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 Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2020 1:21 pm
Backdated to early 2019 There were many rooms in the castle in Negaspace, though Captain Lopezite could not lay claim to many--if any--of them, nor did he profess to have even the vaguest understanding of the layout of the castle. Far too much of it was either off-limits or not of interest to him. He had a few rooms that he frequented, but even then he tried to keep where he went as unobtrusive as possible.
Today, he didn't have just himself to worry about, after all.
He had brought Lavendulan with him, keen to make the best of some of their time together. She'd had some time to acclimate to this new body of hers, this new life, but they'd been talking about possibilities--capabilities--for a while, now.
She'd had time to settle in enough that he wasn't afraid when he broached the topic of testing out her abilities with her, and when all was said and done, he'd decided that this was the time and place.
He had a basket over one arm as he walked with her--generic supplies should something go wrong, and snacks in case they needed to take a break.
"Here we are," he said when he approached the great door. As was expected, the room was empty--as it had been every day for the past two months. He should have put in to claim it for his own, but it was too big to be an office and he couldn't really justify needing something this size except for days like today. The walls were thick and sturdy, and the door was certain to make things nearly sound proof. He wasn't afraid of being bothered or messing up the room; it was empty, sans an old rug that seemed so matted it looked to be impossible to peel up from the floor, anyway.
The door had creaked when he pushed it open, but he dropped the basket off to the side inside and held it open for the lieutenant. "It's not the most scenic, but it's private, and safe. A good room to learn in, I think?" he prompted, flashing her a hopeful smile. He didn't seem to doubt himself, but he seemed to want to give her the opportunity to voice any thoughts or concerns before they got too settled in here.
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2020 1:23 pm
“I admit,” Lavendulan ran her hand over the surface of the great door, feeling the bumps and creases under her clawed fingertips where weapons or magic had crashed against it. “The more time I am stuck spending my time here, the more I miss the sun.”
There was an almost longing look in her eyes when she turned around to set all but one of the water bottles beside his basket. The glamour she wore didn’t last long enough for her to really enjoy the increasingly nice weather. Evening patrols were fine when spent in good company but it was starting to become clear that she was feeling trapped and a bit antsy as of late.
“After we finish training, or tomorrow even, would you take me somewhere along the beach? Or maybe even back to the lake where you found me?” Despite the bad memories associated with the place it was, however, secluded enough that she wouldn’t need to worry about wasting energy trying to hide her ‘true form’. “Since it’s getting warmer out I could even teach you how to snorkel or scuba dive.”
Lopezite had been gracious enough to help her get her former life situated and become acclimated to her new life in the Dark Kingdom and Rift. True to his word she was able to transfer most of her courses online which definitely kept her busy during the lull periods.
They were supposed to watch the tournament together and possibly meet some of the other agents. Unfortunately, the run-in she had with the little chibi runt had postponed their plans. Which is one of the reasons that he brought her here instead? Clearly there was more to her than just sharp claws and the ability to breathe underwater, hopefully, with his help, they could learn what those other abilities might be.
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2020 1:24 pm
Lopezite was keen to grant any requests that he could offer her; he may not have been responsible for what happened to her but it didn’t mean he wasn’t still trying his hardest to give her a comfortable life. Or, at least, as much as could be expected.
“Me, snorkel? Scuba dive?” he debated this for a moment, but it seemed a source of amusement more than anything else. “Let’s see if I remember how to swim, first,” he teased. “It sounds like a nice idea, though. We should do it. Let’s see how tired we are after tonight and based on that we’ll either go tonight or tomorrow. Though, if we go tomorrow I could always pack us a picnic.”
Life’s little pleasures; a bit of normalcy anywhere he could make it happen.
He seemed in a good mood, like he was taking it easy. He wasn’t nervous about this training, or about Lavendulan in general. On the contrary, he was excited. It was like a mystery waiting to be solved--to see how far she could push her limits, what she could get out of this. What she could do.
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2020 1:24 pm
“Tomorrow would be fine if weather permits.” There was an amused look in her eyes that suggested there was some quip comment she wanted to add but for the sake of not getting her a** completely handed to her in this training session, Lavendulan decided to keep it to herself.
“Plus, a picnic does sound nice.” It wasn’t so much the food she was looking forward to but rather the company since eating alone in her dorm room got quite lonely at times. Sure, there was the option to eat with the other officers in the cafeteria but Laven really didn’t feel comfortable around others without Lopezite there. It might seem a bit childish but she was still too new to this world, to this war, to feel comfortable going out alone.
“So…” She paused, rocking back on her heels Lavendulan looked around the room curiously. “How exactly are we going to go about this?”
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2020 1:25 pm
“With caution and diligence,” he answered easily. He smiled up at her. “What I’d really like to do is help find out what your limits are. I think it’s important to find what you’re capable of before you wind up needing to know them. So I’d like to do a little warm up. Nothing too extreme,” he promised. “When I joined the Negaverse, I had a weapon. I mean, it wasn’t much of one--a scabbard.”
