deercountry | Sept. Catch-All; I was dead when I woke up this morning/And I'll be dead before the day is done...

Entry tags:

Sept. Catch-All; I was dead when I woke up this morning/And I'll be dead before the day is done...

Who:

survivalthroughhate and YOU!
What: September catch-all
When: All throughout September and possibly October
Where: All over Trench

Content Warnings: TDM and event warnings, mentions of food deprivation of both as a child and as an adult, cannibalism

Prompts in the comments!

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The touch is unexpected, and Robby's fists flinch, stopped from doing more as he realises where it comes from; because his eyes might be closed, but he can sense - in no special means, but as a human does - the other body in front of him, and who it is. He would've looked, but something clings him to this meditation, session, whatever it is right now. Unlike any meditative session he's had before, encouraging the emotions strongest in him, and why would it be anything else than fear?

Robby clings on anyway. Next to this edge he's put himself near, remembering the worst of it, a dark place to go. It might be Maul's words that help to keep him from gasping, pulling away, declaring this as too much, just for a chance to escape the view over that railing he's brought his heart too close to again.

But, also: he didn't come here to give in. It's that same defiance as before, if not as heated; that same strength in him that keeps him clinging on, and despite his uneven breathing making his head dizzy, he's slowing it back down. Darth Maul had told him to feel his emotions, and there's more to him than just this: the fear, the indignation.

There's more. There's the bad and the good -- there's accepting both, and finding clarity anyway: finding balance. And this is unlike Mister LaRusso's lesson, but there's still the student in there who believed in it, believes, under those taught to him by Kreese or Silver. The ones to shut down his heart, become unbending.

He remembers his breathing, a set of hand motions meant to help steady him that he can't currently make. Guilt colouring some of their edges to think about them, but Robby doesn't let that from helping him to regain his breathing to as steady of a place it's going to be right now; despite the slight pain in his throat, the sting behind his eyes that might be from more than how tightly he's been keeping them closed. He doesn't let go of the emotions, but he accepts them: the fear what he did, what he could do; that guilt from a teacher betrayed. Only, he lets back in what brought him here in the first place.

Survival, despite everything. His focus, despite his anger, or because of it -- because what has pushed him forward better than his drive to prove something of himself? Better?

If only to shove it in the face of a few. If only to make life better for himself, and those he cares about.

Maul waits with eyes closed again, letting himself be fully present in the Dark Side, allowing his patience to grow and be near infinite in this state. He can feel it, the moment that Robby is able to feel his emotions the way Maul has been trying to get him to. He doesn't shy away from them or keep fighting against what he's feeling. Something that has been very rigid inside the boy is now beginning to bend again.

He lets Robby stay like that for minutes on end to make sure he's finally gotten the point of the lesson. When he thinks he's ready, he opens up his eyes, and removes his hands from where they're placed over Robby's. "Good. Very good," Maul says in that whisper-soft voice of his. "You've taken the first step. Now we can begin." He stands back up in one smooth movement. "Wait here."

He goes back into the house and comes back out with a number of different weapons. They're all made of wood. He's starting from the ground up with Robby, so he's not getting to use weapons that can do more than a little bit of damage until he's sure he won't hurt himself or do it to others unless it's deliberate. Even then, wood can still break bones or crack skulls open with the right moves. "Now, to begin, we must first figure out what kind of weapon you are going to use. Something a bit more ranged--" He flips around a wooden staff that has been sharpened at both ends in a movement reminiscent of what he showed Robby in the library with his saberstaff. "--Or something that gets you a bit closer." He holds up a wooden dagger by its tip. There's more than just that he's brought out, including a sword that's reminiscent in design of a Japanese katana, one designed to be a bit more like a broadsword, a spear, a pike, and a short-handled axe.

"First we must figure out which weapon fits you. Then the physical training shall commence," Maul says. He gestures to what he's put on the ground. "So take your pick."

If there's anything that can leave you humble, it's exposure to your own emotions when you're more than willing to shut them away. Even as Maul rises to gather the weapons, Robby opens his eyes, and he feels dazed, rattled -- sheepish going into this next part. He's glad for that moment though, where he gets to blink his eyes open, wipe his face with his hands and sit on that experience.

