awashlogs | The first rule of fight club is everyone is talking about fight club

[So technically Keith has never taught anyone how to fight before. He's certainly been on the receiving end of a lot of training lately, at the hands of both the Castle and the Blade. But he does know what he's doing when it comes to battle and conflict, knows how to fight with his hands, knows how to wield a sword. So maybe, just maybe, he can be helpful to someone else.

Maybe. Hopefully.

He's waiting for Akira to show up, as they agreed, arms crossed over his chest, trying to look, you know, approachable. He's not great at it. It's a work in progress.]

[Luckily for Keith, Akira has never been scared off by people looking unapproachable. If he could deal with punk doctors and weird fortune tellers and ex-yakuza, he could deal with a teenage astronaut.

He approaches casually, hands hooked in the pockets of his jeans, hood pulled up to protect his ears against the cold. He seems fairly indifferent to this, though not unwilling, or he wouldn't have come.]

Hey.

[It really is fortunate. For now, Keith raises a hand to wave in acknowledgment.]

Good. You made it.

[He looks around.] So I guess first thing we gotta do is figure out a place to do this. There's a couple spots I've seen that are pretty clear, if you don't mind staying outside. Or I bet we can find a building we can clear some space in.]

Outside is fine.

[He's not sure he trusts a building to not collapse on top of them or from underneath them under even the lightest strain. He hasn't trusted much structurally here.]

Where'd you have in mind?

There's a store with a lot out back. It's pretty clear. Back towards Bluo.

[Once upon a time maybe it had been a stockyard or somesuch, but now it was mostly just a barren piece of gray land in this gray world.

He inclines his head to his left.] Follow me?

[He nods, and follows Keith back towards Bluo. He won't say much, unless Keith says something to him first. He's a pretty quiet guy, really.]

[Keith isn't a talker either, unless he has something to say. Or he's prompted into it. So it's a quiet trip, right until they wind up at the little empty yard he has in mind.]

Here we are. This look okay?

[He's already making his way towards the center.]

Yeah.

[Anywhere is good for him. Akira follows, hands in his pockets, and waits for some instruction.

He has his knives under his hoodie, but he's not sure if he should pull them out yet.]

All right. So. You said you wanted to learn hand to hand. Ever been in a fist fight before?

[Keith has. Boy has he. Fist feet. All sorts of things. He's looking at Akira curiously now.]

First, we should probably get an idea of each of our skills, where we both are in terms of ability and fighting style.

[He shakes his head. No fist fights for Akira! But he's fought plenty before...]

I've used knives before. And I'm pretty nimble. [A pause, while he considers.]

I... try not to let people know I'm good at knife fighting. [He doesn't quite look Keith in the eyes, hoping he assumes his caginess is because it's really not the sort of thing a normal high school student should be good at.]

I guess it's not exactly something that comes across as reassuring.

[He draws his own dagger from where it's sheathed against his back, holding it out.] I'm not terrible at it. Sword is more efficient, for me anyway.

[More slicing. And he won't question why Akira would want to keep that a secret any further.]

Want to show me what you've got?

[Grateful that Keith doesn't press further, he nods, pulling his own knives from under his hoodie.]

Alright.

[And with that, he comes running at Keith, aiming to slash at his arm.]

[There's a flash of a grin as Keith slips into a defensive stance, and he's ready for the slash this time. He's quick -- he has to be. Most of his battles are with aliens significantly bigger and stronger than he is. He gets by on being fast, agile, creative.

So Keith leans and twists, bringing his own blade around in an arc, tossing it from one hand to the other so that he can swing it in a short slash aimed for Akira.]

[Akira is also fast and agile, for some of the same reasons. Most shadows are much bigger than a human, but size alone isn't enough. If you can aim for a shadow's weak spot and hit it, then you can take anything down (with a little magic to help).

So he rolls his body back to try to avoid avoid the slash, admiring the way the blade flipped easily from one of Keith's hands to the other. He is here to learn, after all.

A quick turn, and he's coming at Keith again.]

[Afternoon and Keith is right on time. He's spent most of his morning working his way through the broken down buildings that make up the city, always hoping he'll uncover something he's missed before -- building up small stockpile of supplies that might come in hand in the future. It's all become so routine that it's beyond frustrating; nothing changes. No closer to finding a way out, no closer to finding whoever is responsible for them being here.

