((Cross Posting this in Verad's thread as well))
Orrin Halgren feels the end of the weathered spear ring out against her shield, and he uses the contact to push away, hopping backwards lightly. Lowering his practice weapon, he looks to her with a nod "Good." The Dragoon gives a rare smile and nods, "Keep in mind how you moved, for that is the whole of the exercise." He looks into her eyes "What stands before you Ms. Primrose are your desires and impulses made flesh; whereas your weapon and shield are discretion and will power. See how your urges seek to abuse every weak point. Weak Points that you created, due to the ways you deflect impulses and desires. Take note that I am lightly clothed with a lighter weapon, and you are encumbered. You shall surely tire before I do." Looking her over, "This is meditation, meditation on your defenses. The more gracefully you put aside your urges, the longer it will take for you to tire. "
Evangeline smiles, "Dangerous words, I think from a dragoon." She tilts her head, "So I should not fight my desires head on? But perhaps circumvent them, or even use them to my advantage?"
Orrin shakes his head, "We deal with our urges in different ways, You have chosen to fight these in a particular way, only repetition will tell how long you can continue." he says readying his spear, before repeating the same attack pattern he had used countless times this night.
Evangeline nods, stopping the first two strikes as before, tilting her shield and stepping forward, but for the last, she steps forward again, and using the weight of both her and her armor she pushes into him, knocking the man off balance.
Her trainer is pushed back and he stumbles somewhat "I am not teaching you combat, I am teaching you meditation through it. Block the same way each time, if you think of how to counter, your mind will not be focused.. You must accept your weaknesses and fight through them. That is introspection, change will comes afterwards.
Evangeline pauses, looking as if she wishes to argue, but finally relents, "Very well.... though I'm not very good at staying still." She returns to her ready position.
.
Orrin nods "That is why you are training, isn’t it?" readying the lance, "Again" he barks in a drill master's tone, attacking the same way, fluidly, quickly, never speeding up or slowing down from his original assault. Were she to deflect it he'd bark for another set, then another and another till they had completed another thirty, or Evangeline fails to deflect one, either due to exhaustion or boredom.
She continues, though her mind seems to tire long before her body does. The defensive pattern was efficient on her body, but torturous on her mind, and it wanders, thinking of other topics, until at last, she forgets to step forward, and the staff hits her with it's full leverage and power, sending her stumbling sideways into the ground. "Sorry... I got distracted."
He lowers his spear and nods, "Your movements were fine, I had yet to see your body tire." walking over and offering a hand "Get up, we go again."
Evangeline takes the hand and pulls herself up with a grumble, "I thought this was going to be more exciting… doing the same thing over and over feels like a waste of time.â€
Orrin lets go of her "This is what your mind faces, each and every moment, Ms Primrose. It knocks on the door relentlessly, seeking entry. If the door is locked it seeks an open window, a vent, a hatch, a crawlway. It will never cease. Someday you may train your mind, making it fluid enough to deflect it, but now, it must be sturdy enough to stop the first knock.â€
"I tried to be fluid... to deal with it more efficiently each time, but you wouldn't allow me!" She sighs, "It's like the dragons. Think of the first one who thought to use their power against them! Mindless repetition will get us nowhere! you should know that as well as I."
The Dragoon shakes his head "No, you are losing focus, this is about the sanctity and sureness of your thoughts. We practice the movements until we transcend thought and simply -act-. Only then shall you achieve clarity of thought unclouded by influence. Trust in me, Miss Primrose, you seeked my training, please accept it."
She shakes her head, "First answer me this." She steps forward, "The Holy See and the holy writings declare the dragons profane. They always have." She steps forward and pokes a hand into his chest, "But someone broke them. The original Dragoons accepted the dragons taint in exchange for their power. That is not... mindless sanctity."
He meets her eyes steadily, "You seek not the power of the Dragoon, only its discipline, the mind of a knight. This is how it is obtained, how one can accept a dragon's power into one'self and not let it bend you to its will. Or another other power, for that matter. " He continues, not unkindly. "I told you this will not be easy, but if you wish to prevent your mind from being swayed so easily, then you must follow my path"
Evangeline tenses as if she wants to argue more, then finally deflates, "Fine. There is something I haven't told you, the reason I asked for this training."
Orrin readies his weapon at first and then looks to her "Speak."
"I spoke of a drake, in thanalan, one slain by my companions and I."
He nods, “Yes, I was surprised at the tale.â€
She continues nervously, "It... dropped a stone, which I picked up." Shaking her head, "It... called to me, filled my head with visions, urges… Before I knew what I was doing, I had convinced two more to touch it, to feel its influence."
Orrin’s face betrays no emotion, “This stone..where is it?â€
Evangeline studies him as she speaks gauging his reaction, "I only know vaguely... those with more sense than I took it from me, I still... wish to see it from time to time. I believe it to be in Master Verad's house, if you know the name."
He shakes his head "I do not. But what you speak of is true..." he readies his spear "Again." he says, barking the command..
She raises her weapons, "I... did wish to repeat the experience."
Orrin’s voice softens for a moment, “Then you need this more than you know." Then he strikes, the exact same way, untiringly, contiuing relentlessly until she falters once more.
Evangeline forces down her nervousness and takes his attacks, forcing herself to concentrate. Her arms and legs begin to tire, but her unease gives her strength as she loses herself in the rhythm.
