[SE] [Training] hit like a girl

I take everything seriously,

Horror spreads across Zavien's face as he realizes the mistake he's made. "Sorry! Sorry! I - I just got caught up." He immediately pulls his hand back, looking Flora over to make sure the overstep hadn't caused her any bodily harm. Luckily, her reaction time was impressive, allowing her to block the unexpected attack. 

Looking down in shame, he tries to shake out the rest of the anger and new sense of shame. He says sincerely, "Thank you for saying something. I'll be more careful." As he settles back into his stance Zavien makes sure to keep his awareness this time. His eyes meet hers with careful consideration. "Just one more round." He waits a moment for her to regain her own positioning before stepping forward to throw another set of jab cross combinations.

Zavien

but I also take it lighthearted to recognize I can't control it.

flora

Once upon a time not so very long ago when the queen hadn't called a halt soon enough, she'd ended up with half of her shoulder missing and an even bigger chunk of her heart. Luckily she'd been put back together since then, but it wasn't the sort of lesson she was keen to forget, and one that was all the easier to abide when her own misguided feelings weren't involved. "It's okay. I know how easy it is to lose yourself in it." She hums before resetting her stance.

The following blows are easy to absorb and Flora has to wonder if Zavien hasn't decided to pull his punches. Either way as the dragoon's flurry of blows comes to an end, Flora lowers her blockers properly, her cheeks flushed on either side of her smile. "Feel any better?" From having brothers she'd learned that somethings they just needed to get certain things out in a way which never really made sense to the Doubletake, and yet proved true more often than it didn't.

We need love, But all we want is danger
We team up, Then switch sides like a record changer

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

I take everything seriously,

By the time he finishes, Zavien is breathing hard, grateful for the exertion on his body. He lets his arms fall to his side, the muscles tense with effort and slick with sweat. It's a welcome distraction from his other worries and he lets the sensation hone his mind. Although the last round hadn't been nearly as effective as the first, it had still served some purpose, allowing him to focus on control over release. A small kernel of shame still lingers, but he finds that the anger has become a fading echo in his chest. Giving Flora a light chuckle, he nods his head to her question as he removes the gloves. "I actually am. Thank you."

It doesn't seem fair to let him take out his frustrations on her without allowing her a chance for retribution, so Zavien takes a moment to roll out his shoulders before he offers the gloves to her with a raised eyebrow and a warm smile. "Your turn." Her obvious physical abilities have him nervous for what kind of storm he might be unleashing, but he is nothing if not a gentleman.

Zavien

but I also take it lighthearted to recognize I can't control it.

flora

"Glad to hear it." Flora's nose wrinkles prettily as she tips the dragoon a wink. Safely lowering the pads away from her face, she uses her teeth to release the first strap in order to pull her hand free, before removing the other. Grinning and nodding, she accepts the gloves and trades him the pads with a little hum of thanks, sliding her hands inside.

It's a rather bulky and awkward feeling, and though she's much rather fight without gloves, she also knows the risk to her fingers and hands. "I'm pretty bad at this." She warns Zavien, her smile growing crooked as she brushes back a strand of hair with the back of the glove. "I normally fight with my daggers so actually hitting someone with my hands is...not my thing." But, there's only one way to learn.

Rolling her shoulders to try and loosen them, she adopted the sort of stance she'd seen Zavien take before lashing out with a right hook that's wildly uncoordinated.

We need love, But all we want is danger
We team up, Then switch sides like a record changer

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

I take everything seriously,

Accepting the trade, he slides his hands into the cushioned pads while she dons the gloves. "I'm sure you're better than you think." His motivating words are followed by a warm smile as he lifts his hands in preparation. When she moves to strike, he shifts the pad to intercept the fist despite its wide angle, watching her form closely. A few key observations catch his attention.

Zavien lowers his arms to give her some instruction. "Your stance is good, but hooks might be a little difficult if the basic movements aren't solid." Stepping to the side, he demonstrates the same stance she'd started with, feet shoulder width apart, his right foot back, taking most of his weight. "When you strike out with your fist, most of your accuracy and force are going to come from your hips, especially for women, since your power is usually in your legs." At an extremely controlled and slow pace, he reaches out his right arm in a straight punch, twisting his hips as he does so and shifting the weight towards his front foot. "It also helps to lengthen your reach." For comparison, he shows a punch without any hip movement, causing a visible difference in distance, force, and steadiness. Then he goes through the proper movement again, still keeping it slow so she can see each tense of his muscle and shift of his weight.

Zavien stands back in front of Flora, raising the pads with an encouraging smile and nod, his previous troubles nearly forgotten in the teaching. "Now you try."

