closed

[triplerose]

Who: Loras Tyrell (triplerose) & Peter Parker (webdesigned)
What: Sword lessons.
When: Early November.
Where: Somewhere in Wyver.
Warning(s): TBD.



[ It happened in a sort of round about way. What had started as a plain conversation had somehow led to Loras agreeing to this, teaching Peter how to handle a sword. Naturally, the young knight believed it to be a necessary skill and Peter was eager, so. Why not.

Besides, it would give Loras some practice as well.

In Wyver there's plenty of space that's not inhabited. Loras picks for them somewhere open, with good visibility under a clear sky. He's even fashioned Peter a practice sword. Not like there's much else taking up his time, and he's certainly not entrusting Peter with a real sword right away. ]

A proper practice sword is weighted, but I'm afraid this will have to do. We'll start with posture and the proper way to hold it.

Comments

[webdesigned]

( he is eager, though perhaps Peter is realistic in the fact he won't ever be a particularly gifted swordsman. that's not actually what this is about, and he can't truthfully tell Loras that. the fact is, for all his strength and abilities, he doesn't have any direct or distinct training. going on instinct only gets him so far, and it hasn't done much for his control.

Peter hopes this will. using a sword requires a hell of a lot of control. using a sword when you're strong enough to pick up a bullet train will also require a hell of a lot of control. control he needs, if he wants people to be safe around him. so he's here and he's willing to try his hardest, even if a part of Peter imagines he's not going to be the best swordsman in the world.

the sword Loras grants him is... well, it's not a sword. Peter can't say he was expecting sharps day one, though, so he doesn't mind. ) So this is... lighter? Than a sword would be? ( just to be clear, and man, he has no idea if even a practice sword should be hard for him to hold. this is already proving a test of his lying abilities (that barely exist) and they haven't even started yet. )

[triplerose]

[ Having no knowledge of Peter's circumstances, Loras just looks at him oddly the question. He doubts there's a world where wood is heavier than steel. ] Yes, of course. The weight is important. You can pick up any sword once you've learned to use one, though different weights will throw you off balance. And different weights will yield different results.

[ Loras, of course, prefers something lighter that offers him more agility and an easier time to recover from a swing. He can't imagine lugging around the broadswords some of his peers did. No wonder he'd bested so many of them, really.

Not that this is the time for fond nostalgia. Taking his own blade, he grasps the hilt with both hands. ] Try to mimic my stance. I'll correct you, of course.

[webdesigned]

( dONT LOOK AT HIM LIKE THAT, lORAS!!! most kids from queens are not aware of the weight of a sword, okay! or at least, one would hope that they aren't..... .... .. ...

he nods at the explanation, because it does make sense. going from something quite heavy to something very light would certainly feel different, especially if you'd practiced with something extensively. Peter does not get the sense things are very heavy easily these days, though, so it makes him wonder how he'll react to it. not, of course, that he can mention that to Loras.

he doesn't get time to overthink it (possibly a good thing) as Loras picks up his own sword and starts instructing. slightly harried, Peter tries to replicate his grip before he tries to replicate his stance. truthfully his stance is better than his grip on the sword. ) Like... this? ( cue a storm of readjustments as Peter himself decides, no, not like that at all. )

[triplerose]

Just - Stop for a moment.

[ Loras is used to training knights, eager young men excited to make their names, but even they have some idea of how things are done. He'd maybe underestimated the trials of training someone with no prior knowledge of sword handling.

Sheathing his own sword, he reaches to set his hands on Peter's shoulders. ]

It wasn't so bad before you started trying to fix it. Don't think too much about it.

[ Loras starts to adjust Peter's posture. ] Does this feel better?

[webdesigned]

( ah, so being neurotic and swordplay didn't mix. who would have ever thunk it...

Peter sees the touch coming and manages to not tense. it's always a little easier when he expects it. relaxing his head is about as difficult as it is to relax the rest of him, though he does try. kind of. )

I... I guess? ( not totally, because the foreign touch is weird, and he's surely not used to standing so straight. ) How do you fight without thinking much? Wouldn't that get people hurt?

( fighting generally gets people hurt, Peter, but the unspoken question here is the wrong people get hurt from a lack of thought. a lack of control. )

[triplerose]

It's ... I suppose it's like any skill.

[ He's never really had to explain it. Squires typically accept what their knight tells them and they apply it. Loras can't recall if he'd ever asked, either. ]

It's meant to be something that's simply a part of you. If you take the time to think in battle, you've lost your hand - possibly literally. This is why we practice.

[ He doesn't take up his own sword again, but he copies Peter's pose. ] This keeps you grounded while you're swinging around a blade. Or a morningstar. Or any other heavy weapon. It's where your power comes from.

[webdesigned]

( it's not quite the answer he wants. Peter thought he'd managed to get his powers down to instinct, thoughtless, a part of him. he'd thought that and he'd been wrong, and he still hasn't forgiven himself for it. he frowns at the butt of his practice blade, though he's not ready to throw in the towel yet. if he learns to find control in this, it could translate.

he's ready to try anything, at this point. )

Morningstar... That's the ball with the spikes on it? ( there's no chance Peter is ever going to try one of those, it's just jarring to think Loras is from a world where such weaponry was normal.

he glances next to him and slowly but surely corrects his posture, a limb at a time, until he thinks he is reflecting his talented example. the lift of his eyebrows is the unspoken inquiry whether he's managed it. )