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 Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 12:12 pm
Camelot watched the younger knight with a curious expression, focused but half amused. He was interested to see what the other could do, since he hadn't really seen Alfheim in battle before, and wanted to see what he was really capable of.
But the light tap that hit connected with his chest, only because he stood there and didn't move for it, made him blink.
"I know you have a bit more strength in you than that," he said, thinking that Alfheim was just holding back because he didn't want to hurt the older knight. That was an admirable thought, but Camelot was sure he could take it.
"You don't have to hold back, really. Give it everything you've got." Camelot, motioned to his feet, moving his own into a more balanced stance that he wanted Alfheim to mimic. "Arms a bit higher, legs apart and braced by your knees. Carry your weight low, so you can't be thrown off balance too easily, but you'll still be able to move if you need to. Use your body to aid your punch."
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Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 10:59 am
"I... I know," Alfheim said, shifting again so he was back on his two feet and looking at his own fist again like it was going to take on a life of it's own and hit him.
"I used to get in fights all the time," Which was a bit of unpleasantness he didn't actually want to go back to. He was pretty sure his high school bullying record set a new standard in spectacular violence one could be expelled for.
That didn't mean he wanted to hit someone now, especially someone he knew. He knew it was sparring, but he was having the hardest time wrapping his brain around it.
Also he actually didn't know, his technique was more or less rage and trying to smash faces. But it was rage he hadn't touched on in at least a decade and now he was being asked to fight on command? It wasn't working, it was awkward.
"Okay..." He swallowed and went to punch him again, this time with a little more oomph, but not much. At least it had a bit of body behind it.
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Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 11:24 am
Camelot had it much the same way, when he had started out. He was not much for fighting, save when he lost his temper or was very drunk, but he had trained himself to tap into what he needed to know from his youth and wild upbringing to keep himself safe in battles today.
Though sometimes he did lose his temper still.
When Alfheim hit him his immediate response was to defend himself, but he didn't. He willed it down so he could take the hit and see what it did. Not much, but there was more there. Maybe he needed a bit more incentive. Camelot moved then, lunging with his shield forward, aiming to smack his opponent with it in an effort to get him fighting a bit more.
"You're going to need to do more than that, my friend. Think of me as your enemy. You'll be getting into a lot of fights, if Chaos has their way, though I certainly hope it's the opposite. It's best to prepare for the worst. Come on, give me what you've got!"
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Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 6:21 am
Alfheim took the smack with almost no attempt to dodge it and stumbled in his stance a bit.
He made the most awkward frown at the 'think of me as your enemy' bit. This all seemed like incredibly unpleasant stuff to engage in willingly the more he thought about it.
And then his thoughts circled back to Zia and her stupid friend and their supposed betting pool, joking or not, about how long it was going to take him to get corrupted or killed, and while all the corrupted people he'd met so far had been pretty nice, there was still something about them. He could believe they were off, because their auras had just an ever so distinctly creepy feeling, and he didn't want to ******** with that.
And he certainly wasn't going to just drop off the face of the earth like his sister did, either.
He didn't say anything, but his dorkish awkwardness seemed to fade away all in one moment as he shifted his stance to something more comfortable for when he launched a full knuckle punch right for Camelot's shoulder.
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Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 2:28 pm
Camelot noticed the difference in Alfheim's expression and smiled to himself, nodding his head and watching the younger man's stance. It was stronger, and Camelot braced himself subconsciously for the hit.
This time he stumbled, though he kept his footing and moved to move after him, swinging his shield again to either deflect another attack or to land one of his own. He held back a little bit, if only to keep himself from going too far again.
He had killed that poor Negaverse soldier, and that had been too much for him. He couldn't do that again. He needed to be aware of his strength, how much he was using and when.
So really, he needed training, as well.
Still, he swung hard enough to make it a good idea to attack or to dodge, and not want to just take the hit. He was still a Knight, after all, and that alone was enough to give him some oomph in his swings.
