winscenario: (seventy nine.)
Captain James T. Kirk ([personal profile] winscenario) wrote in [community profile] asgardchrysalis2019-09-24 06:39 pm

( open ) practice makes perfect

Who: Jim Kirk & YOU!
What: Jim wants to learn how to wield a sword (and some other weapons)
When: Now-ish
Where: Temjask arena
Rating: PG-13 for possible mild violence, fighting and minor injuries


While not unfamiliar with using weapons, it's fair to say that Jim's well out of his depth here. Barring the use of magic, there's nothing even remotely resembling energy weapons, and even projectile weapons are nonexistent. He's checked out what's on offer but some of them he doesn't even recognize, and those that he does...

Well, he can't really remember ever holding a sword in his life, for instance. But he's definitely curious. He goes to the arena to train, keep his body in shape and possibly look for someone willing to spar with him, and after he's worked up some sweat, he heads out to where all those weapons are on display, looking over the selection with interest.

He picks up a sword at one point, a smaller and lighter-looking one, but not knowing what to do with it, he'll put it back down unless someone approaches or cuts in. He also walks around the training grounds, watching others use those same weapons, admiring from a safe distance at how skilled they are.

A more elaborate or showy move will no doubt get an impressed sound from him, and he tips his head at them. "That was brilliant. You're really good."

Not that he'd know the first thing, it just looked impressive.
demonicbeauty: (Brave)

[personal profile] demonicbeauty 2019-10-03 05:17 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh!"

Her eyes widened, two silver coins, with the whites visible all the way around. It wasn't that Ariadne was naive. It was only that figures of speech had a tendency to...take practice. And it seemed that every single Human society had its own figures of speech. Sometimes they matched up. More often, they totally contradicted each other.

Such a diverse species, Humans. And Ariadne only knew how to pass for one kind. A kind that, as far as she could tell, didn't really exist here.

She was going to have to try harder.

"I'm sure that can't be true. Anyone can dance. It's just a mathematical sequence. With a little peacocking on top of it."
demonicbeauty: (Suspicious)

[personal profile] demonicbeauty 2019-10-03 10:53 pm (UTC)(link)
She sensed that he was demurring, perhaps teasing. It wasn't worth pressing the matter, though. And she supposed that with a face like that, he didn't need to do much peacocking. No, she could well imagine the girls at court flocking around him, like so many colorful birds in their silks and jewels. He would prove quite popular.

They'd even forgive him his rounded ears. At least for a little while.

"I suppose so," she said. She turned to watch two strangers sparring with their swords. "We have to use the tools that suit us best."

With that, she reached into her satchel and pulled out her sling. It was a wholly unimpressive weapon. Just two leather thongs tied to a little leather cup, but she offered it to him as though it were made of gold. It was, by far, her favorite way to fight. Especially now that she didn't have her claws.
demonicbeauty: (Thoughtful)

[personal profile] demonicbeauty 2019-10-04 12:41 am (UTC)(link)
She gave him a graceful curtsy. "I'd be happy to, my lord. Although I think it's probably not safe to do it inside. Someone could get hurt."

And, honestly, she was beginning to feel her hold on her form weaken a little. She needed to refresh it. The last thing she wanted was to turn green in front of a stranger, however nice. That wouldn't end well. It never did for her kind.

Or so her mother had drilled into her head as a hatchling.

"I could meet you out back, if you'd like to see it done properly."
demonicbeauty: (Awkward)

[personal profile] demonicbeauty 2019-10-04 01:10 am (UTC)(link)
While Ariadne was one of the best liars in the realm she...wasn't in the realm. And really, there was no plausible lie she could come up with. If working for Lysia had taught her anything, it was to say as little as possible when the situation called for it. So she nodded, just slightly. "Of course, that's fine," she said.

She made the universal gesture for 'after you.'

And hoped that he wouldn't turn around, if she reverted too soon.
demonicbeauty: (Demon - Disgusted)

[personal profile] demonicbeauty 2019-10-04 01:18 am (UTC)(link)
She took the opportunity, while his back was turned, to let the shapeshift go, then immediately brought it back. It was less than four seconds, she was sure. And she felt safe that he hadn't seen.

