[ Bela continues to roll her shoulders, then slides into general stretches before shaking out her limbs to loosen them as much as possible. She feels ready.
When he produces the baton and holds it out to her, Bela takes it in her hand and tests the weight for a few moments, looking back at Carver. ]
[ Carver watches silently as Bela stretches. She knows what she's doing, so there's no need to step in and offer suggestions. He rolls his shoulders and snaps out the second baton. ]
Good. First thing is, they're weighted at the end. See the knob? That'll help you control the swing, make sure the blow lands. But you don't need a lot of force if you aim it right. Knuckles, joints, face. Hit someone once, and hit 'em right, and they'll go down.
[ Sam was pretty pissed when she saw him after he was shot by her. ]
Your face?
[ There's a brief pause before she follows through with what he instructed, holding onto the end of the stick, flexing her hand for a moment. Then Bela shifts onto the balls of her feet, drawing back her arm before aiming a swing at his face. ]
If you're fast enough to hit me first, that'll work. But if I'm faster, or you're not sure, you'll want to block first, then repost. It'll redirect the force.
[ He tips his head to the side. ]
I'm a different weight class than you. Means I'll have the advantage if I box you in. Doesn't mean you can't win, just means you gotta be smart about it. Most people get stupid when they fight. They over extend, commit too much. You let them be stupid, then you hit them for it. I'll show you the blocks now.
[ She listens intently, taking everything that he had to say on board. Maybe she should be making notes, but it might be a better use of her time to put things into practice as opposed to writing it all down. Maybe even part of it is based on instinct. ]
I understand. Seen plenty of stupid fights in my lifetime, but never got involved personally of course.
[ Her more unruly clients usually calmed down after she knocked down her asking price or promised delivery in a quicker timeframe. Shooting them was incredibly bad for business so Bela appealed to their wallets instead. ]
[ Bela replies, copying him by turning sideways. She feels some apprehension at Carver coming for her, but she isn't going to learn otherwise.
After that, Bela steels herself up and raises the baton in front of her body to shield herself from his attack, preparing to sidestep away if it doesn't work. ]
[ It's under the table, technically, but Carver likes the work more often than he doesn't. It's familiar. Reflexive. Comforting, in a distant sort of way.
He inclines his head slightly. ]
Let's finish with the baton first. See where you're at. I'll show you a couple more blocks and then we'll drill with them. Make sure you've got it down.
[ Carver just nods, rolling his shoulders as well. ]
All right. We're going to do a drill now. I'll show you two blocks. When you're ready, I'll swing for you twice. You'll block. Then we'll build it up to three, then four. Good?
[ Bela sounds confident when she speaks, wanting to continue to do well with the training. It might take her a couple of tries, but he's been patient with her and it's something that she appreciates. ]
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Yeah, no need for me to put on some gloves if we're only practicing.
[ She tries to psych herself up, feeling a little nervous. ]
I'm a fast learner, but this is still new to me.
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I've done this before. Been an instructor.
[ He helped train Matthew. They all did. ]
You'll pick it up quick.
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[ She rolls her shoulders to loosen them up. ]
Should I be doing any warm up stretches?
[ Just in case. ]
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[ He steps further into the room, checking how much space he has to work with. Enough. Good.
Then he nods, and takes out one of the two batons he stole. He snaps it out, then offers it to her. ]
Get a feel for the weight.
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When he produces the baton and holds it out to her, Bela takes it in her hand and tests the weight for a few moments, looking back at Carver. ]
I'm good. Feels fine.
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Good. First thing is, they're weighted at the end. See the knob? That'll help you control the swing, make sure the blow lands. But you don't need a lot of force if you aim it right. Knuckles, joints, face. Hit someone once, and hit 'em right, and they'll go down.
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Last time I shot someone, I hit their shoulder. It was more of a warning than anything else, but I've never had to shoot anyone fatally.
[ But she probably would if she had to. For protection. ]
Want me to show you a swing? Then you can tell me if I'm doing it right.
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[ But the fact she was able to do it on purpose is impressive. Means she's got good aim, that she worked at it. ]
Yeah.
[ He inclines his head slightly. ]
Aim for my face. I'll block.
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Your face?
[ There's a brief pause before she follows through with what he instructed, holding onto the end of the stick, flexing her hand for a moment. Then Bela shifts onto the balls of her feet, drawing back her arm before aiming a swing at his face. ]
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Good. Small, controlled movement. You don't want to overextend. Your weapon gets too far away from you, someone can knock it out of your hand.
Now. If I was coming at you like this, how would you hit me?
[ He hefts the baton like he's going to swing for her chest. ]
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[ It makes sense, everything he has told her so far. ]
I'd aim for your elbow or mid section to try and throw you off.
[ Her best guess because Bela doesn't know if it's correct or not, but she remembers what he said about aiming for joints earlier. ]
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[ He tips his head to the side. ]
I'm a different weight class than you. Means I'll have the advantage if I box you in. Doesn't mean you can't win, just means you gotta be smart about it. Most people get stupid when they fight. They over extend, commit too much. You let them be stupid, then you hit them for it. I'll show you the blocks now.
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I understand. Seen plenty of stupid fights in my lifetime, but never got involved personally of course.
[ Her more unruly clients usually calmed down after she knocked down her asking price or promised delivery in a quicker timeframe. Shooting them was incredibly bad for business so Bela appealed to their wallets instead. ]
Okay, I'm ready.
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He shifts his stance, turning sideways. ]
First block is like this. Don't let them catch your wrist. You turn like I am, you minimize the target you present. I'm going to swing for you now.
[ And then he does, just to see how she'll react. He's careful enough to pull back if he needs to. ]
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[ Bela replies, copying him by turning sideways. She feels some apprehension at Carver coming for her, but she isn't going to learn otherwise.
After that, Bela steels herself up and raises the baton in front of her body to shield herself from his attack, preparing to sidestep away if it doesn't work. ]
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Good. If you block, then you want to repost - it redirects the momentum, and you can take advantage of it. Fight smart, not harder, you know?
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Yeah. Makes sense to me. Especially if I don't want to exhaust myself either in trying to take my opponent down.
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[ He grins. Carver had a feeling she'd pick it up fast. ]
Simple is best. Learn a move, get it reflexive, and know how to apply it. That'll put you above the average idiot you run into.
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[ Bela returns the grin. ]
I think I'd also like to know a few basic hand-to-hand defense moves. Which is why I signed up with Scott. I'd gladly learn from you though.
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[ It's old hat by this point. He's trained others before. ]
I've been working with Scott too. Taking some of his students.
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[ Scott seemed like a reasonable sort, from what little she knew about him. ]
Did you want to give it a try now or continue with the baton training?
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[ It's under the table, technically, but Carver likes the work more often than he doesn't. It's familiar. Reflexive. Comforting, in a distant sort of way.
He inclines his head slightly. ]
Let's finish with the baton first. See where you're at. I'll show you a couple more blocks and then we'll drill with them. Make sure you've got it down.
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[ Bela does a couple of shoulder rolls to loosen up before her focus is sharp once again. Willing to learn with enthusiasm. ]
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All right. We're going to do a drill now. I'll show you two blocks. When you're ready, I'll swing for you twice. You'll block. Then we'll build it up to three, then four. Good?
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[ Bela sounds confident when she speaks, wanting to continue to do well with the training. It might take her a couple of tries, but he's been patient with her and it's something that she appreciates. ]
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