Close Quarters Battle Trainin: Shiny

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pencil entry, with dirty soil smudges dated 23/11/2008
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I got back from tha Wide River pissed off and down trodden. Captain Featherpants had taken tha Thing in Joah away, for a while at least. I needed ta make sure my Family were ok.

Shiny, our once-Feline, had asked fer some CQB trainin, I was only too happy ta offer ta help. After she got taken apart, and I mean literally, by three of tha damn KA sisters she's been awful tough ta get outta her shell. So its good she wants ta get some PT. She had read some martial arts books and stuff and got it in her head she was gunna be a kung-Fu crescent kickin master. I figured we'd start with somethin a bit simpler. Work up ta crazy monky fightin. I got her ta make fists, checked her stance and picked up one of tha cushions. My cushion. "awright, now. punch tha pillow fer me, good and slow, just, like walkin, dont run, walk tha punch. good punch!" she was a touch timid ta start with but she started getting inta it. Raven's Song came down tha stairs quiet like. There were tha usual smiles and Family words. Then we got back to tha lesson.

"so, ya can jab, which is where ya arm comes out quick and straight, snappin in and out, like a snake's strike . . or ya can hook, which is when ya twist yer body with tha punch, and it makes an arc, which is slower, but heavier" Shiny asked me how she should stand. Feets are real important. Lot of fighters ferget that. Stay still and get clobbered, I say. "standin . . .well, ya need ta be stable, but not like a rock, yer little, so movin about is good fer ya, quick on yer feet, . . . . like a dance .. ." Shiny spread her feet to each side, shoulder-width apart, then windmill'd her paws dramatically at me givin a battle cry "Waaaaaa!" i ducked and poked her in the belly with an outstetched claw, light, sharp and fast askin her if -that’s- how she dances. Shiny grinned sheepishly, "uh, well... no. But it looks cool! I don't really kno how to dance., not like that. Fancy that not knowin how ta dance. Ha.

Bastard Tohu took my dance teacher. Spirit Gal taught me a thing called "tha waltz". I'm going to fuckin boot that bastard.

I get a handle on my churnin guts and get on with tha lesson "well .. .dance with me. " I started ta pad around, side to side, holdin the pillow at her face height, moving fluidly, but kinda erratically. Like someone who don’t want get hit might do. I keep callin out ta her ta “dance dance!” She watched me, tryin ta imitate my moves and I let her get her moves on and then I thrust tha pillow out, in both arms, ta bop at her face. Got her off guard, and gave her a face full of cloth with my fur all over it “Hay!” she yelped, but, saw tha game of it, and I kept paddin about, light on my paws, shiftin from moving to moving right, then backwards, then left, then forwards, then right, till I thrust tha pillow out, slower this time . . . “dance dance PUNCH” I saw her clenche her fist and took a swing, punchin the pillow “yaa!” I called out “thats tha way! try a jab, then a hook . . .straight, or with tha shoulder and hip .. .dance, dance . . . .” and again, I shoved tha pillow out and Shiny uses her left hand to jab, but it goes wild, and she misses, punchin air with a “oops!” but I keep her up and at it “ahhh! two paws! see, there ya go! no no, thats good . . .dance dance”

She moves around on her feet tryin not to trip and holds holds her fists up, the left in front of her face to block blows from the pillow, the other cocked behind her ready to strike “DANCE DANCE DANCE” then I thrust tha pillow out. Shiny punches the pillow hard with her right arm not thinking but reacting, good form. Problem was, well, I call Shiny, Shiny, because she’s got parts replaced with metal ones. I got a metal fist pump through tha cushion, knockin it aside, and thumpin inta tha middle of my chest. Tha pain ain’t that bad, considerin I got tha boot stuck inta me, after fuckin burnin myself alive healin tha damage tha Tohu did ta Spirit Gal. I give a good old grunt and Shiny inhaled sharp like, brinin her hands up to her mouth”oh!” and I make some more noises “ack! Kharrk” and then have a good old laugh. As Shiny changes colour in worry. I try ta make her feel better, I tell her about my scars, and that getting smacked in tha chest by a little thing like her on her first lesson, cyber arm or no.

Back to tha lesson “so . . . .punchin . . . . ya need ta make sure that after each punch, ya still be in a position ta take another . . .cause if ya miss . . . y might get over balance . . ..dance! dance dance dance” and I wave tha pillow at her again. She starts dancing about better, more free, and takes some shots, jabbin, hookin, I get her inta a rhythm, then I duck aside as she takes a tired swing with preternatural speed, leavin her hangin for a split second and pokes her in the side with a claw. She gets all indignant at me, “cheater!” she said, lookin shocked. “see? that was good, but, well, i cheat” She takes that in, and thinks a moment as we dance tha meat-dance “If someone is faster than I am, what can I do?”

Thinkin, this is why we collect smart folks to tha Institute, we listen, and have answers fer smart people, and then they wanna stay. “cover your self . . .or be smarter but, i knew ya were gonna punch, i told ya to, so, i was already movin aside . ..” Shiny nods and gives me a look, and we keep at it “Oh yeah?” I nod and give her a few openings, she’s watchin me now, ta see if I’ll pull something on her. That’s good. I still could, but, she’s a fresh boot, and a victim, I’m a trained and seasoned war-fighter. “try again, this time snap in, and snap back, so that when ya stand, yer elbows sit at yer sides . . .” She nods and we dance “
[11:35] Lyra Brezoianu nods “dance dance dance . . . . dance dance PUNCH” but instead of punchin, like I said ta do, she feints, and grabed my arm with her metal one, and gave me a right fuckin zappin, some sort of tazer thingy.

As I stood there makein a face, rubbing my arm as where my fur was still standin on end she took tha advantage of the distraction and lightly jabs me in tha stomach. That’s my Shiny! “fast learner, usually have ta TEACH people ta cheat” She had a good laugh and stuck out her tongue at me as tha Messenger came in. Helped me ferget tha Wide River, tha burnin, and what had happened ta Spirit Gal, fer a little bit, anyways.