#earthrunes

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August uses the last light of the summer day, just before Highsummer, to practice his physical skills and martial arts.

In the combat ring.

His intense focus on getting skills just right mean that he hasn't heard Coradel approach. Eventually, after he executes a nice combo, he can hear her clapping behind him.

He turns and salutes her.

She smiles warmly at him. "Not bad, love. You've been practicing."

"I have. I said I would."

"You did." She nods. "Would you like a practice partner? Not for sparring, but so you can drill against a target."

"Ah. Well. Yes?"

She smiles and steps into the ring. She's certainly not dressed for sparring, wearing a light and gauzy maxi dress, very summer-y. She picks up a practice blade on the way in. "Now, go through that pattern very slowly. Let me see what counter-strikes and blocks you're working against."

"Are you sure? I mean... if you want to change at all......"

She shakes her head. "This is fine."

August is obviously not comfortable with this but to his credit he does not argue. He nods and begins to work his kata pattern slowly.

She moves as he moves, slowly moving her blade to strike or block as the kata seems to demand, keeping her distance as he advances and retreats.

He focuses -hard- on the kata, working methodically through each step.

She doesn't disturb the focus, and lets him work through it twice before saying, " Good?"

"It...felt smooth." He says.

"It looked smooth. I find drill patterns make more sense when I know what they're being used against. Slowly, two more times," she says, readying again.

Assuring himself she's watching, not participating, he goes through the katas again. He's... weird. A lot of what he does is a standard drill but it's a conscious effort. Under that is.... a tendency to do bits and pieces from other habits and traditions; a grab bag.

She notes this. In fact, she thinks it's charming. If it's also effective, so much the better. As they go through again, she says, "I spoke with Leonora."

He stops with a clang. "Sorry."

A bit of a smile. "Start again."

"Ahhh... Okay....." Hesitant, he takes up his blade and begins again.

And once he's gotten started, she says, "She thinks she has an idea about what happened."

He stops. "Coradel, are we going to talk about this, or fight?"

He blinks. "I mean.... practice. Combat. Swords........"

He lowers his blade.

She gives him a look. "August...this is a drill. With practice blades. You need to get good enough at it that it becomes muscle memory. You need to practice dividing your focus."

"I... ok. I just... Ok." He shifts, moving and shaking it off... and he comes en guard to the target.

She takes her stance and waits for him to begin.

He swallows but is a good soldier and engages, gives as good as he is given, and is.....sharp. He's been working on this.

She matches his pattern again, and when she speaks this time, she says, "Now, try to keep going as we speak. You can go slower if you want." A pause with the next two strikes, then, "As I was saying...Leonora has a notion about what happened."

"What?" And he completely stops any form of training.

She gives him a LOOK, not moving, allowing him to resume with the next strike.

A long, even painful pause. "Ah." He taps her blade. "Yes?" TapTap.

A rewarding grin. "She thinks..." tap "...that she may be tying up..." tap "...the passion of the sheets..." tap "...and the passion of fealty..." tap "...into a passion that she's confusing..." tap tap "...with love."

Tapskitterslide...."Ah. Ah, sorry....what?"

"Start again." She takes the first stance again and waits for him to start before speaking again.

"Can we just talk about this?"

A sigh from Coradel, but she lowers her sword. "You'll have to practice that eventually, you know." A scolding smile.

"So...Leonora thinks that she's bound up the passion of sex with the passion of serving her liege, and confused it for a deeper love."