Try not to trip ~ Tywin ~

[seiakera]

Coraman came out of her stretch slowly just as Tywin stepped up to her. "Have a good break?" She smirked, she knew all too well what trainees and guards liked to do on their off days. "Come, let's get started on basic movements." They headed towards the lathe rack and she motioned towards the different sizes and shapes, "Pick whatever feels right for you. We'll switch them out if you realize it's not working and once you find it, we'll head to the armory later to get you stocked with weapons."

 

ooc: I know you wanted to do short blades, go ahead and pick out a lathe fitting the size and weight that you think you'd like.

[Maurelle]

Tywin was eager to get back to training. The time off had been nice-he had used the chance to get to know the city of Tar Valon. It was a beautiful city and the amount of public spaces had been dizzying. He found himself enjoying the solitude of the gardens and parks almost as much as the rowdy crowds at some of the shadier taverns. The amount of respect his uniform gathered, however, was something that had made his skin crawl. He couldn't wait to be able to put on some normal clothing and not be noticed again. It went against ever instinct he had cultivated over the years to draw attention to himself.

 

He walked over the lathes, running his hands over wood that had been painstakingly polished over the years from use. He looked at one about the size of his whole arm and shook his head. He knew it was supposed to emulate a sword. While it was likely something he was going to have to know just because the weapon was so common and so many people wouldn't take you seriously as a threat without one, he had no intention of making it his primary weapon. He needed something like himself-something that could be hidden or used in close quarters. A slight smile curved on his lips as his fingers lighted on a smaller lathe. It was actually the smallest one there-the length from the tip of his fingers to his elbow. He gripped the slightly rougher end and twisted his wrist to get a feel for the weight. It weighed more than the type of dagger he was used to-those could fit in his coat sleeves with none the wiser.

 

"I'd like to try this one," Tywin said moving away from the lathe rack and into the practice ring. He moved so his feet were slightly more than shoulder width apart and waited to see what Coraman had planned.

[seiakera]

ooc: brief description of the movements here

 

ic: Coraman nodded at Tywin's choice and unsheathed her own lathe; typically she'd use both of her swords but for this training session, it was important not to overwhelm the student. "So, using your weapon is just a small part of swordmanship. Your feet work and coordination both are important."

 

She moved to stand beside Tywin, slightly ahead of him. "First, the foot work." She did the advance, retreat, and crossover moves, calling out each motion its name. "Let's do each one slowly first. Advance, move your feet without moving the rest of your body." She shuffled forward, "Keep your weight balanced and centered otherwise you're going to get knocked over."

 

They repeated the move several times until she felt he got the hang of it. "Next, retreat. Same thing as advance, just backwards. The only difference is go back on your heels. Don't use the balls of your feet." Tywin fell into this motion much quicker. "Good. And now, the crossover. You will be using this a lot." She smirked at him. Cora moved her trailing foot ahead of the forward foot then immediately moving her forward foot to the front. She repeated it in the advance and retreat, watching her student mimic her moves. "Got it?"

 

At Tywin's nod, she stood in front of him. "Now, for every action I do, I want you to react to it." She did a quick advance but nearly collided with Tywin. "Speed is very important, we'll work on that later." Cora smirked again. "Again." She did a quick advance.

 

ooc: go ahead and repeat the moves until he's comfortable with doing advances, retreats, and crossovers. It'll only take half a day

[Maurelle]

For the first time in a long time, Tywin actually felt awkward as he moved. He had excellent balance-it was of the utmost importance in his previous line of work. But holding his upper body in that proper almost stiff way felt just so wrong to him. The dragging steps and shuffled movement were easier. It was closer to a sped up version of the walks his father had taught him for stealth. His only gripe was the way the steps required him to use the heels and flat of his feet instead of the balls. He was used to stepping with first with the ball of his foot to feel out the step for anything that could make a noise before allowing his weight rest on all of his foot.

 

Time and repetition allowed him to loose that awkward feeling to his upper body and helped him to speed up. Sweat began to flow down his back despite the cooler weather and his smile returned with the increase in speed. His arms burned from holding the lathe in the same position Coraman did, but it wasn't a bad burn. One thing the past few weeks had taught him was the difference between a good and bad burn in his muscles. This was the good burn that told him he would likely be sore in the short term, but it was not passed where his muscles could endure. The bell ringing for dinner caught him off guard and he allowed his lathe to lower.

 

"Same time tomorrow?" he asked Coraman as he wipe his brow. He'd have to ask if he could remove his shirt during training next time-now that he wasn't moving his uniform tunic was starting to stick to him from the drying sweat. He waited for her nodded before heading off to dinner.