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 Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 8:52 pm
For once the pink-haired raven wasn't wearing a skirt. Instruction against it was the cause. Obviously good instruction, seeing as the boy was currently trying a follow previous instruction given under the ever nitpicking gaze of his guardian. It would likely have been easier on the boy to have someone besides Haruki teaching him, but as it was... the teacher had little faith in most of the staff. The reasons for this varied, but it was the case. A case that left Revon huffing for breath as he slumped slightly holding the stick.
"A little break?" He said it quietly between catching a few extra lungfuls of the warm summer air. The look said otherwise. As did the reply.
"May I have a little break. And no, you play that game for hours without a break, I don't see why this should be different." Even of the substitute had grown to like the odd boy as a child, or something similar to it, that only meant he expected the most from him. Perfection from those he accepted as fellow humans. It was logical in his mind, which was why he started the boy up again practicing a few positions with the wooden staff in his hand. "Good, now keep that up. Another student is coming soon and I'll be working with him when he arrives." Actually, he was well aware that Revon knew the skunk from a previous meeting when they were younger. Before the currently dozing black dragon, Flower, had hatched. If anything that might make this easier.
"Don't slack because I'm working with someone else. Once I'm finished you'll be practicing with him in mock combat. I expect you'll do as well as our student." That said Haruki turned to glance in the direction of the D-Corp building to see if the other child was on his way.
Revon paused a moment at the mention before his face twisted into slight anguish once Haruki wasn't looking. Combat..? He didn't want to hit anyone. The bird flinched as he envisioned the bit to come and forced himself back into drills as he'd been told. He really didn't want to take these battle classes at all... why did they have to be required?
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Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 9:29 pm
Fleur had to admit one thing to himself if no one else: he really did not want to go to this class. The only reason he was forcing himself to go was because it was required, and he did not want to fail his lessons. Regardless, knowing this was a class based on violence, Fleur was very uncomfortable heading toward the arranged meeting spot, fumbling with his skirt and tugging on his sleeves uncomfortably.
Argent had not been pleased at all with being told to stay home, and the skunk knew he was going to go back home to either a "present" in the middle of his bed or a shredded outfit or two, if not both, but he did not want her to see him at this class. She was his refuge, and he wanted to avoid exposing her to violence as much as possible lest she change as a result of it.
Really...why did he have to learn how to fight, anyway? D-Corp was not at war or anything...was it?
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Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 1:41 am
Wether children liked the class or not, it was required. Quite simply, it would be done, and it would be done well. That was the mentality the teacher had for all classes he taught. Especially so when his own charge was around. Haruki wasn't vain, but he might have had a streak or two of an ego in him. He did prefere to appear to excel in most things. Teaching, raising a child, or just basic knowledge. It made no difference. It was all something he must be proficient in. It was as simple as that.
Afterall. If someone could do it. He should be able to learn how to too. It wasn't hard to learn.
Revon continued his practice somewhat... grudgingly. Though he didn't let it show. Even though he was genuinely tired, his game didn't require as much arm strength, he knew better than to speak up again. Though an occaisionally glance was cast to see if he could take a moment to catch his breath here and there. Not so much luck. Between gazing out for the soon to arrive student and checking back after noting a lack of anyone Revon had little time he wasn't being watched. Still, eventually a glance did earn him a view of another patch of black heading that way. Further inspection proved that he knew the other child. "It's Fleur..." It was something of a quiet murmur that he quickly wished he hadn't said with the attention it brought. Back to work almost instantly as the man casthim a look to get back to practicing.
Haruki noted the child about as quickly as Revon. So after his brief chiding of the bird's slacking off with a look he started over toward the skunk. He took along the two staves that would be used for the boy's instructional period. Some space would be good. It would let him speak with this child without distrupting Revon's practice in the process. "Good, you're on time. Well, welcome to battle class." It wasn't the least bit friendly. Mostly a statement of fact. Haruki wasn't one to toss out praise at random.
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Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 6:01 pm
Fleur's discomfort was obvious as he continued to tug at his long sleeves and fumble with his skirt. He did not want to be here, and it showed despite how much he tried to hide it. His ears were pressed back in his hair which was pulled back into a tiny ponytail - it was not quite long enough yet to manage a decent one.
