fandomhigh | Rangering!, Friday, Period Five [ 06/05 ].

An astute observer might notice that Minsc was not actually in the platemail that he usually seemed to practically live in. A knowledgeable on might recognize that, in fact, he was in just chainmail, which was ~~a lower armour class bonus~~ just not the same. But someone had taken the liberty to rend his platemail off of him and he hadn't had the chance to get to the Gig to fix it yet.

Not that he was complaining.

Oh, no. Definitely not complaining, which was nice. Last time that happened, it was done by a wyvern, and the results were not quite as nice, but just about as bruising.

Anyway...

"Bad guys!" Minsc started out jubilantly. "We all have them; if you don't think you have them, then you'll probably find out just how wrong you are when you are lying in your bed with a sword sticking out of your chest and wondering, 'how did this get here?' We talked about a ranger's ability to be particularly good at slaying a specific kind of bad guy. My favourite enemy, for example, is the gnoll."

So, of course, now there was a gnoll standing near Minsc in front of the glass. "As I ranger, I have studied these vile and disgusting creatures ad nauseum, literally, for years upon years, so that when they hear the name Minsc, they cower in fear."

He looked at the gnoll.

"I said, they cower in fear!"

The gnoll snarled and cowered.

"Much better. Now because of my research, I know that their sensitive weak spots are here!" He thrust a sword into the gnoll. "And here!" And again. "And here!" He swung his sword high and very neatly decapitated the monster. Neatly until its hyena-like head hit the ground and little spurts of blood went shooting out of the neck, sprinkling Minsc's bald head a little before the body collasped at the knees and the headless corpse fell to his feet. Minsc drove his sword into the back of his fallen enemy, and put a foot up on him in victory, and he chuckled. "Although that last one is most people's weak spot!"

He yanked the sword out, cleaning it off as he talked. "I also know that gnolls typically travel in packs, so it is smart to bring assistance. I know they like melee so I keep so arrows on me in hopes to get a few while they are charging. I can recognize the signs of their recent migrations by seeking out travel patterns, diet hunts, and tracks. I can even pick up their scent from miles away, not that that is hard, because they are smelly, malodorous cretins!"

"These are all the sorts of things a ranger must know about their enemy. To know your enemy is to know how to defeat them! I have asked you to look into enemies and learn about how to defeat them, so share! And, if you like, show up what you've got in encountering them! And then, if you've got some extra time before class ends, take up to sparring or some target practise, and keep those skills honed!"

[[ OCD ~~a'coming~~ has decapitated...your mom. ]]

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Tahiri coughed, and really wished Ben hadn't clued her in about weapons innuendo the other week. "Right. I think we can handle them well enough. Should we do it?"

Ben's cheeks went a little pink. "Hold on," he said, then whipped off his cloak and let it puddle overdramatically on the floor. "Learned that from Granddad," he said with a wink.

Okay, the dramatic gesture and the wink were really, really not helping here, and Tahiri stared, slack-jawed. "Showoff."

His returning smile was definitely on the smug side. "Then show me the error of my ways, Jedi Veila," he taunted.

"Oh, I bet I can show you a thing or two, Jedi Skywalker," she retorted and immediately leapt at him with a low slash at his legs.

This would help, right? Working up a good sweat with Ben?

. . . um.

Ben leaped into the air, flipping over her head and landed on the other side. "I know that trick already," he teased, aiming his sword at her shoulder.

Tahiri's sword was already up to block his. "And I know that one," she replied with a grin over her shoulder at him as she pushed out to knock the blade away, intent on reversing her grip and stabbing back at him.

Ben knew that move, too, so he caught it against his blade and stepped closer, lashing out with a kick to her knee.

Practicing with Anakin had taught him to fight with his entire body.

That was one of those concepts that Tahiri knew but didn't always remember. She'd have to work on that. The kick just barely grazed the side of her knee as she stepped in closer and spun to face him, her elbow up and aimed for his chin mid-pivot.

Ben ducked out of the way, but barely as he was a little distracted by her closeness.

...not that he'd admit it. He swung the sword towards her middle, but forgot to compensate for the additional weight it had, rather than a lightsaber, so the motion was aimed more toward her legs.

And more easily blocked that way. Tahiri did step into the block, which might make for even more distraction, and lashed out with a kick at Ben's side.

Ben was sweating a lot more than the light tempo of the workout would warrant. He dropped to the ground--not smart with a real sword, Ben--and barely avoided skewering himself on his own blade.

"Stang," he cursed, annoyed at himself.

"Careful," Tahiri blurted out, and why was she breathing this heavily? It wasn't that strenuous yet.

Not that she was distracted by looking at Ben or anything, really.

"My head's all fuzzy," Ben said, springing back to his feet and launching another attack at her.

Not just to get closer while she was breathing heavily and kind of sweaty. Because that would be wrong.

Totally wrong. Tahiri wasn't looking to disarm him because she was starting to think the swords were an obstacle to, say, wrestling or something like that, not at all.

Would she do that? Of course not.

Ben's breath was coming in little gasps now. His strategy seemed to be focused a little too much on getting very, very close to Tahiri and looming like he was going to pick her up and ~~kiss her. A lot~~ shake her.

"Hey," Tahiri objected in a tone that wasn't objecting at all. Funny how she wasn't moving away from him. Moving closer, maybe, and not making much of an effort to defend herself; her guard was way, way down.

Reaching out to put one hand on his chest and halfheartedly push him away counted as defending herself, right?

Ben shivered and looked into her eyes. "When's class over?" he asked.

"Not soon enough," Tahiri answered, not caring how many people it might scandalize that she just let the sword drop from her hand.

Yeah, sparring had been a great idea, definitely.

I really want to kiss you right now, Ben thought at her, leaning down to pick up her sword.

And brush his hand against her leg. Details.

I really want you to, Tahiri thought back at him as soon as she could think again; his hand was very distracting right there, thanks. Want to get out of here as soon as we can?

"Oh yes, please," he said eagerly. And out loud. Oops.

Tahiri laughed. "I think it's pretty obvious what we were thinking anyway."

No, really?

"I thought we were being sneaky."

No, not at all, Ben.

Tahiri was about to refute that when something occurred to her, and she just blurted out, "My roommate's at work today."

No, not remotely sneaky at all. At least they weren't the only ones?

Re: Sparring! -- 06/05.

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