[This is backdated to sometime after -insert link to rp where Kamacite gets his butt whupped by Faust and Thraen- + date I am too lazy to find right now]
“Could you please teach me how to use this?” Yuuri had asked quietly, holding the dark gray handle and folded knife in his hand for Lauri to see one night back at the warehouse. He was tired of feeling as though he was a burden on his packmates and allies, needing them to look out for him or rescue him when he was in trouble. Thankfully, those times were few and far between, barring his recent experience with the eternal senshi named Thraen. But it was still embarrassing to not be able to stand on his own two feet on the same level as Lauri and so many others.
He knew he was physically at a disadvantage in a fight, but Aue had been slowly teaching him how to turn his smaller stature into something he could use against his opponents. Most of them already underestimated him, which would only be their downfall.
And now he wanted to make sure he was prepared not just as an officer of the Negaverse, but as a civilian as well. Especially if he were to ever face another opponent that could easily kill him. There had already been too many times in which his life or identity was threatened by scum that wandered the city. Powering up meant he had to take their starseed before he was able to escape. Trying to run without powering up meant risking getting caught, and not all thugs just wanted his wallet.
Kamacite had his hair pulled back into a ponytail, the shorter bangs braided and tucked behind his ear to keep them out of his face. When he started training, hacking off his hair was important so he could learn how to do basic steps and moves without having to worry about his ridiculously long hair. But now that he was getting more experience under his belt, being able to fight, even with his hair, was important.
“I brought two,” Kamacite said as Aue prepared himself for their training session in one of their usual rooms in the Citadel. He held out not the blade of dark gray, but two others with red and orange in the handles. They were practice blades, because the last thing Kamacite wanted to do was to cause Aue serious injury.
Having Yuuri ask to be taught how to use a knife had been a bit strange, but not nearly as strange as some of the other behaviours and quirks that his packmate had shown over the time that Lauri had known him. There was no reason for the Finn to reject the request as long as Yuuri truly held interest in learning; it would be good for him to be able to defend himself outside of his powered form as well as adding another weapon to Kamacite's arsenal. Lauri approved, agreeing readily though he made no light thing of how difficult a task it would be - learning to use a blade was far more difficult than simply slashing at one's target like in the movies - it could take years to gain proper technique, let alone proficiency.
Being smaller than most of those he would potentially be fighting would also put him at a disadvantage from the start, but that was nothing new for Yuuri. Yuuri whom was growing well used to turning his slight stature and the way people dismissed him out of hand as a weapon to finesse victory with.
The knife would be much the same in the end, as long as he stuck with it.
And he would stick with it. Or Lauri would have his hide for wasting his time.
So the Finn found himself powered up, facing a properly kitted out and prepared Kamacite in one of the Citadel's many training rooms. A practice blade was being offered to him, one of a set made to mimic the weight and movement of an actual weapon but without the ability to slice, rip, rend, or tear flesh. Safety measures. Of course. Kamacite was ever thoughtful, ever considerate of Aue's person - it was unlikely he'd meant the consideration for himself, sadly.
Aue took the practice blade and snapped it open in a sharp but controlled flick that brought it to the ready. "Switchblades are illegal in the States. Highly impractical, also. It's good you did not try to have me teach you that garbage." Did that mean he wouldn't have taught Kamacite how to use one of those bullshit Hollywood toys? No, no it did not. It simply meant that he would have spent far longer teaching him to use something more practical after having shown him just how and why switchblades were utter trash. "This is modeled after a Kershaw or Spyderco, I think." Or maybe it was just some generic assisted-open blade, it didn't really matter - the point was to get one used to the whole of the blade and it's use. In that, what Kamacite had provided would be more than sufficient.
"I have something for you, if you earn it." From subspace, two blades appeared in the corrupt super of lemon's hands. One, a Kershaw brand Cryo II blade that glinted dully in the odd lighting of Negaspace. "This is a good knife for self defense and everyday use. Do well and it's yours to keep." The second was larger by several centimeters and much more utilitarian looking even without the plain leather sheath it rested in. "Terävä Jääkäripuukko. It's called the Jaeger knife. A Finnish utility blade that will last you, it's what our military uses." Both blades were street legal in America for civilians to carry: the Kershaw Cryo was a good pocket knife - a nice tool to keep on hand - and even if the Jaeger knife was a bit more sinister looking, it had the same function. Both could be used for self defense if necessary, but were tools for survival. Aue set both knives down where Kamacite could see them, then raised a brow at him.
