You're the saddest bunch I've ever met

[ihavetwodads]

Characters: Seraph (shining_bind) and Red (ihavetwodads)
Date/Time: July 5th, late afternoon
Location: The Park
Rating: PG-13 for MANLY VIOLENCE
Summary: Red requested a training session in swordsmanship from Seraph, and that's what he's going to get. There will probably be some pinging here.

Comments

[ihavetwodads]

"Oh..." Red dug his feet into the ground, trying to find a solid, yet comfortable position, and kept his swords ready at his sides. This stance seemed to strike a chord within him, and so he stayed that way.

His head tilted at Seraph's explanation. He had no idea what 'idioms' and 'figurative' was supposed to mean, but instead of asking, he simply nodded slowly. He could pick out other things so that the sentence made sense, and besides... It would probably be better to just smile and nod as if he knew what Seraph was talking about most of the time anyway. Unless he were just really curious.

Attacking Seraph... The moment of truth, then. Red rolled his shoulders and let out a deep breath, and then pointed one of his swords at Seraph. "Alright, here I come!"

With that announcement out of the way, Red launched from his place and quickly closed the distance between Seraph and himself, swords behind him to aid his trek. If there was one thing he learned in his time training to himself, it was that speed was definitely on his side. Once he reached his opponent, Red dug his foot into the ground and allowed his forward momentum to create a powerful horizontal strike. His next attack was just as quick - his other sword traveled in the opposite direction, clanging against Seraph's sword diagonally.

With those two hits alone, Red could tell that Seraph would not be knocked down easily. For the last of his onslaught, Red held both swords even at his sides and spun in the air, hoping to catch Seraph off-guard with two hits one right after the other. Once he landed and recovered, facing his opponent once again, he jumped back and held one sword in front of him defensively. Seraph may take that time to attack, and Red would be ready for it.

[shining_bind]

Red had speed. That was the first thing he noted. He shifted his position slightly to absorb the first blow with his blade, before turning to brush the next to the side, redirecting it's movement for less reverberations of metal-on-metal with the solid contact of the blows. He shifted his stance for the third blow, taking the both, before immediately shifting to a counter attack.

His longsword swept through the air quickly and powerfully, stopping an inch short of coming into contact with Red's blade, before he brought it around for another strike on the opposite side before stepping back as well. Red definitely had skill- he knew how to quickly wield his blades without chopping a foot off, something that Seraph had wondered if it would happen, and if his weak curative spells could fix it. With practice, he would surely become an established swordsman.

"You attack fairly well, but you could use tightening up your movements- make everything intentional and to serve a purpose." he noted. "As for your attacks- do not reserve yourself in a true battle. Swing with not only your arms, but with your body, and with the intention to do damage. If you wish to strike the skin, aim for the bones." He noted. "It will help your strikes become more powerful, though you won't have to lose very much speed."

[ihavetwodads]

Red saw that first strike coming and prepared himself... but Seraph had faked the attacked, and he wasn't expecting the next one. Although he was able to put strength behind his defense, it was at the last second, and so he had to take a couple of steps to the side to regain his footing. Seraph was powerful. Where Red had speed, the other man definitely had strength.

He may have been caught off-guard, but he was prepared for another onslaught. His grip on his swords tightened, and he was just about to swing his sword when Seraph began to give him advice. The way he talked, it was as if he really wanted Red to go all out against him. He frowned and, in the world's dumbest move in a sparring match, he averted his eyes.

"But I'm not trying to hit you, Seraph. This is just a spar, right?"

[shining_bind]

As soon as red looked away, he moved quickly forward, bringing his sword up and stopping just short of an actual blow to Red's chest and neck. "Do not look away, Red." he said sternly.

After a moment, he sheathed his blade. Of course they weren't attempting to do actual damage... but at the same time, they were practicing to enhance their abilities. "...If you would prefer, we do not have to practice such techniques- but it is good to keep in your mind if you wish to grow as a swordsman. In the event of having to fight, I would prefer you being able to deal suitable damage, rather than find yourself lost against a large and thick-skinned opponent."

