voice; day 106, late afternoon

[enchangement]

What is the _point...?

Every step forard becomes another leap behind.

There is ^no food. Or not enough to go around.

There is a monster in the wa_{ter that they} can't keep in check.

The guess is: the captors are gone.

The ex^{periment has g}one awry.

And we remain.

[ ooc: weird text is meant to indicate parts of River's post that are difficult to understand. Network instability for the lose! ]

Comments

[nedofpies]

[Ned's... not exactly sure he is curious enough about what it sounds like to have Charles messing around with his head, but it's worth considering, at the very least. His own occasional squeamishness aside, it would be interesting to be able to hear what River hears, to have a less abstract idea of what it's like to be her on a day to day basis. ]

[ When she goads him on, he gives in almost immediately, should've remembered it's no good trying to be polite and keep things from her. ]

I wanted to know if... if you could teach me to fight. [ It sounds wrong even hearing himself say it. Ned has spent so long convincing himself that fighting back never helped, that running or hiding or turning the other cheek were more effective and more noble. But some of that had been cowardice. He doesn't want to learn to fight for his own sake, or because he has any interest in hurting anyone. He just wants to be useful, to be able to defend his friends in their times of need. To feel, if at all possible, confident enough in himself that he doesn't hang back with the sickening worry that his presence will only make matters worse ]

[enchangement]

[ River would call it a much more abstract idea, but, well. That doesn't mean either of them are exactly wrong.

Ned's request surprises her, but then again ...there's her, on the one side, and everything she's willing to do, and there's Daneel on the other, and everything he isn't willing to do, with Ned somewhat in the middle. ]

You should know. [ A precise nod. ] What do you know?

[nedofpies]

Not all that much slash nothing at all. I, uh, asked Erik the same question a couple days ago and he showed me some stuff, but I'm still- [ What he still is he doesn't know. He shrugs, finishes weakly: ] I'm pretty slow at this. It doesn't come very naturally to me.

[ That, at least, River should know. Any time he has fought back, physically, it has been in times of complete desperation, without technique or even particularly conscious thought. He still remembers the way River had moved when she'd been fighting Charlie, her grace and precision and intensity and violence. Ned knows that kind of skill will always be beyond his grasp, but perhaps she can teach him to at least be a bit less hapless and helpless. ]

[enchangement]

That's okay. [ He can learn and she can learn to teach! At the same time! It'll be great. ]

Best way to stand on windy day? [ She'll start with the basics. Namely, Ned's awful posture. ]

[nedofpies]

[ Ned has to break into a smile at that, shaking his head slightly. He'd thought it a bit odd, that Erik had started in the exact same place when Ned asked him for help, too. Apparently, both of them think it's the very first thing he needs to change. But, even if Erik had given him that advice, even if he'd practiced it, the habits of two decades are going to take a lot more than that to erase. All the same he doesn't hesitate this time before he - awkwardly, self-consciously - stands up straighter. ]

[ Erik had said it wasn't just about standing up straight, but about projecting strength and confidence. Ned's not exactly sure how to do the other two, but he can at the very least stand up tall for a little while, even if it makes him feel foolish. ]

[enchangement]

If you're a tree [ ...yes ] the space as to be the same between branches and roots, shoulders and feet. [ She demonstrates this once his position adjusts by pressing her hand against his stomach and pushing - it doesn't even make him have to take half a step back. ]

Are you worried about fights or things more dangerous?

[ Is she teaching him how to brawl or how to escape? ]

[nedofpies]

[ The demonstration serves its purpose. He does understand that it's steadier, better to plant his feet firmly and far apart. Teaching himself to do so habitually is more tricky than understanding, abstractly, the value of such a stance ]

Both?

[ Ned shoots her a self-deprecating smile. He's worried about everything. Worrying is what he does. He understands the purpose of her questions, but it's hard for him to know what he ought to prioritize. Many of the dangers here have been in the 'more dangerous' category: sabretooth tigers and krakens, oh my. But some of the dangers have come from people, too. ]

Let's start with fights and work our way up, maybe?

[enchangement]

Both.

[ She smiles at Ned again, wishing he wouldn't worry, but she might be better off wishing that trees didn't breathe out oxygen at night. ]

A man swings a fist aiming for your jaw. What do your hands do?

[nedofpies]

Do you mean what would I do now or what ought I do? Because I thought that learning the latter was the whole point. [ All the same, he tries to imagine the situation, and in response raises his hands in front of his face, defensively, in a way that he thinks would be accurate to how he'd react if someone were taking a swing at him ]