Sep 14 14:41:53 <Knave>	Alone in the gym, Austin is positively raining blows on a punching bag - don't take that to mean it's going well, though. If he's going for any kind of style or efficiency, it's not showing, and other than getting himself tired he's not really accomplishing much. If anything, the punching bag is winning.
Sep 14 14:46:03 <Complete_Zero>	"Pardon me... but you don't seem to be hitting very hard." Says a very familiar voice behind Austin. It, of course, is Damien. He must have done some spooky ghost thing to sneak up behind him. That, or Austin isn't very good at paying attention to his surroundings. It could be both. In any case, He leans up against a wall, watching him. He has his hood
Sep 14 14:46:04 <Complete_Zero>	pulled over his head, looking down.
Sep 14 14:47:30 <Knave>	Austin briefly looks over his shoulder, before focusing back on the bag, "I'm not exactly Superman." He jokes, then lays two punches into the bag, throwing his meagre weight behind them.
Sep 14 14:50:22 <Complete_Zero>	"Never said you had to be. I assume you use tactics rather than brute strength in combat, then?" He asks, dismissing the joke. He looks up at him from under the hood. "Of course, you /do/ know how to fight, right? You can't think that with some of the things wandering this world that you could be safe."
Sep 14 14:52:50 <Knave>	Austin sits in uncharacteristic silence for a while, pounding the bag to little effect, the thing barely reacting. He starts throwing himself into the punches heavily, his frame sliding against the bag to one said as he pushes it away, until finally he shoulder barges the thing and ends up sliding to his knees against it in frustration. He's shaking as he leans on the bag for stability, "I'm useless."
Sep 14 14:54:58 <Complete_Zero>	Damien scoffs. He can't see his eyes, but you're pretty sure they're filled with amusement. "Don't beat yourself up, kid. Whether or not you're actually 'useless', you can always improve." He pushes his back up from the wall and starts walking towards
Sep 14 14:55:24 <Complete_Zero>	Austin. "I'm not so good at fighting myself, but I use a sword instead."
Sep 14 14:56:40 <Knave>	Austin nods distractedly as he grabs a water bottle from the floor next to him, taking a gulp as he stands shaking, "A sword. Swords are cool."
Sep 14 14:58:50 <Complete_Zero>	"I guess." He crosses his arms. "Why don't you try to use a sword?"
Sep 14 15:00:30 <Knave>	"Never occurred to me before." Austin shrugs, "Just.. you know, like, you see dudes punching bad guys in comics and movies and it looks so easy. It looks like it works." He looks at his knuckles, "Sword might not be a bad idea."
Sep 14 15:03:33 <Complete_Zero>	"Well. Those superheroes aren't real. And even still, they trained for half their lives, or have some supernatural ability to knock the sense out of the enemy." He uncrosses his arms and looks at Austin through the dark of his hood. "Teaching will take time, patience. I had nearly fifty years to master my ability and my swordsmanship."
Sep 14 15:05:25 <Knave>	Austin smiles, "Well, I'm more a crash course guy, but..." He takes another sip and his face shifts, looking more serious, almost apologetic, "It's worth the work. If they're gonna be sending me out again, and people are gonna be in danger... Well, at least I'll try to get a grasp of the basics."
Sep 14 15:06:37 <Complete_Zero>	"Wonderful. So, now you have a drive... sort of. Now all you need to do is apply." He gives a slight smile from under the hood.
Sep 14 15:07:37 <Knave>	"So, um... how do we start?" Austin puts down his water bottle and rubs the back of his neck, "Do we, like, do footwork first or should I go and find a stick or something?
Sep 14 15:08:22 <Complete_Zero>	"Well. First thing you need is a sword. Do you have one?"
Sep 14 15:09:24 <Knave>	Austin pats his pockets exaggeratedly, then shrugs, "Not on me, no."
Sep 14 15:10:55 <Complete_Zero>	"Hm... Well. I could try something. Be careful with it though. don't poke your eye out and... don't make it interact too much with the environment." He pulls his hood off from his head. "Hold out your hand, palm open."
Sep 14 15:11:32 <Knave>	Austin obliges, looking slightly worried about the prospect of holding a live weapon.
Sep 14 15:12:57 *	Endorb is now known as Orbcademy
Sep 14 15:16:23 <Complete_Zero>	Damien snaps the fingers of his right hand and a flash of light envelops your hand. Something suddenly appears on Austin's hand, like a handle. When the flash is gone, a sword rests in his hand, pointing outward. It's an ordinary looking European medieval sword.
