Tactical Shenanigans [Closed | Anastasia]

[notquitedracula]

[A while back, Anya asked if people would help with one of her school subjects. Soma thought it odd at the time for a twelve year old to be taking something like combat tactics, but who was he to judge? He'd met Satsuki, after all, and she seemed the sort to include it as part of a curriculum.

It's for this reason that Soma has arranged to meet Anya at Holodeck'd today. It's a weekend - a Saturday, to be specific - so neither of them has any expected calls on their time. Anya of course has a curfew, but considering it's roughly 10 AM, that probably won't be an issue.

Probably.

Regardless, Soma's waiting at the door outside for Anya to arrive. This is part of his test of her capabilities, though she doesn't know it - getting here on her own, while a relatively simple feat, is something most kids would find daunting.]

Hello, Anya. Do you have everything you think you'll need? Barring weapons, of course - I've got those.

Comments

[innocent_royal]

Hi, Soma!

[And how does Anastasia arrive? Like a dainty Princess, she was carried princess-style to her destination by her Nidoking. The pokemon had her tote bag over its shoulder.]

I think I do. I got a athletic outfit just for this. I got Nebula, and a textbook on combat tactics and strategy and one on self-defense. Nido, you can put me down now.

[The Nidoking refused by letting out a hardy roar at Soma. Big pokemon still no likey other males.]

Nido? We've been over this. Do you want me to get Primarina out?

[Nidoking was quick that time to set Anastasia back down on her feet. It's easy to see she is wearing a pink tennis dress and a pink ribbon to hold her hair up in a ponytail.]

I'm sorry... You know how Nidoking is. I'm ready when you are.

[notquitedracula]

[Someday, he and that pokemon are going to have to sort things out. For now, however, Anya appears to have things well in hand. He nods at her list of equipment - had she shown up in that dress expecting to wear it throughout, he'd have been forced to take her back to Satsuki's for proper training clothing.]

I'd like to see your books when we get inside, just to make sure what I have planned lines up with your classes. Small unit tactics, squad tactics, and grand scale battles each require very different sets of skills, after all. I've got the place booked for the day, and I brought food for us - we should be relatively uninterrupted once we get started.

[He opens the door for her, classic gentleman as always, and the interior of Holodeck'd is in its base configuration - a large, empty white room. The computer terminal is on and out of sleep mode, though - someone's been in here recently. Probably Soma setting things up in advance.]

[innocent_royal]

[It's the most sporty outfit she has. Except for the P.E clothes, of course. Soma should know that Anastasia likes to dress cute. Luckily, though, she has that packed away in the tote as well.

Nidoking returns to it's Pokeball as Anastasia takes her bunny tote bag, fetching the specific textbook, but she was hesitant when he listed out the differing tactics they're going to cover. Nevertheless, she steps inside the room.]

Umm... Soma? My combat class is...mainly for self-defense, not leading whole armies...

[notquitedracula]

[That stops him cold. Slowly he turns to face her, giving her an odd look.]

Self defense? But why...? [He draws a deep breath, and lets it out in a sigh.] Why did they call it 'combat tactics' if it's just self defense? The only 'tactics' in a one-on-one fight are things you'd want to set up beforehand, like terrain and...argh. Sorry, my fault for assuming things.

[He rubs the back of his head, clearly at a momentary loss, then goes to the computer and hits all the 'close' buttons. Nothing he had set up would help with what she actually needs. He does save the programs, though - they might be helpful later, after all.]

Okay. So, here's the thing. I set up... pretty much everything I had planned based on a flawed assumption. Never let anyone convince you I'm flawless. Let's look at the books and see what we should be doing?

[innocent_royal]

[At first, Anastasia was intimidated by Soma's outburst. But when it was over, she couldn't help but let out a soft giggle.]

I believe it's the kind of self-defense that can easily be adapted to working with groups. I'm afraid you'll have to ask Satsuki for the full, how you say, "deets."

[Uh oh. She's learning high school lingo. Anastasia hands over the books, one for history of tactics and one on self-defense. The first book has a library due date on it for next week.]

