soul_logs | Training time! [OPEN]

Entry tags:

Training time! [OPEN]

Characters: OPEN
Location: Training grounds near the park. Part of it’s an obstacle course, too.
Rating: Gen, hopefully.
Time: Morning, October 28 and various dates
Description: Training time. This happens every morning, 6am to 9am, but are mostly handwaved. Your character should know about it, one way or another. A log is put up every month or two, but you are free to assume that your characters attend every morning if they want to. Today's training will double for either days. Coordination post here.

Breakdown of batches and groups are as follows:
Batch 1: Beginners under the age of fifteen. Taught by Prussia, Celty and Fakir.
Batch 2: Adult beginners. Under Ping (Mulan), Saber, Might Gai.
Batch 3: Intermediate fighters, for sparring with each other. Overseen by Germany. Please see list of random sparrers.
Batch 4: Experienced fighters, for sparring with each other. Overseen by Germany. Please see list of random sparrers.
Weapon transformation: How to Change into Your Weapon Form. Spirit, Yuuri, China.
Soul Perception: If you still don’t know by now-- Any of the Soul Perception people. Azusa.
Partner training: How to Work Together as Partners. Kazu. Genesis. Tassadar and Nataku. Maka and Soul.
Weapons handling training: Rock Lee.
Shooting range: How to shoot things 101. Train Heartnet.
Medics: All the medical people.
Audience: Because some people just want to watch.
Watch: An area closed off to the Watch members who need any sort of special training.
Feel free to throw up new threads for characters, especially those who want to try their partnership. Breakfast is served as usual!

For training via sparring, batches 3 and 4:
~~Date Masamune~~ Kojurou
Saber
Itachi Uchiha
Might Gai
Selendis
Various NPCs (also available upon request)

Partner vs partner sparring is also good!

Misc threads will include FAQ thread and breakfast eating thread.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Yosuke met the gaze without speaking, brown eyes both skeptical and barely suppressing smug glee. A chance to show off wasn't something to waste, especially not with a guy like Kurt.

He didn't end up saying anything at all, merely holding out his hand. The way his eyebrows raised and fingers briefly waggled said all he needed to.]

[ Kurt held the tanto out, blade held carefully between his thumb and two fingers as he placed the grip into Yosuke's impatient hand. ] If you can find a way for this to be educational instead of just you showing off, that would be ideal.

[Yosuke shrugged, tossing off a smile that struck closer to 'carefree' than he'd had for a while. Competence was a tricky thing, but when Yosuke had it? When he really had it? The insecurities pulled back like a curtain, revealing something closer to how the brunette was when he was alone. It wasn't anything close to an immediate transformation, but the first spark fired off as soon as Yosuke's fingers tightened around the hilt.]

Hey, c'mon, who wants to learn something if they don't see how awesome it can be? [Cue wink, accompanying the roll of his shoulders. He was putting on a bit of a show for Kurt; training before this had him plenty loose already. Still.] This is like...a preview.

[He flipped the knife around a bit, twirling it between his fingers almost absently while tugging on his headphones. His 'training' playlist was already running (very different from his 'battle', 'shadow', and 'tv world' playlists; Yosuke was picky about certain things. His mp3 player was one of them), already crowning on the crescendo of the entire mix. He caught his knife, holding it parallel to the rest of his arm. His foot was already tapping when he flew into action.

There would be nothing instructional gleaned from this.]

[Honestly, only having one knife in hand threw him off a little. He was used to the yin and yang; the balance that came with even weight distribution. It mirrored the way he danced (alone, in his room, when he could close his eyes and pretend to be someone else and no one was EVER going to find out about that), symmetrical on both sides. Well, mostly. His free hand formed a fist, as if holding the blade's phantom twin, and he took a moment to mentally pace out what he'd do.

Yosuke wasn't...well, professional. Getting lessons wasn't exactly an option for them, not with questioning parents and Inaba's limited resources. Yosuke ended up turning to the internet as his teacher, pouring over videos of masters manipulating their blades. He couldn't begin to mimic their exact motions (hard though he tried), but over time, it turned out not to matter. His own, incorrect but effective, style came to life. One that didn't have a routine...if only because, well, Yosuke's routine depended more on what song he was listening than rote memorization.

