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The Salle, Monday Morning (before classes)

Being bruised and battered from the previous night wasn't going to stop Arthur from running his training early. He was, however, careful not to do anything too straining for either his warm-up or his own drills; not slacking off didn't mean pushing yourself to the brink of human endurance like an idiot.

His practice blade cut good time through the air regardless. His muscles stretched and screamed along with the motions - which was only familiar, really.

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Dinah hadn't gotten bruised much, last night-- Liir was a dodger, more than a fighter-- but she'd woken up to find that Seregil had struck the Common Room, and she'd lost their bet. Very, very annoying. Cutting things or beating things up might help.

Things were sufficiently better with Arthur to make practice possible and expected, but not better enough not to be a little... weird. So Dinah was sure to get there on time. "Morning." She watched him dubiously a moment, then got out her eskrima sticks. "I can practice on my own this morning. If you want?"

Terrific.

"Dinah. You can practice getting out of practice in your own time," Arthur said, finishing his drill with a swing and a careful repression of a flinch. Bruises.

"I wasn't trying to," Dinah protested, putting the sticks back, then stalking over to the practice swords. "I was there last night, you know. I saw your bout with Professor Minsc." Catch her trying to let him off the hook again.

"I'm glad you had the chance to witness a proper fight," he said. Getting let off the hook wasn't in Arthur's vocabulary, and even with the tell-tale hints of blue under his skin, his bearing hadn't lessened in any pride.

That would be beyond his dignity and all that. "But I fail to see how that has any bearing on practice."

"Never mind." Dinah kept the eye-rolling out of his view, and planted herself in first practice position. "Forget I mentioned it." Was it wrong to remember him getting pounded with a tiny bit of satisfaction? Probably. First position. Second position. Third position. Back-swing. "Glad you weren't too injured."

The weight training had started to pay off; a month's worth of reps had strengthened her muscles to where she could do the drills at normal speed now, without her arms shaking.

He'd gone up against a far stronger opponent and gotten a few good punches in. There was no shame in that, nor satisfaction to be had, if anyone asked Arthur. He'd just have to figure out how to take Sir Minsc down on the next attempt - or enlist him. Either way.

Arthur didn't like being beaten, but all it meant was that he'd just have to be better next time.

"I see you've given up on flailing like a chicken," he said, watchful as always. "We might move you up to something actually challenging next week."

He was still a little unsure on the exact dynamics they were labouring under, but he wasn't about to let that show. Firm and in control would have to be it.

Dinah was equally unsettled, but wasn't about to show it either. And not-insults from Arthur were almost the same as compliments from someone else.

"Ooo. Like what?" Don't bounce! There might have been a little more zing in the forms, though, and a tiny smile of concentration. New stuff! More cutting! Something even more useful, so that maybe when the next attack happened (hopefully not soon?) she could actually help more.

"Like defense," he said, "Stabbing the air alone isn't going to preserve your life." You know. Where they'd left off before the whole-- thing.

Arthur pursed his lips and simply watched, his own training blade hanging by his side. He had questions, many questions, but asking any of them seemed like just that inch more of betrayal. He'd have to chew on it.

Dinah didn't notice that. Arthur was good at covering, after all. But she did speed up her drill a bit. See? She could do this! And questions never were a problem for her, even with the Prince of Awkward.

"So if-- when I get a shield," she corrected herself. "I can start learning how to do both? Or more sparring with Alice before that?" She frowned, carefully working her way through the backswing. "Or sword and dagger, if you're here long enough." Because yeah, he might still disappear at any moment. Her mouth turned down in a pout at that.

"You don't need a shield to defend yourself," he said, picking up a seemingly leisurely pace around her as she worked, "Although it's certainly a vital part of your training. Basic blocking first. Sparring Alice will help you get a feel for it."

That got him a frown, then a nod. Dinah went back to concentrating on the drill, arms in the right place, and carefully working through the footwork. Not a dance, but similar. Right side. Left side.

It did make her think of something that needed to be addressed though. And since he was actually talking to her again, it was probably a good thing to ask. "If you go back to Camelot before I graduate, do you know a good person to take over my training?" High, middle, low blocks. "Since it's more likely than not." Or so it seemed like to her, anyway.

And here Arthur was still carefully negotiating his own role in his training. Despite his reluctance to actually answer, he did think about it. Reno? He was graduating this year. Leto? He had his head too far up in the clouds, and while a good friend, would most definitely push things in the wrong areas. One of the Jedi, perhaps, but he thought Jaina was leaving as well.

"Squire Ben might be able to," he said, grudgingly. Certainly, he was a squire, but he was dedicated. Still, Arthur was loath to actually hand out his training to anyone else.

