Post by Vex on Apr 28, 2010 21:54:36 GMT -5
He'd taken some time off after escorting Layla on that trip that had wound up getting them to meet both Liyani and her brother. That had been a most...interesting...meeting. He was just glad that the group had been able to mark a good portion of the border. It hadn't exactly been the most pleasant trip.
Layla was smart and genuinely pleasant to be around. He had to say, if he had the choice of who to work with for the remainder of their time there, he'd pick her in a heartbeat. She was good people, with a solid head on her shoulders and without ego to blind her. If he'd met a few more people like her earlier on in live...his career might have gone a bit differently.
Of course, he hadn't minded the company of Liyani. Even though she was native, the huntress also had a mark on his rare list of good people. They seemed to resonate well with each other. They complemented each other and he had the utmost belief that he could trust her to watch his back.
If he was truthful, he'd admit that even her brother, in and of himself, hadn't been that bad. The opinion that the man held of him wasn't exactly a surprise. As far as things went, that reaction ranked fairly high upon what he'd expected things to be like. Unfortunately, he hadn't expected running into an overprotective brother. That had made the entire dynamic of the group, causing an edge due to their heated disagreements. It had taken everything to get Liyani to stay with them, but she, thankfully, listened to reason better than some.
It was all water under the bridge though. They'd made it through, parted ways, and made it back. That was mission complete in his book.
Now he stood out here, in the middle of that yard and taking the largest area he could and using it to limber his Avatar body up and go through the various movements he'd learned for hand to hand combat over the years he'd spent fighting. Little of his form was practiced or orthodox; he'd never found one method of fighting that had seemed the best. He'd learned things...some old school boxing here, Thai boxing there. He'd learned some Jiu Jitsu and Judo...taking what worked for him, what was simple and quick and high percentage enough to use in a threatening situation. He'd taken that amalgram of disciplines, keeping what he liked and throwing away what he didn't. The final product was not pretty, but war wasn't pretty. It was effective and lethal and highly unpredictable. He moved through, elbows and kicks, knees and punches. He didn't string them together like a martial form, structured and the same. He simply began to move and let his actions come from instinct...from what felt right.
By the time he'd finished with that, that Avatar form was sheened with sweat. He'd started out with his usual garb, the heavy combat boots, cargo pants, undershirt and shirt. He had his kit vest on as well, fully loaded. He was a strong believer in "train as you fight". It didn't matter if he could do the perfect move every time with flawless wonder if he couldn't duplicate it when he was wearing what he'd be wearing in a combat situation. That shirt and undershirt were positively drenched.
He unzipped the vest, folding it and laying it down. He peeled off those shirts as well, folding them up and laying them on the vest. At last, he took off his boots, letting his feet feel the grass and the dirt beneath. Stuffing the laces into the boots, he set them next to the rest. Reaching down, he picked up the water bottle he'd brought out with him, taking a deep drink before splashing some over his head and shoulders.
He started again, this time holding himself in a very structured form. This time, his movements were slow and controlled as he focusing on moving just right. They were sweeping and fluid, moving like water. His eyes slid closed.
During the last year prior to his trip here, he'd done quite a bit of soul searching. Along the way, he'd met a friend...one that practiced an old form of Tai Chi. On a whim, he'd decided to try it...and been surprised how much it allowed him to relax...to center himself and find some peace.
It was the first martial art he began to learn in its entirety because it was the only thing that he'd found effective in battling against himself.
Layla was smart and genuinely pleasant to be around. He had to say, if he had the choice of who to work with for the remainder of their time there, he'd pick her in a heartbeat. She was good people, with a solid head on her shoulders and without ego to blind her. If he'd met a few more people like her earlier on in live...his career might have gone a bit differently.
Of course, he hadn't minded the company of Liyani. Even though she was native, the huntress also had a mark on his rare list of good people. They seemed to resonate well with each other. They complemented each other and he had the utmost belief that he could trust her to watch his back.
If he was truthful, he'd admit that even her brother, in and of himself, hadn't been that bad. The opinion that the man held of him wasn't exactly a surprise. As far as things went, that reaction ranked fairly high upon what he'd expected things to be like. Unfortunately, he hadn't expected running into an overprotective brother. That had made the entire dynamic of the group, causing an edge due to their heated disagreements. It had taken everything to get Liyani to stay with them, but she, thankfully, listened to reason better than some.
It was all water under the bridge though. They'd made it through, parted ways, and made it back. That was mission complete in his book.
Now he stood out here, in the middle of that yard and taking the largest area he could and using it to limber his Avatar body up and go through the various movements he'd learned for hand to hand combat over the years he'd spent fighting. Little of his form was practiced or orthodox; he'd never found one method of fighting that had seemed the best. He'd learned things...some old school boxing here, Thai boxing there. He'd learned some Jiu Jitsu and Judo...taking what worked for him, what was simple and quick and high percentage enough to use in a threatening situation. He'd taken that amalgram of disciplines, keeping what he liked and throwing away what he didn't. The final product was not pretty, but war wasn't pretty. It was effective and lethal and highly unpredictable. He moved through, elbows and kicks, knees and punches. He didn't string them together like a martial form, structured and the same. He simply began to move and let his actions come from instinct...from what felt right.
By the time he'd finished with that, that Avatar form was sheened with sweat. He'd started out with his usual garb, the heavy combat boots, cargo pants, undershirt and shirt. He had his kit vest on as well, fully loaded. He was a strong believer in "train as you fight". It didn't matter if he could do the perfect move every time with flawless wonder if he couldn't duplicate it when he was wearing what he'd be wearing in a combat situation. That shirt and undershirt were positively drenched.
He unzipped the vest, folding it and laying it down. He peeled off those shirts as well, folding them up and laying them on the vest. At last, he took off his boots, letting his feet feel the grass and the dirt beneath. Stuffing the laces into the boots, he set them next to the rest. Reaching down, he picked up the water bottle he'd brought out with him, taking a deep drink before splashing some over his head and shoulders.
He started again, this time holding himself in a very structured form. This time, his movements were slow and controlled as he focusing on moving just right. They were sweeping and fluid, moving like water. His eyes slid closed.
During the last year prior to his trip here, he'd done quite a bit of soul searching. Along the way, he'd met a friend...one that practiced an old form of Tai Chi. On a whim, he'd decided to try it...and been surprised how much it allowed him to relax...to center himself and find some peace.
It was the first martial art he began to learn in its entirety because it was the only thing that he'd found effective in battling against himself.