He drew his weapon up to display the sheathed sword he now wielded. “But I can’t help but notice that you don’t quite have the same thing. I can only take it to mean that your body is weapon enough. But, and forgive me if I’m overstepping with the assumption, but you haven’t really struck me as someone who would use their body as a weapon.”
She had seemed gentle, and vulnerable, but he suspected that a good part of that was grounded just in how he’d first met her.
“I’d like to do some exercises. To see how fast you move, to see what you can do. It will be important to be comfortable in your skin, and I think this is a good opportunity to test just what that means. There are no spectators here, I think it’s a better chamber to practice in than the Tournament. But I was thinking about it, that we should help you explore all aspects of being in the Negaverse. Are you comfortable with that?”
There was room for refusal, of course, but Lopezite had planned this out carefully and seemed hopeful that she would oblige. There weren't so many opportunities to train safely outside of the Negaverse, and he didn’t want to take her back to Destiny City completely unprepared for what they might face.
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2020 1:25 pm
“I suppose so.” Exercise was already a part of her daily regime; at least it had been before she got all but shunted into the barracks in the Dark Kingdom.
While short in stature her body was in fact toned, not muscular but Lavendulan was at least fit.Before any of this happened she use to go jogging frequently or take the kayak out to a lake at least until the seasons changed and she would instead use the exercise equipment provided by her school or apartment complex; at least she still had access to a rowing machine.
“I can’t say I’m thrilled about the idea of not having something to defend myself with though.” Use her body as a weapon, it sounded like a ludicrous idea I’m not Jackie Chan or some MMA fighter, hell I’ve never even taken a self defense class. Her thoughts were hidden behind an expression of indifference as she removed the lid from her water bottle and took a drink.
Laven drew in a deep breath and sighed then set the bottle down on the ground next to the wall. “Just promise you won’t cut my head off with that thing.” The edge looked sharp enough that it actually made her nervous seeing. Last thing she needed or wanted was a fillet-o-lavendulan to show up on the cafeteria menu next week.
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2020 1:25 pm
Lopezite blinked, taking a second to process her words. He smiled and shook his head. "I would never do that, Lav. You don't need to be around something sharp right now. This isn't about what I can do, it's what you can do."
It didn't stop him from moving across the room and discarding his sword; he rested it carefully against the wall as if he had some genuine concern for its safety despite knowing that if it was damaged he could dismiss it and summon it back to him.
He returned with the sheath of his sword though. "This is flat, and hard. It functions in the same way as the sword," or, at least, well enough for this exercise. "But there's no way it'll cause any lasting damage." A sting or bruise, nothing she wouldn't heal from.
He didn't want to hurt her, though; he just wanted her to feel more comfortable in her own skin.
"For all we know, your more durable than you think. More durable than me, maybe. Rank aside, there are things you can do that I can't."
He couldn't survive in a frozen lake, for example.
"And the faster we learn what your limits are, the faster we can push them. The faster you can get stronger. So," he ran his fingers along the sheath of his blade and glanced up at the woman. "I'm going to charge at you with my sheath. I am not going to use any part of my body except for this 'blade'. Keep your eyes on it. Disarm me, if you can. Using any means necessary."
He was confident in his skills, confident in her.
"Well. Try not to cut off my head. But anything between is fair game. Try not to put me into the hospital? ...But I won't hold it against you if you do."
He was only partly teasing, and waited for her to confirm she understood what was expected of her.
He waited for her to tell him she was ready.
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2020 1:27 pm
This felt like the makings of a fantastically horrible idea. Like the time she was at camp and they put a kid up on a platform and told them to trust fall backwards. Yeah well, the one time it was her turn someone distracted the other kids in her group and when she leaned back well… she took a dirt nap… literally. Smacking her head on the ground as hard as she did actually knocked her out for almost a full minute.
Lavendulan twisted from left to right a few times to loosen her back then grabbed her ankle to stretch out her legs. “Any means necessary?” Didn’t really leave her with a whole lot of options since her only self defense course was a 3 minutes clip from Ms. Congeniality.
S-I-N-G; solar plex, instep, nose and groin. Or just do as my dad always said and so straight for groin. Probably not the nicest way to think about it but she wasn’t too thrilled by the idea of being charged at with a weapon even if it was blunt.
Lavendulan understood that this was for her own good but, then again so were flu shots; didn’t mean she had to be happy about it either. “Ok, I guess I’m ready.”
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2020 1:28 pm
Lopezite smiled at her. "Any means necessary," he assured. "And I won't be mad, no matter what you choose to do."
He had his predictions; he figured everyone knew a little bit of self defense. It was just about which path she chose. Nose, pressure points, groin, he expected her to target those more than anything. He turned to her and, while he didn't approach with full speed, he darted towards her. He kept his sheath parallel with the ground, like he might have intended to strike her in the shoulders or above her head, but he took deliberate care to get close enough for her to respond before he could make contact.
He was pulling his punches, but this fight wasn't fair in any way if he didn't.