It started out slow, just tapping his foot, getting a feel for where the beat was going. He knew the song well, which helped, and before too long, both his wrists were rolling. It was easy to imagine two knives instead of one, both of them slicing slowly through the air as Yosuke twirled them by his sides. The thump of the bass filtered up through his legs, resonating from the constant tap of his foot, until his shoulders were moving with him. It was an oddly...private moment. One Yosuke would be far more self conscious of if he had the introspection to link it between him and his more personal pursuits. After going through the same motions with his friends countless times, it seemed like less of a big deal to make the world disappear for a few moments.

It was at the crash of a synthesized cymbal that Yosuke began moving for real. His movements weren't as paced out or deliberate as a true master, but they had focus and punch and all the fluidity of someone channeling a single energy through himself. Chi for those who knew how, rhythm for him. His arms mirrored each other, flitting around his head effortlessly while the song pounded out to the very end.

...Yosuke had forgotten how abrupt that end was. The song blinked out in a single beat, and, mojo lost, his hand fumbled. The tanto fell, sticking straight out of the dirt in a perfect mirror of Kurt's display from before. Yosuke's confidence crashed in on itself, and he tore off his headphones with a smile; one clearly meant to cover embarrassment.]

Edited 2011-03-22 05:22 (UTC)

So, uh, yeah! [Yosuke amended hastily, eager to get the first word before Kurt could react. Man, why did he only remember how embarrassing all this was after the fact, huh? He knelt down, pulling the knife from the ground. Unlike Kurt, Yosuke didn't carry a handkerchief. He settled for his t-shirt, pulling up the hem to wipe it down. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

He handed it back, smile still stretched across his face.]

Uh, that's how 'knife guys' do it. Without, aha, without screwing up, though.

[ Kurt remembered Souji telling him that Yosuke used knives in battle, and also listened to music. That had been information that he'd stamped with the convenient label of "That's Interesting" - information that he would remember but never would have thought he'd get to apply to his own life. He'd thought it kind of doubtful he'd ever meet Souji's best friend, in the same way he thought it was doubtful any of his own friends from home would show up here.

But now that he had met Yosuke, and considered him a friend of sorts, too, that information took on a new meaning. Mainly, he got to watch a good-looking guy (Souji's best friend, he reminded himself, remember Souji? The guy who kissed you?) dance around gracefully, the faint hint of a fast, solid rhythm leaking from his headphones, while wielding Kurt's own knife.

He couldn't help gasping a few times at some of the more bold moves, during which Yosuke didn't waver. He had so much confidence, doing this, and that alone made it all right that maybe Yosuke wasn't doing this in a way that could be considered at all educational. He was just showing off, and Kurt had to hand it to him - he had reason to want to show off. He was really, really good at this.

In short, Kurt was impressed. Impressed at the ease of Yosuke's movements, how skillfully he wielded the weapon, how perfectly he kept to the beat, how confidence seemed to oozed from the entire "performance", and also (to a minor extent, a really minor extent, an extent so minor he should really just stop thinking about it because it was really, really minor!) how graceful and strong his limbs looked as they moved.

Kurt found he had to swallow toward the end of it, but his mouth was dry because at some point he'd kind of left it open. He continued staring until-

Oh, shit.

Yosuke dropped the knife again.

Haha, so much for all those stupid thoughts he'd had earlier! Forget them. Forget them all! Especially the ones that were stupid (read: all of them, but especially that one thought).

He found himself laughing as Yosuke picked the knife up again. ] Very impressive. If only I could rise to such a level as you, esteemed tanto-dropper. [ He took the knife back, thoughtfully stared down at it, then turned his head back to look at Yosuke. ] Any chance you can help with that?

[Yosuke copped a scowl, waving Kurt away like one might flick a gnat. A gnat you sort of enjoyed the company of, but an annoying one all the same.] Yeah, yeah, smartass. I thought you were already good at that last part.