Locking up his emotions and disregarding all else had made him hate the result, but doing the opposite -- it's a work in progress on how he feels about it. But he's looking more subdued than what he might've had the weapons been brought out earlier, more thoughtful and cautious when he picks himself up onto his feet.

More serious, even, when he considers the selection. He's been using a short-handled axe as it is, but he's not sure that he'd want to continue with that; and the swords might be an option, but that he can figure out on the side with Tory. It's not a main draw. Rather--

He wants distance, doesn't he? He's not completely drawn to (wooden) blades, but the staff keeps his attention longer as he assesses. Maybe because he remembers the bo staffs from the dojos, offering familiarity, or because it seems to have more flexibility.

Robby will take it, holding out he has for it than just grabbing at it if Maul is still holding it. But once it's in his hands, though being a training weapon, he does try to get a feel for it, the way its balance tips or equalises in his hands depending on the weight distribution, where his hands grip.

"I can use it to defend too -- make a barrier between me and the enemy, push it back." He speaks the thought out loud, a glance taken to the dagger. "--but a knife can help too, if something gets on top of me."

A swift kill, he thinks, but doesn't say. Even if it's monsters he's thinking about, it's strange to speak about so casually.

"--Can I try this?" The staff, that is, its hold moved into one hand.

Maul's methods are unconventional but there's a definite purpose to them. Robby is in just the right emotional headspace to begin learning how to use weapons. Serious and cautious are two good traits to have when learning techniques to kill monsters (or people) with. He's also got that strength right there at the surface, another sure thing one wants when learning about fighting.

He watches carefully to see which weapon Robby will be drawn to. There's a slight smile on his face as Maul passes over the staff when asked. He approves of the choice on a personal level given his own preference of weapons.

He lets Robby get a feel for the bladed staff as he explains more about using weapons. The staff itself is evenly balanced and well-made for the purpose of training. Maul doesn't half-ass anything when it comes to his students and that includes the weapons they wield. "There's a way to learn to wield two weapons at the same time, one in each hand. Unless you're facing someone who is a true master of the blade, most of the time you will want blades of uneven length, a sword in one and a dirk or dagger in the other hand. That way you have something both with longer reach to use for offense and a shorter blade to parry the blade of the other person or to use for up close stabbing. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. One weapon at a time first."

"You've used one before," Maul observes. Robby's got the right grip for knowing how to hold a staff, two hands spaced apart the same way Maul was taught. Alright, so he won't be starting from scratch teaching this particular student. He picks up another staff near identical to the first one and goes into an offensive pose. "Now we shall see what you can do. Defend yourself." With no other warning and going fast and accurate, Maul uses his staff to aim for Robby's midsection. The blow is a testing one, not as much force behind as he might use, for he wants to see what the boy will do on the defensive.

You've used one is doing a lot of work in what that means.

But the staff is in his hands, the instruction is set, and there's no room for clarifying when it's taken by the approaching butt of the weapon (a sharp butt, to be exact). Robby's instincts show themselves in his not approaching the weapon head on, but by his feet moving his body to the side, a circular step to it. The footwork is better than what he does with the weapon, a slightly delayed action in bringing it down to try and force Maul's downward after he might have more of a chance of knocking it.

He's used to thinking without a weapon, and recalibrating that to what's actually needed is difficult when, as Robby admits in a hurried breath:

"It was never serious-- I screwed around with a friend."

Maul is watching what the boy does carefully, noting the clumsy attempt to deflect the blow and how he uses his feet to move as he does so. He deliberately lets Robby's clumsy move knock his staff aside. Then he pulls back for some instruction.

"With a bladed weapon, remember to use the flat of the blade when on defense. The sharp edge is for offense, when you're trying to maim or kill your opponent." Maul demonstrates what he means, showing the two different grips that can be used depending whether one is on offense or defense.

"Now I'm going to come at you again. I want you to work purely on defense. Use the ends of the staff as much as possible to deflect my staff." Maul comes at him again but this time he's slower. He wants Robby to start getting into good habits right from the start. The footwork is a good start but there's plenty of room for improvement.

He has to remember the way he used the weapon before, Robby knows. But he does listen to the instruction, adjusting his hands to copy the grip shown. Think staff, and not karate -- where the idea would be to get out of the weapon's way, without thinking of a weapon of your own.

