twiststheblade | Training Montage?

Training Montage?

Outside by the lake, barefoot, gritty soil between her toes. She barely notices, except in a vague way, noting that the traction is good. Eyes closed. Each movement gradual, controlled. Graceful, almost balletic. The total muscle control moving so slowly and yet precisely requires would only be appreciated by a few.

With each iteration she speeds up. Faster and faster each time, until her form is blurred.

There is only one set of footprints.

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"Thank you," she replies.

Her fingers open and then close again on the hilt. Almost superstitiously, she brings her hand up and kisses the blade, just under a series of intricately carved swirls.

"This one was made by fairies. I've found that one gets interesting gifts if one stays here long enough."

An eyebrow raises. Not long ago, someone saying that would have earned a long stare, and careful avoidance. Now, just a nod.

"I'll bet."

Miho smiles, a little sadly.

"I don't have my blades, right now. But I think you'd appreciate them."

That touch of sadness does not go unnoticed, and Alanna chews thoughtfully on her lip.

"You don't? I'm sorry to hear that." A pause. "I lost my sword once. It's never a good feeling."

A longer pause this time, long enough for her to execute the first move of a practice drill.

"I have several if you'd like to borrow one."

Miho smiles, still a little sad.

"Thank you. But I have bokken for practise," she nods to the edge of the clear patch she'd been practising, where there area pair of bokken with her jacket, "and other weapons for defence. Using another sword would just feel," she shrugs, "wrong."

"Aye, I understand. It still feels wrong to wield any sword but Lightning."

Sighing, she rests the tip of the blade on her boot.

"I'm Alanna."

"Miho," with a slightly wicked grin.

"We have a friend in common, and I kinda want to know what lies she's been telling about me."

"We do?" She sounds intrigued, flashing a crooked smile. "Now that you mention it, I do believe I have heard your name before."

"Yup," says Miho, smirking. "A certain irritating blonde."

Although, for all her snarkiness, there's a distinctly, dare we say it, soppy look to her smirk now.

Mentally composing a list of all the blondes she knows, Alanna quirks an eyebrow and taps her finger against her lips.

Josie is hardly a friend, and Svava is definitely not irritating. Meg? No, she has regrettably not talked Meg in ages.

She thinks back to the movements she just witnessed and smacks her forehead lightly.

"Goldy! Sadly, I haven't seen her much as of late."

Miho has the grace to look slightly guilty. Or, you know. Not.

"Sorry. I think we've been monopolising her slightly. You know. New job."

This is Miho's Innocent Face. Not to be confused with her innocent face, with which she could play poker.

"Ah, yes."

Predictably, Alanna blushes. It's rather at odds with her knowing smile.

"Just as long as everyone is enjoying themselves."

Miho on the other hand does not blush, merely smirks more.

"Very much so."

"Well, then! Glad to hear it."

A small giggle escapes. She immediately schools her features, reminding herself that she is a knight, not a young girl.

It mostly works.

"She was teaching me to use a gun before I was injured. We were going to practice Shang together, but like I said, our paths haven't crossed."

It's entirely possible Alanna doesn't know exactly what Miho is alluding to. It's also entirely possible that this is a Good Thing, so she just nods and smiles.

"Oh? Gun use doesn't take much strength," she corrects herself "wel,, it depends on the gun, but it doesn't have to. Shang. That's the martial art you were practising?"

"We don't have guns in my world, so it was more the unfamiliarity with the weapon than anything else. I'm a crack shot with a bow and arrow."

Alanna nods eagerly, proud of her training.

"Indeed. Shang warriors are renowned in Tortall. The Shang Dragon is a dear friend of mine and taught me as much as he could. He trains Goldy as well, bright and early twice a week."

"Ah! Liam, right?"

Miho brightens, a lot.

"I really need to speak with him - I've promised to teach Goldy swordplay, but I don't want to interfere with his training."

"Liam Ironarm," she confirms. "I don't think he'll mind at all. He's an expert with a sword -- with most weapons, really -- but he's teaching her to use her body as a weapon."

Oh, the jokes that could be made.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind," she elaborates, "but without knowing what sort of disciplines he's teaching, I don't want to start teaching her principles that are radically different. I can adapt what I teach her to fit in with his style easily enough."

Oh, yes. Miho is being terribly restrained. Or, possibly, not.

"I don't know," with an impish grin. "She's pretty lethal already."

"Fair enough." Alanna nods. "I suppose she has to be in her line of work."

Smirk, smirk, smirk.

A smirk? What is that? Oh yes. That would be the espression on both of their faces.

"You could say that."

"I think I just did," she laughs.

Still smiling, Alanna shifts her gaze towards the lake. Her eyes drift shut for a moment.

"Is it springtime where you are from, Miho?"

"I suppose so." She looks around.

"But it's nothing like this. The city is dark and grey and eternally wet."

Alanna thinks of Corus' colorful marketplace, shining Temple District and spectacular city gates with a wistful smile. Even the Dove, dark and smoky though it may be, brings to mind memories of warmth.

Homesick as she is, dark, gray and eternally wet is the last way she would describe Corus.

Even in February.

"It's springtime in Corus, and I'm missing it. The king has ordered me to stay here for the foreseeable future."

At least until she can finish a fight without wheezing.

"You won't miss it, though, will you? You'll get spring here and spring there, when you leave."

This seems sensible to Miho.

She gives Miho a considering look.

"I suppose you're right," she mumbles. "It's just that I could be perfectly happy here so long as I knew I could leave."

Restless, Alanna looks a bit trapped. She tightens her grip on the sword and finishes the drill she had started earlier.

"Do you train out here often?"

Whilst Alanna was finishing the drill, Miho had crossed to her jacket, and picked up one of the bokken. Now, she hefts it idly, and nods.

"Most days."

"I used to train a few people here, but only a foolish fighter would boast of having nothing left to learn."

She grins, holding the last position.

"Certainly not a fighter attempting to retrain her muscles. Mind if I watch once or twice?"

"Of course," Miho nods.

"We can spar some, if you like. Not full strength, if you don't think you're up to it. There's a lot to be learnt from half-speed combat though."

Always one to push herself, Alanna nods eagerly.

"Aye, I'd like that. It's been far too long since I heard the clang of steel on steel, even at half speed."

Miho grins a little ferally. "Sounds like a plan to me. Although it'll have to be wood on wood, unless you have a spare sword with you?"

Alanna coughs.

"As it so happens, I do."

Looking around, she jogs to a tree a short distance away and grabs onto a low hanging branch. She swings herself up, slowly and carefully, and pulls something from a shadowed spot where two branches form a 'v.' On her way back, she pulls a sword from a simple black sheath and offers it to Miho.

"I have been a little on edge lately."

Mih blinks a little, laughs a little, and takes the sword with a small bow.

"Thank you." Then she hefts it, trying it's weight and balance.

The sword is nothing fancy, but Alanna is a stickler for good balance. She tilts her head and smiles, nodding with approval as she hefts her own sword.

Assuming the guard stance, "shall we?"

"We shall."

Miho bows once more, deeper this time, and takes up her own stance. Loose, relaxed, perfectly poised.

And proceeds to try Alanna's skill and, the balance of the sword.

She finds herself greatly enamoured of both.

(OOC: and wrap?)

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Training Montage?

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