First Stance Swordplay
Characters: Aikuen, Fira
Location: Moledeep; Training Ground
Its morning. The sun has just creeped over the horizon, brining forth the new day. And the otters are outside. Just the older ones now. While everyone else is still asleep, they are going to get started on some lessons in blade training. Particularly in Fira's newly remade saber. Aik leads the way with a darkening lantern and his pack, toward a clearing in the woods. Where the training has been taken place. In his pack is the blade unseen other than Kentar and Aik, since it was reforged. Ready to be used. Aik gets to the clearing and sets down his pack and lantern. Fog exits his mouth has he speaks, "Very brisk out today. Good..." he sighs, "Are you ready?" The place is littered with broken barrels and burlap sacks filled with dead grass and leaves. Makeshift practice dummies.
Fira thinks it's a bit too chilly at this time of morning but she's bundled up in her coat and not the sort to complain about the weather. She puffs as she walks, trying to make little patterns with her breath in the cold air. Oddly relaxed considering she knows why she's going to start this training now. She keeps an eye on Aik as ever, following him to the clearing though she does glance away to look round the makeshift dummies "You've been busy"
Aikuen smiles softly at her, as he waits "I know..." You can tell by his eyes. That he is still having trouble sleeping lately. He sighs a bit as he takes off his habit, and he shivers heavily, before stretching his muscles and starting breathing out excercises. Even since he started training he has gone from lean to almost looking like he is during the summer. Bulky. In almost two weeks. He says, "Are you ready? I thought we get you a jump start on your saber before i put you in the 'class'. It was just finished yesterday..." he reaches into his pack and pulls out the object that was poking out. Its the otter ceremonial sword. But its. Changed. The dyes on the sheath has been recoated and the hilt has been buffed and sheened. The leather reapplied and then a yellow tassel has been attached to the end, "Here it is..." he pulls it out of the sheath, "All fixed..." the blade glistens in the morning day sun.
Fira tilts her head at him, taking off his habit and getting cold, silly Aik. Her attention's soon drawn to the sword though and she moves forwards, clearly interested in the ancient thing "Wow...it looks practically brand new...and sharp, definitely sharp" there's a big grin on her face as she moves to carefully take it.
Aikuen lets her take it, putting the sheath against his pack, "Aye. I worked on it everyday when we found out about that fox escaping..." a small frown there, "And that metal for some reason can be shaved to a very fine point. Most steel cant do that. So be careful. It can cut flesh like it was butter..." he sighs, "The sheath i will make a belt for you later. Okay... Now that its all ready. Time for some training. Okay. Okay..." he nods a few times. He has stopped shivering by now, "What do you know about swordplay?"
Fira spends a moment studying the hilt before she runs a paw along the flat of the blade, careful to avoid the sharp edge. Sadly her main thought is nothing technical about balance or anything, she just thinks it's pretty. She's distracted for a moment so she misses quite a bit, finally remembering to look back somewhere around mention of a belt. What does she know of swords "Ah, well...not a lot. I've never had one before...Hit beasts with the sharp bit and don't get hit yourself is about the extent of my knowledge past a few cheap disarming tricks"
Aikuen rubs his chin fur, "Thats the general idea. A few disarming tricks?... Lets try it this way...." he goes over and sets up two unbroken barrels then sits, on top, a sack with a lousy drawing of a frowny face. Its almost comical, "Hit this. as hard as you can. And way you want too. Just slice it. But only once...." he steps away to see her form. Then he can work off that.
Fira shrugs at the question "There was this cat who had these letters" she waves it off with a paw "It's a long story and not all that interesting, all ended up in a dead end anyway" the sack gets a raised brow. What are you looking at with that weird face oh sack creature? A glance to the sword and then she gives it a go. Her form's non-existent, she just raises the sword and hacks it down at the bag, not as hard as she could maybe too cause she doesn't want to break the new sword.
Aikuen chuckles, "Letter and a cat? Im gonna have to hear this one day. But not now. Some other time..." he stands back to let her have the floor, and watches her hack at the bag. He takes mental notes as she does this. When she is done the bag splits open in twine and sort of explodes with leaves. She did kill it, after all. Aik steps forward and replaces it with another bag. And another stupid frowny face. Someone was bored. He takes out his own sword and says, "Okay. Lets start off with the form..." he turns his hip toward the 'enemy' and places his free paw on his hip farthest away, "For that sword. This is the basic stance. Or first stance." he holds his sword at a 45 degree angle at the enemy, "Spread your weight over both pads, but a little more on your back, just in case you have to move... Okay. You try."
Fira tries to copy his pose, keeping her head turned over her shoulder to watch him. She side points to the enemy sack, sword pointed at it, little too straight and she doesn't spread the weight very well, twisting oddly so she thinks it might be on her back. The paw on her hip she does fine but that's not hard.
