WEEK ONE: SUNDAY, POST GROUP MEETING

[parodeity]

[ well, after That Meeting was over, dave would have hooked a hand on dirk's arm, said "a'ight, come with me" and dragged him off to an area where they can maybe be alone and have enough room for...whatever...the hell he dragged dirk off for.

dirk gets a measured look before dave crosses his arms - dropping dirk's - and says: ]

Ground rules for comin' with me into dangerous shit: you guard the rear, I'm on point. Solid?

[ before dirk can answer, he adds: ]

You're less familiar with weapons that ain't the damn katana. I'm more familiar with 'em. So, point's me. [ he's tense and hesitant when he continues with: ] ...And you guard my back. [ he's usually more than a little wary about having dirk at his back, so this is. probably progress? ]

Comments

[splinten]

[Okay Dave you need to stop making stupid rules up.

Dirk does not himself object to being dragged off, because of course he doesn't, just kinda lets it happen in confusion. There's a bit of further confusion, and the hint of a frown. It would be the part where Dave is on point The eyes widen, though, when he mentions guarding his back..]

I am down with guardin' your back.

I'd still prefer to be the one to walk into danger first, weapon or not. There's not a way to persuade you to that perspective, is there.

[Dave has pretty much been able to get anything out of Dirk from the start. Dirk has no leverage whatsoever, just a desperate desire to stay close and keep Dave safe. So while the first part is grateful, if confused, in its undernotes to the monotone, the latter sentence turns a resigned.]

[parodeity]

No. But I'm not gonna go into shit weaponless, or with someone without a weapon.

[ he sighs, and then pulls out a scalpel, flipping it around to give the hilt to dirk. ]

So we're gonna go a few rounds until you can reliably use this to stab someone without messin' up and treatin' it like a sword. Before you ask, I already have other blades. Had one the first time we ever talked, too.

[ be...cause...of course he is one of the knife thieves. ]

[splinten]

[It's a scalpel. Why.

He looks at it. He looks at Dave.]

Are you sure you want me armed?

[Since. You know.

Everything.]

[parodeity]

[ look he has like three blades on him at all times idk what you expected from him dirk ]

How're you gonna watch my back if you ain't?

[ since. like. ]

Bludgeonin' shit with a camera is a dumb first fallback. And if you're gonna watch while I snoop, it's gonna be all around more effective if you're more than just a lookout.

[splinten]

[He takes the scalpel hesitantly. It is not a fear of sharp objects, obviously.]

I can block with the camera too. I was working to perfect the utility of fncysntakind. [Stop Dirk.]

[parodeity]

Okay, that's cool and all, but it's also stupid. [ dave pulls out. ANOTHER SCALPEL. HE IS APPARENTLY JUST SUPER ARMED AT MOST TIMES? WHY? ] We're blade people and you know it. It's even on the cards.

[ SO, LIKE. TAKE THE FUCKING WEAPON! ]

So we're gonna run through knifework until you're comfortable with it. Obviously without drawin' any actual blood, as a preference. [ he is...pretty sure dirk can hold back to that extent, maybe, though? ]

[splinten]

[Like that doesn't surprise him though, good for Dave.]

That would be a major preference of mine, too.

[As in he'd get upset and freak out and bandage Dave if he made him bleed.]

Do your pop culture references really end at 2009?

[Re: stuff on the cards.

Dirk, although still clearly wary of holding the scalpel, is shifting to accommodate it. And it's clear that while he was being honest that he has not really handled non-katanas before for bladekind, he is also sufficiently proficient as a combatant that he can probably figure out how to use a scalpel in combat fast enough.]

[parodeity]

The world ended April 13th, 2009. It's when we started the game.

[ so, yeah. his pop culture references don't go past the point they can't. dave shifts his stance and gestures at dirk to start, and since they have to go Slow by strider standards they can probably talk as they do this.

he's mostly relying on the belief dirk will catch on this really fast, and will just demonstrate shit and correct dirk without speaking if there's anything he sees that won't work. ]

[splinten]

That's a shame. I think you'd get a lot out of the material that comes after that date, at least in my universe.

[IT'S A SUFFICIENTLY GOOD TEACHING METHOD. Dirk's major problem is, unsurprisingly, learning how to handle reach. Close knife-fighting is a very different skill from swordfighting in terms of where you place yourself relative to your opponent's hold. Given that Dirk has spent his whole life learning how to control his opponent's position based on something the same damn size, it will take him time to adapt.

But he's smart, he's athletic, and he is—very worried about hurting Dave so, okay, there's the other hurdle to teaching. There is a lot in his favour on being a fast learner here but wow does he not want to hurt Dave at all.]

[parodeity]

Like what?

