To Dance the Sharp Edge [Attn: Trent/Ayden]

[Roan]

Life as Gaidar Captain was never dull. Sure, there were days that were not as busy as others, but on the whole, Riahana was never bored. As a fully raised, and senior member of the Yards, Ria took it on herself to train anyone who came to her seeking to improve their hand at archery or sword. More often than not, those she trained were on the path to earning the Fancloak, but every now and again, those learning to channel would come to her seeking instruction. Today, she was expecting a Soldier named Ayden Tyre.

It wasn't until she returned to the Tower that Riahana realized how much she enjoyed teaching and training others. She felt great satisfaction when one of her students showed improvement in either sword or bow, and hoped the skills would prove useful to them during their time with the Tower.

Already in the Yards, Riahana grabbed two practice swords and took up a spot in her preferred sparring corner. She'd already had a busy morning between riding Lex, and working with a couple of Drin' on some simple sword forms, but she took time to stretch her back as she waited for her new student. As was her habit, the Gaidar pulled the Void around her, letting superfluous cares slide to the back of her mind so she could focus on the present moment. Once she felt she'd stretched enough, she started going through various sword forms with a grace that came with experience.

((OOC: Hope this works for you!))

[Trent]

Ayden couldn't shake the feeling of nervousness in his stomach as he walked to the Warder Yards. He had decided he'd been neglecting his sword training long enough. He hadn't had any formal training since leaving the Mayene army, and he wanted to make sure he didn't lose his skills completely. That being said, it had been a while and he was probably very rusty. He'd requested a sword training session with the Yards and was surprised to find out that the Gaidin Captain was going to be instructing him herself. That certainly didn't ease his nervousness.

He was wearing a simple training garb common in the Yards, yet most of the drin and ji knew he wasn't one of the regulars there. He ignored the sneers from some of the Warders in Training. Some of the idiot ones didn't always welcome the channelers to the Yards, and some of the men also didn't take kindly to his reputation of liking men. He didn't care. It was never anything anyone in Mayene cared about, and he would be damned if he was going to hide it here. It was none of their business who he slept with unless it was one of them sharing his bed.

Ayden spotted his trainer, thankful that he was not yet late, and began working his way over to her. "Gaidin Captain," he said, bowing. "I appreciate you taking the time to train me. My name is Ayden Tyre of Mayene, ma'am."

[Roan]

Finishing the current move, Riahana Folded the Fan to sheath her sword. There was a light sheen of sweat on her forehead, but she looked otherwise fresh and ready to go. Offering a warm smile, she replied, "Welcome to the Warder Yards, Soldier Tyre." She unbuckled the belt that held her sword at her hip and moved to a rack of practice swords that were on the side of the sparring arena Ria had chosen for them to use this morning.

Hanging her sword belt from the rack, the Gaidar Captain grabbed two practice swords with sheaths and closed the distance to her student for the day. "While you attach the sword, and stretch, why don't you tell me what experience you have with the sword? Are you familiar with a guard, defensive moves and offensive strikes? Do you happen to know any forms?"

It wasn't Ria's intention to throw a dozen questions at the young man all at once, but she did want to get a good idea of what experience he would bring to today's lesson. She didn't want to go over things he already knew unless it was to help improve form. She had at least a couple more questions, but figured that was more than enough to throw his way for now.

[Trent]

Ayden tried not to be too intimidated by his teacher for the day, seeing her so expertly finish her own practicing. She moved with a grace and power that was very impressive. He had always found himself to be... mediocre at best with the sword. Hopefully she could impart some of that to him. He took the practice sword from her and began buckling the sheath in place, trying to follow all of her questions at once. He started doing his stretches as he answered.

"Very little, ma'am. Basic training in the Mayene army. As a field medic though I was passed as soon as I learned how not to stab myself with it accidentally," he said with a smirk. "I know the basic guards and a few forms." Even the stretching he was doing made him grimace as he realized how out of practice he was. He’d been keeping in relative shape through running and some lifting with some of the other soldiers, but weapons training and the stretches required were a whole different matter. He hoped his teacher didn’t notice too much of his discomfort.

