[Training] big things and small packages

I can't relate to  d e s p e r a t i o n

"Time permitting, maybe I will." Charlie counters with a smile that's as fiendish as it is doll-like. Quite whether she meant it as a threat or an innuendo was impossible to tell, especially with how easily her large blue eyes could appear predatory as filled with sunshine.

"No forgiveness needed! This is pretty far south for most of us." Charlie says with a smile, as if Ronin was just some soldier who didn't leave Stormbreak that often. Lifting her sword again, the priestess tried to smooth out her motions before trying to focus her attention on Ronin's face so that her movements wouldn't be so predictable. In theory, anyway. It wasn't as if he didn't already know exactly where she was aiming.

"You got it!" Taking a breath, Charlie batted her sword against Ronin's.

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RONIN

kiss your perfect day goodbye

"Joke's on you - I'm not wearing armour." Ronin grins and shrugs his shoulders, before focusing back on the lesson at hand - and all that she has to offer about Ancients, of course. "Were you born an Ancient, if you don't mind me asking?" he queries as they move to and fro. "It's only because the only ones I've met have been old friends who used to be Ascended. I imagine it's probably alot different for them in comparison."

Straightening up as Charlie prepares to strike her blade against his own again, this time Ronin steps in closer rather than away, offering just enough resistance with his sword to keep the weapons touching. Then, with a twist of his hand and an abrupt roll of his wrist, he attempts to catch his blade around the hilt of the Ancient's, dragging his arm away - and her sword with it, should all go well.

because the world is on fire

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

I can't relate to  d e s p e r a t i o n

"Still might stick ya', though." Charlie chuckles in response, bobbing her eyebrows at him and grinning cheerfully.

"Sure was!" The priestess confirms between the bright twangs! of their swords. "Yeah, I've met some like that too!" The same ones as Ronin, as it was. "I was asleep for a long time. Hundreds and hundreds of years from what it sounds like." Charlie explains, finding it easier to focus on conversing now that the movements were a bit more practiced. "I'm not sure if that's why I have all of my powers where the others don't?" It certainly seemed that way, not that she'd probed into it too hard.

If size was meant to make a difference, Ronin was able to overcome it easily and as he stepped in, Charlie's chin tilted up just as her sword clattered to the ground. "That was hot." She chuckled approvingly, before taking a step back so that she could pick up her own blade. Knowing exactly how it would sound, once Charlie had the sword back in her grasp, she looked up at Ronin. "How'd you do that thing with your wrist?"

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RONIN

kiss your perfect day goodbye

"Of that I have no doubt." Ronin smiles charmingly, before falling quiet to listen as she explains. "That sounds like quite a culture shock, waking up now," he says - not that the petite woman before him seems to be struggling at all to fit in or make her way in the world, especially if she's come as far as Stormbreak on her own. "Probably a good thing you do have all your powers, if you're expected to come to terms with a new world."

But then he's demonstrating his parry and disarm, and the Knight can't help but laugh to hear her judgement on the matter. "You are too kind," he says. "And here - I'll show you."

He beckons her over to one of the training dummies - one armed with a sword as it happens. Going slow to demonstrate, Ronin stands side by side with Charlie to show her how he'd done it, before gesturing for her to try. "Obviously the dummy can't let go of the sword, but if you can get the technique down, we'll try with me." He nudges her a little. "Not that I don't think you're any good, but I don't want to risk losing my arm before it's necessary."

because the world is on fire

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

I can't relate to  d e s p e r a t i o n

"Yeah, a lot of things are really different to how they were before." Charlie agrees. "The land is different...different gods, different names for things..." Those inclined towards melancholy might have sighed and offered the Knight a pout, but the priestess merely shrugged. "But that's life, you know? I could have died instead of just falling asleep, and now I get to live again, now!"

Snickering into her jacket, Charlie can only roll her eyes up at Ronin. "Oh shut up, you know it was." She says, utterly delighted.

Trailing behind him, the priestess watches his foot placement as well as the roll of his wrist. "You make that look really easy." She notes, if only because she could already tell that it wasn't. "I see, I see. Can't be a tough guy with only one arm, right?" Charlie grins, before nudging Ronin out of her way to practice. Of course it's clumsily done at first, worse than her few practice swings, though the blonde is no less enthusiastic for her errors.

"Is it because I'm short, do you think?"