"First, you learn to draw the blade properly. These aren't sharp, but they will pinch if you screw up." Aue snapped his back to the original, closed state so that he could slowly demonstrate how to open it properly. "Watch, then you do it." Really, it wasn't hard - effort and risk didn't really come in until one was trying to open a real blade with speed, which was why you learned to do it well slowly first and then sped it up. "Now, you."
Wasting Aue’s time was the second to last thing Kamacite wanted to do, aside from causing Aue serious injury. He knew better than to bother Lauri while he was working on projects, or needed time to rest after long days of dealing with people. Lauri at least didn’t have to worry about Yuuri being too chatty, because again… wasting Lauri’s time was not something he wanted to do.
Kamacite eyed the blades that Aue pulled from subspace, straightening up a little where he stood as if to prove that he very much wanted to earn them. He also couldn’t help the faint coloring in his cheeks at the thought of Aue getting something for him. Should he prove that he earned them, of course. Even if they were hand me downs, Aue had taken the time to get them.
“Terävä Jääkäripuukko,” Yuuri repeated as he watched Aue place the knives down, and then lifted his attention back to Lauri. Again, wasting time was not something Kamacite wanted to do, so when it was his turn to show that he could follow instruction and open the knife properly, Kamacite lined up his fingers up as Aue had shown, and opened it slowly first, before closing it and trying again quicker, pushing the blade open with his thumb against the stud.
“I’ve watched some videos online. I thought it might help to save time,” he admitted, feeling a little silly about it. He wondered if Aue would maybe scold him for not waiting to be shown how to properly open the knife. Thankfully, a lot of people apparently had trouble opening folded blades, so there were plenty of videos to choose from to practice in preparation for his training with Aue.
Also, because other than the possibility of being scolded, there had been just as likely a possibility that Aue would have expected him to do research on his own, since Kamacite had been the one asking, and should have gone prepared.
All business, there would only be a short nod to indicate that he was paying attention to what his packmate said - and how he said it. Over time, the other corrupt had gotten much better with navigating Finnish, and it pleased him as much as anything to hear his native tongue spoken without being utterly mangled.
Kamacite replicated the motions to deploy, once, then twice before explaining that he'd had the forethought to watch videos online. Aue approved of the initiative shown, both because those videos had no doubt shown people failing miserably along with successes. As Lauri, he was not unfamiliar with the workings of Youtube and other video sites - for every good instructional video, there were at least two fails - purposeful or not.
"Good. Then you know what happens if you are stupid with the real thing. There are many important nerves, muscles, and connective tissues in your hands you do not want to sever accidentally." Aue tossed his toy and flashed teeth, "Of course, if you are fighting, maybe you want to go for those. Knives are last resort for a fight, always." Unless it was your weapon of speciality and you trained for it, with it endlessly...knives were inefficient. They were what one might call a 'Hail Mary' pass - too much could go wrong if you didn't have the element of surprise on your side, so in the middle of a brawl, it was a dicey choice to bring one out.
"You will draw and deploy smoothly from either sleeve, inside your vest, subspace, and from your opponent before we are done. I will teach you also in jeans and jacket as well, but this will do for now." He had paint, as well, to dip the blades in, when they got to that point. Any marks would mean the blade had touched - bad or good - and he would have Kamacite doing push-ups. Or sit-ups. Something.
He didn't have to make a statement about how this would be a long process, or how it would take a few sessions - he'd already done that and confirmed with Yuuri he wanted to learn, no matter how long it took. But the first lesson was draws and basics - like not ******** stabbing down and glancing off the goddamn ribs. Like being able to handle the blade without cutting yourself or gutting yourself. The Important s**t.
