[closed] "getting three gorgeous men to protect you during training is impressive..."

[gotyourbach]

Who: kaede akamatsu (gotyourbach), qrow branwen (blodsvorr), goro akechi (grakraka), gundam tanaka (gundamned), ryuji sakamoto (ryuji)

Where: the dojo!

When: pre-Candlenights log

What: Nervous about taking a weapons class for the first time, Kaede invited several of her friends to come with her. Like, half of them are there for entirely different reasons, though.

Content Warning: Ryuji is a vulgar boy, also Akechi is here? So who knows, really. Possible spoilers for DRV3 I guess.

[Welcome to the dojo! While this particular room might be soundproofed from the outside, the inside is anything but restful and contemplative. The high ceilings and slightly-springy mats reflect the sound back inside, the crack of wood against wood and metal against metal as others train inside really creating the atmosphere that this is a place to learn how to fight. Or wallflower. Or watch out for weird perverts. Hey, whatever you're here for!]

Comments

[gotyourbach]

1.

[Regardless of any ulterior motives some of the others here might have (Ryuji, Qrow), Kaede is genuinely here to try to learn. She's tugged her long blonde hair up into a ponytail and donned a comfortable pair of leggings and a flowing tunic at an attempt of being functional. Cute! Looking cute is important! But functional. Her gloves are thick enough that she feels a little more at ease holding a quarterstaff in both hands as she lingers near the edge of the mats, trying to work up the courage to actually step out there.]

2.

[After she's had the chance to run through some warmups, and her fingers are, miraculously, still intact, she can be found sitting on the side with a water bottle, already exhausted, but still cheerful! Things are going well, after all, and even if she smacked herself in the legs a few times with the staff, at one point so spectacularly that she tripped herself and went sprawling face-first, she's still looking forward to the next bit. Even if this teacher seems a little harsh...]

Here, did you bring any water?

[She offers it up to whoever's wandered close enough with a bright smile.]

I'm not sick or anything, so it's fine to share it.

3.

[At some point after Qrow has disappeared into the professor's office for some kind of discussion, Kaede is... kind of at a loss? And feels terribly guilty, because if she'd been a better student, then Qrow wouldn't have felt the need to step in like he had.]

Aaah, jeez... this isn't what I was expecting at all...

[Now she's bruised, exhausted, and embarrassed... F.]

4. Wildcard!! [i forgot one until farrah's toplevel]

[blodsvorr]

a

[Qrow, who is absolutely wearing the school uniform entirely because he had to but modified it extensively to be Punk, is at the back of the room, leaning against the wall, one of his feet pressed against it, his arms folded. It is very much the vibe of a Rebellious Teen Who Rejects Authority Figures, but he is no teen. He is, unfortunately, an adult. At least in body.

Anyway, for about the first half hour of the lesson, Qrow is going to linger there at the back, watching. While some people (Ryuji) may find this concerning, further inspection will reveal two things: one, that he's wearing a serious frown, complete with a scrunched up nose of distaste, and two, that he's not watching Kaede. He is watching the teacher.

And the longer things go on, the scrunchier that nose gets. Someone is disapproving, but is determined to give it a half hour before stepping in. Chat before he does?]

b

[It is after that half hour that the entire class is treated to a beautiful drama as the local Adult Goth kicks off from the wall, hands in his pockets, and steps between Kaede and Professor Schimmrigk by catching Schimmrigk's staff as it's about to come down.]

Right. Because this is the teaching method that's gonna work. Ever heard of adapting to suit your students, Schimmy?

[Unsurprisingly, this does not start this conversation off on the right foot.] "I have. Have you heard of something called consistency? It's how children learn new things."

Yeah, no, this is just being an inflexible ass. Every student's different, and you're gonna let them down if you don't adapt your teaching style to them and let them adapt their combat styles to suit their personalities.

"Adapt their combat styles to suit their personalities? Yes, and let's just let chaos unfold while we're at it. Teaching like this will keep them safe in the field."

Teaching like this will get them hurt in the field because you're not teaching them anything. But hey, if you want me to show you have to do your job, I'd be happy to step in.

"It's sweet you think you could do better than me teaching. I can smell the whiskey on you. Are you sure it's safe for you to be armed around children?"

I'm not sure it's safe for me to be armed around you.

"I'm terrified. Why don't you prove it?" [The staff has been yanked out of Qrow's hand and pointed his way. Someone is in a fighting mood.]

[Qrow draws his own weapon. In a whirr of mechanical parts, it extends to the form of a large two-handed sword. Anyone who still has soul-related powers may sense that the Aura of Qrow's soul has shifted to envelop his body.] Age before beauty, Schimmy.

"Then put your weapon away, and we will fight."

