Stances in Skirts

Writers: Arale, Miriah
Date Posted: 8th August 2012

Characters: J'ackt, Yarlna
Description: Yarlna finally gets to swing her practice sword.
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 9, day 1 of Turn 6

J'ackt

"No. Not like that." Jenackt frowned, still bundled up in his spare
coat as the winter night's chill ran through him. "You have to have
a good, steady stance before you're even ready to hold a sword."
He came behind her and firmly nudged her back. "Balance
and flexibility are everything. Settle your weight on the balls
of your feet. "

The first lessons had started and Jenackt was proving to already be
a hard task master. He had not even allowed Yarlna to swing one of the
practice bundles yet. "You'll have to work around your skirts." He said
with a deep frown. "They'll add weight to you and you'll have to make
up for it."

She'd been training, every second night for a few sevendays now and it
seemed like she was learning so slowly. Yarlna was determined that she
would learn how to use a sword though. She'd discovered a love of
secrets when she kept the existence of the stranger in the wherry pen
from her parents those sevendays ago and the idea of secretly knowing
how to use a sword was too good. Besides, the idea of disappointing
her friend was an unpleasant one.

If only she wasn't so hopeless at it though. She wasn't sure she'd
ever get to the point where she was allowed to use the 'practice
sword' Jenackt had made for her. Her footwork was always wrong, she
wasn't strong or fast enough to dodge when she was supposed to or fall
correctly. And the shell-cracked skirts she wore were a constant
nuisance. "What if I wore trousers when I came from now on? I could
let out one of my little brothers' pair and it might fit me."

Crouching, Jenackt looked up at her and shook his head. "That wouldn't
be a good idea. " Gesturing to her skirts, he continued. "You normally
wear skirts, not trousers. If you were to be attacked while wearing
skirts and you had only trained in trousers, you would be at a immediate
disadvantage."

He rose, then walked behind her, rubbing his hands to warm them. "You're
getting too frustrated. Breathe like I told you, deep from the belly. " He took
her shoulders and wiggled them. "Relax your shoulders and your arms.
Okay now, " He placed his hands on her hips and tilted them at an angle.
"Move your right foot back. Standing with your feet directly apart is not good
for your balance. You're too easily pushed back. Keep one foot behind you
and steady, but not too wide."

He adjusted her, then moved around to demonstrate. "That's it. Look at your
skirts this way: it hides your feet. An opponent will be used to
watchng how a man moves his legs to see where a strike will come.
The skirt will through them off, so it's an advantage you can use." He
considered her and then cracked a small grin. "They'll expect you to be
defenseless." He tapped his head. "Use it against them and they won't know
what's coming."

Yarlna paid attention to how he positioned her, being careful to move
her feet as directed while she listened to her friend's instructions.
"That's sneaky," she said with a mischievous and approving grin.
Still, the skirts were a real pain, devious plot to deceive potential
enemies or not.

After watching the demonstration a bit, she repeated the motions
again, going a bit slower than she had before and trying extra hard to
repeat everything perfectly. When she was finished, she looked at
Jenackt hopefully.

"Much better. You're getting it." Jenackt nodded with a light
uplifting of his lips. "Now..." he walked away and picked up one
of the practice bundle. It was light and when he experimentally
swung it, he revealed his own slinky grace. He nodded to himself
and placed it lightly in her hands.

"First thing...Do not grip it like a club. You have to let your wrists
be flexible. If your grip is tight, you're more likely to get disarmed."
He stepped back. "The sword is an extension of your arm. Think
of it as a sharp, pointed finger."

Yarlna gave a little hop of excitement with the compliment and the
even bigger one of being given the practice 'sword.' She couldn't
resist taking a few quick swings with it, and she enjoyed the swishing
sound it made.

After a moment of fun, however, she took a more solid grip on the
handle. "Like this?" She held her hands, gripping the 'sword,' for him
to examine. She was trying to grip it firmly, but still be flexible
with it. Which seemed like confusing instructions to follow, to be
honest, but the girl was determined to do it right now that she'd
finally been given the opportunity.

Jenackt crossed his arms over his chest and watched while she
took a few practice swings. His lips lifted slightly then he walked
behind her and placed his hands on her wrists, guiding her. "Keep
your elbows close to you. Never extend all the way unless you're
trying for a killing blow. It leaves you open." He tested her grip.
"Good." Taking her wrist in his hand, he moved it in a circular motion.
"Wrist flexible. Holding it stiff can strain the muscle and tire your
arm quickly."

He walked back in front of her and picked up his practice sword,
then stood in a basic guard, the hilt pointing towards his waist,
and the blade angled out. "Keep your elbows relaxed and bent. Put
both hands on the hilt"

Yarlna copied his stance and grip on her practice sword, doing her
best to hold the sword-shaped bundle of reeds just like he was. She
tried to keep her elbows bent and her arms relaxed, and thought she
was doing a fair job at it though her own sword was at a slightly
different angle than his and her feet a bit closer together because
the flame-blasted skirts made a wider stance uncomfortable. She looked
at her friend to gauge if she was doing it right or not.

He eyed her for a moment, then nodded. "This is a basic guard. Most
people call it the fool's guard because it looks like you're open. "
His eyes narrowed. "Now, thrust at me."

The girl thrust her sword at Jenackt, a look of complete concentration
on her face. The top of her tongue protruding a bit from the corner of
her mouth. She wanted to do it right, but the action felt clumsy.

Jenackt easily swatted the thrust away, and lightly smacked her
shoulder with his practice sword just enough to lightly sting, then
moved back to his stance just as quickly. "See what I mean? You
can react more quickly than it appears. Just don't extend yourself
fully unless you're trying to keep someone at a distance or it's a
killing blow."

He glanced up at the the night sky and exhaled before looking
back at her. "You're doing good for a beginner. We can stop
now. It's getting late. Bring pants next time." His lips slowly
lifted. "You need to build up some muscle."

Feeling a glowing sense of pride at the compliment, and a bit of dread
at the grin that accompanied the instruction, Yarlna smiled. She
handed over the practice sword for Jenackt to keep - she wouldn't dare
take it home to be discovered by a nosey brother - and, impulsively,
she gave her friend a quick hug. "Thanks, Jenackt! See you soon!" she
said before darting away to hurry home. It was late and she needed to
have at least made some progress on the shirt her mother had asked her
to mend before morning came.

Last updated on the August 11th 2012

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Stances in Skirts