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Post by JeY k on Apr 5, 2021 12:14:54 GMT -5
Oh, she 'talked funny', huh? "I'll keep that in mind. I haven't said anything important enough to elaborate on yet, so don't worry about it for now." Was she really going to have to dumb things down for him to such an extreme amount? She felt like she wasn't over-the-top in her word choice, but she could be mistaken in what's more common and what's less commonly used and holds the bar higher than it should be. There's now ay she'd know for certain with just one example, so for now she'd try to oblige. Try to.
In regards to the Heartless? Yeah, things were pretty under control for now. She didn't feel the need to convey that, instead, she moved them along to their next avenue - the Realm of the Shadowbeings. Or at least... the remnants of it. A plane long forgotten to time after a brutal civil war hundreds of millions of years ago. All that remained is an endless, sunny meadow. Perfect for blowing things up.
Of course, Henoke didn't seem to know anything about auras. What he described could be loosely attributed to an interpretation of an aura however he missed the actual target by a mile. Figures, given his terrible performance earlier. Time for a crash course.
"It's not always about the 'lights' you can see. An aura is the proof of something's energy." JeY shifted into a striking pose aimed at the boy. "I'm preparing an attack. Focus hard on my energy. Can you tell if it's going to be a physical attack or an energy-based one? If you get it right, you'll be able to guard yourself appropriately for it."
Yes, this did seem sudden threatening to strike him already - as JeY wasn't bluffing - she believed that Henoke wouldn't learn much from conversation alone based on how thing were going already. He was going to need a real experience to put the matter into perspective. This begs the question, did Henoke even have the capability to read auras in the first place? Maybe not to the extent that some professionals good, but every fighter should have a basic instinct of judging their opponent's latent power as well as feeling what types of actions their opponent will take. JeY was more than willing to explain how to make that interpretation after judging his instincts, someone as talented as Henoke must have the capability stored away somewhere in some capacity, she was just going to bring it out of him.
One way or another - if he guesses 'I'm going to jump forward and punch you in the face' successfully, then he might be able to react to it properly.
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 5, 2021 20:41:37 GMT -5
”It’s not always about the ‘lights’ you can see. An aura is the proof of something’s energy.” JeY’s correction caused the hot-headed teen to deflate a bit, a faint frown replacing the once cocky and confident grin. ”I’m preparing an attack. Focus hard on my energy.” Shifting into a striking pose, the woman seemed serious as her eyes glazed in focus. ”Ack! F’real?! What’s that even mea—“ Before he could finish his statement, she’d darted across the field to close the distance within the blink of an eye, readying a balled fist with a blank stare of serious intent. CLANG! Despite the strength behind his arms, Henoke felt his body recoil as his feet skid against the grassy field, digging into the dirt below as they burrowed and raked into them. ”Urk!” It had all happened within a second. The burst of light had appeared in his hands just as his body reacted, his mind having been blank and completely surprised. Guided by both his natural instinct and the Keyblade, Henoke managed to raise the large bandaged weapon in a hasty and clumsy guard, barely raised in time, causing him to skid back and nearly lose balance from the impact.
Tch—she’s fast, too! It wasn't just strength that JeY had at their disposal. He’d already noted the fact before, but even a bare-handed blow from the woman had that much force behind it?! ”Heh—I really gotta take ya seriously…” Grumbling in begrudging respect as he readied a battle stance of his own, Henoke’s golden eyes shone with a fiery determination as a confident grin appeared on his face. ”Alright! Give me another one! Don’t hold nothin’ back!” Always up for a challenge and a quicker hands-on learner, it seemed the hot-headed teen was more than willing to take on JeY’s training challenge. Though he had reacted in time (barely), it would most likely be clear to the more experienced ‘Guardian’ that the boy had clearly been acting more on instincts rather than energy awareness, as well as being guided by the Keyblade itself.
It seemed the weapon did indeed have a will of its own. Its current objective being protect its hasty and reckless wielder.
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Post by JeY k on Apr 5, 2021 22:19:16 GMT -5
"Not good enough." She'd comment on his reaction, it definitely reeked of reflexes over calculation. Seems to needs to be taught a thing or two but she wouldn't be totally unfair to him. By bashing his head continuously against a brick wall, he wasn't likely to learn anything. JeY was also not in the game of beating down on a lesser creature for the hell of it. Everything she did had a purpose.
But JeY sure as hell was gonna show off while she could.
Henoke shouted for another go. "Not yet. Take this." After her dry response, she reached into a pocket inside her overshirt and pulled out a blindfold and threw it to the young fighter. "Concentrate on me, and then put this on. Keep concentrating. What do you feel?" There was a strong emphasis on feel - he couldn't see, taste and smell were not in the equation, and while hearing could potentially give him a clue that was not the proper avenue to sense aura. It was something else - like a touch of the soul.
JeY would give him as much time as he needed to think about the situation and respond. Regardless of his answer, once he finished responding, she would instruct the boy to take off the blindfold and give it back. Before he could be ready to try to anticipate another strike, a short demonstration was in order. She wouldn't expect him to be able to perform what he's able to, but it would give him an idea of what it means to 'feel your opponent' in order to anticipate them - to read their aura.
"Alright, now you come at me. Simple swings only for now, save your techniques for later." JeY put on the blindfold and assumed a defensive position while unarmed. She wouldn't do anything flashy either - this time she would dodge the strikes as necessary by bending, stepping, and maneuvering. It was an easy task for someone who can visualize her entire space in terms of its energy, and she'd argue that she could see better with her eyes closed.
Once he seemed to be done swinging, JeY would take off the blind and throw it back to him.
"Tell me when you're ready."
