deercountry | [closed] don't call him dr. L

Entry tags:

nehan: ray

[closed] don't call him dr. L

Who: Nehan and his students.
What: It's about time to start being a teacher, which means meeting up with them one by one and conducting their first lessons-- sparring for some, medic training for others. May not be completely nice and productive, due to blood type shenanigans. Thanks, December.
When: Early to mid-December.
Where: Nehan's house for medical studies, and some fields away from people for combat training.

Content Warnings: Physical violence, little bit of beasthood, potential potty mouths, potential squicky conversations, Nehan's personal issues with his disabilities. More TBA when they come up.

[[ starters in the comments below. if you'd like to get in on this but we haven't plotted it out, feel free to shoot me a pp at

wildtrapinch and we can talk! ]]

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"Anticipate when an attack is coming?" He's heard of skills like that but he wasn't aware it was a learned one. He honestly thought it was a more natural talent thing. If it was something he could learn, that could really turn the tide if he gets into a tough situation. "Is that really possible?" He asks as he stands up a little straighter.

It's the test of his capabilities with a spar that has him worried. He has no capabilities, so to speak, so as he watches as Nehan gets into what he can only assume is a fighting stance.

"Wh-what?" He glances around them, a little nervous. "Are you sure sparring is a good idea? I've never done this before."

"You'll be fine." Nehan's tail swishes from side to side, before he starts to shuck his coat and reveal that he's actually opted to dress light despite the weather. Without his coat and scarf, he only has a single layer of clothing between himself and the air.

And that layer isn't exactly enough, when his shirt is both sleeveless and backless.

"That will be how I gauge how you move, how quickly or slowly, if you attempt to dodge, or if your reflexes consider offense to be the best defense. I wont actually make any contact that will leave a bruise, and I'll stop when I see you're having trouble."

He watches Nehan carefully, trying to gauge on if he's serious or not, but he realizes quickly that he's quite serious. Especially as he strips off his coat and scarf (though wasn't he cold?). Ryunosuke bites on his lip nervously, worrying at the flesh before he too slips off his coat and scarf and sets them aside, revealing his school uniform underneath. He shivers at the cool contact of the air, but once they start moving he's certain the coat might be too warm.

"All right. As long as you're sure."

He wasn't going to argue, but maybe he should be a little more concerned. He has to remember some of the things Kazuma taught him during their free time, when he asked him to show him a thing or two. It's not much, but he readies himself as best as he can, fists up (an thumb placement correct so he doesn't break it), and he eases himself into a fighting stance.

Maybe this won't go too poorly!

"I'll look out for you," he says. A promise. Nehan's being more kind to him than to the other students he has under his wing because he thinks this is the best way to teach a complete newcomer. "There's no wrong movement, just an assessment of your abilities. Show me what you have, and if I hurt you, I'll take responsibility."

Nehan takes his stance, left foot forward and bent slightly, left arm aiming straight down as if hanging limp, right arm bent and his hand coming just up underneath his chin, fingers loose rather than his hand balled into a fist. If any outsider were to see them now, the difference would be night and day.

But the Erune is not surprised that Ryunosuke's stance is one of an amateur's, when they've been through this before. If anything, Ryunosuke strikes him as particularly stiff... Already one thing to make him unlearn.

Still, he gives the human a nod in encouragement, positive reinforcement, before he strikes out with the back of his left hand. A movement that should normally be as quick as a snake's strike, but Nehan slows down slightly for someone of Ryunosuke's skill and experience to see it, and react. Nehan will base his follow-up on what he does with it.

He's grateful for the encouragement, for the kindness that he shows compared to other students. Other students might not have nearly the lack of skill that he does, but it humbles him all the same. His expression is one of determination, hoping to not look like too much of a fool as he readies himself for the first attack.

When it comes, he's surprised at how quick it is, even slowed down. He's lucky that he has a keen eye, but he doesn't know what to do with it. It's not necessarily the greatest reaction, but he dodges backward, nearly losing his footing as he stumbles away from his strike. It's probably more astonishing that Ryunosuke managed to not get hit in the first place, but the whole movement could have been more fluid and a little less sluggish.