Zavien

but I also take it lighthearted to recognize I can't control it.

flora

"Oh?" Raising her eyebrows, the queen watches as the dragoon mirrors her stance before making a few crucial adjustments and observations all while explaining how and why he was positioning himself the way he was. "That...actually makes a lot of sense when you say it like that." She admits with a laugh, not that there was any real reason for her to have known, and yet as Zavien laid it out so clearly, it seemed absurd to have thought that blindly flailing out her first would yield any results.

"Okay." Taking a breath, rather than pitching forward from her shoulder, instead Flora thinks about grounding her weight down into her heels. As she swings, she tries to imagine the force coming from her hips and core and simply travelling out through her arm as he'd shown her. However it is that her glove hits the pads, it certainly feels a lot more powerful and a good deal less unbalanced.

We need love, But all we want is danger
We team up, Then switch sides like a record changer

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

I take everything seriously,

Apparently, the Torchline queen is a great student. She's attentive and receptive to the instruction, making it the perfect environment for her learning, so Zavien isn't surprised when she shows immediate improvement. He watches closely as she grounds her force, pivoting perfectly to back up the incoming fist. The movement is powerful and controlled.

Her next punch turns out much better than the first, smacking the pad in the sweet spot with a good amount of force. Shaking out the pad for encouraging emphasis, he gives Flora a wide smile. "Nice one. You're a pro already." But that doesn't mean they're done yet. He raises his hands, ready to receive more. "Again," he says, echoing her earlier command with a grin.

Zavien

but I also take it lighthearted to recognize I can't control it.

flora

"Ooooh!" Grinning, Flora pokes her head out from behind her gloves in order to bounce her eyebrows toward Zavien. "That felt good. Okay, so maybe I can see why you guys all do this so much." No doubt her arms would quickly begin to burn as muscles she'd never called upon before were used over and over, but for the moment, Flora felt powerful and in full control of her body. The sensation was intoxicating, such that as the dragoon indicated she could hit again, the queen shivered with delight.

Exhaling and sinking herself back into her heels, Flora once again tries to envision the way the force of her attack should rise up from her hips. This time as she strikes, she leans into the blow. It has her stumbling a few steps forward, but the hope was that if Zavien had been an actual opponent, the additional damage she might have tentatively done would make up for the breach in proximity.

We need love, But all we want is danger
We team up, Then switch sides like a record changer

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

I take everything seriously,

Zavien laughs at Flora's reaction, not at all surprised by the sentiments. In fact, his own problems feel so far gone that he nearly forgets what precipitated their session. Yet he doesn't have time to resurface the thoughts as the Queen throws her next stumbling punch. If he was really fighting, he would have easily deflected, possibly tripping her along the way, but that wouldn't do anything more than humiliate her. So he lets her fist meet the pad, absorbing it gently with a backward draw of his hand. 

Lowering his arms, he tilts his head. "That was a good thought, but I wouldn't recommend sacrificing your footing for a single attack. Especially if you're fighting a more skilled opponent who could capitalize on a misstep." Gods know how many times Zavien's found himself in similar situations, overeager to take advantage of an opening and winding up on his backside. Wanting to finish the critique on a positive note, the Dragoon gives her a smile. "It had some good power though." As noticed by the small dent of the foam.

He takes a moment to analyze her capabilities up to this point before adding, "But, speed can be just as effective as power, and I think that could be to your advantage. Try focusing on accuracy and maintaining your stance to rain down a quick combo." Lifting the pads again, he gives her a confident nod, ready for her to really let loose.

Zavien

but I also take it lighthearted to recognize I can't control it.

flora

What the queen had anticipated happening didn't, of course, for all the reasons Zavien had pointed out. Still, her nose wrinkled with a girlish sort of frustration that saw her head lolling to the side. "I bet it would have looked cool if it'd worked, though." Flora counters with a sly smile, her eyebrows bobbing up toward her bangs as if in an effort to get the dragoon to agree with her.

Disbelief sweeps across the queen's face as she's told that speed could be just as effective as power—it absolutely seems like the sort of thing you told someone who wasn't very strong in an attempt to soothe their ego—but given that Ronin had all but built his entire set of powers around being quick, maybe there was something to it. "Right, okay." Resetting her position and taking a breath, Flora tried to imagine where her gloves would end up before she leaned forward into the movement, trying a 1-2-1 combination that left her breathless for the surprising amount of coordination that it required.