[ yeah that is a problem and dave solves it by simply getting into dirk's space so he has to adapt more quickly to the range thing. he does not seem particularly concerned about injuries to himself, but also, he isn't actively attempting to get them or anything; he blocks anything that comes his way and simply will keep doing specific strikes until dirk caves and does them back so he can see he has a handle on it.

he's...more used to short blades. knives are even shorter than half-bladekind, but he's had to adapt to different lengths and weapons before, so. it is what it is. ]

[splinten]

Like goddamned Harambe.Or Hell, you could've made some work out of James Cameron's Avatar. Two Night at the Museum movies and the Zoolander sequel. Man Door Hand Hook Car door was after 2009 too, and mid-2010s really kicked off some bizarre mashups of multiple memes that I think you would've gotten a real kick out of it.

[Dirk, like an idiot, keeps trying to get away from Dave in his space and back to sword range, until he manages to force himself to not. The blocking is clearly annoying him, too; he barely has anything to stop a strike and it's frustrating. He ends up preferring to dodge, which he does well, but also: he's still being a coward about stabbing at Dave.]

[parodeity]

Dude, come on. [ not about the movies, the stabbing. dave makes a frustrated noise, then says: ] I'll do laundry with you Tuesday if you do the goddamn strikes. I need to be sure you got this.

[splinten]

[Nngh that's a very tempting offer but—] If I hit you, will you let me patch you up?

[parodeity]

[ for the record the tuesday offer is off the table for the new offer. ] Fine. But you're gettin' ahead of yourself here.

[ false bravado. dirk isn't fighting seriously enough for dave to be able to tell if he can take him or not. he automatically defaults to "not", even as he teaches dirk new stuff. ]

[splinten]

[No give him back the other offer too???]

Maybe, but I'd rather get ahead of myself than risk you wanderin' off with a cut left untended to. [He will at least fight more in earnest here? There are efforts. Dave can block them but at least Dirk is learning how.]

[parodeity]

[ nope one offer per transaction ]

It'd get tended to. I always see to my own shit. My fingers were like the sole exception in my entire damn life and that was a trade. [ dave will get fancier then as soon as dirk seems like he can keep up. ]

[splinten]

[He can in fact keep up with that too, although you know, unfamiliarity with it still leaves him behind in skill etc. He does have a bit of a reach advantage but he's also being careful.]

I didn't mind doing it. [A beat as he realizes that Dave probably needs more than a nervous understatement.] I liked doing it. It's... nice, getting to help.

[parodeity]

[ less of a reach advantage than bro, which is nice? dave waits to get dumped on his ass or something but doesn't let up or cap himself once dirk starts to get the hang of things. he does eventually stop adding new things, siding into a familiar if not entirely welcome rhythm of strife.

he doesn't falter when dirk speaks, but his eyes flick up for a beat even without a loss of focus to do a quick facial expression scan. ]

People keep offerin' that. [ which is weird and mostly new ] But really, I'm fine. I've handled worse than a few scratches.

[splinten]

[He does not get dumped on his ass! Sure, Dirk is still holding back, but once he gets into the rhythm of it it's only holding back to the extent of, you know, not actually fighting to kill or seriously maim someone. His speed and strength are exactly what he's showing here.]

I know you have. I mean, I have too, and I patched it all up myself my whole life. That experience of self-reliance, and knowledge of your own, doesn't actually negate my desire to offer you my help. It's... a nice feeling. Not an experience that happened in my apartment.

[parodeity]

[ okay but not holding back sounds fake? ]

Are you gonna take this seriously at any point? [ @ DIRK: WHERE IS THE POINT WHERE YOU OVERPOWER ME ] And which side of the experience are you even referrin' to?

[splinten]

[He's kinda annoyed at this accusation though??]

I am takin' this seriously. I'm not going to attempt to murder you or maim you for practice, dude. That you can handle it does not make me any more eager to stab a scalpel at your jugular.

The side where there's you there.

[parodeity]

I shouldn't be able to. [ ignoring the other part because it makes no damn sense. it's been a year and he's not the thirteen year old kid anymore, but he's the fourteen year old kid; he's still the pragmatic asshole of a fighter bro raised, but even if he could take out everything else without skipping a beat, there shouldn't be any way he can hold his own against bro, of any variety. ] You don't have to murder or maim me to disable me.

[splinten]

I am fighting to disarm you in earnest. [He is not faking that, dammit!]

[parodeity]

Yeah right. [ okay, well. dave wasn't, not entirely. but he sure will start to try disarm dirk now, pressing harder. because...that's...a great idea look

he has to prove dirk can kick his ass i'm not sure why but that sounds like a good plan to him? ]

[splinten]

[Yeah so Dirk puts up a good fight and he does have the reach advantage, but he is straight-up not as ruthless and good at this crap as Dave (STILL A LITTLE TOO RECKLESS TBH) so eventually Dave successfully knocks the scalpel out of his hand.]

Dammit.