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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[There are places in his defensive magic that are bearable temperatures. He isn’t a master at this yet. But he practices daily and it shows. The edges of the Pyro blend with the Cryo. It’s like smudging charcoal on a canvas with the white giving way to grey then black.

He stays where he is, not moving to chase Nehan. He observes too, it’s a few breathes of time then he surges forward. His expression doesn’t change, he has been good at poker face since his world shattered to pieces.

Well. What he believed the world to be. He aims his strikes to drive Nehan back but not in a straight line. That stumble is stuck in his head and he knows he can use it. If he can get him to do it again.]

[nehan's tail finally stops moving, freezing in an upward curl-- as it should be, given zuoyou's tail barely even moves, even if the wolf holds its own tail lower than its sleeper's.

he takes a deep breath to steady himself, even as diluc is coming at him from a strange angle. but as his style dictates, he has to wait, observe, and move accordingly.

he raises his arms to block diluc's strike, but not primarily on his left-- he knows he was too reliant on it before, and he cant be predictable. nehan notes that he really should learn cane fighting in the near future, perhaps commission a cane from that shop diluc brought him to. just so he doesn't forever rely on his unfeeling arm.

and should he manage to block, he pushes against the human bodily, shoulders forward.]

[Diluc has swung massive swords around since he was old enough to hold one. There is one thing he has discovered with all this hand to hand training, he is faster than he would be with the weight of it slowing him.

And all his strength devoted to the fight and not bearing the sword means he is a fairly steady man when blocking. He holds his ground and pushes back, breathing in slow and deep. His magic shifts, the mix flowing towards his front to be more precise there.

Like a shield wall shifting to deflect arrows.]

[nehan notes how diluc moves, and how he's trying to block. is he looking to block just one blow, or multiple ones? same source, or from multiple angles?

only one way to find out, as ever.

the erune takes a step forward, further into diluc's space, and punches. not a straight punch anywhere, but he twists and turns instead, delivering blows with both arms and even sometimes a knee to test diluc's defense. and if any of those get through his defense, it will hurt. nehan made sure of it.]

[And Diluc holds, twisting to intercept the attacks as necessary. The blows rain on him but his defenses are steady. The Cryo magic enforces his body and he notes how useful that is.

And the Pyro that is so natural to him swirls around them. This will all hurt like hell later. He lashes out with blows once the rest of his defense is over. But instead of just block, he will resume dodging.]

[he holds the position, which means he's not having trouble with nehan's blows. or perhaps he is, and his magic is compensating heavily, which will put a heavy strain on his body later outside of battle.

good, nehan thinks. let him feel the strain, and he can figure out how to fix that. because that's nehan's main goal in this sort of training-- finding diluc's weaknesses one by one and breaking them wide open to spur the human on to being strong, as diluc wanted.

and now, nehan fights dirty, because there's no such thing as honor in a brawl, not truly. whoever fights with honor is just lying to themselves. the erune steps on diluc's foot with his left leg, a risky choice when it can be so easily pushed away and nehan will be in trouble then, but he'll find a way to follow it up anyway. and then he rears his head back for a wind-up, then smashes it into the human's face. oh, he hopes he can break diluc's nose. at the very least split his lip.]

[The pain of his foot stepped on spurs him to shove Nehan away and duck his head. Their foreheads connect and leave him blinking spots away. He retreats with a hissed curse.

The draw back of using the mix of magic is the melt reaction when they meet. And why it hurts when he lets it go. He has to figure out how to fix that. Sessions like this give him the right field for it.

He growls, eyes flashing with fire as he moves forward again. And he has an idea.

He lashes out at Nehan but slides back, seeing if Nehan will follow him.]

[nehan growls at the clash of magic in diluc-- what the hell was that? an improper mishmash of magic, two elements clashing against each other in a detrimental way. that may be something he has to correct, perhaps even more than diluc's improper stance.

he shakes his head to clear his eye from the stars bursting in it from the headbutt, just in time to catch himself from lunging at diluc when the human pulls back and away from him. but then he realizes he has to recuperate, and puts a few more paces between them as his magic pools into his forehead to heal it.]

