second; text

[eyeforaneye]

Who: Uchiha Sasuke+YOU
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: SS Huntress
When: Jan. 31

A few things.

There are a good number of fighters here or people otherwise trained in combat. I'm interested in observing people's abilities or training, or at least discussing what they can do. Spars could also be arranged if you want some exercise.

Secondly, I'll take recommendations for good literature available around here.

Finally, if you know how to knit or crochet then I'll offer you up to ten credits to watch you create something.

[ Yeah, this isn't weird. For anyone interested in action he'll be holed up in his room on the Huntress! ]

Comments

[theshabbiestofmen]

No. I've gone through . . . pain, worse pain than a punch, but no, not that.

[He notices that stare, and so doesn't relax, because he's a little afraid Sasuke is just going to do it out of nowhere.]

[eyeforaneye]

That explains some of it. [ Like the lengthy pause, the awkward movement of his body, the -- in Sasuke's warped mind -- overreaction to actually possibly hurting someone... ]

Sounds like a story worth listening to. [ But definitely not one that Remus will be capable of telling right away, not when Sasuke's casual stance shifts in the barest blink of an eye, nearly impossible to see, and bony knuckles are driven with considerable force right into his midsection. He restrains himself from actually sending him backward but not from sinking that fist in with precise enough aim to stun him and drive air from his body, hitting considerably harder in return.

That's going to leave a nasty bruise later. ]

[theshabbiestofmen]

[He drops to his knees like a stone, losing his breath. He doesn't try and get to his feet again, just stays down and gasps for air. It's a far harder punch than Remus had given, and Sasuke is far too slender for such a punch-- he's got hidden strength, clearly, or perhaps it's just a ninja thing.

He's got a bit of time to think about all this, gasping for air-- but soon he staggers up, his mouth set in determination.]

Well. There you go, then.

[eyeforaneye]

[ Sasuke just looks down at him as he struggles in his bid for air, finally actually reaching for his collar when he starts to get his bearings in order to aid him in standing back up. ]

... it's similar to what I expected. Adjust to shallow breaths before forcing deeper ones; I doubt you have any diaphragmatic rupturing but it's likely bruised. [ And he sounds so incredibly calm while saying it, too. ]

[theshabbiestofmen]

Fortunate we have a doctor on board, isn't it? [A beat, and he grins, albeit still wheezing.] Ah, no, we don't, do we?

[Still, he obeys the advice: shallow breaths, and slowly it feels as though his stomach isn't trying to claw its way out of his torso.]

Any-- ah-- any hope at all to be taught, then?

[eyeforaneye]

[ It would be amazingly cruel of him to hit Remus and then refuse and leave, honestly, and he's trying to move away from that behavior. ]

... it'll be difficult considering the shape you're in, but I can make you less inept. [ ... okay, he's moving away from that behavior with incredibly tiny baby steps. ]

[theshabbiestofmen]

That's all I've ever aspired to be. [Cheerful sarcasm: probably the only way he'll get through this. God, but his stomach hurts.]

What shall we start with, then, beyond trading punches near my books? Is there some kind of training regimen you use?

[eyeforaneye]

[ Sasuke actually eyes him for a beat or two whilst trying to determine if his first statement had been a joke. Probably. ]

Many. [ As if that's any surprise. ]

If what you want is to gain physical strength then you'll have to learn more than just proper stances and techniques. You'll have to gain endurance as well.

What's your current workout routine?

[theshabbiestofmen]

Beyond what I do on full moons? Nothing, frankly.

[He reaches for his wand and waves it. A small notebook and a pen come flying from out of his room; he grabs them and goes to sit, ready to write all this down. He's never going to remember it on his own.]

1/2

[eyeforaneye]

... nothing.

[ He repeats it just to be sure that he did in fact hear him correctly. Right. Okay. ]

2/2

[eyeforaneye]

In that case I expect you to start with a minimum of fifty push-ups so I can see when you become tired. If it isn't within that set, I'll push you to do more. Squats are another good place to begin, with a similar limit.

What about your stamina for running, and your overall flexibility? [ There's going to just be so much. ]

[theshabbiestofmen]

[He scowls at that flat little nothing; he's a wizard, not a brute, and they're trained for different things. He's good at what he does, it's just that what he does isn't . . . this.

Whatever. Bruised pride shoved aside, he writes down those exercises (squats, push-ups, sit-ups?? x 50).]

Fairly flexible by normal standards. I can run for a fairly decent amount of time, actually. [Thanks to Moony, anyway.]

[eyeforaneye]

[ Wizard vs. brute, round one. Force him into attempting basic charm spells and mock his failures in revenge. ]

Remember again that our worlds are very separate from one another. If you say 'normal standards' then I don't have an appropriate frame of reference for what that means, and 'fairly decent' falls under that same category. Are you willing to show me the lengths of your stamina now or should we schedule another time?

