futaille | Open Post: La savate et le chausson

Much to his satisfaction, Grantaire has been able to keep up with many of his hobbies unabated during his time at the mansion. Not all of them, though, mostly because they were ones he'd go to specific spots for, and with those spots not being here in addition to an abundance of his other hobbies, they more or less fell by the wayside.

However, a recent chat with Dionysus has reminded him that he has very much neglected his 'hitting things' level. Although he didn't find a crash test dummy, the thought being on his mind ended up in him stumbling upon a small gym tucked away, complete with some equipment including a standing punching bag.

So he's discarded his waistcoat and cravat over a bench and is practicing his savate¹.

¹French kickboxing! During R's time it was basically for streetfighting, and just beginning to get formalized, but there are some cool vintage videos on youtube (Here and here) to give the... vibe.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only | Expand All

From:

kadewest

"Hell yeah," says Kade. "Okay. Now what?"

From:

futaille

"Fouetté, of course."

From:

kadewest

"Whip kick," says Kade, promptly; this time, his effort is pitch-perfect.

From:

futaille

"Oh, well done! And then, of course, coup de pied bas."

From:

kadewest

"Low kick," Kade says. This, too, is easy for him. It's not quite as pitch-perfect, but it's a very good effort indeed.

From:

futaille

"You have them all, then."

From:

kadewest

"All right," Kade says, and gives Grantaire a wolfish grin. "So where do we start with sparring?"

From:

futaille

He goes to the middle of the open space in the room. "A few feet apart, obviously," he says wryly. "I'll even give you first strike."

From:

kadewest

"Oh, don't do me any favors," Kade laughs, following. "Is there an opening stance of some sort?"

From:

futaille

"Points aren't awarded for style," he says, amused. "Just be comfortable but ready to move."

From:

kadewest

"Grantaire, I cut my teeth on the Karate Kid and fairy battlefields," Kade laughs. "All of my frames of reference are off." He settles comfortably but lightly on the balls of his feet, though. "What do I do with my hands?"

From:

futaille

"There is hitting in savate, but not nearly as much as there is kicking, so we'll just focus on the kicks for now. You can keep your hands up, but loose since you won't really be using them."

From:

kadewest

"Sounds great! Okay. Let's do this."

From:

futaille

He nods and starts off the sparring session, offering tips here and there as they go along.

From:

kadewest

Even though Kade isn't particularly inclined to exercise--he only runs because of Cora's voice in his ear, and he hasn't regularly fought since his questing days--it will become rapidly clear that he has a knack for this kind of thing, dodging effectively and landing a few more hits than one might expect from someone totally new to this.

From:

futaille

"You're a quick study!"

From:

kadewest

Kade laughs. "Perks of being a child soldier," he says, circling Grantaire.

From:

futaille

"I get the sense that there aren't all that many of those." He goes in for a kick.

From:

kadewest

"Depends on the World," says Kade, wincing--his attempt to evade is a poor one, and the kick lands.

From:

futaille

He grins at the hit and slides back. "That would probably be the case for most things, I suppose."

From:

kadewest

"Oh, sure." Kade shakes out his leg, then squares up again.

From:

futaille

Grantaire dives right back into the bout. "I'm sure it puts perspective on a lot of things most people don't get to have perspective on."

From:

kadewest

Kade laughs, a little breathless now. "I think that depends on the person."

From:

futaille

"Oh, that goes without saying," he says with a laugh. "A person who actually takes advantage of even half the opportunities provided to them is extraordinarily rare."