Unlearn Everything

Unlearn Everything
Date of Scene:	14 November 2012
Location:	Goug - Seventh Heaven
Synopsis:	Aerith and Tifa finally begin training together, in the hopes of the flower girl learning how to properly defend herself and others. She gets pointers from two very unlikely sources along the way.
Cast of Characters:	Aerith Gainsborough, Tifa Lockhart, Kaydin, Zargabaath, Rinoa Heartilly

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Aerith has posed:
They were fortunate it was such a slow day, the place mostly devoid of people.

Aerith and Tifa had cleared a space large enough for decent ease of movement, stacking tables and chairs wherever they could, leaving the entrance and the hallway leading toward the back of the bar clear. Outside wasn't an option, Aerith wasn't about to have her every action questioned.

The flower girl now had her staff in hand, none of her materia glowing, and stood in her usual stance, hands located toward the center of her weapon, feet evenly spread apart. "Right, so you wanted to see what I knew, right?"

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart stands in front of Aerith, nodding. She slips on her hand some very bulky looking gloves, unlike what she uses normally. "Right, attack me with what you have." She pats her increasingly protected hands pointedly, smiling "Don't worry, if you manage to hit me then you're better than you think you are." She grins at that. She slips into her fighting stance, both hands in front of her at chin level.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith took in a deep breath and sighed. Turns out when Tifa said she wanted to see, it wasn't just a demonstration she wanted. Well, whatever. Might as well give it a shot!

Aerith steadied herself, separated her hands a bit more, and started off with a forward thrust, aimed right between the barmaid's eyes. Just to judge reaction speed, nothing more.

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart has seen harder fights and faster attacks, so it doesn't take much for her to deflect it with the back of the padded glove. She hmms "Don't underestimate me, come on. If you can hit me then you got nothing to worry about. If you can't hit me, then the training will be worth something." She smiles kindly, but keeps her focus.

Aerith has posed:
"Well all right then." Aerith actually put something into this next one, a series of strikes at Tifa's head. Once at the right temple, another at the very top of her head. Her staff hummed through the air with every swing... though even Tifa would notice Aerith's footwork and posture were lacking.

Rinoa Heartilly has posed:
Rinoa had returned to Goug a few days ago, however a minor emergency had come up before she was able to reconnect with her friends, and she was forced to rush out as quickly as she came. This time however, now that things have calmed down she has returned to the bar, a little surprised at the sight of the cleared tables and the two girls looking like they're getting ready for a sparring match.

Well, at least it's looking to be a quiet day. "Hey guys, what are you up to?" Angelo barks as she rushes to her side, although she pauses and glances uncertainly at her mistress when she spies the two people looking like they're getting ready to fight. But they're her friends so she's hesitant to intervene!

"It's alright, Angelo." Rinoa reassures her, petting her gently on the head.

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
And that's what she's here to work on with Aerith. She takes a step back, the first swing missing by scant inches her head. And then a simple sidestep sees the staff go downward without any resistance.

"And that's where your first problem lies. Your stance and footwork is all wrong, you're not putting your whole weight into it."

She smiles to Rinoa "We're starting on Aerith's training, she wants to get better at using her staff, so I'm evaluating her style first, before we start the actual training."

Aerith has posed:
Aerith frowned at how easy it was for Tifa to evade and made another swing at Tifa's head, only to stop just two inches away and swing at one of the martial artist's shins. She tried not to make the feint too obvious... but she ended up overstepping just a bit.

Zargabaath has posed:
Those that have decent hearing would hear hushed whispers, generally fear laced, about armored men and women walking their way through Goug and the slums. However, it's not too horribly long before those inside can hear "Here it is, Your honor!" First one guard enters, then another....before Judge Magister Zargabaath steps in as well. "You two are dismissed. If you feel the need to stay, stand outside. This is a bar, no need for formalities." He says before he notices that all of the tables and chairs are moved to the sides of the bar, and how Tifa is instructing Aerith. "Interesting." he says as he crosses his arms, standing back.

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart lifts a feet up, and stomps down on the staff, stopping it short. "Don't get frustrated now, you won't improve otherwise. Your magic is top notch, but you definitely lack in staff training."

She blinks as she looks over to the Judges entering "What's this all about?" She lifts her foot, releasing Aerith's staff.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith sighed and pulled her staff out from Tifa's planted foot. "And you could tell from only a few moves, which means teaching myself how to fight is not enough." She shakes her head with a smile. "So then, how long do you think this will..."

She sensed another presence from behind her, besides a certain girl and her dog. This too was familiar, and she turned to face the Judge. "Zargabaath." She frowned for a moment. "I'm sorry, that's a very, very long-winded name. Do you mind if I call you Zarg?" Before he could answer, she strode forward, her right hand extended. "How did you find me?"

Rinoa Heartilly has posed:
"Ooh, awesome! Hey Tifa, maybe you can give me some lessons later!" Truthfully, Rinoa wasn't completely useless at physical combat - as long as she got to fight from a distance with her blaster edge. Watching all this close quarter melee combat however, causes her to cringe. Ouch, that must hurt!

"Wow Tifa, you sure are tough! I wonder how long it took you to fight like that?" She's kinda not wanting to be on the receiving end of those deadly fists of hers, really. However, the lightheartedness is quickly cut off when she hears the stern voice just outside the bar, followed by the appearnce of a great, armoured man who looks ready for battle.

"Ooh.." She peers at him warily and so does Angelo. Is this man here as friend or foe? But when Aerith seems to know him by name, she relaxes a little. "Oh, a friend of yours, Aer?"

Zargabaath has posed:
That helmeted head looks towards each of them. "It is nothing of consequence, ma'am." He says to Tifa. Both of his guard start to step forward, and Zargabaath holds up his hand. "You have been dismissed. Wait outside, but I do not need Aides yelling at people I an speaking with."

