[PvP] So Defensive. (Lawrence + Harrison)

[Baneful]

Lawrence had been in a fairly decent sort of mood when Harrison had come around to drop off the carvings that Melvin had commissioned him to make, he hadn't been able to help but find them adorable. It was like purchasing an oil canvas painted by an elephant, a work of art unexpectedly produced from a coarse and common beast.

He'd been in such a good mood that he had mentioned wishing to brush up on his defensive abilities to the other blonde man in order to better take care of himself. It had seemed sensible at the time as he more often than not found himself running defence and Harrison had seen Butch personally before when he had picked him up against his will.

At the present moment in time he was, if not regretting the decision, beginning to reconsider it, standing at the training area, irritable that the snow still persisted all around and waiting to see if the Moon hunter would even remember their scheduled meeting.

 

[Toshihiko Two]

Harrison was punctual and giving this lesson out for free, although he didn't expect the old con artist ******** to be anything approaching grateful about it.

He did have the courtesy to show up, so that was a start. Harrison was usually cold, and the cold made things colder. His closet wasn't exactly outfitted for Antarctica every day. Rep had been gloomy as ******** since the break up, which Harrison couldn't exactly account for. Harrison had been feeling a hell of a lot better. No more sad-eyed I love yous, no more touching the back of his neck, no more doubting the sincerity and motivation of every touch with a heaping helping of communication breakdown and needs not being met on either side. For Harrison, a relationship failed when somebody left. For Jordan, it failed when everybody wasn't happy (so he left). And with that basic foundation they couldn't build anything. Not anything Harrison could emotionally bear. It was better when he hadn't known. It had been better when he thought...

But it just wasn't that way.

He felt pretty good about knocking Lawrence around (with his highness's permission), too.

"Braved the weather, huh? Just hasn't quit." Harrison said, summoning B0nez in a flash as he walked over and resting the bright and buzzing sword on his shoulder.

"I've been thinking about it. Your weapon and all. Claws, right? Let me see 'em."  

[Baneful]

Lawrence was - as he always was in the snow - absolutely freezing, his body resorting to the bitter shivering it always did when he was outdoors for anything longer than 5 minutes. He had dressed as warmly as he could but it was always a losing battle and even a layered shirt, jumper and coats had not been enough to fend off the elements.

He was surprised to see Harrison when he showed and made a mental note that if nothing else the man was respectful of arrangements, something which Lawrence considered an excellent character trait. Laziness was a personal insult, a neglect of his excellent quality of company and the sign of poor character.

The man might be as salty as salt of the earth came but he did have some decent traits.

He eyed the sword with stirrings of concern about what it would feel like to be struck by it "I sincerely hope that it stops soon. And yes. Claws." he said, slightly scandalised by the direct assertion of what his weapon was and for a moment a little bristly that someone else might hear them. But no, he couldn't let the other man see that particular quirk of his nature or he would relentlessly exploit it as an irrational weakness no doubt.

He summoned Butch and flexed the talons. It was always slightly jarring to find himself with his missing hand replaced. Butch of course went completely wild with delight at getting called up, though it was with just a hint more panting than Lawrence remembered.

"What of them?"

 

[Toshihiko Two]

Harrison looked skeptical at all the quaking Lawrence was doing, but brushed it off for now as him being dramatic. The guy liked to act out at the best of times.

"Right, okay. So you got...." He started over Lawrence's way, but warned, "Don't get nervous, I'll tell you when I'm gonna start hitting."

He twisted B0nez's shorter sword, holding up one Butch's long claws with it and inspecting the length.

"Some reach. Just about mid-range. And you all got that chain too, you been using that?"  

[Baneful]

Lawrence did freeze warily when Harrison moved over to him but at the reassurance seemed to remember to breathe again. He wasn't particularly afraid so much as ready to brace himself, though Butch was the one who sounded a little concerned about the situation Lawr'd put him in, normally raring to bite and snap at anyone who crossed them. Instead he was suggesting walkies instead. Lawrence ignored him, giving Harrison a slightly irritable look as B0nez touched on the claws. He clenched the ones not being held up to inspection.

"I have used it, yes. On occasion. It takes a certain level of intimacy however which is often difficult to attain in combat, close range is always hard won."

He haughtily looked sidelong at Harrison. "...but it has its uses."

 

[Toshihiko Two]

"Course it has its uses. Those ******** what got guns and bows and arrows, you get intimate with them and see how much a bow will help. Me, I'm all close range. And when it comes down to it, close is the only range that matters."

Harrison eased back off Lawrence.

"The claws are long. You got to have some more room if you want to use those. Okay."

The specifics were different for everybody, but the basics were the same.

"So there's stances, and blocking. Which I can show you. But larger than that, you got to size up the situation. What's around you. What you're fighting. Defense isn't just letting your weapon take a hit that you would have took. It's anything that puts a stopper on the other guy. Say you're fighting some bigass yeti. You can stand there and try and block the claws. Or you can get behind him and wrap the chain around his neck, see? Anything that stops them, that's the kind of defense you want be on the look out for."  

[Baneful]

Lawrence couldn't help but smirk slightly. "I am partial to close range myself. Perhaps not on the scale of Yetis but it is much easier to get close to something and then strike than to fight from afar. I admittedly never saw the appeal of a gun or a bow. Especially not in our line of work. Off the island, perhaps there is a certain invincible finality to a gun, but not for us."

