melodiesoflife | #20 | The Life of a Soldier [December

Entry tags:

#20 | The Life of a Soldier [December | Starlight catch-all]

Characters: Sephiroth & OPEN Prompts below
Where: Various as prompted
When: Throughout December / Starlight Celebrations
Summary: Away from all the merriment involved with this very special time of year, there are those working flat out to ensure that it stays that way. Whether it be fending off monsters for the first week of Trano Golsaucia's re-opening, safeguarding frontiers as the Calamity creeps ever forwards to engulf the land that is left unprotected, or getting that crucial fitness training in with any spare moment given.
It might be the last Starlight this World would see, and it's his job to make sure everyone was able to make the most of it.
Warnings: N/A (for now)

[#1 - Trano Golsaucia]
[#2 - Aqures Ixen. Training.]
[#3 - Wildcard]

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[Akane isn't entirely sure what he's doing as he starts to stroll toward her. And past her. She turns her head to follow him, trying to figure out what he's going to do, but she sure doesn't see that blow coming.]

Ahh-hhh!

[She stumbles forward, but it's odd that she jerks her arm away so violently, as if she were afraid he might grab it. But she doesn't fall at least, turning herself to face him as she winces and rubs at the small of her back.]

What...?

No. Not like that.

[It's sternly uttered, yet Sephiroth carefully allows a drop of a tease to be clear in his tone. He's mindful that often his training techniques have never been the most gentle. He didn't even strike really all that hard, it's more the speed of which he's showing as to catch her off guard.]

Try again. Tighter this time.

[A small nod, which if Akane doesn't take the hint to gather her balance back together, she'll find that suddenly there is another firm push to her other side, this time to the round of her shoulder.]

Right! Um, so should I--?

[She's braced for it this time, and she might teeter slightly depending on how hard he pushes her. But she subconsciously shifts her center of gravity in anticipation. Akane meant to ask him if she should do anything else, but perhaps in this case, it might be better if she just acts.]

[Which is why she suddenly pivots and throws her hands against his chest to shove right back.]

[Better.

The only indication was a small flick of a smile as once more Sephiroth steps around to face a different side of Akane. Not quite expecting her to pivot and suddenly throw her hands against his chest like she did.

He's much too prepared for sudden 'attacks' from any side. Sephiroth quickly raises his arm, forearm sweeping hers from him while his leg comes in and under while he steps to the side, out of the way for the girl to go crashing to the mats on the floor.]

Walking before running, Akane.

[So the man just stands there and waits for her to get back to her feet.]

Oof...r-right...

[More than a little humiliated at just how easily she's put down, she rubs her bruised hip, but gets back on her feet nonetheless. While her lack of experience is frustrating, it's also motivational. Being weak just means she needs to get stronger even more, especially if she's going to protect the people she truly cares about.]

[Akane bends her knees and raises her arms once more, hands closed lightly into fists.]

Can you teach me how to do that too?

[That exact humiliation is probably one of the reasons Sephiroth doesn't ever gel with students in the same way Angeal might have done. He just doesn't compute that putting them down physically might also be putting them down mentally too; never letting them win until they were good enough to give it all they'd got.

He could have at least gone and offered her a hand up, but he doesn't. He does raise both of his eyebrows, fractionally, as Akane recovers and gets back to her feet. It's not really a smile, so much as an acknowledgment. That she hasn't immediately raged at him and stormed off is a good start, indeed.]

I can.

[Slowly, he raises a hand while stepping in a little closer towards her. Balling it gradually into a fist. Sephiroth puts that fist lightly against the center of Akane's torso, directly over the base of her breastbone as it would be on anyone.]

It's all about balance. Imagine there is a ball here, and it's your center of gravity, keeping you on your feet. Everyone has one.

Learning how to judge how it's balanced in an opponent, whilst in motion will veritably give you the upper hand in any confrontation.