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 6, 2021 12:29:41 GMT -5
”Not yet. Take this.” While Henoke fumed about JeY’s comment on his performance, the woman pulled out a blindfold. ”Concentrate on me, and then put this on.” Catching the piece of cloth out of the air, the hot-headed teen scowled a bit before raising a brow at the woman. ”Tch—how’s this s’pose’d ‘ta help me fight…?” Grumbling a bit, Henoke did as was instructed nonetheless, tying the blindfold around his eyes as the world was shrouded in black. ”Keep concentrating. What do you feel?” The question caused the boy’s brows to furrow as his face scrunched up into a sour frown. Already, the boy had turned and whipped their head about many different ways, clearly uncomfortable with not having their vision. ”I feel stupid, standin’ here wearin’ this.” Despite the comment, Henoke scrunched up his face in concentration, trying to picture JeY and their stoic fish gaze in front of him in the dark. Tch—am I even facin’ the right way? Sighing a bit, he scratched at the back of his spiky head before trying once more.
!!! A chill ran down his spine as in his mind’s eye the boy was able to feel the gaze that often caused him to grow mildly irritated boring into him expectantly. She’s there! It was a brief moment, but the image of the woman's eyes flickered in the dark—though it was hardly detailed. If anything, the teen could only describe it as a brief outline—a silhouette among the shadows in the dark. Spinning on his heels in the direction he'd seen it, he staggered in mild surprise before his face grew somewhat slack in wonder. ”Woah…” Unable to resist his curiosity, Henoke had reached up with a hand, lifting the blindfold from a single eye to peek as his vision returned and immediately fell on JeY. Exactly like the faint outline they’d seen in their mind, the woman stood with their usual blank and stoic gaze, waiting before reaching out a hand for the blindfold. ”Alright, now you come at me.” Wondering what the image had been, Henoke blinked as though waking up from a dream as JeY put the blindfold over their own eyes.
”Simple swings only for now, save your techniques for later.” A vein visibly pulsed on the teen’s forehead as he glared at the blindfolded woman. ”Tch—yer not even takin’ me seriously, are ya?!” Forgetting the bizarre experience from a moment before, a ray of light burst forth in the field as Henoke summoned his Keyblade, immediately swiping out for JeY’s legs with an irritated grin of vengeance. How’s she expect to fight blindfolded?! She was seriously underestimating him, right?! Unfortunately for the boy, even with the aid of trying to take her by surprise, JeY would prove far beyond experienced as she weaved and flowed away from each of Henoke’s wide and powerful strikes, often missing and gashing deep grooves into the grassy field, tearing up the blooming flowers and slicing the petals mercilessly in their agitation.
”Grr...how’re ya doin’ that?!” Clearly frustrated but also adamant on getting at least a single hit in, Henoke shouted out as they dove for another attack—the feint hardly mattering at all, since JeY wouldn’t be looking, but feeling her way through the battle. It was clear that the woman’s method and tactics weren’t anything to scoff at. Damn it! Clenching his weapon tightly, Henoke couldn’t help but feel a flash of rage at feeling so underwhelmed. He’d fought countless enemies already, many that were powerful and dangerous Heartless, not anything to scoff at. Yet in front of this woman, he felt like it was his first day of training with Chirithy and his Master all over again (not that he could remember that exact day clearly). Is this the strength of a Guardian?!
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Post by JeY k on Apr 6, 2021 19:34:54 GMT -5
Much like she could feel his latent strength worn on his sleeve in a matter of speaking, his very expressive emotions burst out in bright flares around him as he discovered what it was like see without his eyes. Perfect, and with an example to set, he's got a full package of stimuli to work with to hone his own skills. All that was left was the practice; the many, many hours of practice to make it consistent. Something told JeY that he was willing to put in the work, given the right motivation.
"Now you see what I'm getting at." She would add before he began the assault she nonchalantly asked for. He was quick and had good aim and balance with his strikes which were all points in his favor, but it would be difficult to hit someone like JeY without some serious tricks or inhuman speed - she played a very heavily primed glass cannon, unless she was quick and made care to not get hit, her own layer of energy would only protect her so much. Unfortunately her goal wasn't to fluster the boy but she assumed that some reaction like that was inevitable.
"This is one thing you can do with that power you tapped into earlier. You have to learn the basics first." At this point she would pass back the blindfold. Once he had it fitted, she would materialize one of her odachi blades and resume a stance. "Try to hit me again. My sword should give off enough energy to make it easier to focus."
the stoic woman intended to deflect all of his strikes with as much riposte as possible so Henoke would be forced back and her stance would be easier to maintain. Every few strikes, she would jump to a new spot and land as quietly as possible to prevent him from 'cheating'. She's kill her momentum by bracing herself with create energy right before she landed so she'd only have to take a dainty step at each avenue. She expected this to be easy mode - but maybe his rage would make it too difficult for him to focus.
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 10, 2021 13:20:51 GMT -5
”Huff…huff…” Being stubborn to a fault, it took some time before Henoke’s assault would die down. By then, countless grooves and gashes had been slashed into the earth, sections of the flowered field demolished and fissured as the teen panted and plopped onto their backside. ”Ugh! You’re…annoyin’…’ta fight…” JeY was a constant blur of motion, able to easily evade all of his attacks even with the blindfold. In a sense, Henoke was frustrated, impressed and ambitious enough to want to get to the level they were on. Despite the countless failures, a defying fire raged in his golden eyes that refused to quit. ”This is the one thing you can do with that power you tapped into earlier.” Taking off the blindfold, the woman tossed the piece of cloth through the air. ”You have to learn the basics first.” Snatching it as it fell while pushing himself back up to his feet, Henoke’s moment of fatigue seemed to pass immediately as a determined look came over his face, his body stiffening and jolting with a new energy.
Shiiiing! Materializing an odachi blade from seemingly thin air, JeY’s stance oozed expertise and experience. ”Try to hit me again.” Apparently the weapon they held radiated a power, though it was different from the sensation of a ‘Keyblade’, which Henoke was most familiar with. Tying the blindfold around his head once more, the teen summoned their large bandaged Keyblade, taking a battle stance of their own as they lifted the hefty weapon. ”Alright! Let’s do this!” Scrunching up their face in a moment of focus, Henoke tried to make himself aware of this ‘energy’ that JeY kept talking about. The teen had a nagging feeling like he was forgetting something (he was) that his Master and Chirithy had taught him. Tch—I just wanna hit ‘em once, damn it… His competitive spirit flared as his mind focused on one goal and one goal only:
Find JeY in the dark.
