Fencing Practice (Invite Only)

[Terri Nutkins]

Terri had made all the necessary arrangements, hiring the studio hall for a couple of hours and ensuring that their were several bottles of water available as well as some bananas for energy. None of this refined sugar crap. Terri was all about organic food stuffs.

Autumn's Tempest was resting in its scabbard, a simple rapier but one that meant a great deal to the Beast. It had been crafted by a good and loyal friend, one who had acted as her protector. Now, she had to learn to look after herself and as a way to cut out a dragon's tongue.

Wearing a pair of stretchy black training pants along with a white training bra and red hoody, her vibrant hair was tied back in a ponytail, and most importantly, Terri's Mask was hardened, the tail and ear-tufts hidden under the illusion of normality. Even the black feathers in her hair had transformed into black streaks among red locks. Looking at herself in the mirrored wall that ran along one side of the hall, Terri was only once again getting used to her Mask, a matter of extra security since returning from her confinement.

As she waited for Martha and Falstaff, Terri performed some stretches and warm-up exercises. The last thing she wanted was to injure herself.

[Falstaff]

Falstaff does his stretching on the bus, what with all the handle bars and seats to lean against and prop his leg on--plus the movement and stops were a good exercise in balance. Plus, part of being Acanthus is time management.

He gets off at the closest bus stop to the studio and breaks into a jog, periodically lunging to to stretch out his thighs. He doesn't have a Walk-Man or a Boom Box or the new Apple Phone Pod, so he has to make his own music. He sings Olivia Newton John's "Physical," well, part of it--he only knows the chorus, so he sings it on repeat.

Falstaff Singing

As he nears the studio, he breaks into a sprint to get his heart rate up. To get into "sprinting role," he pretends his pants are on fire, and that he's being chased by dogs . . . who are also on fire. When he thinks he's arrived, he enters. He sees a beautiful hot babe stretching and breaks into a fit of coughing--he must have the wrong building. True, she has a sword . . . but one musn't make assumptions. He excuses himself, checks the front of the building, and then returns. "Terri Speaking?" He knew he'd been storing up good karma for something. "I'm Falstaff."

Falstaff removes his hoodie and sweatpants, to reveal his training outfit: a wrestling leotard with sneakers, and glasses of course. (He doesn't need them, but he likes to give the impression that he does to fool his opponent.)

Training Outfit

"Good idea--bananas," he says. "Potassium, and the peel's a possibility for slippery against your opponent." He pulls his rapier from his gym bag, along with a gallon of melted ice cream tied up in a shopping bag, and then starts doing jumping jacks. "Let's get physical, physical . . ." He sings.

[Terri Nutkins]

At the sound of coughing, Terri looked up and was surprised at what she saw. Still, books and covers.

"Hi, Falstaff, nice to meet you," Terri chirped as she effortlessly stood from the position she had been stretching to offer the peculiar man a hand. She couldn't help but giggle at his attire but in truth, she had seen worse in her time as a personal trainer. Golden oldies wearing silver cycling outfits for spin classes was always an eyeopener.

"Sounds good," she replied before looking to the door. "But before we get too physical, I've got a friend joining us, someone else interested. Can I ask, how long have you been fencing?" she added, her manner as friendly as ever, looking back to the relaxed man, and his gallon of ice cream.

Forgot to note in first post: -1 glamour to harden Mask

[Falstaff]

Falstaff approaches.

Falstaff accepts her soft hand, shakes it left to right, rather than up and down, and then twirls himself under it as if they'd been dancing.

Disregard

"Did you hear, sweetheart, autumn rains and leaves,
The golden deer that sing their courtship song,
And autumn softly gliding in steps long
To bring new love in which we fain believe?
The autumn spirit whisp'ring gently in my ear
Eternal love we swear for you and me, my dear."

"Did you know, sweetheart, autumn rains and breeze,
The autumn easing down in solitude?
Did you know, sweetheart, fall has come in peace,
And filled our hearts with new and soothing mood?
The autumn cool and sweet smells sing and dance,
That set my soul afire in drunken trance."