"Now, Faster. It should be one smooth continuous movement, no extra flashy bullshit. That's for Hollywood." Aue snapped his shut again, then moved at Kamacite as though he intended to gut-punch him, but a snap-click from his hand and it wasn't a fist at the other senshi's stomach, but Aue's toy blade. "Smooth. You intend to kill. Always."
"Knives are intimate weapons, if you do not intend to kill, you cannot use them properly against another being. For cutting wood or fruit, joo. But not self-defense. So keep in mind."
There were a lot of things Kamacite had to consider before deciding to ask for help in learning how to use a knife. First was his own ability to be able to learn. To actually learn and not waste Aue’s time. In spite of not being very knowledgeable about many things when it came to combat, Kamacite at least felt as though he was a fast learner. He only really needed to see something done once or twice at most before being able to mimic.
Being able to spend the time to become good enough with the knife to make a difference was important too. He knew his training wouldn’t end with Aue’s lesson. He knew he needed to practice on his own and get used to using the weapon.
And yes, he knew it was a last resort weapon, but for someone like him, whom people already underestimated, having a last resort weapon could make all the difference.
All Kamacite wanted to do was prevent being completely helpless if cornered again.
When Aue moved his arm to punch him, there was a moment in which Kamacite didn’t feel it necessary to move. This was wrong, he knew. This was training. No matter how much doubt he had that Aue would actually hurt him, treating Aue like anything but a serious instructor was both foolish and a waste of both of their time.
Kamacite pivoted on his foot to put distance between where Aue was trying to punch with more speed than simply stepping backwards, a hand reaching out to try and counter the punch with a shove at Aue’s wrist. Only it wasn’t just a punch, since the knife was in Aue’s hand. With a real blade, had he not tried moving, he would have been seriously injured, or worse.
“I should have asked for training sooner,” he admitted as he withdrew his hand from Aue’s wrist. “Maybe if I’d been armed…” But he shook his head to dismiss the thought, and with a similar motion to Aue’s, he moved as though to punch him in the gut, but flicked the knife open with a swish.
When Kamacite didn't bother moving, just let him attack him full-on as though he would gut him, Aue's brows drew together in displeasure; by the time the other corrupt senshi moved it was too late. His entrails would have been a steaming, ropey pile spilt all over the dusty crystalline flooring of Negaspace had Aue been serious, or been using a serious weapon instead of some practice chunk.
No. You do not treat me as any different than an opponent wishing to kill you. You know better, Kamacite! Concentrate!.
"Should have happens on your own time, not mine," he spoke sharply to stop Kamacite from spiraling further. Aue further took his displeasure out on the other senshi during the second attack, grabbing Kamacite's wrist and using the momentum from his forward movement to force him to flip and land heavily on the hard packed ground before crouching while his packmate was wheezing and placing foot on wrist and weapon to throat, the pressure hard and unkind. "That is for not paying attention."
"It is not a mistake you will make again, joo?" Aue was a hard teacher, but he didn't keep Kamacite pinned longer than it took for the other to acknowledge that he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. Negative reinforcement was important as a tool, but the Finn knew that his packmate responded best to praise. "Good. Now. Try that move again, but move in closer and keep your center of gravity close. You do not want to lean if you are going to strike out, you are asking to be thrown."
The sharp snap of Aue’s voice clamped Kamacite’s mouth securely shut around any other words that might threaten to spill out. He was there to learn, not to talk he reminded himself. And he would definitely learn from Aue that this was every bit as serious as he warned him it would be. Every bit as lethal.
For a moment, while he was gasping for breath and wincing from the pain in his wrist as Aue stepped on it, there was a flare of fear that reignited. Training with Aue, and living with him at his warehouse made Kamacite complacent. He was too comfortable around him, too trusting. With the knife to his throat, practice or not, his own fight or flight response to Aue was rekindled a little.
He shook his head quickly when asked if he would make another mistake like that, and then scrambled to his feet. He felt caught off guard, and it had nothing to do with the way Aue had flipped him. It made heat rise in his cheeks and it was a little harder to look his teacher and packmate in the eye as he nodded to indicate that he was listening and understood.
It was stupid, he knew. He’d asked Aue to teach him. He was being taught. It was nothing beyond that. The fear he felt had nothing to do with Aue, and everything to do with himself.