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RONIN

kiss your perfect day goodbye

"That's the spirit, certainly," Ronin agrees with a smirk, stepping out of the way for Charlie to practice her parry with the training dummy. Someone has painted a frowny face on it (someone being Ronin) and it looks unimpressed whether or not she's actually successful in disarming it - much as it can be disarmed, in any case.

"It could be - but then your being short might give you other advantages." Like being able to duck under a blade to shank your opponent in the shortribs, but Ronin doesn't say that outright; he has a feeling that Charlie is probably already well aware.

"And it wasn't always easy - I've just had a lot of practice. There are better swordsmen out there than me by far." Ronin spends a few more moments helping to adjust the petite Ancient's technique, before he's satisfied that she won't take more than his pinky finger off if it all goes horribly wrong.

"Okay, try to disarm me. I'll make it easy and I won't try and stop you." He grins.

because the world is on fire

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

I can't relate to  d e s p e r a t i o n

Charlie, who never really thought of her height as an overall disadvantage, was not ignorant of the fact that there were going to be some things it prevented her from doing. Reaching things on the tops of shelves was normally top of mind, but perhaps disarming an opponent with a sword would go on her too short for that list.

"Yeah?" Eyeing the Knight over her shoulder, Charlie hrrmphhs under her berath. "You do seem more like a brawler to me." His footwork was better than his hands seemed to be, if her five minutes of observation was anything to go by, and certainly he didn't seem bothered to get up close and personal with an opponent.

"Disarm you with my sword, you mean?" The priestess suggests, grinning a touch wickedly before moving in to strike. Whether or not her words were meant to distract Ronin in order to aid Charlie's efforts or if she was just being a shit, he'd just have to guess at. Hopefully without his sword, if she was successful.

.

RONIN

kiss your perfect day goodbye

"Guilty as charged," Ronin says of being a brawler, though it has been admittedly more difficult for him to lean into that particular strength in these past few years. For a while after, y'know, dying, he'd been understandably wary of getting too up close and personal with an opponent. And then his magic had come along, and, well, the rest is history, boxing rings and bar brawls.

Laughing and raising his blade, he nods and moves opposite her. "Yes, preferably with your sword," he agrees, keeping his grip loose and his practice weapon still so she might be able to further everything she'd learned on the training dummy. And it's slow and clumsy, but Charlie does succeed in getting the sword out of his hand, Ronin grinning broadly as it goes clattering across the sand.

"Very nicely done," he says, jogging away to retrieve it.

because the world is on fire

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

I can't relate to  d e s p e r a t i o n

"Knew it." She absolutely didn't, and the shit-eating grin on her lips said as much, but Charlie was quite happy to take the victory anyway. "You do seem the type, though." She decided, not knowing she was speaking to the capital 'W K' White Knight.

"Just checking!" Charlie chimes, the exclamation mark practically audible in the sound of her voice. Stepping forward, the priestess does as she'd been shown and gasp!, Ronin's sword went flying! The crowd goes wild! In reality, there is a bit of snickering from the other side of the training grounds.

"Did that look as cool as it felt?" Breathless from the adrenaline rush that came from invading the personal space of a man like Ronin and then disarming him, the priestess beamed proudly. "Because it felt super cool."

.

RONIN

kiss your perfect day goodbye

"I'm not going to dignify that with a proper response," Ronin says with a cheeky smile, of seeming the type; besides, before he knows it he's going to collect his fallen sword and his attention is half on Charlie and half on the troglodytes laughing it up across the training grounds. "It looked very cool," he assures her with a smile, clapping her gently on the shoulder.

"Now, unfortunately there are a few young men over there in need of a lesson in manners as well as swordsmanship. So if you don't mind, I'm going to teach them a thing or two more before we're done for the day." Er, night. Long, long, night. Whatever. "Feel free to stick around and watch if you like." Cheerfully said, Ronin gestures back towards the rest of the training grounds and starts to walk that way.

because the world is on fire

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

I can't relate to  d e s p e r a t i o n

" 'cause you know I'm right." Charlie trills brightly, before gasping proudly and striking a dramatic pose. "Looking cool is half the battle, honestly." She declared a touch nonsensically. In reality she doubted if she'd ever use the skill she'd just been taught, but boy oh boy if she did, it would be Ronin's name she'd be cheering.

"Okay. I can put these away." The priestess offers, gesturing to her own sword and the training dummy he'd pulled out for her. Glancing across the grounds at the gaggle of boys standing around, Charlie raised a brow before grinning devilishly behind her scarf. "My money's on you, tough guy." She purred before turning to clean up as she'd offered.

~FIN

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