Aikuen chuckles and sheaths his sword, walking over, "Eh... sort of... Do you mind?... Here..." he bumps up right behind her and places his leg around her back one. Spreading it a little farther back. He then reaches out and grabs her sword paw, brining it slightly down. Then with his other paws on her back shoulder moves it so it aligns itself with the sack. then moving it it the other way so she is more balanced. Fira is the only beast Aik will do that too, "There... got a feel for it?"
Fira isn't going to complain, she is married to him after all, it's a little late to be worried about him being close. She tries to follow movements, letting him correct everything while she tries to work out what was wrong. With him behind her she's not the best at lip reading though and once she's pretty sure she knows where all her limbs are she glances back over her shoulder to him "Better?"
Aikuen lets her go, and makes sure she doesn't just fall apart when he does. He takes a few steps back and then nods, "Aye... Oh wait..." he steps forward again and pops her forward knee out slightly with his foot, "There... How it that? Now in training. I will be making you go back and forth to that stance. Over and Over. So get used to it..." he nods once or twice, "Okay. Now for a drill... Very basic... Do this..." he jumps and down shaking his limps loose and free, "Then go to first stance!" he pops right into it. He nods, "Do that ten times Fira. Loosen up. Then pop into first position..."
Fira raises a brow as he jumps around, he's the one who knows what he's doing though. She takes another moment to try and memorise the stance before she jumps out of it, shaking herself out "...Well now I just feel foolis-urk" she jerks the sword to arm's length. She didn't hit herself, it was just a little too close and she makes a mental note not to shake her sword paw loose again.
Aikuen says, "This will help you remember what it feels like. So it will be second nature to you..." he ergs and runs forward, "Are you alright? Are you okay? Your not bleeding..." he looks around her a bit and sighs, "Wheh... But that will teach you... didnt it?" he smiles.
Fira raises her free paw to calm him when he runs over "I'm fine, I missed, thankfully" she smiles at him faintly "Don't swing the sword at yourself, amazed I had to be taught that"
Aikuen smiles at her and chuckles, "Good then... That would suck...." he laughs, "It should haven been step one. But i skipped it. Cause i thought you would have known by know..." he goes wide eyed as he just insulted a beast with a VERY sharp sword. He smiles awkwardly, "Eh. Sorry darling!" he grins.
Fira sticks her tongue out at him "Common sense, yeah yeah yeah, you're the one who told me to jump about" which she's starting to do again since she hasn't finished practicing yet. She moves back into the stance again, taking a moment to rearrange her paws again.
Aikuen chuckles, "Hey. don't laugh at my training style. It works i tell yah. Kept me alive didn't it!" he grins and watches, pointing out a few things, "Lean a little more back... Good. Now.... good... Very good... Okay... Now that you got the hang of it..." he nods, "Okay. Now for your first and most basic attack..." he draws his sword and goes to first position, "Smoothly move your blade like this..." he moves the pointed side from its up position to a down position, "Then do this..." and then he moves it over to the left and swings it quickly across to the right, "Cross slice... go for it."
Fira keeps glancing over her shoulder to catch his words, there's so much to look at. She pauses, moving out of the stance as she watches him perform the move "Um, ok" she takes her time, back into the stance, a little grr to the sack before she attacks it, cutting a new hole in it.
The sack slowly spills out its leaves, instead of exploding. This makes Aik very happy, "Very good. To that a few more times until that bag doesn't have any more leaves in it to make it live!" he chuckles, "And give it some umf. Scream, grunt, snarl. Do what you got to do. In those swings." he nods and steps back once more.
Fira looks rather proud herself when she finds out it was alright. She smirks at the suggestion though "I don't make enough funny noises by accident and I've got to learn new ones to scare bags? I'll terrify it with my control!" flourishing the sword clumsily at the last bit before she just laughs quietly and slips back into stance to give attacking another go.
Aikuen smiles, "That not what i... Heh... Yah alright." he goes wide eyed and actually covers his head with his paws, "Argh!" he chuckles, "Please don't do that darling! I fear for my life!" he grins and goes back to watching her. After a bit the bag is starting to look a little droopy. Aik grins, "Okay Next one is simple..." he goes into the position that he was at the end of the last attack, "Just use to momentum of that last attack... to swing the blade back... and" he slices from right top corner, to bottom left corner, "First position...and... go."
Fira snorts and smirks as he dives for cover under his paws "I've got a firm hold of it! Scaredi-otter" she's starting to get into a bit now anyway so she's quick to try the next move, clipping the barrel by accident in the process. Confidence probably isn't great in one so unskilled.
Aikuen laughs, as its all in jest. Sort of. He goes back to watching her and he winces at the clip, "The barrel is not your enemy Fi." he points out. The blade didn't take any dents. Not yet at least. Aik says, "Just take it slow. It better to get it, slow. Then to mess up, doing it fast."