Both guards bow and leave the bar, closing the door. And Zargabaath quietly walks towards the bar, and actually takes his helmet off, revealing a man with short grey hair, an angular face, and intense eyes. "Actually, Aerith.....Judge Magisters have been taught, if they can calm themselves sufficiently, how to sense familiar magic. Ironically, only two of us can do that. I am one of them...even though I can't really use too much magic myself." He then smiles a bit. "When my helmet is off, Aerith, you may call me Zarg, if you wish. However, when my helmet is on, you may call me 'Your Honor', as befits my station." He's not speaking to them in arrgance, but in the flat tone of stated fact. "I can honestly say that I have the longest name of all five Judge Magisters."

Aerith has posed:
Aerith chuckled. "Figures. Sorry the place is in such a state, I had my friend start teaching me how to properly defend myself today." She gestured toward said friend. "So then, this is Tifa, the owner of this bar you've found yourself in." Aerith then pointed toward the girl and her dog. "This's Rinoa, another one of my good friends who just happened to come in and watch. Girls, this is Judge Magister Zargabaath, hailing from Archadia. And apparently, he's one of the few of his kind that displays any honor what so ever."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart smiles and waves to the Judge "Nice to meet you, welcome to the Seventh Heaven. We're not really open for business right now, the rush is usually later, but if oyu need anything you can still ask. I was giving Aerith a bit of training and lessons in sparring."

She looks over to Rinoa "You're free of joining our training, if you want to learn hand to hand, that's my specialty. Otherwise, the basic applies to most weapons, just need to learn different movements.

Rinoa Heartilly has posed:
Ahh, that's a little bit of a relief, although Rinoa is starting to think Aerith will make friends with just about anyone. "Ahh, you are a judge? Wow, I've never met a judge that dressed like that before!" Although she's not without her manners as she bows slightly to him. Hopefully that is enough, even if without his helment he is simply Zarg.

"Nice to meet you, Zarg. What brings you here?" She arches a brow at Aerith, a bit confused. "Hmm? So you are saying that most judges are not so...Friendly? From Archadia, huh? Wow, so many strange new places I've never heard of." There is something else that Zarg says that catches her attention however. "Hmm, you can sense magic? How?" Well, she's no sorceress..Not yet anyway, and so Rinoa's magic ability is somewhat limited..

Zargabaath has posed:
Zargabaath's eyes look towards Aerith for a second. "Sometimes, Aerith, while learning a new way to defend yourself is commendable, sticking to what you do best is the best way. There are a few Mages that are Judges in Archadia that employ quick spells when their opponents are 'too close for comfort'. Others use different sorts of martial arts that let them use their opponent's momentum against them. However, one concept you may have to think about, Aerith.....is that you may be without your staff at times. Training hand to hand might be a good idea first, then learn to use your staff as a weapon..."

Aerith has posed:
Aerith shook her head. "While your advice is sound, I'd rather go with what I can already understand. Tifa's the expert in fisticuffs, and I'd rather be the expert at staff." She smiled. "She knows a lot more about weapon handling than I do though, so I'm having her teach me."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart nods to Zarg "That's what we're doing more or less, starting with basic movement and stance. Weight shifting is the biggest part of fighting after all, no matter what the weapon is.

Rinoa Heartilly has posed:
Rinoa considers Zarg's words thoughtfully. "Hmm, I suppose that's right. We should focus on what we're best at shouldn't we? But then again, it's always good to be able to be a bit flexible too, just incase we are unable to rely on our usual strengths." She arches a brow at Zarg, a small, almost teasing smile on her lips. "But you know, I'm curious to see you in combat too! I'll bet judges are really tough, arent' they?"

Zargabaath has posed:
"Judge 'Magister', Miss Rinoa. I am a step above the Judges of Archadia. In essence, I command the Judges of Archadia, as much as the four other Judge Magisters can." Zargabaath bows his head a little bit as well. "I'm investigating the heartless and everywhere they have been. The more I hear about them, the less I like them. Yes I can sense magic, but only magic that is familiar to me. It's.....hard to explain, but I have to be able to filter it out from my suit's magic as well." He then smiles to Aerith. "If you understand the subtle movements of your opponent's body, then you'll know what to do when your opponent strikes. In the battles I've seen, there are disciplined martial artists.....and undisciplined thugs. Both have similar movements at times, even if their stances are awkward. If you'll allow, Tifa?" He gestures to Aerith....

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart lifts her shoulders "Be my guest." she smiles, moving behind the counter and removing her heavy gloves for now. She gets a treat for Angelo. She likes spoiling the doogy.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith quirked an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I trust you all that much... But you sound like you know what you're doing, so let's get to it." She took a few steps away from him and tried not to focus too much on someone else instructing her. However, he wasn't without honor and dicipline, and her senses detected no malice from him. It would have to do. So she got into her stance... and waited.

Zargabaath has posed:
"Lady Tifa. I actually need you for this little demonstration." Zargabaath then moves towards Aerith. "ALl right, Lady Aerith. Take a half step back, bend your knees, and grip your staff in both hands decently far apart." he demonstrates this by sliding Aerith's hands further apart on the staff. "Now, up on the balls of your feet. That way you can react faster to people coming after you with quick movements, like to the side, if they rush you." He then looks to Tifa. "this is where I need you, Lady Tifa. I need you to take a fighting stance in front of Aerith."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart tilts her head, nodding "I hadn't gotten to that part of the training yet, we've barely been into it for 10 minutes." She lifts her shoulders, moving back over to Aerith's side of the bar, picking up her padded gloves again, taking a stance in front of Aerith like before.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith nodded and changed her stance as requested... put her hands just-so... and held her position for a moment. Her brows furrowed as she tried to keep her balance. "This is weird. Feels like I'm about to fall over at any moment. Am I doing it right?"

