ic The Espadas School: Helping Hand-to-Hand IC

[Raveled]

Tona raised an eyebrow and allowed herself a smirk. "Then we should be getting taught by your hermanita," she said. "Fights are about strategy, as much as they are about hitting people. Knowing how to get into and out of a fight without throwing a punch can be useful, too." She wasn't sure if they would get into tactics and how to extricate oneself from a fight without hurting anyone, but Tona was used to tactics and technique in a single lesson. The idea that Erik was going to teach them how to fight and not when to fight seemed a little off to the girl.

[Gizmo]

This time Erik's laugh was a little longer, stemming from genuine amusement more than a need to dispel unease. Whatever he thought of Tona's manners it evidently took a lot more to get under his skin. "Sure," he agreed amiably, "she could probably help you with your poker face too, Ms. My-Friend-Made-Me-Come." Addressing the group as a whole, he elaborated. "I'm assuming you're not stupid. If you can talk your way through a conflict, you talk. If you can run from a fight, you run. If you can't..." He turned his gaze back to brown haired girl. "...maybe it's worth suffering through one entire class before deciding whether I have anything worth teaching to show you."

[SpicyWaffle]

Even before Tona's query piqued young Baxter's interest, his eyes had already drifted their way towards the physically taut girl and her menagerie of metallic and wooden studs. It wasn't her phenomenal physique that drew his gaze, nor her odd mannerisms; rather, it was Tona's various assortment of piercings, their sheer multitude causing the dark skinned boy to ponder the painful process in which she'd gone to procure them. But it was more than that, as he inexplicably found himself staring on-and-off again towards the odd girl between Erik's glib explanations. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, the odd sensation like déjà vu, but without a concrete replica.

After a few moments of mentally debating the bizarre familiarity, Baxter simply brushed the thought aside for the time being, returning his lighthearted yet serious focus towards the instructor present.

"Hey, fair enough, boss," he chimed, chipper as could be and visually wracked with enthusiasm even as he took in the titular lesson on tactics. "I'm totally ready to start punching boards in-half, or however this works."

[Aoiroo]

"Punching boards seems a bit of a useless exercise. Though if you happen to have any portable doorframes you could reuse, I wouldn't mind learning ways kick in doors that are locked or otherwise blocked. I can see a few instances where that might be practical."

Given, if she'd really needed too she'd of tried to melt the locks with acid, but this was for instances where she might not be readily armed (or disarmed for that matter). Though thinking about it, the fact that she was asking might be more grimly suspicious through less savory activites but then it wasn't like she was actually doing anything like that,

"So what is it that we're going to be starting with today? I'm guessing nothing like forms or the like, though some stretching may be a good idea."

[Scuffles]

Kristin covered her mouth in dismay when Tona practically insulted the instructor, then snorted in amusement when he called her out on her rather lame lie in response. Grinning in amusement she leaned over to her friend to whisper some quiet advice. "People don't usually like it when you tell them they're bad at their job. Especially when you haven't even seen them do the job!"

She settled back and smiled again as Baxter mentioned breaking boards, then raised an eyebrow as Jasmine mentioned kicking doors. What possible use can most people have for kicking in a door?

It was certainly shaping up like an interesting class, and she looked at Erik again as she wondered just how he was planning on running it.

[Gizmo]

"What did boards ever do to you?" Erik mock-admonished Baxter. "Anyway, you're half right, Jasmine. We're not going to be worrying about forms immediately but we are going to start off with some general stretches and warm-up exercises." Rising to his feet in a single, fluid motion that seemed like it should have been more difficult than he made it look, the instructor gestured for the others to stand as well. "Not gonna lie, if you haven't done anything like this before, the first session's gonna leave you hurting, but we'll try to take the edge off a bit."

[Raveled]

Tona set her jaw at Erik and Kristen's remarks, but at least she was smart enough not to rise to the bait again. She did mutter under her breath as she stretched, settling her feet in a wide stance and bending down to touch her ankle, alternating and standing upright between them. "" she whispered under her breath in a language she was more comfortable with. ""

She could feel a good tension in her muscles and jogged in place briefly, feet thumping the pads and giving them a bit of a work-out too. She raised her voice as she addressed Erik again. "Are we not going to have, ah, pads for the practice fighting?"

[Aoiroo]

Jasmine did a couple of familiar stretches from track, mostly sitting and reaching to touch her toes, some bending and arm pull stuff. She couldn't help but hear the murmer of the more gloomy of the pair of girls who had entered the gym together, she looked at the girl for a second and replied in the same language she muttered before,

""

She smiled after she stood and did standing toe touches one hand at a time.

