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 Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 5:25 pm
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((This RP takes place shortly before the Battle for Venus' Temple. Xiulan has been missing for some time at this point.))
The atmosphere seemed even more oppressive and suffocating than usual today. The air seemed thick...heavy...the trees closing in all around them. If only they could break away. Be free. Out in the open, going where they liked on a whim...
With a frustrated groan, Erasmus threw himself backwards dramatically, arms splayed widely over the fallen log he was leaning against. Home was still within sight, as was required, but this wasn't nearly far enough away to be interesting. It still felt little better than sitting inside all day. He was antsy. Surely his brother was antsy too. And their sisters, well...who knew what sisters did all day?
At least if they could go somewhere, maybe they could help with the search. But noooooo, likely Auntie Nyra would just bring them back again. Erasmus' expression turned sour at the thought. Just sitting here, he felt so...useless. Being forced to watch his family falling apart from the inside...
Head hanging upside down over the top of the fallen log, he stared back at his twin on the other side.
"I'm bored."
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Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 6:30 pm
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Erasmus sighed dramatically at his twin's suggestion. "Again? I think we tied the last seventeen times..." From his upside down vantage point, he could see Amatus was as bored as he was. Well, at least he was trying to suggest something. Glancing up at the ground, he stretched, arching back over the log to swipe a stick from the ground, then rolled to the side so that he was draped over the log right-side up. He reached out to poke at the bug as well, leeching off his brother's attempt at entertainment. Fascinating!
And now it wasn't.
He sighed again, leaning his cheek on one shoulder. He'd heard the excuses...that they were being protected and kept safe. By being locked up in the house most of the time? Closely supervised if they ever tried to go anywhere? Sounded pretty miserable...and it was. They'd had more freedoms as children, he was pretty sure.
"Hey, Ama--"
A soft rustle from overhead caused Erasmus to stop mid-sentence and look up. A moment later, Kane dropped low enough to peer at the pair from the lower branches. "Boys...is your mother around, by chance?"
Grandpa must have wanted them to know he was coming. They'd never have heard him otherwise. Erasmus glanced around, then shrugged at his grandfather. "Not as far as I know? Look, we weren't doing anything! We weren't going anywhere! Just sitting here letting our minds rot from boredo--"
Kane put up his hand to silence the boy. "Enough. That's not why I'm here. Now, if you two can find time in your obviously-busy schedules," he raised an eyebrow at their 'game' of bug-poking, "I need you to follow me."
Without further comment, the tiger-striped demon did a graceful backwards roll out of the lower tree branches, landing on the ground below in a crouch. He paused to share a look with both of them, then stood, nodding before leading the way into the forest beyond.
Blinking (and of course subconsciously logging away the maneuver for later use), Erasmus then shot a curious glance towards his twin. After a moment, he shrugged. "Whatever it is, gotta' be better than sitting here all day," he quipped, tossing the stick aside and bouncing to his feet to trot after his grandfather. He was grateful for any potential rescue from this boredom.
Clearly the bug would be grateful for Kane's intervention as well.
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Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 8:49 am
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Amatus' head perked up at the rustling sound. When he saw it was their Grandpa he fell back on his butt. Oh, great, now what!? A part of him was curious about that question. Had they found something? Was their Mom missing now!? His heart raced a little. Perhaps he was still a little shaken up by their situation... When his brother replied the anxiety got worse, "Yeah! We're being good!" he whined along with his brother. They weren't gonna lock them up in the house were they!? They could see the house from here! Swear!
He tossed his stick to the side, "Naw, the bugs can totally wait!" he jumped up onto his feet without hesitation. There was no way he was going to miss a moment of entertainment. Sure, Grandpa could be tricking them into getting their chores done- wasn't like he hadn't done that before- but at this point Amatus wanted to hope for the best. He needed it! This bug needed it!
He blinked at his Grandpa's move. Consciously he shook his head at the guy, always trying to be a show off, but subconsciously his muscles were flexing. The flexing was echoing what he saw his own Grandpa's muscles do all without him noticing. He was too caught up in wondering where the guy got his big head.
He grinned over at his twin nodding excitedly at his words, "Yeah he's acting all suspicious. This has gotta be good!" he quickly ran to catch up with his brother, nudging him with his shoulder, "Am I right!?" The grin on his face wasn't disappearing. He hadn't felt this excited about something in awhile. A part of him wanted to smoosh it to keep from being disappointed if it was something lame, but he couldn't help it. So he followed with a skip in his step.
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Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 11:30 am
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Kane's hearing was sharp enough to pick up the boys' banter...not that they were being particularly stealthy about it, in his opinion. His only reaction was to roll his eyes and keep walking as if he hadn't heard a word. Boys would be boys.
To be quite honest, he could understand some of their frustration. He also understood the family concern to keep them safe and protected. He had grown rather fond of the boys, and he understood the desire to get out and explore the world. To be kept at home or under constant watch...while effective, was also stifling.