[He took a few beats, suddenly very interested in straightening out his shirt and flicking the dirt off it. It was only when Kurt spoke again that he looked up, meeting his eyes.]

Ah...sure. [A smile.] That was the point of all this, right? Here--

[He made a whirly motion with his finger, signaling that Kurt should turn around until he was facing away from Yosuke.] Hold it out again, alright? Uh, whatever feels natural.

Edited 2011-03-22 06:24 (UTC)

Touche...

[ Kurt obeyed, turning around, back to Yosuke. To be honest, it felt most natural to hold it with the blade up, like he held swords, so he did that to begin with. He felt sort of comfortable holding it blade down, too, though that made him feel like he was going to stab someone. But jeez, wasn't that kind of the point to carrying around a weapon for self-defense? Better them than Kurt.

The song from beforehand long since faded into a new song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRz5XwSwY2w), which Kurt quickly turned up. The two of them were oddly similar in that they both used music in order to help them warm up, surely Yosuke would understand. As long as the volume wasn't so high he couldn't hear Yosuke's instructions... ]

All right. What now?

Edited 2011-03-22 06:35 (UTC)

[Yosuke listened to the first few strains of music coming from Kurt's earbuds, a wrinkle appearing between his brow when they hit his ear. Huh. He...recognized it. It was a good song, squirreled away on one of his playlists -- specifically the I'm Really Mad At Everyone Now, And No One Better Fuck With Me mix. One helpfully titled '032'. That one was particularly good for bad days, the kind of days before Souji transferred in and made school a little more bearable.

So...Kurt had good taste. So far, anyway. That wasn't really what Yosuke had been expecting. However, the awkward grip on Kurt's knife was what he'd been waiting for. Stretching an arm out from behind Kurt, he slide his hand over where Kurt held the knife, pushing the other boy to adjust his hold.]

No, see, it's like-[He was closer, thanks to having to reach forward.] It's an extension of your arm. It has to all flow in one line, even after your hand ends.

[ Kurt had made a playlist full of fast, hard-hitting beats and songs with lyrics that would inspire him to get up and fight hard, so it was no surprise to him that this particular P!nk song was on it. So were a few of her other numbers. She wasn't Lady Gaga by a long shot, and often her voice was shrill, but Kurt had to hand it to her - she was pretty freaking bad-ass.

Kurt didn't feel like Trouble, though. Not when Yosuke wrapped his hand around and slid it down to his own. Oh. God... what was it with training sessions? Earlier that month it had been him and Souji - THE BOY YOU KISSED, HUMMEL, REMEMBER HIM? YOU LOVE HIM - but even Souji hadn't come in this close. He'd used verbal cues to teach Kurt, whereas Yosuke was using physical ones and it was quite honestly throwing him off guard more than it normally would, because he'd seen how good Yosuke was at handling a knife, and he'd also seen a physical aspect to him that he hadn't really considered before. And now that 'physical aspect', namely Yosuke's body, was up close, and Kurt wasn't usually comfortable with touches like this to begin with, not from people who weren't family or very close friends. So it set him on edge for several reasons.

Oh great. More touching. Kurt found himself biting his lip, but helped Yosuke shift the knife in his hand so it was straighter, in line with his arm. ] Like this?

[Yosuke was oblivious. It wasn't that he was an idiot, not most of the time, but his interest in the topic coupled with a deep seeded eagerness to be impressive made any rigidity on Kurt's part invisible. In his mind, this was just help. ...Not to mention, well, he wasn't exactly the verbal savant his partner was. If Kurt was actually going to learn anything from him, he'd have to--]

That's good. [Yosuke nodded in approval stretching his neck over Kurt's shoulder to peer down at his hand. Everything looked in order, though Yosuke did take hold of Kurt's thumb, drawing it out so it laid flat against the hilt instead of curled under it.] Perfect. Nice work. [And that prompted a smile, still poised cheek-to-cheek (personal space, what? If Yosuke could see himself, he'd have a heart attack) with Kurt. It was only a flash before he drew back, clapping Kurt on the back bracingly.]

Now try to move it. [He crossed his arms, leaning smugly back on his heels.] More control, right?