…! After standing stiff in his battle stance for a moment, Henoke’s face would flash in surprise behind the blindfold as for a brief second, a flare of energy in his mind’s eye caught his attention. Was that—?! There wasn’t time to think. He had to act, before it was gone. It was faint, the image in his mind, a brief flash—a streak glinting like steel—a sword. "Hyaaah!” Lunging in the direction he’d sensed the woman, albeit briefly, Henoke swung his Keyblade out with ferocity as the image in his mind faded out. Would the strike land—or would he swing through empty air once more?
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Post by JeY k on Apr 11, 2021 20:17:09 GMT -5
The stamina the boy possessed was commendable, but the demonstration was way over it's necessary runtime by the time Henoke finally eased up. JeY could keep it up for however long Henoke was capable of and then some, but she was about a few seconds from laying the boy out flat to get him to pay attention to the next part - lucky for him he stopped when he did. She wasn't impatient but she didn't like to needlessly waste time.
Now that the next segment of his training could properly begin, Henoke had a much stronger sense of purpose. He seemed to be channeling raw emotion prior to this next setup, which has a time and a place but not for the purposes of learning to hone his senses regarding the world around him. He had to learn to look for it in the first place, which need a more calm and collected mentality. Focus. Emotion clouds this judgment more often than not. It's not impossible to read aura while under the heavy weight of feelings but it didn't help.
"Focus. Your own emotions will get in the way if you let them." She gave some friendly advice with her standard monotone delivery as Henoke prepped up with the blindfold and re-equipping his keyblade. Once he began being able to see and read auras of his free will, he'd have all of the tools he would need to perform the ultimate goal of this training - assess his opponent's latent energy. First, you gotta know what you're looking for.
Seems like the boy was well on his way of finding it to. After a short interlude of silence, Henoke flared up and charged directly at her and - Clang! Their blades collided! He might be able to guess he hit the mark perfectly on the first try, but there was a little bit of 'encouragement' thrown into the mix.
Had JeY not held her arm straight and rotated her blade to stretch out, the boy would've landed a blow just in front of her and whiff entirely - the pinnacle of 'close but no cigar'. However, the fact that he managed to get so close on his first try, she couldn't bear to watch him totally fail. Like she said at the beginning - she knew his type. Fudging the rounding error was the correct amount of encouragement to keep him going. With the right motivation, she wouldn't even have to push him. Henoke was perfectly capable of motivating himself.
"Good start, but sloppy. Focus. Get a clear picture. Truly feel." She leaned forward as she spoke so she wasn't projecting from as far away, and hopped slightly back and to her left to force him to slightly adjust. She caught herself midair before she landed and glided down gently to touch down and firmly plant her feet silently.
Let's see if he's just lucky, or really learning something here.
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 14, 2021 13:47:21 GMT -5
CLANG! A broad grin broke out over Henoke’s face, alight with the rush of ‘success’ as JeY saved the boy’s pride by meeting their attack with a mild reach forward. It connected! It had been brief, but when he’d seen the sudden ‘light’ flare up in the dark of the blindfold, he’d acted on it. ”Good start, but sloppy.” JeY’s comment hardly daunted the rush of victory Henoke felt, determined to make it the first of many. ”Heh—this’s just the beginnin'!” It seemed the woman was correct in her hunch—the teen was more than easy to work himself up, due to his competitive nature and fiery temperament. Readying another battle stance, Henoke grinned while trying to remember the feeling that had gone through him when he’d seen that ‘glimpse’. C’mon! You’ve got this! Just a lil’ more… Hyping himself up in his head, the teen exhaled as their grin slowly faded into a face of mild concentration. ”Focus. Get a clear picture. Truly feel.” Grimacing a bit at JeY’s words, Henoke couldn’t help but struggle to get what they meant. Feel, huh? He wasn’t that imaginative, which wasn’t helpful in times like these.
Feel…feel… He felt stoked that he’d landed a hit. He felt annoyed that he only landed one hit. Gr…whatever. It’ll work. Taking another breath, the teen’s grip on his Keyblade tightened. Instead of focusing on his feelings, the boy decided to distract himself with other feelings. His grip on the Keyblade—the rough bandaged handle that felt more familiar than anything. The weight of the weapon—how it shifted his stance in the grass and dirt beneath him. Oh, yeah… That’s right—he was in a field. Standing on earth that was somewhat soft and yielding yet hard enough to hurt when one crashed into it. Whoosh. A gentle breeze passed through, gusting his jacket and spiky hair and prickling his cheeks. JeY was somewhere in this field, too—though knowing her, she had hardly stayed still while he stood there ‘feeling’ or whatever. Somewhere…in the field… Though he’d missed JeY’s initial meaning behind their words, being slower on the draw when it came to these more ‘existential’ things, it seemed Henoke had slowly begun to unravel what the ‘Guardian’ had meant, as they ‘felt’ the world around them while blanketed in the dark.
”Woah...!” As the breeze continued to sail on, a flash of light caught the boy’s attention in his minds eye. Whipping his head around at a sight only he could see, Henoke’s face was alit with wonder as the initial light turned into countless ones. All around him was the wind—but he could see it—even though he couldn’t see anything else. It was almost like a raging river, swirling and pushing in the dark air above and around him. What the—? It was walled up and hitting something further off ahead in the distance, forced to find a new path around as the wispy lights flared and torrented. "Why’re they clumpin’ up there…?” Mumbling to himself as he stood in the field with his Keyblade blindfolded, Henoke’s face lit up with sudden realization.
