Training Montage Time!

[needsteaplz.livejournal.com]

WHO: Saori Nakagawa and you [OPEN]

WHEN: August 22nd, Dark Hour

WHAT: Training Time

WHERE: City Streets

WHY: Because someone needs to minor in fighting and quickly

WARNINGS: PG-13 to R, due to violence



If her first fight with the Shadows wasn't her wake up call, that battle during the full moon was. That was the time she couldn't rely on her Persona, Brigid's strength to protect her. Having no combat experience before arriving in Prospero, she knew she had to quickly pick up on some fighting techniques if she was going to survive. After all, she had no intentions of dying again. Not to mention, she didn't want to be a hinderance to anyone during the Dark Hour and would feel guilty if someone got injured because of her.


Problem was picking out who would be the best to train her. She did promise Asuka that she'd train with her since the last time they met was during the full moon battle. At the same time, she made a deal of sorts with Klaus in training. She had to admit fending for herself with a baseball bat was rather thrilling, but she would have to pick up a more legtimate weapon soon. After all, those Mayas were just the small fry and if  more powerful Shadows did appear, she'd be out of luck.

Comments

[soulsborderline.livejournal.com]

Saori's wandering doesn't escape Asuka's notice. Despite her original intention to work alone, Asuka has to admit a little bit of a thrill to ordering around a small fire team, especially a couple of people who took orders well without being total losers about it. Saori falls into this category, so Asuka is intent on 'recruiting' her or, at least, showing her how to fight.

And even if Saori does flake or prove useless later, it's not like Asuka wants the dumb civilian to get herself killed.

Regardless, out on patrol for Shadows herself, Asuka is quick to meet up with the older redhead, walking up to her confidently. Scratches and bruises from the Fortune Shadow fight are still clearly in evidence in the weird light of the Dark Hour, as is Asuka's swagger from winning that battle. "Getting started on your training, Saori?"

[needsteaplz.livejournal.com]

"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess," Saori said. The scratches and brusies Asuka had worried her but decided to stay quiet for now. If they did prove to be more serious, then she would speak up.

She had just finished taking care of a lone Maya with her Persona, Brigid. As a physical weapon, she still carried the baseball bat.

[soulsborderline.livejournal.com]

"Well, you picked an okay weapon to start with. Nice and balanced, and none of these things seem armored," Asuka comments, looking at how Saori was standing appraisingly...and making a face.

"Well, you wanted to start with Persona stuff, right? Let's go find some Shadows," she says.

[needsteaplz.livejournal.com]

Saori gave a nod. Well, at least she was off on a fairly good start. "There should be more of them if we head up this road," Saori said. "I have a feeling our Persona can learn more skills if we keep beating Shadows. I want to see what else Brigid can do. So, what's your Persona, Asuka?"

[soulsborderline.livejournal.com]

"My Persona is Brünnhilde," Asuka says, far too proudly and sounding like she's about to start a literature lecture. "Do you know Wagner's Ring operas at all, Saori? They're highly important and influential adaptations of pan-Germanic mythology and Brünnhilde is the main recurring character throughout all four--"

Before she can talk for more than a minute or so continuously, though, the two young women are quickly surrounded by a squad of Idol shadows coming out from alleyways on either side of them. Asuka draws her axe and brings her other hand up in preparation for summoning Brynhildr.

"I was talking. Mein Gott you Shadows are rude."

[needsteaplz.livejournal.com]

"It's been a while since I read pan-Germanic mythology, but yes that name does sound familiar." She'd have to make a note to brush up on her non-Japanese folklore when there was time.

When she saw the weapon Asuka held, she had to wonder where the gecko that came from because didn't remember seeing that until just now. Right now though, she summoned Brigid. The Persona gladly cast an Agi on the closest Idol that loomed forward.

[soulsborderline.livejournal.com]

"It should be!" Asuka says, leaping at the scorched Idol and chopping away at it repeatedly with her axe like she was trying to carve new parts onto it. "She's the captain of the Walküre!"

She gives the Idol a boot to the head...mask...whatever to finish it and steps back, whirling widely to try and parry an attack from the other direction. "Hehe! Kinda makes sense I'm a leader now..."

[needsteaplz.livejournal.com]

"It does," Saori agreed as she smacked a nearby Idol. She had Brigid finish it off with another dose of Agi. As effective as it was, Saori made a mental note to herself to try not to over do it.

"So what kind of skills does Brünnhilde have then?"

[soulsborderline.livejournal.com]

"There's this. Persona, einsetze!"

Brynhildr appears around Asuka, almost on top of the Shadow she's engaged with, and overhand-stabs the Idol with her hunting spear. The enemy is knocked back and staggered by the blow, but rushes forward to attack Asuka again.

"Ach, scheisse!" Asuka says, rolling with the strike. "That never actually charms the bastards when I want it to..."

[needsteaplz.livejournal.com]

Saori just stared at the two before sending another Idol flying. As impressive as that was, she had to wonder how in the world did a high school student was able to wield an axe like that. Or any of those weapons she mentioned in that video post.

"Charm? Explanation, please!"

