milliways_bar | (no subject)

"Time is an illusion."

He shrugs.

"And thus ignorable. It passes silently, and I give it none of my attention- for which it returns the favor."

He's feeling philosophical. Can you tell?

After the ridiculous conversation with Aeryn, he's not sure he's in any mood for philosophy. "I see. Isn't that lucky." He replies dryly.

"For me? Certainly. For you? Not so much. I'd nearly forgotten about our appointment."

He grins, and stands.

"Shall we? Out by the lake is best."

*Blink* "Oh, right."

He sighs.

"Is there anything I need?"

"No. We'll do stance today. For that branches will be fine."

He smirks and sets off at a fast clip, not checking over his shoulder to see if he follows.

"Right, um- ok."

He rolls his eyes and follows.

This is ridiculous.

This is fun.

Random only slows when he reaches the edge of the forrest, before turning to face Parnasse.

"So... what's the longest knife blade you've ever used?"

He raises an eyebrow. "Nothing comparable to a sword. twenty-five centimeters comfortably, anything larger becomes too awkward and difficult to hide, for my purposes."

"Sensible."

He tosses Parnasse a branch.

"Hold it up, like a fencer."

He catches it but simply watches Random warily.

"How about you show me what I'm supposed to be doing? I'd rather not make a fool of myself." He grins.

"Right. One foot forwards, balance your weight in your hips, here..."

He ducks, grabs his own branch, and assumes the stance.

"Try it."

Parnasse watches Random for a moment, memorizing the details, such as the positioning of the feet. He rolls his eyes slightly. He knew he was going to feel like a fool no matter what.

"Alright." He mimics the stance closely. It's certainly not perfect, but it is apparent that he's not unused to fighting stances.

"Good. Shift your centre of gravity a bit lower..."

He smiles, and nods.

"Better. Now, to move forwards, you extend the foot in front, then lift your back one in a kind of... argh."

He demonstrates what he means.

He snorts and does as instructed.

"Kind of...argh... Right. Got it." He smirks and Follows Random's lead.

~~Mun says, Huzzah step drags.~~

"Alright. Now- face me square on."

He cocks his head.

"This part is like a dance. You don't want too much distance between you and your partner, nor do you want to be too close. So when I move towards you, use that movement to back away. And vice versa- understand?"

He nods and turns to "face" Random which is really more a matter of the head and one leg facing Random, but he's not going to argue this.

He attempting to maintain a regular distance between them.

"No... watch your stance. Check the angle of your shoulders."

His voice is calm, a neutral reminder.

"I'll move slowly to begin with. Then I'll pick up the pace."

He nods again and readjusts. Ready to begin again.

"Alright."

He follows the pace.

Random moves slowly enough at first, but Parnasse is agile so they quickly build speed, interrupted by the occasional murmur of 'feet...' or 'raise your arm...'

And perhaps interrupted by occasional French grumbling, but he's not letting it distract him. Too much.

Random finally nods, and drops his 'blade.'

"Alright. Now, we'll work on simple things. Basic thrust parry stuff. Which is what it sounds like."

He holds his sword 'en garde' and grins.

"Take a thrust at my chest by extending your back leg and moving your front foot forwards."

He does as requested and probably over extends a little because damnit but he's eager to hit the guy finally, after looking silly for so long.

Silly boy indeed.

Random parries easily, and delicately taps him with his own blade.

"First rule- don't over extend. Leaving your torso open isn't smart."

A small smile.

"Second rule- remain completely in control of your balance at all times."

A small smirk.

"Third rule- don't try it. I'm fast."

He sighs exasperatedly and rolls his eyes. It's almost amazing that he got this far without an eyeroll.

"Fine."

He crosses his arms.

"I always have the most ridiculous urge to mimic you when you do that."

He holds up his sword.

"Try again? And don't be afraid to really hit me- just don't harm your stance for the trying."