[Scuffles]

Kristin felt just a little bit bad for teasing Tona when the younger girl started muttering in French, then smiled when Jasmine actually replied in kind. She was distracted from the pair however when she saw how Erik uncoiled into a standing position from the mat. That, she knew was no easy task and she raised an eyebrow at the ease with which he accomplished it.

She got to her feet as well, then smiled as Tona asked about pads. "A few minutes ago you wanted to kick people with your boots on, now you want pads? Make up your mind!" she chuckled. "I think he means that the stretching might make you sore. Most people don't stretch much, so learning to do it properly might make tomorrow a bit fun."

She glanced at Erik with a grin. "Right?"

[Raveled]

Tona was mildly surprised at someone else knew French, but she recovered from her surprise and replied. "" she pointed out. "" She stretched her arms above her, moving her torso from side to side as she continued limbering up. "" Of course, in Tona's experience a fight to run away from included Omegadrones and reanimated corpses, but the principal remained the same. If people wanted to avoid getting hurt, sometimes the smartest thing to do was not to fight at all.

[Aoiroo]

""

There was no condensention in her tone, because Jasmine meant it. Being able to outrun most the guys she faced came in handy,

"It would not be very realistic with pads, and I don't think we're actually going to try and hurt each other. Taking hits is good to learn, though I am not terribly good at that myself."

Which was why she was usually a couple hundred feet away if she could manage it. But then again, that would not always be the case.

[SpicyWaffle]

Giving his instructor a wry grin, Baxter just shook his head lightly at the concept of being disgruntled towards boards, a slight giggle barely contained between his lips. He liked this guy; it was great that he didn't seem like such a stickler. He'd half-expected to be bombarded with all kinds of talk about discipline and cliche' analogies about rivers, but the fact that they were more or less jumping right into the practical aspects of the course just made things feel so much smoother.

Unlike the more acrobatic Erik, Baxter had to uncoil himself in what by comparison must have seemed exceptionally clumsy, rising to his knees and then finally standing back on his feet. It felt drawn out and tedious after seeing the lithe dusky-skinned man teaching them simply bound so flawlessly back up, but that certainly didn't deter the young man; if nothing else, it seemed like a quaint nod towards the shape he might be in once he finished learning all there was to be taught!

"Sore? Pfft. It's just stretching. How bad could it be?" Baxter quipped back towards the fiery redhead with a smile, the thought of basic stretches and the like seeming unlikely to wear anyone out. Of course, his theory was quickly disproved as he followed the ladies in their endeavors, and much to his own surprise, he couldn't quite touch the digits attached to his feet. He was close - so close! - but couldn't quite reach his sock-adorned piggies, a forced grunt of strain denoting his struggle. Despite his earnest endeavors to keep up with the much more athletically coordinated ladies, the dark-skinned boy just wasn't as limber, eating his own words as he strained his gangly physique.

"Okay... uh... maybe it'll be a little bad," he mumbled back. He wasn't sure, but Baxter could only imagine that's what the other non-English sputtering girls were going on about. Perhaps they too were more interested in getting to the part involving kicking butts and not so much interested in the sprawling of ligaments.

But embarrassing physical condition aside, there were some minor benefits to the class beyond the obvious training. While it might not have been considered proper or polite, Baxter couldn't help but steal glances now and then towards the trio of young women present on the mat alongside him. It was like a babe buffet; certain aspects not withstanding! Was it crass? Undoubtedly. But Baxter couldn't argue with the view.

"And speak for yourself, miss! If we're gonna be doing any kind of sparring, I don't wanna go home with a black eye and bruises all over my body," interjected the unlimber teen, reaching to the sky like he was desperately trying to affix himself to the bottom of the ceiling, raising and lowering them in a repetitive motion.

After a moment of contemplation and looking around at the feminine crowd, Baxter's brow crept up ever so slightly as he panned back to Erik, a faint grimace marring his visage as he began to speak again; "And... uh... maybe another person to spar with. Y'know, since we're kinda uneven and stuff."

[Gizmo]

Erik cleared his throat pointedly at the extended exchange between Tona and Jasmine. "Unless you ladies brought enough croissants for the whole class..." While it might have been illuminating to know specifically what they'd been discussing, after the events surrounding his daughter's birth he wasn't regretting his decision to have as little to do with his father's side of the family as possible. "If this doesn't end up being what you were hoping for, you're not going to hurt my feelings," he assured the surly teenager. "At least let me get started before deciding if I'm wasting your valuable time, though, alright?" He'd never met a high school student so offended by the idea of not being lectured. Then again, the last time he'd reamed out a teen for an attitude problem she'd turned out to be suffering from serious post-traumatic stress. Live and learn.