Somethin’s in the way?! Grinning mischievously, the teen knew the only other thing in the field with him. ”Found you, JeY!” Rushing forward with excitement as he charged forth, the woman would indeed notice Henoke beginning to close the distance across the grassy field—heading in the right direction! It seemed that by following the 'wind' he could see, Henoke had found a means to find the silent warrior. ”Urk!” It only lasted a second before the teen totally fumbled and tripped in the grass as all of the lights in their minds eye vanished. ”F’real?!” Shouting out in frustration, Henoke swiped out with his Keyblade, whiffing and attacking the space between the two harmlessly. ”What gives?!” He’d been in the zone—seeing the ‘wind’ and had finally figured it out. Once he’d charged in for the attack, though, the teen hadn’t been able to stay focused well enough to see the energy around him. It seemed their already unconventional ‘solution’ to the blindfold problem was short-lived, for now. ”Damn it!” Stomping at the grassy floor beneath him, Henoke balled up a fist with a free hand before shouting out for JeY, unsure of where they were now and totally facing the wrong way.
”Where’d it go?!”
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Post by JeY k on Apr 15, 2021 11:21:00 GMT -5
It wouldn't take a veteran in the arts of reading auras to see Henoke's excitement manifest itself physically in his expression. Seems the bone she threw him prior was the right call, for round two he definitely seemed to start to understand what was going on and what was necessary to accomplish his goal. Just a little further now - victory was in grasp!
Naturally the boy composed himself and gave himself more time than the prior hit to really hone in on what he was supposed to be doing. Good. The fact that he began moving again before long, and in the correct direction, as an excellent sign. Henoke's potential was indeed assessed correctly by the woman - and what a spirit he was. JeY's never worked with someone so high-energy before, most of the individuals she took under her wing were definitely slower-paced and more laid-back in nature. Heavily introverted. It's been far too long since she's dealt with someone astoundingly extraverted.
This proud moment would be short lived as the fanfare was cut shortly after it started when the boy tripped, lost his bearings, and upon recovery was totally lost again. Instead of re-establishing a proper focus, the boy insisted that whatever he was able to feel beforehand would just suddenly come back to him. Unfortunately that's not how it worked, but it's something the boy needed to learn the hard way.
Without taking a step, JeY flicked her blade over her wrist twice to make an X-pattern for two reasons, waving the blade made of energy around to try and whip up some adversity in the overall energy signature of their surroundings and it built up momentum for the woman to hurl the blade in a twirling whirlwind fashion to bounce off Henoke's keyblade, where it would immediately vanish and reappear above JeY, raising a hand to catch it, twirling on her heel and flicking the blade down.
All of this without uttering a word, the only means he was allowed to locate her position was through his intangible senses. Hopefully the lack of subtlety in the reminder she gave him would snap him back into his senses.
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 22, 2021 16:26:29 GMT -5
Shwing! As Henoke stood glaring and gritting his teeth in the grassy field, a sudden flash of light similar to before caught their attention. A bright ‘X’ flared in their minds eye, causing them to jolt in awareness and shout out in surprise as it closed in towards him. It was brief, only lasting a moment. CLANG! Though the hit wasn’t harsh, vibrations rang through the teen’s arms as the large metal weapon he carried resounded in protest at the sword’s collision. Damn it! Clearly frustrated, the boy resumed a battle stance as he whipped his blind-folded head around in search of JeY. I saw their weapon…I think? It was tough to tell, considering the roundabout method Henoke had first used to even sense where the woman had been to begin with. "Wait!” Shouting out in exclamation, the hot-headed teen suddenly thought of something. He knew exactly where his Keyblade was, regardless of the blindfold. It wasn’t just because he was holding it of course, but because of the nature of the weapon itself.
Focus on the Keyblade… Trying to calm himself from the coming excitement, as he felt he was onto something, Henoke took a deep breath, focusing on the grip of the weapon in his hands. There! He could visualize it in his mind! Light flared and roared in his hands, a massive spear-like shape of orange that zapped and flickered in the dark. ”Aha!” Sure enough, alongside the orange was the faint trace of another color—or rather, an absence of color—a vibrant light with a clear outline that contrasted the flaring one in his hands. JeY! Whatever energy he’d seen when they’d launched their attack, he’d been able to see it again—lingering on the section of his weapon that it must have struck. Focus….focus! Scrunching up his face in clear concentration, Henoke began to faintly make out the signs of a faint trail—leading to a finally emerging light that was clear and concise—a long light that resembled the shape of a sword.
”There ya are!” Grinning eagerly as the grip on his Keyblade tightened, the orange-haired warrior focused as hard as he could on the energy he sensed, running forward once more across the grassy field, having turned to face where the woman stood. I won’t lose her this time! Determined as he ran forward while blind-folded, Henoke began to undo the bandage wraps that laced around the massive weapon in his grip, using his teeth to crudely do so. ”Let’s go!” Having unwound the large Keyblade, the teen split the massive weapon into two—all while still running towards JeY with a determined grin on their face. Heaving one of the Keyblades with all of his strength towards where he saw the clear energy of the woman’s weapon, Henoke shifted his grip on the remaining one to two-handed as he leapt through the air. Tch—I knew it! Sure enough, the boy had gotten too excited—the visual of JeY’s weapon having disappeared right after throwing his weapon in his Reflect Raid.
He had known where she stood when he threw the initial strike—the boy’s plan was to compensate for only being able to focus for so long with pre-emptive strikes. Sure enough, he could still see the flaring and undefined light in his grip and arcing through the air—the energy of his Keyblade(s). Though the attack would ricochet violently after its initial collision, Henoke hoped it would betray where JeY stood as he dashed to close the distance—readying a strike with the Keyblade in his grip for when it (and if) it happened!
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Post by JeY k on Apr 22, 2021 21:27:49 GMT -5
There we go, that got his attention. Just like that, the boys focus was square in the direction of his opponent. JeY was looking out for him after all. It wasn't productive to watch him fail forever. Failing is fine, it is how you learn, but recognizing that failure was the only way to actually gain something from it. Smashing his keyblade with her thrown weapon seemed like the most straightforward and least confrontational way to allow him to acknowledge his failure and move on - and her hypothesis was correct.
Once the boy regained his bearings, it was merely the spectacle from here on out. Henoke began to move with all of the ferocity of his previous ambition, undoing the bandages on his weapon to reveal that he had access to two individual keyblades, one of which was launched at her in a similar fashion to her own performance just before. If her face was capable of showing emotion, this would be where her lips would curve into a slight smile. That would just have to left up to the imagination unfortunately, but that didn't diminish her delight in the long hunk of metal making its way to strike.
