(Untitled)

[usedroar]

Who: usedroar, ordalias and soggypastry
Where: Olivine beach
When: Backdated to Sunday the 4th, about half past seven.
Summary: Xion's first training session with Lightning, and Leon decides to check it out.
Rating: PG at the most.
Log:

Comments

[ordalias]

[ Thud

Xion must have a thing for meeting the ground sometimes. Seriously. But this is different. This is training so she can be okay if the situation ever called for it. Her hands scuff at the sand as she almost unsteadily stands back up for the third time since she and Lightning began her lesson.

She's huffing a bit, but she's not showing much signs of backing down. Her hands go back up the position Lightning told her to do so, but she's temporarily distracted by Leon's presence. ]

Yeah! Morning, Leon.

[soggypastry]

Just don't do it again. [It was done, really. No harm this time, so as long as Xion remembered and didn't do it again, there was no point in lecturing her further about it.

The term Leon uses gets her, though. Keyblade wielder? She'll have to ask him about that later on, once this is over and they have some time to talk. For now, she just watches. She already taught Xion to never keep her thumb inside her hand when making a fist, and the girl seems to be following that well, but...Leon's a tough man. It's doubtful that small punch is going to do much more than make Xion's knuckles hurt.]

[usedroar]

It means Lightning needs to train your legs.

[ The punch is caught easily in one powerful fist before it hits its target, though he commends her on her choice of going for the chest instead of the comparatively stronger abdominal region. He calmly readjusts her hips, which are out on synch with her shoulders. Without skipping a beat: ]

Hit with your whole body. Now where's your other arm?

[ Because if the answer is 'down next to my hip' and not 'up around rib-height to defend myself from a side attack', he's going to frown at you, Xion. ]

[ordalias]

[ On instinct, Xion tries to jerk her hand out of Leon's fist, but stops when he moves to readjust her hips, to make sure they're more in line with her shoulders. What's wrong with her legs? They carried her pretty far when she really needed to jump.

At his question, she blinks, looking down at the arm not caught. She didn't think much into her attack, letting her body move on instinct for a moment there. When she threw the punch, her other arm curled, albeit, still pressed to her side.

Guess she failed that one? ]

Uh...

[soggypastry]

[There's nothing wrong with her legs, really, only the manner in which she's trained them before. They'll be doing a lot of running soon, that's for sure.

Right now, however, Lightning steps forward and takes Xion's other arm, raising it to a more defensive height. For her first lesson, Xion is making remarkable progress. There's just still a lot more to learn.]

Always know what your body is doing, no matter the situation. You can be aware of your opponents and your area, but that knowledge is useless if you can't defend yourself and you get hit.

[That having been said, Lightning steps back to give Xion a look over; she's more aligned now, so...]

Now try again. Feel the difference in your movements and tell me what feels more natural.

[usedroar]

[ Leon nods approvingly at Lightning's interjections, settling back in front of the younger girl. ]

Remember: move with your hips and your shoulders. [ He mimes a hook, the motion of his entire torso giving power to his punch. ]

Now hit here. [ He points to a spot about two inches above his bellybutton. Target ready! ]

[ordalias]

[ She's analyzing the motions of his body, rewinds it several times in her head and focusing on specific points when she does so. And Lightning's advice makes her pay attention to how she settles her legs, positions her hands... and then she refocuses onto Leon.

Stares at the spot he told her to hit. She tries another hook, making sure she puts as much force as she could in conjunction to her hips and shoulders moving together.

Smack!

Her tiny fist hits hard muscle and only stings slightly upon contact. She blinks. Did she do it right? She'll tell Lightning what feels more natural once she gets a verdict on this. But for now... ]

This does feel more... powerful.

[soggypastry]

[Better this time, that's for sure. It's not much of a hit in terms of power, but they can work on that at another time. Now it's just the form that they need to get down.]

That's because you're putting your entire body into it, not just your arms. It works, but you have to be careful you don't over-balance and fall, especially if your target moves. They're not going to wait for you to get your feet back under you.

[usedroar]

[ He sees her wind back, the shifting of her body, better, smoother, and--

--oof. Harder.

He exhales as the strike falls, hardening the abdominals, but he can still feel the impact. He breathes. ]

Good. Now you're going to have to practice that until you can do it without thinking about it. [ He turns his attention back to Lightning. ]

Want to help her with her kick?

[ Because let's face it, the lady with the amazing ability to backflips mid-battle while shooting things was probably better equipped than he. ]

[ordalias]

[ She's practically grinning at the approval of them both, like a child showing good marks on a test to their parents. Hah. Hah. Well, she did notice something between the two, but more importantly... training! She nods eagerly. ]

Yeah. I'll practice really hard.

[ Then she looks between them both. ] Kicking?

[soggypastry]

It's a good idea, but we'll need to work on your balance first, Xion.

[Said with a glance and a nod in Leon's direction, before she returns her attention back to her pupil.]

Kicking is harder than throwing a punch because you have to learn to keep your balance on one leg while still having the right amount of power behind the kick. In a punch, you still have both feet on the ground if you're doing things right and that makes it a little simpler.

[Unless you started with the backflips, but those would come later. Much later.]

[usedroar]

[ He's about to comment, when he remembers that Lightning's the teacher here, not him, and their styles are vastly different. Maybe helping out wasn't such a good idea. ]

Light's got a good point; get your feet under you, and then move from there. [ He claps a hand on Xion's shoulder. ] You're lucky to have such a reliable teacher.

[ordalias]

[ She looks between the two of them again. Oh, she's listened to Lightning's advice, but she wouldn't want to leave Leon out, too, after all the advice he's given himself to her. Then she remembers the food Leon was carrying earlier then turns to Lightning. ]

Can we work on the balance after we eat?

[ Just so the three of them an have some more time together. And, well, it really was up to Lightning on whether or not they take a break now. ]

[soggypastry]

[Before answering Xion, Lightning takes a look at the sky; the sun is still rising, but it's not that high. So she nods, looking over to the tray. It does look good, that's for sure.]

Yeah, we have some time. Just stretch before you sit down; you don't want your muscles complaining when we get back to work.

[Which will likely be soon, if she has any say in it.]

[usedroar]

[ Well it'll have to be at least a half-hour, to give them both time to digest. Food cramps are the worst.

Privately pleased that they're both willing to eat his breakfast, Leon quietly goes to fetch the tray while Xion stretches. Only a little bit of sand has penetrated the wrap; extra flavor? Either way, he peels off the plastic as he returns to them, presenting each of them with a sandwich filled with eggs, cheese and ham. ]

Let me know if you want some milk. [ So that he can take the glasses off the tray without everything tipping over. ]

[ordalias]

[ Xion does as she's told, doing all the routine stretch exercises Lightning told her about earlier. Stretch here, stretch there, stretch a little bit more, and... phew! She briefly shakes her arms as well, which also helps to further reduce the sand and dust on her hands before taking one of those proffered sandwiches. ]

Thank you, Leon. [ Smiles and goes to take a bite. She hardly notices any sand, and of course, since it's Leon's, the sandwich is good. Due to the fact that it's morning and she hasn't had breakfast yet, Xion's actually chewing through the sandwich quite fast.

By the time she stops, she's more than halfway done with eating her sandwich. Swallows before turning to the milk. ] May I?