Yeah, I'm gonna—what. [Hold on he did not plan for this. What. Qrow is now staring.]

"An honourable duel is conducted as hand-to-hand combat. That's the way of my order."

[...................................Shit. Qrow was Taiyang Xiao Long's teammate for long enough to know what happens if he has to go hand-to-hand against an expert in the field. He isn't winning this one. Time for Plan B. Because only one of the kids in this room will realize what Qrow is about to do, and honestly, Qrow's pretty sure that Akechi will approve.] I'm not a monk, I'm a Huntsman. I'm not doing hand-to-hand.

"Scared?"

Schimmy, you'd kick my ass at hand-to-hand. I'm passable for when I'm disarmed, but I'm a goddamned s—

"Please watch your language around the children."

[Qrow just. GROANS at this point, putting Harbinger away.] Look, I'm not going to fight an expert in a field that I've only practiced in often enough to keep an ex-teammate off my back about it. Let's deal with this like adults and talk about your pedagogy in private. Alright?

[Schimmrigk, who is a man of honour, agrees to these more civilized terms. Qrow gives a little wave towards the children and says, "Be back in a bit, kids!" but there is a brief moment where he—makes eye contact with Akechi? and seems to be grinning a little? Maybe you imagined that.

Or maybe Qrow is about to live up to the name of a crow collection. Some time later, after an unfortunate conversation, Qrow comes back with his hands in his pockets, whistling idly.]

Alright, kids. Looks like Schimmy is gonna take a sabbatical after an accident with someone's familiar and some exploding pocky. I'll be teaching you for the rest of the session, and if you want to find someone else to instruct you after, I can help you pick them out.

[Wow Qrow just murdered a dude to take his job!]

c

[obviously you can wildcard him at any point in this nonsense]

[gotyourbach]

[Hey, guess who's been stewing in guilty frustration since someone stepped into the middle of her training? It's this girl!! The second Qrow finishes addressing the class, she's stepping forward until they're almost toe-to-toe, hands balled into angry fists at her sides to match the glare.]

What did you do to him, Qrow-san?

[She's not entirely stupid, and while poor, dearly departed Schimmrigk had been kind of strict and frustrating to try to learn from, he didn't deserve whatever Qrow had threatened him with!]

3

[ryuji]

[...]

Holy shit, I haven't been this second-hand embarrassed since I dreamed I had to give a presentation in Kawakami sensei's class in nothing but undies and a trucker hat.

[What? It's true.

What the hell is Qrow doing?

Oh, he should probably clear up what he means for Kaede- he wasn't embarrassed at her by her attempt at training.]

Er... not you. You did pretty good? I mean, I dunno. It's your first time, right?

a is for asshole

[ryuji]

[You know who is an actually rebellious teen, with a whole lot of issues with adults doing skeevy shit around teenagers? He's casually up against the wall next to Qrow, proper attire and all (his cardigan is two-three sizes too big, he hated the form fitting design that the gnome insisted on, and eventually caved to his bickering demands), completed with a Windsor knot that he definitely didn't tie himself. A reformed punk. Maybe post-90s anarcho-capitalist punk. Who cares about labels anymore, anyway?

And he's watching Kaede try her goddamned best at learning something that definitely doesn't come natural to her. Ryuji pretty much picked up a baseball bat, a lead pipe- eventually the replica of Sun Wukong's staff- and it was a breeze for him. Hitting shit was almost his calling.

Like kneecaps.

Arms crossed, out of earshot from Kaede, he pulls off the over defensive asshole like he is-]

So, uh. Got anything you wanna say about this?

[blodsvorr]

[Wow?? How could you accuse him, an innocent bird man, of doing anything?

Qrow's eyebrows lift, but in many ways, he respects Kaede's outright bravery and determination in this moment. It suggests a strong sense of morality and the backbone to support it. That's good. It is never, in Qrow's books, a bad thing for a child to be able to stand up to an adult.]

Look, the guy was clearly stressed out. He even knocked his water on me while we were talking. I think he was due for a break, and that glitter bomb made him realize it.

[gotyourbach]

Mmmmnnnngggggghhhhhhhh!!!!!!

[It's a long, drawn out noise of embarrassed frustration as she grabs her staff and falls back to the side, wishing for nothing more than to just disappear. Ryuji's right, it's embarrassing!! But saying it out loud gets him an annoyed pout until he clarifies. Even then, the annoyance fades, but the embarrassment still stings.]

It's okay, you don't have to make me feel better...

[She really was giving it her all out there, but it didn't feel like she was making much progress with someone who didn't seem to understand that no, she's never worked with any weapon before, and while her coordination for hitting piano keys is nearly unmatched, trying to twirl a staff is a lot harder than it seems for someone as unathletic as she is!]

