[HUB ISLAND | NEWBIE TRAINING]

[spellbindmods]

Who: New coven members, Brie and assigned teachers (old blood can join too!)
Where: The coven base camp
When: Day 98
Open/Closed: Open to Alllllllllmost everyone, essentially top levels are newbies and teachers, but oldbies can tag around!
OOC: To be clear, top levels should only be new characters accepted in October and those who signed up for teacher slots. Old players ARE ENCOURAGED TO TAG AROUND IF THEY WISH, and of course other new characters can mingle with their newbie brethren. If your character is a teacher please indicate that in your top level to differentiate.

Danger may not be imminent -- but that doesn't mean things will always be so peaceful. Being new and gifted with magic, the time has come to try and create a force to be reckoned with. While Genette is more focused on interpersonal unity (and not her poor planning skills), Brie wants to worry about other, more important things. The explosions and power missteps grow older and older with each new batch of coven members, so let's nip that in the bud ASAP, shall we? All the newbies have been gathered together in the base camp clearing with very explicit instructions -- hopefully this isn't such a daunting task that she needs to resort to tying people together, like some bougie servants running around. There is a bit of a problem of personalizing activities -- A.K.A. she's not doing that again. It was a mess last time, and hard to keep up with who all was succeeding and falling flat on their face. Instead, there are three distinct stations that are being utilized in order to try and grab every type and subset of power. A ▢ For offensive type characters, wild boars have been enclosed in a large pen. Also within this pen are large pillowcases, filled with sand and tied at the end. It's as good a dummy as any, okay? Brie has instructed those with magic more in line with direct fighting to kill a boar -- or if they want to work up to that type of offensive magic, they can instead try to explode those sacks of sand. B ▢ Healing is a bit trickier -- some may get lucky and find someone who is unintentionally injured or who is harboring an old wound that Genette hasn't sniffed out. In the case of needing to focus on healing, Brie has a small knife at her disposal. Any volunteers are going to be sliced against their palm. Genette is on standby to heal this wound if a newbie can't pull it off, but don't worry. Even in the worst case scenario, this wound won't last long. C ▢ Other magic powers may work better with items involved -- dismantling, levitation, the like. So there's a big bin of items in the middle of another roped off clearing. From salt and pepper shakers to MP3 players, your character can find some sort of junk in this bag. Whatever your character wants to do with these items and their magic, they're there to use. D ▢ Another roped off area is for more abstract magic. Other volunteers can come and help with whatever these magics might be -- emotional reading, creating plants. Those hard-to-define magic types can practice here with as much help as they can find. E ▢ Some older coven members have garnered Brie's seal of approval. If they know anything about fighting or magical training, they've been welcomed to create their own space and get newbies to learn whatever skills they have to offer. F ▢ Finally, magic isn't the only training going on here. There's one final area that's roped off and filled with swords, stuck about a foot in the ground -- thanks Brie. Characters who are good with swords can of course show off their skills, but it's also a good idea that inexperienced characters learn how to wield one of these weapons.

Comments

teacher!

[thatdamnknight]

e.

[teaching is something flynn can do. he'd trained knights back home, he can train people here. other teachers have swords down so flynn takes it upon himself to offer up a different form of combat: weaponless. he may not be a master of hand-to-hand combat, but he knows more than enough to pass on his knowledge to others.]

Since circumstances may arise where your weapons or abilities are inaccessible, it's important to learn to defend yourself without those.

[he smiles warmly.]

I'm teaching the basics of hand-to-hand combat today if you'd like to learn.

[they're not hard to learn and can mean the difference between life and death in battle!]

f.

[swords. wonderful swords. flynn's forte and favorite form of combat. he has his own sword at his side and is eager to assist in educating people on using one of their own. anyone who seems completely lost will be approached by flynn.]

If you'd like, I can demonstrate some proper techniques and battle strategy.

[since, contrary to what some people may think, both of those are vital to battle. an army of a 1000 can be taken down by one of 100 with good strategy and technique!]

Or we can spar if you'd rather learn by experiencing actual combat.

[sparring is also a lot more fun than lecturing.]

e

[reckoner]

[ Years have passed since his last opportunity to train like this. The last two had been fixed on perfecting the unique system in Kimaris Vidar, and before that, though he and that man had once regularly practiced, an initially unavoidable and frankly fun component of their training within Gjallarhorn ranks -- it had become less necessary given their ranks and positions. Not that inspectors or Specialist Majors had no need for practical combat ability, but even that focused more on technique within the mobile suit, and less on hand-to-hand. Time permitted less and less.

In short -- ]

I have experience, but I'm rusty.

[ Still -- he doesn't intend to underestimate this man, whose easy smile he suspects belies striking competence, but he'd like to make sure of it -- ]

Don't go easy on me.

[thatdamnknight]

[the man who approaches seems far less a novice to combat than most. what he says confirms it. don't go easy on him, huh? when was the last time flynn'd actually given it his all without using a sword? not in a long, long time. this might turn out to be a really enjoyable spar!

flynn nods.]