[theshabbiestofmen]

Oh, we might as well now.

[He remembers, suddenly, why he'd declined to try out for Quidditch years ago. Remus sighs and rubs his nose. Sasuke has the uncanny ability to make him feel both stupid and out of his depth without ever really trying; it's quite disconcerting.]

Push-ups . . . I should imagine I can't do any, so why don't we just skip that particular humiliation, hm? As for running . . .

[They don't have that much room here. Remus sucks on his teeth, glancing around, trying to think.]

I should imagine I could complete a mile in around fifteen minutes, if I truly pushed myself.

[eyeforaneye]

[ He takes a moment to do the conversion to kilometers in his head, already having come across a need to know it while here. ]

... if you want to learn, you need to be willing to push through what you call 'humiliation'. If you can't do a push-up, we'll rectify that. [ His tone is factual instead of mocking, not exactly known for his empathy but he can still try to remember what it was like when he himself was learning. ]

I'll aid you with your form. If you have trouble doing one now then it'll be harder for you to learn on your own when I've told you to do fifty.

[theshabbiestofmen]

[It makes sense, unfortunately, and Remus can find no cruelty in Sasuke's gaze, no eagerness to see Remus fail. He's stoic, but not nasty. So he nods and bites back his sigh as he gets to his knees.

God, he hopes nobody walks in.

Palms flat against the floor, body drawn out, toes pointed-- he can do one push-up, at least, can't he? He takes a breath and lifts himself up off the floor-- and oh, it turns out one is the absolute limit of his abilities, because even this is difficult. Fucking hell--]

[eyeforaneye]

...

[ He watches quietly for a moment or two before hunching down closer, eyebrow again quirked. ]

Hold that position; locking your knees will make it easier to maintain for a moment. [ As he reaches out, totally unashamedly placing his hand against Remus's lower back in order to push down to straighten his spine. Ass too high in the air, common rookie mistake. ]

Try to get accustomed to the muscle memory of this position. This is what you're aiming for.

[theshabbiestofmen]

[He stiffens for a moment, unused to anyone touching him like that-- but just as before, he moves willingly enough, bowing to Sasuke's superior experience. Knees locked, arse far lower than he'd thought, arms trembling a little from exertion.]

All right. How many-- [And he drops down, returning to a kneeling position.] --do you do a day? Out of curiosity.

[eyeforaneye]

For me there's no set limit. All that's important is that I do enough to retain my current level of fitness. [ He rolls one shoulder, still keeping a close eye on Remus and on any shudder of his muscles in order to pick out weaknesses. ]

Perhaps -- move your hands further apart -- about sixty for me. I've been increasing the number since I lost my arm in order to adjust to the changes.

[theshabbiestofmen]

Merlin.

[He murmurs that and returns to the proper stance, adjusting as Sasuke orders him. Hands further apart, now, and though his arms protest, he thinks he can feel the difference. Sturdier, just as when Sasuke had moved him while they were fighting. The man clearly knows what he's doing, even if he's brisk; he's intelligent, and Remus is as intrigued as he is irritated by that.]

I can't imagine . . . though I suppose you've built up to it. Sort of like magic, we don't do the really difficult spells until we've mastered the basics-- or any talent, I suppose.

[He's chattering now, which is really stupid, because he's breathless as he speaks-- but he can't help it. Part of it is to remind them both that Remus is competent in other areas; he's not some brainless idiot. He's just not good at this.]

[eyeforaneye]

Sixty isn't as excessive as you believe it to be. Your body is also capable of that in time.

[ From what Sasuke can see, anyway, when did his eyes go red. ]

Right now it isn't just a matter of training your muscles, it's also a matter of training your mind. It's unused to these motions and this specific kind of strain, something that will be overcome and alleviated with practice.

Even if you can't complete the push-up, you need to keep trying.

[theshabbiestofmen]

Understood.

[And he does understand, actually. It really is the same no matter what you're training to be: giving up when you're awful at something doesn't help. It's why he can now produce a Patronus, despite being utter shite at charms-- because he kept at it.

But that doesn't mean he wants to do all that now. Not in front of Sasuke. He sits back, letting his poor arms rest, and glances up.]

I--

[The sentence dies on his lips, and for a moment, Remus pauses.]

Your eyes have changed.

[It's not with horror that he speaks-- rather, his voice is quiet, waiting for an explanation.]

1/3

[eyeforaneye]

2/3

[eyeforaneye]

3/3

[eyeforaneye]

[ Nope, right back to black again as if nothing happened at all. ]

It saves me time. More importantly, I also want to see how you perform a squat and a sit-up. I don't have any weights to laden you with for the former, but it won't matter if I'm just judging the form for now.