defyingfrigidity | [ryslig IC Inbox]

[Honestly, Elsa kind of... put the whole idea of training out of her mind for a while. It would be a useful skill to have, of course! But the main reason she agreed to Cassandra training her was so that Cassandra would train Anna. And Anna seemed to really be enjoying it, so she was happy to let their new friend from Corona focus on her sister for a while.

But of course, she won't exactly say no to this offer. With the squabbling between the god followers getting more and more noticeable lately, it feels like something big might be coming soon. Something she should be prepared for.]

I have some free time today, so I'd be happy to take you up on your offer.
Should I bring anything out into the yard with me?

[Considering that the gods were, in Cassandra's humble opinion, a bunch of dicks, it was better to be prepared in advance instead of being suddenly thrust into danger head-first.

Besides... She wanted to pay Elsa back for what she did. This seemed like a good way to do it.]

Only yourself. I've got everything already prepared.

[And lo and behold, once Elsa steps out of the castle, she'll find Cassandra's training area all set up once more. though things have been moved around slightly, since she last trained with Anna. But at least the dummy is repaired!

Cassandra is out there, in the middle of it all, her element. She's waiting for you, Elsa.]

[For a moment, Elsa wonders if she should be worried. Just what needed to be prepared? But she quickly shakes that off; she'd spied a bit on Cassandra and Anna's training, and it hadn't seemed like anything bad... so it'll probably be fine here.

It takes a few minutes before Elsa shows up in the yard, but only because she tried to prepare just a little; instead of her normal long, light skirt, she changed into a pair of loose pants she'd found buried somewhere in her closet, and did her best to tie back her leafy hair a bit more securely than her normal loose ponytail. She doesn't quite look like a fighter, but she definitely looks like someone ready to train.]

All right, I'm ready to go.

[There's a pause as she looks around the setup Cassandra has going on.... and her expression immediately falls into a look that can only be described as half amused, half annoyed when she spots the training dummy.]

... Let me guess. Anna did that?

[Cassandra's prepared for the best case scenario, and she's been thinking about it for some time now. If Elsa was anything like her sister, well... this was surely going to be a training session that she'd never forget.

Cass herself had dressed down a little for training, now that the summer season was in full effect: she wore a loose shirt, tied at the waist with a belt, and her tights. Most of her arms were exposed, showing the thin fur that trailed up from her hands to her shoulders and poofed out of the neckhole. Compared to Elsa, and to Anna, she's definitely a bit beefier.]

...Oh, that? Yeah. [She jerked a clawed thumb at Sideburns the dummy, who now had his head reattached with a combination of glue and tape. Cass smiled sheepishly, just a hint of fang poking out.] She told me all about that guy, Hans, and she punched the dummy's head off.

I'm sad I couldn't see her do it to the real thing.

[Too bad Elsa is absolutely nothing like Anna when it comes to skills. This training session might still be memorable, just.... not in the way Cassandra will be expecting.]

It was very satisfying to see, after all the pain and trouble he caused. [Elsa lets out a huff.] I don't know just how much Anna told you about the things he tried to do, but... let's just say that if any emissaries from the Southern Isles ever visit Corona, I'd advise you to be on your guard.

[She doesn't really know much about what Hans's family is like, aside from Anna telling her what Hans told Anna about his brothers, so it all could be a lie for all she knows. Still... can't be too sure, right?]

[No matter what Cassandra was expecting, she was fully prepared for an interesting time. Elsa had helped her out, in a way nobody else had ever. Training her, no matter her starting level, was a way to repay that.]

She... told me enough. [They had some time to kill. Cassandra shakes her head.] And I'll keep that in mind if I ever get back home, or Raps decides to make another appearance.

[She claps her hands together, and leads Elsa over towards the dummy.]

And that's why I fixed up the dummy again; You're going to start out the same way Anna did. You see Sideburns, here? I want you to take a swing at him, okay?

Right... I apologize in advance for how, um. Underwhelming this will probably be.

[Okay... okay this is fine. Elsa's - unfortunately - killed people before. It's why she disappears from the castle once a week or so, around when they all eat. But Elsa's never fought the people she's hunted, and always makes it as quick and painless as possible. But this at least, she can do.

She doesn't know the correct stances or how to properly hold her arms up, but Elsa still raises her fists - she at least has the sense not to curl her fingers over her thumbs, rather than vice versa - and punches. Not a swing, or even a punch with much force behind it; more of a jab really. It's nice enough that the training dummy shudders a little, but that could probably be attributed more to the general enhanced strength of monsters.]

[Cassandra inwardly prepares herself for what is sure to be something great...!

...Huh.