A simple cut to the left would deflect the blade, sending it flying away ninety degrees from its original trajectory, and give her plenty of time to intercept the dash following up shortly after. JeY raised her blade above her head and matched the boy's ferocity with her own downward swing to both parry the blow and try to throw him off balance. If he was truly paying attention he might be able to see the very highly telegraphed interception and account for it. Maybe he did and was just clumsy and would stumble anyway, she wouldn't take too many points from his grade for this aspect in particular; he was already passing with flying colors.
Their blades met with a fierce shriek before JeY broke off and hopped back. Pop quiz - did lightning strike twice, or was Henoke mastering his mind's eye? "Much better. Incredible improvement. Tell me everything about what you just experienced."
This exercise, once Henoke establishes that he was indeed not lucky, would be like giving one his signature attacks a name - it helps you visualize and execute it more consistently; except he would be grounding this aura-sensation ability with terms he hopefully recalls much easier when he need to access this aspect of strength.
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 22, 2021 22:04:44 GMT -5
Twang! Henoke’s head jerked in the direction where they saw the energy of their Keyblade collide and come to a halt—the flashing energy of JeY’s weapon flaring for just a second. Hell yeah! Immediately pushing off of the grassy floor with ferocity, the hot-headed warrior lunged forward, swinging the Keyblade in their grip in a powerful slash as the other ricocheted and rebounded against the grassy floor and began to dart around the battlefield dangerously. Closing the distance with their Sliding Dash, Henoke shouted out with vigor as JeY prepared a slash of their own to deflect his lunging attack. Another flare of familiar clear energy flared in the dark of the blindfold as the hairs on his neck spiked and bristled. They’re here…! It seemed the woman was going to meet his rush with an attack of her own. ”Heh—I won’t back down!” The inconsistent energy in his hands flared brighter and more powerfully as the boy focused in his swing, summoning all of his strength, intending to break through the attack.
TWWAAAAANG! Of course, it wouldn’t work out so smoothly for Henoke. ”Urk…!” Meeting JeY’s slash with his own powerful swing, the teen’s arms vibrated and jarred as both powers collided—the light an explosion in his minds eye as the weapons met. The other Keyblade finished its violent ricochetting, having gouged at the field mercilessly before dissolving in a ray of light, returning as Henoke reflexively released his two-handed grip, wielding both blades once more. ”Heh—got you.” Grinning victoriously, it seemed the fact that JeY had blocked his rush hadn’t deterred him from the main goal—finding and hitting them. It didn’t matter if they managed to block it, right? ”Much better. Incredible improvement.”
Henoke’s grin only broadened at the praise—despite the rather bland tone that the woman always seemed to have. Dismissing his Keyblades, the teen removed the blindfold, squinting and blinking their eyes as the sunlight blared down suddenly. ”Tell me everything about what you just experienced.” Staggering a bit, the victorious look on Henoke’s face vanished, a somewhat uncertain expression replacing it as he scratched at the back of his spiky head. ”Er…f'real? Fine…” Crossing his arms for a moment, the teen scrunched up his brow in concentration. Tch—why does she always ask tough questions? He wasn’t used to having to think so much…it was a pain. Kind of like lessons with his Master. What was it with ‘mentors’ always wanting to lecture people? ”Well, I really wanted to hit ya at least once…” For a moment, the boy didn’t realize what he’d admitted before a somewhat sheepish expression came over his face. He hadn’t intended to mention any of his own desperation in this. ”Tch—anyway, I was gettin’ frustrated ‘cause ya never make any sense.”
A mildly devious flare erupted in that golden gaze of his as he sneered for a brief second. ”Ya kept sayin’ stuff ‘bout feelin’—so I focused on what made sense.” Shrugging a bit, Henoke stomped on the grassy floor beneath him for a moment before kicking at it, shoving his hands into the pockets of his blue jacket. ”Like the ground, or wind—and the Keyblade. Stuff like that.” Shrugging a bit, it was clear that the teen didn’t fully comprehend some of the larger aspects of the lesson here. ”Since I couldn’t really ‘see’ ya unless ya were already attackin’ me—I figured I’d focus on me and be able to find ya through that.” Grinning once more, he rocked back and forth on his heels. ”Looks like it worked, too!” Despite the feeling of victory, there was something he really didn’t understand.
”But…what makes those lights appear?” Raising a brow at JeY, he tilted his head quizzically. ”Ya said it’s ‘energy’ or whatever…but I’ve never seen it before this…and it's always quick, like lightning, other than my Keyblade.”
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Post by JeY k on Apr 25, 2021 9:36:51 GMT -5
Not as graceful as a swan but he stuck the landing as a clean way of putting it. JeY also enjoyed how enthusiastic her impromptu pupil seemed to be, having to emphasize how normally she dealt with the more introverted cases this was a good change of pace. Exactly the kind of experience she could've hoped for upon finally returning back to her self-proclaimed permanent residence. Now that he's performed admirably, let's hear if it was for the right reasons.
The woman listened intently as he rattled off the sequence of his experience, conveying what she was hoping to hear albeit in a rather nonsensical way. Making sense and not making sense wasn't the best approach but criticizing that aspect of the process would be unnecessarily splitting hairs at that point and she'd leave it alone and instead take a mental note to push him more towards the correct direction with future endeavors instead of dwelling on the past. Henoke was very much regularly looking forward, JeY could tell that reflection wasn't his strongest suit despite how important it is to do as a warrior. He'd learn; one way or another.
"You're questioning about what I meant by 'feeling', but you're also questioning those 'lights'. If you put two and two together, those 'lights' are what you 'feel'. Think of it like the wind you mentioned - you can't normally see it, but you can certainly feel it when it blows against you." She'd give him a moment to digest that before the big finale; the piece that should hopefully put this all together.
