The Salle, Monday Morning

[bitchprince]

The fight last night had worn away the more passionate edges of anger, and left Arthur in a pensive mood as well as bruised and battered. He didn't mind bruised and battered. Bruised and battered meant that he could now turn his focus inward, make himself a little smaller.

His drills that morning were hence under tight control, slow and focused, like every blow came with a unity of concentration and thought that left little room for anything else. He didn't know if Dinah or Romeo would show up that day, and neither, really, did he care very much.

[[ salle is open, of course, although i might be slow ]]

Comments

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"What're you having trouble with?"

Maybe she could help.

[saikyou-no.livejournal.com]

"I can't read English," he muttered. "And they won't let me carry my sword."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

Hmm.

"I could teach you English," she said plainly enough, "after all, I know Japanese. That's if you wanted to learn.

"The sword, though, I can't really do much to help you there. Sorry."

[saikyou-no.livejournal.com]

"That would be... appreciated," he replied, giving her a nod.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"What time would you have free during the week? The only day where I'm busy the whole time is Tuesday; any other day, I can figure something out. I should be able to get the books from the bookstore to work with easily enough after I get paid Tuesday."

[saikyou-no.livejournal.com]

"Any day except today, and Thursday," he replied.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"Perhaps Friday?" she asked with a tilt of her head, fitting things together.

"Yes, that would probably be best. And we could meet, maybe, hmm. It would be best if it was quiet, so perhaps one of the cabins?"

[saikyou-no.livejournal.com]

"Friday," he agreed with a nod. "Whichever cabin is the most quiet?"

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"Or we'll find someplace else to go," she told him with a smile.

"Now, I will start with my practice as you go to yours?"

She closed the tessen and let it hang from her wrist.

"No sparing today," she said with a faint smile.

[saikyou-no.livejournal.com]

He nodded.

"No sparring," he agreed. He gave her a slight bow.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"Maybe when I have a better idea of how to use this?" she questioned, holding up the fan.

[saikyou-no.livejournal.com]

"Perhaps then." He gave another nod, and a faint smile.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She nodded and pulled away from him with a bow.

"Fair enough. Now..."

She gestured to the open area.

"Let me give this a try. Can you see if I have the right idea while I'm getting started?"

[saikyou-no.livejournal.com]

"I'll do what I can," he replied.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She nodded before walking some distance from him and starting to go through the motions from an earlier bout of sparring, her time with Leto in fact. She didn't know katas, had never been trained by anyone, but she wanted to see how it might be different with the fan.

Her fingers flicked it open when she felt as if she should, closed it to hold up to bar an imaginary attack as the yo-yo spun and moved. Where she'd used her finger the last time, she could use the folded fan, making it simpler to manipulate the string. The fan blades spun past her fingers smoothly, her touch with the weapon almost immediately expert. There was nothing pre-taught in her movements, but her natural instincts worked very well with the weapon.

[saikyou-no.livejournal.com]

"I think you have the idea," he said, after a little while. She was a natural; any of the factions in Kyoto would have snapped her up in a flat second, the fact she was a woman notwithstanding.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

...she'd have used that yo-yo to make whoever said that less of a man. Well, maybe not.

Then again, maybe.

She grinned at him.

"Thanks. And thanks for the idea. It feels... right."

[saikyou-no.livejournal.com]

"I'm glad I could help. It's bad to go into a fight without a good defense."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"You're very helpful," she told him with a smile.

"I'm just glad I can do something to help you now."

She tipped her head to the rest of the salle.

"I'll see you around, huh?"