cutting_edgex23 | (no subject)

(no subject)

It's a warm day, and X has changed out of her uniform and replaced it with her traditional black track pants and a tank top.

She is also, it would seem, waiting for someone. Her attention is very firmly on the bar proper even as she stretches, toes pointed.

It will serve as a warm-up--that and the run she took previously.

X is always prepared.

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Ingress, ironically, is in her uniform. She bounds outside in her Grays, the costume of Heralds-in-training.

"Hi, Laura!"

X tilts her head, studying the girl's approach.

All data is useful, under the right circumstances. X has learned this very well.

"Hello."

Beat.

"You are ready?"

Preliminaries are not X's stock in trade.

"I guess. What are we going to do first?"

She bounces on the balls of her feet. She hasn't had a teacher like Laura before!

X offers a quick, slight shrug.

"You will hit me."

Beat.

"It is safest."

"Like, just hit you, hit you?"

Wow, really?

X nods.

"Yes."

And then she waits.

Ingress is tentative as she steps forward. She's used to parrying with a sword and blocking and pressing forward, but not just hitting.

She hits X hard in the upper arm.

Maybe she needs some help with the whole "where to hit" part of the lesson.

X turns with the blow, one hand coming up to grab Ingress' wrist and pull her along.

"Joints are better. To hit."

She uses the momentum to push Ingress away, then waits again.

"And the diaphragm. People do not like when they cannot breathe."

"You won't get hurt?"

"I heal."

Beat.

"And you do not hit hard enough to hurt me. It is okay."

She is still waiting.

Ingress steps forward more quickly this time, her arm pulling back to aim a solid hit to X's diaphragm.

"Faster is better, too," X says, stepping forward and locking her foot behind Ingress'.

She grabs the girl's shoulders on the way down, just so she does not hit the ground too hard.

"Do not give people time to react. Unless you want them to."

Ingress' eyes open wide as she falls backward, even with the X's support.

"Um. Okay," she says, and bounces back up. This time she doesn't pause before landing the punch. Her aim is off, though.

X sidesteps carefully, turning to nudge one foot at the back of Ingress' knee.

Just enough to make her stumble.

Ingress frowns. This is hard.

She twists around and tries again.

"Better," X says, though she still dodges the blow.

"Do not aim too high. You will leave your midsection open."

X demonstrates by dropping down onto her side, sliding one leg out and pushing hard against Ingress' stomach.

Ingress loses her balance as she falls back, landing on her bottom with a hard thump. She scrambles back onto her feet almost immediately, though, even though she's a little bit shaken.

She steps back, thinking about what to do next, but she doesn't hesitate too long.

This time she steps forward, aiming high, but at the last minute she ducks and slams her fist into X's knee.

And that really hurts her fist.

X folds her knee up, dropping to use it as a pivot point.

"Good."

Then she sweeps Ingress' legs out.

"But it is better to keep moving. Follow-up strikes are also useful."

This time when she falls, Ingress grabs a handful of dirt with her left hand. When she bounces back up, she rushes towards X, throwing the dirt in her face while jabbing a punch at her midriff with her right hand fist.

Her punch lands. Or at least, Ingress thinks it does. She doesn't stop to ask, but spins around and away.

"Better," X says, eyes closing reflexively. The grit hurts, and it brings tears to her eyes, but that is okay.

Ingress is learning.

X says nothing more, body held still enough that even her breath doesn't make a sound.

Then she dives left, crouching low and bringing her leg around to knock Ingress' own feet out from under her.

She'll catch the girl on her way down. Or she'll try. Depending on what Ingress does.

Ingress jumps in time to miss the sweep of X's leg, but she stumbles and trips anyway, diving to the ground and falling hard.

She rolls away and scrambles to her feet, panting hard. She's not worried about hurting anyone any longer.

With a cry, she lunges toward X, this time ready to kick, if she can, and aiming at her sparring partner's shins.

X lets Ingress inside her guard, taking the blow to the shins.

The girl can kick reasonably hard, but X has had worse.

Which is why X twists her foot around Ingress' ankles again, jerking her foot upward as she grabs the girl's wrists, twisting them behind her back.

Getting the child pinned on the ground is X's priority at the moment.

It is not very hard.

"Do not get angry."

Beat.

"I am better than you. It is okay."

"I'm not angry," Ingress says, through gritted teeth.

She's not angry, so much as she's frustrated. Very, very frustrated.

"I'm also littler. This is hard."

"Yes," X says.

Her eyes are still closed.

"There are ways to take advantage of being small. I remember."

Beat.

"You do not have instincts yet. It is better not to stop thinking."

"I'm much better with swords," she assures X.

She is.

"It's harder when you have to get close."

And when the bigger person keeps sweeping your legs out from under you.

"How do you get instincts?"

"Training."

X's response is prompt.

"And fighting. Simulations are not very helpful."

"Yeah, I guess so."

The hard thing about getting good at anything is all the practice.

"Can you show me some of the moves a little slower? It all goes really fast."

"Yes," X says after a moment of silence.

"But I will wash my eyes out first."

She'll be right back.

She doesn't grin outwardly. But inside she's grinning a whole lot.

She's glad she remembered the dirt trick.

When X returns--

"You are not hurt?"

X is fairly sure the answer is no. She was careful.

But--

She shakes her head. She has a few bruises, she knows, but that's what you get in training. There's nothing to complain about unless you have lots of bleeding.

"I'm okay."

"Okay."

X falls silent, trying to think of how to show Ingress relevant skills.

Then--

"You are good at falling?"

Edited 2008-09-05 03:26 (UTC)

"Ummm, I don't cry if I do. I can tumble a little bit."

"Good."

She sounds like she means it.

"Stay close."

Beat.

"I will show you what I did."

She stands, attentive, ready to watch and do as instructed.

"Do not get tense."

X grips Ingress' wrist carefully, pausing amoment before she hooks her ankle around the girl's.

"I will be careful."

Lan used to mention clearing your mind of all extra thoughts when fighting. Her other teachers have said the same. None of their visualizations work so well for Ingress. When Ingress needs to clear her mind, she pretends she needs to open something. She reaches for that quiet you need to feel before you find that door that wants to open.

When it's there for her, she relaxes.

"Okay," she says.

Ingress' body has barely relaxed before X shifts her own weight, neatly tossing the girl over her hip.

"Leverage is important."

She can explain that much of it. It would be easier in Japanese.

"You will need it repeated?"

"Um, no. How can I do that to you?"

She really wants to know.

"Here."

X positions Ingress' hands, her own motions quick and economical.

"Now."

X twists with the motion, holding Ingress' hands in place.

It is fortunate she is very flexible.

"Oh," Ingress says, as she feels the motion. "So you pivot and use the force to push your legs. Can I try making you fall over?"

"Yes. You will not hurt me."

Even if Ingress tries very hard for the next hour or so.

X will try just as hard not to hurt Ingress.

It works.

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