So he's really looking forward to meeting with Estelle. It'll be a good change of pace, to say the least, and seeing what help he could offer and what he could learn himself sounds like a pretty good use of his time. And more than that, well, it'll help him blow off some steam to have a bit of a workout.

He's dressed head to toe in black in his Blade of Marmora uniform, skin-tight and accented here and there with purple. His sword is currently in its dagger form belted about his waist in its sheath. He's perched on the stone wall of he well, waiting.]

[Estelle is... well, not nearly as badassly kitted out as Keith is, honestly. She's dressed as she was that first day they arrived, her outfit all bright colors, thick cotton and leather with sports shoes to top it off. This is her usual gear on the job, and ultimately what she was most comfortable fighting in these days. Her staff is in hand, and her orbment is tucked away in a pouch at her side, kept secure but out of danger of being hit by a stray blow.

She offers Keith a cheery wave and a smile as she approaches, picking up the pace slightly until she's close enough to speak.]

Hey! Hope I didn't make you wait long.

[Keith hops down from where he’d been sitting, walking out to meet Estelle. He lifts his hand in a wave to return the gesture. A shake of his head at the words,] Nope. You’re good. Right on time. I was probably a little on the early side. I guess I’m eager to get started.

[He takes a moment to look her over, eyeing the staff curiously.] That your usual weapon? You good with it?

[Even as he talks he inclines his head to his left in a “let’s go this way” sort of gesture. They should find somewhere open and out of the way, and Keith has an idea of two.]

Eheheh... I stopped by the house we're staying in to drop off my rod, so I took a bit.

[She'd been fishing this morning, too. Even if the fish tasted like ash, it was still food, after all.]

And yeah, it is! I've always favored the staff, since my dad taught me.

[He'd also taught her some very basic swordplay, but that hadn't lasted long, given Cassius' own change of fighting style. Her smile turns a little impish, though, as she follows after him. Keith wasn't the only one eager for a change of pace.]

But if you want to know how good I am, isn't that for you to find out?

[Keith looks at her at that latter answer. He laughs shortly and shrugs a shoulder.] Curious about your confidence I guess. We'll definitely find out how good you are. How good we both are, really.

[Sort of a test to see how their styles came together, and where any obvious strengths or weaknesses might lie. Keith may have been told Estelle needs a teacher, but he's just as eager to learn in the process.]

SO. Let's go find out already.

Welllll-- I'm not as good as my dad yet, but I'm pretty good at what I do.

['I'm not as good as my dad yet' the girl says... She beams up at Keith, nodding and gesturing for him to proceed.]

Lead the way, Mr. teacher!

Sounds like your dad's got some skills at least. It sounds like you look up to him.

[...Keith has parent issues which he is trying very hard to keep tucked away right now. It is not the time or the place for them.

But he leads the way, as she said, to a little empty area between a couple buildings. It's not warm out, but they'll be working up a sweat if the training goes well anyway.]

So. Wanna have a little spar first? Show me what you've got?

Well, he's a goofy old man, but he's really good with a staff.

[That is about all Keith is getting out of Estelle about her dad, honestly. Her father was.... a Unique Personality, to say the least.

Estelle's excitement grows, though, when Keith proposes a spar. She's practically skipping the rest of the way, really.]

Of course! This is exactly my kind of test.

Good. Mine too.

[Keith is pretty excited himself. He has no idea what the girl's skill level is, after all, so this is the best way to figure that out -- as long as she doesn't hold back. But then, he won't be holding back so even if she does, hopefully that will prompt her out of it. Keith doesn't tend to give quarter, to hold back or pull his punches even at the best of times. It's gotten more pronounced over his time with the Blade, training and running missions with them. Despite his physical size compared to theirs, despite their greater strength, they've never let up on him.

He's had his ass kicked to hell and back, and he's had the bruises and scars to prove it, but by god has he learned and improved.]

Here we go, right up here. [An empty yard behind an old and broken down building.] This okay with you?

