Not an easy student

Lia's enthusiasm to show off her limber nature didn't go unnoticed by Artorias, who while trying to loosen up his muscles found himself getting more than a little distracted by his sparring partner's flourishing stretches. It was impossible for the young man to keep his eyes off of her with the way she moved her body, twisting this way and bending that way. She was graceful, fluid, svelte... She had him transfixed—until she very abruptly stopped just before he did, and Artorias made his best attempt to make it look like he hadn't been watching her the entire time. A deep breath in, then released slowly to help get his mind focused and back on track. Hoo boy, this is going to be tougher than I thought...

As he explained the basic fundamentals of fighting and self-defense, Lia made a quick remark about treating fighting like loving, and once more Artorias felt his breath catch in his throat. He smirked at her, knowing she was trying to tease him and push his buttons, and dammit she was being successful at it too. "Well, it's certainly not how my parents taught it, but I suppose you can," he remarked with a husky chuckle and crooked grin. She at least seemed to be having a little more fun with him now. "The techniques you can use will look different depending on whether you're on your paws, or grappling your opponent, or if you find yourself beneath them, but the idea is the same: go for soft spots and weak points." He sat down before her, using a paw to indicate each vulnerable area a wolf had. "Eyes... Throat... Belly... Genitals... These spots will usually disable an opponent for a period of time, enough for you to call for help or get distance between you at the least. Scratch the eyes with your claws, go for the throat with your teeth, try to claw at the belly or the balls. In your case, the goal isn't to win the fight, it's to prevent your opponent from winning and preserving your own safety."

Artorias stood back up again, settling himself into his fighting posture. Paws spread to the width of his shoulders, feet planted firmly to the ground. His tail tucked in toward his body, ears lowered to his skull, head in line with his body. "If you're squaring up with someone, try to keep a posture like this. Keep your body low, legs spread evenly apart for easy movement. Tuck your tail in toward your body, keep your ears down, straighten your spine as much as you can. This will help make you stable and brace your body, so it's harder to knock you around." He straightened up a bit. "You try. Find a position that is comfortable, but protects as much of you from harm."

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Corbin" | "Argent"