He finished stretching and stood up, thinking it would be a good idea to be as honest with her as possible. “To be blunt, ma’am. That was years ago, and with all my studies here at the Tower, and having to leave and come back, I’ve barely done any practicing. It would probably be best to pretend I don’t know anything and start from the beginning.”

[Roan]

As Riahana fastened the practice sword belt at her hip, she listened to Ayden explain his past experiences, and then summarily toss it all out. She offered a small smile as she nodded, "Well then, we will certainly go back to the very beginning, though it has been my experience that despite stepping away from the blade for extended periods of time, certain things stay with us. Unfortunately, it is often the bad habits that stick with us, not the good ones."

The Gaidar Unfolded the Fan, withdrawing the practice blade from its sheath, "I will also hazard a guess that we do not need to go so far back to the beginning that I explain the anatomy of a blade, yes?" With the question she offered a friendly smile, and carried on, "Though perhaps one thing you may not have learned in your early days working with a sword. . .while the pointy end is often the lethal end, do not think the rest of the weapon is just for show."

Gripping the sword just below the hilt, Ria pointed to the pommel, "Too often, swordsmen forget that there can be a great deal of weight in the pommel of a sword. If you use it to deliver a blow to the head, you could do some real damage to your opponent. The hilt can also be used to your advantage. While there are a few forms that focus on using not just the pointy bit," she couldn't help the smirk, "most will not. In other words, while I may not show you how to take full advantage of the full weapon, I want you to think beyond the forms."

Ria let a stray thought go to one of her recent students, and wondered what Dax would add to her last statement. He surprised her in his eagerness to learn the forms once he knew it meant he didn't have to abandon his own fighting style. She knew Ayden was a very different man to Daks. . .the way Ayden was so dismissive of his past being one very big hint at their significant differences.

[Trent]

Ayden grinned at Ria's remark about going over the anatomy of the blade again. "No, ma'am. I think the very very beginnings are still with me." He drew the practice sword, it's wooden blade weighted to attempt to match the feel of a typical sword. True as she had said, it did feel familiar in his hand. The endless military drills hadn't quite left him yet after all. He went through a couple of very basic forms to test the weight of the sword and get a feel for it.

"I know what you mean, about the hilt that is. I'll definitely make sure to remember that.” His form footwork was off, something he’d always struggled with. He was a great dancer, but somehow put sword in his hand and he had two left feet.

Once he had a feel for the sword in his hand, he noticed Riahana was waiting for him to finish and pay attention to her again. “Sorry,” he said a bit sheepishly, “old habits do die hard apparently. Where should we begin?”

OOC: Short and sweet, just to get the ball rolling again.

[Roan]

Riahana smirked, “We begin at the beginning. . .sort of. Place your sword back in its scabbard for now, and we will start with drawing and re-sheathing your weapon.” The Gaidar Captain took one long, smooth step back from Ayden as she Folded the Fan, “How a swordsman draws their weapon says a lot about the person wielding the blade. Those who’ve rarely held a sword lack grace and fluidity. Those who have some competence can do it swiftly, but still lack a grace that hints towards competence and confidence.”

Without any further explanation, Riahana Unfolded the Fan, and in one simple motion, had her blade out as she settled into a generic high guard stance. “A person who is an expert with the blade can launch into an attack directly from the sheath if they master this move.” She Folded the Fan and repeated Unfolding the Fan once again, “The aim is for a fluid, smooth arc, and when done well, it shows confidence.”

Ria watched Ayden’s expressions as she demonstrated the move, looking for any hint of uncertainty. “It is not enough to draw the weapon with such confidence, but also to put it away once the battle has been won,” she continued. “The opposite move is Folding the Fan, and it should also be a smooth arc. Initially, you will need to look to your sheath to place the blade, and that is ok. I still have to look from time to time. One key step with the move is the arc of the blade, as it is meant to rid it of the blood of your opponent.

