driftfleet | (no subject)

Hey.

What'd it ever do to you?

[ nodding to the punching bag ]

Looked at me funny.

[he grabs his towel to wipe down his face and hands. he doesn't wanna be grody if someone's gotta touch him, even if it's to punch.]

You said you've practiced before, how much?

I've been in some... situations. But only a small amount of actual hand to hand training. I'm an archer.

Archery, huh? Never been my strongsuit. Real pain to be up against, though.

[he puts his hands on his hips, sizing her up a bit.]

You look like you could drop a decent-sized opponent, though.

That's the idea, yes. If Tyrion comes through with a bow for me, I can see what he can do for you, if you want to learn.

And... thanks. I've been told that I'm obnoxiously relentless.

I might have to take you up on that.

Relentless is good. Sometimes being the last one standing is dependent on being the last one to stand back up.

[he nods, and then he grins.]

So. Let's see what you've got. Whenever you're ready, just come at me. And don't worry about hurting me--even if you do, I heal fast.

[ LITTLE DOES HE KNOW ]

...I'll tell you my sob story sometime...

[ she squares up though when he invites her to ]

I don't heal fast.

[ but she attacks! it's... fierce but uncontrolled and amateur. She has moments, but it's a survivor's technique, not a trained one ]

[he takes what she says there seriously; he doesn't want to hurt her, and he knows from her attacks that he very well could. he deflects most hits, ducks and dodges others, and she gets a hit in here and there, but what she ends up hitting just feels solid. scarily. this man is built like a brick wall.

[when he's ready to give feedback, based on the (very few) swings he does make back at her, he'll take a few big steps back when she's between attacks and hold his hands up.]

Alright, alright, before you tenderize me, I feel like we need to go over some things.

[he does seem impressed, though. damn, girl, you really don't stop.]

[ she knows he's humoring her but she also knows that if she really does want to learn, she has to show him how bad she is. she doesn't love it, but here we are.

when he steps back she's shaking her hand a little ]

What are you made of?

Science.

[beats him.]

You've got some good foundation. Instinct's there, the drive is there. You just need to learn technique, and the logic behind what you're doing. Make each hit count, and you won't have to scare your opponents by persevering better than they can.

[he's going to get in stance, at an angle, with one foot a ways behind the other.]

Stand like this.

[ mimics his stance, watching him seriously. she's keyed in ]

Alright, when you go to punch someone, you want to be standing like this. Your whole body is gonna follow through with it. It gives it more power and accuracy, while making it harder to hurt yourself and also protecting your face.

[he steps up to her.]

Lemme see how you hold your fist when you're fighting.

[he's watching for the angle of her wrist, and where she puts her thumb and knuckles.]

[ it's not a terrible fist but there are some adjustments that could be made, and pretty low set ]

I more of a scrabbler, I guess.

Yeah, you are. But I'm gonna turn you into a freight train, don't worry.

[he reaches out and positions her thumb to curl around her index finger, laying across it and touching her middle finger, both between the first and second knuckles. then he holds his hand up to show her the angle it should be at.]

You want the impact to be supported by your forearm, so you need to keep it straight. You should be hitting with the base of your fingers, between the second and third knuckles on your index and middle fingers. Some people keep those two knuckles extended a little. It helps you make sure that's what you're hitting with, so if it feels natural, I'd recommend it. You're less likely to get hurt that way.

[ she follows his instruction and... the temptation is too strong to test it out, so she'll just go for it after he's adjusted her ]

[well, he wasn't expecting that, and he flinches a little bit. wow, you are ready to go.]

--jeez. Yeah, that's better. When you swing, don't go wide. Keep your arm level with your shoulder and rotate your hip into it so your whole body moves.

[he's putting his hand up for her to aim at this time.]

Sorry. Couldn't resist. Won't happen again.

[ does aim for his hands, doing some in slower motion, awaiting his feedback, and then escalating it when it's indicated she's going in the right direction ]

[instantly, she'll be noticing less pain on her part, and more give to him. this time, when he finally breaks away, he's rubbing his hands together.]

Hell, I think I'm gonna make you punch the metal one instead.

[but in actuality, he's motioning for the punching bag.]

You keep practicing that stance. The bag comes back at you a little, so it'll help you get a range. If you jab instead of swing, you can get a feel for how far your target is before you swing with your dominant hand.

Yeah, I think I can manage that.

[ squaring up to the bag and starting to work it. she's visibly more relaxed than when she came in. mmm endorphins ]

How'd you learn to fight?

Military training.

[ah, yes, you are the exact type of person he likes, nova. you like to work out, you have plenty of aggression to work out, and you aren't sure what to do with happy people. it's great.]

And a sprinkling of genetic modification.