[This was totally Estelle's type of test: one where she could move around. Giving details and writing notes were so not her thing, even if she'd gotten more practice at those things in recent months out of necessity.

But this? This was her speed, and she seems at ease and excited when Keith pulls up to the empty yard, stretching her arms above her head with a grin.]

Definitely! All we need is a clear enough space with no people, I'd say, and this looks like just the thing. So how do you want to do this?

[Estelle didn't hold back much on pure principle, so Keith wouldn't have to worry about that with her. She liked to expect the best of people, which included their skill.]

[Keith walks towards the center of the space, glancing back to see if Estelle is following.] I think we just start. Weapons to begin with, or hand to hand? What do you think?

[He takes a moment to stretch his arms above his head, roll his neck briefly to loosen it up before setting a hand on the hilt of his knife where it's sheathed to wait for her answer.]

Either way, why don't you come at me? Show me what you've got. And I'll come back at you.

Weapons to begin with sounds good. I'm most comfortable with my staff, anyway.

[Start with how they usually fight, then get down to the nitty gritty. At least, Estelle assumed he usually fought with that knife of his, though she might be wrong. Keith didn't look like someone who focused on unarmed combat, though.]

And I can definitely do that. [She grins, spinning her staff in one hand before slapping it firmly into the palm of the other.]

Reaaaady?

Great. Works for me.

[Keith draws his knife, holding it out. Light flares along the knife and when it fades, it's become a wicked, curved sword.

His wrist rolls and he drops back into a stance, sword up and ready. He nods his head at the question, a smile starting over his own features.]

Ready.

[Estelle's brows rise when the knife transforms, a look of curiosity in her eyes. A glowy, transforming knife.....? Cool.

Well, fancy sword or not, she wanted to see how good Keith was. As soon as Keith confirms his readiness, Estelle's dropping into her own stance for a moment, eyeing him up for about a second before going in for a wide, circular swing to test his reflexes. She wanted to know how agile he was.]

[Keith sees the swing of that staff coming, and agility is honestly one of his strong suits. He darts out of his range but follows up on the motion, a quick pivot to bring him back, sword first towards her, the same direction as her staff is swinging so she'll have to reverse to parry it.

Keith is all speed and agility. He has to be. Most of the time he's fighting aliens nearly twice his size; he'll never win a battle of strength, so he has to play to his own abilities. Estelle is more his size though, and he's testing her reflexes here, to see how quickly she can read the movement and react.]

[Likewise for Estelle, being on the small side, she's had to learn to fight enemies much taller and heavier than she is.... monster and human. While she isn't nearly as fast as Joshua, her partner, she's got excellent instincts to make up for it.

So she knows the blow is coming, and reverses and flips her staff, blocking the blow with a sharp snap.]

[Sword strikes staff and Keith grins, wasting no time in twisting towards her, sword drawn back before coming again, a bit on the relentless side, but that's how he fights. He's fluid and fast, quick because he has to be given his usual opponents.

And he's kind of excited to see that Estelle has some definite skill. It makes this more interesting.]

Hey, not bad!

[He informs her even as he's still coming at her.]

[Keith doesn't know what to expect from this sparring partner, and that's honestly half the excitement. It's something new in this place and its monotone monotony -- interrupted only by desperate forays into the woods to find, who even knew. But beyond that he's always been eager to test his skills, to sharpen them and see what he could learn as he went.

He'd had his ass kicked into shape by the Blade for the recent past, and while he'd been a decent fighter before that, it had certainly honed his ability greatly, even if it was a painful lesson at times. Galra didn't tend to pull their punches, even among the Blade of Marmora. So he's looking forward to finding out how this Nanjo guy fights.

He's leaned against the well, turning his dagger over and over in his hand, an old nervous habit he never has shed entirely]

[Kei had shown up mere minutes later. The outfit didn't exactly scream a great fighter - the leather was suited more for a biker than anything else, and true to his word, he had a sword hanging behind him sheathed in a leather cover.

He nodded in silent acknowledgement towards him. There was something about the boy that reminded him of someone else and he couldn't help but grin - alebit briefly. When he spoke, he might remind the other of Coran in his mannerisms (but a lot more serious).]

You must be mister Keith.