“It is a grim thought, to be sure, but we do not learn weapons just to attack practice dummies. We learn the skills to protect ourselves, or those we are bonded to. In my mind, if combat can be avoided, it should be. . .at all cost, but there are times when it is the only option. When you are faced with it, you should go in with the intent to win. If you can end it without killing, more power to you, but combat is often a case of you or them. The Tower would rather it be you to walk out the victor,” Ria finished, a small, grim smile evident.

She nodded towards the soldier, “Now you try both moves. If you’ve learned any guard stances, settle into a guard stance when you finish drawing the weapon, before you then re-sheath it.”

[Trent]

Ayden

Watching attentively, Ayden followed Riahana’s movements in his mind as she demonstrated them, trying to picture himself doing them as she did. This method was how he had first learned to fight. Picture yourself doing the thing you wanted to learn perfectly, then use that mental model to train the body over time and practice. He already noticed from Riahana’s fluid movement that his unsheathing had been, clumsy, for lack of a better word. He definitely was out of practice. He tried to keep his face impassive, but it definitely showed determination and a drive to learn. He had once considered this type of thing not very important, but he had learned that he had definitely entered into a much more dangerous world than the one he would have otherwise been a part of. He was to be an Asha’man, and even if he had a Warder someday, he would at least know how to defend himself. When she nodded to him to begin to practice he took a deep breath and placed his footing solidly where he wanted them. He unfolded the fan and settled into his standard low guard, hilt and arms near his waist, sword angled up and crossing him. He then folded the fan trying to duplicate the graceful arc that her sword had followed. It didn’t exactly work, and he almost missed the sheath even while looking at it, but it was a start. Determined and knowing his efforts had been a bit choppy, Ayden went at it again. Focusing each time on making the arc more fluid. He managed a bit of an improvement, but he knew this would take more than a few tries in one session to get down. He knew what he was adding to his personal training in the morning tomorrow in addition to his normal fitness routine. When he was starting to get a little more comfortable, he paused, sword sheathed again and waited to see what instruction or corrections Riahana would have for him.

[Roan]

Riahana Ferria

“You have a good start with drawing and sheathing your weapon. It will become more natural the more you practice. For now, we will move onto guards, and then two moves meant to help all swordsmen and women improve their footwork,” she explained as she laid out the rest of the agenda.

The Gaidar Captain brought her blade up and held it horizontally in front of her body, with the hilt on her right side, “I will introduce you to one guard each lesson. Today, we start with The Kingfisher Watches the Sky. It is a good first guard to learn, as it puts you in a defensive stance, with the blade held horizontally in front of your body. The grip should be on your strong side, and for me, it is my right side. This is considered a middle guard.

“From your guard stance, you will then bring your blade up towards your shoulder, or even as high as your head, and pivot on one foot as you move the blade in a horizontal slash,” she demonstrated the move before going back to the guard stance. “The move is called The Heron Wading in the Rushes, and it is meant to help teach balance and footing. I will stress it not a form to use in combat,” Ria explained as she repeated the move. “Notice how it leaves you completely open. . .if you were to do this move on the battlefield, your opponent would land a killing blow without blinking.”

Returning to the guard stance once again, Ria purposefully overextended as she transitioned from the guard stance to the form, “There are times when you mis-judge, mis-step, over-reach, or otherwise put yourself in a position where you need to correct your posture, footing, or balance. When this happens, there is a move called The Ribbon Dances on the Breeze. Notice that as I overreach, instead of trying to force the blade back to me, I let momentum guide the blade, maintaining the arc of movement from the initial swing.” She paused in her breakdown of the move as she brought the blade behind her, and back over her head before getting back into her guard stance. “Let the momentum of the weapon do the work for you, just as anyone who fights with heavier weapons like war hammers might.”

Keeping her blade in hand, Riahana stepped back to give the young man space, “It is your turn. Practice the guard stance I demonstrated, calling out its name as you settle into it. Then move into The Heron Wading in the Rushes, before moving to The Ribbon Dances on the Breeze, and then back to The Kingfisher Watches the Sky. Do that set of moves from guard, to Heron to Ribbon back to guard, three times.

OOC: This will be the end of the day's lesson. You can show Ayden going through these, and Ria offering minor corrections before closing out the day. They'll meet again in two days and she will continue with their next lesson then.