recolle | [Semi Closed] And your Bingo card

[Meeting up at the Rec Center for a spar seemed like the ideal place. And since she wasn't exactly sure if they'd have practice weapons she could use, Penelope had brought her own. A long wooden spear and a stout looking shillelagh poke out of a golf bag as she walks in, waving to her girlfriend.]

Yo. You ready?

[Freya's been at the Rec Cen for a while now, figuring she might as well get in some of her usual routine beforehand. She's on her cool-down when Pen arrives, a towel around her neck and a half-finished gatorade beside her on the bench, in black sports bra and shorts. There's two sets of kendo gear piled nearby; Freya had been surprised that the center had sets.]

[Her face splits in a slow, excited grin.] Am I. Really, how could I turn down personal lessons from miss little spearmaster herself?

[And she's honestly excited. Freya's always enjoyed anything resembling fighting far more than's probably normal. The fact that her girlfriend's willing to spar with her and teach her's just another point in her favor.]

[Penelope grins and sets down the bag, taking her shoes off before stepping out onto the mat with the fake weapons in hand. Dressed in shorts and a tanktop, she seems ready at least. Spinning the shillelagh between two fingers on one hand confidently, she tosses the long spear over towards her girlfriend. She fully expects the tall woman to catch it, big bad MMA fighter that she is.]

You asked, you know. Who am I to turn down a request from you, of all people.

[A shrug, the long cane still whirling.]

Unfortunately, unless the rec center has a staff, I've just got the one spear meaning we'll have to take turns or use different weapons for the main event. Which should be fine. I remember how to use these now too.

[Freya easily snatches it out of the air, head cocking to the side.] Well, aren't you turning out to be a weapon master.

Don't know about a staff, but they had these. [She nudges the armor with her foot.] Guess kendo's in weirdly high demand, or something. Should be fine for the full-contact stuff.

[Freya stands, tossing aside the towel and rolling her shoulders.] So, you starting me off with basics, or we jumpin' right in?

Hey, you laugh...

[Tossing the cane up in to the air, she catches it on the palm of her hand as it drops, easily seeming to balance the odd knob-topped thing. Showing off? Maybe. But that was seriously the coolest thing that she could imagine doing.]

In all seriousness, which would you prefer? I don't mind actually sparring with you, to get an idea of what you already know. That might be best, and it'd check off our bingo cards. But if you'd rather go over something simple first, that's fine.

[Jerking her hand quickly, she grabs the stick as it drops and starts towards the armor.]

[Freya's not jealous of her girlfriend's talent at all, and her expression shifts into something immensely approving. She, too, starts picking up the armor.]

Sparring's how I start everyone. They can work on muscle memory on their own time, once I know they're not gonna hurt themselves.

'Sides, [Freya adds after fastening the chest piece,] pain's a great teacher.

If you say so.

[Pen buckles on the chestplate, then slides on the wide waist guards, tightening them too.]

Definitely put on the headguard though. Just in case.

[She will be at least, so she won't get bonked in the head.]

Always. [Headshots are a serious concern. Especially when you're short.]

[Freya finishes securing her own gear and wanders to the center of the mat with her weapon. She honestly has no idea how to use it, but it seemed easy enough to figure out. Spears were for range, and for stabbing. Freya already knew body mechanics well, and it should transfer between sports enough to be effective.]

[...That said, she had no idea what to expect from Pen as a result.]

Alright. Let's get to the fun part, yeah? [It's more for the joke than being impatient.]

[Well, putting her helmet on and picking up the cane, Pen nods and steps out onto the mat. Spinning it in her fingers she sets it in a horizontal grip, the short, stout wood a steady feeling in her hands.]

Ready when you are, babe.

[She's going to start out by moving to the left, a slow, steady circle with her knees bent, ready to spring. No formality here, since she's not sure this stick fighting style has anything like a martial bow.]

[Freya adjusts her grip on the staff a few times to find a proper balance point, mentally reviewing the spearwork Pen showed her a few weeks ago. It seemed simple enough; a spear is a long weapon. If you have reach, abuse it, and do everything you can to keep playing the range game.]

[Freya nods in acknowledgement—and doesn't bother with circling, immediately surging forward in a hard lunging stab.]

[Pen clicks her tongue in what might seem a chiding manner. The spear coming towards her gets swept aside by the shillelagh, the knobbed cane clacking against the smooth wood as Pen steps smoothly to one side. She whirls it about and jabs the point at Freya's armored torso.

Reach is all well and good, but a spear does have a narrow point when used like that.]

[Freya hops back out of range quickly enough. Even if she's largely at a loss with how to effectively use her weapon, her reflexes are sharp and she's a good judge of reach.]

[After her spear's swept out to the side, she circles the end back in a crack at Pen's hands.]

[Pen's sort of ready for that, her hands sliding along the bar to the knob and avoiding that. Spinning the weapon again, she steps in close and low, aiming to get the knob hooked around an ankle or a knee...]