Rinoa Heartilly has posed:
"Judge magister?" Rinoa arches a brow. "Wow, that's got to be..Really up there, huh?" And a little scary too! Definitely not a good person to tick off! she smiles at her thought, storing it away for future knowledge. Good person to get on his good side as well! "Yeah, this I have to see!" And the girl grns as she steps aside, watching what the judge will do next..

Zargabaath has posed:
Zargabaath says, "It's because you're not used to it yet. Take a look at Lady Tifa's stance and compare it to yours. You and Tifa both have strong legs, so you both can move quickly if you wish to. It's just a matter of honing your reflexes to move when you see, or sense, trouble. I imagine you'll sense trouble before Tifa can see trouble." he walks up behind Tifa and shamelessly puts his hands flatly upon her hips. "Another tip on how to tel when trouble's coming, is to watch the hips. Male and female alike transfer from standing still to movement with a shift of the hips. No matter which direction their attacks are coming from, they begin their motion with the hips. Once they shift, trouble is coming." He says before stepping back. "I do apologize for stomping on your teachings though, Lady Tifa. I think you wold tell the same things though. I'm just an old warrior."

He then walks back to the bar and chuckles to Rinoa. "We command fleets of Airships, Lady Rinoa. I command the 12th Archadian Airship Fleet, as a matter of fact."""

Aerith has posed:
Aerith grinned. "Well in that case... I think I have an idea already." She looks down at Tifa's feet, her hips, the way her legs are bent just-so, and changes her position to mimic that. All at once, her body seems to settle into position. "There, I think that does it. Tifa, how's it look?"

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart smiles, nodding "Its alright, I was only testing her earlier, to see how much she knew, I wasn't up to the point of showing her yet, but that's part of the basic, yes." She nods to Aerith "Its all about weight shifting. Like when you attacked me earlier, I moved my weight to my right food, like this." She shows how she shifts her weight, rolling on her back foot and to the side "Also like he said, if you can pick up the slight movements of weight shifting you can guess part of the incoming attack. Its not entirely failproof though, since there are feints, and an opponent can still be faster than you, but it gives you a headstart compared to looking at the finished motion." She shifts her weight to the left leg, demonstrating as she raises the right leg up into a high kick position.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith smiled. "This is all great to know, really. I think I'll be able to do this faster than I thought I would thanks to you guys." She glanced toward Zargabaath. "Are you going to be around for long?"

Zargabaath has posed:
Zargabaath nods to Aerith. "For a while at least. I have a couple of judges watching Rabanastre right now, so I don't have to return right away. This Heartless problem is of some concern to me, especially if people are utilizing them for their own devices."

Rinoa Heartilly has posed:
Rinoa watches in quiet amusement, not really joining in as they seem pretty busy. Nah, she'd rather not get the crap beaten out of her, although some day she might get a lesson from Tifa. She seems a bit less severe than going up against a judge magister.

When he speaks of a heartless attack however, her smile quickly fades, taking a step towards him. "Wait, what? Heartless attack? Another one? Where? When?"

Aerith has posed:
Aerith removed herself from basic fighting stance and turned toward Rinoa. "None, not yet anyways." She almost cringed at the events of the day before, but held her expression in check. "He's just saying the general threat of the Heartless is of concern to him, that's all."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart smiles "Its not that hard Aerith, at least the basic. But then you need to repeat and train it so it becomes second nature. Its like walking after a while, your body just moves on its own in reaction to what's needed. I've been training for over 7 years in martial arts."

Kaydin has posed:
It was one of the shadows begins to grow slightly and become darker. Before long a shadow comes bumbling out, attennae twitching as it seems to be caught in some sort of metal net, unable to get out and trying to do so. "Judge Magister I present to you a heartless." Kaydin's voice calls from the portal where a long chain leads to from the net and Kaydin walks out, actually looking about. "Definatly not traverse town." He says as he holds the chain tightly, keeping the net around the creature as it struggles.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith giggled, unfazed by the sudden appearance of one very confused Kaydin. "You sure seem to be finding this place all right, by accident or not." She turned toward Tifa. "I think this is a good time for a break, don't you? I'll practice proper stances with you soon, I promise." She turned toward the dark knight and cleared her throat. "Hail, good sir knight! How fares you and your quarry?" She giggled again. "I hope I did that right."

Rinoa Heartilly has posed:
Rinoa arches a brow at Aerith when she cringes. "Hey Aerith..Are you alright? You're not still thinking about how they might target you, are you?" She seems concerned as she moves nearer to the flower girl. Angelo also moves closer to Aerith, rubbing softly against her leg, almost reassuringly so..

She looks up then as the dark portal appears, followed by the familiar appearance of Kaydin and..A heartless? "Wait a minute, I thought you were gonna use the front door, and.."

She frowns, rubbing her arm that is still a bit bruised from her fight with him. "What are you doing here, Kaydin? Still wavering between loyalties?" Rinoa for one, does not seem happy to see him, not after he helped attack the Garden.

Aerith has posed:
Being one who can sense emotional shifts in her immediate surroundings, Aerith placed a hand on Rinoa's right shoulder. "You don't have to be so hard on him... that was a difficult spot to be in. I'm sure he's starting to find that his loyalties are going to hurt him more than help." She glanced toward Kaydin. "So I'm going to assume that present isn't for me then?" She smiled at her own joke.

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart would rather not have heartless inside of her bar... even on a leash "Is that really a good idea? Wouldn't that possibly attract other heartless around?" She wonders really, and is worried too.

Zargabaath has posed:
"I would not worry. He has loyal friends and allies t-....." Zargabaath then glares as The heartless.....and Kaydin....steps through the portal. He's quite deliberate in his movements, to pick up his helmet and put it on. He then slowly slides his sword from it's scabbard. "GUARDS!" He roars.....and two fully armored guards enter the bar, swords drawn and staring at the heartless and Kaydin.

