The Salle, Friday afternoon

[future_sandworm]

Karla had gone home, he knew, so she wasn't going to show up for her lesson. Leto thought he could just as well use the time for his own practise. Finding the salle empty, he walked to the middle of the room, and after some stretching he released the flying blades. Once spinning in the air, they split up into a total of six smaller ones, all of them now aiming for him.

Knives drawn, Leto parried a few, dodged the others, as they came returning back. It was like a deadly choreography, designed to train a fighter skilled in the Weirding Way. Finally all of the small blades had ended up on the floor, their course having been cut by the knives.

[open salle]

Comments

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela just happened to wing by the Salle. The fact that she never really stopped by the place, or that Leto had mentioned Fridays, meant nothing at all.

She leaned against the wall right next to the door and watched with her arnms crossed in front of her. The part of her that demanded scrupulous honesty when it came to evaluating combat skills had to admit that he was actually rather good. More than 'rather', in fact.

Triela had no idea why that made her scowl, but it did.

[future_sandworm]

With all the blades on the floor, Leto shot Triela a grin. "Are you taking an interest in knife fighting today?"

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Her eyes were narrowed slightly. "I've been thinking about it." Pinnochio used the things, after all. It was probably worth getting a feel for the weapon.

[Stupid LJ failing to notify. *pouts* Sorry!]

[future_sandworm]

He smiled and offered her one of the knives. "Try this one."

[And LJ hasn't wanted to load any pages for me until now. I thought it was down.]

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela spent five or ten seconds in silent debate with herself. On the one hand some knowledge of knives would be useful, and Leto pretty clearly knew what he was doing. On the other hand... Leto.

Which was what decided her. She couldn't let him get under her skin, and the best way to prove that he didn't was to act casual (it made sense in her head). So she nodded, pushed off the wall, and walked over to Leto where she held out her hand for the knife.

[Silly LJ! But welcome back!]

[future_sandworm]

"Hold it like this," Leto said, demonstrating as he spoke. "Find the balance of the blade."

He took a few steps back, almost smiling. "Now stab me." He activated the shield, and the force field went up around him, invisible but for a faint shimmer.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

It was pretty obvious that Triela had only the vaguest notion of how to hold the thing. She frowned, trying to imitate the way he'd done it. The grip she finally settled on kept the weight too far forward, over-balancing her ever so slightly forward. Which was how she tended to fight anyway: all attack, very little defense.

Her lips curled upward at his order to stab him. That? That she could do. With pleasure.

There was no subtlety or grace to her attack, just raw speed and power as she lunged forward, using the full force of her enhancements to drive the blade at Leto, dead center.

[future_sandworm]

He let her hit him, but the knife slipped off the shield. "Not bad for a first attempt," he grinned. "Although technique will get you a lot further.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Her lip twisted distastefully. He was right, and she knew it, but there was no way he was going to hear it from her.

So she just stepped back and managed to look like she had her hands impatiently set on her hips without actually putting her hands on her hips.

[future_sandworm]

"I can show you a drill to practise," Leto offered, and then proceeded to show her, so that Triela wouldn't have to suffer the embarrassment of accepting it.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Leto was a very perceptive sort sometimes. Triela may be uncomfortable around Leto, but she recognized his competence at this sort of thing so she watched extremely closely.

She almost didn't run through it herself when he finished, not wanting him to see how bad she was. But she needed the skills, so...

[future_sandworm]

"For now, forget about the opponent," Leto said. "You need to memorise the movement before you turn it into a fight."

Just because she was uncomfortable didn't mean he was going to give her too easy a time.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Like she was going to be able to forget Leto was there. This would have been so much easier if it had been Hilshire. He she knew how to ignore without losing a sense of his presence. Leto... not so much.

Still she did her best to concentrate on the movements. And fortunately she had extensive practice in precise movement. Turned out that calligraphy was for more than writing prettily.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She had hoped to avoid Arthur, so she came to the salle at a time when she thought he wouldn't be there since she still had to keep her practice up. Fiona was happy to see Leto, even with the small niggling feeling of guilt she had whenever she saw him, and waved his way as she went to go find her tessen in the supplies.

[future_sandworm]

He smiled at her as he picked up the knives from the floor. "Hello, Fiona."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She eyed the knives for a moment before looking up at him and giving him a quick smile.

"Hi, Leto. Working on anything interesting?"

[future_sandworm]

"Just practise," He said. "I teach Karla on Fridays, but she won't be here today."

[And LJ hasn't wanted to load any pages for me until now. I thought it was down.]

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

[lj has been a total jerk]

"Oh? What do you teach?"

[future_sandworm]

"Knife fighting," he replied, approaching Fiona. "She asked me."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"I figured," she said with a little smile.

[future_sandworm]

"Have you had a good week?" he asked.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She smiled and nodded.

"Pretty good. What about you? How was your week?"

[future_sandworm]

"Quiet, which I think was a good thing." He nodded towards the tessen. "How is learning to use that coming along?"

He resented the slight tension that he felt between them, but hoped it would fade eventually.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She would beat it into submission if it didn't. Leto was important, dammit.

The tessen she wobbled around in front of her with a little smile.

"I think it goes well. I might have to ask if anyone knows the forms for it, but using it feels good in my hands."

[future_sandworm]

And Leto had no doubts about her ability to beat it into submission, should it be necessary. It was one of the things he liked about Fiona.

"Can you combine it with the yo-yo?"