"Energy is the same way. It's all around you, but unless you're looking for it, you'll never know that it's there. You can't feel like a gust of wind physically pushing against you. When you make it a point to feel the world around you in terms of its energy, it will light up like the stars."
JeY was actually so happy he gave her so much to work with. He talked about all the right things to prime himself for what could be the lesson of the century. All she had to do was take everything he said and put it back together for him again. She was confident in her ability to convey the point she was trying to make and figured she had Henoke sorted out enough to get the point across. She was mentally prepared for something not to quite click and if that were to be the case that he had the assertiveness to ask questions.
One step at a time though. Once he understood the concept of energy as something that can be 'felt like the wind', the rest would be child's play.
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Post by hoodwink on May 19, 2021 14:53:49 GMT -5
”If you put two and two together, those ‘lights’ are what you ‘feel’.” Henoke blinked at Jey’s explanation, though it was clear he was intrigued and paying attention. ”Think of it like the wind you mentioned—“ It was an odd thought. ”Energy is the same way. It’s all around you, but unless you’re looking for it, you’ll never know it’s there.” Well, he’d definitely never knew it was there, that was for sure. That light… Despite being somewhat dense in the realm of big-thinking, Henoke was one that believed what he saw. There was no denying that he’d seen this ‘energy’ JeY spoke of, that much was for sure. ”So…it’s always there, huh?” Having tried his best to flex the gears in his brain while scratching at the back of his head, the orange-haired warrior scrunched up his brow in focus once more. ”Hm…” If it was always around, he should be able to tell, right? Especially now that he ‘knew’ it was there. That’s what she’d said, yeah? The Keyblade was proof of that. Like the wind…
”Y-yeah!” Staggering back with his eyes closed, Henoke’s face betrayed his surprise as the world of darkness beneath his eyelids went alight with color. Similar to before, the outlines were brief but vivid, consistently changing and flowing (most likely to the boys own inability to focus on any specific thing for very long). JeY, the grass and flowers in the field, the wind itself, the sky—everything had brief outlines of different vibrant colors, signifying their space and placement, even if only temporarily before the next overtook it. ”Urk!” It was…a lot at once, to say the least. Though similar to before in the sense of being a crude rudimentary version of what JeY spoke of, it had covered far more distance and substance, overwhelming the teen for a moment as their eyes screwed open and were blinded by the sudden sunlight. "Urgh…” Squinting as they lifted a hand to shield their adjusting golden gaze, Henoke wobbled a bit as his mind recovered from the overload. ”I…think I get it…?” Blinking as his vision returned to him, as well as his balance, the orange-haired warrior grinned confidently at his temporary ‘mentor’.
Still, it was weird that he’d never heard of this before. Was his memory really that bad, or had his Master and Chirithy really never spoken of such things in his training? Guess there’re just some things Guardian’s know that even Masters don’t…? Just what made ‘Master’s’ ‘master’s’, anyway? Excited that he was seemingly beginning to grasp the basics, Henoke’s eyes alit with a new vigor and fire once more, his energy seemingly endless as his body continued to renew its adrenaline rush. ”So—now I can sense people with my eyes closed?!” Grinning mischievously, he thought of how he’d be able to boast of truly taking care of Heartless with his eyes blindfolded in the future. In the teen’s head, he was imagining something like a masked swordsman, able to fight in complete darkness no matter the odds. Considering how the boy’s main enemy were Heartless, creature of the dark itself, perhaps it wasn’t such a foolish idea, after all.
Well…it could be both.
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Post by JeY k on May 19, 2021 15:57:24 GMT -5
It was a treat for the stoic swordswoman to see her pupil is easily read like an open book at a public library. His face sold him out at every turn during his own experience at figuring out how to hone his senses. She cold also tell that he wasn't perfect yet, it wasn't so much a switch being flipped on as a weak wire being connected, sparking through some output every now and again. Good enough, though! For now-- at least.
"Yes, you're beginning to understand. Like any skill, if you keep practicing you will improve." Hopefully that would be the encouragement he needed to never give up. He was a good kid, heart was in the right place, she liked that about people she encouraged. He didn't have as many braincells as someone like Angel but it made for an interesting challenge. There was also the possibility that she was capable of feeling even the slightest amounts of emotion again after her last protege, though it was much less likely they would manifest in any regard.
"You don't have to limit it to people, but that is a very good place to start. People have souls, and qi, very full of energy and prominent sparks on mental maps. But when you can hone your focus, you might even see the world differently. Close your eyes."
JeY walked up to the boy and put her hand on his shoulder. If he did as she instructed, she would use her own Bond ability to share her aura sight for a few seconds. Henoke would witness the world transform from a black, empty void behind his eyelids into a carnival of lights. The wavy terrain would be a sheet of gray, the plants all around would be little white specs. The overcast clouds would be sparse TV snow, the sun in the distance would be a big bright ball of red. The nearby tree would be a round, fuzzy blur of white. Henoke himself would be bright, burning orange so dark it was practically red. JeY would be a very bright, fully defined mannequin of swirling purple, hot pink, and dark yellow - with no flaws in her shape. There was something eerily majestic about how well-formed her outline was and while the intensity of the lights swirling around weren't particularly bright, they felt incredibly dense - like if a hole were poked, all of the energy inside of her would drown this entire area - and it was a big area.
The woman would give him a couple seconds to 'look around' and take everything in, and then turn it off before he got too overwhelmed. "This is what the world truly looks like, absolutely nothing can hide from this sight. Before you ask - I've been practicing for--" Hmm. How would he take the news of her real age? Maybe keep it vague for now - one thing at a time. "longer than you can probably imagine." Yeah, that'll work for now. Maybe if he asked she would share more, but no sooner-- yet.
"The colors, intensity of the lights, how well defined the person containing them... once you get a feel for these things, you can read how strong someone is and how capable they are just by being in their presence." That part was big. She had more to say, but she paused there for the boy to process it fully. It would probably be too ambiguous on its own but if she said what she wanted to all at once it wouldn't hit properly. So, once he soaked in the main concept, all that was left was to make the obvious connection. "When people challenge me with an overbearing confidence, much like you did when we first met today, I can tell they lack this skill and are in for a rude awakening."
