themerlin: (Hmmm)
Merlin is a bad ass wizard. ([personal profile] themerlin) wrote in [community profile] ten_fwd2015-03-27 10:24 pm

Workin' Out! - Paging Irian([personal profile] aehallh), but OTA

Merlin was at the gym again, just having finished a run, and stretching out through various exercises to relax as he stood on a section of mats to one side of the room. As his muscles relaxed and calmed, it was only natural to flow from relaxation stretches to forms of the martial arts he knew. Specifically one lost to time he had learned when he was young. Though he had been sure to learn more as time went on and new ones were introduced, he still found this old discipline was his favorite.

He moved through the paces and steps with exactitude and confidence, his poise and positioning flowing from one form to another. A soft smile crossed his face as he worked, remembering those old times, and some new ones. As he kept moving, he made his way to the side of the rooms, and stopped only briefly to request and receive a blunted but properly balanced blade. Back to the forms he went, and this time, he moved faster.

[personal profile] aehallh 2015-03-30 05:38 am (UTC)(link)
It was fortunate, at least, that Enterprise had somewhere Irian could go when she felt as she was feeling today — tense and in need of something to discharge pent-up energy. The lack of her usual routine, and the persistent discomfort of being among aliens on a ship not her own, often left her restless, and at such times she came to the gym to take out that restlessness on a punching bag or simply with running through a few martial arts practice forms.

Usually there were few people there at this time of day, and so Irian was a little surprised to see someone else already making use of the facilities. She recognized him — this man had approached her in the lounge, not so long ago, and had been courteous enough to her as such things went. Not intending to be noticed, she stepped to one side and leaned against the wall, watching him.

He moved like someone who knew what he was doing, that was certain — the forms he used were not ones she recognized, she had expected they would not be, but he moved with confidence and strength, like someone fully aware of his own body and what he could do with it. Her curiosity was only truly piqued, though, when he introduced the sword. The use of bladed weapons as a primary form of combat had long since been considered outmoded among humans — or so Irian had thought.

Then again, from what little she knew of him, she doubted he was precisely human in the way she understood it.

"You are the first I've seen to use a sword here," she commented, finally making herself heard and her presence known — at least, if she was lucky. For all she knew he might have heard her come in and chosen not to say anything. She stepped away from the wall, moving toward him, pausing once she was within a comfortable distance for conversation. "I had not thought many humans studied the art."

Swordplay for sport was one thing; swordfighting as a method of combat was something else entirely. In the old Empire, Rihannsu who entered the Colleges of the Great Art as a preface to formal training in the Imperial War College were taught the sword as part of compulsory hand-to-hand combat lessons... but Irian was some forty years out of practice where that was concerned. Perhaps, she thought, it was time to change that.

[personal profile] aehallh 2015-04-06 01:59 am (UTC)(link)
Magic. There was something she didn't know what to do with — perhaps later she would ask him for an explanation in that regard. Though there was technology in her world that might have looked like magic to the untrained eye, its workings could be easily tested with modern science. Spells and enchantments, though, were things confined to myth and legend; even the Rihannsu had such stories, but that was all they were — stories.

Then again, with how much this man seemed to have surprised her already, perhaps such a thing from him ought to have been expected.

His courtesy, at least, was unlike any human's she had yet met, and as someone raised in an old House where proper behavior was expected, it pleased her. "Well enough," she answered, inclining her head to him in what was not quite a bow, but a more noncommittal gesture. "This place has a tendency to leave one somewhat restless after a time. I didn't expect to find anyone else here."

Not that Irian was disappointed that the gym was occupied — on the contrary, now that she'd seen him with the sword, she was curious.

"Among my people, we were required to learn the art of the sword as part of our military training — though I'm afraid I cannot say I have kept up with it over the years."

The past tense was certainly conspicuous, and might perhaps have seemed a little unusual, but she didn't seem in any rush to clarify it.