Hand went to his throat to gently rub where he could still feel the practice blade against it, and then lowered it back down to prepare himself to attack again. Center of gravity close. Strike out, but don’t lean. Kamacite thrust with the knife as he flicked it open, pressing at the back end of the handle to steady his hand as it shook from new nerves.
Sometimes, it was easy to forget that Aue was a wild and unpredictable thing. That he'd been trained by wild and unpredictable superior officers: a blade forged in a crucible of chaotic violence. That he'd learned things in a militant environment and was a dangerous animal at the core, despite how often he was calmly domestic. No matter how many times one saw him stoned and smiling, or covered in grease while working, it was unwise to become complacent.
As Lauri, the Finn was somewhat more stable - as Aue, with Metallia's dark energy thrumming through his veins and the sweet, seductive song of his magic calling to him the songs of Conquest and War? He was far less so, much more dangerous. They were one and the same, yes, but there was a difference between Lauri the civilian and Aue the corrupt super senshi of lemons, and never was it more obvious than in moments like these.
Kamacite's discomfiture did not go unnoticed, although Aue refrained from commenting beyond a slight narrowing of his eyes, a hint of teeth at the submissive display his packmate put on - likely without quite intending to. It was simply his nature to offer throat in these situations.
This time, Aue allowed Kamacite to hit hard, but twisted so the connection was on bone, knowing the impact would jar the blade from his fingers and up through his arm. He needed to learn what that felt like before he got a real blade that would bounce back and slice him. It hurt; Kamacite was not holding back now - he knew better than to do something so stupid - and his weight was behind the strike. "Good. Shake it out, the numbness will pass." Eventually. "When you strike bone, that will happen. If you aim to cut anywhere you hold the blade like this." Aue reversed the hilt so the blade followed the line of his forearm and demonstrated - slowly - striking out. "This cuts and slices, but is not good with two-sided blades, you will cut yourself."
Reversing the blade again, he held it as before, "When you strike like this, go for soft spaces, and try to angle up, to slip in between ribs if you are lucky." Aue would wait for Kamacite to gather his weapon so they could try this again. "For now, we will not do reversed holds. That will come later. But now you know."
"Again."
Aue was right. Just as Kamacite needed to shake out his hands from where the shuttering feeling of bone hitting the practice blade shot through him, he needed to shake out his sudden discomfort.
He didn’t like feeling like this, even though he knew full well the power Aue had. He’d watched him demonstrate it during the tournament not so long ago, had been trained by him for months now. And yet, it had been a long time since the last time Kamacite felt as though he had no place to open his mouth to say anything.
It was unnerving, and he hated it. Despite his training and his attempts to get better, he was still nowhere close to being on equal footing as Aue. He simply didn’t have the physical strength or skill in battle or commanding presence that was required for someone to be considered just as strong as Aue.
Maybe it was a foolish thought.
Kamacite shook out his hands and took a step back as he nodded to each thing Aue taught him. Even if he had questions, his brain effectively shut them down. He was there to follow direction and orders. He’d asked for this.
He rubbed at his wrist, still a little sore from being in a cast for so long, but shook it out once more and taking up the stance to try attacking again.
And again. And again. Other suggestions were given, of course. Aue was a thorough teacher. He left nothing of importance out. He corrected mistakes and held nothing back.
The knife fell from Kamacite’s hand of its own accord after… he’d lost count of how many times they’d drilled. He was exhausted. And in a lot of pain. His wrist and shoulder hurt from the exertion, and he gripped onto his wrist for a moment, turning his back to Aue to hide his expression as he took the few steps necessary to reach down and pick up the dropped weapon.
“Sorry. Hands are sweaty,” he mumbled between heavy breaths, and shook out his hands and wrists again. He made sure to keep his distance from Aue lest he do something to punish him for yet another failure. From going into the start of this with decent confidence in himself, Kamacite felt as though no matter how hard he tried, he was still somehow managing to screw up. It didn’t help that his trust that Aue wouldn’t hurt him on purpose was shaken.
He lifted his hands and prepared his stance for another attack, pausing only a moment to wipe the sweat from his face.