The gods only knew what she would do in another ten minutes, but she'd burn that bridge when she came to it.

...was that how the expression went? She couldn't remember.

Outside, feeling a little bit better, Ariadne leaned over to pick up a smooth, flat rock along the side of the path. She ran her thumb over its surface, smiling faintly. It was absolutely perfect. Like it had been made for a sling. And perhaps it had. Who knew, with whole swaths of the village suddenly appearing by magic?

"I like to think so," she said, trotting along after him, turning to eye the targets. "I've been training since I was a little girl."
demonicbeauty: (Default)

[personal profile] demonicbeauty 2019-10-04 01:27 am (UTC)(link)
Ariadne didn't really peacock either, but this was a close second. She stepped up to the line in front of the targets and dropped the stone into the leather cup. Gathering the thongs in her hand, she lifted her arm and started to twirl the sling. Her movements were quick and precise. No losing the stone, no wobbling.

As soon as she felt she had enough speed, she threw her arm forward. The stone sprang out of the cup and went hurtling across the space between. It hit one of the targets.

While Ariadne wasn't strong, she was precise.

The single hit knocked over the whole target.

She turned back to Jim with a shy smile. "Dazzled?"
demonicbeauty: (Cheerful)

[personal profile] demonicbeauty 2019-10-04 01:45 am (UTC)(link)
She dipped into another curtsy. It wasn't often that she received praise for her work. Which, of course, was the way it was supposed to be. Spies went unnoticed. That was pretty much the entire job.

It was fun showing off. At least a little bit.

"There are certain parts of the body where you take aim," she said. "One shot can knock a man out. Then the killing stops that much sooner."
demonicbeauty: (Amused)

[personal profile] demonicbeauty 2019-10-04 01:57 am (UTC)(link)
Ariadne giggled. A little, bell-like laugh. "It's hard to imagine anything scaring a horse," she said. "They terrify me. Those big hooves..."

She shuddered an exaggerated shudder.

There was something strangely likable about this Jim. He had the bearing of a prince. But not the temperament, not that she could tell.

"My name is Ariadne, by the way," she told him. "But you can call me 'Airy' if you like. Almost everyone does."
demonicbeauty: (Playful)

[personal profile] demonicbeauty 2019-10-04 02:09 am (UTC)(link)
She curtsied yet again, wondering if she looked like some kind of doll bobbing on the surface of a lake. It was so hard figuring out how to greet people here. At least back home, it was easy to assume that she was everyone's inferior. The people here were different. She'd already learned about democratic chairs. And how anyone was allowed to use the bracelets, no matter who they were.

But she had yet to master who was allowed to wear silk. Everything was a little scattershot there.

"James is a very pretty name," she told him. "Does it mean something?"
demonicbeauty: (Skeptical)

[personal profile] demonicbeauty 2019-10-04 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
"Oh, no," Ariadne said. Alastrians were actually appalled at the idea of naming their children after any word with meaning. As if that would somehow seal the child's destiny.

It was funny, too, because everyone said 'Airy' was a nickname that suited her well. The way she talked, the way she acted, the way she moved. It was like gravity was just barely holding her down. Any moment, she would sprout wings and fly away into the day like a sparrow.

But that came about long after her hatchling days.

She shrugged. "My father just liked the sound of it."
demonicbeauty: (Interested)

[personal profile] demonicbeauty 2019-10-04 03:01 am (UTC)(link)
Too kind to be a prince. At least, compared to the ones Ariadne had met. Of course, they'd largely been either puppet kings of the Red Dragon or else...well, Aden. But Aden was a broken shell of a man, so there was that.

She smiled slightly, offering the sling to him. "Why don't you give it a try?" she asked. "You came to learn, didn't you?"
demonicbeauty: (Awkward)

[personal profile] demonicbeauty 2019-10-04 03:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Quickly, Ariadne reached out to grab the little cup. "Maybe you should try getting the technique first, before you add the rock," she said, nimbly palming the stone. "Just in case..." She didn't want to threaten his snarly male ego. That never ended well. But she wasn't quite sure how to diplomatically point out that he could hurt someone by accident. "...in case we run out of stones?"

That was, without a doubt, the worst lie she'd ever come up with.

She smiled meekly.

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