[personal profile] aehallh 2015-05-04 03:10 am (UTC)(link)
She was unused to hearing aliens take any interest in her people's culture — humans in particular seemed to have a certain hesitation about asking too many questions about the Rihannsu. Understandable, perhaps, given the long history of war between their peoples. But this man was not from this time, or from Irian's own, and had no reason to hesitate. It was... refreshing, in a word.

A very slight, dry smile turned one corner of her mouth. "If you would like," she said, easily enough. Enterprise had plenty of martial arts equipment on board ship, but none of the sort she was used to; and while the replicator here could not produce weapons that could do real harm, a practice blade would not be out of the question.

"Computer, inventory of Romulan close-combat weapons available for sparring purposes."

"Please specify preferred era."

Irian's brow furrowed slightly, in thought rather than confusion — as might have been expected among a martial people, there were many eras in Rihannsu history famous for the quality of their weapons — before she eventually responded. "Late Ehsadai or early Ahaeri eras, please."

"Single- and double-edged swords, spear, longstaff, or fighting knife."

"Double-edged straight sword," she requested, and a moment later the weapon shimmered into being via the gym's replicator. Irian picked it up, somewhat gingerly at first; she still did not quite know how to feel about replicas like this. But the sword felt solid in her hand, and looked considerably like the practice sword she'd used all those years ago at the Colleges, with its pattern-welded steel blade and the rough grip on the stone hilt — all the easier for the wielder to avoid letting the weapon slip out of their grip.

She grounded the point of the sword on the mat, looking back to Merlin, watching him a little more sharply now — assessing him like she would any opponent, real or otherwise.

"I shall warn you—" Irian's very slight smile grew a bit of an edge. "Rihannsu are considerably stronger than most humans, and we are not inclined to — what is the phrase in Standard? 'Take things easy'?" Her brows arched. "I would understand if you felt it prudent to change your mind."

Understand, that she would — but she would also be extraordinarily disappointed. It had been a long time since she'd run into anyone who even remotely seemed as if they knew their way around a sword, Rihannsu or not.

[personal profile] aehallh 2015-06-29 10:40 pm (UTC)(link)
"A wise attitude." It was one she tended to hold to herself, most of the time — but at the same time, Irian was a very competitive woman, when it came to things like this. She was not an especially graceful loser.

Then again, she was not expecting to lose here. Short-sighted? Possibly — she was still treating him like a normal human, despite indications otherwise, and perhaps to her detriment.

Irian took the point of her blade off the mat, lifting the sword easily in one hand; it was double-edged, slim and very slightly curved, deadly-looking regardless of the fact that it wasn't sharpened. He was ready to defend himself and didn't need her to warn him — which was why she simply went for him without preamble, sword aimed right for his throat.

She could have pulled back before contacting him if he was too slow to match her — but what a disappointment that would have been.
Edited (forgot what tense we were using derp) 2015-06-29 22:42 (UTC)
theycallmetodd: (Attentive)

[personal profile] theycallmetodd 2015-03-30 07:19 pm (UTC)(link)
A lot of things had changed since the old Wraith took his "cure," if that was what one wanted to call it. The first was that he now actually needed to eat, something he'd had absolutely no use for during his first months on the ship. Sleep was another thing. He'd always had a need for sleep and recuperation, but now he needed more of it. Five-six hours per day, unless he wanted to feel worn and tired.

He was starting to function more and more like a human. Wasn't that a laugh.

The need for food and sleep was in itself enough to form some sort of routine. Expanding on that helped pass the days, the wraith found. Exercise was something that was quickly added to the schedule, somewhere between a shift in the sickbay and finding dinner. Visits to the ship's gym became a regular occurrence

And so he came to be watching a man run through forms, first unarmed and then with a blade. Typically, a Wraith was faster and certainly stronger than a human, but this old one was not stupid enough to equate that with a won battle. And this man, he certainly looked like he knew what he was doing. It grabbed the Wraith's interest.