Your magic-- what is it doing?

What it would do naturally. [Diluc stops, breathing in as he lets his fire go. The Cryo magic flows like a cooling wind through him and out into the air.

He closes his eyes,] To be a Vision User is to pay a price for power. …I’m not so sure that’s the case here. I’ve been trying to have a different perspective, and training it. But at times, [He gestures widely. And under his direction, despite the pain of before, he layers the Pyro over the Cryo. This time there is no melt.

There is only a layering like sections of a cake set on top of each other.]

Don't give me that. [nehan's words are sharp, a snap like a bark.] Half your power is blood-related now, and you're well-removed from your world.

[then nehan crosses his arms like before signaling that their current spar is over, but he's willing to have another. as long as his demands are met.]

Put the vision away if you haven't already. Give it to Zuo if you must, but I don't want any part of it on you.

[For a moment he stares at him, a flame in his eyes. Then all magic dies away to nothing. Vision Users do pay a price and that price hasn’t changed since he was in a dream or now.

He can feel it. He steps back, and reaches down, unclipping his Vision. Visions are a light in the sea for those who are lost. A tool in the hands of the ambitious. Dellingr appears in a swirl of smoke and takes the Vision into his jaws. He walks away from the pair with it and drops it on the ground. But he looms over it.

He gave up his vision once in anger and broken faith. He won’t give it up again. Diluc waits, feeling that inability to call fire despite his soul singing with it. It is contained within. Like he is a mountain.]

Well? [nehan's ears flick forward.] Show me your magic.

Don't forget, this is for you to be able to use fire and ice together, and as far as I'm concerned, using that thing that the gods give you will simply cripple you. You're already too reliant on it as it is.

True power has to come from yourself.

[He has to remind himself that something is pushing on him subtly from within through his blood. That it might be pushing on others too. He takes a slow breath in then reaches down into his blood. The flames are there waiting but unable to be called for now.

But then, Kaeya had done it without his vision in that hell hole of a tower. He turns the burn in his blood the way it seems to want to go. The cold swirls through him and around him, moving like a storm. Glittering crystals of ice catch the light. Without Pyro it moves smoothly, under his clear command. Pure and strong. But not as strong as his fire. Nothing could ever match that within him.]

[is it because he has no vision that he can use ice properly now? that the vision was holding him back? nehan has to push him even further.]

Fire, Diluc. [another sharp bark, nehan's tail wagging in irritation and impatience. then he takes a deep breath, and tries to figure out how to be a teacher, rather than an intense trainer.]

Focus, and use your fire. How did you feel, while using it with your vision? Use that-- don't think about the lack of it, but the freedom of movement you now have.

[He closes his eyes and sits down, hand against the ground. He breathes in and forces all outside influences away.

In the tower he felt the power surge then released with the Vision appearing in the flames. He moves past those memories to Mondstadt and daily battles. He lifts his hand from the ground and taps the burning in his blood.

The ice vanishes and the world turns as warm as a summer day. Flames pour forth and wrap around him as if he were a campfire. He doesn’t think. There is the flames and there is him. He brings his arms up towards his chest and the pure blazing hot flames shape themselves into the familiar bird of fire, waiting to be unleashed. He tips back and sends it streaking upwards into the sky over head.

The flames like the ice is solid and pure. The blaze of it however is vastly stronger, moving around and through him as the very air he breathes.]

[this is not what nehan explicitly instructed, but he's not a complete tyrant. he simply stays silent as diluc clearly works through what the erune's just said, and how to work magic that's his own. or meant to be his own, because he shouldn't be at the behest of cruel gods, like that barbatos.

and it seems like diluc's meditations work.]

Good. I want you to remember that feeling.

[without his cane and adrenaline running through his body, nehan has to drag his leg. he staggers to diluc, and looks down at him.] Stand up and show me properly what you've accomplished.

[He has taught his students that magic obeys the wielder. Their perceptions shape the way the power flows but it is theirs. It belongs to their soul.

Until now he hasn’t fully grasped how that could change even his perceptions. Diluc climbs to his feet and the flames shift and move, rippling over him as he comes fully to his feet.

