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

[shinrasfinest]

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]

Comments

[sesenta]

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?

[shinrasfinest]

[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.

[sesenta]

[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?

[shinrasfinest]

[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...]

[sesenta]

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.]

[shinrasfinest]

[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.

[sesenta]

[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.]

[shinrasfinest]

[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.]

[sesenta]

[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.]

[shinrasfinest]

[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.

[sesenta]

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.]