Sep 14 15:18:39 <Knave>	Austin closes his hand around the sword and grips his other hand over it for support. He looks at the blade with awe and anxiety, holding it point-up at arm's length. He takes a step back away from Damien and the bag, to be in more open space, as if he's frightened of cutting the world from a distance.
Sep 14 15:23:28 <Complete_Zero>	"Now, uh... technically this sword does not exist... so, eventually it will disappear." He nods to Austin, then, extending his own hand while a flash of light envelopes it as well. In his hand is a sword that looks like this: http://previewcf.turbosquid.com/Preview/2014/05/26__08_46_12/sword_01.jpga632e1e9-d66e-4642-99bb-cd6843b31158Larger.jpg He swings it
Sep 14 15:23:28 <Complete_Zero>	around adeptly before resting the tip of the blade on the ground and leaning on the guard and handle.
Sep 14 15:24:36 <Knave>	"Uh huh..." Austin says distractedly, still keeping an eye on the sword in his hands like it's a tiger on a short leash.
Sep 14 15:25:45 *	Sleepkumeoy has quit (Ping timeout: 240 seconds)
Sep 14 15:28:13 <Complete_Zero>	"Really, Austin. Be careful with that." He warns.
Sep 14 15:28:54 <Knave>	"Yeah, way ahead of you on that one, Sensei." Austin replies.
Sep 14 15:29:07 *	Sleepkumeoy (meme@129.10.vo.yh) has joined
Sep 14 15:30:08 <Complete_Zero>	"I don't think you understand, but how about we begin?" He gets off of the guard and pulls up his sword, entering a stance.
Sep 14 15:31:52 <Knave>	Austin tries his best to mimic Damien's stance, being careful to move the sword slowly, looking to Damien for approval.
Sep 14 15:32:22 <Complete_Zero>	"Go ahead. Attack whenever you feel ready." He nods.
Sep 14 15:32:57 <Knave>	"Um." Austin looks at the sharp blade in his hands then look at Damien, "Are you sure about that?"
Sep 14 15:33:45 <Complete_Zero>	"Go ahead. I want to see how well you strike."
Sep 14 15:35:39 <Knave>	Austin hesistantly falls into a more aggressive stance, ready to attack, and it seems he can't resist an attempt at buckling swash. His left hand swishes behind him as his thrusts the blade forward, aiming at Damien's shoulder
Sep 14 15:37:26 *	LipstickThespian (fmbsurface@dr640-22-031-55.ks.ks.cox.net) has joined
Sep 14 15:41:12 *	Nemi (zareveh@xmf-31-990-344-803.nycap.res.rr.com) has joined
Sep 14 15:48:10 <Complete_Zero>	As the point of his blade comes to meet his shoulder, Damien's sword swipes around, knocking the blade in Austin's hand up and away from damien. Damien grabs Austin by the shirt and pulls him past, to break his stance. "Come on, Austin. Fight."
Sep 14 15:50:45 <Knave>	Still clearly anxious, Austin steadies himself and bats at Damien's blade to clear the way for another attempted thrust.
Sep 14 15:52:49 <Complete_Zero>	Even though the sword was batted away, it only allowed it more momentum to come around once again to block it, this time forcing the blade down and to the side.
Sep 14 15:55:53 *	Sleepkumeoy is now known as Akumeoy
Sep 14 15:56:26 <Knave>	Gritting his teeth, Austin brings the sword around, twisting it experimentally, and steps into a swing from above.
Sep 14 15:58:00 <Complete_Zero>	Damien sidesteps the attack, spinning, sword extended, he pulls it in close. Just before the sword comes into contact with Austin's stomach, he stops.
Sep 14 15:59:27 <Knave>	"Dude," Austin takes two frantic steps back, "I like this shirt and I really like this stomach." Reflexively, his free hand covers the spot the sword came close to piercing.
Sep 14 16:00:32 <Complete_Zero>	"Thus, why id did not continue. I will not hurt you, Austin." He drops his stance. "That hand wouldn't have helped too much, by the way."
Sep 14 16:03:17 <Knave>	"Like, I'm sure you're a badass, man, but you didn't know I wasn't about to trip forward." Austin shakes his head, then puts his sword back up, "Come on. I haven't learned anything yet."
Sep 14 16:05:05 <Complete_Zero>	"I know. I wanted to see what you already knew, if anything. And if you /had/ tripped forward, I would have phased."