Zargabaath, however, glares at Kaydin. "Young man, you are either in league with these......things, or you are a complete and utter idiot." He then stares at the heartless for long moments. Studying it, even walking around it a couple of times. He then looks to one of the guards. "Take the chain and make sure this abomination is destroyed......after you find someone to record how this.....thing....looks. MOVE!" The guards take the chain from Kaydin and drag him outside. Zargabaath then touches his his helm a couple of times, then turns back to Kaydin. "Between loyalties? This doesn't surprise me from how you threatened one of my aides....." He says this as activity picks up substandtially outside of the bar.

Rinoa Heartilly has posed:
Rinoa frowns a bit at Aerith, although she does calm down. "I hope you're right, Aerith. Still, I'm nervous around this guy. If he'd attack us at Garden, who is to say he wouldn't do it again?"

"Even if he claims he doesnt WANT to do what Baron orders him to do, he hasn't exactly stopped doing those evil things for them." She glances at Tifa though, backing down. "But I'm not gonna start a fight over it. This bar is supposed to be a place of welcome to all. And also a peaceful refuge. Its already seen too much violence.

She looks back at Kaydin, determined, "I WILL be keeping an eye on you however, Kaydin." Angelo also growls softly, glaring at Kaydin. Seems she doesn't trust him either.

Well, things seem almost resolved..Before Zarg mentions one of his aides being threatenned. She glances back at him, arching a brow. "wait a minute..What did you say? He threatenned one of your aides?!" Ooh, this is going south pretty quickly. "Why did you do that, Kaydin?"

Aerith has posed:
Aerith squeezed Rinoa's right shoulder, gently enough to stop her from doing or saying anything... untoward. "Listen... it was in reaction to them being untoward to someone. He has a very strong sense of honor and was doing what he thought was right. Like I said, don't be too hard on him."

Kaydin has posed:
"Metal weapons kill them easily. Anything else, you better have enough will and heart to want to destroy it or your it's snack." Kaydin says as the shadow tries to grab at the dark knight through the netting but is unable to. "Lets see...I took the training of the dark knight, my home nation uses these things to fight against our enemies, and I can travel in the same portals as these beasts do and risk getting eaten by them with each trip. I think this does mean I have a lack of brains." He says as he would give the chain to the guard. "Keep the net pressed tight against it. If the netting doesnt touch, it will use the portals to the corridors to escape and attack." He says as he would then look to Rinoa. "Watch me all you wish. You will just get bored." He says as he would look to the Judge. "That is the basic form of heartless. The more unique looking and stronger ones have some weird symbols on them, yet those dont. Dont ask me what the symbol is for, even we at Baron dont know." He says calmly. He then reaches into his armor and pulls out a paper with the symbols of heartless and noise drawn on it. "Anything with these markings are heartless. The other symbol is for a creature called noise, they behave the same way only they make an odd sound."

Aerith has posed:
Aerith's eyes widened as Kaydin began to explain just what the Heartless were, or at least some types of them. She stood and listened for a few moments, trying to get this down in her memory as much as she could... then something occurred to her. The ones in the turbans at the battle for Garden... they had symbols on them. Did it mean something?

No, best not to go too deep into it for now. "Very, very interesting. I'll be sure to watch for them."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart crosses her arms "But why bring one here anyway? That's what I don't understand right now. You just wanted to educate us on them?" she ponders. Well, she is grateful for the information, but she wonders how this came to be in the first place.

Zargabaath has posed:
Zargabaath taps his helm yet again.......and activity increases yet again outside. However, Zargabaath looks to Kaydin. "Basic form of heartless, hmm? So there are more advanced forms of Heartless, hmm?" He then looks the knight over. "and you use the same power. How......amusing. You risk becoming a heartless yourself. And your home country uses them?" He then stands up straighter and crosses his arms. "Do you fight along side of your heartless bearing superiors?"

Aerith has posed:
Right, this is getting worse... but does she dare tell Zargabaath, now in what she's quickly deeming 'Judge Mode', to stand down? Or does she just sit there and let it play out?

Aerith decides for the second option. No need to play peacemaker if there's not a fight... though her anxiety levels are starting to spike quite a bit.

Kaydin has posed:
"The corridors are not exactly easy to navigate. I only done it two ways, by picturing the place I wanna go, or a person. Wandering about the corridors randomly gets you popped up in strange places. Imagine everything is solid black. So black you cant see the difference between air and ground. That you cant tell if your eyes are opened or closed. And imagine it filled with heartless." Kaydin says to Tifa. "I was trying to find the judge. Didnt know where he was, just was trying to get to him and here I am." He says as he then looks Zargabaath. "I do unfortunatly. Before my country became what it was, I swore an oath to protect the people of my country and serve my king. But something happened...He changed, became more evil and twisted. He then started using the heartless to fight with as well as our normal forces. If I wasnt bound by my oath I would be fighting alongside the women here. Unfortunatly, we have to perform our duties even if we dislike it. Baron gave me the strength to protect myself and protect others. And in return I swore fealty."

"When I leave I am going to go home and confront the captain of the royal guard and try and see the king. I want to hear from his words why we are on this path. It may cost me my oath and may get me banished but I must know."

Aerith has posed:
Aerith nodded. "Ask the questions that no one else will." She smiled toward him. "I don't know what's gonna happen after this, but if you get out of Baron in one piece, you're always welcome here."

Rinoa Heartilly has posed:
Rinoa arches a brow at Kaydin when he speaks. Sure, you go right on believing that, she thinks. Still. she is getting tired as she heads to the back. "Well..I hope you know what you're doing, Aerith. Tifa..Please watch over her? And Angelo will too. I'm sorry but I'm tired, but I'll leave Angelo behind to keep a watch on him." And with that, she vanishes into the back room. Angelo meanwhile, continues to growl softly, eyes never leaving the heartless.