But defence, Robby can do defence. And he has the heart of the idea to him when he makes the swing to knock aside the incoming staff that Maul; pushing it from himself, easier than it would be in a less forgiving opponent, putting weight into it to force it to an angle. He knows the purpose is to get the weapon away, or to create enough of an opening for your own to get through.

But, his task is defence. And Robby expects either comment, or for Maul to continue into another move. He'll move his weapon back into a position by his body if he's told to, or respond to how Maul moves his own. It feels a little like working on the fly for a guy whose lessons taught him moves before engaging with another, but Robby won't bow to the pressure it brings.

Maul strikes out a few more times, aiming at a different part of Robby's body each time. His moves are a little faster than before but still slower than Maul would go in a normal fight. He's still seeking to teach and get Robby used to the defensive style of wielding the staff. That won't happen if he beats the boy up in his very first lesson.

As he makes his moves, he calls out more instruction. "Don't let your feet get stuck to the ground. Fighting is very much like a dance with the other person. You make a move and they counter it, each of you going back and forth, with your head, hands, and feet all in harmony as you anticipate what to do next. If they circle you--" And Maul does, looking a bit like a predatory big cat as he does so before making a move like he's going for Robby's chest. "--Go in a counter-circle. Keep your eyes on their full form so you can see what their hands and feet will do next."

Reflexes aren't Robby's weakness. Defence is where he began his journey into fighting, and he knows how to use his body, using his hips to turn him and his feet to side-step. He knows how to use his hands, usually, but that's where his weak point shows. The way he directs the staff doesn't always feel right, and it probably isn't; and his own annoyance for such instances show on his face. Sloppy, he thinks to himself.

He really should've done more with this than trying to date his first sensei's daughter.

But if Maul had started to circle Robby without that instruction, he would've received what he was directing him to do regardless. Moving in a circle -- that's the way that Miyagi-do works, and every fighter knows to never let your opponent out of your sight. His feet had become somewhat plastered in those last few exchanges, more side to side than focusing on footwork; but once Maul himself starts to move, Robby does in turn.

Except, they're not slow steps. The moment that the strike for his chest comes, he bounces to move to the side much like he had before, but his arms work in better sync with the rest of his body by bringing his staff to sweep in a mostly straightened position, like a barrier in front of himself, better force into it to knock the weapon farther from his position.

"--My first teacher taught me that too," he says, some tinge of pride -- but really, he just feels more in his element when he's moving. His speed might be his asset here, and knowing how to move -- better than his strength, currently.

"Now we are getting somewhere," Maul says, sounding pleased as Robby goes on the defensive and blocks his offensive staff movements with more success than he's been previously having. There's a clear formative base to the teen's movements even before he mentions being taught previously by someone else. All Maul needs to do is keep building upon that.

He does a few more strikes out each time to see how Robby will block them and likes what he sees. The boy is getting the hang of things. Muscle memory counts for a great deal in fighting and the only way to learn is to just keep repeating the same movements over and over again. It's a tedious method but a tried and true one.

Since he doesn't want Robby getting complacent, Maul suddenly takes a step back, flipping his staff around so he's holding it almost behind him with one hand. "I have seen what you'll do with an attacker who is at a distance from you. Now let us see what you shall do with one close up."

Maul's fast, far faster than a normal human being. He's right in front of Robby before the teen can move away or change direction. Maul brings his staff up and starts hammering at the staff the human is holding, a move that involves putting all his weight on one foot, bringing his staff down, and then repeating the motion by hopping forward on the same foot at the same time he brings his staff down again, providing an extra burst of power behind the second blow. His sharp eyes miss nothing as he observes what Robby will do next.

Repetition is the key to karate, as Robby's learnt. Repeating sets, keeping movements precise, applying each one to different scenarios. He hasn't had the time to become complacent in the past few months, and right now, for the confidence slowly being built and allowing him some clarity in his decisions, he knows there's more to learn.

Still, none of that shit really means anything with what comes next. Robby wants to move when Maul comes in, but he can't, the weapon coming down on him, and his initial foot response is to put one foot back, knees slightly bent, hips turned and his lower body becoming an anchor just so he can keep himself grounded for the blow that comes down on him. It shakes through his staff and his fingers in a way that's uncomfortable, new for the force put behind the strikes. Alarming in a way that rattles the way his heart beats, and he's been forced into a defensive position against someone faster.