There had to be some middle ground.
He lead the way through the trees to a space that wasn't exactly a clearing, but opened up enough that they weren't weaving through tree trunks to move. There was some debris along the ground, including the remains of a fallen tree that showed charring from a lightning strike. There was room to move here, but also ambient objects that could be utilized with some creativity. Perfect.
Erasmus chuckled, returning the shoulder check from his brother. "Right! Maybe it some secret...or or...uh--" His speculation trailed off as he noticed that their grandfather had stopped in the semi-open area and was waiting for them.
Kane waited for the boys to catch up, standing with arms folded over his chest. Time to see what they could really do.
"You boys understand your mother and Gramma Takeko's concerns for you, given...what happened." He seemed to eye them both for a moment before continuing. "I get that they just want to protect you, keep you safe. I'm just...not sure that attempting to lock you away forever is the best idea. You're both growing up...and honestly, I'd rather know that you can take care of yourselves rather than depending on someone else to do it for you."
He paused, unfolding his arms to roll his neck and shoulders with a satisfying pop. His wings shifted with a leathery rustle, flaring briefly, then folding back loosely against his back.
"You boys know I could teach you anything you want to know about hunting any time you'd like to learn. However, I wanna' talk about something different today." Hunting prey and fighting were two different topics. There were different methods, maneuvers, and tactics to consider depending on the situation. If they'd shown interest, he'd have been happy to teach them how to stalk their own prey...but today he had a different goal in mind. Given the suspicions on what had happened. he didn't want to stress teaching them about fighting animals...but about a more equal type of opponent.
They both had an unbelievable aptitude for picking up acrobatic maneuvers and the like, as they'd shown in the past. However, tactics could not be so easily learned. They'd have to learn that the hard way. The mindset to keep calm and collected would come only from experience.
"I need to know that you both can handle yourselves in a fight. Only one way to learn that. Now, you boys pick up things quickly, so I wanted to start with you. If you decide to share with your sisters, well...that's up to you. I want to see how this goes first. So..." Wings shifting subtly, the demon dropped into a ready fighting stance, beckoning the towards the boys with one finger. "Both of you. Attack me."
Erasmus blinked in disbelief. Wait...Grandpa wanted them...to attack him? Both of them? That didn't seem fair! Well, not that he knew much about attacking someone, but like...'run up and hit someone' didn't seem that hard, did it?
He shot a look at Amatus that said Uh...is this alright? Could they do this? If they hurt Grandpa, Mom would definitely have their heads! Granted...somewhere in the back of his mind, the idea of learning to fight sounded really cool. And if it meant that they might be allowed a bit more freedom, well...that just made this whole thing all the more appealing.
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Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 8:56 am
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The further they moved into the forest, the more Amatus felt like he could breath. Slowly the constricting hands of protection fell away and he felt giddy again. His Grandpa had certainly saved them from boredom today! Even if it was just a hike through the woods. He still made the most of it by attempting to shove his brother into trees while they walked.
He stopped beside his brother, looking over the area. Alright, this was kinda cool, especially that charred tree. He suddenly had an itch to go investigate, but his Grandpa's voice held him in place, his eyes turning towards him. He felt a slight sting at his words. It made him feel slightly guilty about their complaining, but at the same time it sucked. Missing his 'sister' and trying to find ways to distract him from it... It might have come off a bit uncaring about her, but he cared more than he could express.
Amatus' eye brow quirked up at him. Oh so he didn't agree with it? Now the bad emotions were gone and he was excited once more. Yeah! Did this mean they'd be able to help with the search or at least have games away from the house!? He always knew Grandpa was on their side-
Wait, did he say something about hunting? "Hunting!? COOL!" he threw a fist into the air a bit prematurely. "Oh..." Ok so not hunting. Shoot! He thought they'd be doing something awesome! What could be more awesome than hunting!? Especially with Grandpa? When the man went hunting her never disappointed in the size of the animal he'd bring! It was awesome!
He froze. Oh, ok, yes there could be something even cooler than hunting apparently. He exchanged looks with his brother, a smirk slowly playing up his lips, "If you say so, Grandpa." Hey, if Grandpa wanted this they couldn't get in trouble for it right? The best part was that he was sure this would take some time- maybe even days if they were lucky! No boredom foreeeever! Because then they could test their skills on one another, then maybe go out and find some real Pae to fight! Preferably whomever took their little sister! Oh, yeah, he was ready for this!
He turned back to his Grandpa. He didn't have a clue on how to start this was the only problem. Sure, he and his brother wrestled enough that sometimes ended up with punches, but to actually fight? Guess he'd just do what he knew. He started towards Kane in a jog, pulling his right arm up to swing at him as he neared...
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Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 11:22 am
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Enthusiastic. That was good. They'd need it.
Smart? Not so much.
Technique? Ha.
That's what they were here to work on.