[He pulled out his blade, making it sink into the ground as he stood in front of the other.]

Shall we begin close to here, or should we go somewhere else?

[The guy looked about ready to begin, really.]

[Keith can't even talk about clothing. He may be in uniform now, but his fashion sense left to his own devices makes him look like an 80s music video extra, not a pilot or someone who can hold his own in anything besides maybe a dance battle. ...and the odd rush of familiarity comes and goes quickly because if Keith thinks on it too long it'll definitely throw him off.]

Uh yeah. That's me. Just Keith though, 's fine. Nanjo, right?

[He's not old or serious enough for mister. At the question he looks around.]

...might not be a bad idea to find somewhere a little more out of the way. If we really get into it, I wouldn't want anyone accidentally wandering too close by. The well gets a lot of traffic.

[He did indeed look like a music video, but Kei wasn't much to judge.]

Forgive me, young man, in Japan we tend to call others either by their last name. The first name is reserved for close friends. [And you are not a close friend. Heck Nanjo barely called his close friends by their first name.

And he's only twenty. Sorry, not sorry. You can start wondering what is wrong with him now.]

Good idea. If we're to fight without restraint, it might be for the best. Closer to the forest, perhaps?

Uh, right. Sorry.

[Keith would offer his surname, but that’s his fsther’s name and that’s a complicated issue all together, so he’ll just leave it at that and inst we focus on the other matter at hand. He ducks his head in a nod of agreement.]

Sounds good to me. That should give us some space.

[To really let loose and see what both of them could do.] Without restraint. I like the sound of that, too. Hopefully I can match you well enough that you can.

Do not worry about it. It is not something that is taught everywhere.

[Havard had been really enlightening in that manner. Kei will simply assume he comes from a world that only has one name - besides it's not his to request the others. He leads them closer to the forest in silence before speaking again, putting his sword's sheath into the ground and adjusting his blue scarf.]

Do you mind telling me your specializations? While it is good to keep a few secrets from each other, I believe a successful spar includes understanding each other's strengths and limits.

Guess not.

[Granted the person he's closest to in his entire life is Japanese, but Shiro isn't exactly the traditional type, culturally, more like the Garrison type.

Now that they're here, Keith draws his dagger, the blade quickly flaring in a bright light that fades, leaving the previously small blade transformed into a long, curved, decided alien looking sword.]

No yeah, you're right about that. I'm not sure I'll be good at describing it. I'm decent with a sword. I've trained in Altean training simulations and I've been taught by the Blade of Marmora in my training with them. Both of which are alien races, so I think the best description might just be showing you what I've got.

[that said.] I can also hold my own hand to hand, if I have to. What about you?

[He nods at what Keith tells him. The idea of being trained by alien races is rather fascinating and he makes a note to ask about them later. However, they weren't here to exchange stories, but rather blows.]

I understand...as for myself, I was raised to train with swords in traditional Japanese style, along with a rigorous training regime to keep myself in top shape.

[Because the heir of Nanjo should be perfect etc etc etc. He pulls out his sword, leaving the sheath still nestled to the ground - it's large and sharp and probably should be a two hand blade which he is clearly holding with one.]

Additionally, I have the ability to summon Persona, which are alternate aspects of myself into physical form. These grant me different abilities and spells which can be useful in a fight. I will be able to heal you, should our fighting become chaotic.

[Keith nods. So this guy is definitely well-trained and used to fighting. Well. That's exciting honestly. He's looking forward to this spar, though his eyebrows lift at that last part.

He can't hold back a grin, ducking his head in acknowledgment.]

Okay. So definitely no need to hold back. I like it.

[Keith is entirely ready.]

Correct.

[Very different styles, but he can't help but feel a little bit excited as well. When Kei trains, it's mostly to hone his skills and keep his body in top shape. He holds up the sword with one hand and stands in a guard position.]

Persona.

[Bluish waves of light and energy erupt from under him and pass through him before reforming into a figure over twice his size. It stands behind him floating in the air, its claw hands crossed together.]

Let's begin.

The first rule of fight club is everyone is talking about fight club

—> Akira

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—> Estelle

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—> Nanjo

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Sorry for being late

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Wow I think my notifs completely messed up this one