While she wasn't one to boast about her abilities, the point here was to stress how important the skill was of being able to read a person's energy. So, rather than linger on herself, she'd drive that point home explicitly. "If you get good enough... you can properly size up an opponent properly before you run headfirst into a battle that might be impossible to win."
Then again... Henoke was incredibly strong. It was going to be pretty rare that he would run into a person like JeY where he wouldn't stand a chance; she was too far an outlier to make this the most fair lesson.
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Post by hoodwink on May 19, 2021 18:30:02 GMT -5
”Yes, you’re beginning to understand.” The encouragement was enough to keep the confident grin on the teen’s face as they pumped a fist. ”Heh—ain't nothin'!” Clearly ignoring the fact his skills were far from adequate, Henoke rested his fists triumphantly on his hips and puffed up his chest. ”You don’t have to limit it to people, but that is a very good place to start.” JeY’s additional explanation intrigued the headstrong warrior, who immediately began thinking of those they always crossed paths and blows with—the Heartless. So…I can use this fer huntin’ down Heartless, too…? It seemed the skills this mysterious ‘Guardian’ was teaching him would have more than their fair share of uses. "When you can hone your focus, you might even see the world differently. Close your eyes.” Yanking him out of his combat-oriented thoughts, JeY’s command caught Henoke by surprise, though the teen was quick to follow suit. Most of the stuff around this ‘energy’ seemed to have to do with people closing their eyes.
If the earlier sensation was any note—it was most likely due to the learning curve. Too much sense activation at once could easily have an adverse effect. Not that Henoke himself bothered to think this far ahead, or connect those dots. He merely respected the woman’s strength, and appreciated the skills he’d already began to learn so far. In a sense, JeY had earned the rowdy paladin’s trust. Feeling the weight of her hand on his shoulder, the teen staggered as the Bond ability took effect. The darkness of his shut eyelids was illuminated by a festival of light and color as the world awakened itself to the young and unpracticed mind’s eye. ”Woah!” From the speckled white plants to the vibrant powerful colors that he and JeY exuded, it was clear that the Henoke was mystified by the sight, as his breath seemed to pause. Immediately he noted the colors of the two that stood alone in the grassy terrain, finding an odd sense of pride and comfort that the two were both composed of warm and powerful hues.
This’s wild…! His head craned on his neck, whipping around every which way as he ‘took in’ the ‘sights’. Of course, in reality the two stood with their eyes shut—but he could see everything. Really see it. ”This is what the world truly looks like, absolutely nothing can hide from this sight.” What a crazy power. ”Before you can ask—I’ve been practicing for—longer than you can probably imagine.” JeY’s comment caused Henoke to stagger once more, this time in surprise as he barked out a retort without thinking. ”F’real?! How old’re ya, lady?!” Should he be calling her ‘granny’?! Though the woman was a vibrant silhouette of color right now, her features had only betrayed an age of a few years ahead of him. The surprise was quickly side-tracked by a further explanation of the lights he saw. ”Once you get a feel for these things, you can read how strong someone is…” A vaguely mischievous grin cracked along his face at that.
Someone like her wouldn’t take him by surprise again, that much was for sure. ”When people challenge me with an overbearing confidence, much like you did when we first met today…” The following blow to his pride caused Henoke to indignantly shout out, batting JeY’s hand away with a scowl on his face as his eyes shot open instinctively. The sudden return of his ‘normal’ vision caused the world to dim and spin, forcing the teen to halt in his shouting protest as he gagged and fought a sudden nausea. ”Urk…” Regardless of his outburst, the point remained true. He’d been inexperienced and it’d shown. ”If you get good enough… you can size up an opponent properly before you run headfirst into a battle that might be impossible to win.” For some reason, her words irked him for a moment. It reminded him of the tone his Master and Chirithy would have while chastising him—albeit, JeY didn’t really talk with any tone.
”Tch—no battle's impossible!” Pumping a fist against his chest as he recovered his vision and balance, Henoke wore a cocky smirk as his golden eyes flared with defiance. ”Even if someone’s stronger—there’s always a way ‘ta win!” Summoning his Keyblade once more, the teen seemed ready for more training—an indomitable look in his gaze. ”C’mon! I ain’t done yet!” He’d get the hang of it for sure! Whether JeY would humor him with more direct sparring or something else she had in mind though, was yet to be determined.
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Post by JeY k on May 20, 2021 11:09:16 GMT -5
Ah yes, there it is. Honestly, now that he asked she was very curious as to how he would react. Alright we can play this game, let's go Henoke. "I don't know exactly, but in terms of how time moves here, I'd say I've been alive a few hundred million years at least." JeY would give the boy plenty of time to get whatever reactions out of his system before proceeding with the audacious request to spar again. He probably won't be able to focus for a minute? But it would be entertaining at least.
Once it was clear he was ready to play, JeY would take her own stance. She crossed her arms in front of her like an X and flourished them, with her right arm facing to the side and bent upwards and her left arm extended out directly at the boy. Both of he hands were clenched into partial fists, except for her middle and pointer fingers being extended with bright dots forming at the ends floating at a slight disjoint. Her arms had a soft, fuzzy aura of pink light around them as though they were glowing slightly.
She planned to fight hand-to-blade, but make no mistake, in this state her arms would be as hard as steel here while being affected by her asymmetric redistribution of Chaotic energy reserves, capable of blocking the keyblade brandished in front of her. If Henoke proved to have an opening, the dots at her fingertips would be harsh, concentrated laser blasts. Direct strikes of her hands would hit much harder than most punches he's probably felt in his lifetime assuming they'd connect.
Clearly the boy was heated and ready to blow off some steam and it might be fun to mess around with him. She'd try not to inflict any permanent damage, but there was no way this wasn't going to hurt. She would play this fight reactively however; trying to only return blows once Henoke left openings, but would not initiate any unprovoked contact.
"Fair warning - I will fight back this time."