He's really not a fighter, and that much shows in how he carries himself, trying to get back into the basic fighting stance that he was in earlier, readying himself for the next attack.

So his instinct is to dodge-- it fits the Karm art, but of course, his follow-up is lacking. More than just.

The way Ryunosuke stumbles makes Nehan grab his arm to help steady the human.

"All right? Too fast, or too sudden for you?"

"Sorry." He mutters, grateful for the steady hand to aid him in righting himself. "Too fast? Or too sudden." He rubs his face, a little tense from the strike. "Can it be both?"

How do people do this regularly? He's not entirely certain that he'll be able to manage it without plenty of practice and training. Though with how Trench was he's pretty certain he'll need to learn quickly.

He really is nervous, isn't he? Perhaps a spar really is not the way to go, not immediately. Perhaps later... but not right now. Nehan releases Ryunosuke's wrist when he's sure the human can stand on his own again.

"It can be both. I apologize." Then he places his hand on Ryunosuke's chest. "Breathe deeply and settle yourself. No one can accomplish something, much less fight, if the nerves are too strong."

"Don't apologize." He offers a weary smile. "It's not necessarily a bad thing to learn, right? I'm very much new to all of this so it's nice to know what I can handle right off."

He nods, and takes the moment to steady himself. He didn't even realize how on edge he was until Nehan placed his hand on his chest, and he could feel his own hear beating a mile a minute. He closes his eyes, inhaling deep, exhaling slow, and he does this a few times before his heart slows to a much more normal pace.

"All right." He opens his eyes again. "Should we uh... try this again?"

Nehan tilts his head and studies Ryunosuke for a few seconds after that question, then nods and takes a step back. He crosses his arms and tucks his hands underneath them.

"Take a few exercises to loosen up first. Shake your limbs out, flex your shoulders. Being tense comes with being nervous, and relaxing your body can make this training less of an ordeal."

"Right. Good idea."

So he takes some time to do just that, stretching his arms and legs as he continues to take deep calming breaths. He needed to be less nervous, more sure of himself when it comes to fighting, but he's never needed to fight with his fists before. Fighting with words came easier to him now that he was confident in the courtroom.

He shakes out his shoulders, stretching his arms above his head one last time before he looks to Nehan.

"All right. Now what?"

"Now we continue." And Nehan takes his stance once more. "This time, you can make the first blow."

But he knows Ryunosuke may not like that suggestion. He knew it from the moment he had that sort of idea in his head, but Nehan still chooses to say it because it's all part of learning. Sparring with your teachers was one of the ways that Karm children learned how to fight.

"Don't worry-- you wont hurt me."

"I'm sure I won't."

Hurt him, that is. Nehan was a capable fighter, far more capable than he was considering the circumstances, and Ryunosuke didn't think he could hurt him if he really tried. He nods, however, and returns to his stance, a little less stiff than before and readies himself.

It's easy to see him coming because he's not trying to feint and surprise his opponent, but he throws his punch as he takes the few steps toward Nehan trying to get in closer range. His body language still shows his nerves, but at least he appears more relaxed than he had in the start of it.

Despite staying still as his student comes closer, Nehan tilts his body just enough to barely dodge Ryunosuke's fist-- "barely" is enough for someone like him, that he can counter. He squares his stance and raises his fist as if to get the human directly in the chest, but stops two inches away from meeting it.

"That was a dodge, and this is a counter." For emphasis, Nehan twists his fist, before taking it back, his tail wagging to keep himself balanced. "Others were more flashy with their work, but it all boiled down to footwork and a clear mind, to anticipate and make decisions in the moment."

He's not surprised at all at how easy it seem to dodge his attack. The way Nehan moves as he barely dodges the attack, and then counters so fluidly - it was amazing. He stands there for a moment, looking down at the fist at his chest before he nods.

"I see." He says, moving to take a step back. He wasn't going to be able to get the upper hand on this lesson, not with his lack of experience, but at least he could do his best to learn quickly. He shakes out his limbs again, and gets into his fighting stance once more.

