[Open] Time for some enjoyment

[conqueredhearts]

WHO: Iskandar and OPEN
WHAT: Iskandar is here to have a good time. Join him?
WHEN: Throughout Drakonis
WHERE: Skyhold and other fun places
NOTES: Probably lots of cute times. Maybe some sad times depending on the threads. But mostly a lot of cute and loud affection. Because Iskandar.

A. It's a new dog!

He'd been wanting one since first seeing the mabari. Now he had one of his own. A fine pup who tended to spend much of his time tripping over his own feet but was ever eager to be with and please the large man. Really he'd been told that an older dog would be recommended but they'd laid eyes on each other and that had been that. After all, once that bond was formed there simply was no going back.

And so one could find him with a puppy in one of the more open areas. They were training and it seemed that the puppy was at least rather intelligent at picking up on things! So long as Iskandar used his native tongue for the commands, something he'd decided to do just to solidify their bond further.

"Heh. What a clever boy you are, my Achilles Alexander!" The pup gave a bark and then happily ate up the piece of meat that he was given. And yes, Iskandar sure had named this dog after himself.

B. Training is important

The best way to perfect how one used their adjusted powers was to, well, use them. So he was around the training grounds to work with the couple of them that he felt could safely be done here. Name the teleportation and invisibility ones. So it was easy enough to spot him standing in one location only to reappear in another. At times he frowned and rubbed his beard as he considered what he'd been doing before trying again.

One could feel free to interrupt him though. He wasn't needing the concentration to do this really.

C. Memories rise to the surface

There were times when even Iskandar needed a moment to reflect, to think on the sadder days. Though he never regretted any of them that hardly meant they didn't weight on his heart. Many had been lost under his command or had given up much to follow him. Then there were times when he remembered Hephaestion and how perhaps he would never see him again. Or that his son would be someone he'd never lay eyes on.

So he was in the gardens with a kitten and a mabari pup curled up together on his lap. Both were sound asleep as if they'd been playing hard until that moment. He smiled down at them fondly, stroked their soft ears as he admired their pure innocence.

"It has been long since I had your purity, little ones."

Wildcard

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Comments

[conqueredhearts]

At least the mage was strategizing more now. Less pointless movements that would have simply gotten him killed instantly had he been anyone besides himself. Iskandar stood his ground and didn't bother to draw a weapon. Instead, he waited until he was just close enough then...

...went to trip him.

"Balance, boy."

[kartereo]

Waver was, in fact, anticipating the foot, and he stepped over it with surprising grace. A contrast from the younger Waver who flailed and fell ass over head whenever his forehead was flicked.

"I know!"

[conqueredhearts]

He nodded his approval of the dodge and moved around to avoid an attack before lifting his hand to beckon him to attack him again. The best way for Waver to get a feel for this was to keep using what he'd taught him.

"Again, boy. Aim to cut me."

[kartereo]

Waver spun around neatly, and made a quick swipe for Iskandar's arm, coming in at a side angle. The arc was parallel to Iskandar's biceps, although Waver had no doubt that the movement would be easily deflected.

What was far more important was his footing. He was moving faster than before, and his feet were less clumsy and inclined to trip over themselves.

[conqueredhearts]

Moving a hand up, he smacked at Waver's arm to make sure the blow didn't land and mostly kept watch over his feet. He knew the mage wasn't quite skilled enough to strike him unless he ended up getting lucky.

"Good. Remember that the most important part of your weapon is your ability to stay on your feet to use it." He then went to send a sudden punch towards Waver's face just to force him to have to dodge something from above to make sure his balance was still good.

[kartereo]

To the punch, Waver ducked himself and thrusted his own arm forward towards Iskandar's side, using the momentum of going down and to the right on his end to make sure he could take advantage of everything around him.

"Like this, you mean?"

[conqueredhearts]

He laughed at the sudden move and twisted so he could avoid the blade that was coming for his side. It wasn't out of mockery though. No, he was actually very impressed with his former Master and now student. That sort of instinct was not easy to pick up on but Waver was learning what it took to use these blades just as he'd intended.

"Yes. Like that. You are learning, boy!"

[kartereo]

"Now if you'd let me land a sodding hit!"

Waver pivoted on his heel, returning to a defensive position. He wanted a moment to recalculate, even if that wouldn't happen in real combat.

[conqueredhearts]

"I will let you land a hit when you have earned such a thing, boy. To simply make it easy for you would do nothing more than insult the skills you have been building already."

And he had too much pride in the man to insult him in such a fashion. At least not intentionally.

"So take the hit because I will not give it to you."

[kartereo]

"Hey, there's something to building a little bit of confidence, if we're getting into pedagogy."