[Akane is a grown woman, she's not going to throw a tantrum over not being the best fighter ever right off the bat. He has nothing to fear. ~~Unless he lets himself get ripped to pieces by a gattling gun while shielding Akane, then she'll yell at him a lot.~~]

[She watches him curiously as he steps closer to her, though it isn't until he's within a foot that she relaxes her arms and lets her fists uncurl slowly at her sides. His fist resting just below her chest feels a little strange, but what he says makes sense.]

I never thought about it that way before. Force and counterforce, applied at the right time and in the right directions...

[The inhalation of breath is very light and careful, as if she doesn't want to disturb his fist. To her credit, her blush is only barely noticeable. Mind on the task at hand. ...Ha, the task at hand! Junpei would have loved that.]

Can you give me an example of what sorts of situations would upset that balance?

[Sephiroth is completely professional in his tuition it seems, he doesn't even seem to recognize how close his closed fist might be to the underside of her breasts. He's barely touching her, after all, it's there for illustrative purposes only.

He doesn't seem to flinch at even the tiniest hint of a blush that he -really- was too physically close to her to avoid noticing. When she carefully inhales he takes that as a cue to drop his hand away, the motion gradual and controlled in every way that it could be.]

It might sound childish, but it was one of the first things I ever learned.

[Apparently small personal insights were a useful teaching tool.]

You might have a flaw in your stance; too wide or hunching forwards a little. It could be that you have a weaker off-side. Unless you would make combat a life-choice, in the heat of the moment often adrenaline helps to keep that focus so often the importance of the very basics gets disregarded.

Childish? No, not at all!

[She shakes her head quickly, now letting herself exhale shakily before she can breathe regularly once more. He smells way too good to be standing that close to her.]

If it's a basic, then it shouldn't be overlooked. I consider myself lucky to learn at this stage, so it becomes more reflexive. It's not the sort of thing you usually hear covered.

[Akane takes up a stance that she thinks is more likely to be stable, then makes some adjustments that suit her sense of balance.]

What about upsetting someone else's balance? Are there any special techniques that can catch someone off guard, especially if they're bigger than you are?

[He's always been his own harshest critic; Akane can take from that what she will. Sephiroth continues to watch her carefully, as if with the whole of his being and not just his eyes, from up close and then away again as he steps back to give her room to spread her stance again.]

I wouldn't know really what is usually covered or not. [A light tilt to his head reinforces exactly that; it's not the only thing she might find that he approaches differently.]

I could show you a hundred techniques and they'd all be useless until you've mastered your own internal balance. Given that it's a solid application of sheer will in a dedicated motion with the intention to knock someone else's balance; there is no half-measure.

Being smaller just means you can exert yourself towards a finer point, with practice. Generally you also have less mass to coordinate with, which should lend greater agility.

[Akane nods slowly, her gaze drifting toward the floor as she lays her fingers together to rest against her mouth in silent contemplation.]

More agility...that could be interesting...

[Whatever she's thinking about, it causes her brow to furrow deeply for a moment before she glances to the side and frowns. Finally her hands drop back to her sides as she looks up at Sephiroth.]

All right. How do I start to stabilize myself?

[He's not about to guess what might have been going through her mind, but who wouldn't want to be more agile and dexterous? It was one of the things that he'd hated most of all about not having that mako-edge when he'd first come to Crystallis.]

Concentrate. [There is a touch of a patronizing tone there but he can't help something that's so obvious to him even if he is aware of how new to this Akane is.]

Deep breaths. Focus. Become mindful of how that core balance you have feels and how it responds to different stances, positions and movements. Of course, training those muscles at your core will help it as well.

[Not that she's fat at all...]

It...it's not my fault! The cake at Cuppa Kupo is so delicious...!

[Red-faced, she realizes she's not concentrating at all. She can be self-conscious about her flat chest and not-so-flawless skin later, she came to train. Akane pulls her fists in, closing her eyes as she takes a few quick breaths, letting them slow gradually and become even. Her center. She focuses on the phantasmal touch of Sephiroth's knuckles against her sternum.]

