Arrows of the blade

[Skye]

Time to give her fellow arrow a second lesson, curious to see just how much he had managed to pick up from their last training session but they still had a lot to get through, the basics already gone over meaning that now it was time to focus on actual techniques with the blade. Time to actually get into real combat maneuverings instead of explaining the hard foundation, damn that had been a new form of lesson to learn for certain.

Gym bag along with water bottles placed off to the side, knives attached at her back with the training weapons lying upon the training bag ready to use along with their new friend Bob the training dummy. Stretching out her legs, doing a few cartwheels, kicking her legs up high, falling down into a splits and generally just moving around to limber up her muscles in her semi cooler clothes. Waiting for Asclepius to show up and see if she could manage to guide him through this step of exercise.

A small glance over towards a sheet of paper folded atop the the bag, like it or not it would be an unofficial order meeting so could be brought up, then again anytime it was just the two of them here it was in a sense a meeting. Damn we really need to bolster our numbers. Shaking her head with a backflip, bending forward and moving her leg across her back with a touch of her toes, more would come in time, and their numbers overall had sadly seem to be shrinking, they were enough, they had to be.

[Asclepius]

After the invitation given to him for another lesson, he was in quite the good mood. Driving to the Arrow tower with music playing loudly to match his mood. He had made one stop on the way but it was no bother to him, he felt a need to pick up a little thank you gift. In his mind, regardless of what Skye thought, she was taking time out of her day to train him.

He got out of his car once parked, carrying his sports bag, that held his real blade and tool but also it held the wooden practice blade that Skye had given him, on the shoulder and the carrier bag with Skye's little thank you gift inside in his hand. He dressed ready for a sweat session, Tank top and shorts with suitable running shoes. I wonder how this session is going to go... It felt like the last one was more theory of prediction and putting that theory into practice.. I wonder, when the arrows grow bigger in number... will she expect me to train others or will she enjoy it enough to train people herself? Who am I kidding, she will push it on me because I am just going to be that good.

With the positivity and confidence flowing in him. He made his way into the training area, First thing he notices of course was the stretches that Skye was warming up with. There she is, First talon punctual as always. “I hope you don't expect me to imitate that stretch, I don't think I have your expert flexibility.” He chuckled as he placed his sports bag down by Skye's bag. He walked over to her carrying the carrier bag, waiting for her to finished before handing it out for her to take. “Just a little something to say thank you for the training, I hope I got the right ones for you. It's muffins, blueberry flavoured. I think I remember you saying you liked them. Well, I hope I remembered correctly.” Lord knows it was stuck in my mind and I can't remember where I heard it.

[Skye]

Throwing her leg back down, bending down and jumping backward with a flip to land on her hands, to be able to look upon him.
”Not yet, but by next summer maybe, you did speak of wanting to get more flexible if memory serves.” Winking at him with a little chuckle, knowing it was perhaps not the type of flexibility he had meant. Rolling down and throwing herself back up into position, cracking her neck and grabbing one shoulder to stretch out her arm proceeded by the other as she waits for him to get ready.

Looking a bit surprised as she looks at the carrier bag, taking it and looking for a second before shining up, moving her nose in closer with a deep inhale as a soft smile dawn upon her, taking another whiff before looking up at her fellow arrow.
”Thank you, they smell delicious, and will be the perfect treat after practice, cannot wait.” Taking another whiff before putting them away by their bags, tightening the tie on her hair as she walks back over towards him with a gesture towards the training dummy. ”Have you met Bob? He has a penchant for liking to get hit.” Grabbing her blades with a look towards him. ”I have some papers I would like you to look over but how about we get started first, and do that during a brief break? We have something far more fun to cover than the basics today, and getting into actual core ways of how to move the knife in your hand to disorientate enemies.” Looking over him for a moment with a step backward. ”I do must insist that you put your protection up though, given how you prefer to learn so would it be unwise to not minimize the risk of taking damage.”