Doing a few quick stretches as he spoke, the instructor explained, "We won't worry about pads today, since we shouldn't be getting into any throws. Kristin's right again; you'll be using some muscles that don't see much day-to-day use. If you've ever been skiing before, think about how you felt the day after you first tried that. And don't worry Bax, I'm sure the womenfolk will go easy on you."

[Aoiroo]

"Well no, but I do have some chocolate madeleines in my van,"

Jasmine smiled, she knew what he meant, but it was fun to play with the termonology, plus she really did have some madeleines, and they went excellant with her coffee. She looked at Baxter and the other two girls for a second, they were just even in numbers and she doubted any of them could fight fairly with the instructor, those scars and muscles were not likely just for show,

"For ease of reach, would you mind terribly if we fought."

Which essentually meant she didn't want to exactly fight one of the girls she had six inches on, and it made her feel less like she wasn't two skin tone shades from fighting Hazel who was just about the same height and build.

[SpicyWaffle]

Rolling his eyes at Erik's comment, Baxter forced a smile - one of awkwardness and indecision. There was something uncomfortable about fighting a girl; and while he wasn't exactly a bastion of chivalry or politeness, it still felt like a sour note was being played on his part. Until some more students showed up, though, he'd just have to swallow his pride and suck it up, because as far as he could tell he'd be stuck sparring with one of the young ladies attending Mister Espadas' self-defense course.

"Man, I hope so," the less than stretchy teen japed back at Mister Espadas after the tension of the room died down a little, his unaccustomed physique already feeling the telltale signs of strain from the modest flexibility training. A lone bead of sweat trickled its way down his brow, leaving a watery streak across the side of Baxter's face before it plopped off and onto the mat with an inaudible plat. Perhaps in some strange way this was his retribution for skimping out on gym class at FDR High in lieu of catching some often much needed sleep behind the bleachers.

"And yeah, that's cool," he followed up as Jasmine made her suggestion, his smile still present despite his reluctance. In hindsight, however, this might be the best choice anyway; Kristin - despite seeming suspiciously familiar - was a little on the short side, which might have made things awkward. On the other end of the spectrum, Tona looked as though she might be able to cause serious damage; and getting beaten up by a girl wasn't exactly sitting at the top of Baxter's to-do list!

"Just watch the face. That's my meal ticket."

[Raveled]

Tona shook out her hands and moved away from the wall, then turned to face Kristen. "Seems like it's you and me," she said. The young girl put her feet shoulder length apart, left foot leading slightly, and brought her arms up close to her core. She bounced from foot to foot, getting a feel for the mats and how they'd react underfoot. "Do you want to take the first shot, or shall I?"

[Scuffles]

Kristin smiled at Tona's enthusiasm and moved out onto the mat to stand near her friend. She bounced lightly on her toes for a few seconds, but didn't settle into a fighting stance, instead gesturing towards Erik with a bit of a grin.

"I'm fairly sure that Erik is going to want to show us some techniques first," she noted. "I doubt we'd learn quite as much if we just square off and start whacking at each other!"

[Gizmo]

Erik silently offered an apology to every teacher who'd ever suffered through his own lack of patience when he was in school. He supposed he should have just been grateful that Tona was more or less back on board at all. "Well now I'm thinking I should just let Kristin teach instead," he drawled with a faint smile, doing a few brief stretches of his own. "Seriously, though, we're starting with stances and footwork. You can randomly wail on each other for free, y'know. Line up across from me." Indicating where the four should stand, he very deliberately dropped into a basic stance. "Lead with whichever foot feels natural."

[Raveled]

Tona fell out of the stance and glanced at Erik, shrugging slightly. She moved to stand in front of him, and then dropped back into it. She forced herself to remember what hand-to-hand drills her father had insisted she partake in, augmented by Mr. Archer's training: feet apart, body square-on to Erik but with her left foot forward. Her hands were open and held near her face, ready to either ward away blows or take advantage of an opening.

[Scuffles]

Kristin had the good grace to blush as she stepped in line next to Tona, resolving to keep her mouth shut and let Erik actually teach the class for a bit. She tried to match the stance Erik demonstrated and tried it with her left foot forward, then her right, then finally decided that it was more comfortable and natural with her left foot forwards.

