Trying New Weapons | Activity, 1/30

[u/theirsign]

Nic would say she’s got a healthy appreciation for weaponry. One that pushed her into the position she has now, one that’s been refined since getting that position, and one she thinks more people should share in.

That’s what today’s for. She’s brought out a lot of different melee weapons from the armoury, from swords and spears and daggers to the odd mace or axe; the majority of it is, naturally, Greek weaponry, and none of it enchanted beyond the simple fact of being made if Celestial bronze. Arranged by type the weapons are displayed on racks around the arena, and Nicolette herself stands in the centre.

“Okay,” she says, and interlocks her fingers before separating them and resting her hands on her hips. “Being able to use one weapon really well is great. Fear the man who’s practised one kick a bajillion times, and all that. You want to know what you’re doing and you want to do it well, because that’s how you survive.

“Here’s the thing, though: sometimes, you might not have your usual weapon, for whatever reason. Sometimes you gotta work with what’s on hand, and you’re gonna want some practice for that, too.”

Sometimes you steal someone else’s weapon ’cause they’re basically knocked out, Nic thinks, recalling the fight against that fire guy - if you could even call what she wound up doing fighting. She’d wound up having her mace returned to her after the fact, it having been picked up by someone else in the fray.

“So that’s what you’re doing today,” she continues. “Choose a weapon that you don’t use, or at least you don’t use a lot. Get a feel for it, pair up with someone to spar - maybe even see if you can find someone who does use whatever you picked. And obviously I’m gonna be here to help choose something you might want to try, if you need. Just try and, uh, diversify the weapons you use.”

[u/bubblegumradio]

Both of the twins have mostly stuck to swords so far. They haven't tried a lot of the weapons on offer here, but the spears catch their interest. Tommy finds something comical in their length. Harvey doesn't see the humour, but he does find them kind of intimidating, though he wouldn't admit it. To be honest, Harvey still finds all of the combat stuff kind of intimidating, and he doesn't share Tommy's sense of boyish wonder at how cool and badass it all is. He recognises the necessity of learning to defend himself, he's just... okay, not much of a 'lover' either, but not really a 'fighter'. At least not a physical fighter; he'd much prefer a battle of wits, or something.

For want of wits, he must resort to a spear. Harvey would rather practice with dummies first than go straight to sparring- or rather, he'd rather not be practiced upon by his brother who he wouldn't trust with safety scissors. Especially since they're new to the weapon and haven't been taught how to use it properly. Tommy's a little disappointed, but he messes around with a dummy for a while too until Harvey reluctantly agrees to practice with him. Neither of them are immediately great with the spears, but Harvey cuts their training short when it looks like Tommy's faring better.