She marches over to the dummy, lightly inspecting it. She definitely saw the punch happen, as unwieldy and clearly unpracticed as it was. But there's no heads coming off, or exploding dummies. The dummy shook a bit, but clearly showed no lasting damage.]

Uh, [Was she disappointed? That's a strong word... and she looks back to Elsa with what she hopes is a surprised smile.] I mean, that's... not bad! A good jab like that to the throat can take a thug out.

[Look, Elsa totally noticed that pause. And she's not embarrassed about it. not very much. All she does is laugh sheepishly, reaching up to awkwardly rub at her neck.]

You can say it was terrible, I know. [No offense taken here!] Anna and I are very different when it comes to physical capabilities.

[...]

... Meaning, I don't have very many at all.

[Was she not inconspicuous enough? Ah, man. It's not often that Cassandra herself looks sheepish, but Elsa's getting a look at her now.]

Terrible? Ha! No? What, why would you... [Truth be told, Cassandra's poker face was awful when she was already caught in it.] I'm just a little surprised is all, with how your little sister could punch the head right off like she did.

[...] But it's probably a good thing I had something else planned for today.

Edited 2019-07-23 09:21 (UTC)

[Cass mentioned that Anna had punched the head of the dummy clean off, but it's still a little crazy to comprehend. Hoo boy, good thing she and her sister always get along, for the most part...!]

Unfortunately, my duties [and fear of interacting with people] left me with far less time to develop my physical abilities to the level that Anna has.

[Oho, what Cassandra says next, though, definitely piques Elsa's interest a bit.]

Oh? What did you have in mind?

Well seeing as that's not an issue here, I'll have to see what I can do about that.

[And she promises to do the best she can. Maybe Elsa will never punch as hard as Anna, but she'll make sure that she can defend herself.

Because, guess what! Cassandra's got a knife! Or one of the daggers she normally wears, to be exact.]

Remember back when we talked about using a knife? I thought we'd give that a try.

[Elsa has no doubt that Cassandra would be an excellent trainer, after all she's talked about and the skills she's shown so far. It's just her own abilities she has concerns over...]

Is that wise? I know the guards in Arendelle are put through various basic training drills before they move on to any sort of weapon...

[Her tone isn't one of any real protest; she's accepted that this whole training thing is happening, she's just not sure how it's all supposed to go, that's all.]

I know. Back in Corona, you would be put through the same drills before you were let anywhere near a weapon. But, seeing as how everything around here is already way more dangerous than Corona, it can't hurt to start off with one round of self-defense.

[Although, her dad had let her train off and on with them since she was six. She was a bit of a special case.

She twirled the knife in her hand before taking the blade between two fingers. She held it out to Elsa.]

It'll be perfectly safe, trust me. Plus, I'll feel better running you through pushups and obstacle courses if I know you can at least stab a guy trying to attack you.

Obstacle courses? Are you going to make me stab things while running through one?

[...... She really hopes she didn't just give Cassandra an idea. Before the other woman can think about that too much, Elsa grabs the knife, blade up, while being careful not to yank it out of Cassandra's grip. Just a light enough tug to show that she's got a grip, and Cassandra can let go.]

Of course I trust you. You've given me no reason not to so far.

[Ah, if only Elsa knew just how important trust was to Cassandra...]

[The smirk on Cass's face said enough.] Maybe another day.

[....Honestly, if Elsa wanted to give her any ideas, then she was perfectly free to do so. Cassandra was just deeply glad that someone trusted her and her efforts.

There was no need to show that she's got a grip, because Cassandra's hands followed Elsa's, passing the dagger into her hand and closing around it. And they stay there, lingering, unintentionally, for the moment.]

A strong grip is important, so try not to let it go for any reason.

[For a brief moment, Elsa freezes up; her hands are still a pretty sensitive thing for her, and while she's gotten a lot better in recent months at initiating touch with others, the feeling of someone else touching her hands is enough to make her jump. But she doesn't pull away - mainly because she's afraid that if she does, she might accidentally cut Cassandra with the knife.

So she'll just hold her hand still, focusing intently on Cassandra's words so that she can ignore the little electric jolts that shoot up her arm at every little movement.]

R-Right. [This totally isn't awkward at all, nope.] Is there any particular way I should hold it to make my grip more comfortable?

[Elsa's hands are a topic that's only been slightly breached thanks to the conversation Elsa had with Anna, wherein Anna explained the events that transpired back home. Something about dirt, or ice powers, things like that. So Cassandra wasn't thinking too much about that when she took Elsa's hand.

She was a bit more focused on Elsa herself, who was a bit... closer, now that she'd done that. Strange, she assumed today would be a rather cool, summer day. But it feels like the heat just picked up.]