It was a little bit difference from the basic stances taught in her Judo classes back home, she decided as she rocked back and forth lightly to test her balance, getting a feel for how it might be easiest to move. She shrugged and settled more comfortably into the stance then turned her head slightly to watch the instructor, her eyes flicking towards his feet as she anticipated the start of the footwork lessons.

[Aoiroo]

Jasmine followed suit, and felt a little silly for it. She really didn't do this very often, usually any stance she took she was more comfortable dropping to a knee for stability. Wouldn't work terribly well for what they were learning she was sure, but she bent her front knee a little for the inclination. Taking her stance she looked at the others real quick. Kristin seemed the most comfortable other then the teacher himself, though that may of been because Tona never seemed to show any sort of relaxation on her face. It was a strange thought for someone so young to be naturally so tense, but there was probably a reason and a story that she didn't nessicarily need to hear.

[SpicyWaffle]

Taking Erik's suggestion as clumsily as he was able, Baxter sauntered his way into position alongside Jasmine, only slightly outmatching the much more lithe woman in height. Taking a step back and squaring up in an awkward pose, the dark-skinned teenager hobbled slightly, as if struggling to find a suitable way to position himself against his faux adversary. Truly, it was an odd thing - as the Bee-Keeper, things happened so fast he never really had time to think about it. There was no plotting or thought to his movements; nor any great analysis to the situation. It was this sudden realization that suddenly found itself nagging against the incognito hero's mind, his combat posture as unorthodox and seemingly ineffective in appearance as it felt as he put his right foot slightly ahead, hands open and palms facing outwards towards the older lady he'd been sanctioned against. He felt strange... as though any sudden movement would cause him to fall to the mat below - an embarrassing turn of events Baxter was hoping to avoid, especially in the presence of the various ladies!

"Like this?" hummed the young boy, again shifting his klutzy stance until he managed to find a nice, comfortable niche for himself as he finally felt a smidgen of confidence. Forgoing his former semblance of readiness, Baxter had renewed his efforts, left foot in front as he leaned on his rear right; finding a simple but favorable balance on the mat. A small smile crept across his face. He was eager now, and ready to learn from the feet of the master - though, preferably, not literally if at all possible.

"Alright, I think I've got it. What's next?"

[Gizmo]

"Congratulations, you've all mastered standing in a line. Already you're surpassing all expectation," Erik informed the group, his voice a level deadpan bu his expression turning up in a small grin at the tense focus and indecision brought on by the first actual instructions of the session. "I'm actually not just screwing with you, this is important. Being able to get back into a balanced, stable position quickly right after moving sets you up to defend and turn your opponent's momentum against them without falling on your butt yourself." Sauntering around behind the line up, he nudged Baxter's foot into a better stance with his own and gently guided one of Jasmine's shoulders a little higher. Circling around the other side, he resumed his own stance across from them. "Under the 'if you learn one thing' category, we'll start with deflecting an overhead strike, like this." He mimed coming down with a bludgeoning or stabbing weapon in a sweeping motion.

[Raveled]

Tona had a few seconds to consider her options, which was more than she usually had in combat. Her arms came up in parallel wide, sweeping motions, intended to brush aside Erik's mimed attack. At the same time she took two quick steps back. She ended up with the same profile toward Erik, the same foot forward, but hopefully out of reach of the imaginary, two-handed weapon.

[SpicyWaffle]

Shuffling as his instructor gave him a slight nudge, Baxter still felt somewhat awkward in this position. It wasn't that it was uncomfortable, but rather, that it just didn't feel natural; like skipping a stair as if in a hurry. But nevertheless, the young man tried his best to find his proverbial center, only marginally shifting his footing as he brought his feet ever-so-closer together.

As Erik gave his demonstration, the other sole male teenager watched as the peculiar french girl with the piercings took the initiative and did her thing, stepping and deflecting the mimicked assault. Glancing back to Mister Espadas, Baxter tried his best to follow suit, albeit solely using his left arm to sweep the imaginary attack away to one side as he stepped to the best of his meager ability as the agile brunette had, his other hand lightly clenched into a fist. Unfortunately, he wasn't exactly accustomed to bouncing back and forth on his feet; springing back wasn't so much the problem as it was when he came back, once more finding himself in that off-kilter stance he'd first settled on. In hopes that Erik hadn't quite noticed yet, Baxter quickly shuffled his feet back to where they'd been after his little nudge - or, at the least, as close as he could manage, scooting forward slightly so as to return to his position side-by-side with Jasmine. Mister Erik was the boss; surely if his swarthy instructor said this whole stance thing was important, he probably knew what he was talking about.