[Training] [OPEN] Sun on Silver

He danced with shadows in the midday sun, beneath a cloudless blue sky that punished the world beneath it with blistering heat. Black wings swirled above him, black eyes watching his movements as black feathers twisted down to tease and taunt him as he stepped, deft and surefooted, across the treacherous footing of the bridge.

He danced with steel flickering and reflecting the sun’s unblinking gaze back at it as he moved, the slender strength of his sturdy rapier a match for the man who wielded it: swift and flexible rather than possessed of brute strength, but just as deadly for being more precise. It was a weapon that fit his hand like an extension of his arm, no magic in it but that which inhabits all swords, but it was lovingly polished and sharpened until it cut the wind as well as the loose feathers that dropped and fluttered from above.

He danced on bones, or stones that looked like them, bleached white by the sun, darkened by the sweat that fell from his brow as he pushed his endurance and his limits, striving to become something more than what he was, so he would not be so helpless again.

He danced the patterns he had learned out of necessity, and the ones he had learned out of desperation, the steps passed down from teacher to student and the ones he had come up with on his own, when he had left all teachers behind.

Jigano danced in the light, golden-brown arms bare as a small murder of crows took turns to fly above him or rest along the edges of the bridge, dropping feathers or leaves or whatever they could find to distract or focus him on a target as he trained.

"Well, now. That looks a lot more interesting than what I'm up to." Ronin's voice was hoarse with exhaustion already, the hunter falling to a halt on the Bone Bridge once he had spotted the dance of blades going on up ahead. Uncorking a waterskin at his belt, Ronin took a few sips to rehydrate himself, then fastened it back up.

The former captain was shirtless and tanned from the Longheat sun, glistening with sweat as he leant an arm against the side of the bridge to catch his breath. He usually ran at dawn or dusk, but having a baby royally messed with that, as one could imagine. Not only that, with Remi having lost his sight...

Well, Ronin had waited until he was confident that the other man would be alright before setting out. And oh, but the season was teaching him a lesson now. Straightening up, Ronin grinned to Jigano. "I haven't a blade myself, but I'm willing to spar if you'd like."

So caught up in the whirl of steel and feathers was the bard that he hadn't noticed the approach of another person. The beating of black wings and the ping of stones and bits of shell and bone amidst the feathers had taken all of his attention, and not until Ronin spoke did Jigano turn smoothly to face the voice that was unfamiliar in its hoarseness. The crows cawed and swirled around him, a shield of black bodies and blurring wings, sound and movement that hid his own.

The voice might not have been familiar, but the man who stood sipping from his waterskin was, and Jigano relaxed, releasing his crows with a grateful wave to go rest and hunt bugs nearby. Ronin was in fine form, despite his tiredness - or rather, his form was fine, aesthetically pleasing, the bard decided with a distracted portion of his mind, considering how good the other man would look on a dancefloor. He paused to sheath his blade, taking the reminder to pad to his own pack beside the bridge and retrieve a waterskin and a collapsible bowl. He poured some into the bowl first, setting on the side of the bridge for his murder to drink from before allowing himself the pleasure of a few refreshing mouthfuls while he considered Ronin's offer.

"If I had Remi or Deimos's skills I'd make you a sword," he offered wryly, grinning at the suggestion. "But we had discussed trading specialties at some point. If you'd care to teach me a bit of fisticuffs today I can try and return the favor with swords another time." With a nod to himself of a man coming to a decision he unbuckled his sword belt and laid the weapon beside his pack, releasing his crows from his mental control as he stepped towards the center of the bridge and Ronin, holding up his bare hands.

"So, how should we begin? I'm fairly good at dodging, at least, if you want to throw the first punch," he teased, shifting his weight onto the balls of his feet in a fencer's stance, though his sword arm was held a little awkwardly in front of him without a weapon to fill it.

"Perhaps I should ask Remi for a sword, given how my previous penchant for fisticuffs got me blown to pieces." It was easy to joke about it now, being back - not that he thought a sword would have done much better against a creature like the Spire Demon. Still, the offer to trade skills and spar was met with a nod of approval and gratitude both, Ronin drawing up to stand with Jigano in the heat of the day. Likely they would both be worse for wear after this.

"Alright," he said. "I'm still a little rusty, getting my hands and feet to respond as they used to. Dodging shouldn't be too difficult." Grinning, Ronin dropped his weight low, his dominant right hand held before him, his left balled into a fist at his side. "Alright, just a few practice punches. I'll not try to hit you. Not yet, anyway." Laughing softly, Ronin moved slow at first, aiming blows just beyond where Jigano's head and shoulders would be, shadow boxing the other man back a few feet. It would be easy enough to dodge.

"For that matter, maybe you should take up archery!" the bard laughed, but not without reason. Safrin had saved Ronin once, but would she do so again if he put himself right back in the same position a second time? And it was clear that while his time among the stars had changed him physically, he was no less brave (or foolish?) than he had been before.