Zargabaath has posed:
Zargabaath says, "No matter what happens, do not underestimate your captain. Be on guard mentally." he then pokes kaydin in the chest. "and consider, either a new way to use that power you have, or a different power to use. If you fall too far down the path of a heartless......I'll kill you myself." And his large sword begins to glow white.....BRIGHT white. "and don't think I won't." His sword then dims, and he slides it back into his scabbard....just as an explosion can be heard from outside. "Interesting. Sounds like our engineers are trying explosives upon the heartless." He then chuckles and makes his way back to the bar. "I do understand your oath, young man. I truly do. Mine is to Archadia. If it wasn't for Knight Basch Fon Ronsenberg, Rabanastre would have probably been left as a independant province. Instead, he killed his king and forced us to step in....."""

Aerith has posed:
Phew... things just calmed down quite a few notches. Aerith couldn't hold in her sigh of relief, and didn't even try. "Well, I'm sure if you find out the truth about that, it'll either surprise you, or it won't." Just because she'd heard that, didn't mean she outright believed it. "Anyways... Tifa, you wanna teach me s'more?"

Kaydin has posed:
"If I descend too far, Judge Magister, I will hold you to your promise." Kaydin says seriously though he does raise a hand to shield his eyes from the light slightly, but it was more reflex then anything and he watches intently. He then nods as he turns to outside. "Explosives should work. They die when injured like any other beast. The last person to question our king was commander of the dark knights, a man the king helped train and raise and groomed for the position. The king banished him without hesitation." He says as he then looks to Aerith. "If I do come out of thise in one piece, I wont be putting anyone in danger." He says as if that is a matter of fact.

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart nods to Aerith, smiling "With pleasure, of course." She moves to Aerith, and takes her staff from her for a moment "I saw your movements, so let's start to work on your stance some more. Plant your feet down, and start practicing like this." She puts one feet in front of the other, holding the staff sideways, and gives side swipes into the air, transferring her weight from the back leg to the front leg. She exagerates the movement by rocking on her feet, to show the basic "Like this, but obviously most subtly than that, but that's how it works. You put more power if you transfer your weight you see."

Zargabaath has posed:
Zargabaath says, "You'll be in no position to hold me to that promise, Young man." He then stands up quietly. "And the phrase is 'Your Honor', young man." He heads for the door too. "I believe Lady Rinoa has the right idea. I shall retire to the Alexander for the night. Thank you for the information young man. I do hope nothign bad happens to any of you." He then bows to Rinoa, Aerith and Tifa. "It was a pleasure to meet all of you. Good night." And he heads out the door, but the activity continues for a good little while, before it fades out......""

Kaydin has posed:
"You may call me Kaydin if you wish, Your honor." Kaydin says with a bow of his head before turning to Tifa, his smile hidden by his helmet but the tone in the voice is easy to tell he is smiling. "Well Tifa, heartless is dead, and you got more info on the heartless. Win win, eh?" He asks curiously.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith rocks from side to side, trying to mimic Tifa's motions. Then she takes the staff and does the same thing her 'teacher' did moments before, only at a slower pace to get a feel for it. For a few moments, she closed her eyes and just... felt instead of just doing the motions, and she started to understand. She swung just a bit faster as she started to get the timing down, and once she felt it was good enough, she gave her first real, solid swing... and the metal rod rang out, clear as a bell as it cut through the air.

Aerith opened her eyes. "I think I get the concept."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart smiles and nods "That's the start." She nods to Kaydin "Well I suppose that's true, but I'd hope you're not going to drag more heartless here anytiem soon."

She turns back to Aerith, as she's playing teacher today "You need to repeat this movement quite often though, like a few hundred times a day. Even today I'm still practicing my punches and kicks in the same way. Repeated movement is the key, but you got the right stance now."

Kaydin has posed:
"Not my intention to. Anyway I will be leaving now." Kaydin says as he heads to the door. "Got a long journey back." He says as he waves to Aerith before leaving.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith waved back at Kaydin before settling into her fighting stance again. This time, she maintained the posture as she put her weight into each swing. But now she started to get a few ideas, and swung downward, letting her body fall a bit before the blow drives home. The staff rang out again, and she grinned. "Well, there's that. Now I just need a few actual moves."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart giggles "Well that's up to you of course. I can'te really give you 'special attacks' with a staff, but you got the basic of the weight transfer at least. You can devise a technique that is yours from there as well. Like will it be defensive, or multiple target sweeping."

Aerith has posed:
Aerith stood and shrugged, a light sheen of sweat lining her forehead. "I think my own style won't do the trick. Teaching myself to do this will only go so far, I think. I need to just learn some new things..." She smiled and placed her hand on Tifa's right shoulder. "But thanks for the basics. I appreciate it."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart smiles "Let's practice together, you might get ideas from watching me at least. And while practicing your movements as well. A staff really only has a few basic attacks, because of its size, it can only be swung horizontal or vertical. But the weapon is only an extension of your body, if you combine it with a lunge, or vary at which height you swing it, it will create various moves." She thinks "Well you could also stab with it, but since its blunt, it won't do much unless you hit a weak point or something. But if you combine it..."

She takes your staff again, and shows you a move, stabbing forward, and then using the momentum to bring the opposite side of the staff, swinging it sideways toward head-height.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith blinked for a moment as Tifa executed the move with speed and precision. "Wow..." She grinned and reached for her weapon. "Right, so say if I want to just poke someone in their gut, take out their breathing and it doesn't work, I could just step forward, turn my waist, and knock them in the temple, right?" She takes the staff, gets into fight stance, and pulls her weapon back just slightly before taking a step forward, leading with her body before making the poke. Then she stepped in with her right foot, turned, and let the back end of the staff follow, going all the way through the invisible target's head. "Like that, right?"

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart nods and smiles "That's it. Weight transfer is the key. Just swinging your staff with your hands and arms have about the equivalent of doing silly slaps in a fight. Even if you don't weight much, putting your entire body into it will make it more substential. Rotations is the key to weight transfer."