"Could you show me again?"

Maybe if he went at it from a different angle...

"Of course."

Nehan returns to form quickly, fluidly, with the sort of ease to his motions afforded by such a loose stance, without his arms being held so rigidly against himself, or his legs so far apart. Being this loose makes him flexible.

"Try and hit me again."

All right. He takes a deep breath, squares up his stance, and just goes for it without thinking too much about it.

He goes for a different approach this time, swinging his arm from the side rather than going straight forward like the first time. It would mean that Nehan would need to dodge differently, but Ryunosuke doesn't expect anything less from someone who has been training for years.

He wonders, briefly, if he'll ever land a hit in the future as he improved his skills.

The Erune nods just a little when he sees that Ryunosuke is trying another angle and another approach this time around, and he's pleased that he's not just doing the same thing over and over. So Nehan doesn't doge the same way this time around.

He tilts his body to the side and away from Ryunosuke's arm, then circles around the human with a few choice steps-- though he stumbles once with his left leg, and even if he picks himself up quickly, he twists his mouth in irritation over his body's weakness-- and slaps at the back of Ryunosuke's shoulder, a parody of a real hit.

"If that were a real blow, it would have disabled the arm for a little while, or made the target stumble. You'll learn how to do that as well, eventually."

He's not surprised by the dodge in the least, but the way Nehan dodges catches him by surprise. He tries to turn, watching him from the corner of his eye before he feels the slap at the back of his shoulder. He blinks, before he turns to face the Erune with a bit of a shocked expression.

"Really? I didn't know you could disable someone's limb like that." Which he supposes would come in handy if he needed to actually fight a person. "You really think I'll be able to do that?"

Eventually, which is a good word to use. He's got a long way to go.

"You could, if you wanted to." Nehan nods, before raising his arm and locking his elbow in a 90-degree angle, his other hand in his elbow. "Or you could lock their arm in your own, and use your leg to attack instead. It all depends on your judgment, and what style you prefer to employ."

Then he relaxes again, and shakes his left leg out.

"I personally prefer not to grapple-- my body is not built for it."

"I'm not sure I'd be too good at grappling."

Though, he was still learning so he supposes he couldn't rule it out just yet. Then again he wasn't really certain he was capable of close-ranged combat, not yet anyway. He really ought to find a bow to give him some sort of advantage if it ever did come down to him fighting for his life.

"What is your style more like?"

"Waiting for the enemy to make the first move, and then striking. Counters and dodges, as I said." Then he waves a hand down at himself, at the way his ribs show through his skin in the cut out parts of his top, exposing scarred and too-pale skin to the air. "I'm too small, and my build is too frail, so I must rely on my speed and agility. Or a gun."

Then he looks up and down the human, ears tilting this way and that. Combining what he can observe with that he remembers of Ryunosuke... well, the man has practiced archery in the past, but he doesn't seem to have the arms or back for it. Maybe he can help improve on that, and even train him on his aim.

"You seem to be more like myself, if a little taller. But you'll do better, eventually."

"Speed and agility."

Or a gun. He supposes that makes sense, no one could really outrun a bullet now can they? Part of Ryunosuke wishes that he could take notes by writing things down but this wasn't the sort of thing you learn by reading. He needed to be an active participant, to learn by doing. Nehan understood his lack of experience, and was teaching him based on skill level (which let's be honest, he has no skill right now), so he needed to focus.

"I'm sure I will." He offers a smile, shaking out his limbs again. "I just need to get the basics down. What should I be doing differently?"

What he should be doing differently... There are so many answers to that, because Nehan knows the man has so much to work on. It really is tricky, but he eventually decides on one easy thing that Ryunosuke can work on, even without Nehan to supervise.

"Your footwork. Learn how to pick up your feet, how to move and position them-- if you know how to dodge well, but your feet don't move with the rest of your body, you're still in danger." Then he waves a hand. "This is something you can practice with, even without me."

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[closed] don't call him dr. L

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