combat training mingle log

[policier]

characters: everyone
location: the village gymnasium
date/time: every wednesday & friday throughout october
content: at the town hall last month, javert offered to set up a place for combat training. this is him making good on his promise. as he mentioned in his bulletin ad, these sessions are open to absolutely everyone, not just those who want to learn how to fight. partner up with someone and spar. do whatever you want, just don't hurt each other too badly—or javert will have words with you.
warnings: violence

setup

The gym's certainly seen better days, with it's crumbling walls and lost ceiling tiles. Javert doesn't need it to be pretty, though. He only needs it to be functional. In the last week, he's been doing what he can to clean it up, washing the floors and making some minor structural repairs.

Once the first day of combat training begin, the day after the ferry sinks, it's as clean as it possibly can be without any sort of overhaul. There are mats set up along one end of the gym, for people to stretch or otherwise use for sparring, and a collection of swords near the door. Some are blunted and old, perfect for training — though they may still hurt — while others are sharp or unwieldy, and will need to be handled with care. Use them, Javert says, but return them when you are finished.

There's a tiny collection of knives, too, though there aren't any targets to practice throwing them at. It's a work in progress. For light, there's a torch set up along the wall, illuminating the room and allowing combatants to spread themselves out from one another.

meetings

For the sake of not being micromanagey, there isn't going to be any formal structure to these practices. Javert is available to teach hand-to-hand combat and swordsmanship, should anyone wish it. He's also enlisted the aid of Jason Grace, who will teach hand-to-hand and swordsmanship, and Bucky Barnes, who is proficient in knife fighting as well as hand-to-hand combat. Anyone else, of course, may teach others as they please. Just this once, Javert's not going to be a stickler for formalities. He just wants to see everyone making productive use of their time, in some fashion.

Training will run from seven o'clock to nine o'clock in the evening. Arrive promptly, or Javert will berate you for being disruptive. No one is required to come to every single meeting, so come as often or as little as you like. If regular exercise is supposed to help combat the effects of total darkness, why not give it a try?

Comments

i;

[mellowyellow]

[Masaomi immediately perks up upon being addressed, whirls around, and immediately slumps when he gets his first look at the guy. Keyword: guy.

The best first impression ever.

Still, at least he opens the door as requested.]

What's all this? [He asks, gestures loosely at the clanking sack.] The recycling of the damned?

[notthatjason]

Thanks.

[He steps inside and considers the question.]

I mean, given where we are, I guess that's pretty accurate. I am reusing some equipment from another location after all.

[He doesn't recognize the individual at the door, so Jason imagines he must be new. He adjusts his grip on the bag. Javert must have tried to tell the newly arrived individuals about this as well, that was good, Jason had gotten involved in so many projects that it was hard to remember to actually promote them.]

Are you here for the combat training?

[mellowyellow]

[It takes another second of eyeing that bag and the rather sharp shapes protruding from inside of it for Masaomi to piece the puzzle together. He must have hauled these over from the armory that Riku guy mentioned the other day. It's quite a distance to carry a big ol' bag of weapons.]

Um. I figured I'd watch first.

[He remarks innocently as he lets the door shut behind him and follows Jason into the building. It's his first time here, and he hasn't actually heard anything about it. Until this second anyway.]

Y'know, see what I'm in for, check out my options, scope the competition.

[notthatjason]

[It's not a big building, so they reach the gym area pretty quickly. Jason sets the bag down and starts pulling out knives, handaxes, and a few swords. There are two staves on his back as well and he takes those off to set against the wall.]

I'm sure that's fine. I can tell you what's being offered though: hand-to-hand, knife, and sword combat training. That's kind of the only weapons we have on hand...at least it was until we found that armory, but even that only adds staves, maces, and axes to our possibilities and I'm not as good with any of those.

[mellowyellow]

[He whistles as he scans the gym. Despite the place oozing the same dreary atmosphere as every other building in this sad excuse for a ghost town, there's a fair amount of movement happening in here. An instructor and pupil duke it out on the other side of the room, drawing Masaomi's curious gaze. The dulled clanks of their slow-motion combat practice color Jason's explanation.

Masaomi chuckles under his breath, shaking his head before finally peeling his focus away from the fight.]

Yeah, I don't think I'm really cut out for any of them either.

[What muscle the young teen has managed to amass is lean at best. He could train for ten years and never properly wield a bulky arm like a mace or ax. Something lighter would be a better match for him and his speedy reflexes. He's managed some beautiful devastation with a crowbar in the past, and seeing all these weapons strewn around him, he's tempted to say as much. But he'd rather appear like a complete novice for now. Normal high school students don't bash people's heads in with crowbars.]