Jigano took the time to wipe the sweat from his face, his long hair already tied back but a hot and heavy weight under the blazing sun. He looked at Ronin's stance and positioning curiously, comparing it to what he was used to for rapier work, and even with the Guildmaster moving slowly the Provost was almost too late to respond as he let his thoughts wander from the moment. "Try not to hit me in the face, at least!" he joked as he backpedaled, the move a tad rushed but surefooted even on the uneven stones of the Bridge.

"Hmmm... I don't think I've punched anyone in, oh, at least fifteen years," he admitted with a chuckle, finding the other man's slow, easy rhythm and reaching out to try and playfully bat an incoming fists just enough to the side to miss his head. "I was never strong enough to do more than annoy someone with it. Though, I'm a lot more precise than I used to be, so perhaps that would help." He tried to judge when Ronin would be off-balance mid-step and, rather than retreat from the blow, he matched his companion's speed and twisted sideways around the incoming punch, attempting to reach out and gently tap his fellow Guildmaster's chest with his palm. "Do you still have those gauntlets you used against the Demon?"

Archery? Though Ronin flashed the bard a grin in return, it wasn't entirely a bad idea. He had always been a swordsman or a brawler, but... well. The silver in his knuckles was gone. The callouses on his palms were new. And though his fitness had been improving, he had shown no sign of getting back to his usual level of skill in the fight. There might be something to the bow, then.

But first, a sparring match - apparently. "Not the face," he agreed with a chuckle. "Practically my motto - you got it."

They danced together slowly, practicing precision over strength or speed, and Ronin grinned as Jigano successfully caught him off balance. The bard was a lot faster than he was letting on, the hunter knew, and if necessary he had no doubt that Jigano could run rings around him.

"The gauntlets? No, I'm afraid not. I lost everything when I went bang." He shrugged sadly. "Say, do you mind if we try something a little different for a moment?"

Archery was a skill the bard could stand to take up as well, he thought ruefully. As weak as he was even his animal forms couldn't do much damage in a tough spot. He was better suited for providing a distraction and dodging blows while someone else did the heavy lifting in a fight! Without his magic, trying to fight alone held little appeal to him, even with the swift precision of his rapier to lend his attacks a little more gravity.

Reduced to empty hands, he was merely a dancer, moving with Ronin's rhythm and trying to imitate the other man's stance and motions. He had a sneaking suspicion that the demigod had merely let himself get touched - perhaps to bolster Jigano's justifiably low ego when it came to 'throwing' punches - or, in this case, slowly lobbing them at each other. Suspicion aside, he appreciated the kindness, and grinned back.

"Pity, they seemed a useful gift for going up against enhanced opponents," he lamented, but only briefly. Ronin's question had him tilting his head in curiosity and he nodded as he stepped back to open space between them again for whatever the Guildmaster had in mind. "Of course! What do you have in mind?"

"I lost more than just those gauntlets in that fight," Ronin admitted with a wry smile, stepping back as well to open the distance between them. "But in the end, the most important thing was returned to me - my life. I would happily lose it all again for that outcome." And he had, and so here they were. Still, for all he had lost, some things had been gained as well. Which brought them to the next round of their sparring match.

"I have discovered an ability, but... I've yet to really learn how to use it without staying still. Here..." Closing his eyes and letting his hands drop to his sides, Ronin took a few slow breaths in through his nose. Once he was suitably calm, his astral form stepped forward and out of him, wrapped in starlight and glowing softly. It raised its fists in a defensive pose, inviting Jigano to try and hit it. "Would you indulge me?" Ronin spoke through it. "I'd like to practice."

"I'm glad you came back, too," the bard grinned. "A trade well worth the cost of a few fancy gloves!" Indeed, they had gotten the better of the deal, for the gauntlets were only magic whereas Ronin brought experience, wit, and a leadership the Northhaveners' morale had seemed to need. But even though the magic items had been lost, it seemed that not all magic was gone from the Guildmaster's hands, and Jigano tilted his head curiously at the mention of a new ability. Apparently there was more to being a demigod than just great hair and a second chance at life?

Curious but patient, Jigano took the time to wipe a trickle of sweat from his brow, eyes narrowed against the sun's glare. He was glad he hadn't blinked, because the sight of Ronin stepping out of himself was indeed worth seeing, and he whistled low with appreciation at the trick. "A bit like an old spell I used to know," he murmured wryly, swiftly tamping down on the sense of envy. "Is he... it? Is it physical as well as visual?" he asked curiously, obliging his companion by raising his hands again and stepping forward in a cautious jab at the... illusion? construct? mirror image? of Ronin, aiming for its shoulder at the same pace they had been practicing before.

"I'm glad that you agree!" Ronin grinned. It would be a bit of a blow to the ego to think that some people would have preferred the gauntlets over the man who had worn them. Luckily, they were both suitably distracted by his astral projection - something the guildmaster needed all his concentration to maintain.

"Not physical, no - I can see through it, speak through it, but it can't affect the environment. Any hit will soar straight through it," he explained through the starlight form, which dodged and ducked as easily as Ronin would have done. "The problem is that I can't do much else..."