He was bigger than her, he had a weapon, he was higher ranking, and he had fighting experience.
Lopezite wanted her to get the feel of a fight, even if her life wasn't seriously on the line. He'd rather not hurt her if he could avoid it, but he wasn't doing anyone any favors by pretending that this wasn't dangerous.
Still, today was her first day with him, like this.
He wasn't going to scare her or make her regret this opportunity.
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2020 1:30 pm
Knowing what to do and actually doing it were two completely different things, and when Lopezite started to advance towards her Lavendulan’s mind just went blank. Rather than trying to make a grab for his scheathe, like he had told her, she retreated backwards.
Each step towards her had Laven taking one away from him of equal distance until her back hit the wall behind her. Jarred by the closeness of it her eyes went wide in surprise but she did not stop moving and instead ducked and tried to run around to the other side of him where the room was more open.
The glint of light on his sword caught her attention and for a brief moment considered making a dash for it until the sound of Lopezite moving brought her attention back to him.
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2020 1:31 pm
Lavendulan was fast, but that alone wouldn't be enough to save her in a battle. He logged it in the back of his mind that her fight or flight leaned much more towards flight but that wouldn't do her very well when she had her back pressed against a wall.
He had been moving a little slower, with a bit more restraint, but he'd do her no favors teaching her that there wasn't something to be afraid of in battle. She had been distracted by something--his sword?--but everything was moving so quickly, the thought was gone before he had time to consider it.
Instead, he made a point to drag his sheathe along the wall loudly, trying to draw her attention back to him before he arced his arm, slashing through the air with the sheathe as if it were a blade. It was durable, but light. Blunt as it was, it was unlikely to do more than bruise, if he even made a good hit.
He wasn't trying to make a good hit; he just wanted her to know he was there, and that he could hit her.
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2020 1:39 pm
Like nails on a chalkboard, the grinding sound Lopezite made with his weapon against the wall was cringeworthy and for a moment it made her forget about the sword that she was contemplating grabbing.
Laven turned to face him as he swung the sheathe at her. Out of fear she dropped to her knees, curled into a ball, and brought her arms over her head to protect the back of her neck with her hands. However, rather than feeling the blunt force impact from being struck with a baseball bat like an object, she was overcome by a very odd sensation as it passed through her instead.
Confused by the sound it if cracking against the concrete beneath her, she opened her eyes and blinked a few times before looking up at him with owlish eyes that seemed equal bits terrified of this new form as it was surprising that this was even a thing.
Great… so I turn to water when scared…The mental sarcasm made her inwardly roll her eyes at all the jokes that could be made as she stood up and jumped away at a pace that nearly matched his own advances. At least it seemed like she could keep up with him when in this more aquatic form which in turn gave her some form of hope that she could actually succeed in the task he had given her.
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Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2020 8:35 am
When Lavendulan dropped to her knees and curled, a wave of guilt flooded through Lopezite. He had to tell himself that he couldn't show such sympathy and kindness--these would not be offered on the battlefield. But, he didn't want to scare her, or hurt her.
...It wasn't a concern he had to have for long; she was there one second, and then different the next. His mouth fell open and his eyes tried to adjust to this new form.
"Lavendulan," he said, both worried and pleased. He didn't try to pursue her; instead, he lowered his sword. "What is that, that you're doing? I've never seen that--are you all right?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2020 12:26 pm
“I - I don’t know…” She stammered just as alarmed and confused as he was by the sudden change. “It just happened...” Lavendulan stared wide-eyed at her semi-transparent hands for a long moment before finally standing up. If her knees were shaking it’d be hard but the way she staggered backward was evidence enough that she had little balance and was still scared shitless at the thought of nearly being cut in half. Ok, well… not in half per se since he was only wielding his sheathe but the impression of it still remained. “Can we stop, please? I’m not ready for this.” There was no instruction manual for any of these changes she was going through. Nothing to tell her what she could or couldn’t do. Some things were basic, her horns were sharp and punctured through pillows when she slept and the claws she had could tear through fabric like a new pair of sewing shears. But the magic was something new entirely and although this spar was to teach her to fight and defend herself, Laven was concerned that she might actually hurt him by mistake because she had no idea of her own capabilities, that is... assuming he didn’t unintentionally kill her first. Which she doubted would happen, she trusted Lopezite enough to have the restraint to keep from sending her to the infirmary.
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Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2020 7:50 pm
Lopezite nodded and moved to her side quickly. "Yes, of course." His weapon was dismissed and he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, testing to make sure that she was all there. When she was, he exhaled and rubbed her back.
"It's okay. We'll figure this out. If you--if you can figure out what that was, if you can get some practice in..." He looked like he was deeply considering it. "...You've got some power here, Lav." He didn't sound as afraid as her, and while he was in awe he wasn't going to glorify it. He could see how scared she was. He wasn't going to pretend like she didn't have any right to be.
"Come on. Let's get you something to eat, and we'll rest. You did really good today. I'm proud of you."
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