So is this your round-about way of saying you are good with swords and knives?

[notthatjason]

I mean, everyone has to start somewhere.

[Jason blinks but then smiles. He hadn't meant to be "round-about" the statement.
He debates mentioning that he could throw a mean spear too, but decides to stick with the mentioned weapons and not over complicate things.]

Yes. Swords more than anything. Knives are [dishonorable? Not Roman?] really more for the kind of person who wants to get a fight over with quickly and sneakily.

[At least in his opinion, though there's not really a judgement as he says this. It's just obvious that if he had to pick a weapon, it wouldn't be a knife.]

[mellowyellow]

Oh, that sounds like me. Quick and sneaky!

[Masaomi crouches down to get a better look at the weapons Jason's lain out on the floor. He leans in to pick up one of the plainer knives and grins over at the guy to show he's taken no offense. Though, honestly, he's lying through his teeth, so there's no reason for him to feel offended anyway. No one who's talked with him for more than five minutes would ever be able to imagine him as a stealth fighter, or a stealth anything.

Knives aren't his thing. They're Izaya's. Masaomi has never been able to get a hit on Izaya.]

I get the feeling that around here the longer a fight goes, the worse it's gonna be for me.

[notthatjason]

[Jason watches him go for one of the knives. He doesn't know this guy well enough to make any judgement calls, if he says knives are for him then that's up to him. Jason would have to see him in a fight before making any recommendations himself.]

To be fair, that tends to be the case with most fights. Everyone has their limit and so the sooner you can end a fight, the better.

[This became even more true when the opponent was more powerful or faster than you were. ]

But, yeah, we're trying to teach people how to fight, but possibly just working on how to get out of a fight would be good.

[mellowyellow]

[Masaomi points the knife's dull blade at Jason's nose, a barbed gesture meant to counter the cowardly words that follow.]

Yeah, see, that last part? Sign me right up for that.

[notthatjason]

[It's not a threat, Jason knows that much. Still, when it's paired with the voluntary 'sign me up' Jason can't really help but follow through. The idea pops in his mind so quickly that he's acting on it before really questioning if it's the best move.

'Strike fast, before your opponent can strike you.' The voice belongs more to Lupa, his original teacher. What he's about to do is DEFINITELY something she would have done to newly found Romans.

There's a flicker of amusement in Jason's eyes right before he strikes. He moves forward, grabs the hand with a knife, gives it a twist (though holds back on his strength), the knife clatters to the floor and in a second Masaomi is joining it.

From Masaomi's perspective, it likely is a blur of movement. It's not quite inhumanely fast, but certainly bordering on it. The same goes for Jason's strength. His stance is casual, like he's just holding hands with a new friend and not keeping a guy from moving.]

You mean like that?

[His voice is light hearted enough to hopefully convey that he's teasing. He releases his grip on Masaomi as well, not wanting to make it seem like he was doing this to be mean.]

Cause I can show you that stuff too.

sorry for how late this is;

[mellowyellow]

[Before he knows it, his back has hit the floor, and he's blinking cluelessly up at Jason's laid-back expression. It's hilarious how cool the guy is about flattening a complete stranger in the middle of a conversation. Masaomi doesn't move even after Jason lets him go. He just erupts with laughter.]

Exactly! [He cackles raucously.] Exactly like that!

no prob

[notthatjason]

[Jason's lip twitches and he finally can't hold back the slight smile.]

You have a good attitude about it at least. That's a plus.

[He holds up the knife.]

Want to try to take it back?

[mellowyellow]

[A single brunette brow quirked at Jason's blatant challenge. Still grinning, shaking off his last few chuckles, Masaomi sits up and then hops to his feet.]

Well, since you asked so nicely...

[Before he even finishes speaking, he swings his right foot around to hook Jason's ankle and yank it out from under him.]

Yes!

[notthatjason]

HEY [That actually catches him by surprise. Demigods aren't perfect after all and Jason, despite the taunt, hadn't actually anticipated Masaomi following up on the challenge. He should have known better, as it was a particularly stupid mistake to make.

Still, knocking him down and actually getting the weapon out of his hands were two different things. There was a reason there was a saying about Romans and falling on swords and that was because their swords, their weapons, meant everything to them. It was a life or death thing and Jason wasn't going to give it up so easily.

Still, Masaomi gets a point for knocking Jason on his back. Though he's going to have to move fast if he wants to pin him or get the knife back.]

[mellowyellow]

[Masaomi does move fast. The one thing he's never hesitated over is finishing a fight once he's started it. He bears down and shoves his knee into Jason's stomach in an attempt to keep the guy flat as he reaches for the knife.]