[ Was this just something that happened...? Like, when cute guys touched you and put their head on your shoulder and when they smiled you could feel it because their cheek is right there touching you? He could feel how warm Yosuke was compared to the almost chilly early morning air. They were that close, and it was giving Kurt butterflies and making breathing a little hard and was that even normal?

He had very little experience to call upon. Finn had been one of his first serious crushes and he'd never done much more than pat him on the back. Souji had never really come in this close, at least not until Kurt's feelings for him (WHICH HE STILL HAD. STRONG ONES.) had really solidified. And here was someone he'd known for a week, who was straight, touching him and coming in close and he was reacting. It made no sense, and he tried to ignore it, first by taking a deep breath, then sighing softly through his nose.

Oh. And then Yosuke was gone. It took him a second or two before Kurt actually moved the tanto, but when he did it was with a sharp, clean motion, fast enough to whip the air just barely audibly. He didn't turn around just yet, waiting until the air could cool his probably-pink cheeks a little, but when he did turn back he was smiling. ]

Yeah. More control. Do I still hold it like this if I want to switch to blade down...? [ He demonstrated - he could still flip the blade easily enough in this new grip. ]

[Yosuke was clueless to Kurt's plight. As far as he was concerned, this was just a nice gesture. A nice gesture with the fortunate kickback of making him feel cool for a few fleeting moments. He took in Kurt's hesitation without too much analysis -- Kurt was probably still getting used to the hold -- and waited. If Kurt was sending any signals, they were flying over his head.

Perhaps if their roles had been reversed, Yosuke would have been noticing a lot more. Noticing to the point of inserting thoughts and motivations that weren't really there. But as it was, with him in control, things couldn't seem less questionable.]

Dude, nice! [Yosuke nodded, gushing with earnest approval.] Yeah, you like...it's a flick of the wrist, sort of. You can shift it down close, or flip it in the air, whichever feels right. I'm pretty sure there's a set way you're supposed to do it, but I'm not sure which. Just do what feels right.

[Yosuke rounded the other boy critically, trying to find a spot to nitpick him on. He eventually came to a halt in front of Kurt, looking at him with a challenging smile.] Tell me when you're getting the hang of it, we'll test your reflexes.

[ He listened, but he already had it. He was a quick enough learner when it came to physical things, like dancing or cheer-leading routines or kicking a football. All of these things, at least as far as Kurt was concerned, could be learned that much easier if your body was loose with the beat of music, which he focused on once again.

His feet moved first, then his arms swung around - the only thing he had to be cautious of was the fact that he was in fact holding a sharp object in one hand. No sudden movements toward himself or Yosuke with his right hand, that was for sure. He flipped the knife up and down, sharp concentrated movements as he danced to the beat of 'Trouble'. Finally, he kind of felt like he could be trouble in this town.

When the song ended, he gave Yosuke a smile to match his. ] I think I'm good. I'll have you know my reflexes are impeccable.

[Yosuke watched the display with a carefully schooled expression; almost academic. He was a natural after all. It made a certain degree of sense. Swordplay was graceful too...if you had the muscle to make it look easy. Not, like, Kanji-muscle, where you hit as hard as you could every damn time and hoped for the best. There had to be a bit of pinash. A garnish of grace on top of brutal blows. At least that's what he'd observed fighting with Souji. He had to watch his leader close, maybe a little closer than the others, keeping an eye out for one of the non-verbal commands Souji would sometimes send his way. It was a special accomodation made for Yosuke alone, so he wouldn't have to choose between hearing his Leader's orders and the music that helped him carry those orders out. Needless to say, he'd learned a thing or two about what 'effortless' looked like.

When it came to shorter blades, that pinash became a hell of a lot more important.

Yosuke had yet to see Kurt handle a sword, but judging from the smooth arcs his body made with each swipe (the ones Yosuke knew he should be finding hilarious, yet somehow...wasn't), he had the pinash down. When Kurt returned his semi-competative smile, it set something inside Yosuke hot to the point of being uncomfortable. He'd never wanted to beat someone so bad in his life. Well...barring Souji, maybe. It was a similar spike of rough, rooting need for acknowledgement.