She hms "Well rotations and weight transfer is not everything either mind you, that's not entirely true either, but that's the most basic at least. I mean, you can see people throwing others off with a flick of the wrist, definitely not using weight transfer, at least your own. Instead its using the target's weight against itself if that makes any sense. Making them lose balance means you can get the same result with less power required."

Aerith has posed:
Aerith blinked for a moment. "So wait, you're saying that I don't even have to do much besides make someone trip over themselves?" Cue a beaming grin here. "Now that sounds fun! How do I do it?"

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart giggles softly "Well, there's two ways about it. A precise poke at joints can do it if the target isn't ready for it. Otherwise a strong attack to force them to lose balance." She moves in front of you, and makes a sweeping motion of her feet, making the top of her feet touch right behind your knee "This part is weak, the muscles are all in the shins and thighs on the legs, if you can hit someone well enough right here, it cane make them buckle."

Aerith has posed:
Aerith nodded, looking behind her and down just a bit. "Ankles are good, got it. And what about the knees? I know if you hit those hard enough they'll give out..."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart grins "I said the knee. Right behind the knee here is very weak. The front is sensitive if you hit hard enough though, but that's because the bone is protecting the nerves underneath. A good hit there can paralyze the knee for a moment. But there are other ways."

Aerith has posed:
Aerith decided it was enough standing around and headed for the bar to take a seat. "Okay, I'm good and situated. Please, explain. What other ways can I knock someone off balance?"

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart moves to the center "I showed you about weight transfer. Well, as with many things, when you attack you also become more vulnerable. That goes back to precision." She takes a fighting stance "When I'm planted like that, I'm hard to move unless you attack me with enough power to compensate for A- my resistance and B- my weight. If you can overpower both, you make me move." She shifts to her back leg "But when you weight transfer, you essentially bring all of your weight in a single spot, thus the rest is left without any strenght. So if do the right move at the right moment, for example..."

She takes your staff, and puts it under her front feet "If I do a weight transfer toward my front feet, but you disrupt my balance, its almost impossible to stand up. Its like if you tried to balance a round object on the side of a hill. Since all of my weight is forward, there's nothing left on my back foot. So that means I will either fall, or I will reshift my weight on my back foot again, and when you lack weight transfer, your attack becomes much weaker as it only uses the momentum of your arm or leg thrust alone."

Aerith has posed:
Aerith nodded. "So what I have to do is get at that one part where all the weight is, and I can just tip you over?" One brow raises in a bit of confusion. "Or am I wrong?"

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart nods "Pretty much, but that requires precision striking rather than power. You need to anticipate and react faster than my weight transfer. As soon as I'm moving my weight forward to attack, you'd need to put your move in. The best moment is when I take a step forward, if you can stick your staff underneath where my foot will land, I'd get disturbed in my attack because my foot would be expected a batter catch, aka a flat ground. Some animals might be able to have grip in this situation, but my boots don't allow that for me. Its the flipside, any attack leaves an opening somewhere."

Aerith has posed:
Aerith smiled and hopped down from her stool. "Well, as they say, sometimes the best way to learn is by doing... so let's do it!" With that, she offered herself as a guinea pig to get her balance disrupted. Maybe if she knew how it felt, she'd know how to cause it!

Aerith has posed:
Aerith stood near Tifa, a few feet away, without her staff in hand. Maybe it was best to talk about the concept of this whole thing before actually doing it, otherwise it wouldn't quite work out, no matter how well she planned it. "So then, tell me again how this works?"

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart smiles, still teaching Aerith. She's doing on own daily routine as well now, doing katas. Its like a dance, and Tifa is pretty graceful even if her fighting style is hard hitting "What I taught you about weight transfer, you need to train it more, repeating the motion until you don't think about it anymore. Its like walking, you also weight transfer when you walk, but you've done the motion so many times that you don't think about it."

Aerith has posed:
With a nod, she watched Tifa go to work, observing with all the curiosity of a child seeing something for the first time. It was the day after they'd begun this little training session, and she wanted to know as much about this as possible. Even if she only used a staff and didn't swing with her fists once, she felt she had to understand. "And the whole balance thing, what about that?" Because it was the question she was really getting at.

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart smiles "Well as I told you, there are several ways to do it. It can be with force, but also with precision. Also, there's always joint locking." She points at Aerith's staff "Your staff can be used in other ways because of its size, like if you managed to slip it between one's leg." She points to the front of her right leg, and the back of her right leg "If placed well, instead of being kicked out, it would lock itself between the knee instead, and probably disrupt one's running.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith scratched the back of her head. "So say if, I dunno, I pushed you back while you were in mid-stride, with only one foot on the ground, you'd fall over... because you don't have your weight properly set."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart nods "Its all about hitting at the right place and at the right time, and that's the hardest part of it honestly. Because you need to anticipate the movement and attack precisely and strong enough to have the effect when required. Its a bunch of split second reactions in the end. That's why you want to train your movements so it becomes innate, otherwise you won't have time to think about your weight transfer and hit before its too late."

Aerith has posed:
Aerith nodded and beamed, glad she'd understood at least something. "Right, now that that's out of the way... Maybe I could join you in what you're doing." She watched her movements, trying to keep track of her footwork. "If, y'know, you'd go a little slower." Cue giggle here.

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart smiles and nods "Of course, you can't do exactly the same moves with a staff, but you can follow me." She takes her fighting stance, and starts on her 'dance', making it slower than usual. Its a combination of moving hands and feet together, punching and kicking the air in turn, but also moving the arms in more defensive ways, making sure that all of the muscles get to move.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith joins in after a bit, her steps lagging significantly behind those of her teacher. By the time the form was over, she huffed in frustration and walked back toward the bar. "All right, again. I promise I'll keep up this time."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart smiles "Take your time, you'll get faster as you practice and learn the movements, following someone for the first time isn't as easy." You can note that she didn't exert herself much either doing so, she obviously is used to it too.