We need love, But all we want is danger
We team up, Then switch sides like a record changer

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

I take everything seriously,

Flora's frustration has Zavien laughing, his head falling back slightly as he shrugs his shoulders in response. "Maybe. As long as you didn't end up on your butt." He gives her a playfully bright grin, sure that the Queen would have figured something out. She doesn't strike him as the type to stay down for long, even if the showy move wouldn't have really worked out well in most cases.

Despite her possible offense at the advice, the next 1-2-1 combo hits the pads perfectly with satisfying smacks as the Dragoon absorbs them. He can't help but smile her way with pride and awe at her ability to pick it up so quickly. "Perfect! You're really getting the hang of it now." However, noting her lack of breath, Zavien decides to leave her with one more piece of advice, "The only other tip I have is to breath out with each punch. It helps to engage your core while giving your breathing direction and rhythm." Although it looks and sounds funny, he dramatically punches out with a woosh of an exhale, tightening his abs in the process before giving her another sunshine smile. 

He relaxes a little, standing before her with his head cocked in curiosity. "Do you want to give it one more try?" His eyebrows wiggle with the pads as he makes the offer, content to let her have one more round before returning to his unenticing work at the Needle.

Zavien

but I also take it lighthearted to recognize I can't control it.

flora

"Bet I could have made it look cool even if I did." Flora replies breezily, and had her hands not been contained within the protective gloves, she might have waggled her fingers for dramatic effect. Alas, she had to make do with flashing Zavien a bright smile before falling silent to take in his next bit of advice.

"Oh, I...damn. I hadn't even thought about my breathing at all." In all likelihood the queen was probably holding her breath in an effort to focus, which would not only take away from the power she was able to utilize as the dragoon pointed out, but probably made her a good deal stiffer as well. "You're pretty good at this." She hums teasingly, before holding up her gloves one more time and trying to put it all together.

Going for just a 1-2 combo this time—for how much cardio she did, this was a different use of her muscles altogether, one which had her arms and abs groaning—Flora focused on pulling the power up from her legs through her core, twisting as he'd shown her, and exhaling hard as she threw each punch.

We need love, But all we want is danger
We team up, Then switch sides like a record changer

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

I take everything seriously,

Zavien laughs at the comment. "I get the strange feeling that you could, but it would definitely make the rest of the battle difficult." Rising from the ground would take time and leave her vulnerable, despite whatever pretty image she gave them. He nods at her next confession, aware that most people don't think about their breathing when fighting, even though it's probably one of the most important aspects. 

Her compliment makes him blush a little, a shy chuckle unconsciously slipping out. "Thanks." He's never considered himself good at boxing, but when you've been training as long as he has, they all interconnect. It helps to see Flora demonstrate the techniques perfectly, slamming her fists into the padding. Zavien can't help but give a little victory whoop, pumping his fist. "That was perfect. I think we'll make a boxer out of you yet." He gives her a wide smile, completely serious. She obvious takes instruction well, and he wouldn't be surprised if she passes him and everyone else in skill with just a little bit of practice. 

Glancing at the sun, he lets out a long sigh. "They'll be expecting me back soon. I should probably go." The Dragoon peels the velcro with his teeth, handing the pads to the owner with a polite nod before turning back to Flora. "I hope I didn't delay your workout too much, but I really do appreciate your help. Things were getting... questionable back there." He rolls his shoulders, feeling the satisfying tension of exertion starting to build. As long as he can focus on that, maybe he can make it through the next hour. He gives the Queen another thankful smile, reaching out for a handshake. "You're welcome to come train at the Dragon's Nest anytime. I'd be happy to give you another lesson."

Zavien

but I also take it lighthearted to recognize I can't control it.

flora

"Oh, I dunno...I'm called the Doubletake for a reason." She reminds him, laughing. He was right of course, but that didn't mean should Flora ever find herself in a compromising position that she wouldn't use every trick and asset in her arsenal to her advantage.

"Oh gods, don't say that. My dad will be over the moon." Once upon a time close combat had been Ronin's thing, before turning into a demigod had made him a starbolt-wielding Knight. Either way, she was sure his ears were burning regardless of where he was.

Mirroring Zavien, Flora removes the gloves, also handing them over before stretching her arms out over her head to release some of the built-up tension in her shoulders. "Yeah, you too. I really learned a lot, and hey listen." Glancing down at his offered hand, the queen rolls her eyes, playfully swatting it away before throwing her arms around his neck in a quick, if not sweaty, hug. "If you ever want to talk, I'm pretty good at that too." Grinning, Flora wrinkles her nose as she steps back.

"See you around?" No doubt he would, but if he was the type to take sides in breakups, he'd probably not be inclined to talk to Flora anytime soon.

~FIN

We need love, But all we want is danger
We team up, Then switch sides like a record changer

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!