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If anything could be said about Corsant, it was that he didn’t take things too seriously, whether tragic or comic. Tripping and falling into a brook? In front of witnesses? No niggie. Misjudging distance in a fight and moving directly into the path a hoof which split his flank open into a wound which still existed as a scar? Minor detail, all part of a day’s activity. Tripping and falling in front of his mother while trying to impress upon her his maturity and continued growth? Awkward, but quickly forgotten. It was just as well, because if he was going to take all of his embarrassing or painful experiences to heart, he’d be in a world of misery.

So his tumble was nearly forgotten as soon as it occurred, except to perhaps remind Loveless that however much her son might be growing, he was still the same clumsy child he’d always been!

That might be a fact to his disadvantage when they got to sparring, no matter how indulgent Loveless might wish to be. But Corsant had his eye on a good match, one not marred by clumsiness or foolishness, or even any regret that he’d broken his father’s edict. That thought had faded as quickly as it arose, replaced by a much more youthful desire to show off, and a distinctly Corsant desire to fight!

His wide grin may have been at odds with the situation, but it was completely in character as he faced off against his mother. “Sounds good to me, Mom, but why don’t you come at me first? I can show you the deflection techniques I’ve been working on lately.”

By the time Loveless was right in front of him, Corsant's eyes were narrowed too, but not due to any attempt to look serious. His grin was gone, replaced by a somewhat petulant expression that remained in place as he easily dodged around Loveless and turned back around to face her. "Geez, Mom, what was that?" Some might appreciate the fact that their seasoned fighter parents were going easy on them, but it was a deep mortification for a Soquili like Corsant who prided himself on his skills.

"You slowed down, I saw you," he said in a tone that was half embrassed, half accusatory. "How am I suppose to show you what I've learned if you're going to treat me like I'm a baby or something?" He pawed the ground self-consciously, glancing down at the scuff mark before looking up with a half-rebellious expression. "Don't you think I can take care of myself, even in the very beginning?" After all, the beginning was when everyone was theoretically at their best; before fatigue set in, and superior skill and conditioning started to show their strength. It was more than embarrassing to have his mother go easy on him on the first move!

It was a bit harsh, perhaps, but few things were as sensitive as the ego of a teenager!

There was something to be said for the power of kind words, especially when they were said with sincerity. It was all too easy to reject compliments given by one's parents on the grounds that they 'didn't count', but Corsant had never fallen into that camp. A compliment was a compliment, and who was there who spent more time around you and knew you better when you were growing up than your parents? Of course their compliments were real!

So his mother's praise of his maturity, confidence in his abilities, and acquiescence to his general awesomeness were more than sufficient to wipe out any embarrassment he might have felt from her trying to 'go easy' on him.

His grin back in place, he chuckled at her compliments and said, "Thanks, Mom, and of course you haven't failed. You're just being too nice, that's all. Dad's said you could probably whoop his a** if you tried, I want to see how well I can hold up against that. It's not everyone who can claim their mother was a badass in their youth, right?" Not everyone of his acquaintance, anyway!

They were about a size, Corsant and his mother, but only when it came to height. Corsant looked every inch the 'in-betweener' that he was, all leg and wing and a body that hadn't quite grown into its length. Muscle would come in time, and he would be as bulky and burly as any male member of his family. But at the moment, he was a youth up against a master; a master who might be rusty, but had years of training and experience up on Corsant, and the lean body of a female kalona in her prime to boot!

Corsant was no master at this point, but he had had enough training that he could tell she was serious in her approach this time. There was no slowing down, no over exaggeration of movement; this time she was being serious and testing him. Inwardly, he glowed with pride at the fact she was truly giving him credit, but outwardly he had gone completely business-like. Gone was the wide grin, replaced with a set mouth and slightly narrowed eyes as he waited for the perfect moment...

...to duck under Loveless' head and attempt to strike her chest hard with his own, the intent being to wind her and push her backwards. It wasn't a move he got to use often against his much shorter cousin, but with his father, siblings, or mother, it stood a chance of actually being practical!

Corsant had hoped for a hit, but actually landing one was a delight and a balm to any lingering wounds on his ego. That time, she hadn't held back, and he had managed to successfully rebuff her by his strength and timing alone! In short, his training had paid off, and he was victorious. To be sure, it was just one move, but that one move had worked!

Beaming with pride at both his success and Loveless' praise, Corsant settled down his wings and rubbed his own chest where he'd bumped her. He wasn't a block of muscle yet, and that had been a solid hit! "Well, our chests are pretty broad, when you think about it, and we can pack a lot of force into a lunch. Chest bump, if you hit right, can wind your attacker, or even break a rib, if you go about it the right way. It's one of Dad's favorite techniques, he says it's a great thing to use on friends or family members, or someone you care about whose gotten riled up because you can knock 'em back and make then break off without actually hurting them."

He was quite proud to be able to impart his knowledge to his mother, and prouder still that he knew something she didn't! "To pull it off, you just need to watch your attacker, who has to be coming at you head on." He positioned himself in front of Loveless, and very slowly went through the technique as thought she were attacking him again. "Pull pull back your wings out of the way, duck or bring around your head, come up like so, and, chest bump!"

Grinning, he stepped back and surveyed his mother. "It might be easier to do to someone that's taller than you than someone shorter, though." Though since they were about the same height right now, that point was probably moot.

Upon reflection, Corsant had to agree there was logic in his mother's plan. Since he technically wasn't supposed to bring up fighting around her at all, he was more than willing to let their little sparring match remain something secret. Indeed, he was rather elated with the whole prospect, not the least because she was offering him the chance to get in even more training. At this point in his life, he lived and breathed for combat, and the idea of getting to cram in more practice was delightful to him.

So he eagerly assented to his mother's proposal. "Sounds good to me; maybe you can teach me some of the stuff you used to do, too. I bet it's not really something you forget when you've done it a lot, it's just reflexes and whatnot. It'll be great fun, for both of us!" He grinned, stepping forward and giving his mother an affectionate nuzzle. "You're always going to be cool to hang out with, no Mom that's willing to fight can be anything else." He chuckled, then beamed at the praise, ducking his head boyishly as he said, "Thanks, Mom!"