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Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 3:32 am
Once upon a time, Alfheim had been light on his feet. Quick movements and endurance were essential to his chosen hobby and that might have led to being a little too cocky.
He dodged, but he didn't dodge enough and ended up clipped. "Ah! Geez," He gasped, grabbing his arm where he was hit and laughing. This was so unserious. But that was fine, because the lack of seriousness was normal for him. Not knight him, not anxious him, but the him he was before he got into this mess.
By nature, he was a laid back guy, he just seemed to be on a terrible streak of having his nerves hit. And twisted. And ripped out. And it didn't even hit him until now, figuratively.
"That hurt, man," He said like a joke and shrugged as he took a less fluid stance. "I don't know, Camelot, maybe the fighting bit just isn't for me."
He didn't want to sound like he was copping out, at least not out of cowardice, the determination to [i[not die was still very much present.
"I've never gotten in a fight I can't talk my way out of," Definitely too cocky. "I don't think I'm mentally equipped for, yanno, street fighting." Which was mostly just he didn't want to. "Maybe uh... maybe just some defense or something."
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Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 9:21 am
Camelot was enjoying himself, despite needing to be a bit more of a teacher and less of a student, in his own right. He used training just as anyone else did, though he did not need to learn about his fighting style, so much. He instead focused on his senses, his ability to read others, and his own reactions to battles.
It helped him keep himself calmer, to keep his temper or fear in check, though right now he didn't have to worry about any of that. Sparring was easier on the mind than real fights, because there was no real sense of danger.
"Fighting isn't for everyone, but unfortunately it will be necessary at some point. It's better to know how, to build confidence in yourself, for the just in case, rather than being caught off guard and unprepared when it might matter the most, you know? I don't believe in battling as the only answer, but I've learned that some things don't know anything but violence."
He smiled though, nodding his head.
"I'm glad that you've been able to talk your way out of them so far, though. That's a good ability to have, but it's not foolproof. There are many agents of Chaos that are not capable of hearing our reasons, who are too tainted by the Chaos inside them to understand it. You'll have to find your balance."
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Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 8:50 pm
"Well it's not really that," Alfheim admitted, throwing another punch. But it wasn't a highly combative move and was honestly more like absentminded exercising at this point.
"I'm not really a pacifist, I guess. Like I said, I used to get in a lot of fights," He moved a little, loosening up. "I don't know. We grew up in kind of a violent household, yanno? And I took a lot of that with me as a kid. But I removed myself from that, I got my temper under control, and I guess the thought of having to dig back into that just makes me feel a little..." He went for another swing, "Sick."
It felt weird just discussing it, but he was an adult now, and his assault record for a few bar fights gone bad was years behind him. Maybe it was because he had a sibling that was a mutual friend that made it feel like an invasion of privacy, but either way.
"I think I'm going to try to stick to talking as long as possible," He laughed.
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Posted: Fri Apr 19, 2013 1:29 pm
Camelot was in the same mindframe, lifting his arm to block the attack and moving to counter with an open palm and a shove. He was more interested in the conversation, learning about the other knight in the process. That would help them both, in its way, just as much as training would.
"I understand that," the Knight of Earth said evenly, "though my household was not violent, as strict as my father was. But I did run away, and the way I lived... I thought I was very tough. I grew out of it, lost that part of myself for a long time, but sometimes it comes back. But it doesn't have power over me, just as your past doesn't need to have power over you. You can use your strength without being that same person."
He nodded his head, almost missing the second swing, as caught up in thoughts as he was.
"I think that's a good plan," he said with a grin, though he was sincere, "Just make sure to keep yourself safe."
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Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 5:05 am
"No, I guess, not," Alfheim said lightly. "Everyone thinks they're tough when they're a kid, huh?"
He laughed. His initial introduction to the real world had been unpleasant but he wasn't seventeen anymore, and he had obviously recovered and pulled his head out of his a**.
"Hey, nothing beats the 'oh shi-' feeling of being halfway across the country with no job, no money, no skills, and realizing that no, apparently being a teenager doesn't mean you know everything."