He wanted to show this guy what he was made of. Bad. Hell if he knew why.]

Yeah, we'll see about that, tough guy. [He took a few steps back, suddenly remembering he was unarmed. Hrm.] Okay so, the person you're up against might be unarmed. They're probably going to try and take the knife. I mean, if I was some batshit mugger person, that's what I'd do. [He settled into an attack stance.] ...Try not to cut me, if you can help it.

Edited 2011-03-23 18:12 (UTC)

[ The next song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX54zNjcpXc) started, and Kurt started to sway his hips almost subconscious before he stopped. He stared at Yosuke incredulously, ignoring the music. ] Wait, what? I can't... I'm not about to go at you! I mean, I get that you're better than me but I'm still the guy with the knife here. You're not even... I could stab you!

[Yosuke remained in his overwrought stance a few more blinking beats while Kurt blustered his protests, fixing him with a Look.] ...It's not that hard not to stab someone. [He resettled, shifting his weight to his front foot and doling out some incredibly unhelpful advice:] Just...don't. Stab me. Anyway, on three...two...

[He bent his knees, inches from running up and attempting to disarm his friend.]</small

Uh, yes it is! [ Holy crap. He was serious about this. The music was barely even getting through to him, and all he could do was face the blade of tanto away from Yosuke, so if anyone got stabbed it would probably be him. He was wincing already, and Yosuke wasn't even touching him yet. Still, he tried to stand at the ready, despite knowing that he was going to fail at this. Badly. ]

Three!

[Yosuke pushed off with his back foot, running towards Kurt with a singular goal in mind. He wasn't really teacher material, when it came down to it, and any effort better spent focusing on Kurt and any mistakes he might be making channeled right into his drive to win. Win what? Yosuke wasn't sure, but there was no time for thinking, he was right up against Kurt and--]

Uh. [Yosuke blinked, staring down at the knife he'd plucked easily from Kurt's cringing grasp.]

[ Kurt managed only to twisted his arm away, but Yosuke followed his motion easily and snatched the knife with very little trouble.

To say they weren't on the same page with this was a huge understatement. Kurt sighed loudly and ran a hand through his hair, screwing it up. Just like he was a screw-up. Couldn't even stay armed. Couldn't even fight back. Too scared to give Yosuke a boo-boo, so scared that he didn't even try.

But this wasn't entirely his fault. ] I told you!

[Yosuke jerked back at the outburst, holding up his hands instinctually.] Hey, hey, you didn't say you weren't even going to try! What if I had actually been a mugger, huh?

[His lecture was accented by some very animated hand-talking, thankfully a few steps back from Kurt (his face might be cut to ribbons, otherwise. Yosuke wasn't exactly skilled in the art of safe weapon handling). Going as far as running his hand -- knife and all -- through his hair, Yosuke eventually seemed to deflate.]

...Look. How do you want to practice?

[ Sighing, Kurt crossed his arms and started to pace impatiently. ] You weren't a mugger. I didn't want to hurt you!

[ He stopped in time to catch the fact that oh god, Yosuke had almost stabbed himself in the face running the hand with the tanto through his hair. Suddenly, it clicked. ] You really don't know much about safety with sharp objects, do you? Don't just do that.

...We can practice with a stick. Or something. Something blunt.

[Yosuke fixed him with a stubborn, incredulous expression; made all the more ridiculous for how his hand (and tanto) was still planted in his hair.] Do what? You-!

[So much for his totally-going-to-be-witty retort (maybe something along the lines of You don't do that!). Yosuke just looked annoyed.]

Sticks. What are we, five years old?

The thing! With your head! [ He gestured toward his own head, then mimed stabbing himself in the eye. ]

Ugh, fine. No sticks, then. [ He sighed, trying to think of an alternative that would work and not make Yosuke think he was some dumb kid. ...And then he did think of it. It was obvious. He grabbed the sheath of the knife from where it still rested under the waistband of his pants and held out his hand for the knife back. ] We'll just keep it covered up.

Training time! [OPEN]

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