Uh. I do do track and field, too. My event is the mile.
[So, mostly just running in circles.
Of course, that's when the memory fizzle to the surface.
Rinka, past!Rinka, sparring with her father in a park. No weapons, just their hands (and in Rinka's case, her feet as well). Something had happened. She was upset, angry, because she hadn't been able to do anything. She didn't know which direction to go next. And then something small and fast drops both her father and her.
[Anna recognizes that look; a lot of times they hit her the same way. she stops immediately, freezing mid-swing, then pulls her fist back and relaxes her stance. once it's clear they aren't actually sparring anymore for the moment, she speaks up.]
[Rinka blinks a few times as she tries to figure out what the memory means. Sequence of events is one thing. What those events mean is something else entirely.]
I was sparring with my father. I was... frustrated. Something had happened, and I felt like I had... failed. And I didn't know what to do from there.
[she frowns a little and looks down at the batons in her hands]
I don't know what happened, but I think it was a bit more than failing a class in school. I felt like... I'd tried my hardest and still hadn't done enough...
[interesting. Anna tilts her head slightly, trying to make sense of it. she doesn't have the highest opinion of fathers to begin with, so pardon the venom.]
Yeah, well. Dads are easy as hell to disappoint. Ask mine. [don't, actually.] If it's any consolation? You're definitely not failing here. You're picking this shit up pretty well for someone who's never fought with those things before. Told you you wouldn't get your ass kicked.
[Rinka is fairly certain it she hadn't disappointed her dad. But with all the missing context, it's just really hard to explain.]
I don't think it was him... He seemed kind of... happy they were sparring? I think he was trying to comfort her even...
[She looks down at the batons dangling from her wrists.]
It kind of feels like muscle memory. Like my body is remembering how to do this. Which is really cool, but really weird at the same time.
[Then she points at her head, careful not to whack herself with a baton]
But she still got her ass kicked, sort of. Someone small and fast appeared. Took down her dad and then took her down. Though... I think it was a throw? She wasn't hurt, just surprised.
[yeah, Anna gets that. that's how it felt when she got her sword stuff back. it wasn't really an all-at-once thing for her, and she struggled for, like, a solid month not knowing how to use it, but. that's all in the past now.]
What, she got surprise judo-ed? [wow, what a dumb way for Anna to say it!] But if she didn't get hurt, I guess it wasn't supposed to be an attack. [or. whatever. she shrugs. it's not really her place to analyze other people's memories.]
Either way, this is how it kicks in. Eventually you'll start feeling like you've been doing it your whole life. My first week knowing how to use a sword, I went out into the forest and just hunted panther monsters for a while. [a beat as her eye glances away.] So don't get cocky.
[she turns her back and keeps her ears open in case this is one of those instances where she's gonna get snuck up on. and really, she'd be proud of her. but if Rinka isn't planning to ambush her, then Anna will be glad to carefully unsheathe her blade and show it off in its off-white glory. it's not really anything special as far as katanas go, but it definitely used to be whiter.]
[Anna shrugs. she's extremely helpful. this blade is important to her, yeah, and she has some pretty good ideas as to why, but she doesn't really know much about the blade itself.]
It might still be steel, just stained white or something? Well. Used to be white until I actually started using it. I still haven't figured out how to get panther blood out of it, and it was just kind of downhill from there.
It was the first thing I killed when I got A2's sword skills back.
[she nods, handing over the blade and making sure Rinka knows how to stick the pointy end away from her. it's a lightweight sword, just a standard katana meant to be used by androids. you know, your everyday future blade! for robots! god her life is weird. Rinka shouldn't have too much of a problem lifting it, is the point.]
Or was it when I got the robot legs...? [it's a rhetorical question. it definitely was.] Either way. Zee needed me to do stuff, and I did it.
[Yep, Rinka makes sure the holds the pointy end away from the both of them. No poking her new sparring partner with her own sword. That would just be rude.
It feels a lot different from the batons, as it should. It's not quite as heavy as she thought it would be.]
Ah, like when you ran into that brain thing and lost you eye?
[Rinka gives the sword a couple swings. It's not really a weapon she can picture herself using, but it's still just... really cool.]
[yeah. it is pretty cool. it's cool enough to get Anna to smirk despite herself, and despite how blunt Rinka is being in bringing that up.]
Yeah. Didn't know what the stakes were like back then, though. I was just trying to help bring the city back to normal. [her eye tracks Rinka's movements.] That's all any of us are doing, I guess.