[notquitedracula]

[He visibly cringes at the word, but says nothing on the subject. As he pages through the first book, he starts to frown - the frown deepens when he looks into the second one.] This is pretty advanced stuff to be teaching at the middle school level.

[The frown turns to a puzzled look as he notices the grade level printed on the covers.]

...This isn't a middle school book. This is highschool sophomore material.

[innocent_royal]

[What? It's a cute word!

Anastasia tilts her head slightly to the side inquisitively at his remarks.]

Is it? Yes, I believe so. Is there something wrong?

[notquitedracula]

[He's giving you an odd look, Anya.]

You're... in the tenth grade? In spite of being... what, twelve? You skipped three years of school?

[He's kind of impressed, really.]

[innocent_royal]

Um... Yes, and no? I think?

[That look is really putting her on the spot. She begins to mess with her ponytail nervously.]

Well, you know how I stopped aging, right? I'm technically fifteen years old...

[notquitedracula]

[The facepalm is slow, but thorough.]

You told me ages ago about that, but I never put two and two together. If these books are on a level with where you should be in school, that'd make you... what, fifteen?

[And a whole lot more dangerous to his promise to Satsuki, though that doesn't really cross his mind.]

That makes... quite a few things make more sense. [And makes him feel less bad about having feelings for her, though that doesn't consciously register either.]

Okay! Uh, why don't you go get changed, and I'll try to get something set up real quick with the computer?

[innocent_royal]

Yes. I am fifteen.

[As she just said.
When he asked her to change clothes, she looked over her pink tennis dress. It's sporty... What exactly is wrong is beyond her.]

Why? What's wrong with this?

[notquitedracula]

For a start, sweat. If you're going to practice self defense, you're going to work up a sweat at some point. It's also impractical for grappling, because there's so much loose cloth that it'd be easy to get a handhold. There's also, um... the question of decency, if either of us moves around a lot.

[Hard blush, awkward headrub, and shy lookaway. The holy trinity.]

[innocent_royal]

[She gets the second reasoning. But the last one? She has shorts on underneath her tennis dress, but that doesn't fix problem number 2.

But the first one?]

Sweat? That thing where people's skin gets wet to stay cool?

I can't do that. My people came to be without it. Is it going to be a problem?

[notquitedracula]

[He frowns thoughtfully. If she's going to try this in that dress, she probably did have the foresight to wear shorts underneath. More to the point, Satsuki would almost certainly have insisted. So, one argument invalid. The grappling one was still valid, but the first kind of surprises him.]

I didn't know that. It explains part of why you have so much trouble with heat, though. No, it shouldn't be a problem - as long as we take regular breaks, or crank the temperature in here down to a level where overheating won't be an issue for you. The circlet won't protect you from your own body heat, after all.

[innocent_royal]

That will be nice. Please do.

[It helps her take more breaks during P.E and a little bit of an excuse to watch the boys play ball games sometimes. But Soma,doesn't need to know that.]

Do you still want me to change, though? I have my uniform from P.E class as well.

[notquitedracula]

If you feel comfortable fighting in what you're wearing, it will work. I'll just have to be more careful.

[More careful about what, he isn't really willing to say just now. Especially in light of the revelation of her actual age.]

Make your choice while I get the environmental settings changed? It'll take me a few minutes, most likely.

[innocent_royal]

Okay. I'll be right back then.

[That was a fast choice. Anastasia leaves the room, coming back a few minutes later wearing her P.E uniform; a cotton white t-shirt and light blue shorts bearing the Hunnouji Academy emblem.]

I'm ready to begin if you are.

[notquitedracula]

Alright. First off, the basics. I want you to show me what you know - come at me with everything you have. No magic, just hands and feet.

[He shucks his coat, revealing his usual outfit beneath - black turtleneck, boot cut jeans, and boots, which he's already removed. No fair wearing steel-reinforced footwear if she's just got tennis shoes.

It's already much colder in the room now, and though it's still huge, the white room has taken on the appearance of a dojo.]