I think I might have to get pushed over a lot to start growing accustomed to adding the appropriate counter-balances.

[And that won't be fun, but if it's necessary, she's game.]

[He backs up a step further as it seems she's woken up a little. Breathing in....and then out slowly, hoping that as Akane relaxes into it her breathing pattern will follow his into becoming deeper and more regulated. Short breaths only get you so far.]

If that's what it takes. [He doesn't agree completely with her, hopefully she'll pick up the counter-balance a lot quicker than that. It's something of a power within most people that's more natural than you might first think.]

But we'll see how we get on.

[Mental note: don't quite push her over so far, to begin with.]

I think we've a few minutes left, if you'd like to try.

[Once she picks up on his breathing instructions, she mimics him, aligning the rise and fall of her chest to match his. After a few moments she opens her eyes, still breathing regularly, and smiles. It does make her feel more confident about this.]

Please. I'd like that very much.

[She widens her stance to give herself more stability, more conscious about wanting to stay upright and unmoved. He's a good teacher, she thinks to herself, patient and firm. She would rather learn than be coddled, so she appreciates his style.]

[A quick smile and he's back to slowly pacing around her, taking care to make hardly any noise with his foot falls. No small feat given the acoustics of the small private training room. Akane needed to be able to focus past such mundane distractions yet at the same time still be aware of them, Sephiroth is trying to make it easier for her to learn.]

Don't worry where I am, or where I might be. Focus in on that small ball at your center, and just concentrate on keeping it there.

[A few more steps, in silence and then Sephiroth dashes at her. It's not with much force at all but he does suddenly and firmly push at the front of her shoulder, as if he might cause one half of her to roll back, before retreating back out of counter-range.

It's a few more seconds of quiet before the next movement; this time a sharp push to the opposite shoulder, forwards this time instead of back.]

[Akane teeters with the first shove, but she digs in with her heel, bending her knees slightly as her foot edges more pressure into the mattress to keep her from toppling. There's a quick little grin, as she seems pretty pleased with herself, but she doesn't try to retaliate this time.]

[Another shove and her right foot shoots forward an extra inch. Her balance is better this time, and she remains silent, listening to the sound of his steps, feeling the mat shift just slightly with his added weight as he circles her. Her hands remain half raised, ready to shoot out for greater stability if it becomes necessary.]

[It makes her wonder if he had this kind of lesson when he was young. Or was this a practice he'd developed on his own? No, she chides herself, concentrate! There will be plenty of time for questions after the session, where she can review and reflect while they rest.]

[The remaining few minutes are spent going through much of the same. Sephiroth slowly circles, dashes in, tests Akane's balance at shoulders, knees and sometimes the small of her back. He tries to keep some element of surprise about it, sometimes repeating the same small test over in a series before changing tack.

Even in that small amount of time, he can see how the small girl is starting to hold herself, how she had quieted in order to hear him moving around the mat. To almost sense that tell-tale weight distribution through the mat beneath them.

Still, it's not all about perfecting this in one session; indeed, that would be impossible. A small bark of a low noise indicates that Sephiroth had stopped circling and, once she looks up, had even stepped away from her.]

Good work. It's probably time for you to get back from your lunch break now, though.

Thank you!

[She might have exhibited a little frustration before, but she's positively radiant as she basks in the glow of a simple compliment. She gets the feeling he probably isn't the sort who passes out idle praise, so it means a lot.]

And you're right. I think my stomach is trying to turn itself inside out, hee hee!

[It snarls responsively, and Akane self-consciously puts a hand over it.]

I...guess I'd better eat something light if I'm going to keep my core from going soft. Thank you very much, Sephiroth.

[Akane politely bows.]

I hope you enjoy the rest of your workout!

[She darts to the edge of the room to reclaim her gunblade, hefting it up, then trotting off at a much more careful pace.]

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#20 | The Life of a Soldier [December | Starlight catch-all]

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