"I-I'm sorry...if you w-were waiting t-too long..." he murmured, lowering his gaze to the ground and shuffling his feet. He was beginning to wonder if he was dressed appropriately for this. How many fighters wore winged, gold sandals to practice in? Still...maybe he would be sent home for it? That would be nice. Postponing something he did not want to do at all sounded very appealing indeed.
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Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2007 12:17 am
Obvious or not, Haruki showed little care for it. The blank gaze remained steady as he watched the boy, shifting hte staves to hold one out to the child. "As I said, you're on time." That seemed enough to suggest he hadn't been waiting long. Honestly, some children. "Now take this so I may begin explaining." He waited for the child to take the object before starting.
"First off, it's important to understand the balance and weight of your weapon. The characteristics of it. What you hold is a wooden staff. Designed to be defensive as well as offensive. It might not cause as much harm as a sword, but it's far more useful when defending yourself." Obviously Fleur wouldn't be getting off easy simply because his wardrobe was a bit off. "However, you must realize that the larger weapons are, infact, slower in combat. Someone with a blade, which is a shorter weapon, would have slightly greater speed. It's a simple matter of gaining momentum really." The basic explaination first. And this was basic as far as Haruki was concerned.
"Now, the reason this weapon still holds well against other's while being slower is for several reasons. One being it's range. Due to the size you can attack from afar as well as block with less fear of being off in your attempt to intercept the enemy. Thus, proving that there are both the good and bad with weapons." He paused a moment. "Do you understand that?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 2:21 pm
Fleur's tail, which had been raised about halfway, now drooped so far it hit the grass, and he could not bring himself to care enough to lift it back up. So much for hoping he could get out of this. Maybe he could just grin and bear it...if he could bring himself to grin, that is.
The skunk almost stumbled forward a step when he was given the staff, caught completely off guard by its weight. "It's kinda heavy..." he muttered before testing it, getting the hang of it. The heaviest thing he had lifted in a long time was probably an overstuffed shopping bag Argent refused to carry, but holding the staff with both hands helped him grow accustomed to the weight.
His ears pressed back again, however, when he heard the instructor talk about actually using it to fight, and he could not help but ask, "But this thing could break something if swung hard enough...wouldn't that mean it actually does more damage than a blade?" Whether he wanted to do this or not, his curiosity was founded. After all, the last thing he wanted to do was seriously hurt anyone.
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:53 am
Honestly, there was truth to what the boy said. The damage dealt was something to be taken in two ways. Your target, the force with which you hit something, and the objective. "Certainly, it may move slower, but you have the force of weight in exchange for it. This allows a stronger blow." It was true, whenever something was given up you gained another thing as well. It was generally a law of life. "Now, as for which is able to do more damage, a sword is efficient in that it is more likely to kill. Even without hitting a vital point you can do serious damage. A staff, however, must hit certain key points to have the same effect. Generally one will not kill with a staff." In the sense that a sword fight could prove more fatal, assuming the user with a staff avoided attempting to kill the of course.
"Let's use a simple example." He lifted the staff in his hand before tapping his own hand roughly a few times. "If I had done with with a sword I would have been cut, something a staff can not do." And there ended that explaination.
"Any further questions? If not I'll begin explaining the basics of combat."
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Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 4:35 pm
Fleur bit his tongue on what he really wanted to ask - if there was some way he could pay to get out of doing this. Not only would that probably get him in serious trouble with D-Corp, but Stevie would likely skin his spots off his back as well for attempting to bribe an employee of D-Corp. Instead, he merely choked back a sigh as he responded, "No, I don't."
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 10:32 am
It would likely have scored the boy a smack to the head as well if he'd asked. Haruki didn't care so much about money beyond basic living needs, something his salary covered. Thus, such things didn't truly work on the man and he'd simply be cross. The class was already going to be strict enough, Fleur would have certainly made it worse with such a comment.
So, once the boy had spoken and said there were n o further questions he wished to ask the man nodded and began. "First off, knowing the general uses of the weapon and the stance best used for each is important." He quickly shifted holding the staff in both hands with a space between them. "You have the most control of the center and thus it is the best point for defense. Your center of balance is in this area, using either end might cause a loss of this offering your opponent an opening. Thus, it's best to avoid using either side for blocking when possible." Another quick shift to hold the staff vertical when it has previously been horizontal. "Watching your opponent to see what angel the attack is coming from is always important when using a slower weapon, so study your opponent and understand their movements."