Once he was happy that his astral form was most definitely capable of following his commands, Ronin had it walk to the side of the bridge so that the real deal could open his eyes, though from his expression alone it was taking a great deal of focus to keep it present at he did so. "Do you think we could try to spar while it's active, even if it's just standing there? I'd like to get better at this."

"Ahh, useful as a distraction, but not for lifting things... unless you develop some of that telekinesis that Remi has," Jigano chuckled as he shadow-boxed - astral-boxed? - with the image. "Then it might make for a more convincing illusion if it can appear to lift or touch things while you stand back or stay hidden at a distance! Might reduce the chances of getting blown up again, too," he added wryly.

Given that the Guildmaster's eyes were closed and he was concentrating fiercely to maintain the illusion - for that's what it appeared to be to the bard - it wouldn't be a trick he'd be trying anytime soon. That's what practice was for, though, and Jigano started to nod, paused, and then completed the gesture, realizing that if the copy of Ronin had been able to react to him even with the real man's eyes closed, that he was clearly able to still 'see' the Provost somehow. "Of course. Still going half-speed?" he asked courteously, resetting his position before the real Ronin and throwing a slower and more tentative jab towards his partner's arm to make sure the Captain would have time to react. Even if he struck it would only be lightly - the bard's hand wasn't quite held correctly to connect with proper strength, showing his lack of practice with bare-handed combat.

"I'll be honest, I'm happy enough right now being able to use it as my eyes and ears," Ronin said with a wry smile that belied the amount of concentration to talk and maintain the astral projection. "It's been useful on monster hunts. It flushed a banshee out the other week, which isn't bad all things considered."

With a half-smile, he nodded to Jigano. "Half speed if you'd be so kind," he said, sweat that had nothing to do with the heat of the day rolling in a bead down his temple. Still, he gave it a damned good go shadowboxing the bard again, though his movements were even slower now - any lapse in focus and the projection at the side of the bridge would begin to flicker and die.

Eventually, after a few thrown punches and a few hits taken from Jigano (he couldn't dodge them even if he saw them coming), Ronin held up his hands to say he was done with that particular activity, letting the ethereal version of him snuff out. "I... damn. You say you used to be able to do something similar? How did you manage it?"

"That is a useful talent for a monster hunter!" Jigano agreed with a grin. "It will make the next Long Night a lot safer, too... Assuming you can use it to pass through walls and doors and such, if you spend the week in the Rathskeller you can check to see if whoever is banging on the door is a human in need or a monster trick!" Looking far ahead was something of habit of the bard's, and his grin faded as he grew more sober for a moment. "In fact, that's something that you and I should speak more of at some point soon... I may have a way of dealing with less, ah, tangible foes, if they're ghosts or disembodied spirits that the Monster Hunter's weapons would have trouble with."

For the moment, the only intangible 'foe' was Ronin's illusion - projection? - and when the Guildmaster moved it off to the side they returned to their purely physical sparring match. Moving at half speed, Jigano's edge was blunted and even though the Captain was distracted by his projection his technique was far better than the bard's untutored efforts. It was a good thing they weren't aiming to actually hurt each other, or the lorekeeper would have had as many bruises as his sparring partner by the time Ronin paused their fighting. Jigano grimaced, shaking his hand out, and glanced to Ronin with a wry grin.

"Ah, well, technically I didn't. When I said that I hadn't realized you could see and hear through that projection, and move it separately from yourself with such precision. The spell I knew was an illusion that created several images of myself around and near me, that mimicked my movements. Something like a split reflection from multiple mirrors, so that someone trying to hit me wouldn't know which one was the real me. They could still get a lucky shot in and land a blow, but it added a level of confusion to the proceedings that helped me avoid a particularly nasty shot more than once." He flexed his fingers again, looking ruefully down at them. "Though it seems I'm as likely to do as much damage to myself as I am to you with these punches!"

Ronin blinked as if puzzled for a moment, the reality of what Jigano was saying dawning on him slowly. "That is genius," he said once he had processed it; using his astral projection to help lost souls through LongNight? How many might they have saved if he'd possessed the ability last time? "Thanks, Jigano. I'll definitely keep that in mind. And I am always happy to speak more with you." Smiling, the hunter nodded gratefully to the bard.

Especially if what he had to say was so interesting. Less tangible foes, indeed? Ronin made a mental note to arrange to speak with the bard again once they had finished their training. Speaking of which, by the time they'd gone another simple sparring round the hunter was about ready to drop, Ronin ruffling a hand through his dark hair and giving himself a couple of minutes to recover. "Oh, I see. Yours is like mimicry, whilst mine is more like... a ghostly projection of me." He shrugged, unable to describe it any other way.

Grinning at Jigano's last comment, Ronin stepped closer and held up his hands to show the bard another way to form a fist. "When you punch, make sure to use your whole arm. You'll break something if not. And try not to tuck your thumb in. That's a good way to snap it."