I wouldn't dream of it.

[he may hold back only if his opponent turns out to be far less experienced than they claim, but flynn has a feeling that won't be the case here.]

Before we begin, might I get your name?

[reckoner]

[ Ah, yeah.

Formality, and giving due respect, even in practice.

Gaelio inclines his head, and the motion follows through to mid-chest, not quite a bow. Approaching. ]

Gaelio Bauduin.

[ Specialist Major, Son of Gallus Bauduin, of the Seven Stars, titles and pride that have not been his for years, and without much significance here. His name is enough. ]

And my instructor?

[ The rust may be thicker than he realizes, but he does hope not to have misled. ]

[thatdamnknight]

[a soft bow comes from flynn's end, as well. formality receives formality in return.]

Flynn Scifo. It's a pleasure.

[also a name without any titles attached to it. it still feels odd, admittedly, to not introduce himself as an imperial knight captai... no, as the acting commandant of the imperial knights but he's gotten somewhat used to it.

with introductions out of the way, he assumes a battle ready stance a short distance away from gaelio.]

Now then, let's begin. Come at me whenever you're ready.

[reckoner]

Likewise.

[ As it should be, or as he should say. Even before, Gaelio expected words like those with honeyed exteriors that rung hollow. Yet, this guy -- even by rote courtesy sounds sincere.

Premature to believe that.

Gaelio shifts into position as well, noting the disadvantage in offense. His height will be easy to use against him, but with it does come reach. Nothing for it but to move, so he does. Weight buoyed on the balls of his feet, he lunges with an open-palmed swipe for Flynn's face, expecting deflection. ]

[thatdamnknight]

[good speed and decent form. what gaelio said about knowing how to fight looks to be holding true. analyzing the opponent leads to two possible courses of action. the first involves deflecting that attack, but deflecting wouldn't allow for a counterattack. gaelio has him beat in regard to reach so deflecting would mean being on the defensive. this is a spar and a spar meant to teach so it needs to be more than that.

which leaves the second option: getting inside of that reach.

thus flynn waits until the last possible moment to duck down to avoid the attack. then, once having dodged, he springs upward with an uppercut aimed at gaelio's jaw.]

[reckoner]

[ Advantages and disadvantages to his height. It's been years, but he remembers the instruction. With most of his fellow trainees much shorter, he remembers their tactics, too. Offensive and defensive options.

Gaelio remembers, but his body's slower in memory, and though it may be obvious in hindsight, he can't predict what Flynn will favor.

The long wait before movement, without motion toward deflecting, tells him plenty, but in a split second. As quick as the burst of duck and spring. Gaelio shifts back, a fraction too slow, a glancing blow. Not enough to merit rubbing his jaw, but enough to give him pause. ]

[thatdamnknight]

[flynn takes that pause to immediately follow-up. he momentarily weighs adding in the use of his legs and possibly attempting a kick to the abdomen but decides against it. for the purpose of training today, hands and arms are the sole weapons of choice.

so he opts for a quick second strike with the same hand instead, bringing back in an attempt to deliver a backhanded punch to gaelio's cheek. it lacks the same strength as the initial attack but the close proximity between them will make it more difficult to dodge.]

[reckoner]

[ Given pause and thus needing it, his mind's less delayed than his body. His eyes recognize, too, that Flynn will give him no reprieve, as he shouldn't. In the half-second as Flynn's hand punches toward him, the futility of dodging presents itself.

Though tilting his head to try to diminish the blow, he leans in to take it, bracing his shoulders and neck, meaning to meet him close and affect an uppercut into Flynn's midsection. ]

[thatdamnknight]

[given their close proximity and gaelio's advantage when it comes to reach, dodging isn't doable. that leaves him taking the hit himself. the uppercut lands but doesn't push flynn back. it's a good hit, very solid, but also one he can tank. with a little additional strength behind it and a little more training of the technique, however, it'll be a different story.

so let's fast-forward to the end of the fight! as soon as they're both worn down a fair bit, flynn stops in his movements. the purpose of this isn't to have a victer but to train, after all.]

Good. Let's stop here for now.

[reckoner]

[ Fast-forwarded! Blows, etc., with Gaelio taking the brunt, given the coating of rust. He's winded, sticky with perspiration, his stamina not entirely depleted but enough that he doesn't protest.

With the purpose training, though he doesn't suspect Flynn of going easy on him after all, there remains a difference between peak effort in this context, and that in a life or death altercation. While Gaelio hadn't been going all out either, it's a little disturbing, just how stiffly he'd moved and the limits of that basic education long before received.

Had he and that man fought outside of their gundams, without weaponry, would he have been able to fell him? A less important question now, given that man's Qri-gifted ability.

But it leaves a shadow on his face as he stills, a shroud of self-castigation, slow to pass.

Still.

It felt good to move, to sweat, to remind muscles of life.

Unsure of Flynn's preferred formalities, Gaelio errs with caution, again performing the partial bow. ]

Thanks.