Self-Defense Lesson

Writers: Avery, Heather, Miriah, Paula
Date Posted: 7th June 2017

Characters: Milga, Olwinna, G'ran, J'ackt, Ikalis, Barenziah
Description: G'ran leads a self-defense lesson at the Weyr.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 12, day 6 of Turn 8

J'ackt

Barenziah

Twice in a sevenday, Milga slipped out of the Hall and walked over to
the Weyr. Since she did this on her free time, nobody paid any
attention to it. She stepped into a room in lower caverns. The floor
was covered with thick mattresses and racks along the walls held
various weapons. These lessons of self defence and combat had been
Olwinna's idea, when Milga had confessed her fears of getting attacked
again. Nothing wrong with learning to defend yourself and they did
give her self confidence a boost.

"Evening, Milga. How are you?"

"Evening G'ran, doing well," Milga replied to the rider's greeting.
She was wearing only a sleeveless top and short trousers. Her hair was
tied to back.

G'ran was dressed in similar fashion. He nodded at the girl. "Glad to
hear," he flashed a friendly smile. He had to admit she was one of her
favourite pupils. "As usual, you're first in. Did you get bad bruises
from last session?"

"No, but my left shoulder still hurts," Milga replied.

"I try to remember to be careful with it," G'ran promised. Before
being Searched and becoming a dragonrider, he had served as a guard in
Topaz Sea Hold.

Barenziah was quite content in her new calling as an apprentice
healer, but once she'd discovered that a dragonrider in the Weyr
offered defense classes, she'd started coming to them immediately.
Barenziah missed sparring with her brother Rynthian so the classes
were a nice substitute.

"Evenin' everyone." Barenziah greeted Milga and G'ran.

"Evening, Berenziah," G'ran replied. "You two can start warming up."

Olwinna was still tying her hair up when she entered the training
room. "Hi guys," she gave a cheery greeting. The petite healer saw
these lessons more as a physical exercise than actual combat lesson.
Besides, she already knew how to take care of herself. She enjoyed
them never the less and G'ran was certainly pleasing to look at, with
all those muscles.

"Hello Olwinna," Milga replied.

Ikalis opened the door and trotted in. "I'm not late, am I?" she asked
breezily.

"The kitchens were busy," she added. She started pulling her hair
backfrom her face and putting it back so it wouldn't get in her eyes
or be grab-able.

"Not too late, Ikalis," G'ran replied and gestured her to join the
rest. "Today we're going to practice how to defend yourself when some
one attacks you with the knife."

Barenziah remembered this exact lesson with her brother Rynthian,
she'd practiced for hours disarming him of the wooden practice knife
he'd used. She rolled her shoulders slowly, warming up her muscles.

G'ran first made them run around the room few times and then led them
thru some gymnastic movements. When everybody was starting to look
slight winded, he wen to fetch the wooden knifes from the rack.

"Pair up," he told them.

Ikalis headed over to Milga. "Mind if we partner?" she asked the
dolphineer, who she didn't really know that well.

J'ackt stood to the side, observing the class with interest. He'd
agreed to watch G'ran's class and to assist if necessary, but he
didn't know the man well, nor his methods, so for now, he was simply
observing unless G'ran asked him to assist.

"Alright," Milga replied to Ikalis with a friendly nod.

"J'ackt, can you help me with this?" G'ran asked the younger rider and
tossed him the wooden knife. "Try to stab me, right here," he patted
his abdomen. He took the stance.

J'ackt's brows rose as he caught the knife and hefted it in his hand
to feel the weight. He approached on quiet feet, eyeing G'ran's stance
with a critical gaze. Settling on his feet, but remaining light,
J'ackt made a feint to the side, then a thrust to the abdomen.

G'ran kept his gaze on J'ackt's eyes when he approached. He ignored
the feint. When J'ackt thrust, he side stepped and used his arm to
deflect and direct the strike past him. Then he twirled behind the
younger bronzerider. He grapped his collar from the behind and just
janked him out of balance.

"When opponent is armed and you're not, remember: deflect. Don't try
to wrestle the weapon from him and don't try to stop the thrust
either. Guide it away from you."

Barenziah watched the demonstration, it was one she had learned
before, she also remembered her brother instructing her to keep her
arms face out, so that if the blade connected with her it cut through
bone and not vital tendons and veins.

"Your turn," G'ran told his students, keeping a watchful eye on them,
ready to help and correct them. "Remember what I've been teaching
about falling down safely. Also, there's no right way or wrong way.
There are just the efficient way and they way that gets your hurt."

Ikalis looked at Milga. "I'll go for you first and you block me?"

"Okay," Milga nodded and took the ready-stance G'ran had taught: legs
slightly apart, one leg in front of the other, knees bent. That way
she could easily move to all directions and keep her balance.

Ikalis hefted the wooden knife and took a breath. This was just
play-fighting, she could do this. Then thrust it towards Milga.

Milga's parry was clumpsy and she felt the impact jarr her arm bone.
She stepped behind Ikalis to pull her out of balance.

"Keep your eyes on the opponent, not in the knife. He or she still has
other hand to use against you," G'ran continued giving instructions.

"Your stance is important." J'ackt interjected, moving behind Ikalis.
"You're too wide and too easy to throw off balance." He adjusted
Ikalis' feet and put his hands on her hips to adjust her stance. "Keep
your weight balanced."

Ikalis shifted her weight as J'ackt instructed. "So it would be more like this?"

J'ackt nodded. "Yeah. It'll be harder for you to get pulled off
balance now and you're steadier." He let her go and stepped back.

G'ran didn't react to J'ackt giving instructions, the boy knew what he
was doing. Deep down he was actually pleased to see him get more
involved.

"Olwinna, you're trying to fight him, not bed him. Please try to take
this somewhat more seriously," he told to the petite mindhealer.

Last updated on the June 8th 2017

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Self-Defense Lesson