Fira will learn but she's never going to stop treating things like a joke, she just prefers to have fun over worrying constantly. She draws the sword back to make sure it's alright "Hm, don't think it did any damage" a glance back to Aik and she catches the word slow a couple of times and takes the hint, trying to slow it down and do it properly.
Aikuen says when she holds it out, "It should be fine for now. We'll check it after training for today. And see it it needs any work on it again..." he nods and watches her a bit more, "Okay. Now for the next part of that move..." He goes and stands in the last position of the last attack. From the bottom left corner he moves his whole body up and brings the blade up to the top corner and then back down to the right corner, "And lastly..." he swings it up and centers it, slicing right down the center and to the bottom. He is completely doubled over. Putting his whole body in it. He slowly get up, "First position..."
Fira is a little slower this time as it takes a moment for her to notice he's onto the next bit again. She tilts her head before frowning faintly and giving it a go slowly. Up, down, up, down. She continues to frown and glances back to him "That didn't seem right"
Aikuen tilts his head back at her, "Really? Here. Watch me again. Ill go slow..." He perform the whole move, from first position. He is a real artist of movement. Each move is fluid and the only thing that really moves is his arm. He moves the blade down, then to the right. Then moving it up to the top right corner, then slicing sideways and down to the bottom left corner. Then straight up to the top left corner, then slicing sideways and down to the bottom right corner. And lastly he brings his whole body as he brings the blade up over his head and straight down in front of him, "The last move is a more of a finisher. And can be a little awkward to perform. But out of the whole routine. Its the most powerful... Try it again..."
Fira watches him move closely this time, trying to mimic him at the same time before she does it again slowly on her own. It's not perfect but it's better than the last time "Think I've got it..."
Aikuen watches her more closely this time pointing out a few things, and keeping mental note of others. After she does the move a few more times. He moves closer and says, "First position... Next... Okay... next..." he guides her arm with his paws, trying to make it very fluid as possible. He seems to be getting slower and slower until he reaches the end. And eventually just stops. And looks into her eyes. Very unmoving, as he just stares.
Fira tries to put it all together, it's not smooth and she'll probably forget bits but good for a first lesson. She pauses when he stops and stares, tilting her head faintly and a slight smirk grows "Better?"
Aikuen slowly start to smiles at her. One of his goofy, but lovable, smiles, "Much better. Your doing very well... Needs some working on. But that's why we call it training and practice..." he is now grinning, "But i think its time for a break..." he places his pad around her leg and pulls back tripping her, but he still holds on, and he chuckles.
Fira slowly starts to grin as well but that disappears into surprise and an 'erk!' as she's tripped over. She flails, sword and all, trying to catch herself from falling "Not when holding a sword!" she yells back.
Aikuen's ears go back, "Erg Sorry. Forgot... Hey! Stop that!" he wretches it from her paw before any real damage can be done. The sword gets a once over before placing it near the barrel, "That was bad. Oh well. At least no blood came from it..." he shrugs before tuning back to his wife to confirm that theory.
Fira is fine but she does aim a little whack at his chest for that "I'm not the only one who forgot that basic lesson then" soon as the sword's safely out the way though she goes to loop her leg round his and trip him up right back. She's not really mad, just waiting for her opening for revenge.
Aikuen nods a bit, "Well okay. You never stop learning. Didn't think you would go all... Whoh!" Wasn't paying attention and he is tripped. He is about to fall back, when his fighting days kick in, and he takes a step back and props himself from falling back with his leg and rudder. At least long enough to loop his leg around hers as well. Though age has caught up with him, and instead of throwing her off. He lands in a heap in the snow on the ground. Dragging her down as well. He grits, "Ow... That hurt..."
Fira oofs as she lands "Might have been better if hadn't pulled me down on top. You make a nice pillow though" she smirks and pulls herself back up again, going to pull him up too after "Come on, out of the snow you, I know you love it but can't lie there"
Aikuen shakes his head of all the snow that decides to homage in his hair. He looks up and chuckles, "Geeeeeeeeeee thanks. Hope im a very comfy pillow. Ill just lie here and..." he grins and takes her paw to get up, "Aye. Love the snow. Like i love a vegetarian diet..." he chuckles and sighs. Realizing how cold it acutely is, "HOLY!" he runs over to get his habit, "Why is it so COLD!" he shivers and puts it back on. Getting the blood flowing again.
Fira snorts and holds in a laugh, he is silly "Because it's winter! The twins are probably up by now anyway" she says as she retrieves the sword and nabs the sheave so it's not a hazard anymore as she goes to loop her arm round his, kiss him on the cheek "There's a nice warm fire at home"
Aikuen stick his tongue out at her, "I know its winter! BUT DANG!" he chuckles and nods, "Right right..." he goes over and picks up his pack as well. He then grins at the kiss, "Mmm... Sounds good... Come on..." he reaches in for a nuzzle, "Lead the way." he flicks off a random snowflake, "Die snow, die!"
