faderift | [Open] Now Her Hand Is Raised

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[Open] Now Her Hand Is Raised

WHO: James Norrington and You
WHAT: James is completing his assignment for Forces, OR hey how effective is a broken bottle in a fight anyways?
WHEN: Mid-Justinian
WHERE: The Gallows - Training Grounds
NOTES: Warnings for possible violence? James is seriously trying out everything.

It's not unlike James Norrington to be out in the training yard, working on his sword and shield work. It is, after all, what won him such acclaim at the Tourney, and he practices daily to keep up those 'world-renowned' skills up to snuff.

Today, though ... today is a different sort of day. Today, James has got the equivalent of a pile of junk before him, and is, if you can believe it, using it to attack the dummies on the far end. Right now he's got a broken wine bottle and seeing just how far he could stick it into the dummy's artery. There was a chain, some sticks, some sand ... he really was just trying out everything as a weapon. Including a frying pan.

Maker knew he was going to get on-lookers, but for as ridiculous as the scene was, he was taking it completely seriously.

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Carlos considers him a moment longer before shrugging in a 'sure why not' sort of way and moving closer. "Hand over the pan," he comments as he holds out his hand to take it.

James arched an eyebrow, a faint nod of 'All right then, let's see what you've got'. He flipped the pan around so Carlos could take the handle, then stepped back.

"Try to hit it with the flat side of the pan. More coverage."

Carlos nods and takes the pan in hand. He holds it by the handle and whacks at the dummy after a moment of preparing. He isn't very strong, but there still is a satisfying sound as he hits it.

"That's.... actually not bad."

"You see? Very satisfying taking out something with your own two hands, is it not?" James grinned, then nodded. "Go on, hit it again."

Carlos raises his brow a bit but he does follow the direction and hit the dummy again. He can feel the impact in his arms and wrists.

"This might not be good for prolonged battle," he points out. "It's a little too unwieldy."

"Hmm, true. Here, take this." He handed over a long stick, that rather looked like a staff. "Do you think you could use your staff in battle if you knew how to use it as a weapon?"

Carlos nods at that as he takes the staff. He holds it very much like a mage would, one handed with a solid base to cast spells. "Yeah probably. It's a heavy piece of wood right? Good for whacking things if your mana runs dry. We learned a bit about that in the war." He really doesn't want to dwell on how terrible everything was during that time though. Not when he could focus on getting lessons from James instead.

"So you want to teach me how to do that for effectively?"

"Yes, I believe I do, Carlos. I know you are a healer, but you and Mal should know how to defend yourselves if you don't have magic available." He frowns at the staff. "Mal was left vulnerable to blood magic - because I left all of your phylacteries behind. I feel ... responsible for what happens to the mages, at the hands of deranged former Chantry members."

Carlos's face melts a bit. He hadn't realized that James would feel so guilty about that. But then, he isn't sure why he hadn't considered it. James is a good person, who looks out for the mages under his care.

There is that part of him that feels a fluttering in his chest as he is reminded by he likes James so much.

"No one blames you for that," he says. "At least if they do, they're idiots."

"I am a Templar, Carlos. I've actually started getting used to being blamed for everything. It's practically a rota." He quirks up a smirk, before he puts a hand on Carlos's shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"But thank you, regardless."

The touch is probably more comforting that it should be, but he tries not to lean into it too much. He gives James a smile. "Well, that's still stupid," he comments.

"For now, though, we should talk about how to fight with a staff."

James nods his head once, then goes to pick up a pair of staffs from one of the weapon racks lining the walls. He puts one into Carlos's hands, and then faces him. "You know how to balance a staff well enough - but what would you do if you needed to swing it?"

Carlos steps back to give himself space and then grips the staff and swings it. Once again, he handles it like a mage, someone who is going to use the weapon to cast a spell not to deal direct physical damage. The swing is strong and good, but his aiming and handling is all off for a direct impact.

James nodded, before he swung the staff around himself to tap against Carlos's. There was the same sort of strong swing, but he makes sure that the placement of his feet and how he shifts his weight are clearly obvious as he follows all the way through.

"Remember, physical combat is not about focusing your will alone, it's about focusing your body and your aim at the person right in front of you. Now, try it again."

Carlos listens to the direction and tries again. It's hard for him to actually aim at James though. He knows he probably wouldn't hurt to man, but he sort of feels guilty focusing on trying to actually hit him.

"Better! Much better, Carlos." James nods with approval, before standing back. "Now, come at me, I'll show you how to block."

"You want me to try and hit you?" he asks, visibly uncomfortable with that idea.

James looked at the young man, before walking forward to squeeze his shoulder again. Offering comfort once more, "Not hard. Just a light swing, so I can show you how to block. You can teach Mal and she will probably be happy to smack me about."

"She does like an excuse to hit someone," he teased slightly before he nods and steadies himself. The touch still helps, lets him know everything is okay.

He tries again, this time aiming more solidly.

"Really? I thought she didn't need one at all." He nods and then brings his staff up to block it. "See, you want to plant your feet. They'll have to exert more force, and they won't be expecting that.

Carlos looks down at his feet and then spaces them apart a bit so that he has a more solid foundation. "Like this?" he asks. He's used to having a stance to cast elemental spells, not to cause physical damage.

"Yes, exactly that. Well done, Carlos." He took a moment and went to lightly knock against the staff. "See how that feels? How you are using your body and your stick to cushion the impact?"

Carlos nods at that. "I can feel that, yeah. It's basically all the way down to my toes. Weird."

"It is all about force and mass. You are the mass, the sword down on you is the force. If you are the stronger mass, you can stop the sword from moving." He smiled, leaning back with his own staff once more.

For a moment, Carlos just looks at him, kind of enjoying the way he looks when he's teaching and relaxed. It's all very handsome. Then he realizes that's what he's thinking and clears his throat. "So... uh... should we try a few more?"

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