He could teach them the motions in no time at all. Knowing when and how to use them though? That could take a while.
Amatus was taking the lead it seemed, charging towards him with all the grace of a hippo. A harsh assessment, but it was basically what he'd expected. The boys had no experience with this sort of thing, but they were about to. With an efficiency of movement that made it seem almost effortless, Kane ducked into range beneath the boy's raised fist, then reached up to grab for Amatus' wrists. The demon tucked his wings close and let the teen's own speed work against him, providing the inertia to push him back into a roll. As soon as he felt his back hit the ground, he tucked his legs in between himself and his 'foe.' At the apex of the roll, he kicked out, pushing the teen away and releasing his hold in an attempt to throw him backwards. None of the movements were made with the intent to cause damage, but he'd likely surprise the hell out of the kid when he went flying.
Kane continued the roll backwards on one shoulder, landing in a crouch with a growl. Eyes narrowing and darting from one boy to the other, he snarled, "NEVER blindly rush a foe from the front! Especially if you have no idea what you're up against! There's two of you! Use that advantage!"
Several steps behind his twin, Erasmas hurriedly skidded to a halt in shock, eyes wide and taking in what just happened. Woah. Okay...maybe this wouldn't be quite as easy as he'd first thought. Sure, they'd seen grandpa showing off some fancy acrobatic moves and stuff, but it occurred to him that they'd never actually seen him fight before. Dang.
Okay, so attacking from the front was a bad idea. That was plain now. So, what else could they do? Side? Back? What was this about there being two of them being an advantage...?
Ah.
He realized now that their grandfather's action and put one twin on either side of him. So, if they kept moving and he tried to keep them both in sight...
Erasmus tried to catch his twin's eye, glancing to his right, then back to the left before starting to move slowly in that direction. Circling. Would it make Grandpa dizzy? He could hope. Maybe distraction would let one of them get in a hit at least. He backed away from the growling demon, circling to his left, hoping his brother caught the plan and did the same.
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Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 6:35 am
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Amatus' fist hit... air.
He blinked at his first in surprise at first. What had happened? Hadn't he aimed at Grandpa? Wasn't his strength being tested or something like that? So wasn't he suppose to have hit the guy- oh wait that hand on his wrist looked like-
A scream.
It may have sounded like a little girl's scream, but it was definitely attached to the teen age boy that was soaring through the air. He hit the ground and was dazed for a moment, just staring up at the tree tops without any real emotion playing on his face just yet. Then a big ol grin curled up his face as he jumped right back up on his feet, "THAT WAS SICK! DID YOU SEE HOW MUCH AIR I GOT!?"
He flinched at his Grandpa's snarl. Well, he realized that now, sheesh! He didn't know that they were literally going to fight! He wanted to pout, but his twin's look caught his eye instead. He gave him a knowing grin as the other signaled the plan with his eyes and waited a moment till he was directly across from his twin before he began to move around his Grandpa as well.
Man, they were gonna get him so good this time! He thought with a smirk, but also was kinda wary. He totally thought this was going to be easy with the two of them before, but he wasn't going to be tricked this time! He watched the demon closely. Guess he'd better start paying some serious attention...
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Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 7:11 pm
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Erasmus sniggered at his twin's reaction, clearly more amused than hurt. Not that Grandpa would really hurt them...right? Nah. This was all just training so they wouldn't get hurt; that's what he said. Why not have fun? Besides, he may have gotten the better of Amatus at first, but they could handle this. There were two of them after all. Grinning to himself, he continued circling opposite his mirror image.
Suppressing a snort, Kane had to remind himself that the boys had never had any sort of combat training before...they'd never been allowed to really. Of course this seemed like some kind of game. Well, let them get that knocked out of their systems and maybe they'd start taking this seriously. It wasn't as if they'd ever faced any kind of real danger anyway...
Coolly, he flicked his gaze from Amatus to Erasmus...ah, he got it...then back to the first boy. They weren't any real threat just yet...but no need to let them know that. They had a long way to go yet. Seeming wary, Kane flicked his eyes from one to another, turning slowly and trying to keep them both in sight...which would act first...?
Reaching up and pushing a stray lock of hair behind his ear, Erasmus weighed his options. Amatus had kinda' eaten it earlier after trying to rush their grandfather, so that was out. The circling seemed to be working, but they couldn't just walk around out here all day. They had to do something. Hmm...only fair, he supposed, since his twin had already taken a hit...
Trying to catch Amatus' eye before moving, he hoped he'd pick up on the plan. Erasmus was gonna' be the distraction this time. Waiting until Kane turned his gaze towards his brother, Erasmus ducked low like the tiger demon had earlier and darted forward in a feint.
Movement! Kane whirled back to see Erasmus darting forward. He dropped low to meet him, not about to fall for his own trick being used against him. They'd have to be more clever than that. "Quick, but not quick enough, boy. Just what do you think that's going to accomplish?"
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