Uh... [Nope, not awkward at all, as Cassandra flipped her gaze back and forth. Elsa and the dagger.] The best way is to grip it like this, all fingers and thumb holding the hilt. Try to keep your grip even, or it could fly out of your hand if things get too nuts.

[She is. still holding Elsa's hand.]

[Yep. It's definitely getting pretty warm out here. That's weird. And slightly worrying because Elsa's felt this before and hoo boy that is making her come to some very odd conclusions that she very much does not want to touch right now.

This is fine. This is totally okay. The best way to get used to something that used to make you afraid is to be exposed to it, right? Maybe... maybe letting Cassandra touch her hand is good.]

Right. Should I... spread my fingers for a better grip? Or keep them close together?

[Good thing Lup isn't here, or else she could absolutely make an innuendo out of that.]

[Conclusions? What conclusions? Surely nothing is happening here, and if there was, Cassandra is already pushing whatever ideas slipped into her mind way, way down. It must be all this fur, being outside like this. That's it.]

What? [Cassandra isn't particularly dirty-minded, but... well, she has her moments, suffice to say. This would be one of them, as the rest of her thoughts came to a crashing halt.]

--Oh, the dagger. Uh, best to keep your fingers together.You don't have to spread out for something a small as this.

[...Oh god, she's still holding on. Finally, Cassandra releases Elsa's hand. And whatever that was can stop now. Hopefully.]

Hey, you've already mastered step one. So... congrats! You'll be stabbing in no time.

[Welcome to the joys of having a friend even more sheltered than Rapunzel, Cass. At least in Rapunzel's case, though she was confined to her tower for all her life, at least she absorbed as much about the world as she could. Elsa... didn't. So there are a lot of things that fly straight over her head - innuendo being one of them. Sometimes she gets when something she says might be taken as suggestive, but only after someone (... usually Lup, or Taako) point it out to her. So Cassandra's confusion only makes Elsa look confused, but... okay. If everything's fine...]

I never thought I'd be congratulated on being one step closer to being able to kill someone...

[She sounds kind of amused but also wow is that morbid.]

I've seen that some people hold a dagger with the blade up, and some hold it with the blade down. Is one better or easier than the other?

[Oh boy, she thought she was passed the time of dealing with people who were sheltered enough that they didn't know some things that made Cassandra's face turn red. But here we are... She could picture that exact, same expression on Rapunzel's face - innuendos just weren't something that could pop up in general conversation with worry that this would happen.]

No, I-- [She balked at the comment about killing someone, but pushed past.] I'm not saying that. I'm... just trying to say you'll get this, no sweat.

[An unfortunate fact Cassandra's discovered about herself: once in a hole, it's difficult to dig herself out.]

That'll come down to your preference. I prefer blade up, but if you find that easier then give it a try?

Edited 2019-07-28 23:00 (UTC)

[That gets a little laugh out of Elsa. Despite the regal air she often has, she still feels pretty awkward most of the time, so she kind of sympathizes with Cassandra fumbling over her words. And it's kind of... cute?

Wait. That can't be the right word. Cute...? No, no that can't be right. Elsa's just.... going to let that subject drop now, okay.]

Right... okay. [She takes her place back in front of the training dummy, holding the dagger out in front of her.] Do I... do I stab, or slash...?

[That little laugh earns a... smile from Cassandra? A sort of smile, anyway. Yes, she was awkward when she got out of her element; it was difficult, going from being feared by guardsmen older than her, to straining for the right worlds in front of a sweet, little tree nymph.

...Thinking something like that just made her think of Rapunzel. Gonna put that in the mind safe, forever.]

Huh? Oh. [She moves to Elsa's side, looking from her to the dummy.] Well, you can stab if you want to aim for the chest, but if you feel like giving it a try, you can slash at the arms. That's a good tactic against something trying to come at you.

[Well, if she makes a total fool of herself during this training session, at least she can come away feeling accomplished that she made Cassandra smile. That's a win in Elsa's book!]

The arms...

[Elsa's unfortunately seen enough of a person's insides to have a pretty basic understanding about how certain bits work - at the very least, she knows where the softest parts are, so while she doesn't swing the knife with any sort of hard force, she slowly makes an arc with it, like she's tracing a line through the air, until she draws it straight across the inner elbow.]

There, right?

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WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, QUEENOFICEOLATION. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 013.11.221.20 * QUEENOFICEOLATION has joined 013.11.221.20 <QUEENOFICEOLATION> I think I've finally gotten the hang of these devices. <QUEENOFICEOLATION> So! <QUEENOFICEOLATION> There's no harm in setting up one of these, yes? <QUEENOFICEOLATION>** (Thanks to those of you who helped me do so and I'm sorry if I frustrated anyone)