Aerith has posed:
The second time was a tad easier, because Aerith had the notion of changing weight and balance from the day before, and applied it here. Of course, the meaning wasn't lost on her, every step meant something, every position had to be analyzed and evaluated. Throwing a proper strike or swing of the weapon was very, very dependant on positioning. Sure she already knew that part, but she'd never really put it into consideration until now.

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart smiles "Very good~" she's encouraging her. Its not a change that happens overnight, its something that is trained over several weeks, months and maybe years, but it all starts with a single step. She continues her kata, repeating it a few times, moving up to her own speed, that one that actually exerts her. That's when she knows its working for her.

Aerith has posed:
And again, Aerith had trouble keeping up... but with multiple repetitions in her already, she lagged behind about two seconds less than before. And she actually managed to finish almost at the same time, too. The flower lady turned toward Tifa with a grin. "Again, I almost got it!"

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart giggles "You just need to go to your own pace, when you feel its tireing you, that's a good sign, but don't push too much either. You just gradually push back those limits. Plus if you use too much energy you're spent for the rest of the day, and if you need to fight you're too tired to do it.." She repeats it a few more times, mostly for herself. "This is the pace that tires me."

Aerith has posed:
She took this information to heart and slowed it to half Tifa-speed. And her form improved considerably. With a nod, she repeated it again, the first time having taken about a minute and a half, and pretty soon she could have closed her eyes and done it proper... at least, at this speed. Seven minutes later, Aerith sighed and headed for the bar. "Think it's time for a break. Got any of that tea left, Tifa?"

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart smiles as she finishes her run as well, and then moves behind the counter with a stretch "Of course. When you're done training you need to stretch by the way, otherwise you let your muscles cool off too fast, you need to let them relax gradually, so stretches to start and stretches to end is good. And shouldn't need more than an hour of training every day either, if you repeat this every day." She smiles and movers behind the counter to get the tea ready.

Aerith has posed:
"Right, got it." She wasn't quite done yet then, still had a bit to go. She'd just started a few minutes ago, after all. "How long did you say you've been doing this again, seven years?" She leaned forward, elbows propped on the counter. "Who was your teacher then?"

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart smiles, leaning on the counter as she serves up your tea, adding the drop of honey as always "It was Zangan, he's known to have over 140 disciples around the world. He got hurt though and can't fight anymore, but he had finished teaching me the techniques. The rest is mostly to keep up with personal training and hone your own personal techniques over time. You devise them depending on your style, and also observation of other people's styles. Imitation is part of martial arts too, but mastering the same move is a personal challenge.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith nodded. "Everyone's got their own thing, after all. And I have an idea..." She placed a hand under her chin. "Did you know that a Cetra can sense the Lifestream in other people? It's how I can tell when someone's behind me and sense what they're feeling. But more importantly, I think I can use it to tell when someone's about to make a swing, at least for a split second." She shrugged. "Of course, my reaction to an attack is mostly based on how good I am at getting out of its way, so I can't exactly blindfold myself and expect to fight properly, at least not yet. But it's an idea, right?"

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart nods "Well when you train to develop a sixth sense of your own. I don't mean like mind reading and the like, its more about 'space positioning'. Did you ever see people int he air, flipping several times and yet always landing back on their feet? Its that, even without the standard 'reference points' that people have, like firm ground, you're able to tell in what position you are compared to the ground or other objects around you, and mvoe your body while in the air to adjust your fall or landing. Its a bit similar when you fight, you get the feeling of things moving around you, like a fist coming your way, even if your eyes can't see it directly."

Aerith has posed:
Aerith smiled and nodded. "Well I already have something like that, but I figure I can use it in different ways. Also, control of materia is very, very closely linked to control of the energies of the planet itself, so maybe I could give my attacks more kick if I used something like that. What do you think?" It sounded like she'd already given this some thought.

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart hms "Well it would help your defenses, but I dunno how fast you can get that 'information' from the lifestream as you say. For me, its split second reactions, I'me trained enough that I don't even think about it, my body just moves.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith shrugged. "I can understand what you're saying, I know this is entirely new. But I'm just saying that what I already know could help. I know it's difficult to understand, but if it works, it should give me some kind of advantage."

Aerith has posed:
Aerith chuckled. "Neither do I! Tell you what, when I get better at moving and evading properly, we'll try it. Sound good?" She stood, stretched her arms above her head, and went into a bit of a warm-up routine before giving Tifa a nod thirty seconds later. "All right, let's keep going. I expect to have at least some section of this down by the end of the hour."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart grins "Well you're doing good already, its not like you're completly untrained, and I mean by that weak. You just need to work up those muscles so they remember the movements.

Aerith has posed:
She never asked for another break again as she focused entirely on the form Tifa was working on with her earlier, determined not to pick up her weapon until she'd gotten it pat. And this was still only half Tifa-speed, not even the whole thing. Naturally the bar maid had been doing this for years, and Aerith was just starting out, but she could already see what each form did. The moves were hidden in the routine, and repetition taught each of them in due time. After another ten minutes. Aerith stopped and glanced toward her dark-haired friend. "So then, got anything specific for me?"

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart shakes her head "Nothing for the moment." she smiles, looking over to you "Movements first, in a few days we can start working on some spars, it will help you develop your attacks when you get into it more.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith nodded and got back into her starting position. "Well, I might want to sharpen up then!" She started her form again, her body aching at this point, but she was still ready to give it one more shot. "So," she said in between moves, "When's that meeting with this Xanatos guy?"

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart smiles, watching you, leaning against the counter a bit now "Well, its tomorrow. I guess I'll wear my formal dress again, do you have anything you want to wear?

Aerith has posed:
She didn't have time to look down, but she knew her current outfit wouldn't work. "Something other than this, that's for sure! I was thinking business suit, dark red, with a pair of nice shoes. Figure I'll let my hair down too, no braid." She threw a strike at her invisible opponent. "Thoughts?"