--but he's got strength, too. It's a flash decision, and it comes the second that Robby sees Maul turn his staff for another swing, that miniscule opening between attacks. With a sharp grunt, he takes the very same back leg that had been keeping him steady and uses it to provide an extra force in the same given when he thrusts his staff in an upwards angle -- to meet Maul's and to force it upward, and to give the foot he's now brought forward and carrying strength to meet harshly -- if it makes contact -- towards the side of Maul's knee, his inner thigh. A strike meant to buckle balance, and Robby tries to get his foot hooked behind the calf and to use his upper weight to finish the goal of tripping the other -- his upper body acting as a means to push back against the body in front of him, weapons up to keep them from being used.

Robby doesn't know if it'll work -- but he doesn't hesitate, doesn't withdraw his strength, in trying to make it to.

Rather like his father when Maul first fought Johnny, Robby is about to discover the very painful fact that Maul’s legs are made up of pure metal when he tries a more offensive move. All that happens when he makes contact with Maul’s inner leg is a very loud Clang! sound. He’ll be feeling the pain after that move. As for Maul himself, he doesn’t even flinch. Instead, he uses the opportunity to wait for an opening to present itself to bring this sparring session to a close. Being a full fifty percent made of metal means he’s got a much more solid center of balance, making it hard to knock him down in fights.

Once he sees the opportunity he’s been waiting for, he uses the opening to get under the staff Robby is holding and knocks it aside, so the teen will find himself with the sharp end being pointed at his throat. Maul is breathing a little harder than when they had started the session but not by much. “A good effort on the initiative taken but not quite satisfactory.” That’s a high compliment to be receiving from Maul, for he usually has nothing but criticisms when it comes to talking about the combat skills of others.

He stays in the same position for a few moments, the sharp end still pointed at Robby’s throat, his intense gaze unblinking, before he finally relents and pulls the weapon back. “That went about as well as I expected for your first time sparring. Still, there is plenty of time and room for improvement.”

When his foot hits as sharply as it does against metal, Robby doesn't have time for regret. He's rather too busy in the middle of a "Fuck--" that takes up all focus--because fuck. fuck, fuck. It's exactly the opening Maul wants, when even Robby's hold of his staff slackens at his elbows, a single step taken back in the same instance his hands are emptied of his weapon.

It's over before he manages to realise it, though his eyes regaining focus on the end pointed directly at his throat gives him a pretty good idea. Chin lifting instinctively when it comes together, the pursed mouth and the swallow he takes as much for the pain as the conclusion of this bout. It's strange, exposing in a way he's not used to, to have been holding and weapon and then not.

Robby doesn't take the remark personally, but he chews on the result between his teeth: it was sloppy. He can do better--no, he wants to do better. It's in the furrowed brow, the hold of his eyes that flick between the staff and then Maul. A pride swallowed down where it belongs, but an expression hardly disheartened; there's some apprehension behind his eyes, but he never lets his gaze falter.

He's breathing harder than Maul - more from exertion, but some for his position - and his hands are still up where they were before the staff removed. They only come down once the weapon pointed at him does, after he lets his shoulders sag, exhaling out a long breath, and he rubs at the crook of his neck. He's never started learning from off a spar before -- it's different.

"If you teach me moves, I'll practice moves, every day. I can do better."

He'll be sure about that. When he wants something, he'll train for it, and he picks up the staff, ready even, should Maul be to show him more.

"A good rule for both combat and life: always know who and what you are going up against before you start any fights or endeavors." Maul reaches down and folds up his right pant leg, revealing the entire thing is a prosthetic. Then he lets the fabric drop back down. "But I don't let most people know that ahead of time. It's always an advantage when someone tricks a kick and ends up with pain for their troubles." And he's gotten kicks aimed at both his legs and crotch quite frequently given the amount of times

He doesn't quite smile but his eyes light up with something like excitement and approval both running through them when Robby continues to show interest in learning. "That is what I was hoping you would say." He slides his foot under the staff Robby dropped and kicks it upwards in the air for him to catch.

After he does, he turns to the side, letting Robby copy his profile and the stance he's in. "Let us begin..." Then he starts to show Robby a series of moves, slow and steady, but which altogether make up a series of offensive and defensive moves. Like Maul said earlier, it truly is rather like a dance once all of them are put together in a pattern.

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Sept. Catch-All; I was dead when I woke up this morning/And I'll be dead before the day is done...

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