[Asclepius]

Skye's ability to keep up her acrobatic talents on full display while holding a conversation never ceased to amuse, but after all the time spent here and in communication with her, it seemed normal now. “Having me? Perform that by next summer... I will be happy when I see it. Well, yes the constant state of being limber, of which you portray seems to be a great benefit to any Arrow out in the field.” The wink was seen but not commented on outwardly. D-Did I miss something? What was funny about that comment? He took out the two blades from his bag, the one he used as a weapon and tool, and the other that was made to train with.

Skye's surprise was expected, he had made no mention of doing this and he assumed she would be grateful. After all, from the way she spoke about the training, it was nothing for her, an opportunity to strengthen the trust while also teaching life saving combat techniques. “I am glad. I know muffins aren't a great combo with exercising but who's counting calories...” He looked over to the indicated Dummy and smiled. “Oh is that so, well bob, I guess you will take Skye's aggression and frustration instead of me today. You know she has quite the swing of the blade when she gets into a fury.” He chuckled, but while he had not seen Skye in full combat, judging by her performance in the last training session, she would be a force to reckoned with when fighting for her life. He looked a little confused for a moment. “Papers? Is this some business outside of the training or?” Unsure of what Skye had planned for him, he simply kept keen and positive. “Sure sounds good, looking forward to learning. Of course I will put up my defences now.” He took a quick moment to cast his armour around him, using the privacy of the Arrow tower that is away from sleepers to freely chant as he cast. However a thought did jump to mind. If I am to fight a dummy, why do I need armour up?

Organic Resiliance - 1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2025-06-20 10:58:38	Asclepius rolls 7 to Organic Resilience (Life 3 + gnosis 2 + Chanting 2) (10 Again)	4, 3, 3, 9, 2, 1, 6	1 success

[Skye]

”It is a good boon, not always the ideal part in a fight but to avoid unnecessary fights, getting the right angles and keep a chase so does it do wonders.” Scanning over him for a moment with a teasing look. ”Yes, of course. It is not that hard, with some dedication so can it easily be done, I believe in you.” Seems my little jest did not land, ohh well might be easier to practice without it anyways.

Raising an eyebrow paired with a slight cock of the head.
”Huh? They are not? A good treat after a workout session, sounds like a grand combo to me, its not like either of us need to be on a calorie deficit. I have had to increase my caloric intake as of late to keep up.” A lot of training. Chuckling as he spoke to Bob. ”I will leave him here so any Arrow can use him for practice as needed, doubt we will need him much today though not with your preferred training methods.” Nodding with a look over towards the bag. ”I have an initial list of code words mostly written up that I thought we could take a look at, had thought about just hanging them up but as we meet anyways so can we go over them first.”

Taking a step back as he put his defenses up, grabbing her blades properly, still insisting on using two even if she clearly favored only utilizing her left hand in a fight.
”Take your position.”
Giving him a moment before flying forward with a fainted attack from the rear forcing his reflexes into defense only to quickly turn away from it and change her angle mid motion, turning it down into slow motion to strike the blade towards him with no force or speed of note left. ”I believe you recall this maneuver from our last time, the core of it is to trick your opponent into believing you will strike at a certain point, make them defend, and change your trajectory mid attack. Making the defense one mounts make it harder to evade or parry the true strike.” Slowly beginning to strike again, making each motion widely easy to see. ”The downside of this step is that you cannot use it repeatedly without becoming predictable and hence lose the trick, it is one to use sparingly in a fight, mix it up with a one to one or one to two ratio, it is best the first time of course. But even a trained fighter will struggle to see through it when used in mix, just never attempt it twice in a row.”

Jumping back.
”I thought we could start with a few mirror strikes, then move on to letting you do a few slow attacks against me before we move into focus heavily on you attacking me whilst I defend to help you get into it. I will be attacking back at random intervals as well to not remove the element of combat completely and force you to keep your guard up, does that work for you?”

