A Brief Respite (Open RP)

[herlivinglegacy]

Smooth, slow motions.

Once, one of his colonels had commented on the oddity of Sephiroth, the General spearheading the war against the orient, doing something like Tai Chi every morning. Sure, he didn't believe in Da Chao and reserved his beliefs for science rather than Odin and his host of sons and daughters, but he believed in the calming nature

Comments

[3pc_point]

Arthur watched Sephiroth move through the forms from a respectful distance away. He'd gone out for a walk around the grounds to clear his head and get his blood moving after spending too long in the library, hunched over dusty books. His brow was slightly creased in concentration; he was observing how the man moved with balance and precision.

"You're very good," Arthur said when he could speak without interrupting.

[herlivinglegacy]

Sephiroth looked over to the man after a moment, cat-like eyes fixing on him and remaining for a long while. "Thank you," he eventually said. "I learnt it from the prisoners of war a few years ago." They had been scared to death of him, didn't dare not teach him anything he asked.

[3pc_point]

One would think that Arthur would have learned his lesson on looking strangers in the eye after the dragon incident at his sorting, but it was habit. He stared back at Sephiroth, expression as neutral as ever. Prisoners of war raised questions in his mind that he decided to push aside for now. "How much time do you spend practicing?" he asked.

[herlivinglegacy]

He thought on that. "I've practiced for several years, give or take the time I spent without a body." It was kind of pointless for a ghost to do Tai Chi, after all. "A few hours each morning, once upon a time."

He turned back to his movements, seeming to ignore the man. "I'm Sephiroth," he said, after a long pause.

[3pc_point]

"Arthur. Do you mind if I watch?" He would leave if Sephiroth asked him to.

[herlivinglegacy]

"No, I don't mind. If you like, you can join. You just have to copy me." The movements were slow enough that Arthur could keep up if he wanted to, even when his hair obstructed a precise view of what he was doing.

[3pc_point]

"Thank you." He was slightly hampered by his clothes, an overcoat plus a shirt, vest, and tie. After finding a clean, dry place to deposit his coat, Arthur came back and watched briefly before joining in. Despite being skinny he was athletic, and moved with the ease of somebody who was familiar with their body.

Still, he was obviously inexperienced in Tai Chi, and had to periodically correct his footing or his hand positions as he followed along.

[herlivinglegacy]

Sephiroth would periodically pause for Arthur to mimic his positions, slowing and altering his pace as he came to more complex turns and hand positions.

Idle chatter wasn't something he regularly engaged in, let alone speaking with a human, nor was Tai Chi an art of speaking, but he found himself curious. "How long have you been here?" he asked, pale eyebrows rising slightly.

[3pc_point]

The silence had been more than welcome, but it would be rude not to respond. "Not long. A few months." A pause. "You?"

[herlivinglegacy]

"Quite the same," he said quietly, content to sink into silence thereafter. He'd figured he'd fulfilled the human convention of small talk.

[3pc_point]

Arthur eventually broke the silence. "Do you practice anything else?" he asked.

[herlivinglegacy]

Sephiroth nodded. "I'm proficient in handling all projectile and bladed weapons," he said, looking over to Arthur briefly. "I was once the General of a genetically modified army," that part he sounded quite disdainful of.