1/2

[soulsborderline.livejournal.com]

You'll have to wait a second, Saori, Asuka's shouting a wordless, raging battlecry as she hacks her target the rest of the way into the ground.

2/2

[soulsborderline.livejournal.com]

Once it's dead and there's a bit of time to breathe, though, Asuka stands up and straightens her clothes, then addresses Saori.

"Occasionally that skill with the spear causes the target to change its priorities and attack another Shadow," Asuka explains. "I call the effect 'charm' because, I figure, it's as if I charmed the little scheisskopf into switching sides."

So charming, Asuka.

[needsteaplz.livejournal.com]

Saori was now trying to figure out if she should be terrified or amazed of Asuka. She'd hate to be on her bad side either way though.

"Makes sense to me," Saori agreed. "Now I want to know if there's other status inducing techniques we can use to our advantage."

[soulsborderline.livejournal.com]

Both would be fine with her!

Asuka looks around, not noticing any other hostiles here. "The problem with this thing is that it works less than half the time, and I have no idea why it does or doesn't. And some Shadows die from the physical damage right off, so of course it's useless then..."

[needsteaplz.livejournal.com]

Saori dismissed Brigid for now and sat down on a nearby wooden crate. "Guess that makes sense. Getting a technique like that to work is up chance, unless we have something that could curry it to our favor. Sounds like we should try compile a log of sorts of the kinds of Shadows we see. I guess from there, it's all trial and error in find out each Shadows' strengths and weakness."

The more she thought about it, the more this was sounding like an RPG like her brother used to play until she scolded him to work on his homework first before even starting up the system. Or maybe she was just thinking too hard about the subject. Who knows.

[soulsborderline.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Asuka admits. "That'd be good for that Saber lady's meeting..."

She sighs. "This is starting to feel more like homework than fun...or boring training tests with the sim bodies..."

[needsteaplz.livejournal.com]

"It'll benefit us in the long run that way we can better organize balanced teams if things like what happened on the full moon happens again." Hopefully, the upcoming meeting would be a success and not to mention it was way to check who might needed protecting until they got their own Personae. Saori was naturally just worries about others more so than herself.

"Say, Asuka, when this is done, do you want to come over to the hotel? Guess you can say I'll feed you as payment for helping me train today." Just nothing too fancy though.

[soulsborderline.livejournal.com]

"I think I might be creating a barter economy here," Asuka muses. All her 'students' seemed to want to pay her in food rather than money. Then again, what was she going to spend the money on? Right.

"Sounds good to me, though."

[needsteaplz.livejournal.com]

"Alright then," Saori said as she sat up and stretched. "Now on that note, should we move to a different area or should we call it a day?"

To her it made more sense to give her food since Asuka had already praised it earlier. Not to mention she heard the complaints about the local schools' cafeteria food so she figured the kids weren't eating properly and maternal instincts just kicked in.

[soulsborderline.livejournal.com]

Asuka pauses and thinks. Well, more like tries not to think. After getting knocked around like that the smart thing to do would be to go home, especially since the only Persona technique she had took even more of the wind out of her. Frankly, using Holy Arrow is starting to feel more and more like a punch in the sternum every time she uses it. However...

"Let's go kill at least another batch, get you some practice in dodging and taking hits if we can," she says, as if there is nothing wrong with Saori throwing herself into mortal peril.

[needsteaplz.livejournal.com]

"Alright then," Saori hesitantly agreed. "If I see you getting tired while that happens, I'm pulling both of us out of here as soon as we can. I don't want you to get too worn out because of me." Even though they had just recently met, she was already developing a protective side for her trainer.

[soulsborderline.livejournal.com]

"You worry too much. Honestly, I did something like this for a living back home," Asuka says, ignoring the aches of accumulated damage even harder now that Saori's getting into her business over it. She turns and walks off, light on her feet, but more alert this time.

[needsteaplz.livejournal.com]

"I hope you don't mind me asking but what kind of world do you live in where they're training kids in combat and the sort?" Saori may not be experienced in combat, but she knows when someone's trying to hide their injuries.

[soulsborderline.livejournal.com]

"Well, first the world ended, then I was born, and now we fight these big ugly things called Angels with big awesome things called Evangelions," Asuka says, summarizing the three most important points of history from her perspective. "I'm one of only three people in the world who can pilot an Evangelion. Since they run on a neural interface, part of my training is hand-to-hand and firearms combat that translates directly to being on foot."

[needsteaplz.livejournal.com]

"Ah, I see..." Still the idea of someone like Asuka's age to be piloting whatever Evangelions were just didn't seem right. "Maybe if there's time later, I'd like to ask more about your home world."

They eventually reach another area. Though it was starting to get close to the local hotel, it wasn't in any threat of danger. A few Shadows lurked about, maybe five or six of them total. "Guess we can start of here. If anything, there might back up Shadows nearby."

[soulsborderline.livejournal.com]

Asuka looks at the group of enemies, still smirking from the positive attention to her work and skills. She hefts her hatchet and moves to a calculated charging distance. She does not, however, rush right in this time.

"Right. Since you're the one training here, I'll let you go first this time. Show me what you can do and I'll finish things off before they can counterattack," she says, liking her own off-the-cuff plan.