Questions were good and important to ask; Aue would have been displeased to know that Kamacite was holding himself back from asking things that he might want - or even need - to know, but luckily for his packmate mind-reading was not a skill the Finn possessed. Intuition, yes. Mind-reading, no.
Kamacite was taken through each movement and concept over and over until Aue felt it had been committed to muscle memory - or near as it could be in one day. Repetition would be key for that, but he did not want to move forward with something until he was certain that the other corrupt senshi had a firm grasp on the basic premise of what he was being taught. If the foundations were shoddy, the whole building would collapse, and Aue would be doubly damned before he'd allow his packmate to be doubly damned after he had instructed them.
Each clash was at full strength too - from Kamacite. Aue held himself back, knowing that his packmate would not be able to keep up with his physical strength during the knife exercises - not yet. Later, yes. When he was proficient and his speed had been worked into the actions there would be a reckoning between them; Kamacite's speed would give Aue's strength a run for the proverbial money...but until then, the Finn held back.
Aue looked critically at Kamacite, watching the way he moved his body and how gingerly he was holding the practice weapon. The way he shook out his hand as though it were going numb, the way his hair and costume clung wetly to his skin as he grimly took position again. He tries very hard to show no weakness. It is brave, but stupid, he is past the point where his body will remember anything. Today is done. "At ease, Kamacite. It is enough, we are done for today."
"More and you will get no benefit, only injury. So it is home for shower and sauna." A hot meal and a good rest, too.
Kamacite needed it. Badly.
He knew he could have done better. Kamacite knew that he wouldn’t be able to learn how to properly handle a knife in one day, but he felt as though he should have made more progress. He was disappointed in himself and his throat felt suddenly tight with emotion and fatigue that he quickly swallowed back as he lowered the practice weapon and eased up his stance.
His chest ached from exertion, his body feeling numb and a bit wobbly from pushing his body to the limit. He was not built like Aue, but he still struggled to reach a plateau with his packmate.
At the moment, it seemed like an impossible feat.
“Thank you for taking the time to train me,” he said softly, politely between breaths, eyes lowered to his feet. “I promise I won’t let this session go to waste. I’ll do better next time,” Kamacite mumbled, lifting his free hand to lightly touch his neck where the practice blade had pressed against his skin.
It would be a waste to kill him, Kamacite knew that. But a human could withstand a fair amount of pain before death took them.
Kamacite knew that better than many.
And this was the negaverse. Kamacite knew he should consider himself lucky that he’d so far avoided severe punishment for his inability to fight.
Fingers shifted from his throat to the side of his neck where he could still feel shape of teeth. He thought he could have died from the pain, then. But he’d woken, left with a wound to scar.
"Yes. You will." Aue ignored the thanks as was his custom, preferring to address the secondary part of Kamacite's statement, which were far more relevant to what they were doing than niceties. The Finn wasn't big on niceties, though it was part of Kamacite's nature and he accepted that with as much grace as he could muster. "Learn to stop before your body hits complete exhaustion. You learn nothing past a point, and increase chance to cause harm. Limits are necessary."
That he had to remind his packmate of this was annoying, but sometimes the sable haired corrupt got so caught up in trying to prove himself - or some bullshit like that - that he forgot and needed correction.
Correction that Aue would give as needed. It didn't matter if they were the same rank. Aue had skills that Kamacite lacked; when it came to imparting them, he would be as tireless and brutal as needed. Kamacite was neither weak nor stupid, under the anxiety and fear - he could pass muster.
Slender fingers worried the reddened mark where Aue's practice lump had pressed a blooming bruise, then that damned mutt's mark. "Shower. Food. Sauna. Bed." Words in short command, but not barked as he might have with Cursa, with Mab. Yuuri required more finesse, even after months on his medication - perhaps he needed a different kind? Stronger dose? Still so tender, it is odd after so long. Is the medication ineffectual? He is taking it, I know. We will make appointment again. Later, things for later. Now, he needs gentled again.
"Come, Yuuri." Kamacite seemed too distracted to teleport; Aue could side-along him before powering down for the lairhouse exploits. If they were lucky, the s**t cat would not be in attendance to make soothing his house-mouse harder that it already would be.
fin