maskormenace | Duel 01; Video

[There aren't any questions about what this place is or what it's like. Utena's already gotten used to all of that. She does, however, have a question about something else that's been on her mind: employment. She flops on her new bed and turns on her device, and the network will see a zoomed in image of her eye before she stretches her arms and raises her communicator, showing her from the shoulders up]

So. The government gives us these jobs when we get here, right? But what do you do when it's something you're not cut out for? Like...

[Okay, recording like this isn't very comfortable after all. She stops and rolls over on her side, and adjusts the camera so it's focusing mostly on her face]

I'm supposed to be a teacher, sort of. Or maybe instructor is a better way to put it? ...anyway, I'm supposed to give fencing lessons now. And it's not that I'm bad at it, but...

[She bites her lip and glances away for a moment, uncertain of how much she should (or how much she even wants to) explain about the duels.]

Well, I'm not really used to "standard" fencing matches. I mean, I've fenced before, but the last time I did the rules were kind of weird, and as soon as I got used to it the game would change again. The only real advice I could give is, "hey, don't get stabbed," but that's not really good advice, is it? I mean, that's what swordfighting is all about, I guess, but...

[She sighs, and flops back on her pillow]

I'm not really sure what I should do about this. I still need to talk to them - the people who run the lessons, not the guys who gave me the job - but... I guess I'm just worried that they'll expect more from me than what I can give them. That they'll expect me to be some master fencer from a movie or storybook or something like that. Has anyone else had to deal with that? With their bosses expecting them to be something they're not, I mean.

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[Oh hey, it's her grocery store buddy. If anyone knows what is and is not practical advice on how not to die, it's her. Probably. Either way, she relaxes a bit when she sees Veronica's face]

Yeah, but it'd be better if I could tell them how not to get stabbed. I mean, I know how to avoid it, but it's harder to put into words than I thought it'd be. It's like explaining to someone how to walk. You know, like explaining something that you've been doing for so long that you just don't think about it, you just do it.

Edited 2017-05-05 07:04 (UTC)

[Hmm. Veronica taps her pen against her notebook, running her teeth over her lower lip as she thinks something over.]

Try explaining fencing to me. Start with the basics, the kind of stuff you'd pull out at a party to impress people.

Stuff you'd use to impress people, huh? I could show off some moves, but it's hard to explain without showing...

[Idea! Her eyes light up and she sits up straight.]

Alright, just give me a minute, okay? I'll be back soon, I promise.

[About ten minutes later Veronica gets another reply. She's set up the communicator so it can record her from a distance, and she stands barefoot in a rather plain bedroom, holding a yardstick at her side. Where did that come from? Mysteries.]

Okay. In most fencing matches, you have to salute the other guy before you get started. And I don't mean like a military salute. You have to get into position, like this.

[She stands with the "sword" held at her hips, its edge pointed downward, with one foot pointed towards the camera and the other perpendicular. As soon as she adjust her feet just right, she raises the yardstick on one swift motion, swishing it up so her arm is pointed straight at the camera. Then, with no hesitation, she pulls it back to her chest and holds it in front of her face like a blade, before lowering it back down.]

And then you get into position, like this. En garde!

[She raises her "sword" back up again, ready to stab at her hypothetical opponent, and she moves her feet and bends her knees into a fighting position. Her body is limber, not too stiff or too loose, and she raises her other hand]

When both of you are ready, you can start to attack, like this.

[And with a yell she lunges forward, stabbing at the camera, before drawing back. She takes a breath and walks forward, bringing the device to her face]

It's kind of hard to show it like this, but that's how you start, anyway.

[In those ten minutes, Veronica gets herself a croissant at the café she's at, using her status as an imPort and a student to get a discount on the food and her drink, a tall, cold smoothie. She sits down just as Utena's reply starts, and finds that her attention is held almost entirely by the demonstration.]

See? I've never fenced in my life but I understood and listened to most of that. You're already better than half the faculty at my old school. [Looking at you, Westerburg.] Now pretend I just asked a stupid question, like, "how do you stab somebody?"

[That's actually pretty encouraging. She brightens up a bit, but it morphs into an amused half smile, half smirk at the question.]

Okay. Well, first I'd do this again.

[She stands back and gets into position, performing another thrust.]

Or! Like this.

[She scoots back, before stepping forward and performing another thrust, this time aimed towards the other side of her invisible foe. She straightens up quickly, holding the yardstick at her side like an actual sword that could actually stab someone if she's not careful]

And then I'd make them try it.

[She does not tell her that it doesn't actually take much to be better than half of Westerburg's faculty. Anyway, it probably says something about Veronica's old school that a fourteen-year-old girl could teach better than most of the actual teachers.]

God, you'd be a terrifying teacher. [Oddly enough, Veronica's grinning as she says this.] Okay, another stupid question: "how do you not get stabbed?"

Simple: "get out of the way".

[It's just a joke, but...]

...but seriously, I'd try to show them how to get out of the way, but it's kind of hard without a partner. But that's kind of why you stand around like this-

[And she gets back in her fighting stance]

-it lets you move around easier when you're lunging, or when someone's lunging at you. Oh, and you can also parry it, but... well, I'd need a partner for that, too.

[She stands up normally again and, done with demonstrations, she tosses the yardstick on her bed]

There's this girl at my school who's captain of the fencing club, and that's something I see her talk about, sometimes. She'd be better at explaining it than me, but there's a whole lot of little things that can really mess you up. Like how you stand, how you hold your sword... stuff that might not seem like a big deal, but it all makes a difference. But I guess there's a lot of stuff that's like that, isn't there?

[If she had never forged that pass for the Heathers, so long ago—Veronica can't help but wonder. Would she still have met JD? Would things still have spiraled out the way they did?

She looks down at her croissant, pensive for a second.]

Plenty, actually. [She breaks off a piece of her croissant.] Lemme guess, sometimes it's the little things that make or break a match? [Or make or break a life.]

Yeah...

[Her voice goes quiet, and she thinks back to the first, and only, match she lost in the dueling game. It wasn't a matter of skill, so much as...]

Focus is a big part of it, too. If something distracts you, then you can lose sight of the whole fight. It doesn't matter how strong or how fast you are - if the other guy can get inside your head, then you can lose everything.

Duel 01; Video

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