He watched and waited for a natural pause in the man's routine before speaking up. "Would you like an opponent?"
theycallmetodd: (-)

[personal profile] theycallmetodd 2015-03-31 02:53 pm (UTC)(link)
He approached the mat, but didn't yet step onto it. "Regretfully, I must say that the sword is not my weapon of choice." When laying firearms aside, he typically stepped into closer range than that. Fists and feet, with the added edge of strong claws. And, of course the maw in his right hand, that could drain a human's very essence of life. Naturally, that would not be used today. Practice was practice.

"Would you consider an unarmed fight?" If not, he would make due with whichever weapon chosen. One did not live for over ten-thousand years without amassing a fair deal of experience, even if some of those years had been spent in hibernation. And, even with his love of and affinity for science, he was a blade, a warrior. Not a scientist.
theycallmetodd: (Attentive)

[personal profile] theycallmetodd 2015-04-02 10:04 am (UTC)(link)
The Wraith waited patiently until the man had put away his sword before he set foot on the mat, coming to join his opponent in the center. "A bit of both," he replied, returning the bow with an inclination of his head. Bred for war, he had certainly been trained, and had been tested and tempered in battle since. But it was a long time ago, and he had grown old. Old, but not weak. He may be more used to leading and directing battles now than fighting them head on, but he was still both cunning and quick.

"Do you wish to set up any rules before we begin?" He inquired, standing with his bare feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. At ease, but ready.
theycallmetodd: (hehe)

[personal profile] theycallmetodd 2015-04-10 02:31 pm (UTC)(link)
The answer was met with a shrug, and a slight amused smile. "Then perhaps to say that simple common sense will be enough, that we are training rather than trying to kill each other?" Personally, he was not worried about injuries to himself. He healed far too quickly for that.
whereishe: (cute looking up)

[personal profile] whereishe 2015-03-31 12:16 am (UTC)(link)
She had begun to think of Merlin as a teacher. She didn't know much about him but it was easy to talk to him about magic among other things; things she hadn't thought to bring up to others. When she walked into the gym she was stunned to see the man she hardly knew moving through stances like that. She didn't recognize them but she could pick up his fluid movement and knew that he was skilled.

When he stared to move faster she smiled walking up towards him with a light skip to her step. She stopped just on the edge of the mat with a wide smiled.

"Want a partner?" She knew just by looking that he would probably beat her but then he might not hold back if she asked.
whereishe: (I'm not kidding now)

[personal profile] whereishe 2015-03-31 12:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Yuna holds out both of her hands with a smile. A glow formed in her palm stretching out to form a unique blade. She spin one in her palm clenching it so the blade reached towards behind her.

"I have some practice. Most of it's in battle though." She hadn't really practice to practice when it came to a lot of her skills.

Yuna brought her hands up striking a defensive pose waiting to see his moments. "Ready?"
whereishe: (Bang)

[personal profile] whereishe 2015-04-01 02:41 am (UTC)(link)
"Right."

Yuna didn't waist any time. She moved forward bringing one blade across his torso while the other followed along the movements he would take to dodge her attack. She was quick and precise, her whole body moving in a fluid motion as she sliced.

She didn't wait after her swing dropping to the ground and sweeping his feet with her leg. She wasn't holding back and she expected him not to either.
whereishe: (Landing)

[personal profile] whereishe 2015-04-01 06:58 pm (UTC)(link)
He caught her leg and Yuna felt herself slide, her back hitting against the ground as one of her blades slipped from her grasp. She quickly dug the blade in her hand into the mat using it to pull herself back so that she could regain her footing.

He was fast and skilled but she wasn't about to back down.

Yuna swung again this time letting her blades ring against his as she pushed forward with a flurry of attacks. Her movements were fluid switching in between stances as the blades flowed together.
whereishe: (I'm not kidding now)

[personal profile] whereishe 2015-04-02 08:22 pm (UTC)(link)
His smile was mirrored by her own. She didn't enjoy killing but there was something to be said about fighting. It was comfortable and something she was used to doing. It brought back memories of challenging Rikku to silly competitions to see who could defeat the most fiends. It was just a way to bring a smile even if they were doing something that would have other wise been grim.

It was almost like a dance as they quickly moved together, greeting each others blades with their own. If she gotten a cut from his blade she wasn't sure she would notice.