[innocent_royal]

O-oh... Okay.

[She brings up her itty-bitty dukes and widens her footing.]

Okay, here I go!

[Anastasia rushes at Soma and throws a left hook, following up with a push with her right hand.

Assuming she could be grabbed, she makes a spin and attempts a shoulder shove. Which doesn't do much to keep from getting grabbed anyway.

Given her size, its not surprising if all her strikes tickled.]

[notquitedracula]

[He makes very little effort to dodge - the idea is to find out what she can do, and work from that, after all.

Once it's clear she's done, he folds his arms and frowns.]

I have to assume at this point that no one has really taught you hand-to-hand combat of any kind. For someone your size, you should be focusing on agility and pinpoint strikes rather than attempting to use brute force. That, or using your opponent's mass against them - and preferably both.

[He goes over to his coat and pulls out a short sword and a shinai; the sword's edge has been ground flat, and a foam edge guard fitted over that, so that it poses little actual danger outside of possibly using it as a bludgeon.]

I know you're more skilled with a sword, so I'll actually put in an effort this time. Again, come at me with the intent to hurt me.

[innocent_royal]

[She could have called on the Divine of Winter and Competition. But that would be cheating.

Anastasia looks at the sword and frowns sadly when Soma told her to try to actually hurt him.]

Hurt you? But... Soma... I can't do that...

[notquitedracula]

Anya. You've seen me take hits from things that would kill most other people. I've taken even worse than that. You're not going to hurt me with a blunt sword with a foam edge guard, even if you really try. I need to see what you can do, firsthand, to figure out what you need to learn.

Now, come at me.

[innocent_royal]

[Well... He has a point. Anastasia takes a wide stance again, the sword held to her hip like it was sheathed.

She approaches slowly, cautiously, with her right hand on the sword handle. Then, she attempts this series if moves (that she saw on some video game advertisement);

She throws a high feint punch and a true attempt at low. Following with a low kick as she moves her hand back to th sword, drawing to jab with the pommel, then swipe up, then down.

Of course, as its not Nivian sword arts that she knew, she was slower and more clumsy.

Her attempt to be quick, however, burned through her stamina.]

[notquitedracula]

[At the end of her borrowed series, he reaches out and catches her blade with his bare hand - making sure, even now, to pinch the flat of the blade rather than holding it by the edge - and leans forward to give her a firm shove with his other hand. The one still wrapped around his shinai. His voice is raised just enough in anger to make his point:]

Princess Anastasia Leonheart. I have seen you wield a sword before. This paltry sham might look pretty from the side, but it's not going to fool anyone who knows how to fight. You're better than this, and we both know it. Now you can either start taking this seriously, or I will.

[innocent_royal]

[The shove was just hard enough for her yelp. Just enough for her to stumble back and fall.

She was stunned, looking at Soma in disbelief. Why does her heart hurt so much? On her knees, she buries her face in her hand, fighting back the urge to cry and...something else.]

Soma... H-how... How could you...?

[Something else was trying to,get to the surface, something Anastasia doesn't want to come up. She manages to stagger back to her feet, her face still covered, picking up the sword in the process.]

S-Soma... H-how... How...

[If Soma wanted to provoke Anastasia, he got it. She looked at Soma with tears in her eyes.]

How... COULD YOU!

[Anastasia performs an underhand slash across the ground, throwing out a spike of pure energy before stepping in to more quickly and precisely slash up, down, thrust.

She steps in close and slashes up during a turn to give her momentum, the slash leaves behind visible energy in the shape of a crescent moon, followed by a slash downwards to repeat the move. Sobbing with each move, she swings again to throw out another bolt of energy, much like the first. Finally, she shoves with an open palm to unleash incredible force.

This was a show of Nivian arts, much like the way she learned watching her retainer, father and soldiers for years prior to Genessia, skills that draw on their spirit and stamina rather than mana.

However, the way she moved and used these skills suggest something may be helping her. Once she was finished, Anastasia slowly backed away with an arm across herself, like something hurts.]