((Sorry this took so long and it's short. I'm tossing it up before I head to work. @.@ ))
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Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 3:27 pm
Fleur nodded slowly as he processed and tried to memorize everything Haruki was saying. It did not make much sense right now, but he supposed it would once he actually started putting it to use. Determined to get this over with as soon as possible, Fleur continued to pay attention and mimic Haruki's movements, first holding the staff horizontally then again vertically.
"What if he's got a sword? Can't he just cut through it?" He had seen such a thing in movies though he was thankfully smart enough to not believe everything he saw on television. "Or is a properly made staff too thick for that?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 9:46 am
Most things made little sense when they were first explained, it was with further study and practice that they began to form into concrete ideas. And at least the child was contemplating the uses of things, asking a question proved he was paying attention. "With time and practice one would hope to upgrade to a metal staff. Though those are both heavier, and most dangerous. Thus you will be starting with something easier to wield, such as a wooden staff. With practice you will likely be upgrading in time."
Although there was merit to the second question as well. "If the wood is properly treated, depending on the blade, it could take more than one strike to sever the staff. It truly depends on the circumstances. It takes more than one swing of an axe to fell a tree, and in turn could take more than one swing of a sword to slice through a wooden staff depending on the current situation. Is that satisfactory?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2008 3:41 pm
"Point taken," Fleur responded softly. He had not thought of it like that and knew he probably should have. The thought of "upgrading" to a metal staff was not appealing in the least - hell, the thought of staying with any sort of weapon was not appealing, but the skunk was not about to voice this thought. His instructor seemed to be in a bad enough mood already, and Fleur suspected his relentless questions were only going to make it worse even if he was not asking them entirely for the purpose of stalling - he truly was curious. To avoid annoying Haruki any further, Fleur fell quiet and continued to mimic his movements as best he could.
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Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 8:06 am
It was a general fact that Haruki often gave the air of annoyance. Not so much because he was bothered, in truth asking questions was one of the best ways to learn. He understood that and took things in stride. Rather, he just tended to be business like and quick in speaking. This sometimes came off as wanting to get things done and annoyance when people seemed to 'stall.' The fact of the matter was, he would rather have the boy understand his situation better than go about waving blindly at the darkness trying to figure it out. "Alright, if that is all understood let's begin with actual lesson." Because they hadn't begun at all.
While basic knowledge and movements were important with anything, battle required more practical study. When it came to such, Haruki could be considered a more hands on teacher. He saw little use in spending too much time studying from a book when actual experience would be twice as useful. Though learning stances was, of course important as well. Quickly twisting the staff in his own hands from practicing more defensive motion he shifted his hand a bit so to have an easier time attacking. "Balance is everything when working with a slower, but longer range weapon. Keeping complete control of that weapon is key. Defense allows for easy central balance should you hold the staff correctly, thus why we'll begin with that step. Being able to control the weapon is important before you should even think of striking at another." Because blindly wielding a weapon would only lead to uncalled for injury. "So we'll start with you blocking basic swings with your staff. I'll begin by calling out the direction the attack will come from. Watch the motion and movement to understand how to predict any attack well, I won't be giving you all the answers for long." Because no true enemy would.
"Now then, let's begin." And without further warning he shifted to bring the staff down in a simple, fairly slow motion from above. "Above." A simple lift would block it, he wasn't using any real force that would cause Fleur to drop his own staff afterall. Wether the skunk blocked or not he swiftly redirected the staff for a swing from the left, once again calling out the direction. "Left." Such would be the process for a few minutes regardless of if Fleur did well to block or not. Nothing was a hard enough hit to cause any true damage as this was the 'beginning' lesson. Once he decided that Fleur had been given enough time to get the motions down the true task would begin. He wasn't cruel, but he wasn't going to let the boy off either.
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Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 1:49 pm
If there was one thing Fleur was good at other than shopping and "prettifying" things, it was following instructions. He was not exactly the most observant, but he knew when to pay attention and when to listen intently. It took him a moment to work out the proper balance of movement combined with keeping a close watch on Haruki's own movements, but he soon grew accustomed to it.
After a few moments of successfully mirroring and obeying, Fleur finally allowed himself to begin to relax. Maybe this would not be so bad after all.
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