[Asclepius]

He nods. “I can imagine so, with the way you make use of it I would guess it has saved you more times then not.” unsure of what Skye was looking at in regards to him. “Oh well, if you believe I have the potential for success for it then I am sure I will nail it then. ”

He shrugs. “Well, under my old training tutor we were giving strict diets to maintain a level of physical fitness. Which meant most treats were not allowed or you got a stern lecture. Of course we don't have that problem here... yet. You might take inspiration who knows.” He smiles in return to Skye's chuckling. “I will remember this too make good use of it. We won't? You dragged this poor dude out from his long day of activity to not use him.” He chuckles and nods to her further comments. “I see, you had me worried for a second there, I thought it was a report of something serious. I am glad to hear that it is just something to learn.”

Once he had his armour in place, he heard the instruction given to him. He took his wooden crafted blade to hand and readied himself into a poised stance. “Ready when you are.” Not long after he announced his readiness, Skye had launched herself at him. He tensed at the movement and watched for an opening in the attack. He listened to what she explained to him, doing his best to take in the explanation. Noted, be unpredictable and the foe will struggle to anticipate the attacks defend wildly.

He confirmed with a single nod before speaking. “Sounds good to me, I will try to not get ahead of myself and keep it slow.” He pointed his wooden blade towards Skye before changing the hold he had on it into the reverse grip, signalling that he was ready to begin. His standing stand made fluid and relaxed as he bounced on the spot ready for instruction.

[Skye]

”Especially when climbing or running around in the woods, but it has its good points when trying to escape people in cities as well, or for urban exploration a lot of places you can reach if you can bend a little extra.” Many that did not matter but hey it was enjoyable. ”Without a doubt I do, you΄re frame and muscle composition paired with the length of your legs could become a fearsome combination with the right honing, enough that I might have to watch out or you will become the arrow known as the gymnastic one.”

Raising an eyebrow with a disgruntled face and shaking her head.
”Not a chance, we might die tomorrow Talon, and we have members who can augment metabolism, we train hard, we move a lot, we can burn calories. I will never preach indulgence, but to even suggest a denial would be cruel. As long as we stay in a good shape so do I believe each member has what it takes to monitor their needs.” A firm nod. ”Yeah, wanted to show him to you so you knew he was here and did not miss him, you told me you preferred to train in actual combat so why use another method?” That would not make any sense. ”No worries, just a good chance to discuss it than just hang it up.”

The reactions as expected, it was how people would react, to guard oneself was a basic for nearly everyone after all.
”Good then mirroring first, I will get within striking range, and use my right to motion the attack along with the body movement I would make to begin a defense, just mirror it. Try to keep it relatively the same.” Stepping forward, blade gripped identically to his as she begins to slowly strike at him, focusing on making each part easy to follow, pulling her sides slowly back at getting closer. ”And here change the feint, later and you might not have the range to keep the force behind the strike left ending up in a half assed move.” Changing her attack from the initial target, making sure to signal the shift in her eyes, the deceit of them a small but existant part in at least how she performed this maneuver to land the strike upon him with just the lightest of taps.

Getting back into base position to start repeating the motion, to view how he acted on it in slow motion and give small pointers to give a proper chance to get the basics down.

[Asclepius]

“I can imagine it would do wonders for out foxing those that would be less athletic. Even if they are able to keep up. with enough training to get to your level, I think there would be no fool brave enough to replicate some of the stunts I have seen you perform over the past year.” He still is shocked over Skye diving out of her own window when he was first invited round her place. “Now you are just flattering me... but I will take on board that you see potential in me getting to your level.”

Oh dear, she doesn't like that idea. He gave a serious look, and stood at up straight and alert as Skye spoke the rank of Talon. “Your thoughts are understood, First Talon. If it helps my mentor did not have a collection of shamans, hence the preach of consistency and focus on keeping sharp for a foe.” He relaxed a little as the conversation moved on. “I am sure we will become very acquainted with each other in time. Thank you for the introduction. I know my preferred methods are practically based but there is no doubt in my mind that practising form and technique with bob will benefit me also.”

He listened to what seemed like the start of the lesson officially. Okay slow mirroring, that sounds like a good start. He watched as she signalled with her eyes,He followed along as she kept it slow, keeping to the same speed was in his mind a real good idea for teaching from Skye. With her demonstration complete he brought his blade as she did, slowly coming in for a strike and pulling his sides slowly back as he got closer. As she had explained the next part detailing the change in the feint. He was unsure if the signal was necessary as he figured it was part of the instruction but he mimic'd it, after all he was told to mirror her. he continued to mirror and before long gave Skye a light tap to her as she did him.