Yuna staggers backwards as he changes trying to keep her blades in hand as his foot slams against her. She shifted her weight sending the force of his kick to the side.
whereishe: (I'm taking this)

[personal profile] whereishe 2015-04-02 08:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Yuna smiled. "Thank you. You've fought a lot." She's fought others who were quick like him and its a certain kind of speed and intuition that could only be honed in combat.

She felt like he might be holding back. This time she waited to see what he would do and how he would step forward to attack. She stayed light on her feet while trying to keep her heels planted firmly on the ground. There was a balance between speed and strength that Yuna liked and she fell into that now.
whereishe: (Lookie here)

[personal profile] whereishe 2015-04-02 10:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Their blades clashed together again and again as they moved. Yuna kept her guard up but she could sense the rythums of his movements and it became easier to meet his blade with each strike and each parry.

She couldn't help but smile as they moved feeling giddy as they clashed.
whereishe: (I'm taking this)

[personal profile] whereishe 2015-04-05 08:16 pm (UTC)(link)
"Hey!"

Even as she voices her protest to his taps it's clear she is enjoying herself. She brought her blades down hoping to finally catch him off guard.

The next time he goes to tap her she was going to let a blade vanish and catch his hand.
whereishe: (Lookie here)

[personal profile] whereishe 2015-04-09 12:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Dancing was something that Yuna knew. Her feet picked up in speed as her hand slipped from his. She turned bring her leg around to hook under his as her fingers brushed against his palm.

She wasn't sure if they were dancing or fighting but it was fun and for the moment she was lost in the swift movements as they moved together.
whereishe: (cute looking up)

[personal profile] whereishe 2015-04-09 04:29 pm (UTC)(link)
"Music?"

Yuna's voice was close as she listened to the fast beat song that met their steps. She lost track of time pushing herself to move faster and meet Merlin's motions. It wasn't so hard to keep up except one misstep and...

She fell forward her hands reaching for Merlin as she tumbled against him. A surprised laugh left her lips feeling air rush by as she fell.
whereishe: (I can't see)

[personal profile] whereishe 2015-04-09 04:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Yuna flushed steadying herself before standing fully. Her breath was heavy as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"Sorry about that. That was fun." She smiled brightly feeling the adrenaline from their dance coursing through her small frame.
whereishe: (cute looking up)

[personal profile] whereishe 2015-04-15 12:45 am (UTC)(link)
Yuna laughed softly at his light slaps brushing his hand aside with hers.

"You're pretty amazing." She felt like she had barely been able to keep up with him.

"But," Yuna smiled. "Thank you for the compliment."

She wasn't used to fighting like that and while she enjoyed combat it was something completely different and new. It was a lot of fun.
whereishe: (Lookie here)

[personal profile] whereishe 2015-04-15 12:57 am (UTC)(link)
"Same. Though I think I should come more prepared next time. I don't think I will be able to out match you for awhile." That didn't mean she wasn't going to try and he might be a good person to practice teleportation during a fight though she might be a little to shaky to do it right away.

She blinked looking around. "Do you practice here often?" She wasn't even sure how much time had past since they started.
whereishe: (Cosplay Head tilt)

[personal profile] whereishe 2015-04-15 01:10 am (UTC)(link)
"Sure." Her smile grew a little wider. She didn't know his age but she had a feeling that Merlin had experience like Mika did. The sort that spans life times.

"I mean I'd like that. Just let me know when your free. I try to practice every day." Though some days she gets distracted and missing her usual practice.
whereishe: (Are you coming with?)

[personal profile] whereishe 2015-04-15 01:24 am (UTC)(link)
"More tunes?" Yuna blinked unsure about what he meant but then she couldn't imagine that it was something bad.

She hadn't brought anything with her though she wanted to change before leaving. She placed a palm on her chest and her clothing glowed shifting over her form changing into T-shirt and shorts that she had kept in her sphere grid for such an occasion. Really she should have changed before starting.

"See you then." Her smile was wide and she turned to the door to head back to her room for a shower.