#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

[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.]