[Skye]

Letting out a soft chuckle.
”Thanks, but those are more performance arts or light movements. My parkour training has been falling behind and needs to be improved upon to truly move through the city in complete freedom.” It was a shame but there had been a lot of other things needing attention, especially with their reduced numbers. ”I am not much for flattery without truth when I do not seek for a warm bed.” Seeking eye contact with him to speak a tad slower to make each word register in full. ”I believe in you, I place my trust in you, I know you can do anything you set your mind to.”

Matching his seriousness with a straightening stance of her own.
”Your mentor was wise, I assume they were used to training and nurturing fresher talons. Neither you nor I are a fresh one, but for a fresh one so are things like that a necessity. It is not just about the thing itself, it is discipline.” At least that was her view on it. ”I had my own ordeals to train my discipline to go through, and if we ever get a Talon who looks to be needing it then we likely will have to find a manner to sharpen their discipline. Otherwise we will stick to training as long as everyone does their part.” Giving Bob a little lovetap with the back of her hand. ”Ideal when you are alone, hence why he stays in the quarters.”

Repeating the mirroring strike a few times to give her fellow arrow a proper chance to really get into it, they were in no rush and this was the first thing she would teach him with actual real maneuvering rather than changing the basics of how you approached the nerves, how you were to move and be.
”Good, do work on.” Shifting to do it once where the eyes did not shift their focused place, keeping them focused right upon his side for the entire time utilizing her peripheral vision to aim right where she wanted to strike him. ”Eyes are an easy way to trick with, the body movements will often be enough, but our eyes will easily get the habit to shift to where we truly wish to land. So especially for ones used to this style, or prolonged fights with a skilled opponent so is it a good idea to not have your eyes be ready to change their intended focus aspect or be using the whole of the opponent rather than narrowing.”

Taking a step back with a wave towards him.
”Come at me with a slow attack here now, and I will guide your motions with each consecutive one, or would you prefer a few more mirroring ones first?”

[Skye]

Letting out a soft chuckle.
”Thanks, but those are more performance arts or light movements. My parkour training has been falling behind and needs to be improved upon to truly move through the city in complete freedom.” It was a shame but there had been a lot of other things needing attention, especially with their reduced numbers. ”I am not much for flattery without truth when I do not seek for a warm bed.” Seeking eye contact with him to speak a tad slower to make each word register in full. ”I believe in you, I place my trust in you, I know you can do anything you set your mind to.”

Matching his seriousness with a straightening stance of her own.
”Your mentor was wise, I assume they were used to training and nurturing fresher talons. Neither you nor I are a fresh one, but for a fresh one so are things like that a necessity. It is not just about the thing itself, it is discipline.” At least that was her view on it. ”I had my own ordeals to train my discipline to go through, and if we ever get a Talon who looks to be needing it then we likely will have to find a manner to sharpen their discipline. Otherwise we will stick to training as long as everyone does their part.” Giving Bob a little lovetap with the back of her hand. ”Ideal when you are alone, hence why he stays in the quarters.”

Repeating the mirroring strike a few times to give her fellow arrow a proper chance to really get into it, they were in no rush and this was the first thing she would teach him with actual real maneuvering rather than changing the basics of how you approached the nerves, how you were to move and be.
”Good, do work on.” Shifting to do it once where the eyes did not shift their focused place, keeping them focused right upon his side for the entire time utilizing her peripheral vision to aim right where she wanted to strike him. ”Eyes are an easy way to trick with, the body movements will often be enough, but our eyes will easily get the habit to shift to where we truly wish to land. So especially for ones used to this style, or prolonged fights with a skilled opponent so is it a good idea to not have your eyes be ready to change their intended focus aspect or be using the whole of the opponent rather than narrowing.”

Taking a step back with a wave towards him.
”Come at me with a slow attack here now, and I will guide your motions with each consecutive one, or would you prefer a few more mirroring ones first?”