Waver was mouthing off on the topic simply because he could at this point, but there was nothing meant by it.

[conqueredhearts]

"Well I give you compliments on your work. In fact I praise you quite often."

Which was a confidence builder as far as he was aware. Stroking his beard, he seemed to consider things a moment before he suddenly vanished to reappear directly behind Waver. You know, just to force him into reacting and see how he handled that.

[kartereo]

"Oh come on!" Waver groaned. His right leg went behind him, and he pivoted on it in order to face Iskandar immediately. A sidesswipe with the blade was aimed towards the man's side, although he doubted that the target would be found.

[conqueredhearts]

Lifting a hand, he swatted that hand which forced the blade to go elsewhere but to him. He smiled at him then finally held up his hand. "You wish to try for something more significant? Very well. We shall spar and I will use my own blade."

Unsheathing his sword, he used his other hand to beckon him. "Go on. Use your advantages. Find my disadvantages."

[kartereo]

Waver stared. Shit, he hadn't prepared for this, not yet.

He took to a defensive stance at first, then shifted to an offensive one once he realized that the start of the attack was on him. It was only after that that he began his first lunge, towards Iskandar's stomach.

It was intended to be a feint.

[conqueredhearts]

Iskandar simply batted at his arm to knock him back, didn't even bother to bring his sword into play yet. He smiled down at him and put his hand on his hip.

"Don't pretend, boy. Strike at me. You are not good enough yet for tricks of that nature against myself."

[kartereo]

Waver nearly pouted at that. He was trying to be stratgtic, and this was how he was told to pace himself?

He grunted, then returned to his initial stance.

"Fine."

[conqueredhearts]

"You wished for more. Show me you have earned it."

He knew he was really pushing Waver now but he didn't regret it for even a second. He felt the mage could handle it and wanted to see what he could do with this. See how far he would go. Even if it turned out to be nowhere at all it would mean a lot to him to see Waver try at all.

[kartereo]

The problem was that Iskandar was built like a house and Waver wasn't that good yet. Waver knew that, and was struggling to figure out any advantage he had. It'd be fine if Iskandar was big and slow, but he wasn't. The man was massive.

But he did have a cape. And maybe that could help.

So Waver made to run along Iskandar's side, making it clear that he wanted to simply run past and land a hit. Not that Waver would, he would hopefully grab onto the cape and use it to pivot himself around Iskandar's back, but first steps first.

[conqueredhearts]

He made a swipe with his sword, intentionally forcing the mage to move more. Of course he held back a little (well more like a lot) so he wouldn't end up hitting him but he still wanted Waver to see that he was truly pushing him here. He wanted Waver to show him what he'd learned since he'd been wanted him to take him more seriously. After all if he wanted that then he was going to have to earn it.

What he didn't expect was the hand to reach out for his cloak. It was quite startling and his massive size made it so he didn't see it right away.

"Ah what are you doing there?" he asked as he tried to turn and lift his arm up to look under for a better view.

[kartereo]

Waver let himself be swept along with the cloak's movement, his one hand hanging on for dear life. Once he was on the opposite side of Iskandar, he moved the practice knife to Iskandar's side, pleased to have gotten a hit.

"Using momentum to my advantage."

[conqueredhearts]

"Clever! Good!"

He laughed and went to block the blow with his arm. The blade was dull due to being used for practice so he wasn't worried about an actual cut. Then again he likely would have done something similar in a real battle too.

"This is what I mean by finding your advantage! If you always wait you may lose your opportunity!"

[kartereo]

With the arm movement, Waver moved the dull knife upward, as to hit exposed flesh if this was a real fight. It wouldn't be much of a blow, but on Iskandar? Any kind of result counted for a lot.

"Yeah, well, sometimes it takes a damn long time to get people where you want them."

[conqueredhearts]

"You simply lack the experience to force people where you want them. You will learn with time and practice."

Iskandar moved them to slash at him with the flat side of his blade. He'd never use the sharp side against the mage like this, after all. "Now find an opening as I move to attack you!"

[kartereo]

Waver ducked immediately, the dulled practice knife trying to drag down alongside Iskandar's flesh as he did. It wasn't a good attempt, mostly because Waver's attention was on his own reflex to the knife rather than the making any kind of hit.

"Fuck!"

There was no disentangling from Iskandar though, so he tried to get behind the man's back as quickly as his legs would allow.

[conqueredhearts]

"Trying the same move again? But this time I have seen it!"

Swinging with Waver, he tried to use the hold on his cloak to his advantage to cause the man to trip. It meant it pulled some and choked at his neck a little but he didn't actually mind. To see Waver having to think so fast on his feet was a wonder to him! Anything to push him harder!