Falstaff wonders a moment, why he'd been reciting poetry--a translation of the first two stanza's of Lamartine's, L'Automne. He guesses his Gnosis had turned Muse for a moment, as it often did, but why that poem? Perhaps Terri Speaking had been born in October? Falstaff thinks he smells bread, decides he must be hungry.

Good thing they'd brought bananas and ice cream.

"Me, fencing? I don't know, forever it seems, since I was able to lift a stick." He returns to stretching, now ineffectually reaching for his toes. "Guess I got into it studying theater, but didn't have much training until I started travelling with the Renaissance Faire. I'll admit, I've been better than I am. How about yourself?"

Falstaff hopes her friend is as pretty as she, and doesn't mind waiting; he excels at idleness.

[West]

Let's watch the meta? For starters, Falstaff has no way to detect Terri's Mantle.
Secondly, singing a song about Autumn?



Play nice in Shards, or you'll be written out.

[Terri Nutkins]

Terri chuckled as the man danced under her arm, seeming to be quite the jester, and listened keenly when he explained his training background, as vague as it was. To be fair, she wasn't much better.

"Oh, not long at all. A couple of years ago, a good friend started to teach me in the basics, you know, like how to hold the rapier properly without cutting myself," she giggled before pausing as her tone turned more sombre. "Then he died and I felt I couldn't continue. It was only recently I decided to have another go, I suppose to remember him by."

Terri didn't mention how Danny had died or just why she hadn't been training. Those things would terrify some folk.

[Martha Villiers]

Martha was running behind schedule.

The traffic en route was all gridlocked. She suspected it was something to do with the ongoing Fix50 roadworks.

Taking care to make certain her Blush of Life was in place and pushing her Mental Concentration into play lest the workshop had wall mounted mirrors, she worked hard to retain a reflection too.

She tried to listen against the door to the rented room before entering to see if she could hear anything useful. Martha's concentration was already too focused to risk using super-powers, so she knocked on the door and, having waited a few moments, hobbled inside.

Martha carried a sports bag, several bottles of spring water, two fencing foils, three wooden tantos, a bokken and a fencing mask. Smiling, Martha looked about to make sure Terri was safe from any threats.

"Goodness!" she gasped, "I am sorry I am late!" she tried a shy smile. Looking to Terri, then Terri's legs and then to Falstaff. Smiling again.

For this practice session she's neatly dressed in a mid thigh length gymslip; a simple white cotton blouse with her hair neatly tied with red ribbons into two twin tails and simple, no-brand white sneakers. Her flesh leg has a white knee sock on, as does her C-Leg. Only that knee sock has found itself rolling of the replacement ankle joint.

Holding her bag carefully, she nods respectfully to Falstaff.

-1 Vitae for Blush of Life & -1 Willpower for sustaining a Reflection

[Falstaff]

Falstaff, failing for subtlety but not sincerity, had been about to ask Terri Speaking about her dead friend when the second woman entered. He notes the inflation in the cutie department by smacking his heels together on the next jumping jack. Not only that, but they were short like him! It's a lot of pressure always being able to see up everyone's noses and act like their boogers aren't gross, but with these two . . . they could have millions of boogers, and he'd never know.

He hobbles over and helps her with her bag. "Falstaff," he introduces himself. "Cool leg." He wonders if she keeps things in it, like a purse. That's what he would do. "Terri Speaking and I were just warming up, both aerobically and conversationally, to prevent strain--pun intended. How good are you at swords?"

[Martha Villiers]

Smiling and cheerful, Martha nods to Falstaff as he helps her with the bag and then neatly breaks the ice. Already taking a liking to the gent, she chirped merrily and sweetly;

"Oh! Thank you! As for my skill with a sword, sir, I shall let you be the proper judge of that. Though, in honesty, I was on the varsity fencing team." she hoped she sounded informative yet suitably humble. After all, she reminded herself, her varsity days were long behind her.

Nodding happily to Terri, Martha stood demurely with her hands behind her back and very attentive to Falstaff. Clearly obediently awaiting his instruction and assessment.

[Terri Nutkins]

"Martha!" Terri squealed as she saw her friend arrive, grinning. "I'm glad to see you, and don't worry about it, we've only just arrived ourselves."

Her phone began to ring and with an apology, Terri skipped to answer it from her purse that was next to her sword. "Hello?"