Are there any boken here? (D2, EA)

[Seppun Hitako]

"Noooo. No, I don't do either. I have a little training in the Courtly arts, and as a shugenja. Thus why I need training here."

[Moto Baatar]

"Spread your feet apart, and stand in a lower stance, your weight between your feet, like you were riding a horse," Baatar said. He adopted a horse stance to demonstrate, holding the short practice sword in front of him as he did so.

"Good balance will let you move easier." While maintaining this stance, the Unicorn took a small step forward, then a small step back, to show her what he meant. Baatar's shoulders stayed level and his weight balanced as he moved.

[Kitsu Takashi]

"Yes, just as Moto-san is doing." Takashi nods enthusiastically, appreciative of the help.

"It may feel more comfortable if you think about how, in court, we use words to advance our ideas, metaphorically stepping back as the words are challenged. You're doing the same thing here. Your wakizashi is like the words, and you choose when and where to deploy your words..."

[Seppun Hitako]

She spread her feet, but still had a little trouble balancing. Not a big problem, she was just learning something that didn't come easily to her. Still she slowly started to get it.

[Moto Baatar]

Baatar moved to stand in front of Hitako, as if an opponent. "Now try to move your feet to retreat when I advance, and advance when I retreat," he instructed. "Little, shuffling steps - big steps would let me hit you! And try to stay balanced."

The young Unicorn took a few small steps forward, then a few small steps back while maintaining his horse stance, to illustrate to Hitako what he meant by this.

[Seppun Hitako]

She squinted at his feet, then began to follow along. Totally focused on the feet movement, paying no attention to the weapons, just to the feet.

She was doing decently at that, anyways.

[Moto Baatar]

"Good, good!" the young Unicorn called encouragingly, as Hitako followed his example. "But keep your body balanced; don't lean or hunch your shoulders as you take a step. Your upper body doesn't need to move at all, even though your feet are moving quickly."

[Kitsu Takashi]

"It takes a great deal of practice to make this all come easily. Seppun-sama is off to a very good start," he says with an approving bow of his head that no one else notices.

After a time, making sure not to rush the Imperial, Takashi suggests the next step: "As you've trained in the court, Seppun-sama, you may have learned to watch the head, the eyes of another person, but to still 'see' what the rest of their body is doing. Moto-san is working hard to keep his torso and arms steady, so as not to reveal what he is thinking and about to do. But in his eyes, the subtle movements of his head, he reveals his advances and retreats. Watch there, not his feet, and you will still see what he is doing so that your own feet may respond."

[Seppun Hitako]

She begins to try paying attention to what he is doing, but then loses the rhythm of the feet. When she has the rhythm of the feet back, she isn't paying attention to his torso. She tries, she just hasn't figured out the knack of it yet.

[Moto Baatar]

"Uh... maybe that was too much to handle at once," Baatar said, after observing Hitako's struggles. "Forget about the upper body and just focus on footwork for now, until moving like this feels natural. You can add your upper body and arms later on - that is, if you decide to keep practicing."

[Seppun Hitako]

"I will keep practicing. I have to get this right. If nothing else, it is good to have as a useful skill, and can be used to defend myself, yes?"

[Moto Baatar]

"Hitting people with swords is always a useful skill," Baatar assured her solemnly. "As is not getting hit by swords. It's well worth practicing, if you ask me."

"Though I bet being a sahir is pretty useful, too," he added. "What kind of sahir are you, anyway? Are you the kind of sahir that sees the future, or the kind that makes things explode?"

[Kitsu Takashi]

Takashi had been observing quietly, please to yield the teacher role to the young Unicorn. He was considering excusing himself to his own practice when one eyebrow perked up at Baatar's question. His focus returned to Hitako.

[Seppun Hitako]

"It is, from my understanding, a catch-all term. My own abilities allow me attack at a distance, or craft a weapon of fire to use. Though, with that, the weapon itself grants me skill. Mostly, I use the focus of the Seal itself to focus the prayers."

[Moto Baatar]

"Oh, well, if you can use magic to gain sword skill, why don't you do that?" Baatar asked. "Normally it takes a lot of practice to get good at swordplay, but if you can become better by magic...." He snapped his fingers at the word. "Wouldn't that be a lot easier?"