training ♔ thursday morning

[nepotism]

WHO || Fredrick Jr., Dovan Ironsides, Luthir Reedhym, entirely open
WHAT || Weapons training
WHERE || Knights HQ, Training Room / Armory / Firing Range / Gym, Dragnon's Hide wing, 2nd floor
WHEN || Thursday, Feb. 16th, from 10am onwards
HOW || Actionspam

Just like Fred said, at the top of the main staircase is the entrance to an incredibly spacious room, that has gym and weight training equipment on the wall near the door, and then lots of old school training dummies and more at the far end. A glass door enters into a firing range, and another pair of large doors on the farthest wall lead to the armory.

The room's full of the clanging of metal, as Dovan and Luthir fight, sword to axe, across the room, and Fred gathers everyone up on the gym side to explain things.

Comments

[slay]

[ She gives a blank look for a moment, kind of sheepish and childlike in the face of his judgy stare, and then she reaches up to pull on of the arrows from the carrier on the bottom. She slides it in, using it to pull the string back and knock it with a certain amount of fumbled proficiency. It goes pretty well until she ... lets the string go too soon and the arrow shoots off into a wall. ]

[luthir]

[He watches this display dispassionately. So very unimpressed.

Finally he reaches out to place a hand gently but firmly over hers and... lower the crossbow.]

Allow me. [And he'll take it from her and load it up slowly so she can watch, then raise it towards the target. He waits until he has her attention to release the arrow. It whizzes out straight and true, slamming into the board down there with ease.

He then holds it out to her again.] Try it like that.

[slay]

[ She watches, then takes the crossbow back, pouting a little. ] I was totally doing that. It slipped. [ There's a minor scowl, but she gives another go at knocking it. This time, more successful. She manages to knock it, fire it, and even hit the target. Or, rather, the sheet that the target's on ... ]

[luthir]

[He watches her form carefully, and nods as if noticing what's going on. He nudges her right foot forward a bit.] Open your stance.

[He taps the hand she has holding the grip] Keep this wrist relaxed at all times. That'll keep it from twisting.

[And he throws a glance down towards the target] With this weapon, you won't be aiming high for compensation like you might with a curved bow.

Go ahead and draw the string and we'll find your anchor point.

[slay]

[ She widens her stance with some awkward compliance at the way he nudged her foot, and relaxes her grip on the bow. She glances back at him, vaguely uncomfortable with the correction for some reason, but complies. However, she doesn't wait after she's knocked the arrow successfully and with the ease of muscle memory. Anchor point, schmanchor point.

Ranged attack 19, this time. She lifts the crossbow with a more relaxed, easy way about her, she manages to make a bullseye. ]

[luthir]

[... well then.

He just stares for a good long moment, and then looks back at her.]

... Yes, that was it.

[slay]

So, I can keep this one, right? [ She just looks peppy and cheerful instead of ... worrying about his awe. Which is easy to do because elven lack of expressiveness spans the whole emotional spectrum. ]

[luthir]

[Truth.]

It's yours. Try it again. [That's his way of saying LUCKY SHOT]

[slays]

[ She gives a nod, grabbing another bolt and loading it with the same ease. Ranged attack 18 this time, so when she lifts the bow and fires, she hits just outside of the bullseye. Despite going a little outside the mark, it's still nestled in a grouping with the other one that indicates precision rather than luck. ]

[luthir]

You seem to have had some experience with this.

[slay]

[ She looks down at the crossbow, then at her target, then back at Luthir. ] Guess it does kinda look that way, huh?

[luthir]

That's good news, at least. It makes this just a matter of reawakening the appropriate instincts.

[slay]

Yeah. I keep hearing I'm chock full of those. [ She looks down, awkward, then lowers the crossbow. ] Uh ... I just -- How? I mean, how do you ... reawaken instincts. Is there some meditative pilates class I should be skipping breakfast for, or ... ?

[luthir]

Not quite. [His lip pulls tight at the seam. On anyone else, it might be a smirk. Instead it just looks like a... different linefais]

But you have to learn to trust your natural inclination, rather than second guessing yourself. [To demonstrate, he just... suddenly yanks his own bow straight up to point at her, waiting to see if something in her reacts to the threat.]

[slays]

[ Sure enough, instincts kick in before panic does. Ref check 15 -- she sees a weapon pointed at her and she reacts rather than thinking about it. The bow's too bulky to just grab from him, so instead she brings her leg up and aims a kick for where he's holding the arrow steady, intent to knock it aside for a misfire. Melee atk 19. ]

[luthir]

[The bow clatters to the ground and he looks surprised by just how sharp her instincts ARE.] ... Nice form.

[slays]

[ When Buffy's foot lands back on the ground, her hands are raised in fists at her sides in a readied stance. When the clattering noise and Luthir's remark happen, she snaps out of Slayer-zone and looks a little befuddled by her own reaction.

She cringes, instinctively apologetic first -- ] Sorry! I -- [ But, then she lowers her hands to her sides, feeling ... pretty uncomfortable. Just who the hell was she that that was her first instinct? The nightmares were seeming realer and realer. ] I should go. [ She takes a wary step back, but she can't really ... take a step back from herself. ]

[luthir]

No. [He speaks simply, placing a hand on her arm. He nods down at the target.] Now try it.

[slay]

[ She hesitates at that, not looking thrilled, then picks up the crossbow again. ] What exactly are we hoping to accomplish? [ She turns away from him, pointing the weapon down-range, taking aim, and firing. Ranged atk 21, she hits the bullseye again. ]

[luthir]

[He watches the arrow land with evident admiration, and says simply:] That.

[slay]

[ She doesn't look as pleased. In fact, she looks uncomfortable. She lowers the weapon, then looks back at him. ] You don't understand. I've never done this before.

[luthir]

Ever? Or that you can recall?

[slays]

Both? There's a definite possibility of both?

[luthir]

[He stares at her with elven i-intensity for a long, long moment.] You're from the Shadow World? [He sounds like he's doubtful about his own conclusion]

[slay]

I guess. I mean, I don't -- I don't really know where I'm from.