He turned his gaze to the long claws with a thoughtful stare. "I am used to having the element of surprise on my side, it is when I do not that the issues begin. I admit however that you raise interesting points. Proactive defence sounds interesting. Is there anywhere in particular which is a good distraction?" He seemed to listen to the voice in his head briefly.

"Butch says the back of the ankles, the bones of the legs, the neck. But he is canine, I imagine that does not always apply to humanoids." Harrison got looked over. "You don't look fast enough to get behind a monster before it could turn on you."

 

[Toshihiko Two]

"You got to be strong to be fast. And I'm plenty strong, and plenty fast. B0nez is a real light weapon. With him, I want quick strokes. It's his edge that does the work, not the weight. As far as targets, what works on a yeti's not going to work on a giant spider. But that's about right. Anything that ******** with their mobility, or knocks the wind out of them. Now what you got is the ability to do a lot of splitting in one strike. One sweep, five marks."

Plus the chain. As far as weapons went, you couldn't say it wasn't versatile.

"For blocking, I'm thinking you got a few options. So, brace yourself, and tell me how each feels."

Harrison stowed hooked Bonez's short blade in his belt.

"First off, we're going to try consolidating a shade." Harrison held out his hand like he was doing a karate chop, with the fingers straight. "Try that."  

[Baneful]

Lawrence listened with apparently curiosity, his keen gaze flicking between Harrison's face and the brilliantly bright weapon. He couldn't imagine Butch ever knocking the wind out of something but he could certainly imagine immobilising something with him.

He did look a little concerned at having to use the weapon, but there were wards and things. No one would actually complain about any damage he did.

He held up his right hand and brought all of the long claws together with a click.

"You mean this?"

 

[Toshihiko Two]

"Right. Feet apart, knees bent. Keep your arm steady."

Harrison brought down B0nez onto the locked together claws, and Lawrence held even as the energy sparked off the blades. Harrison grinned.

"Feels good, don't it? Stronger."

Harrison pulled B0nez off.

"Alright. Try spreading them, this time." He demonstrated, splaying his hand. "Aught to have a different feel."

DMG: 2
Charge: 1/3
 

[Baneful]

He winced as the strike hit home, but was in actuality pleasantly surprised, used to assaults against Butch to send a jarring jolt of pain through his arm and body. He was not used to them being defused like an earthed electrical current.

"That is positively strange." he said, seeming heartened by the success of the action.

More eagerly this time, with that same bright and fixed curiosity, he splayed his fingers, the white runes taking up a brighter glow than before.

"Being struck generates charges?" he asked, having never noticed this was the case.

HP: 40
Charge : 1/3
 

[Baneful]

^ Roll for the above post  

[Toshihiko Two]

"Sure does. Any kind of contact where you're swapping fear. Either with one of us or one of them. Same deal, feet apart. Coming at you harder, this time."

Harrison brought the sword down harder this time, and Lawrence would feel the force behind the cut, but also feel the dent Butch made in the force before the electric energy clashed with Lawrence's shield. The damage from the blow was cut near in half.

"Good," Harrison said, pleased. "How'd that one feel? Sort of distributed, like? I got another one for you."

Harrison made the karate chop gesture with his hand, and crossed it over with his other, forming an X.

"This is gonna give you a kind of sword breaker. Lets you trap and control whatever's coming at you. Now, downside is your legs are gonna be exposed, and you can't parry a second blow from nowhere. But all the force is gonna end up where your core and legs can handle it, and give you a lot more push if you got something heavy coming your way but you can't get out of there in time. Ready?"

DMG: 10
Charge: 2/3  

[Baneful]

He wasn't entirely sure that he liked the idea of swapping fear, though he didn't voice this fact. It was one thing to deliberately pursue the taste of America's fear, it was another to realise he was just trading it willy-nilly with anyone he sparred. It sounded a bit like something that was asking for a fear based STI.

The strike this time was harder and more what he expected from the other man, but again he was startled by the fact that he was able to resist for anything more than a heartbeat, able to feel the instant when he and Butch lost their grip on the defence and took the hit to the shield instead. Butch whined pitifully at the swipe to their energy and Lawrence in minor impatience told him to stop being a baby.

"It felt different that is true." he said "The attack gets..dispersed. It is fascinating. I was not aware weapons were capable of much more than offensive attacks, this is a curious capacity."

He obediently copied the other man's gesture with the claws, keenly hoping that it would be as effective as the other stances had been and pleased to find anything which could prevent him from getting maimed or injured. Other people could frankly hang, but taking care of himself was important, this lesson was just another extension of self-care, it might as well have been getting his hair or skin done.

"And ready as I will ever be."

HP: 35
Charge : 2/3

 

[Toshihiko Two]

Harrison brought down B0nez again, and this time not only did Butch hold up, but the Harrison didn't get anywhere near Lawr's shield.

"I think that one's a keeper." Harrison seemed exceptionally pleased, and grinned while he kept up the pressure. "Alright. I told you I thought you could use this one for control. So push me off. If you're all charged up, now might be a good time to use it."

DMG: 4
Charge: 3/3