Sep 14 16:07:09 <Knave>	"Yeah, very comforting." Austin snarks with lowered eyebrows at Damien, remembering the bullet that passed through that area just the night before.
Sep 14 16:09:18 <Complete_Zero>	"But, now I know where to start." The sword in Austin's hand turns into dust, blowing away as if there were a breeze. Just as that happens, the sword in Damien's hand is enveloped in another flash of light and disappears.
Sep 14 16:10:06 <Knave>	"Okay," Austin's body relaxes a little, "What now, coach?"
Sep 14 16:14:14 <Complete_Zero>	"Now, you need to work on your stance." He says, making another sword appear in his hand and handing it to Austin. "I'll show you the basics.
Sep 14 16:14:15 <Complete_Zero>	"*
Sep 14 16:14:40 <Knave>	Austin takes the sword and looks self-consciously at his feet.
Sep 14 16:23:17 <Complete_Zero>	"Keep a steady but light stance to ensure that you can move out of the way if you can't block." He says as he watches Austin. "If I were to judge, I'd say you're more like me in that you'll need to utilize skill instead of brute force to defeat opponents."
Sep 14 16:25:09 <Knave>	"Gee, you reckon?" Austin smirks, then shuffles his feet, rocking slightly about the knees as he finds balance near the balls of his feet, angled a little apart
Sep 14 16:27:07 <Complete_Zero>	Good enough, he thinks. "Now, make sure you are as steady as possible with that stance. If you can't handle it, find another one that you can." He looks Austin up and down, examining his steadiness and posture.
Sep 14 16:30:03 <Knave>	Austin shifts his weight around, sliding his back foot around so that he can fall on the heel if he gets knocked back, testing the positioning of his front foot and where to balance the weight. Seemingly with his notice or intention, his sword arm has fallen into a slight crook with the blade held level.
Sep 14 16:32:38 <Complete_Zero>	"Very good." Damien says with more enthusiasm as he normally would. "Now, here's what you need to do. Learn how to bend and swing the blade around in that stance without cutting yourself. Hold it and get a tight grip. Do /not/ let that sword out of your hand. It is a part of you, an extension. Treat it as such." Damien backs up to let him have fun with
Sep 14 16:32:38 <Complete_Zero>	swinging that sword.
Sep 14 16:36:18 *	Soulless has quit (Quit: I can do good wordcraft when awake, but my best stories are told through dreams.)
Sep 14 16:37:01 <Knave>	Austin begins very conservatively with tight swings pivoting mostly on the wrist and elbow, coming up and around, then in reverse. Experimentally, he gives a big horizontal swing from the shoulder, and gives a genuine smile of delight. He twists the sword around in his grip and thrusts, then makes a series of tight slashes on the imaginary opponent. If nothing else, he is having pure, childlike fun
Sep 14 16:39:36 <Complete_Zero>	Damien nods. "Good, work on that more. Make it straight, steady. The point is to attack your opponent in quick, unpredictable succession for an easy victory."
Sep 14 16:44:12 <Knave>	Austin's pretend slashes get a little more elaborate, losing some of the focus, before working in stabs that bring it in tighter again. Unprompted, Austin takes a step forward as if to account for a retreating enemy, treading lightly with much of his soles off the floor, pressing the attack in a variety of forms - some of which he has stumbled into naturally and some of which he has made up.
Sep 14 16:52:11 <Complete_Zero>	Before Austin can get too much into it, the sword in his hand once again turns into dust and blows away. Damien looks at him. "And, there's that..."
Sep 14 16:54:30 <Knave>	"No worries," Austin beams, catching his breath, "Along with a gutshot and some ruined pants, I also got some folding money out of the mission they sent me on last night. I'll see if I can't by myself a blade so we can spar sometime."
Sep 14 16:55:59 <Complete_Zero>	He nods. "You do that and it will help me not to bend reality. It takes something out of me when I do it."
Sep 14 16:56:30 <Knave>	Austin walks up to Damien and offers his hand, "Thanks for this, man. I think I needed it."
Sep 14 16:57:37 <Complete_Zero>	He takes it. "Anytime, friend. You can find me in my dorm if you ever want to practice more." When he lets go, Damien pulls the hood back over his head.
Sep 14 16:58:48 <Knave>	"See you soon, Coach." Austin salutes and slides off to catch his breath and relax.
Sep 14 16:59:37 <Complete_Zero>	Damien nods and disappears in a flash of light.
Sep 14 16:59:52 <Knave>	- scene sworded -