Let's Train in 100 Times Gravity

[shineinside]

Who: Anyone who wants to come by! Tag in, thread with Yuka, thread with each other, whatever you want.
What: Combat training/practice.
When: Sunset, each night for a week minimum.
Where: East end of Islet 1.
Warnings: Possible blood if things get out of hand, implied 80s training montage songs

Yuka chose this location because the ground was level, there was enough space for people to move around, and nobody was really using it for anything else. No wild beasts, no fish people to disturb, no strange psychological effects... the ideal place for people to gather for an hour or two and get some good-natured fighting in. The snow on the ground wasn't ideal, she supposed, but that stuff was everywhere, so they'd just have to make do. It'd probably be snowing during the invasion, anyway.

Each evening, as the sun inched towards the horizon, Yuka set her other tasks aside to come out and wait. Jug of wassail sitting at the edge of the space, bundled in warm clothes and scarves, Yuka paced, wondering if this was really going to be worth the time. Are there people willing to spend that much time to train others when there's so much else that needs doing? Can someone even learn enough to make a difference in this little time? For that matter, are these shadow monsters something you can even fight with your fists? If nothing else, it would be good to do some physical activity in just to get her mind to stop going in circles.

For those who arrived early, there would be less to do, but even just talking through what different fighting skills people had would be useful for later on. Once more people arrived, those who use similar weapons could work together, and those with more combat experience could work with those with less. Or, people who know each other or are curious about each other's abilities could seek each other out for a sparring match.

So: Fight, teach, learn, take breaks, drink, chat. Bring your own wassail if you can - Yuka's can only stretch so far.

Comments

OTA

[bitch4bitch]

This is not the first time Erika has ended up fighting when it's cold out, but jeez it still sucks. Fortunately, after all this time, her jacket is worn in enough that she can move around in it without too much trouble, so, you know. It could be worse.

She stands aside to practice on her own until someone shows interest in sparring or being taught, working in quick, short jabs of her fists or swipes of the knife she keeps in her jacket.

She... actually has a second knife, sitting on top of her pack nearby, which came in the bag when she arrived. That might seem kind of redundant if it weren't for the fact that you can never have too many knives.

[shineinside]

Eyebrows, check. Teeth, check Hot... well, she certainly cuts a striking silhouette. This must be her.

"Excuse me... you're Erika, right?" If she's being honest, Yuka's qa bit intimidated. "I wanted to thank you for offering to help out with this."

[bitch4bitch]

Erika pauses in her exercises to look over at Yuka, flashing a grin when she makes the connection.

"--Oh, you must'a been the one to set this up, right? No problem. This crap isn't a big jump from my usual job, anyway."

[shineinside]

"Yeah, that was me. I'm Yuka Ichijou, nice to meet you." She gives a quick bow.

"I was watching you a bit just now, are you a hand-to-hand fighter? Most of the other fighters here use some kind of weapons or attack magic, so it seemed like it would be hard to spar against them..."

[bitch4bitch]

Erika gives a small nod, and raises an eyebrow slightly, apparently not quite sure what to think of the bow. "Erika Fisher. Though I guess you knew part of that."

She nods and looks over the other people practicing. "I can use a few weapons, but I usually stick to close-range either way. And, uh... yeah, some of the stuff going on out here looks pretty insane."

[shineinside]

"Do you mean the magic? I used to think it wasn't real before I got my powers. It was a huge shock." Not an unwelcome one, though.

[bitch4bitch]

"So you're from another one of those places where it's still secret or whatever?" She still can't get over that. It just sounds so... backwards. Did most of these people not have electricity either?

Fortunately, she does elaborate a moment later: "The magic, yeah. Thing is, most people know about all that already where I'm from, but it... doesn't usually work like that? Humans can't just whip out spells like that unless they're carrying some seriously heavy enchantments around."

[shineinside]

"Honestly, I don't really know anything about magic or how it works. All the powers I have, I got out of the blue and without any instructions. I just had to figure the rest out on my own."

[bitch4bitch]

"Rrright. That's... I'm gonna be honest, that's super weird. Like... okay, so I'm guessing you're a human? Let me know if I'm wrong on that."

[shineinside]

"Oh! Yeah, I'm human, it's basically only humans where I'm from... Are you one, too?" It's strange to think that she has to clarify that. Can humans not use magic where she's from?

[bitch4bitch]

"Yeah - depending on who you ask." She snorts at that, like she made some kind of joke there that Yuka has no context for - which is actually exactly what she did.

"Thing is, the only magic I'm used to full-blooded humans being able to use is ritual. Like, sure, you can get a charm set on a weapon or somethin' if you really want to, but humans can't usually just... whip out giant keys or fireballs or whatever. 'Powers' 'n all that aren't really something that happen, unless they've got some magic blood in them."

[shineinside]

The joke does go over her head, but she at least recognizes it as a joke. Maybe she's had to live with some kind of prejudice in her world. Probably better not to ask, especially since this is their first meeting.

