Week 4

[airlockedmods]

[After everything that this case was, you probably don't want to deal with anything else. But you wake up on Sunday, just like before, with some new memories, and some new stores to check out.

Let's see what this week brings.]

Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday

(( Don't forget to check in, and check your memory regains! You can also stop by the gacha machine and Xander's office hours. ))

Comments

[cyan_maid]

Hm? Oh - no, not at all. [She shakes her head.] I was just watching. Is that okay?

[burninglight]

It's fine, I just didn't realize I had an audience.

[cyan_maid]

I didn't want to break your concentration.

[For as casual as his style was, there still had to be concentration involved in maintaining it and being aware.]

Though...I am kind of glad I found you in here, of all place. I've been meaning to ask if you could teach me knife stuff. [A pause, as she makes sure he can see the bokken she'd brought.] Or sword stuff. I'm not picky.

[burninglight]

I suppose that I could help with that, certainly. [He returned his sword to its sheath, hands on his hips as he tilted his head at Jane in curiosity.]

Which would you prefer to start with?

[cyan_maid]

[She thinks about it for a moment, shrugs, sets the bokken aside.]

A knife, I guess. If that's okay?

[burninglight]

That's fine; I'm skilled enough with daggers, at least.

[cyan_maid]

Do I need to go grab another one, or like...wooden ones? Is that a thing people make...

[burninglight]

We can practice with yours so long as we're a bit cautious. It's best you're used to the weight of it.

[cyan_maid]

Okay...

[She takes it out of the bag she's been carrying around, then takes off the bag and the cardigan, leaving them by the bokken.]

I'm...still not sure this will be okay, I mean, it is a real knife...

[burninglight]

And you're with what passes for a medic. If either of us should be injured, I can handle it.

Besides, one can't be afraid of their own weapon. It'll be better for you to be properly accustomed to a proper blade, should you ever need to use it.

[cyan_maid]

...I suppose that's sound.

[Alright, we're, uh...going to flip this fucker open, then. And, unaware to Jane - but certainly to Ardyn, who's been fighting for two thousand plus years - she falls into a practiced stance good for knife stuff.]

[burninglight]

...?

[Ardyn frowned slightly, confused more than disapproving.]

I thought you said you weren't experienced with knives.

[cyan_maid]

...Huh? I'm not.

[She blinks at him. Is she doing something wrong?]

[burninglight]

Where did you learn that stance? I was prepared to correct you, but that's actually quite good.

[cyan_maid]

[She just sort of...looks down at herself...and her brow furrows.]

It is? I...

[Her body tenses up, the subtle shift immediately ruining the effectiveness of the stance.]

I don't know...

[burninglight]

...hm. It's possible you've learned at some point you've yet to remember. Muscle memory is a surprisingly easy thing to fall back on.

[cyan_maid]

I-If you say so...

[It's fucking weird though, like...scary weird. But it also feels right, like the cardigan feels right. Jane takes a moment to close her eyes and breathe, focusing on the good feeling and not the weird one.]

Well...I suppose I ought to re-learn what I already know, right?

[burninglight]

If you truly have done it before, this may yet be easier. I suppose we'll start with what I was doing, then...I'd like you to envision an opponent standing before you, and strike out at them however feels natural. We'll correct things like form and method as we go along, wherever necessary.

[cyan_maid]

Hm...alright, then.

[She takes a moment to breathe again, loosening up and closing her eyes, letting her body fall back into the natural stance it had fallen into. She's trying not to think about how she'll move, because that's when her brain feels like it locks up and hurts - and Jane wants to know what she can do, not what she thinks she can do.

When her eyes open, they're focused on the empty space of Stronk, and she darts forward. Her strikes aren't perfect, her movements still shaky as she tries not to think, but there's definitely a practiced fluidity to them, making use of her small size and speed to strike low, and her innate strength to strike hard. One thing is very clear - so long as Jane is trying not to doubt or overthink her movements, there's a lot of muscle memory speaking of training with a knife in her.]