Even if it was Dinah. "Keep your mind on your hands."

Dinah would have stuck her tongue out at him for that and stomped off. Good thing she had no idea. "I've seen him spar with Tahiri." A slow careful cut in front of her, eyes front. "He's gone a lot, according to Radio. But still. Seemed like a good kid. Skilled."

Several minutes of silence as she concentrated, arms starting to feel the burn, mind on her hands.

"Edward offered. I'm sure he's a good swordsman. He's good at everything else. Don't know if he'd be able to train me, though." Part of being Edward seemed to be being good at everything, automatically. So could he actually explain stuff? Impossible to know.

From what Arthur had been able to tell, Prince Edward had about two brain cells to rub together, if not less, but out of respect to his fellow royalty he didn't in fact say so.

He wasn't subtle enough to keep a momentary look from passing over his face and communicating some shadow of that sentiment, though. "Squire Ben is dedicated," he said, "and diligent. You could do worse. I've never spoken to Prince Edward."

Edited 2009-03-23 16:00 (UTC)

Dinah hummed in agreement about Ben, then frowned again, thinking about Edward. "Edward might go back unexpectedly too, I guess. He's got an evil stepmother to fight." A slash upward, and the drill was complete. "Although I think he's starting to like it here." And was dating Adora, so hopefully she was wrong. "I'll ask Ben, if Tahiri thinks he's up to it. Just in case." She gave Arthur a look back. Go on. Say it. I dare you.

She took a breath, then turned to face him. "Eskrima now?" Since Alice wasn't there yet.

Edited 2009-03-23 16:05 (UTC)

And to finish that chain of looks, she got a blank, imperious one in return, one that implied that whether or not he decided to say it (which he wouldn't, because his pedigree was better than that) was not in any way influenced by her opinion, and she'd best get hip to that fact.

"Staves," Arthur agreed aloud, rolling his shoulders once before he remembered why that was a Bad Idea. Pause. "...An evil stepmother?"

Getting an eye-roll in return on that, promising that if they were having this argument aloud, she'd so win.

"Mmm. The Queen. Narissa? Narcissa? Anyway. She pushed his fiance' down a well, and she ended up here, so he came here to save her. Giselle." Dinah frowned, and went to put her sword away. "He hasn't had any luck finding her, though. He's looked all over."

She picked up her eskrima sticks, and with more bounce in her step than there had been with the swords, headed for the practice dummy.

The complete lack of acknowledgement she got on that last look, Arthur felt, proved conclusively that she wouldn't and he'd had the last word.

"That must've been very trying; I'll offer him any assistance, should I speak to him."

What? She pushed her down a well? He supposed that with magic, anything was possible. Still, tack that on to the legend of Dim Prince Edward.

"Now, if we're through with you attempting to weasel out from decent training, I'd like you to run a defensive drill."

Maybe it had something to do with a message from Kam Solusar this morning, inquiring as to how she was progressing in her training, or maybe it had something to do with just a growing sense of responsibility about her training, but one way or another Tahiri was up bright and early ~~now that Shanie's morning workload is out of the way~~ and headed down to the salle, lightsaber and remotes in hand.

Though, spotting other occupants in the salle, the remote training might have to wait.

"Hi, Arthur," she said, setting the remotes down in a corner.

"Tahiri," Arthur greeted. He even managed to cover up his hesitance at the start - no titles for the Jedi, right. With a twirl that wasn't completely meant for practical reasons alone (and that didn't strain his side too much) he finished up his drill. "Up for the morning's training, I see."

"That's the plan," Tahiri agreed, adding with a touch of guilt, "I haven't been as serious about it as I should be. I need to fix that."

Things were not going well at home. But really, what else was new these days?

"You'd be quite right," he said. Sloth and Arthur were not two concepts particularly fond of each other, even if he was something of a picky git about food and drink. "But I'd say making an appearance here can only be a good start." There. That was mercy.

The fact that Tahiri's only visible reaction to that was a slight narrowing of her eyes hinted at a surprising display of self-control on her part.

"Oh, good. Now that I have your approval my day's really looking up."

Well, she kept the sarcasm out of her tone at least. It was a start.

She was a knight, or at least a squire. She should be able to take it.

So he took that remark in stride. "I'm glad you feel that way," he said, his eyes passing down to the lightsaber she'd been holding. "That would be your light blade?" He might actually... have to watch.

Even if it was a little unnerving.

It wasn't so much a matter of being able to take it as it was just a part of her temperament she'd never quite been able to curb. Something else she'd have to work on.

"Uh huh," Tahiri said, turning the hilt over in her hands but not powering it on just yet. "What, you haven't seen one yet?"

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The Salle, Monday Morning (before classes)

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