...Is everyone still looking at me?

[The other students, she means. She's not looking up from her toes to see what kinds of judging stares the other students might be leveling at her. Having a guy who's almost old enough to be her dad step in on her first day training?? That's NOT the reputation she wants to have for her first day at school!]

[blodsvorr]

[Shooting kneecaps is fun too.

Qrow is not surprised to see Actual Rebellious Teen Ryuji show up.]

A lot of things, but I figure I owe him at least another fifteen minutes of failing Teaching 101 before I have a talk with him.

["a talk"]

[ryuji]

[He's supposed to be getting a second chance at not making himself look like a totally socially inept outcast- he kind of talked to Dave and Akira a little bit about why he wanted to go to Academy to begin with, and it was to finish what he started back home. To make his mom proud, yeah, but... also to just be proud of himself, for once.

Flies out the window when Kaede more or less lets on that she's a little scared to know what other people think of her performance. He can see a few people looking in their direction, and his focus will shift from her- to them. He flashes a menacing gaze, and shakes his head- a warning to them not to fuck around and go find something else to do in the meantime. Ryuji, when he wants to, can look pretty threatening, and it's only ever made worse when there's someone he feels like he needs to protect. It's pretty effective.

Snapping back to reality, he shakes his head at her.]

Nah, no one's lookin' at you at all. Probably just tryin' to figure out how bad they're gonna be when they have to try or somethin'.

[This whole situation is kind of a mess.]

Why do you wanna use a staff, anyway?

[ryuji]

[Rebelliousness is a weapon! Who woulda thunk it.]

Nah, ain't what I'm talkin' about. Either you got some real twisted way of talkin' to girls or you gotta watch your phrasing.

[He's not looking at Qrow directly, still keeping his eyes on the training that's unfolding. Never having anything really formative about his own style other than what felt right, instincts, the power behind his swing, all of this is really foreign to him.]

[blodsvorr]

[....?????]

You wanna run that one by me again?

[gotyourbach]

Mmmnnnggghh...

[It's the same drawn-out pouting noise she'd treated Ryuji to earlier, except this one is even more annoyed. That guy was a teacher! A jerk, but a teacher!]

You could have at least let him finish the lesson...

[She doesn't buy it. Local birdman disappears into a room for a friendly chat with a guy he'd tried to duel, and only the challenger comes out? It's fishier than one of Mozart's operas being played by the Lisztfish!]

[ryuji]

She said that some old guy at the warehouse wanted to teach her how to use a staff.

[And considering the number of adults present.]

[blodsvorr]

[He is an absolute innocent who has done nothing wrong, in his life, ever.

Also, he has nieces. Pouting cannot defeat him. He has stood strong against the most powerful protests over the years.]

He agreed to the conversation, kid. We teachers love talking pedagogy. If you don't believe me, you can go ask Schimms yourself.

[Schimmrigk is doomed to forever get nickname variants from Qrow, yes.]

1/kelly

[blodsvorr]

[She said what.]

2/??

[blodsvorr]

[Gods. Of course she did. Of course she'd put it like that. This is the kid who just readily trusted him. Why wouldn't she put it like that?]

[gotyourbach]

[Ryuji, NO she does not deserve him ruining his second chance at not having a punk reputation.]

Oh... that's good...

[She's honestly not used to people not looking at her. She usually stands out! And while it's a relief in some ways, knowing that they're not looking at her judgingly, it also means she's not worth their notice, either, right? No, that can't be right...

Kaede exhales a sigh, runs a hand through her hair to push sweaty bangs away from her eyes. She's glad she opted for leggings under her uniform skirt, with as much as she's tripped over the staff already, but now she's sweaty and gross.]

Because... I want to be able to defend myself. If we're really supposed to be doing, like, missions and stuff... I don't want to let anybody down or force anybody else to protect me.

[She definitely doesn't feel like she deserves that.]

done

[blodsvorr]

[Qrow groans, running his hand over his face.]

Well, I can tell you the kid has no sense of stranger danger, so sure, fair enough. We met at Fantasy Costco while she was debating weapons. We talked about what she thought would suit her, and I said a staff. [He counts off the reasons on his fingers] Range, crowd control, and a lack of sharp edges. My first suggestion was hand-to-hand, actually, but she wanted to keep her fingers safe for piano. I offered to go with her, because she seemed worried about combat, and I wasn't sure if the teachers here were any good at their job.

[Qrow glances back at Schimmeister, his expression briefly flickering back to annoyed. Because Schimmy sucks!!

His attention then comes back to Ryuji, because Ryuji's concerns were very fair, and they need to be addressed.



Wait a second.]

She called me old? Not okay.

[gotyourbach]

...