He doesn’t think of the rules he knows. Both elemental magics are his and come from the same source. Why should they oppose one another? He doesn’t think about how they shouldn’t.

That is meant for the past. Glittering shards of ice fall from his fingers and this time, the magic moves through him like an electric current. One way it flows out turns to heat. The other to bitter cold h it all of his magic is a burning power that sears no matter what way it cuts.

He is unharmed by it when perceived in this new mindset.]

Good. [another tidbit of praise, but when it comes from nehan, it's a heaping.]

Hold onto that feeling, because I will now teach you how to move. You attempted to copy my stance earlier, and you'll learn how to follow-up, and work with your own movements depending on your magic.

You're too tall for my clan, but we'll make it work.

[Diluc nods. Slowly he falls into the stance he copied, looking to Nehan to correct what he got wrong. He's a fast learner and vicious once he finds his footing. But right now he's quiet, calm, and oddly serene.

It has everything to do with banishing the past to the darkest corners of his mind and focusing on now. It's the Diluc he shows to Mondstadt on a day to day basis. Like a sword waiting to be directed in combat.]

Understood.

Relax. [nehan pushes a finger into diluc's ribs.] Breathe deep, flex your body, hold yourself loosely.

You know what happens when fire and ice come together, yes? Air and water-- and that's what you must be. [it's not the way a karm assassin would learn, but nehan has to adjust their teachings to use analogies a man from another world can learn.

he's doing it again, using their techniques in ways that would be frowned upon. but diluc is an honorable man who only wants to protect people... nehan imagines he is, for the first time in his life, upholding the clan's tenets of steeping himself in darkness to make sure that the common folk can live their lives peacefully.]

Flowing and able to adapt, no matter what comes your way.

[Flowing and adapting. Like the wind.

There is a time when he is like that. When he has two knives in his hands and walks in darkness. Sometimes it feels like the most honest version of himself these days. He works alone more often than not. He has to adapt to changing circumstances or die. There is no other option.

He breathes deep and the rigidity leaves him. He is a creature of the night, the lone owl watching for fools and prey. It’s like a final mask being shed even if he can almost feels the weight of the cloak and mask he wears in those late hours. He is what he must be. But that’s never been hard for him.

His father made an adaptable weapon by directing the vast passion of a young man who saw it his mission in life to protect others. All it takes is the right words and thoughts to turn the will of the blade towards a goal.]

Now, the stance... Our art relies on the fighter being able to anticipate a blow coming, and dodging it to create their own opening for a counterattack.

Surely you've seen me perform this over and over, shoddy as my technique is.

Footwork is key. Agility is key. Speed is key. [so many things are key, in the ways nehan's clan operate-- all of them have to be perfect in what they do, which highlights nehan's weakness all the more. he was never the best at anything, after all.] Judgement is also key-- which way you will dodge, and how you will repay that blow with one of your own. Taking a hit is... fine, I suppose, but the enemy will truly feel it if they're caught off guard, and that's what dodging will offer you.

[then he assumes his stance one more time, and leans back and shuffles his feet from side to side, showing how easy it is to move with arms free and not clenched so tightly to the body.]

[Diluc studies his footwork carefully. He will need to practice this, but the basics are still in line with what he is good at. With a claymore he is a bulwark. With knives, he has to dance and move with the flow of a fight.

Very like the wind. He moves shuffles then, moving slowly but smoothly. Just to show he could see what Nehan was getting at. He repeats it but faster. Unlike his fist work, there is clear habits and experience here.] Be as wind and lighting, then? I see.

Yes.

Loose with your arms and legs. Wait for an opening, and then punish. You may even use your legs. [nehan doesn't-- for obvious reasons.]

Now, you will try it. I throw a blow, and you dodge and counter-- understand?

[He doesn’t know what it says about him that once he thought of his night time fighting style and what it was for that it is easy to comply to those instructions.

He is no knight or even knight trained in this moment. He is part of an intelligence network spanding the whole of Teyvat and kills in the shadows where there is no room for errors. Even being cut could risk discovery. He nods once, waiting like an owl for the slightest movement in the proverbial grass.]

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