Summer 2, 116
There were not as many students as there'd been the day before; instead, it was just the newbies wearing their white outfit over their regular clothes. Even though Caelum's outfit was significantly dirtier than the others', he was exactly the same and didn't seem to mind. His practice sword's "hilt" protruded from his waist, where it was fastened firmly by the black outfit the dojo gave him in lieu of a real one to identify him as one of their pupils.
Upon swiftly perusing the rows of white attire, he discovered that his large, unsightly counterpart from the previous day was not present today. He saw an elder student's lips tighten into a thin line of disapproval as he caught the teacher's attention as he fell into the only opening he could find in the square-like formation of students. He supposed he's still upset over yesterday. Caelum thought to himself, "what a fool," but his disgust did not show on his face when the teacher started the lesson for the day.
"Welcome," he said, glancing around the room with a diffident and almost deliberate lack of eye contact. "You've all only just begun your training. This is a reminder that you haven't accomplished anything yet, so don't get too full of yourselves."
Some other students murmured in agreement. For a brief moment, Caelum's gaze moved in their direction before returning to the instructor, who gave a curt nod in return. Over the excited chatter, the teacher yelled, "Okay, so every swordsman should know the basics. We're going to start teaching you how to defend after you saw glimpses of your own reflexes yesterday, when they were in the heat of battle."
There were more excited whispers among the students, but the teacher calmed them down with a hand. The instructor fell to one knee in the quiet, his hands flying to the practice sword's handle with catlike speed. He then drew to fend off an invisible frontal attack before slipping the weapon back into its loop with another smooth motion. He turned to the students with an authoritative demeanor and dusted his clothes, drawing awe-inspiring looks.
"Start now!"
The students instantly went to kneeling, just like their teacher had. After doing what must have been a million squats in the wee hours of the evening, Caelum felt uncomfortable in the position, his quadriceps burning. He ignored the pain, snatching with all his might at the practice sword's hilt and pulling it out in what ought to have been a seamless defense. Rather, he mishandled the attempt due to his clothes, only managing to swung the practice sword's tip into his nose bridge. He let out a painful "OUCH!" but the sounds of both successful and failing students overpowered his voice. His clumsiness made him angry, and he quickly re-sheathed his sword while everyone else was waiting for the teacher to signal that it was time to repeat the gesture.
"Again!" The dojo's silence was broken by the Instructor's loud voice.
This time, Caelum placed his left hand where the sheath should have been and used his left hand to steady the "sheath" while simulating drawing his weapon with his right. The end effect was a graceful drawing, and his blade was up and prepared to block a frontal attack in an instant. He and his classmates held the pose for four counts, with him enduring the spasms in his muscles without showing any signs of strain on his face. Then, all at once, the sound of practice swords cautiously sheathing filled the hall.
Contentment seeped through Caelum's pride's icy exterior. Even though he was a dragon who nature never intended to hold a sword, he knew he shouldn't have been happy with his success in the slightest, but it didn't take away from his sense of accomplishment. He would keep developing, and eventually his abilities would be on par with those of his teacher.
They took a break for breakfast then reconvened an hour later. The evening light soon turned the skies above the town's a dark color. Even so, man students toiled ceaselessly for a variety of personal motivations to master a lethal art. They listened intently to their teacher's words as he coached them through their next exercise.
The slender man bowed down and let out a breath. Caelum was aware that the instructor was a tough guy even though he was still unimpressed with his antics. The man was a skilled practitioner; danger seemed to pulse through him in slow, pulsating waves even as he knelt, his hands wildly gesturing towards the hilt of his practice sword. Suddenly, he moved. Without warning, the man leaped to his feet, practice sword in hand, and spun like a dancer, blocking an invisible adversary's attempted attack with one foot. Caelum nodded slowly, flexing his hand around the practice sword he was holding in an attempt to imagine how his own body would react in that situation.
It had turned out that the second day was even more fascinating than the first. Taking a deep breath, the teacher smiled and told them that learning these forms was important as it would allow them to rely on muscle memory. Then, he had them break off into groups like the day before.
Caelum thought "Group work again? Didn't go so well last time did it?" His concerns were not shared by anyone else, as they all divided into pairs, their eagerness causing their mouths to part into thoughtful grins. With his practice sword in hand, Caelum stood motionless until a girlish, whiny voice asked, "I guess I'll have to settle, but I can already tell you're the kind of person that feels like he's better than everyone else," coming from behind him.
"Not really," Caelum shot back, not caring. Why should his anger be directed toward her? "I'm new to this kind of environment. I don't want to be rude, it's just how I feel…" It was partly true. But he knew just being new to this activity wouldn't excuse poor behavior forever. He knew he had to improve mentally just as much as physically if he wanted to succeed in life.
"You're right, I suppose I just find you cute." She looked at him with sincere eyes and took a step towards him. She was no little girl, despite her voice. She was a pretty woman, fully grown and there was something about her that told Caelum that she took pleasure in making people feel uncomfortable.
Caelum could not focus after that, and even though he tried not to, he could feel an uncomfortable heat burning in his cheeks. The sound of practice swords striking seemed to drown out the girl's laughter, but when the instructor snuck by, she became very serious and gestured for him to get on his knees so they could start the form.
Caelum knitted his eyebrows. He had nothing to prove. The instructor would become irate if he took too long… Caelum found himself falling to the ground in a kneeling position, ready to move. He was able to determine the girl's distance from him by listening to her steps behind him. He rose to his feet in a spin, just as he'd seen his teacher do, and ripped his practice sword out of its resting place, turning to face the girl and block her blow.
Instead of the boney cheeked girl, the teacher was the one who'd approached him, his practice sword falling with such speed that Caelum had to quicken his movements to avoid it. He countered the sheer force of his opponent's strike by using the teacher's momentum while his body absorbed the shock. On the surface, it was a cunning tactic, but Caelum knew he wouldn't stand a chance against him if he'd been trying.
However, the teacher acknowledged Caelum's work with a nod, if a little sharply, before moving on to the next group. With a menacing glance at the naive girl whistling, Caelum's mouth turned bitter. "Thanks for the warning," he murmured. She gave him a charming smile and held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you too."
Caelum ignored the cordial greeting, glancing from the hand to her face. "Please assume the position so that we can begin."
Then, she acted. Her own attempt was more graceful than Caelum's, but lacked the strength to repel even an attack like the one the instructor had used on him. It wasn't his responsibility to correct her, even though he was aware of this. He still gave her some feedback though, because even though she'd tried to mess with him earlier he did want to get along with people.
It was finally time to head home as the day was coming to an end. Unlike the previous day, Caelum actually felt like he'd accomplished a lot. He felt like he was getting faster, more quick with his reflexes. He'd also actually performed well and avoided getting into any fights. It was progress.
(Note to self: DNU)