Seraph folded his arms across his chest. Were they to go all out against one another, he wasn't sure who would win- Red, though seemingly out of practice- had a sort of skill that was familiar in some way... and with his speed and precision, it could prove devastating. But that was assuming that Red's attention stayed true for the duration of the fight. It was a toss up.

After a moment, he chuckled and reached out, lightly placing a hand on Red's head. "Perhaps you have a point. There is no need for the intention to wound in a spar. Even so, I'm surprised at your techniques." After awkwardly ruffling the boy's hair, he let his hand drop. "I am glad that you don't need a beginners course in swordplay."

His fingers landed on the hilt of his own sword again. "Would you like to try again?"

[ihavetwodads]

"Whoa!" Red exclaimed as the sword stopped mere millimeters away from his body. He leaned himself away, holding his own weapons out uselessly in an instinctive effort to defend himself. Don't look away? If he didn't learn that before, he certainly knew now. "Y-Yeah. Got it." He nodded and took two steps back, away from the blade.

He paused as Seraph took it away and hid it away. They were... done? Slowly, Red lowered his guard and sheathed his swords. A part of him was disappointed, and yet the other half was relieved. It was a short session, and yet he learned a lot just from that. Seraph was a good teacher.

"Large and thick-skinned... huh." Red muttered to himself as he frowned and gazed down at the ground. Something was familiar about that phrase. It was that sensation of nostalgia, the feeling of knowing that something was there... something unreachable. It was distant, much more so than the other times he felt it, but still there.

It only intensified when he felt that hand thread into his messy hair. That... was that Seraph? Was Seraph ruffling his hair? Seraph? The frown had disappeared and was replaced with a look of surprise and... searching, that was a good way to describe it. The action made that nostalgic feeling practically ache inside him, yet no matter how much he reached for it and yearned to know what caused it, he knew he'd never find out unless he went out of his way to remember. Despite the frustration... It felt really nice.

"...H-Huh?" Red lifted his head when Seraph directly asked him a question. He heard what the other man was saying, and yet it sort of went into one ear and out the other. Red preferred to listen to his emotions rather than advice from others, and those feelings were going crazy. Something told him that he had received a compliment, though, and now Seraph was asking if they'd like another round of training. "Ah... yeah, sure." He replied distractedly, his own fingers resting on the hilt of his sword in a way that seemed almost like Seraph's casual stance.

YAY DAY OFF FROM WORK.

[shining_bind]

"..." Well, that wouldn't do. Red was obviously still thinking about their previous lesson and the things he had been told. He would probably need more time to absorb that information, rather than moving along to the next. had his blade been out, Seraph would have simply disarmed him.. but forthe moment, he simply shook his head.

"...Forgive me, you're too distracted. Think about what we've spoken on and practice carefully. Then we can move on." He stepped back from Red, allowing him to get his bearings. It was strange, in such a short time they had covered some basic principles... but Red's focus didn't seem to want to stay. The short attention span was... alright though. Again, it struck him as nostalgic. Something that he could adapt to with their training sessions.

"We shall keep practice sessions short, if it is easier for you. There is no use giving information when it will simply muddle with everything else." After a short silence, he glanced back over to red, unsure of how to transition the conversation. "...Thank you." That was simple enough.

Re: YAY DAY OFF FROM WORK.

[ihavetwodads]

At that, Red was about to retort that he wasn't distracted - hell, he could keep going all night if he had to! He wanted to learn! But at the same time... He felt that the basics were enough. If he really wanted to get better, he'd have to develop his own skills and his own methods of fighting, not just copy Seraph's ways. With that, he nodded and also took a step back.

And another, and another... Until he made himself fall backwards and onto the soft grass below, his hands moving to pillow the back of his head and protect it from the fall. "I should thank you." Red finally answered as he raised his head to look at Seraph, "You're taking the time to teach me things like that. Who knows how I'd end up if I did all of this myself?"

He settled his head back again, a smile forming on his face as he watched the stars appear above him and the last colors of the sunset die from red and purple to a deep, dark blue. For some reason, this was the time of night that Red felt the most at peace. It was as if he just knew that he'd be okay, that he'd get his memories back and, even if he didn't, he'd be alright.

"...Do you want to watch the stars with me, Seraph?" He suddenly asked.