Roen gave him a patient, warm smile. She tried to remember how her mother looked at her when she gave her these lessons.
“I was a much poorer student at my first lesson,†the paladin reassured him. She stepped forward and lifted the Roegadyn’s elbow and held her own arm opposite his. “Think of it as a sword fight. You are crossing blades, just not quite clashing against each other.†She then changed her hand, and waited for him to do so, crossing her arm with his, like blades in battle. She did it thrice more in slow motion to allow Daegsatz to follow.
“And then when the two meet and neither would give…†She held his arm up and hers, wrist to wrist. “Then you circle your opponent, preparing for the next move.†She slowly walked in an arc, and gestured for him to mirror her on the other side.
“It is much easier when you are just matching your partner, the crossing,†she said gently. “And it takes discipline not to get tangled. It is about knowing your partner’s movements and countering them. Complementing them. Moving opposite from each other, but together.â€
The paladin smiled at Daegsatz as she went through the same motion again, slowly and deliberately so he could follow. She cared not for the exact details of his footsteps, only that he matched her. “It was the first dance I was taught, and it is still my favorite today.†She curtsied when they finished their circle.
“I was a much poorer student at my first lesson,†the paladin reassured him. She stepped forward and lifted the Roegadyn’s elbow and held her own arm opposite his. “Think of it as a sword fight. You are crossing blades, just not quite clashing against each other.†She then changed her hand, and waited for him to do so, crossing her arm with his, like blades in battle. She did it thrice more in slow motion to allow Daegsatz to follow.
“And then when the two meet and neither would give…†She held his arm up and hers, wrist to wrist. “Then you circle your opponent, preparing for the next move.†She slowly walked in an arc, and gestured for him to mirror her on the other side.
“It is much easier when you are just matching your partner, the crossing,†she said gently. “And it takes discipline not to get tangled. It is about knowing your partner’s movements and countering them. Complementing them. Moving opposite from each other, but together.â€
The paladin smiled at Daegsatz as she went through the same motion again, slowly and deliberately so he could follow. She cared not for the exact details of his footsteps, only that he matched her. “It was the first dance I was taught, and it is still my favorite today.†She curtsied when they finished their circle.