[It's sudden closing that does it. That movement triggers all of the wrong reflexes; Freya defaults to something familiar in that split-second decision to counter the counter. She throws her weight forward, Freya's left hand flying from her weapon to make a grab over Pen's arm as her targeted foot kicks forward to hook the other woman's ankle.]

[Which is definitely a take-down. And definitely not learning to spear-fight. Oops.]

[This? Is not what she had expected. With Freya dropping all pretense of learning the spear, Pen is just going to drop the club and do her best to take her fall with whatever grace she can manage. She rolls back, dropping lightly to the mat, and doesn't struggle when Freya drops down atop her.

Her palm slams onto the mat loudly, twice. A clear tapout unless reflexes keep this going.]

...Not what we were practicing!

[And her eyes are big, surprise evident there.]

[She realizes her mistake midway through the fall, but at that point, there wasn't much Freya could do to mitigate it. The taller woman lets go immediately after they land, rolling off and sitting up. Christ, that was actually really uncomfortable in stiff protective gear like this.]

I know, I know. I'm sorry; didn't mean to do that. [To her credit, though, Freya actually sounds embarrassed, for once.] ...just kind of automatic.

[Her hand starts to move towards the back of her head before she remembers the mask and gloves, and it resettles awkwardly over her staff.]

[Pen hops up quickly and picks up her cane, looking down at Freya for once in her life.]

I understand that. But that's a reflex you need to tamp down on. If I'd kept pressing the attack when you grabbed me we both would've regretted it. Even with the pads.

[That cane could've done some serious damage.]

It's different, with weapons.

[Offering a hand up, Pen puts on a less serious tone, since she can't be seen.]

Ready to try that again, babe? Or you want a breather?

[Not that they'd exerted anything, but offering it to let her partner clear her head seemed fair.]

Right. [Freya acknowledges as she takes that hand, using it to help herself to her feet.] Again. We just started.

[And she'll use her foot to pick up her weapon, moving back into a starting position.]

[Pen does the same, setting her shillelagh in the same position, and this time taking the initiative.

She moves in quick, around the point, sweeping the weapon at a downward angle, aiming for Freya's armored shoulder.]

[Freya shuffles back a step, tilting her weapon vertically as she did. The taller woman pivots to slam the shaft of the spear against the shillelagh to knock it off-course, then jab out the butt of the spear at Pen's side.]

[Pen's quicker than that, her wrist spinning, and her hand snatching the end of her cane before it flies off too much. She drives it back into the spear shaft with a loud crack to parry the hit.

With it still pressing into the spear, she steps forward, raking the wood towards Freya's exposed fingers. Then she steps to one side, using the knobbed handle to catch the shaft and yank at it, using that to try and pull it away.]]

[Even with the gloves, having her fingers smashed between the staves brings a sharp flash of pain. The raked hand releases its grip as Freya grunts, but it turns into a blessing in disguise; holding the staff one-handed weakens her position, but grants the cane less leverage. Freya twists her wrist outward to let her weapon slide along and free of the hook.]

[Which leaves her completely and utterly unguarded, with her staff clutched in her right hand and a straight shot to her torso. Freya doesn't think so much as she reacts; she hops back and spins all at once, whirling her weapon around in a wild swing.]

[It was extremely unconventional and likely ineffective.]

[It felt right.]

[It was unconventional, but then it looked right too. It looked natural, and Pen could tell at a glance that something had changed. She reacted in much the same way, with liquid fluidity and unconventional tactics. The wild swing cracks against the interposing cane that rose to meet it, impacting in a space between the two hands that gripped either side.

The hardwood sent the spear bouncing and Pen whirled her weapon in a spin, the momentum of her whole body going into the attack. The heavy knob crashes down onto Freya's exposed breastplate like a small hammer or a blunted axe, and then she stops and leaps back. It may be enough to knock her flat, but given that she pulled the hit at the last second, probably not unless Freya was off balance.]

So something changed there.

[Setting the cane in a mid-guard position she takes another step back and lowers it, indicating a stop.]

[The wild swing meets the cane with a thunderous crack. She'd just recovered from the impact, bracing her footing when she saw the shillelagh whipping down at her.]

[The blow doesn't knock Freya off her feet, but the force does stagger her back a few steps. It smarts, even with the breastplate, and Freya found herself laughing under her breath, heart hammering in her chest. She could tell that blow wasn't as vicious as it could have been, and they've only traded a few blows, but it's quick and intense; Pen wasn't holding her hand through this, and she loved it. She brings her weapon back into both hands, this time gripping it like a staff than a proper spear, as Pen's... stepping back.]

Did it? [She hadn't noticed; Freya's just been moving reflexively, trying to keep up with her girlfriend's otherworldly experience.] Oi, why'd you stop? It was just getting fun.

Edited 2017-07-18 20:40 (UTC)

[Pen plants the club against the mat and stares at Freya.]

For a second there, you were definitely doing some stuff no beginner would pull off. I wanted to stop, see if you could do a few forms. Just...go with whatever feels natural.

[She's getting an idea that her partner's reflexes aren't normal, and she's not just learning how to fight, but doing it reflexively.]

For Freya (Spar with someone)

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