
RE: dreams where you're murdered - Sunjata - 01-26-2020
She follows his stance, and he shifts with her somewhat to see what she does, and when she strikes out at his stomach he gives her a smirk and a nod. “[say]Good, but predictable.[/say]” He tips his head to her briefly, a glimmer to his eye of amusement. “[say]Go for a place a bit more inconspicuous.[/say]” He fixes where his feet are before swiping toward her side, pointing the fake dagger up and over the ridge of where her ribs end, in the soft place there.
“[say]Here you could angle it up and hit an organ if you try hard enough.[/say]” He winks to her before stepping back a small amount out of her space. “[say]If your attacker is taller than you, punch or kick to hit what you can to bring them to your level.[/say]” He offers another small tidbit.
“[say]Again.[/say]” Gesturing for her to try again, but taking a stance this time to possibly block and turn it on her.
RE: dreams where you're murdered - Maea - 01-26-2020
Predictable, was it? Alright, let's see if she could be the opposite. Maea ignored his winks and smiles completely. The eyes that raked his body was not the least bit flirtatius, because she was busy searching for places to cause harm, not pleasure. Still... it was impossible not to take note of certain things. The broad shoulders, how narrow his hips were in comparison, the swell of muscles beneath the shirt...
He stepped back and she forced herself to refocus, lips tightening in annoyance over herself as she went in for another strike. If she was to bring him to her level, she would have to make him kneel. With that goal in mind, Maea closed in and measured a sharp knee towards his groin, and tried to bring the blade of her dagger back around his leg, to possibly cut at the tendons behind his knee. That would certainly make him move around less, and it was not the heads on, straight forward attack she had used before.
Besides, if she was already lower than him, better just aim for low spots. Made sense, in a way.
RE: dreams where you're murdered - Sunjata - 01-26-2020
And unpredictable she becomes, taking his words like some form of gospel, taking them to heart as she goes to attack again and he attempts to block the initial attack toward his groin, shifting his leg in to block where she’d attack. Only with the movement, it leaves the foot he keeps rooted in place, and he can feel as she drags the wooden dagger around the back of his knee. And it does shift him off balance a small amount, enough that his height and placement of his feet can’t quite overcome it.
He drops to his knee with a bright fanged grin to her as he looks up at her — the position so eerily similar to that day at the river that he can’t help that glimmer of a memory from shining in his eyes. “[say]Very good.[/say]” He comments with a tip of his head, pressing down on a leg to stand once more and face her. He shifts his movements slightly to go on the offense. “[say]How do you get out of an attack with it?[/say]” He asks, making a move to circle her somewhat before he goes to ‘attack’, playfully lashing out to grab her by her side to pull her against his chest and attempts to place the wooden dagger along the side of her neck in a sort of backwards embrace.
RE: dreams where you're murdered - Maea - 01-26-2020
To her own surprise the attack actually worked. It was not what she had expected, and she almost gaped when he went down on a knee before her. The sight of him like that brought back memories for her too, memories she could see in his eyes for a brief moment... Then he was up again, and Maea had to remind herself that she was busy at the moment. No time to daydream.
[say]"Didn't think it would actually work,"[/say] she admitted, grinning at his praise. She expected him to come at her from the front when he asked the next question, and was not quite quick enough to avoid the arm that grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into him. The warmth of his body against her back sent a shock through her system, a confused mixture of the thrills his kneeling form had brought to mind and the gentle comfort of an embrace not so very long ago. But neither had anything at all to do with the dagger against her neck, so Maea forced herself to react, rather than freeze.
Raising one foot, she tried to step down as hard as she could on the left instep of his foot, and shoved herself back into him to try and bring him out of balance. Shifting grip on her own dagger, she tried to stab it into his right side, leaning away from the wooden blade against her neck - it was probably dangerous, and if it had been a real blade she might be cutting herself open... but better that then allowing anyone else to do it, right?
RE: dreams where you're murdered - Sunjata - 01-26-2020
Ah but it had worked, because he towered over her in such a way that getting at his long legs was a large weakness for him. And with it, he had always tried to protect and work with it. It had been easy in Korofi, everyone had been close to his height. Lusea had only been seven inches shorter than he was. But Maea? He towered her. And she could bring him down easily.
But he’s not done, circling her to grab at her and pull her in. She hits the front of his chest a bit harder than he anticipates, and it causes a brief sharp inhale of breath through his lungs, resting the fake dagger along her neck. An intimate, fierce, dangerous dance if they were real weapons. The exact kind of dance Sunjata preferred. And she works well with him, slamming her foot down into his that sparks a hint of pain to flit through his foot. It causes him to stumble a small amount as she pushes back into him and he releases her a small amount, letting the dagger drift slightly away from her neck.
Her own wooden dagger finds his side, right in a spot over a bruise on his hip and he exhales a sharp amused groan at that, letting her go to step back. “[say]Ah. Good.[/say]” He hums with a small breathy laugh, shifting on his feet as he recovers quickly to approach her again, tossing the dagger up to flip it before it settles in his palm again and he goes for her lower back.
RE: dreams where you're murdered - Maea - 01-26-2020
It was a dance, wasn't it? And thought Maea didn't know the steps, though the melody and rhytm of the music was only their breathing, her pounding heart and his occasional comments, it was still lovely. One she could easily learn to love. Equal parts savage and intimate, requiring quick thinking and improvisation in equal measure. She had to admit it; he was a good teacher.
The little grunt he let off when her wooden blade connected with his side offset the instinctive horror of actually striking true. Maea had never killed anyone in her life, had only wounded one creature in a combat situation - poor turtle - and was not one to get into fights over ordinary things. And while she had hunted and slaughtered sheep, it was through trapping or other means; most animals had been dead or stunned, or delivered the final stroke by someone else. The feeling that riccocheted up her arm was unfamiliar and quite awful, and as she spun out from Sunjata's grip the girl felt a little unbalanced by it.
So when he came in for her again, angling towards her and aiming a stab at her back, she had her weight to the back of her heels and couldn't shift out of the way quick enough. The practice blade dug its way painfully into her skin and muscles just above her left hip, and she was pushed away more by the force of his blow than by her own volition. Maea hissed with the pain of it and let momentum carry her out of reach, wanting to buy time to steady herself, take a deep breath.
[say]"That is going to hurt tomorrow,"[/say] she winced through her teeth - no doubt it would be bruising prettily on her marble skin too, come morning.
Not allowing herself to wallow in the pain however - or let him start to worry about hurting her - she started forward again as soon as she could, angling in towards him again. Approaching more wearily this time, she tried a little feint. Bouncing a little in her step, first towards the left where his dagger hand was, then to the right as she dove in to try and strike at the place he'd shown her before, into the side and up beneath the ribs.