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart smiles "I think it would look great on you. My dress is a cocktail dress, so its pretty formal.

Aerith has posed:
Part of her couldn't help but see how funny this was. A massive Heartless attack was being planned on Manhattan and they were considering what to wear for a meeting that might not even have any effect. Still, it was worth it to try, and since they had no idea when Baron and Alexandria's combined forces would strike, it was better to be prepared than to be late. Aerith finished up the latest iteration of the form and plopped down on the hardwood floor, breathing hard and shallow. "I think... I think this is my working speed for now."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart smiles and nods "That's it, 30 minutes to an hour at most, exerted but not enough to not be able to move afterwards. You still have the rest of the day to go through after all." She offers you a bar of ice cream "Cool down?"

Aerith has posed:
Aerith gratefully takes the ice cream and stands, munching at it with a decidedly pleased expression. "Thanks," she said in between bites. "Well then, what else do you usually work on? Y'know, speed, flexibility, stuff like that? I think it'd help to learn how to dodge." She peered over at her teacher. "Or is that for next time?"

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart nods, smiling as she leans on the counter on her elbows, sliding a hand through her hair "Yeah, its all part of it. Flexibility is needed for some attacks, but also allows me to be more evasive. It also helps avoid injuries and sprains you see. Injuries happen when your joints do a sudden movement they aren't used to. Muscles are the same, when you train them well they hurt less, and it gives you added resistance as well." she pokes at her muscle "Its not the size that counts as much as how dense they are."

Aerith has posed:
"Well then, this might take longer than anticipated, but it's not the destination, as they say." She finished off her ice cream bar and got into her stretches. "Right, I trust we'll only have time for like, half an hour before we go to Manhattan tomorrow."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart nods, smiling "Of course. But maybe we should train later in the day, because if we don't have enough time, we'll be going there all sweaty. Its okay to skip a day, but not too often, you don't want to be lazy about it either.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith nodded. "Gotcha, boss." She giggled, as she seemed to do a lot of these days. "That sounds weird, calling you that. But I'd rather not skip any days at all, so later tomorrow sounds good." She headed to the bar again, intending not to get back up. "So then, about this Judge Magister guy... Zargabaath, I think his name was. He has a whole airship fleet with him. Do you think we could get him to aid Manhattan when the attack comes?"

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart considers, sliding a hand through the hair around her ear "It would be good to have something to face the Red Wings probably. I don't know if he'd want to get involved, but he seemed rational enough. It wouldn't hurt to ask him and expose our side of the story at least, before he simply takes sides without seeing both sides of the forces.

Aerith has posed:
The Pink Lady shook her head. "I just don't understand why Baron is doing this... What are they getting out of attacking Manhattan besides just revenge? There's no real aim behind it, it's just them being crybabies with big weapons." And bullies, let's not forget that.

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart nods "They did the same thing in Balamb. They had no reason to attack them, save for something about them being mercenaries and not trusting that they would stay quiet during the whole thing. So basically, eliminate any opposing forces."

Aerith has posed:
"Which means just about everyone else. And they're using the Heartless to do it, too. The problem of course is, controlling something that wants nothing more than to eat your heart and tear out your soul is more than likely difficult. They can't possibly have the means to do this on their own, someone gave them the tools to make it happen."

Lest we not forget, smart Aerith is smart.

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart nods "I wonder about that too. They are definitely playing with more power than they should. We need to be careful around them, but mount our defenses as well.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith sighed and took a sip from her fogotten tea cup. "I suppose we should consider what to do once we warn him... should we just come back here and see how it plays out?" Part of her wanted that quite a bit. The last time she'd been out in a battle, she'd been useless, her spells having little to no effect. It was why she was learning how to fight right now. "I'm not afraid to fight, I just don't want to be a burden."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart nods, considering a bit "Well I don't know, maybe he'll ask us to stay there for a while, just to be safe. Never knows. He seems to be the kind of person that plans everything out, so he might already have an idea too.

Aerith has posed:
"Well, better him than me, I'm not that good at strategy. I'm sure he could teach me a few things about that while I'm there, but let's focus on just warning him for the time being." She took another sip. "I wonder... can you be a strategist and still be a good person?"

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart thinks about that one, a finger against her cheek as she rolls her eyes upward in thougt "Why not? Strategists only need to think about things calmly, maybe coldly, to achieve the best results. It doesn't mean you simply sacrifice people, but if you do it needs to be worthwhile, otherwise it becomes a waste."

Aerith has posed:
Aerith lowered her head for a moment. "Wouldn't the best outcome though, be not to sacrifice anyone at all? I mean, there are those willing to do that, but I'd rather have everyone back in one piece. Y'know?"

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart nods "I know, that's what I mean. You'd rather not sacrifice anyone, but if its a war, deaths are unavoidable. You just need to do your best to minimize it, and make sure that those lost didn't die in vain either.

Aerith has posed:
Another nod, this time with understanding. "I see... I guess I'll learn about some of that, too. I mean, if I can do something to make this easier on everyone, I'll do it. I don't think you can teach me too much of that, though..."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart shakes her head "I understand the logic, but my brain doesn't work in that way. I prefer hitting things. Well, technically, I'd rather not hit anyone either."

Aerith has posed:
After a smile from the flower lady, she took the last sip of tea she'd be having this day. "Well, I might as well get some rest, it's gonna be interesting tomorrow if I don't." She stood, stretched her arms above her head, and collected her staff. "You need any help setting up the floor before I go?"

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart shakes her head, moving over to the pushes away tables and chairs "Nah, I'm used to it, don't worry." she smiles "I'll handle things, there's still some time before the customers start arriving.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith waved as she made her way out. "Then I'll see you tomorrow! Get your wallet ready, because we're going shopping first!" And with that, she was gone, back to her temporary residence in the slums.