(no subject)

[aceofsorts.livejournal.com]

[Watching carefully, fingers laced.] I'm listening.

Comments

[fallenpips.livejournal.com]

Since it'll never come to a challenge between us again, I thought it might be a suitable time to let you know: you telegraph where you're about to hit by looking there.

[And this is the great secret that most of his opponents take advantage of.]

If you learned to know where someone's limbs are based on their overall balance, you wouldn't need to check if the leg's going to be there when you swing.

That's all.

[aceofsorts.livejournal.com]

Oh. I see.

[It's the unexpectedness more than anything else that gives him pause before furthering his reply. There's also a bit of slotting this in with his pride. Could a glance be that bad? Hrrm.]

Well, thank you, Isadore. That's very... generous of you.

[Funny, he'd been talking about the value of kindness earlier. Not favourably.]

[fallenpips.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. Also, here. [She offers him a sheathed cutlass.] It's one of the castle's and got mixed in with my personal blades when I left in a hurry. I'd rather not have you think I was trying to steal it.

[Really, this visit isn't so much kindness as...well, TCOB. If she can leave Oliver with a favorable impression of herself while doing so, all the better. What she knows is, the next martial challenge he faces will go interestingly if he masters that flaw.]

[aceofsorts.livejournal.com]

[It feels close enough to kindness. He takes the cutlass back, frowns faintly as he pulls the blade out an inch to recall which batch it belongs with.]

You know we'd never suspect such a thing. [The blade snaps back into the cutlass in full.] Is it terribly noticeable? [Did everyone know?]

[maidenthespade.livejournal.com]

I said, "hit me." That is what we are here for, yes? Show me what you can do. If you land clean hit I will be making you perohy for dinner.

[aceofsorts.livejournal.com]

How can I resist that?

[Landing a clean hit on Katya. Challenge set.

He takes another moment of calm, stretching his fingers, before aiming a fairly standard solar plexus hit. Other arm ready and on the defensive, because he learns from some mistakes.]

[maidenthespade.livejournal.com]

[She dances out of reach easily. His arm is up for defense, but how is his balance. Watch out, Oliver, she's going to take your legs.]

You are not even trying. Why do you look where you are going to hit?

/makes all the shit up

[headfollowheart.livejournal.com]

As armory acquisition approval is under the Jack's purview, Master Seven, I was hoping you'd be able to highlight any needs you have for the inventory and provide them to me.

[That would be to her, Oliver, because we both know that if you handed such a request to Sieben, he'd eye it with confusion, bewilderment, and then Zoe would have to get him aspirin. Again. Before just telling him to sign it.

So we might as well cut out the middle man.]

[aceofsorts.livejournal.com]

[Someone giving a shit about the armoury besides beating the weapons inside hopelessly out of shape? Praise be, and the usual workplace grumblings. Of course there's already a file of this stuff waiting in one of the desk drawers, because Oliver is one of the organised masses.]

What do you think my tactic should be this time? Sending them all over in the hopes that something gets through, or guaranteeing the most important?

[headfollowheart.livejournal.com]

[Zoe tips her head to one side, pretending to consider it.]

Oh, I expect you should try sending them all over, marked in order of importance, to the attention of his assistant, who will be happy to shove any reasonable request under the Jack's nose to be signed.

[It was early days. She probably shouldn't start forging Sieben's signature yet.]

[acethatmatters.livejournal.com]

Of course he is. Or Julien would be going back to David in disgust and saying to just send Urania or something instead.

"The King and I," and no, he didn't stutter, don't look at him like that, "have discussed the need for there to be a Spade delegate to the Arcana."

[aceofsorts.livejournal.com]

It's just nice to confirm these things sometimes.

"Sensible enough. And I take it that you have come to a decision on this." It should be a reasonably obvious assumption; at least he manages to keep his usual impassive expression at 'the King and I.'

[acethatmatters.livejournal.com]

"I would hardly be speaking to you on the subject if we had not."

Pause.

Expectant look.

[fallenpips.livejournal.com]

Since it'll never come to a challenge between us again, I thought it might be a suitable time to let you know: you telegraph where you're about to hit by looking there.

[And this is the great secret that most of his opponents take advantage of.]

If you learned to know where someone's limbs are based on their overall balance, you wouldn't need to check if the leg's going to be there when you swing.

That's all.

[aceofsorts.livejournal.com]

Oh. I see.

[It's the unexpectedness more than anything else that gives him pause before furthering his reply. There's also a bit of slotting this in with his pride. Could a glance be that bad? Hrrm.]

Well, thank you, Isadore. That's very... generous of you.

[Funny, he'd been talking about the value of kindness earlier. Not favourably.]

[fallenpips.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. Also, here. [She offers him a sheathed cutlass.] It's one of the castle's and got mixed in with my personal blades when I left in a hurry. I'd rather not have you think I was trying to steal it.

[Really, this visit isn't so much kindness as...well, TCOB. If she can leave Oliver with a favorable impression of herself while doing so, all the better. What she knows is, the next martial challenge he faces will go interestingly if he masters that flaw.]

[maidenthespade.livejournal.com]

I said, "hit me." That is what we are here for, yes? Show me what you can do. If you land clean hit I will be making you perohy for dinner.

[aceofsorts.livejournal.com]

How can I resist that?

[Landing a clean hit on Katya. Challenge set.

He takes another moment of calm, stretching his fingers, before aiming a fairly standard solar plexus hit. Other arm ready and on the defensive, because he learns from some mistakes.]

[maidenthespade.livejournal.com]

[She dances out of reach easily. His arm is up for defense, but how is his balance. Watch out, Oliver, she's going to take your legs.]

You are not even trying. Why do you look where you are going to hit?

/makes all the shit up

[headfollowheart.livejournal.com]

As armory acquisition approval is under the Jack's purview, Master Seven, I was hoping you'd be able to highlight any needs you have for the inventory and provide them to me.

[That would be to her, Oliver, because we both know that if you handed such a request to Sieben, he'd eye it with confusion, bewilderment, and then Zoe would have to get him aspirin. Again. Before just telling him to sign it.

So we might as well cut out the middle man.]

[aceofsorts.livejournal.com]

[Someone giving a shit about the armoury besides beating the weapons inside hopelessly out of shape? Praise be, and the usual workplace grumblings. Of course there's already a file of this stuff waiting in one of the desk drawers, because Oliver is one of the organised masses.]

What do you think my tactic should be this time? Sending them all over in the hopes that something gets through, or guaranteeing the most important?

[headfollowheart.livejournal.com]

[Zoe tips her head to one side, pretending to consider it.]

Oh, I expect you should try sending them all over, marked in order of importance, to the attention of his assistant, who will be happy to shove any reasonable request under the Jack's nose to be signed.

[It was early days. She probably shouldn't start forging Sieben's signature yet.]

[acethatmatters.livejournal.com]

Of course he is. Or Julien would be going back to David in disgust and saying to just send Urania or something instead.

"The King and I," and no, he didn't stutter, don't look at him like that, "have discussed the need for there to be a Spade delegate to the Arcana."

[aceofsorts.livejournal.com]

It's just nice to confirm these things sometimes.

"Sensible enough. And I take it that you have come to a decision on this." It should be a reasonably obvious assumption; at least he manages to keep his usual impassive expression at 'the King and I.'

[acethatmatters.livejournal.com]

"I would hardly be speaking to you on the subject if we had not."

Pause.

Expectant look.