[Anna takes it, then takes a step back and does some slow, one-handed sword spins, just idly turning the hilt in her hand with the confidence of somebody who's found her weapon.]
You'll get there. Long as you come at it with that mindset, you're in good company. [and she lets the sword come to a rest.] Feels like our little fighting force is getting smaller by the day. So we're gonna be the best damn fighters this city's got.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[So, mostly just running in circles.
Of course, that's when the memory fizzle to the surface.
Rinka, past!Rinka, sparring with her father in a park. No weapons, just their hands (and in Rinka's case, her feet as well). Something had happened. She was upset, angry, because she hadn't been able to do anything. She didn't know which direction to go next. And then something small and fast drops both her father and her.
Rinka drops her guard in confusion.]
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Anything interesting?
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I was sparring with my father. I was... frustrated. Something had happened, and I felt like I had... failed. And I didn't know what to do from there.
[she frowns a little and looks down at the batons in her hands]
I don't know what happened, but I think it was a bit more than failing a class in school. I felt like... I'd tried my hardest and still hadn't done enough...
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Yeah, well. Dads are easy as hell to disappoint. Ask mine. [don't, actually.] If it's any consolation? You're definitely not failing here. You're picking this shit up pretty well for someone who's never fought with those things before. Told you you wouldn't get your ass kicked.
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I don't think it was him... He seemed kind of... happy they were sparring? I think he was trying to comfort her even...
[She looks down at the batons dangling from her wrists.]
It kind of feels like muscle memory. Like my body is remembering how to do this. Which is really cool, but really weird at the same time.
[Then she points at her head, careful not to whack herself with a baton]
But she still got her ass kicked, sort of. Someone small and fast appeared. Took down her dad and then took her down. Though... I think it was a throw? She wasn't hurt, just surprised.
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What, she got surprise judo-ed? [wow, what a dumb way for Anna to say it!] But if she didn't get hurt, I guess it wasn't supposed to be an attack. [or. whatever. she shrugs. it's not really her place to analyze other people's memories.]
Either way, this is how it kicks in. Eventually you'll start feeling like you've been doing it your whole life. My first week knowing how to use a sword, I went out into the forest and just hunted panther monsters for a while. [a beat as her eye glances away.] So don't get cocky.
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[says the girl planning to spar blindfolded with James the very next day]
Could I see your sword? I've never really seen up close one before.
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[she turns her back and keeps her ears open in case this is one of those instances where she's gonna get snuck up on. and really, she'd be proud of her. but if Rinka isn't planning to ambush her, then Anna will be glad to carefully unsheathe her blade and show it off in its off-white glory. it's not really anything special as far as katanas go, but it definitely used to be whiter.]
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[Rinka doesn't have a sneak attack in mind (this time???). Instead she takes a look at Anna's sword.]
Wow. What's it made of? That doesn't quite look like steel.
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It might still be steel, just stained white or something? Well. Used to be white until I actually started using it. I still haven't figured out how to get panther blood out of it, and it was just kind of downhill from there.
[she looks up and smirks.]
Wanna give it a swing?
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Panther blood? That happened here?
[On the one hand, she's remembered kicking a hippo. On the other, panther.]
But, um, yes!
[She holds out her hands, keeping in mind the sword is likely going to be much heavier than her batons.]
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[she nods, handing over the blade and making sure Rinka knows how to stick the pointy end away from her. it's a lightweight sword, just a standard katana meant to be used by androids. you know, your everyday future blade! for robots! god her life is weird. Rinka shouldn't have too much of a problem lifting it, is the point.]
Or was it when I got the robot legs...? [it's a rhetorical question. it definitely was.] Either way. Zee needed me to do stuff, and I did it.
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It feels a lot different from the batons, as it should. It's not quite as heavy as she thought it would be.]
Ah, like when you ran into that brain thing and lost you eye?
[Rinka gives the sword a couple swings. It's not really a weapon she can picture herself using, but it's still just... really cool.]
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Yeah. Didn't know what the stakes were like back then, though. I was just trying to help bring the city back to normal. [her eye tracks Rinka's movements.] That's all any of us are doing, I guess.
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Yeah. That's why I want to learn how to use my batons. I might not be able to do much, but I hate to do nothing at all.
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You'll get there. Long as you come at it with that mindset, you're in good company. [and she lets the sword come to a rest.] Feels like our little fighting force is getting smaller by the day. So we're gonna be the best damn fighters this city's got.