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Post by hoodwink on Jun 9, 2021 13:27:46 GMT -5
Huh? Though Henoke was excited to see Jey agree to his proposal, his eyes blinked in confusion as he tilted his head, noting the odd energy that began to surround the woman’s arms. Where’re her swords? Was she really planning on fighting him bare-handed?! Wasn’t that a little too much, even for how strong she was? ”Grr…” Was she underestimating him again, even with all the training he’d been doing with her?! For a moment, the teen’s pride was hurt, causing his ego to flare and roar out in protest as a surge of anger snaked its way around his heart. ”Fair warning—I will fight back this time.” The comment took him off-guard, the anger pausing as he tilted his head—not understanding anything. Were ya not before…? Whatever, he’d already gotten used to JeY not making much sense to him. ”Heh—alright! Let’s go!” Grinning with confidence and determination, the boy’s grip on his Keyblade tightened as he scrunched his eyes shut in an attempt to focus—recalling what the world looked like when JeY had shown it to him—what he could ‘feel’ around him.
Sure enough, with how new all of it was still, it took Henoke a little bit of time to actually begin to see things in the dark behind his eyelids. All in all, a span of a good 30-40 seconds passed before the warrior shouted out with their eyes closed still. ”There!” It wasn’t as vivid as what the ‘Guardian’ had shown him, though it had progressed more than the first time he’d managed minor success in some aspects. ”Heh, alright!” His grin was wide and broad as he began to dart across the grass towards JeY in the open field. Ahead of him he could easily make out the familiar colors that formed JeY’s silhouette, the new vibrant hues lancing off of her arms and hands. Tch—it’s still hard ‘ta focus, though… Sure enough, once he focused on JeY and began to move, it was hard to focus on much else while maintaining it. Whenever he’d shift his minds focus to other things around the woman, her own figure seemed to flicker and fade for a moment—replaced instead with the familiar color of the grass energy, or the sky around them.
”Whatever! It ain’t vanishin’, at least!” All he needed was to see his target, anyway! Shouting out partial thoughts incoherently as his eyes remained scrunched up, Henoke lanced through the grass and leapt through the air with his High Jump, aiming to arc directly over JeY as he slashed the Keyblade out in a powerful attack upside-down. Hoping the angle and trajectory of the attack would throw her off, the boy’s mind-eye continued to hone in and watch the woman as he arced and landed in the grass behind them, following the initial blow with a quick combo—excitement clear on his scrunched up focused face in reality.
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Post by JeY k on Jun 11, 2021 14:25:59 GMT -5
There was that face again. He was unhappy about something. What, wasn't sparring exactly what he wanted? Even as she humored his emotional response to essentially being called 'not stronger than literally everybody' he still seemed like he wasn't fully content. His response to her comment about fighting back was more lively - that's more like it. Mental note: next time Henoke is unhappy, just fucking punch him.
Ah, immediately putting his new abilities to use. Good student, despite the microscopic temper tantrum earlier he was enthusiastic about actually improving as a warrior instead of mindlessly assuming he's too strong for anything to matter. The stoic lady was proud even. For the first time, she didn't know exactly what he was planning. That's genuinely impressive.
He went for a direct attack which she would've guessed, then his very telegraphed stance change gave away his plan to go high for this one.
-clang-
That's... not typically a noise you'd hear when someone with a bare fist backhands a melee weapon to prevent the slash from connecting? Either way, the boy wasn't getting off easy. She would reward him for mixing it up slightly with something he probably wouldn't expect himself; an application of her trademark blinding speed.
JeY crouched and swept her leg low behind her at the moment Henoke was landing, right before his feet would touch the ground. Her objective was to knock him completely over before he even had a chance to stand and defend himself. The sweep would also turn her own body one hundred and eighty degrees to face the target. Under the assumption Henoke was unsuccessful in reacting accordingly she would uppercut his sideways chest and send him backwards. If she didn't connect or Henoke wasn't falling, she'd hop backwards and anticipate the next move.
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Post by hoodwink on Jun 17, 2021 12:50:33 GMT -5
CLANG! Wait, how did that sound happen? JeY had blocked the striking Keyblade with her bare hand, though it had sounded as though two swords had scraped and collided. ”Urk!” Sweeping out a leg with blinding speed, Henoke’s landing was thrown completely off as he was hurtled off of his footing above the grass—prone for the coming strike the woman hurled his way. CLANG! Thankfully, the boy’s saving grace was his own reflexes and natural physical strength. Raising the large bandaged Keyblade in a hasty guard while tossed into the air, the slamming attack from JeY successfully launched the young warrior backwards through the grass, though he’d successfully managed to block the worst of the collision. ”Ha ha! Alright!” The reason he'd been able to guard in time was because of that weird 'minds eye' thing. There had been a colorful and vibrant glaring light when JeY had attacked. Skidding to a halt as he managed to catch his footing and grip the grinding dirt and grass beneath his feet, the orange haired teen wore a devilish grin as their golden gaze flared with pure excitement. This’s more like it! He’d been completely mistaken when she hadn’t seemed to draw any weapons.
Once again, the boy was forced to realize that this woman was insanely strong. ”Perfect!” Henoke’s grin only widened as he tightened his grip on his weapon. She’s crazy fast, too… He didn’t need to use the new power she’d been teaching him right away—he could see her until she struck. That was the moment he’d try to use it! ”Eat this!” With a devious look, the spiky-haired warrior raised their weapon, aiming the tip directly towards JeY across the feel as a sudden burst of heat erupted forth. ”Firaga!” The large fireball honed in and blasted across the space within the blink of an eye, spiking towards the woman while chased after by its caster. ”Ya ain’t the only one who’s quick!” Though he knew his own speed couldn’t compare to the woman’s, Henoke was by no means slow, despite the size of the weapon he carried. While the Firaga spell shot forward directly for JeY in a straight line, the teen used their Sliding Dash to follow in its own shadow before quickly darting to the side.
As the fire spell would try to hit its target, Henoke would emerge from the other side, lashing out with their weapon with a roar as it sparked with powerful golden electric energy in a powerful Blitz attack!
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