[She doesn't want to ever see that teacher again, to tell the truth!! Considering Qrow stepped in once already, she doesn't know how she'd ever look him in the eye. Honestly, she'd consider quitting the class and figuring out something else to train with...]

Still... that doesn't explain how sudden it was. Is pegadogy a fancy word for threats?

[blodsvorr]

It means teaching style. You know, the thing that he had that sucked.

[QROW HAVE YOU NOT PUT THAT MAN THROUGH ENOUGH

nope]

[ryuji]

[It's okay. He honestly didn't care that much for it to begin with. It was only a matter of time before his true nature came out anyway; Ryuji can't actually hide who he is or where he came from.]

Huh.

[She still looks a little dismayed, and it crosses his mind if she masochistically wanted people to be looking at her? He doesn't really understand the inner workings going on here, but again, Ryuji doesn't care about other people.

He tilts his head, looking at her, investigating. He remembers the way she held that knife and how the form was all off- shit, he knows what holding a knife looks like... he's watched Akira do it for what felt like hundreds of hours.]

Lemme see your hands.

[He holds his out to take hers, if she'll let him.]

i love that we all just drag kelly now

[ryuji]

[The gut feeling in his stomach that had displaced a weird sense of "this isn't right" seems to calm down a bit. The guy he met in the Test of Initiation didn't sound like he fit the bill, but chalk this up to Ryuji's ever persistent distrust of adults.

He's actually grateful for the explanation. He was, seriously, going to confront Qrow about it, and if he got dodgy, he'd pull off trying to threaten him, even without the credentials to back any of that up. He doesn't care about the size of the enemy or the skill, just like Qrow going off later to "discuss" with the teacher instead of facing someone that's outclassed him by a wide margin.]

Shit... thank god.

[He sighs, posture going back to its own shitty slouch to take pressure off of his leg.]

I dunno what I was kinda expectin' here. Seriously... was ready to throw down a fight with you. Just, uh... Past experiences, I guesses.

[Ryuji also sucks at not telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.]

Yeah, no shit. Teachers are never good at their job.

[He'll evade the "old" comment, at least.]

[gotyourbach]

[Her arms are shaking slightly with fatigue already from the unfamiliar motion of using a staff. It's her forearms more than anything that are taking the brunt of it; her back, her shoulders, her hands are decently toned from hours upon hours of sitting upright at a piano bench, but these are all new movements. And she was truly putting every ounce of her energy into every strike, because she doesn't know how to do anything halfway.]

Huh? Okay...

[She blinks at him, eyes flicking over his face, trying to figure out what he's getting at. But she leans down to set her staff by her feet so she can start tugging her gloves off. They were Akechi's recommendation, flexible enough not to hinder her movement much, but strong enough to offer some protection. She tucks them under her arm and holds out her hands. There's nothing too notable about them, really; her fingers are long and slim, the skin smooth and uncalloused. It's clear she's never done anything to risk damaging them in any way, not even a scar from an inadvertent scrape.

And they're shaking slightly, too. Again, her forearms.]

But... why?

[gotyourbach]

That's really harsh!

[Well, so was the-man-formerly-known-as-professor. She scowls up at Qrow again.]

Even if you're a teacher, that doesn't mean you can just stop somebody else's lesson like that...

[She's embarrassed!! Think of her feelings, baka!!]

[ryuji]

[Ryuji will go about taking them, palm to palm. He raises them up, and down, and notices that she's got a certain tremble to her from overexertion. As a person who stayed up into the late hours of the night palace diving, he knows that feeling.]

You're pushin' yourself way too hard. You gotta ease into it, or else you're gonna hurt yourself.

[Maybe, if he had continued down the path he was originally meant for, he could've scrambled himself up some funds, gone to college, got a physical therapy certificate. He's not great at healing arts, but he knows about the ways bodies move and the way that they're not supposed to move, and Kaede pushing too hard is a sign of someone who doesn't know what they're doing with their body.

He flexes her wrist down. Qrow told him that she played the piano, and he spreads out her fingers, looking at how soft and nimble they are. If it's flustering for Kaede, it's definitely not for Ryuji, since being physical and forward is pretty much his day-to-day, and he's really just trying to put together what he wants to say.]

I don't think you've got the wrists for this shit.

[Blunt, just like his weapon of choice.]

You're s'posed to strike with your strength, y'know?

[Looking up at her, his eyes search around, and he's sadly, in a way, reminded of Ann. He'd do the same if it were her.]

Why don't you use something like a whip? It's got range to it, so you don't have to be all up in your opponent's grill, and it's more about wrist movement than actually strikin' something.

[He'll let go at this point.]

Looks like you've got a ton of flexibility in your hands. Akira's kinda the same way. He uses daggers 'cause of it.