Orrin Halgren feels the end of the weathered spear ring out against her shield, and he uses the contact to push away, hopping backwards lightly. Lowering his practice weapon, he looks to her with a nod "Good." The Dragoon gives a rare smile and nods, "Keep in mind how you moved, for that is the whole of the exercise." He looks into her eyes "What stands before you Ms. Primrose are your desires and impulses made flesh; whereas your weapon and shield are discretion and will power. See how your urges seek to abuse every weak point. Weak Points that you created, due to the ways you deflect impulses and desires. Take note that I am lightly clothed with a lighter weapon, and you are encumbered. You shall surely tire before I do." Looking her over, "This is meditation, meditation on your defenses. The more gracefully you put aside your urges, the longer it will take for you to tire. "
Evangeline smiles, "Dangerous words, I think from a dragoon." She tilts her head, "So I should not fight my desires head on? But perhaps circumvent them, or even use them to my advantage?"
Orrin shakes his head, "We deal with our urges in different ways, You have chosen to fight these in a particular way, only repetition will tell how long you can continue." he says readying his spear, before repeating the same attack pattern he had used countless times this night.
Evangeline nods, stopping the first two strikes as before, tilting her shield and stepping forward, but for the last, she steps forward again, and using the weight of both her and her armor she pushes into him, knocking the man off balance.
Her trainer is pushed back and he stumbles somewhat "I am not teaching you combat, I am teaching you meditation through it. Block the same way each time, if you think of how to counter, your mind will not be focused.. You must accept your weaknesses and fight through them. That is introspection, change will comes afterwards.
Evangeline pauses, looking as if she wishes to argue, but finally relents, "Very well.... though I'm not very good at staying still." She returns to her ready position.
.
Orrin nods "That is why you are training, isn’t it?" readying the lance, "Again" he barks in a drill master's tone, attacking the same way, fluidly, quickly, never speeding up or slowing down from his original assault. Were she to deflect it he'd bark for another set, then another and another till they had completed another thirty, or Evangeline fails to deflect one, either due to exhaustion or boredom.
She continues, though her mind seems to tire long before her body does. The defensive pattern was efficient on her body, but torturous on her mind, and it wanders, thinking of other topics, until at last, she forgets to step forward, and the staff hits her with it's full leverage and power, sending her stumbling sideways into the ground. "Sorry... I got distracted."
He lowers his spear and nods, "Your movements were fine, I had yet to see your body tire." walking over and offering a hand "Get up, we go again."
Evangeline takes the hand and pulls herself up with a grumble, "I thought this was going to be more exciting… doing the same thing over and over feels like a waste of time.â€
Orrin lets go of her "This is what your mind faces, each and every moment, Ms Primrose. It knocks on the door relentlessly, seeking entry. If the door is locked it seeks an open window, a vent, a hatch, a crawlway. It will never cease. Someday you may train your mind, making it fluid enough to deflect it, but now, it must be sturdy enough to stop the first knock.â€
"I tried to be fluid... to deal with it more efficiently each time, but you wouldn't allow me!" She sighs, "It's like the dragons. Think of the first one who thought to use their power against them! Mindless repetition will get us nowhere! you should know that as well as I."
The Dragoon shakes his head "No, you are losing focus, this is about the sanctity and sureness of your thoughts. We practice the movements until we transcend thought and simply -act-. Only then shall you achieve clarity of thought unclouded by influence. Trust in me, Miss Primrose, you seeked my training, please accept it."
She shakes her head, "First answer me this." She steps forward, "The Holy See and the holy writings declare the dragons profane. They always have." She steps forward and pokes a hand into his chest, "But someone broke them. The original Dragoons accepted the dragons taint in exchange for their power. That is not... mindless sanctity."
He meets her eyes steadily, "You seek not the power of the Dragoon, only its discipline, the mind of a knight. This is how it is obtained, how one can accept a dragon's power into one'self and not let it bend you to its will. Or another other power, for that matter. " He continues, not unkindly. "I told you this will not be easy, but if you wish to prevent your mind from being swayed so easily, then you must follow my path"
Evangeline tenses as if she wants to argue more, then finally deflates, "Fine. There is something I haven't told you, the reason I asked for this training."
Orrin readies his weapon at first and then looks to her "Speak."
"I spoke of a drake, in thanalan, one slain by my companions and I."
He nods, “Yes, I was surprised at the tale.â€
She continues nervously, "It... dropped a stone, which I picked up." Shaking her head, "It... called to me, filled my head with visions, urges… Before I knew what I was doing, I had convinced two more to touch it, to feel its influence."
Orrin’s face betrays no emotion, “This stone..where is it?â€
Evangeline studies him as she speaks gauging his reaction, "I only know vaguely... those with more sense than I took it from me, I still... wish to see it from time to time. I believe it to be in Master Verad's house, if you know the name."
He shakes his head "I do not. But what you speak of is true..." he readies his spear "Again." he says, barking the command..
She raises her weapons, "I... did wish to repeat the experience."
Orrin’s voice softens for a moment, “Then you need this more than you know." Then he strikes, the exact same way, untiringly, contiuing relentlessly until she falters once more.
Evangeline forces down her nervousness and takes his attacks, forcing herself to concentrate. Her arms and legs begin to tire, but her unease gives her strength as she loses herself in the rhythm.