He decided to keep up the lazy swings, Camelot could keep defending. He was in a groove now.
"I think I'm doing an okay job. I know I'm inexperienced. But sometimes I honestly wonder if that danger's... exaggerated? I'm not sure."
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Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 10:49 am
"I think it's a general phase that most need to grow through, yes," he laughed. He thought of his own son, and his inability to grow past being a rough and tumble kid. He would have to get out of this phase eventually, right? He was an adult now, after all: he couldn't justify it for much longer...
Camelot desperately hoped that Nate would realize all that sooner rather than later.
He kept up his arms to keep blocking the swings, finding a pattern to the movements and using that to encourage a bit of exercise in the almost leisurely exchange, the focus now being the conversation.
"Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't," he said vaguely, though he intended to elaborate. "There are the few odd Negaverse and Dark Mirror soldiers that will fight and will want to kill. But there are other dangers, in their words and their promises. Corruption is far more dangerous than the occasional face pummeling, I think."
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Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 5:22 am
Alfheim opened his mouth to say something and faltered as he second guessed it.
After some silent thinking he spoke up again, though. "And... what does corruption do?" He had decided to leave out the fact it had been a threat, some ominous statement of things to come or as a possible punishment for losing a fight vocalized to him by people on both sides of the game. He didn't need to share that.
"All I know is Zia said it's unpleasant, which isn't exactly saying much."
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Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 12:42 pm
"Corruption is how a Negaverse soldier or a corrupt Senshi is made. Its when your starseed is filled with Chaos." Camelot looked a little sad at the thought of it, tilting his head to the side as he considered things. He had seen too many lost to chaos, and hated the allure it seemed to have.
The fact that people saw it and thought it was better than what they had was depressing, and he would never understand it.
"A Negaverse soldier is created when another agent of Chaos reaches inside a civilian's chest and pushes Chaos into their starseed, a terribly painful process from what I understand" he reiterated, thinking his explanation was a little lacking. "The stronger soldiers become in the Negaverse, the more corrupt their starseeds become, and the stronger hold Chaos has over them. It breeds evil and darkness, and makes puppets from people. Corruption can happen to anyone, including Senshi and Knights of any stage. And the Negaverse can do it by force, though they often try to talk their victims into it. But it's brainwashing, and the creatures they become..."
He frowned and shook his head slowly. They became hollow. Wicked and twisted, depending on just how great a hold Chaos had. It was always different, but not too much so.
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Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 5:58 am
Alfheim dropped his fists and just kind of stood there limply as he listened to the most bizarre explanation ever.
On some level he had wished he was more informed when Sophie was haranguing him about it, and then on the other hand it didn't make much sense to him, why would it to a girl who had already decided the starseed issue was code for some kind of organ ring or something.
"So it's like... uh..."
He swallowed, and then gave a nervous laugh, "Well that's frightening." And confusing, considering he had gone into this conversation knowing nothing about it besides someone he knew saying they had 'tried it'. "It's not permanent, though? Right? Wait," He was also totally willing to accept she was full of s**t, too, considering how little information she gave him at all, usually.
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Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 9:51 am
Camelot nodded grimly. He didn't like using fear as a teaching tool, but with Chaos it was not really avoidable. The entity itself, that force that drove the actions of those under its control. It was scary, and there was very little anyone could do about that.
"It's dangerous. Being corrupted can be undo, through purification, but the more one messes with a starseed, the more unstable and damaged it becomes. Memories are lost, lives are changed forever. There are consequences, either way. But we do have the ability to purify, to drive out Chaos from a starseed. At least, the Princesses of the Senshi do."
He shook his head, tapping his shield against the ground in a thoughtful way that he hardly noticed any more. It was slightly annoying, like clicking the bottom of a pen on and off.
"I doubt anyone has simply tried it. It's not something you can taste, or use for a day and give up. Once your starseed is corrupted, you remain so, unless you are purified. The very idea that someone is spreading a lie like that is horrifying."
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