Yuka folds her arms thoughtfully. All this stuff about other worlds is honestly fascinating. "Where I'm from, magic was supposed to be something that only exists in fiction, so I probably would have been amazed if I saw someone use a magic weapon. I basically stumbled blindly into an alternate world connected to mine through dreams, and that's where all my powers came from. Even then, it took some really drastic events before I was able to use any of them outside of that dream world. I wish I could tell you something concrete about how it works, but the only person who knew more about it than me and Kyouko, uh... wasn't exactly a good person."

The tactful way of describing someone who tried to end the world.

[bitch4bitch]

Though Erika wouldn't really mind explaining if Yuka asked, she's not too surprised that she doesn't ask. Actually, the fact that she just moves on from it instead of hemming and hawing about how to respond is a definite point in her favor, in Erika's opinion.

"A dream world? Huh, that's... interesting." Could be cool, could be suspicious, she'll figure out what she thinks of that later. "Who's, uh... Kyouko?"

[shineinside]

"She's... a friend." She blushes, though, suddenly realizing she hasn't told anyone about their actual relationship yet. "We're from the same world, and we've been through a lot together. She has the same kind of powers I do, but she's a lot stronger."

[bitch4bitch]

Erika saw that blush, and she raises her eyebrows a little. A friend, huh. She just won't comment on that part.

"Yeah? Is she here, too?" If she is, that seems like it'd be pretty great for both of them. Being alone here, without anyone else from your world, seems like it'd kind of suck.

[shineinside]

Ah, heck.

"Yeah, she's..." She glances over at the nearby ruin that she's calling a home. "We're living together right now. I don't think I would be holding myself together at this point if I had to do it alone."

[bitch4bitch]

"Good. Uh, that she's here, not the... potential-not-holding-together part." She probably gets what Erika means, right? Right. "How's the whole living together thing working out for you guys?"

[shineinside]

She gets it, yeah. You're good, Erika.

"I was kind of nervous about sharing a living space with someone else at first, but it's been really nice." Now that she's over the initial embarrassment, Yuka visibly brightens while talking about Kyouko. "Having someone waiting for you when you go home at the end of the day makes me feel less... lost, I guess. It's like I actually live here, instead of just being stuck on a weird island."

[bitch4bitch]

"Yeah? Good for you two." Holy shit this is adorable, enough so that Erika is actually willing to hold off on ruining it by being... well, herself. "That really does sound like a big help with... y'know, dealing with all this. Probably makes being out here in the middle of nowhere less boring, too."

[shineinside]

Yuka glances over at the ruin she calls a house, at the edge of the training space. She looks a little apprehensive. "If I'm being honest about this... I'm happier here than I was at home. There are a lot of painful things that I left behind, and it's sort of like I can start over with a new life now."

[bitch4bitch]

"...Huh." That is, admittedly, kind of hard to imagine from Erika's point of view. But she doesn't sound dubious; just thoughtful, considering that.

"Guess I can kinda see that, if it sucked so much for you back home." She can't imagine choosing this place over her own world, but that's her, and this is someone else. "...Must've really sucked for you to want to stick around in this... leaf-dump. So, uh. Sorry 'bout that."

Yeah, she'll accept it but she really, really doesn't get it.

[shineinside]

"Y... Yeah, it's not like I was in more danger of dying or getting attacked back at home, but I'm pretty good at fighting and surviving, so that isn't really... it's more complicated than that."

She trails off a bit, looking down. Behind her back, she half-consciously clutches her arm.

It feels easier to continue this thought with a sympathetic stranger than with someone she actually knows. The stakes are lower.

"...I was born... male. So, I'm expected to live the rest of my life as a man. But, now that I'm here, I can leave that all behind and start over as 'Yuka'..."

[bitch4bitch]

Erika tilts her head, raising her eyebrows slightly, as Yuka explains. That... she can actually see how someone would take living on some kind of garbage island over that, yeah. Especially if this kid's got what it takes to deal with this place.

"Y'know... fair enough. Like, if it's between living on some island where the sun dies once in a while or having to pretend to be someone you're not, all the time, forever? I can kinda see choosing this place. 'Specially if there's someone you care about with you."

[shineinside]

"That's it exactly." Yuka relaxes when she sees that Erika seems to understand where she's coming from. The people she's talked to about her past so far have been much more sympathetic than she expected - just another reason to prefer Enso to home. "No matter what kind of crisis happens here, I can face it as myself. Monsters are much easier to fight."

[bitch4bitch]

"Right. Can't really punch social expectations 'n that shit in the face." Not literally, anyway. "I mean, not that punching individual assholes can't be pretty satisfying, but that's best done strategically, y'know?"

Enjoy that... advice? It might be advice, though Yuka strikes her as the type who's probably got a handle on the whole "not just fucking up everyone who bothers you" thing. Possibly better than Erika herself does.